CHAPTER 35: ENTRY TEST

"The first test was the test of attention and commitment," the man with the cane said, then pointed at a group of three people. "You three."

The three recruits immediately froze as he pointed at them, but what really got to them was what he said next.

"You’re eliminated. I don’t want recruits who can’t listen to their superiors. One of my officers will show you where to wait until transportation arrives."

They couldn’t believe it. They even tried to argue, saying their families would demand answers for the way they were being treated, but the officer didn’t care and sent them out.

"Luckily, the rest of you were paying attention, so only those three are out," the man with the cane continued. "Now we move on to the first stage of the test."

Damian kept his focus. That officer wasn’t joking around, and Damian wasn’t about to lose his chance. He was ready to do whatever it took to secure his spot.

"Before we start training any of you—wasting our money, our resources, and most importantly, our time—we need to know if you actually have what it takes to become decent hunters in the future. So, here’s what’s going to happen: you’re going to enter a room and face off one-on-one against one of my officers. He’s not going to go all out to win, but your job is to show everything you’ve got."

"Each of you will be given a score based on your performance, and obviously, those who don’t meet the required threshold will be eliminated."

It was a simple and straightforward test. Apparently, it would also be the final one. And in that test, 70% of the participants would be eliminated. That was a lot. Everyone present was tense. The air was thick with exchanged glances and whispered nerves.

Some recruits started talking among themselves, trying to get any kind of information about the test. The officers didn’t seem to care.

Damian found himself a quiet corner inside the gym and waited for his turn. The room where the tests were being conducted was right next to the gym. One by one, the recruits were called in.

Damian noticed something important. Everyone came out of the room with the same expression—a tired, neutral look from fighting the officer. But the most important part? None of them looked happy or sad.

"They’re not telling them the results in there,"

Damian thought. "That’ll come later."

All the recruits who had already gone through the test stayed inside the gym, confirming his theory even more. That made things a little harder. Damian had a decent sense of the others’ power levels. If he could figure out who passed and who failed, he’d have a better idea of the strength needed to make the cut.

But clearly, the academy staff had thought of that too. They didn’t want anyone figuring anything out before stepping into the room.

Eventually, after some time waiting, Damian’s name was finally called. Since he didn’t give off any kind of strong aura or have anything about him that really stood out, none of the other recruits even looked his way as he walked to the test room.

Once inside, Damian quickly analyzed the place. It was a decent-sized room, with padded flooring like the kind you’d see in a training area.

On the far side, near the wall, stood the officer. He was the one Damian would have to fight.

When the door closed behind him, the whole room went quiet. Almost like the noise from outside didn’t even exist anymore.

The officer looked at Damian and said, "Nice to meet you. I’ll be the one testing you today—to see if you’ll become one of our new students, or not."

Damian greeted the officer with a nod. The man said nothing in return—he simply stepped into a fighting stance and waited, clearly expecting Damian to make the first move.

Damian knew the officer was stronger than him. Still, he wanted to surprise him.

He dashed forward.

His speed caught the officer off guard. The man quickly raised his arms to block, just in time to catch Damian’s punch—but the force behind it pushed him a few steps back.

Damian didn’t stop there.

He twisted his body and aimed a sharp kick at the man’s stomach. The officer reacted fast, lifting his leg to block the strike. Then, without missing a beat, he launched a punch of his own, aiming straight for Damian’s face.

It was a clean move. Precise. But not fast enough.

Damian ducked under the punch, then closed the distance and wrapped his arms around the officer’s torso. With a powerful motion, he lifted the man off the ground and slammed him backward into the floor—a suplex.

The officer hit the ground hard. The impact echoed through the training room.

Damian moved to strike again, but before he could, the officer raised a hand and said, "That’s enough."

Damian let go and got to his feet. He didn’t know if he had passed, but he hadn’t been hit—and more importantly, he had managed to throw the officer to the ground.

"That should be enough to pass," he thought.

The moment Damian stepped out of the room, he could feel the eyes of the other recruits on him. And the reason was obvious—his test had taken way less time than anyone else’s. On top of that, he didn’t look tired in the slightest.

That alone was enough to raise suspicion.

"Did he give up and not take the test?" one recruit whispered.

"That’s gotta be it," another replied. "Looks like he didn’t even fight the officer."

None of them believed the test had been short because Damian was actually skilled. Damian heard the whispers, but he ignored them completely.

He went back to his usual spot, away from the others, and waited for the rest of the recruits to finish their tests. It took a while, but Damian wasn’t in a rush. He sat calmly, resting.

Eventually, after everyone had gone through their evaluation, the man with the cane stepped forward again.

"Now I’ll announce the names of those who passed the test," he said. "If you hear your name, it means you made it."

They already had the names of everyone present, since each recruit had to show their ID and admission letter before even getting to the hunter academy.

The room went completely silent. The only things Damian could hear were the voice of the man with the cane and the heavy breathing of the recruits around him. Everyone was tense.

The man didn’t read off too many names. Only 30% had passed, so most of the people in that gymnasium were going to be eliminated.

Damian’s name wasn’t one of the first, which made him tense. He started to worry that maybe he hadn’t made it. But eventually, he heard it.

"Damian Crawford ."

That was the name he was currently using while under covered on that mission.

He let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Deep down, Damian had been confident he’d pass. He managed to take down the officer during the test—that had to count for something. He doubted many others had done the same.

As for those who didn’t pass, they were loaded onto a bus and sent back to the city. Most of them looked disappointed. Some were clearly angry. But that was just how things worked here.

Beatrice—the woman who’d spoken with Damian on the bus and tried to share some info—also passed. Damian wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Only time would tell.

After that, one of the many officers in the academy showed the new recruits around the facility. They got to see where they’d be sleeping, training, eating... everything. Everyone received a new uniform, and wearing it was mandatory while inside the hunter academy.

Damian was honestly surprised by how massive the place was. It had restaurants, training centers, dorm buildings, and so many other structures that it felt more like a city than a military base.

The only thing that gave it away was the tight security and the sheer number of armed guards patrolling the area.

Still, even in a place that big, the students had to share rooms. There were just too many of them—including those who had already been there for a while—for the academy to offer private rooms to everyone.

Damian didn’t really mind. He just hoped whoever he ended up with as roommates wouldn’t be a pain to deal with.

There wasn’t anything else scheduled for the day. The recruits had the whole day to relax and prepare for the training that would begin the next morning.

During that downtime, Damian got to talk with his new roommates. One of them was a skinny guy with glasses and a timid face.

"I’m Curt. It’s really nice to meet you," Curt said, extending his hand.

"Damian. Pleasure’s mine."

First impressions of Curt were good. He seemed like a decent guy. The other roommate was actually a girl named Mitra. Apparently, the academy didn’t separate dorms by gender. They just mixed students together.

Mitra also wore glasses, but what really stood out about her was her green hair. Damian thought it looked pretty cool.

That first day ended up being pretty chill. Damian didn’t have to do anything—just talk, relax, and eat. But the next day, training began.

And the training was brutal.