Chapter 5: Self-Incone
After so long stuck on various forms of transportation, Alexandre was grateful that they made the next leg of their journey on foot.
Rather than following the main road, DeathFlame led them through the thick, emerald-green forest which made up the majority of the island. The calls of exotic birds and unfamiliar insects buzzed and rang out all around them, and the pale shadows of sunlight filtered through thick leaves danced on the forest path beneath their feet.
After a good hour's walk, the group came out onto a vacant concrete lot where there was already a moderate crowd of people gathered.
DeathFlame pointed to the area and said to the prospective students, "Alright, you slugs! In ten minutes, the Captain will arrive and address the registrants for today's tryouts. You're free to do as you please until then... but those who aren't present when the Captain arrives will join those failures who are in the city stuffing their bellies!"
Then, without further ceremony, DeathFlame walked away.
The candidates from Alexandre's group looked around at each other with uncertainty, then slowly moved to join the mass of people already there.
By this time, even the most enthusiastic people from before were exhausted and much less talkative. Many had pulled an all-nighter to get here on time, and they were now pondering what it would mean to fail after coming all this way. For some, the Hunter tryouts were something they'd waited for since childhood.
If they failed now, that would be that. A person could only try out once in their entire lifetime. The maximum for applicants was twenty-five, and so many waited until that age to maximize their chances of success.
As everyone mingled and examined their surroundings, something struck Alexandre as odd. He scanned the people in the surrounding crowd, then suddenly realized that two particular people were missing.