Conrad, being the oldest among them, ended up taking the lead. But there wasn't really much to lead as far as Jin was concerned.
He had taken his time to go out and find out more about the beasts called "pincers." After all, a hunter's first and foremost weapon was information on its prey. With enough knowledge, even a child was capable of hunting a predator.
'But seriously, pincers? Is this the best they could come up with?'
Pincers, as the people of this world referred to them as, were beasts with sharp and robust crab-like claws. With a height of around two feet in natural circumstances and weighing almost five times that of a human, they were neutral beasts that didn't attack unless provoked.
But their neutrality was their undoing. They often spent weeks resting in a single location, as if in a state of hibernation. Since Acropolis was right next to a wide river, the pincers migrate from the forest to the river when they need to feed.
Their resting for weeks wasn't the main issue, though. It was that they travelled and lived in a horde, each horde containing from a dozen to over thirty pincers. A horde that big could easily block a route that challengers used to traverse the world outside.
Which was why challengers preferred pushing them off in the opposite direction, avoiding any casualties.
Walking to the front of the group, Jin matched his pace with Conrad. Despite this possibly being his first mission as well, Conrad seemed unbothered and easy-going, unlike Sam, who was still walking behind Dean.
Jin spoke subtly.
"So, what's the big plan? We've been walking for a while now, so the horde shouldn't be that far. I believe this is a good time to share your strategy with the rest of the group."
Conrad threw a bewildered look at him.
"Plan? What plan? I'm just planning to beat up a pincer or two. I'm sure the rest of them will run off with just that. Do you have something else in mind?"
Hearing about Conrad's plan, Dean frowned deeply.
"Wait a second. Why do we have to push them out in the first place? I don't know about you, but I'm pretty confident that we can easily wipe out the entire horde."
As overconfident as Dean was, Sam looked as if he were about to stab Dean in the back with his sword.
Finally, the girl walking at the end of the group yelled.
"Shut up, Dean. We all know how you were about to die like a dog in the first trial. If it weren't for Arthur, you'd be crucified in the middle of their kingdom by now."
Despite losing his composure, Dean didn't try to fight her words.
"That was more than unnecessary, Celia."
Celia replied nonchalantly.
"Then just do what he says."
Still distracted by Celia's claims, Conrad raised a brow.
"So, do you have something else in mind? Or should we go with my plan instead?"
After staring at him for a few seconds, Jin lowered his gaze.
"No, let's go with your plan."
Being with the group for a few hours, Jin couldn't help but judge them. Not because they were weaker or less skilled than him, but because he was far too old for them. Unlike them, he preferred solving things passively instead of throwing himself into the problem, making it even more complicated.
He already had a few suggestions that wouldn't need the group to battle even a single pincer. Even if those didn't work, he still had a few ideas that could ensure everyone's safety on the team.
'But alas, the young blood never ceases to amaze me. Everyone is dying to get their hands dirty.'
Jin was certainly highly skilled and trained for a first-ranked challenger, but he was still new to this world. Taking the lead role right away would not be beneficial to him, at least not in a small test.
Steeling himself for the upcoming confrontation, he shifted his attention to the individual Celia had unknowingly mentioned.
'Arthur… I haven't heard that name before. Regardless, she seems to favor this person quite a bit.'
Mentally noting the name at the back of his mind, he brought his focus back on the current objective.
After some time, they left the makeshift path and entered the deep forest. The density of the wildlife increased the deeper they went. The trees here were almost twice as thick as the ones they'd seen back while entering the forest.
The trees were not the only things that were out of place here.
The further they moved away from the city, the wilder the changes became. Some trees had leaves growing on their trunks, while weeds grew inside the trees. Some had branches that grew in all directions, assimilating themselves into other trees.
In comparison, some were only a single bark growing endlessly, breaching the ceiling made up of entangled branches and leaves.
What troubled him more was the sheer density of qi in this place. Having conditioned his meridians with the demonic qi, he was able to handle it well enough.
'I can't say the same about the others. They seem fine, but… I'll let them carry their own weight.'
The growth wasn't wild. It was… directionless.
Fortunately, it was still bearable compared to the mutations far deeper inside the forest. It meant that they were still considerably close to the tower.
Suddenly, he noticed a shift in the air. Being surrounded by trees, it was not normal for the wind to reach this deep inside the forest.
'An opening in the ceiling, the wind must be coming from there. But where is this opening?'
Pincers were also known to have a liking for sunlight. They were somehow capable of finding openings in the web of branches that blocked sunlight. Such a breach would also allow wind currents to enter the forest, slithering their way past the maze of trees.
Conrad had noticed the horde as well, having slowed down to an inconspicuous pace. At some point, he had taken the staff out, holding it firmly in one hand. The staff had a strange glow whirling around it, as if it were being fed his qi.
He lowered his stance so as not to alert any nearby awakened pincer. The rest of the group followed his lead, equipping their weapons and readying their posture.
Jin was about to go back to the front as well, but he noticed something else. It was only for a split second, but Elias looked as if he noticed something out of the ordinary. He had felt it as well, like he saw something among the trees.
'It is a simple mission. Once this is done, I'll have to work harder to erase Lian's presence in this vessel once and for all. I can't afford to lose focus like this in the future.'
Shaking his head, he glanced at Conrad, who was now just a few meters away from the horde.
'... Interesting. So these are pincers.'
About a hundred meters ahead, warm strings of sunlight broke through the sark entrapment of the trees. It was akin to a spotlight, highlighting a large opening among the woods.
Out there, about a dozen pincers were sleeping under the warmth, their spider-like legs curled up. Looking at them up close, Jin couldn't help but think of them as a mutant abomination made from both crabs and spiders. They had the upper body and arms of a crab, while their legs resembled those of a spider more, giving them leverage when it came to their height.
Their emerald chitin had a bleak hue, absorbing all the sunlight. Most of them were asleep, only a few having half-closed bead-like eyes.
Nevertheless, they were nothing but sitting ducks to them.
'Even a surprise attack in this situation could scare them off. Well, I don't think they are ready for such peaceful alternatives. Pulling them off their high horse isn't my responsibility.'
Conrad gulped audibly.
"Alright. Everyone, let's go over the plan again."
Everyone gathered around him. Dean seemed repulsive when it came to making a plan, but was pushed ahead by Celia nevertheless.
"There are exactly eleven pincers ahead, about eight of them are asleep, while the other three seem to be half-awake. Our priority is the three pincers who are awake. I want Sam and Dean to circle them from left and wait for my signal. Jin and I…"
Conrad had formed an efficient plan after Jin had asked him about his plan. So far, Jin was certain that it was going to work.
But there was something else that he couldn't simply ignore anymore.
Elias was standing a few dozen meters away from them, his eyes darting all around them. It was as if he were trying to track something but lost it by a hair's breadth each time. His demeanor was still as rigid as it had been before, but he could faintly see the drops of cold sweat around his neck.
Evelin seemed nervous as well. All this time, she had managed to maintain her calm. But cracks were appearing on that facade one by one.
'What am I missing?'
For a third-ranker like Elias, pincers were kin to chores. He could be done with the entire horde in a few minutes if he wanted to, even without his core ability.
He pushed through every detail he could recall. Everything he had seen, heard, or smelled ever since they had entered the forest. Something he had noticed even for a second, but had decided to move on from. Perhaps something his instincts were telling him, but his consciousness was blocking it.
But no matter how much he thought about it, there was nothing he could think about. So, he moved on to what he had at hand.
'Both of them are worried about this. Either it is something connected to the Hope Guild, which connects them both, or…'
Jin didn't really want to think about the other option. Because it meant that Elias had sensed something around them, something that was possibly either as strong as him or even stronger. And Elias was by no means weak.
If he had to compare Allen and Elias, it could be said that Elias could easily neutralize the other. He wouldn't even have to kill Allen to win in a battle. That was simply the difference between a third-ranked challenger and a second-ranked one. Not to mention the gap in experience and skill between the two.
So, for someone to be even stronger than Elias, Jin was uncertain if he could even get away in one piece from such an opponent.
'Should I ask—'
Before he could finish the thought, Conrad nudged him with his staff.
"Hey. Don't tell me you're scared now. If you need more time to get ready, just follow my lead. I'll signal them when you're ready."
Dean and Sam were already gone, having reached the other side of the horde. Celia was nowhere in sight, having been assigned another role by Conrad.
Hearing his kind gesture, Jin was about to stop him. Suddenly, a shadow fell over him. He saw their crude supervisor behind him, the air around him slightly off.
With his gaze still somewhere off in the distance, Elias spoke hurriedly.
"Move. Your test has been postponed."
Before either of them could react, he disappeared.