The queue before the tables was long, and she needed to join it before it was too late. Three long rows of people stood before her. She picked the one that led to a cute female clerk because she was the least intimidating.

  Most of the participants were nervous too. Some dropped their weapons because their hands shook so much, some chewed on their fingers, and others couldn’t stay still, walking back and forth. Although, there were also people who looked like veteran soldiers. They walked as if they owned the damn place. They were the most terrifying people there.

  Do even people like them need to take this exam? How hard is this thing?

  It was Liz’s turn to get her badge. The cute girl seemed to be around the same age as her. She asked for Liz’s name and the paper they had sent her in the letter. After the girl checked something in her documents, she took one from a tall pile of papers, opened a drawer, and gave Liz a badge with a number on it. Before Liz could say anything, the girl just looked behind her and said, “Next!” So Liz stepped away from the table and looked at the plate in her hands. The number four hundred fifty-six was written on it. She clipped it to her vest and patiently waited for the next instructions.

  “IF YOU DIDN’T GET YOUR NUMBER, PLEASE TAKE IT AT THE REGISTRY TABLE. WE’RE ABOUT TO START!” someone shouted after climbing onto the stage.

  The last time Liz had seen so many people in one place was when she fled the burning Frey. But before she could sink into her uncomfortable memories, she saw someone else stepping onto the stage, ready to announce something.

  That someone was Zywa.

  “Hello everyone, my name is Zywa. I’m the general secretary of the hunter’s guild, and today I will be honored to be hosting the annual hunter exam,” she declared.

  Then Zywa proceeded to give a long speech about what an honor it is to be a hunter and how she envied them because it was the beginning of their journey. Liz almost dozed off when she saw a familiar face. Polo was standing behind Zywa, and as always, he had his clipboard in his hands. He looked almost the same, just a little more mature.

  “There are going to be three stages of the exam. Each will have its own Examiner, who will determine what you will have to do.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  “The first stage will be led by my colleague, Polo. Please follow him into the mine, where he will tell you what to do next.

  “Thank you for participating in this year's hunter’s exam, and I wish you all the best of luck!”

  Zywa finished her speech and returned to where she had to be, while Polo moved ahead and told everyone to follow him. As expected, no one did it properly. The big, scary men turned to the little boys and started to argue about who was going first and who was in whose way.

  Polo was a man of order and discipline, so, as you would expect, he wasn’t fond of this at all. He had to turn around and straighten out the loud crowd that was about to start a fight. They didn’t even notice him at first. Polo wasn't very tall or muscular; he didn’t radiate confidence, and his voice was way too high for them to take him seriously.

  “ENOUGH!” yelled Polo.

  The men finally turned their heads to him, and their faces fell. They let go of each other and acted as if nothing had happened. Polo was happy they understood their fate was in his hands, and it wasn’t worth losing their chances over that.

  “Get in line and stop arguing, you idiots,” said Polo.

  Hundreds of people lined up in a long lane near the head-frame and waited for their turn. The queue moved quickly, and no one seemed eager to argue over who went first anymore.

  When it was Liz’s turn to enter the mine, she and some people ahead of and behind her entered the massive tower. Inside, it looked like a big square, but instead of statues, there were four giant elevators to bring people down and back up.

  The group approached an elevator cage, where one of the hunter’s guild workers was waiting for them. The worker struggled to open the metal door. After a few seconds, he was breathing heavily, and his face was covered in sweat. He signaled for them to get in, and they packed inside like sardines.

  It seemed surreal that such a monumental structure had probably been built for something important, but now carried a bunch of amateurs who were going to fail their exam anyway.

  Before it started moving, the elevator made a loud noise, as if there had been an explosion. It scared everyone inside, but then a grinding noise followed, and they began to move downward. Everything was shaking, and it made Liz even more uneasy than the explosion.

  When it finally reached the bottom, people were ready to rush out, but before they could, another poor worker had to open the cage for them, now from the other side.

  Moments later, Liz was finally free from the crowd of people bumping into her and stepping on each other's feet. Inside was a wide hall with very high ceilings. She couldn’t look around much because people pushed her deeper into the crowd like waves in the ocean. Now she was surrounded by participants, and the only things she could see in the poorly lit space were the ceilings and a stage in the middle.

  It didn’t take long before Polo appeared, standing on the stage. He groaned and brought something close to his mouth. The moment he spoke, the badge on her chest started to transmit his voice.

  “Okay, it seems like everyone is here. Now that we are all ready, it's time for me to explain what you will need to do in the first stage.”