CHAPTER 337: SECOND STAGE

"This one is taking too long.." Coco mumbled, her eyes staring blankly through the gate as she observed the way the examinee fought a poison tiger.

It has been approximately six hours since the second stage started, three hours since Yura got called to the arena, and an hour since the examinee whom Coco was watching started— which in coincidence is the last one before her.

The second stage started before lunch.

The night had slowly descended, casting a cloak of darkness over the arena, however, despite the advancing time of the day, the sky still held traces of sunlight, its golden hues barely visible in the sky.

Coco leaned further against the gate, her face devoid of emotion, a blank expression on her face.

She had been watching the examinees fight the monster in the arena for an hour now— an agonizing sixty minutes, just to wait for the examinee to end the poison tiger.

Her gaze was fixed on the ongoing battle, her eyes tracking the movements of the man with a detached disinterest.

Coco’s expression remained neutral as she bore witness to the display of skills and strategies unfolding before her, her mind wandering.

I don’t know what was the shortest time at the moment.. Coco thought, the corner of her lips curling down slightly.

ROAR!

"Ack!"

The roar of the tiger snapped Coco out of her thoughts, followed by the pained yelp coming from the arena.

Coco blinked and refocused her attention on the battle, just in time to see that the examinee had finally managed to land a blow on the poison tiger.

However, the momentary victory was cut short when he was caught unprepared as the monster reacted with a swift strike of its stinger, its tail reeling back before lunging forward and piercing the unfortunate examinee.

The attack was a clear example of the dangers of underestimating one’s opponents, even though they had thought that the blow was a well-placed hit.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" The examinee let out a pained cry as the poison tiger released the poison from its stinger, causing the skin to turn purple and blister— and from Coco’s position, it looked quite lethal.

The poison’s potency was evident as it quickly spread throughout the examinee’s body, causing immense suffering with its toxic effects.

"Is no one going to save him?" Coco asked out loud, her eyes glued to the man screaming in pain, making the woman instructor standing outside of the gate shoot a glance her way.

"Just watch." The woman stated bluntly.

Not a second after the woman said those words, a group of professional hunters quickly intervened, their skills evident in their actions.

They effectively stopped the fight before the situation could escalate even further, putting an immediate end to the clash between the examinee and the poisonous tiger— one of the hunters killing the tiger with one of them taking the examinee away.

The hunters moved with efficiency, their experience showing in their skillful handling of the situation.

"Can the poison from that monster kill one person immediately?" Coco asked, leaning forward and shifting her gaze to the woman.

The question itself was asked out of curiosity because she had not been stung by a poison tiger before— all because she would kill the one she would encounter before it could launch an attack towards her.

The woman instructor looked at Coco with disbelief, her tone incredulous as she responded. "Are you serious? Just how did you pass the first stage if you don’t know the fundamentals?"

The woman couldn’t fathom how someone could be so ignorant of such basic concepts.

Coco blinked, her gaze shifting away from the instructor and she explained, "That’s because I didn’t go through the first stage.. So, yeah."

It took the woman to process what Coco said before her jaw dropped in astonishment, her surprise evident.

"You... You didn’t? How did you get here then—" She began, only to be interrupted by the sudden vibration of the magic stone hanging from her hip.

The unexpected vibration distracted her, momentarily diverting her attention from the conversation— it was a signal that the next examinee could step in the arena since the monster had been eradicated.

The woman frowned, her gaze flickering between Coco and the magic stone that vibrated on her hip.

After a moment of hesitation, she reached for the large lever beside her and pulled it down with a hint of reluctance in her movement.

The gate creaked open, the sound of its movement filling the air, causing Coco’s lips to twitch into a small smile as she spoke, her voice tinged with a hint of anticipation. "Is it my turn?"

After waiting for hours, Coco couldn’t help, but feel eager to finally take her place in the arena.

The woman, her eyes narrowing into a disapproving glare, sternly asked Coco, "Are you going through or not?"

Coco let out a soft sigh, the smile on her face disappearing in an instant, the tone of her voice dripping with displeasure. "I get it, okay? I’ll go through. No need to keep growling."

Coco didn’t wait for the woman to say anything and just walked past the large metal gate and walked past the woman, too, not bothering to look back to give the woman any satisfaction.

The woman merely clicked her tongue in annoyance, her gaze following Coco as she walked past.

She continued walking, each step bringing her closer to the center of the arena and then, Coco immediately felt an intense sensation as she stepped out of the shadows of the arena.

The stares from the examinees that passed shifted on her.

The atmosphere in the arena shifted, the weight of their gazes bearing down on her, making Coco acutely aware of the attention she was receiving from the people around her.

Coco rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly, feeling a bit self-conscious.

"Damn.. I didn’t expect there to be this many eyes on me.." She muttered to herself, her expression tinged with discomfort.