Chapter 80: Second test

Eren walked forward, taking his place amongst the other three names.

Magnus barely spared him a glance, scoffing. Pang Cai waved at him with a friendly smile. Meanwhile, Ku’Vara the monk, looked at him for a brief second before a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

Besides that, they didn’t bother him much. Meanwhile, the rest of the examinees were more confused than surprised.

They didn’t know who he was. Never even seen his face, some even said. He was not the type of guy who had made an impression on the others, unlike the other three who’d proven themselves through impressive feats.

Abe, Sierra, and the rest of the group became his fiercest supporters. They spoke of how he swung through the darkness of the stalagmites with nothing but guts and his Reinforcement to help him.

Most were still in disbelief. It was hard to change someone’s mind through words.

If they had any complaints, they at least stayed silent or limited it to muted chatter. They dared not voice out their concerns with Kaiser. Lest they become subject to his cold whims.

"The four of you have gained the attention of the higher ups. And they have chosen you to become a Leader in this second test."

"Leader? We have to—"

Someone couldn’t help but ask his question out loud. His voice was suddenly silenced as he felt an invisible force clamping his mouth shut.

"Do not interrupt me," Kaiser said. "I will explain the rules of the test first. If you have any questions, ask them after I’m done. Are we clear?"

The examinee nodded, fearful.

"The License Exam’s second test will be in groups. Each group will have one leader, and one leader only. The rest will be their members whose fate will be entirely on their leader’s hands whether they pass the exam or not. Either you all fail, or you all pass into the next test."

Kaiser’s words silenced the examinees as they digested this influx of new information.

"The objective of each group will be simple. Beyond this chamber, you will find Territories with a flag on its end. Claim that flag, and that Territory will be yours. You can harvest all the resources this Territory contains for as long as you have the flag.

As you may have already guessed, each group can steal another group’s territory by taking its flag.

By the end of this test, each group will be ranked based on the size of their Territories. Groups on the lower half of the ranking will fail the License Exam and will leave the premises immediately. Leader and member included. Are there any questions?"

Pang Cai raised his hand. "By ranking, do you mean, with those other guys?"

He pointed to the rest of the groups standing by in the Pitted Cavern.

"Precisely. You are division 1-A of the License Exam. You will be competing against the other divisions for territory."

"Sheesh," Pang Cai grumbled.

"How do we decide who’s in a group?" someone asked from the crowd.

"It depends entirely on you. Each leader will be given a stamp. Those who wish to join their group will be marked with their specialized symbol.

Leaders cannot forcibly mark someone who does not wish to join their group. Members cannot leave the group unless the Leader agrees with it.

So, choose wisely who you hitch yourself to..."

Celeste raised her hand. "Are there any limits to the members of a group?"

Kaiser shook his head with a smirk on his face "No limits. If you all want to join a single leader, then do so as you please."

She then glanced at Eren, giving him a knowing look.

"If you wish, you can even join the other divisions," Kaiser added, further intensifying the conversations erupting amongst the examinees.

It was a hot topic, this Second Test. Their opportunity at a License depended on who they would choose as their Leader.

The most obvious choice was Magnus. His annoying and detestable performance in the First Test would prove to be a valuable trait here in the Second Test. He was the kind who took what he wanted, regardless of who he crossed. He’d surely hoard Territories as he did Concrete Blocks.

Eren would choose him too if he wasn’t a Leader himself. He could coast on his hightails.

Pang Cai was next in the consensus. He had plenty of resources. A master at business such as him would perform well in a setting such as this. One often dealt with the complexities of territories in the market, after all.

The monk trailed after the scion of the Cai family. His strange Martial Manual creeped a lot of people out. But it was effective. Those creatures made a great impression on them during training.

At dead last was Eren. He saw their gazes glide past him, over towards the other three.

He was unknown. Untested. It was not worth the risk, given failure meant expulsion from the License Exam.

Only Celeste, Sierra, and the rest of the group gave him encouraging smiles and thumbs up

"Let me give you a hint. These territories will not be as easy to traverse as you think. You will have to avoid traps, solve puzzles, and navigate through difficult terrain to reach the flag at the end.

I suggest you pick someone well-versed in Movement Arts."

Eren’s guess turned out to be correct, after all. Most of those obstacles would challenge the examinees on their verticality. It would push the limits on their Primal Step.

"Leaders," Kaiser called out to them. "Before the start of the second test, you are all required to meet at an assembly of all leaders and proctors at the bottom of the pit."

Kaiser pointed at the bottom of the cliff, where the sunlight from the outside seeped down straight into the Subterranean Burrows.

There were already a few people gathered there, just waiting for the others.

Eren narrowed his eyes as he spotted something.