Alwin had spent the past week lying down on the bed at the med bay, working on his Core. Time flowed by quickly when you were busy having fun. Wait, no. That's not what he meant.

  Time passed by quickly when you were busy training, honing your skills, et cetera, et cetera. He was definitely not goofing off while Winal and Niwla were hard at work to get the Ice Arrow production line up and running. No, he was absolutely, without a doubt, refining a method to scale up his Blast production.

  However, all good things must come to an end.

  Alwin was forced out of his Core, not because he had just launched a skill—it was far worse than that. It was because someone decided to pour a bucket of ice-cold water right over his head.

  He yelped as the freezing shock jolted him back to reality. Shivering, he scrunched himself up in a tight little ball trying to protect what little warmth that remained. Meanwhile, whoever poured water over his head looked at him with an annoyed look on their face. That face belonged to none other than Uchronia.

  "Wake up, Alwin. We're going to be late," Uchronia said, dropping the empty bucket onto the floor. "And you." She turned to look at Gus.

  "And you. What are you doing? I told you to grab Alwin, but in the end, I had to come and do it myself."

  "Hey, that's not fair. I tried to, but he was still sleeping. It seemed rude to wake him up, so I thought I'd ease him into it with a muffin," Gus said.

  "And how did that work out?"

  "He didn't want it." Gus pouted. "And I really thought it would work this time."

  "What do you mean, this time?" Uchronia asked, her eyes narrowing. "Gus, how long has Alwin been asleep for?"

  "Ever since I came back to the room after you didn't let me try one of those pills. I’ve been offering him muffins to wake him up, but he hasn’t accepted a single one. So, I had to eat the muffin myself before it went bad."

  "Gus! I told you to keep an eye on him and report back if something was wrong!" Uchronia shouted.

  "But, I did. I stayed with him all day, every day. I even ate lunch here with him. Alwin was just asleep. He looked so peaceful. There wasn't anything wrong with him."

  Uchronia stared at Gus for a good five seconds, her face contorting with a mixture of rage and disbelief, before she finally spoke up again.

  "You know what? Forget it. Mr. Milvus is giving a briefing and we're already late. Let's go."

  Shivering the whole time as the events unfolded in front of him, Alwin finally said something, “Do I get a say in this?"

  Uchronia didn't even say a word. She just shot him a glare so cold, he thought he was back in the Ice Tribulation again. Yup, Alwin knew better than to question her and did exactly what she asked of him.

  Uchronia sprinted down the hallway, with Alwin and Gus right behind her struggling to catch up. Gus left behind a trail of muffin crumbs while Alwin left behind some damp slime prints from his abrupt shower. Together, the three of them burst through the doors into the classroom, just as Milvus was in the middle of his briefing.

  "Glad for you to finally join us," Milvus said. "Take your seats so that I can carry on."

  "Sorry, Mr. Milvus."

  Uchronia ever the goody two shoes dashed to her seat, while Gus and Alwin took their time, catching their breath from the sudden morning sprint. In actuality, it was just Alwin.

  Gus seemed perfectly alright. All of those sprints to the cafeteria must've done wonders for his cardiovascular health. Alwin fought to control his breathing and pretended that everything was okay. Only taking in small deliberate breaths while suppressing the urge to gulp down mouthfuls of air that his burning lungs desperately desired. He couldn't look weak in front of his peers!

  The moment he sat down, Milvus continued.

  "As I was saying, this is your final exam of the year. Passing it means you move up a year and take one step closer to becoming a full-fledged Human Hunter. I can't see you all failing—most of you anyway."

  For a split second, Alwin could've sworn that Milvus had glanced his way. Must've been his imagination

  "The purpose of this exam—other than the extermination of humans—is for you to get a sense of what an operational camp is like. While the location of the exam remains the same for all of you, your specific tasks may or may not differ. That will be determined by the officers stationed at the camp. Remember, unlike the previous exam, the priority should be not about farming enough Essence to trigger a Tribulation. While you are allowed to do so, completing the mission takes precedence. Do I make myself clear?"

  Murmurs began to spread throughout the classroom. Milvus paused his speech, his gaze sweeping across the room. It didn’t take long for the other students to take the hint. Eventually quieting down.

  That just shows how uncivilized his classmates were. Alwin didn't utter a single word the whole time. Instead, he was using his patented technique—multi-tasking.

  With one eye open and the other eye closed, he could sleep and pay attention at the same time. And by him paying attention he meant Niwla. Winal was left in charge of the Core. It was multitasking at its finest. Now, back to Milvus.

  "After this exam, there will be a semester break. Classes will resume in 2 months time. What you choose to do during that period is up to you, but I believe that those who decide to squander such precious time will only be left behind by their peers. Remember this. You all are being groomed to become Coremmanders. I trust that you all will make the right decision. Now, without further ado, I shall escort you all to the Warp Station. Follow me."

  As soon as he finished speaking, Milvus strode out of the classroom on all eight of his paper-like tentacles.

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  The rest of his classmates hopped off their seats and followed after him. They chatted excitedly about the upcoming final exam—speculating about the sort of missions they might undertake or whether they could evolve for a second time.

  Alwin—no thanks to Niwla—was forced awake. By the time he realized what was happening, the room was empty. Alwin leapt off his chair and dashed straight for the door to catch up with them. However, the moment he crossed the threshold a leafy-looking limb slammed right into his face.

  With a squishy thud, Alwin fell backward, landing smack dab on his plump rump.

  Uchronia was blocking the doorway. In one leaf she held an assortment of equipment: rings, necklaces, gauntlets, armor, etc. The other held Gus. She lifted him off the ground as he munched on a muffin that had red marble-like spheres jutting out of it.

  Was that a Healing Pill flavored muffin? As usual, a trail of crumbs rained down on the ground below.

  "First you dumped water on me and now you hit me in the face. What did I do to deserve this?" Alwin sniffed, trying his best to get her to feel guilty about his mistreatment.

  "We can talk about this later. Now, take this."

  Uchronia shoved the load of items into Alwin's hands. That was what was supposed to happen, but the slime had no hands. Instead, Uchronia was forced to place them on Alwin's head. At the same time, she grabbed a pair of yellow gauntlets and forced them onto both of Gus' paws.

  "What's all this?" Alwin asked, trying to balance his impromptu headgear.

  "I'll tell you on the way. Quick, we need to catch up."

  Uchronia sprinted off down the corridor, her root-like legs propelling her at speeds no plant could hope to accomplish. Meanwhile, Gus remained steadfast in her grip, completely unfazed by the situation he found himself in. Still, munching on another set of muffins that he pulled from who knows where.

  Why did Gus get a free ride? Alwin was the one who had just recovered. He should've been the one getting carried. Why was life so unfair?

  As Alwin bolted down the hallway, he began to practice a new skill.

  Balancing.

  The defensive equipment on his head jingled, jangled, and jungled—yeah, it didn't make sense, but who cares? He hopped along, making sure that he didn't trip over and fall flat on his face again.

  All of Alwin's brainpower was focused on keeping the items stacked atop his head. Niwla—ever so kind and helpful—guided Alwin towards his destination. Turn left. Turn right. Dodge a kid. Watch out for the wall!

  At the last second, Alwin managed to swerve out of the way from the impending collision with the wall. The best part? All of the gear on his head stayed put. It was just wins, wins, and more wins. More specifically: Alwin, Winal, and Niwla.

  Somehow he managed to spot the rest of the class up ahead. They were having a leisurely stroll through the hallways, making their way toward the exit and headed to the Warp Station.

  Uchronia was at the back of the pack, telling something to Gus who was nodding along between bites of yet another muffin. Alwin quickened his pace and skidded to a stop as he caught up with them. Somehow the equipment remained on his head. Not a single piece had fallen throughout his journey. It was a miracle!

  "Oh good, you're finally here," Uchronia said. "Sorry about the rush and sorry I didn't visit you at all. I was busy working on that."

  Alwin traced her gaze. His eyeballs rolled up, up, and up, till it rolled back inside of his head. Through his translucent black and white, jelly-like flesh he could see what she was referring to. The equipment.

  "You stole all of this?" Alwin asked. His eyes still swimming inside of his head, attempting to make out the silhouette of whatever was on top of his head. They were blurry. The finer details were lost to him—just like his brain cells.

  "Made," Uchronia corrected. "I made them. They may not be the best equipment, but it's better than nothing. Anything to give us an edge during the finals. We really need it. I need it."

  "Huh, neat. But, what exactly did you make?"

  "For Gus a pair of gauntlets because that's his second most important asset—"

  Alwin interrupted, "What's his first?"

  "His mouth obviously. Now, don't interrupt me. I swear you're somehow regressing."

  Those words were enough to shut Alwin up. He didn't want to lose all of that painstaking process he had made. His approval toward Uchronia was too important right now.

  "That's all I had time for, plus I think he can hold himself on his own. You on the other hand... I didn't know what to make. Gus is just that, Gus. But, you're sometimes a slime, sometimes an ant, and sometimes a turkey. My point being, it's hard to design equipment that caters to all of your forms.”

  Uchronia sighed. “So, I figured I’d try making a bunch of gear. Then you can spend the time figuring out exactly what you want and need. Also, please remember that these aren't exactly the finest pieces of work. Between my inexperience and the lack of time, there was only so much I could do."

  "Hey, hey. It's fine. Thanks for taking the time to make it." Alwin tried his best to console her.

  It worked.

  "Thank you," Uchronia said, her face softening into a smile.

  By then, Milvus had finished leading his fellow students to the Warp Station. As they approached, a pair of towering golems formed from a mishmash of dull grey boulders, lit up, tracking the class's movements. Two massive arms crossed over their chest, while the other two gripped pikes.

  Particularly they seemed to be tracking Alwin—maybe he was just that good-looking. Or it might be the absurd pile of gear he was carrying in plain sight.

  No, it was definitely because he was that good-looking.

  The class entered through the giant double doors, revealing the grand Warp Station. Inside, tons of civilian monsters bustled about, weaving between the towering pillars and various travel gates. Smaller security golems roamed about, keeping watch.

  This time, there was no need to visit the ticketing station. Instead, Milvus led them to one of the gates. Inscribed above it were the words 'Hunter Personnel Only'

  As Alwin hopped through the grand structure, studying all the other monsters traveling about toward unknown destinations a thought popped into his mind.

  Why were they mixing civilian monsters together with Human Hunters? Didn't that increase the threat of being exposed to danger? Plus wouldn't the civilians pose a security risk? What if they took a wrong turn and ended up in a highly classified area? Talk about poor planning. Lapis must've been involved one way or another.

  One by one, Milvus gave each and every student a few words of encouragement before they stepped through the portal and vanished.

  Uchronia and Gus went in together—because she was still carrying him. Weren't they concerned that they'd fuse together and turn into some sort of monster? Wait, they were already monsters.

  Then…what about some sort of super hybrid monster that combined both of their abilities? That seemed like a reasonable worry. Or was that considered a buff? Man, biology was hard.

  Last, but not least, was Alwin. He looked up at Milvus expecting some wise words of wisdom. Instead, he got a lecture.

  "Please don't do anything rash, Alwin. You know, with my Core Skill, I can see a lot of things, but I can never see what's going inside that mind of yours. One second you're goofing off, the next you're working yourself to the bone. What I do know is that you have potential. Just don't waste it. While Minister Lapis and I may be lenient, the same can't be said about where you're going. The people at the camp don't take too lightly towards mischief."

  Milvus paused, then gave a small nod. "Still, I know you're able to handle whatever mission they assign you. All the best."

  Alwin didn't really care about the first part of Milvus' lecture—Niwla did. What he latched onto was the end.

  Milvus said he could handle it, so that means he definitely could. Yeah, he could totally handle any mission given to him. Alwin can handle anything!

  Full of confidence, Alwin bounced toward the portal.

  One second he was in the Warp Station.

  The next he wasn't.