Chapter 28: Boulders
Walking ahead, Derek slowly stepped through a side entrance that opened directly into the fighting stage below.
As he emerged from the passage, the entire arena opened up before him. He could see many other candidates already gathered on the stage. Every one of them had passed the first test. That meant they had all successfully developed a dantian.
Several faces turned toward him in surprise.
Even at a glance, they could tell that Derek was much younger than the rest. They stared at him in disbelief. But many didn’t even bother. To them, it didn’t matter who came through the entrance, who would appear and who would pass. All that mattered was their own test.
High above, in the stands, Daisy and Martha immediately spotted Derek. Arthur had also returned to join them after escorting Derek to the first test. His eyes followed Derek as well.
"Derek!" Daisy waved her hand excitedly from her seat.
Derek looked up, spotted them, and raised his hand with a small smile, acknowledging their support before turning his gaze back to the stage.
"The first test is done," Arthur said quietly from his seat, eyes fixed on the stage below. "Now the real trials begin." He exhaled slowly and murmured to himself, "I just hope Derek doesn’t get too discouraged if he fails to pass this one..."
Arthur knew better than most. Derek was hardworking, determined, and full of potential. But being born as a cultivator, in a world that favored mages, was a massive disadvantage.
"You idiot," Daisy snapped, clearly annoyed. "Derek’s going to pass. I don’t know how long ago he developed his dantian, or how far he’s progressed... but just the fact that he even has a dantian at his age? That’s already amazing!"
What Daisy said was true.... And undeniably so.
But Arthur’s concern wasn’t unfounded.
He had gone through this exact stage himself. And while, as an auran, he hadn’t faced much difficulty, he had witnessed firsthand how cultivators were treated.
How they were mocked, undermined, and pushed to the very edge of despair.
And the last thing he wanted... Was for his little brother to experience that same kind of pain.
"I hope you’re right," Arthur whispered, his voice barely audible.
Beside them, Martha remained silent but the faint crease on her brow and the tension in her eyes made it clear.
She, too, was worried.
Meanwhile, Derek stood quietly near the edge of the stage, his gaze drifting from one side to the other.
Though he had already lived an entire life once before, it had been the life of a rogue cultivator far removed from structured institutions like this Hunter Academy, and completely unfamiliar with official entrance exams and formal testing grounds.
And yet, despite the unfamiliarity, he showed no sign of worry. Not even the slightest.
His posture was relaxed, but his eyes were sharp, watching everything with quiet curiosity.
Minutes passed like this.
Then suddenly, his gaze locked onto a particular figure... and his eyes widened.
’Wait... why does he look so familiar?’
A boy, maybe twelve or thirteen was standing near the center of the platform, looking around nervously.
Something about him tugged at Derek’s memory.
Without hesitation, Derek slowly walked over to the boy.
"Hey," he said softly as he approached. "Hope I’m not bothering you... but may I ask your name? You seem strangely familiar."
The boy jumped slightly, clearly startled.
"M... Me?" he stammered. "My name is Art.... But I don’t think we’ve ever met before. I mean... I don’t see how you’d recognize me."
He smiled awkwardly, still visibly uneasy.
But the moment that name left his lips, something clicked deep in Derek’s mind.
"Art?! You mean... the alchemist?" Derek asked, his tone shifting, eyes narrowing in recognition.
The question only confused the boy even more.
"Wha?! h-how do you know that?!" Art stuttered, eyes going wide. "How do you know I am from an alchemist family?"
’Alchemist family? But not an alchemist?’
Derek meanwhile frowned inwardly, confusion flashing through his eyes after hearing Art’s answer.
But then, realization slowly dawned on him.
’Wait... when I met him back then, he was already a skilled alchemist. But maybe... he hasn’t discovered his talent yet.’ The thought made sense. But it also created a new dilemma.
’How do I explain to him that I know who he is?’ He scratched the back of his head slightly, troubled. ’I obviously can’t tell him I know him from my past life...’
As Derek remained lost in thought, trying to figure out what to say next, Art began to fidget nervously.
He opened his mouth, just about to ask something...
But before a word could leave his lips, a booming voice thundered across the coliseum, silencing all chatter.
"Dear guests and all who have come to be a part of the Arcadia Hunter Academy, Out of the 800 participants, 500 remain. The second test will now begin."
The announcement echoed through the massive arena, and all eyes turned toward the center of the stage.
With a loud rumble, three massive boulders suddenly emerged from the ground, rising side by side. Their sizes and appearance varied. The leftmost boulder stood about the height of a grown man, the middle one was larger and rougher, and the rightmost was nearly double the size of the first, radiating a heavy aura of pressure.
Excited murmurs and scattered cheers rippled through the audience seated in the gallery. It was filled with parents, relatives, and supporters who had come to witness this crucial test.
The booming voice returned once again.
"Cultivators, form a line in front of the leftmost boulder.
Aurans..... before the middle one.
And Mages.... proceed to the rightmost boulder."
All the kids waiting in the stage began to move.
"Let’s talk after the test is over, okay?" Derek meanwhile said quickly, offering a polite smile before moving away.
He didn’t wait for a response. He was in a hurry to avoid the situation altogether. The last thing he needed was to fumble through an explanation he wasn’t ready to give.
Art blinked in surprise but didn’t protest. Instead, he turned his focus back to the test, quietly walking over to join the middle line designated for Aurans.
Within moments, the crowd on the stage had fully sorted itself out.
All the remaining participants were now divided into three groups, each standing in formation before their respective boulders, ready for the second phase to begin.