CHAPTER 336: SMALL TALK TO PASS THE TIME

"Did the instructors corner you?" The kind woman who helped Coco asked, eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"No, not really." Coco answered, feeling slightly relaxed in the woman’s presence despite not knowing her two hours ago, "They just didn’t like the fact that I didn’t wear any hunting gear."

"Now that you mentioned it.." The woman mumbled, her eyes darting away from Coco’s face down to her clothes, "Why aren’t you wearing your gear?"

Once again, just like what she did to the instructors, she stayed quiet and stared ahead of her.

It has been approximately two hours since the match outside started, and only four examinees had passed— the first one managed to kill the monsters after forty minutes, the second one got heavily injured, but managed to pass after thirty minutes, the third and fourth one tied on twenty five minutes.

So far, they are the only ones who have passed and are now allowed to sit by the other side of the arena to watch the rest of the examinees.

Coco and the others were left behind inside the large metal gate with the woman instructor left to supervise them.

The majority of those who haven’t got called yet are watching the ones who are fighting in the arena, each one of them letting out either a sound of bewilderment, fear, or encouragement.

Coco sat on the corner, arms crossed and leaning against her knees, not bothering to join the others because she would be the last to get called on so she was just merely watching others mingle with one another.

The woman, however, saw her sitting alone and decided to accompany her so she strolled leisurely towards the black haired woman and struck a conversation.

Which leads to their situation right now.

"I don’t have any gear." Coco answered, the tone of her voice dripping with nothing, but somber, "Well, I do, but I can’t wear it because it was expensive.."

Sinclair warned me about the possibilities of being jumped by other examinees if they find out that I’m wearing clothes imbued with magic stones. Coco thought, her grip on her bicep tightening slightly.

The day after she felt the grief of losing her family four days ago, she left the house early and didn’t bother letting Zaque or the other mediators know.

However, Sinclair is her familiar, and they are connected.

So, he sensed that something was wrong and rushed the coachman to pick his master up from her house— which was surprisingly quick because they arrived twenty minutes after Sinclair opened his eyes.

On that same day, Sinclair warned her about all the possibilities if she accidentally told anyone about her clothes.

Thankfully, Coco is not that type of person, but it’s never too late to prevent anything from happening, right? So here she is, keeping her mouth shut as much as possible.

The woman stared at Coco, her eyes hazy with confusion. "Gears are supposed to be expensive, you know? Because they are supposed to protect hunters— to help lessen the casualties."

Coco hummed. "I see.. You know, we’ve been talking here for a while now, but you haven’t told me your name."

A flicker of surprise crossed the woman’s expression as she realized that Coco was correct, then she cleared her throat and laughed nervously.

"That’s true.." She responded, a hint of embarrassment in her tone. "I’m Yura, by the way.. I’m sorry, I forgot I haven’t told you."

Yura smiled apologetically, her cheeks tinged with a faint blush as she looked down on the ground, and Coco took this chance to look over at Yura, her head offering a slight nod in acknowledgment.

"It’s fine." Coco assured the woman before she introduced herself in a simple manner. "I’m Coco."

As Coco spoke, she averted her gaze from Yura, looking back over to the other examinees, her attention now focusing on the people around them.

Yura smiled and opened her mouth to ask a question, but was interrupted by the sound of the female instructor yelling.

"Lukas!" She shouted, her authoritative voice cutting through the noise in the hall and successfully making the examinees stop talking, "You’re up next so get over here!"

The name Lukas echoed through the hall, and in response, an examinee stepped forward, his confident demeanor catching Coco’s attention, making her turn her gaze towards the man.

He has blonde hair, his eyes glowed a rich gold, and quite a muscular physique partnered with his height, making him a noticeable figure in the crowd of examinees.

Coco observed him with narrowed eyes, noting his confident stance and the air of determination that surrounded him.

The gate creaked open, its heavy metal making a grating sound as it slowly lifted, and the examinees watched with anticipation as Lukas stepped through the opening, his figure disappearing behind the gate until it eventually lowered back down.

The sound of metal against stone filled the air as the gate settled back into place, its heavy presence serving as a barrier between the examinees and the arena.

Coco let out a soft hum, her gaze still fixed on the space where Lukas had disappeared.

"That guy looked confident." She muttered, her voice barely above a whisper, her gaze filled with fascination as she pondered Lukas’ confidence.

Yura nodded, her expression contemplative.

".. You’re right." She agreed softly. "He was different from those who were called out before him."

The previous examinees who had been called out looked incredibly nervous and tense, whereas Lukas had displayed a strange confidence.

"He’s probably strong." Coco commented, shifting in her sitting position, changing it into a more comfortable one.

"Whatever, it’s not like he won’t pass." Coco said, her body relaxing as she prepared for a long wait. "This will take a while so might as well make myself comfortable."

"It’s your fault for not following safety protocols." Yura chastised Coco softly.

"Mhmm." Coco hummed, agreeing halfheartedly.

"And you look like you don’t even care." Yura sighed out, her eyebrows furrowing in worry.

"Because I don’t."