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"To unburden one's heart. That is the purpose of an assassin."
"Cast away the empathy that makes you so tragically human and become the wretched, relentless monster a senseless world like this one calls for. Consider the prey a mirror of your past self and marvel at the horror in the eyes of the reflection before gouging them out. Be sharp, be precise, be methodical; a flawlessly executed kill is the only form of half-assed mercy you'll be able to afford your victims from here on."
Suddenly, Ren felt himself clutching the handle of his pistol. The blade at the tip of the gun had been plunged into the top of a Grimm's skull. Though he had no recollection of the fight, his ragged breaths and strained limbs were clear signs of a fierce struggle. Around him, the forest was deeply quiet, making the palpitations of his heart echoing in his head that much more unbearable. After physically shaking off the fog clouding his mind, Ren refocused his gaze on his weapon and retrieved it from the creature's body. With some difficulty, the young man stood back up. But then, from just outside his field of vision, a shadow reached out to him and...
"Boop."
And it booped him in the nose.
"Nora. How long have you been watching me?"
While hanging upside down from a tree branch, the girl looked visibly bothered by her friend's words: "Gee, that's all you're concerned about? Shouldn't you be saying something along the lines of 'Nora, I'm so glad you made it out of this Grimm infested forest'! 'Nora, I'm so happy you found me; now we can continue being the best team ever!' 'Nora, you're great and beautiful and smart!'"
Although he failed to notice it, the trembling of Ren's hands then subsided. Letting out a relieved sigh, the man once again spoke up: "One, I was confident you'd handle yourself against the Grimm. Two, I knew you'd probably make it a priority to track me down. Three, only one of those statements about yourself is true."
Having declared that, Ren jumped off the body of the giant snake he had been standing on; no doubt one of the dangerous Grimm in the area that was meant to be avoided. Without looking back, his aloof expression unchanged, he dashed deeper into the forest to proceed with his mission. Startled, Nora gave chase while screaming:
"Wait, which of the statements is true? HEY, WHICH ONE? HEY, WAIT! REEEEN!"
And so they pushed onward, a lonely shadow, tailed by a stubborn little lightning bolt.
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Many participants were surprised to encounter an administrator near the beacons of light where the chess pieces were located. Once they had collected their artifact, they were instructed to take it to a designated meeting spot near the edge of the forest. Some of the more astute candidates were able to infer that the goal of structuring the exam that way was to have two pairs convene at the end to form the fairly standard team of four huntsmen/huntresses. At least, so it seemed to them.
