Line Hunters

12. The First Round

The guide, Hulo, led the contestants through a narrow hall that caused pushing and shoves. Some people jumped or flew over the jammed crowd. It was a slow process, and those at the front or tall at the back could see Hulo's figure getting smaller as he walked further through the hall, having no care about the situation behind him.

"Tch, why can't everyone just walk in a single line?" Triton grumbled.

"I've had enough of these idiots," a young man in the back of the crowd mumbled. Suddenly, every single person on the ground—excluding himself—started floating as a glowing blue line appeared around them.

"Eh? What is this?"

"Oi, half-face, put us down!"

"Get in line," the man behind the floating contestants replied.

As he walked forward, the people he passed slowly went back to the ground, their feet hovering a few inches off the ground behind each other and still unable to move. It wasn't until he passed the person at the front that the contestants were released from his power. There were plenty of them who were peeved being handled like that, but for the most part, everyone was glad there was no more pushing and pleasantly walked in a single line.

The young guide led the contestants to another large room, and waiting for them was a slender, sickly-looking man with a black cloak lined with gold and a large hood over him, and a matching black mask that seemed to cover his entire face.

"Hello everyone... I'm Torikou," the masked man spoke. Even his voice sounded weak and raspy. The contestants heard a sigh from him as if it was a pain to talk, then he continued. "I am your guide for this first round. Rules are simple: beat your opponent in fifteen minutes, either by knocking them unconscious, forcing them out of the lines, or making them surrender... But quitters will have a bone broken or a deep slash across their back. The loser—"

"What? What are these crazy rules?" someone protested.

"How are we supposed to pass the other rounds with a serious injury?"

"If you're strong..." Torikou started, but he was interrupted once again.

"What lines are you talking about? We're just in a gray room!"

The contestants began mumbling to themselves, ignoring the guide who stood silently with his poor posture.

"What a stupid guide," Haven spat viciously.

"Don't say that," Terry said with a slight frown.

"Shut up," Haven snapped back. "Aren't all guides certified Line Hunters? Why are we stuck with a cowardly guide who can't even speak like a normal person?"

Terry's eyes glanced over to Torikou, and she noticed his hands clenched into fists and the faint scent of metallic blood hit her nose. Anyone else noticing this could have thought Torikou was ashamed and embarrassed, but Terry knew otherwise. Torikou was stronger than he appeared, and he was losing his patience. The contestants quieted down after a while, their eyes looking scornfully at Torikou.

"The winner qualifies for the next round immediately, but the loser will have to keep fighting until there's no one else left to fight, and there will be an added 1.3 kg on each leg for each round lost. Your opponent will be your team members."

At this detail, another wave of murmurs flowed through the contestants, each person assessing their teammates and calculating their chance of winning. Likewise, Ian's group did too, although Ian didn't care so much and Terry turned to her teammates with a cheerful smile to see how strong the teens were. They were all strong in this way, strong enough to enroll for the exam, and she was curious about how the green-haired boy would fight, seeing his interaction with Hulo earlier. Terry met Haven's eyes and smiled, though the girl only scowled in response.

Haven narrowed her eyes at her teammates. She knew the older woman, Terry, was strong at a glance, and as much as Haven hated to admit it, she didn't have a good chance of beating her. The black-haired guy—Haven forgot his name—was obviously at an advantage with his boating physical strength, but it was his confidence that made him seem so weak and Haven could at least rely on her intelligence to beat him. Her eyes landed on Ian, who was staring at the shaky guide. If she went against him, Haven knew she could win.

While silently studying each other, a shake shocked the contestants as the walls disappeared, and the area between Torikou and the contestants split, with Torikou rising above them. Someone fell between the space but Torikou didn't even care to notice. A platform merged between the splitting space, shaped as a circle and the contestants could see lines in the platform.

"This is the fighting area," Torikou explained briefly. "Huddle with your group so I can see who you're with."

After a few moments, from Torikou's view, he saw the contestants gathered in groups of four and separated from other groups. With one hand holding a bag of chips, Torikou pointed to Ian and Haven.

"First round is you two," Torikou said.

Haven was surprised, not expecting to be the first one up, and disappointed as she wouldn't get to observe others fight first. She couldn't help but wonder if the guide has chosen them first because they were the closest to him.

So stupid... Haven thought. Torikou was a terrible guide, he only vaguely explained the rules and there were still many questions Haven had in mind. What happens if the time runs out? Are there points collected? Were their fighting abilities and showcase of power observed and criticized? What if someone killed their opponent? Why were they fighting their own team members?

Thinking about the teams, Haven's thoughts drifted over to Ian. She glanced at him from the side, seeing he was calm, showing no signs of worry, and Haven began to wonder just how strong he really was. Or was it just a facade and he was just hiding his true feelings?

Stop! You're going to beat him. Haven looked back to the front, swallowing the rising anxiety of standing on a platform to fight in front of everyone.

"Begin," Torikou said, munching on a chip.