Chapter 82: Familiar?

Eren saw her eyes narrow. She recognized his face. Found it familiar. But she didn’t know where she knew him.

Then for a moment, her eyebrows raised, as if recognizing his face. She even put a name to the kid she was familiar with ten years ago.

But she shook her head. She second-guessed herself. Eren’s face had the same features as the one in her memory, but familiarity was not a guarantee he was the same one. People could look similar to each other without being related.

Ten years is a long time for a kid to change completely.

Eren was ten years old then, he was twenty years old now. Normal puberty would make most people unrecognizable. Added to the fact that he was in a coma for ten years, no wonder she second-guessed his identity.

He had put on a few muscles ever since his awakening, but he was still leaning on the side of thin.

"There are a few more additional things that you need to be aware of," continued Kaiser. "Mainly, your sponsors."

His finger pointed to the top. Towards the large pit that allowed them to see a patch of the blue skies above.

"You have all impressed at least one of eight sponsors. Who are they, I’m sure you all know. Four of them are from the Prominent Families, namely: the Hearths, the Lindbergs, the Cais, and the Olochs.

And the other four are the Elite Awakener Organizations, each led by a Nation-ranked Awakener: Griffin Prime, the Elvenied Riders, the Crownless Yellows, and the Twin Moon Guild."

Eren had heard of those names before. They frequented the daily news because their accomplishments were reported constantly. A saved district here, a prevented disaster there, and even mundane stuff about their daily lives.

"If you perform well during this Second Test, you may find them sending down a package as a gift for you and your group. Perform even better, and you may receive gifts from other sponsors."

This was just another way for examinees to impress these sponsors and hopefully get recruited by them in the future.

Most of the chosen leaders here were excited upon the prospect. They’d been waiting for this since the beginning.

Others, however, were indifferent. Being recruited by a Family or an Organization may be the easier path, but it was not the only one.

Examinees could choose to go completely independent once they passed the License Exam.

Interestingly enough, he looked at the people around him and saw that same expression.

Ku’Vara, Pang Cai, and even Magnus looked apathetic to the thought of impressing these sponsors.

Pang Cai and Magnus he understood. They were scions of a Prominent Family. They didn’t need to be recruited since they could access all those Martial Manuals and Ascension Arts from the very beginning.

The monk’s preference was a bit surprising. Those Pixies he carried behind his back were resource-heavy creatures. If he needed to keep growing them, then he would need a lot of materials to do so—especially if he wanted to evolve them or increase their numbers.

While he ruminated on his thoughts, Kaiser continued his announcement.

"The flags are indestructible. You may hide it, you may keep it to yourself at all times. But the moment that it is grabbed by another person other than yourself or your members, then you lose all rights to that Territory.

Some Territories are worth more than others. Their corresponding difficulty is also higher in comparison to others. So, the amount of flags in your possession will not be the only measure of success.

Leaders can work together. But just remember that at the end of this Second Test, half of you will be eliminated along with whoever you convinced to follow you.

If you have any more questions, you can seek out the Proctors throughout the entire duration of the test. That is all. You are dismissed."

Most of the chosen leaders immediately broke out into discussion as Kaiser finished his parting words.

But Eren found something peculiar from his set of rules.

The Proctors are going to be present in the test the entire time?

That was interesting. During the First Test, Kaiser was nowhere to be seen. He was gone completely. He only returned when the test was finished.

It only stood to reason that the Proctors in this test would also leave the examinees alone.

But it was the complete opposite. They would stay here in the Subterranean Burrows along with the examinees.

The implications of such a rule were big.

If the Proctors could be talked to, then they could be interacted with. And if they can be interacted with, then they could be asked for help.

They could tip the scales.

Of course, he doubted that the United Governments would allow the Proctors to influence the results of the License Exam completely.

But perhaps, they were allowed to nudge it. By just a small bit.

Otherwise, why would they stay? To watch over the examinees? Unlikely. They already did so without being physically present in the Subterranean Burrows.

It was the only probable explanation Eren could think of. Still, this was merely a conjecture of his. He’d figure out if his guess was correct once the test started.

Anyway, he seemed to be the only one concerned about that last rule. The other leaders were already starting conversations with each other. Feeling each other out. Implying an alliance or friendship or whatnot.

Most of them chose to talk with their fellow leaders in the same division. They were already acquainted with each other during the First Test, after all.

As for Eren, he was familiar only with Pang Cai. He hadn’t interacted with Magnus nor Ku’Vara. And it seemed that both of them had no intentions of allying with other leaders.

Pang Cai then grabbed his shoulders and smiled. "Looks like we’ll be the only ones forging an alliance, Eren!"

In the corner of Eren’s eyes, he saw Ms. Calliope whipped her head towards him, mouth agape.