Behind the Trial Gate was a gloomy forest. A dirt path stretched forward underfoot, seemingly without end.
"Where are the others? Have they all gone?"
After entering, Noah scanned his surroundings and noticed that the seven people who had come with him were not there. He immediately became wary.
Noah remembered that in the forest behind the Trial Gate, there was a giant dog beast trained by the Zoldyck family, specifically used to deal with intruders who didn't know their place.
Even after pushing open the eight-ton Second Trial Gate, Noah wasn't naive enough to think he was a match for that magical beast.
"They shouldn't let that thing out, right? If they did, none of us would likely survive. Old Man Zeburo just said that pushing open the Trial Gate was the first test. I suppose there must be a second and third test. For now, I'll just walk forward."
After pondering for a while, Noah started walking along the dirt path.
Thump, thump, thump.
In the silent forest, only Noah's cautious footsteps echoed. From the dark bushes on either side, it felt as if terrifying magical beasts could leap out at any moment. This eerie atmosphere constantly stimulated Noah's senses.
If his intuition hadn't told him there was no immediate danger, Noah would probably have been too afraid to take another step forward. Similarly, he wouldn't dare to retreat, only able to stay put, trembling.
At this moment, Noah was extremely grateful that he had transmigrated into someone else's body, rather than his own. If it had been his original body, with his average physique and not-so-strong nerves, he would probably have collapsed after a few seconds here. He was also glad that this body was born in Meteor City, making it much stronger than an ordinary person in the Hunter world, as evidenced by its ability to easily push open the Second Trial Gate.
"This body is full of potential."
After walking for about ten minutes, a small wooden cabin appeared in Noah's line of sight, with light spilling out from its windows.
"A wooden cabin? Could that be the location of the second test?"
Humans are social creatures after all; upon seeing their own kind in a quiet place, their hearts inevitably settle down.
Noah was no exception. After walking for so long in the gloomy forest, seeing the lit cabin before him, even without knowing what awaited him inside, Noah's heart felt a little calmer.
At least there were people inside.
After all, magical beasts don't light lamps… Thump, thump, thump.
Arriving at the cabin, Noah raised his hand and knocked on the door.
"Is anyone there?"
There was no response. After a few seconds, Noah raised his hand and knocked again.
"Is anyone there?"
Still, no one answered.
"Strange."
Frowning, Noah reached out and pushed the door open.
The door scraped against the ground, making an unpleasant sound. Noah then realized that this door was much heavier than an ordinary door. Although it was nowhere near as heavy as the Trial Gate, it would still be difficult for an average person to open.
"Are you kidding me? This trick again?"
Muttering to himself, Noah pushed the door wide open and looked inside.
Inside the room was a square table surrounded by several chairs. A bright chandelier hung from the ceiling above the table, and at the far end, a staircase led directly to the second floor.
"Come up."
Just as Noah was observing the room's environment, a voice came from the staircase.
"Up there?"
Noah walked towards the stairs. Upon reaching the second floor, he found that the other seven people were all waiting there. Beside a window, a very familiar person was standing.
This was a tall, short-haired man dressed in a neat tailcoat and wearing glasses. In his hand, he was toying with a shiny coin.
Gotoh.
The head butler of the Zoldyck family.
Noah recognized him with just a glance.
"If you had arrived any later, you would have been disqualified." As Noah came up, Gotoh's gaze shifted to him.
Clink!
As he spoke, the coin in his hand made a crisp sound, flew into the air, and was caught firmly in his palm.
"Well then, congratulations to you all for passing the first test. Once you complete the second test, you will become apprentice butlers." At this point, Gotoh's face darkened, and he slowly scanned everyone.
"Continue along the dirt path you came from, and you will reach the inner forest. There is a small iron gate there, serving as a boundary. The first two of you eight to arrive will pass the test, regardless of the methods used." Gotoh looked at the crowd, enunciating each word carefully.
"Alright, begin." With that, Gotoh moved aside, revealing the open window behind him.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
As soon as Gotoh finished speaking, two people moved, leaping out of the window like afterimages.
These two were the tall, thin man who had been the first to push open the Trial Gate, and the other was Noah!
Ever since Noah had reached the second floor, his attention had been focused on Gotoh. He had caught every word Gotoh said. When Gotoh mentioned "the first to arrive," Noah had made a rough assessment. He subtly moved his body forward, shifting from the back to a more forward position.
When he saw Gotoh move to one side, Noah, who had been ready to go, darted out like a leopard, rushing out of the window one after the other with the other tall, thin man.
"The first to arrive, regardless of the methods used."
These few words contained a lot of information, meaning it was a race. Only the first two people to reach the finish line would pass the test. What was most important in a sudden race? Naturally, it was to seize the initiative. The person who rushed out first already had an advantage in the entire race.
The window on the second floor was extremely small, only allowing one person to pass through at a time. Only the quickest to react could swiftly pass through the window. The remaining people, once they reacted, would inevitably face a "scramble for the lane" situation at the single-person window, putting them at an immediate disadvantage.
Noah, moving like a whirlwind, followed closely behind the tall, thin man, sprinting along the dirt path. At the same time, his mind raced, analyzing the current situation.
Even with the advantage of getting a head start, Noah remained wary. The reason lay in the last four words of Gotoh's statement.
"Regardless of the methods used!"
Simply put, these four words meant that interfering with opponents was allowed. More cruelly, to pass the test, those behind could attack the two leaders, or even kill them.
These people from Meteor City were no pushovers. Noah had every reason to believe that killing was as common as eating for them.
Currently, he and the tall, thin man in front were first and second, respectively. The two of them naturally wouldn't attack each other. However, it was hard to say about those catching up from behind. Moreover, being in second place, his own situation was probably the worst.
As he thought this, Noah suddenly heard a whooshing sound by his ear.
His strong intuition and quick reflexes prompted Noah's body to react swiftly. Noah's forward-running body suddenly swerved to the side.
A cold gleam shot from behind, grazing Noah's cheek, and flew forward, embedding itself firmly in a tree by the side of the road.
He looked closely.
It was, astonishingly, a gleaming dagger