CHAPTER 1 (PART 2): HIS FIRST STEP

"Attention to all competitors!" a loud voice woke Arth up from his sleep. He slowly sat up on the bed and rubbed his eyes.

"You have thirty minutes to prepare and gather to the eastern entrance of the gatehouse!" the man said before going out and closing the doors.

Arth immediately prepared himself. He took off his cloak, now leaving him with his short-sleeved blue coat that revealed his muscled arms and fair skin. He tightened the strings on his limbs and wore his black belt. Then, he stood up and stretched his body as he saw the others already walking out of the room. He took his sword and locked the scabbard on his belt at the left side before following his competitors out of the building.

A lot of young warriors were already walking towards the gate entrance of the city. Arth looked around hoping that he would find his friend, Robert, but he couldn't. A few minutes later, a loud cheer thundered around the wide area of the road towards the eastern gatehouse. Arth's eyes widened as he saw so many crowds of people who came to watch. The knights standing on both sides of the road served as fences so that people will not cross over.

The warriors were already lining up outside the gates, facing the dark forest up ahead. Arth hurried to go to his line number which was eighteen. Then he glanced at his fellow competitors. Some were tall but most of them were actually at the same height as his. Others were stretching their bodies while some were jogging in place.

Suddenly, four knights with white cape marched in front of the warriors. Behind the four was an elegant knight wearing a blue cape. Arth saw the knight's ruby badge placed at the center of his silver chest armor.

‘Woah... It's my first time to see a Grand Knight. His ruby badge is so cool!’ Arth thought excitedly.

The knights stopped in front of the competitors and the grand knight stepped forward. Arth could not see the face because of the helm the knight was wearing. The grand knight’s armor was quite different from the others with him. There were golden lines at the edges of his silver armor, including his helm. His posture manifested his full-blooded body as he looked at the warriors in a calm manner.

"I am Tera and I'm one of the Grand Knights of Casterfall. Today is the day your trainings and experiences will be tested," the grand knight said in a loud voice. "Warriors, prepare yourselves!"

All of the warriors, including Arth, suddenly stood at attention while listening to the knight.

"Ahead of this road is the Dark Woods," Tera pointed at the direction towards the tall and compressed trees. "You have to reach the end of these woods and climb to the mountain arena ahead."

Another group of knights came to the warriors and gave a brown sling bag with only one strap to each warrior. Arth looked at what was inside and there, he saw an empty jar container.

"Your goal is to hunt and kill as many beasts as possible in the forest!" Tera announced. "When you kill beasts, collect their cores and store it on your jars inside your bags. But let me remind you, encountering beasts in the woods is your challenge, but encountering your fellow competitors is your battle!"

"If you reach the mountain arena, the cores that you collected will be evaluated. The higher the class of the beast that you kill, the greater will be its weight on your result!” Tera turned around. “You have until sunset to reach the arena.”

"Oh and one last thing,” he said, turning his head. “Using magic is allowed. Get ready!"

Arth let out a heavy breath and shook his hands to prepare. "I got this," he whispered. Hunting beasts was not that hard for him because he was well-trained by the chief. The only problem for him would probably be the warriors that he might encounter in the woods. He does not know if killing is allowed. He might not come out of the woods alive but still, his confidence overwhelmed his uncertainty.

The knights including Tera moved to the side of the road to give way for the warriors. He raised his hand as signal.

"Begin!"