Jobless Transmigration: I'm the only one who loves monsters.-Chapter 121

Chapter 121:

He simply lowered himself onto the grassy patch directly, sitting with a casual ease that suggested he had spent many years learning to be comfortable in whatever environment he found himself, he then closed his eyes right after as if preparing to nap until the examiner would make his appearance.

As they all waited, while the minutes stretched onward with no apparent change or development, something interesting began to happen.

One by one, at first slowly and then with increasing frequency, more and more examinees began popping into existence throughout the clearing around them, appearing in those same flashes of light that had accompanied their own arrival.

Some emerged looking confused, others looking relieved, others looking skeptical by the sudden change in their surroundings.

Each new arrival added to the growing crowd until what had been a relatively sparse gathering became something approaching a proper assembly of candidates.

At first these appearances came quickly, with new examinees materializing every few seconds until the clearing began to feel almost crowded. But as time passed, Lucuis and the others noticed that the intervals between appearances grew progressively longer, the gaps stretching from seconds to minutes to what felt like an eternity of waiting punctuated by occasional flashes of light and new faces.

Eventually, after what seemed like hours but might have been only minutes, the appearances slowed to a trickle and then stopped entirely, leaving the clearing filled with perhaps not over a 300 examinees, where several hundreds had begun the first test.

They waited a while longer, long enough that murmurs began to spread through the crowd.

Some of those murmurs about whether something had gone wrong, or whether more were coming.

Some of them wondered if they should be doing something rather than simply sitting here like fools waiting for permission to act.

A few brave souls decided to act first rather than wait for the examiner, believing that if they simply got a head start, they’d be the first to complete this exam.

Alas, the moment they left the clearing, disappearing into the vegetation below the mountain, shrill screams pierced the air one after another.

They even bore witness to one of those who’d left was running back with blood all over his body with large chunks of flesh missing from his body, but before he could get within the safety of the clearing, something akin to a vine stabbed right through his chest before dragging him back into the confines of the vegetations.

The sight naturally caused the scalps of a few to grow numb, it was at that moment that they recalled that this wasn’t just any exam but one set by Grunevilles Witcher Academy, a place known to slaughter it’s students, causing their blood to flow like running water.

Just as the restlessness was beginning to build toward something more substantial, the examiner appeared out of thin air in the very center of the clearing.

The moment they all saw him, every single examinee in that clearing turned to focus their attention on his figure as if instinctive.

Conversations died mid-sentence, complaints evaporated unspoken, and the entire crowd fell into absolute silence as they waited to hear what would come next.

Lucuis observed this from his position atop the rock, his eyes sweeping across the assembled faces and noting the absence of so many who had begun this journey. It looked like the rest had not made it through, while the few who’d left earlier were also gone as well.

It appeared his conjecture had been right, the vast majority of those who had entered the first test had failed to solve its hidden puzzle and been eliminated from consideration.

He wondered briefly what had happened to them, whether they had simply been transported back to where they started or whether some worse fate awaited those who could not meet the academy’s standards.

Around him, the other examinees waited in states of anticipation and anxiety, their eyes fixed on the examiner as they braced themselves for whatever words would come next.

"The rules of this stage of the examination are quite simple." The examiner’s voice cut through the anticipatory silence that had fallen over the clearing, his words carrying clearly to every single one of the assembled candidates despite the fact that he had not raised his voice in the slightest.

"You must make it to the top of that mountain’s summit before sundown today. That is all. Nothing more, nothing less."

He gestured with his eyes toward the mountain that loomed behind them, that very terror, whose summit vanished into clouds so distant they might as well have been part of another world entirely.

A ripple of tension passed through the crowd at these words, examinees exchanging glances that ranged from determination to fear.

"Failure to accomplish this task will result in your time partaking in this entrance examination coming to an immediate end."

The students quickly began murmuring amongst themselves the moment he finished speaking, their voices rising in a wave of whispered conversations that filled the clearing with the sound of their anxiety and speculation.

This time, however, it seemed that those who had made it this far were far more cautious in their approach than the examinees who had rushed into the first test without thought.

Especially after what had happened to those who had tried to initiate that second exam ahead of time, after witnessing the consequences of acting without understanding, they had learned a valuable lesson about the dangers of assuming anything about this process.

"Let me make it absolutely clear that during this stage of the examination, no creature will harm you as you make your attempt. All you have to do is make it to the summit of that mountain before the sun completes its journey across the sky."

Some of the tension visible in the crowd eased slightly at these words, their shoulders relaxing while their expressions softened.

But the examiner was not finished speaking, and what he said next brought that tension rushing back in full force.

"I am sure that many of you must be frightened about what happened earlier, regarding those who disappeared before the first test even properly began." The examiner’s voice interrupted their murmuring with ease, drawing their attention back to him.