Chapter 29: Challenging
A few hundred meters from the starting point of the test, there was a folding camp table with three people standing around it. Some supplies covered the surface of the table—tablets, a drone deployment station, and a portable espresso maker.
The three people were a young blonde woman in a neat suit with a red cross on her arm, a middle-aged man in a general's dress uniform, and a man in his thirties wearing an athletic outfit—Elizabeth, Omega, and General Pantherson. Steam rose from their cups and puffed from their mouths as they sipped espresso and engaged in conversation with each other. Meanwhile, screams of terror and anguish could be heard from very close by.
Though neither of the men seemed to be bothered by the brutality that had already begun, the young woman seemed to be having a hard time of it. "Do you really have to make these young people almost murder each other?" she asked. "You've already tested their physical prowess and determination. This just seems cruel."
General Patherson replied, "You're a bit mistaken. Yes, the physical aspect of a Hunter is certainly important, and our candidates have shown their grit to a certain extent... but it's another thing altogether when you're being hunted down like an animal! The most important aspect of mental fortitude for a Hunter is being mentally prepared to fight and die on the battlefield, and this test will prove that."
The general squinted over his drink. "Honestly, Elizabeth, I'm a bit surprised to continue to hear that you hold this mindset. You have field experience, after all—both with Marines and Hunters in the Black Zone."
Elizabeth replied, "Of course I'm familiar with what you require of Hunters. I've even attended training for Marines, General. But even then, I've never seen such sadistic training!"
Omega interrupted her and said, "And those higher standards of ours are exactly why the fatality rate for Marines in a Level 1 Black Zone area is 70%... And it's only 12% for us Hunters."