I Was Just a Cleaner... Until I Got the Demon Extraction System-Chapter 72: High Resistance

Damian hesitated, uncertainty swirling in his mind. Passing the next test seemed like the obvious path, but what if this was just another layer of the exam, a trick within a trick?

After wrestling with his thoughts, Damian made his choice: he would use his two spare rings to save two others from failure.

"I want to give the rings," Damian said. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

The main examiner's approving glance sent a surge of confidence through Damian. Maybe he had chosen wisely. Still, only time would reveal if his instincts were right.

"Alright, you can choose two people out of everyone here," the main examiner said.

Damian scanned the faces of those who had failed, sizing them up by their strength. None seemed particularly impressive; disappointment lingered in the air.

There was a reason these people hadn't made it through. In the end, Damian chose to give his rings to two striking women among the failed candidates.

It felt like the smartest move he could make. At the very least, he'd have some captivating company for the challenges ahead.

He strode over to the two women and pressed a silver ring into each of their hands. "I have two spare rings, and I want you to have them."

As the realization dawned, the women gazed at Damian with awe, as if he were a storybook prince arriving just in time to save them from despair.

"Thank you," one of the girls said as she hugged him tight.

Damian felt the weight of jealous stares from the others who had failed. Some resented not being chosen, while others envied the attention he received from the beautiful woman.

Both women beamed with relief at their second chance. Passing this test didn't guarantee a hunter ID, but at least they could stay in the game a little longer.

A few hunters led all the participants who failed the test outside. They would leave the island by boat.

One thing still puzzled Damian: the mysterious letter he had found spoke of a secret dinner, but so far, nothing of the sort had occurred.

"Maybe it's during the later parts of the exam?" Damian thought.

Anyway, after the failed participants were led outside, the main examiner shared the next part of the exam.

"We will move into the forest," he said, "there's a camp there. Then, you'll have one day to rest before the next exam. Follow me."

The previous test had drained everyone, forcing them to stay awake all night. A day of rest felt well-deserved, a chance to recover before the next test.

Damian followed the main examiner. His 'friends' were alongside him. Though they weren't that talkative anymore. Only Mathias was trying to reach out to Damian.

Mathias whispered, "I think they are not going to work with us anymore."

"Well, we don't even know what the next test is. We might have to face each other anyway."

Deep down, Damian wasn't worried about having to do things alone. He was used to it. Additionally, he did not fully trust the other participants. Mathias was the only one who had been helping him since the start.

Jaxon was also a cool dude. Damian trusted that he was the second most trustworthy among all of them.

Anyway, they walked through the forest, following the main examiner and a few other hunters who were there. The number of participants had decreased significantly. It was not packed as it was before.

They walked for one hour before reaching the camp. The camp had a huge campfire in the center, with tents surrounding it.

"You can choose any tent," the main examiner said, "there's enough for everyone here."

Damian was glad he didn't have to share his tent with anyone. It was finally time to actually rest for good. A moment alone during that mess.

Everyone was quieter than usual. No one was speaking to or smiling at each other. The tension was in the air. The anticipation for what was to come.

Would they have to work together this time or face each other during the next test? Everyone had that thought in mind. Damian was not an exception.

While the participants rested inside their tents, the hunters prepared food for them. A wild cooking using the campfire.

The smell of chicken soup made a few of them leave their tents to see what was happening outside, and when the food was ready, everyone went to take a bite.

Most of them didn't stay, though. They just picked a bowl of soup and then returned to their tents. Damian did the same this time. He really wanted to stay alone for a moment.

"Delicious!"

Damian destroyed the soup, his spoon movement as fast as his attacks in battle. He hadn't eaten for a long time. The last test had been really tiring for him.

The hours passed quickly. Damian finished eating and then slept. It wasn't his body that was tired — his powerful body could handle a lot — it was his mind that was tired.

He woke up during the late hours of the night. It was around 1 or 2 am. Damian slowly got up from the tent, his body moving. The tent wasn't tall enough for him to stand tall.

"What the hell?" he thought, frowning as he listened to strange sounds outside.

Damian peeked through the tent. He didn't want to go outside before having a look to see what was going on. The strange sounds he heard were giving him the creeps.

And when he looked outside, well, his heart raced. Around the campfire, he saw people dressed in animal hides, most of whom were wearing deer masks and masks made from other animals.

It appeared to be a cult of some kind. Damian noticed that they were still in the same location, but some of the participants were being moved, being taken from their tents.

They were not waking up! Damian realized it. Even with the masked people pulling them.

"This sleeping mushroom you used in the soup is really powerful," one of the masked said.

"Right? They will only wake up during the next part of the exam. I cannot wait to see the looks on their faces."

Damian quickly realized what was going on. It was the next part of the test. Those were certainly the hunters who were taking care of the test.

"So I didn't sleep because of my powerful body?" Damian realized.

That seemed to be the best answer he could find. As he was looking outside to see what would happen next, he saw someone approaching his tent.

He quickly moved, returning to his original position. Now came the hard part for him: pretend to be asleep while someone grabbed him.

It was hard, but he managed to do it. The hunter grabbed him by the shoulder and led him outside with the other participants.

They were complaining about it. "It's tiring to move all of them, damn it."

"Don't be like this," another one said, "you are being paid to take care of the exam."

"I know, I know."

Damian realized he had an advantage that the other participants didn't. He could hear their conversation along the way, and maybe that could give him some clues about what was to come. At least he hoped it would.

Damian couldn't open his eyes. It was too risky. Everyone there was a hunter, skilled ones, so the moment he opened his eyes, they would see it.

As a result, he had no idea where they were taking them. But by listening to some of their conversation, Damian could guess where he was going.

"They will be fighting beasts in the middle of the forest?"

"Not in the middle of the forest. We actually built an underground facility just for this test."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Lots of beasts down there, and we will scare them too with our costumes. It will be fun."

At some point, Damian realized they were going down a staircase. He didn't open his eyes, but that was how he felt.

Then, after one hour of being dragged by those hunters, they finally stopped. Damian waited for the right moment to do something.

He waited until someone else woke up. That meant it would be safe. He didn't want to risk it.

To his surprise, the participants didn't wake up together. Only one of them did. It was someone with a stronger body.

The examiners were monitoring everything through cameras and were surprised by the outcome.

"Someone woke up? I thought it would take them two more hours."

"Yeah, not that it will give this guy too much advantage."

They were talking about a guy, a participant who woke up first. Damian moved when he realized the man was waking up.

He rapidly moved and stopped behind the man, and then hit him in the head. A clean hit that wasn't enough to give real damage to the man, but strong enough to make him pass out.

"I want to be the first one moving," Damian thought.

Damian waited for a few minutes to see if someone else would wake up, so when he realized no one would, he moved.

He scanned the room, looking for a way out or perhaps a clue on what to do now. A clue on what the test was about.