They stood around the corpse, just looking at it for a few seconds, then Samara stepped forward.

"My father’s a butcher," she said, already rolling up her sleeves. "Follow my lead. If you ruin the hide, you’re carrying twice the weight for half the profit."

Gillard blinked, surprised. "Have you done this a lot?"

"I have, since I was five."

She knelt by the boar’s flank and drew her blade. When she started cutting the boar, it was apparent that she was skilled; her cuts were clean and efficient. She guided the others where to slice, where and when to pull or peel the hide back, where to separate the tendons from the bones.

Teclos crouched beside her, assisting where he could. He had helped his father with smaller game before—rabbits, deer, even a young wolf once—but nothing on this scale. Still, he understood the basic structure of the beast and how to cut the meat the easiest.

Eldric stood on the opposite side, watching carefully before following instructions. He was hesitant and clumsy, so she had to correct him a lot at the start; ultimately, she had him wash the hide and meat because he was just too slow.

Gillard also looked completely lost with this.

"I hit things with a hammer," he muttered. "I don’t know how to butcher animals..."

"Then just hold the leg still," Samara replied flatly. "And don’t drop it on me."

Ulmak leaned against one of the few intact trees at the edge of the ruined clearing, simply watching them.

Time passed quickly.

They separated the armored hide in large sheets, carving around the thicker stone growths where possible. The tusks were removed with a bit of mana. The internal core—dense, mineral-rich tissue near the chest cavity, almost like a second heart—was extracted carefully under Samara’s direction.

The unusable parts were dragged aside.

By the time they finished sectioning the carcass into manageable portions, their hands were slick with blood and their backs ached.

Then came the next problem as they all stared at the pile of meat.

And hide.

And tusks.

And dense stone segments.

They stood there stunned.

"How," Eldric finally asked, "are we supposed to transport this?"

Samara wiped her hands on a scrap of cloth. "Teclos. Can’t you... do it?"

Teclos shook his head immediately.

"Are you insane? I could maybe drag it fifty meters before my darkness and I collapse together." He scoffed.

Gillard crossed his arms. "We can’t exactly carry it on our shoulders either."

Eldric hesitated, then raised a hand slightly. "Well... I have an idea."

Samara looked at him skeptically.

"We could cut some logs," he continued. "Make a platform. Then pull it back to town... I guess."

She stared at him.

"At this point, I think you might be mentally challenged."

Eldric’s face flushed. "It was just—"

"No," Teclos interrupted, eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "No... it might actually work."

Samara blinked.

"But," Teclos continued, already scanning the surrounding trees, "we’d need smaller logs for the platform and cut segments of some trees into crude wheels. We can tie up the platform with tree bark or vines." He gestured with his hands. "Doesn’t have to be pretty, just needs to do the job."

Gillard nodded slowly. "Well, whatever. As long as we get it back to Kolma."

Ulmak remained silent but unknowingly nodded his head in approval.

So they went to work.

It was grueling.

Cutting the logs alone was exhausting. Gillard burned through trunks with controlled heat, careful not to start a fire. Eldric used compressed wind to assist and lift the logs. Teclos reinforced weakened sections with precise shadow bindings and guided the bark and vines through the holes they made.

Even with mana, it was not easy.

Rolling the logs into position was hard.

They strained their shoulders and legs to carry them, even with wind and water helping lift the logs.

The makeshift ropes were slowly fastened.

Half a day slipped by beneath the cold winter sun.

By the time they finally lifted the processed boar onto the makeshift platform, their arms felt like lead and their mana reserves were thin.

Teclos stood at the front of the crude construct they called a platform...studying it.

It was ugly.

Rough.

But functional.

Once they finished loading it up, Teclos spoke.

"Alright," he said. "Let’s try it."

He extended both hands. Darkness gathered around his forearms, stretching outward into thick, rope-like strands that wrapped around the front beam of the platform.

"I’ll pull from the front," he continued. "You three push from the back."

Gillard flexed his shoulders.

"Try to push with your mana," Teclos instructed. "And do it in small, controlled bursts so you don’t waste your mana."

Samara placed both palms against the wood. Eldric did the same.

They nodded.

"On three," Teclos said.

Mana flared from everyone’s feet, and Teclos pulled it with all his strength.

The platform groaned.

It moved.

Slowly at first.

Grinding across the earth.

But it moved.

Step by step, meter by meter, they dragged the weight of their first hunt back toward Kolma.

They were exhausted, filthy, and victorious.

They were also very aware—

That Ulmak was still watching.

The gates of Kolma finally came into view long after the sun had dipped below the horizon.

By the time they rolled the makeshift platform through the northern entrance, the sky was black, lanterns already lit along the main road.

And when they crossed the gates and arrived at the guild hall—

They saw the others had already returned.

One group stood off to the side with small game laid out neatly before them—hares and a young poison fox, modest but clean kills.

Another team had brought back two wolves, their grey fur matted dark from blood.

And the last team...

They had nothing...

Except torn clothes and bruised faces. One boy’s arm was wrapped in a hastily bound cloth that was still faintly smoking at the edges. They stood there in silence, eyes and heads lowered.

Something went very wrong there, Teclos thought.

Then their platform rolled fully into the lantern light.

The stone boar hide.

The tusks.

The sheer volume of meat.

A few trainees stared.

Even some of the instructors raised their brows slightly.

Despite their exhaustion, a small surge of pride warmed Teclos’ chest.

Ulmak stepped forward.

"Hunters," he called to some helping hands standing at the guild’s doors calmly, "bring the meat inside."

Two guild members moved without complaint, lifting sections of the boar and carrying them toward the storage room.

"Trainees, form a line," he ordered next. "Next to the others."

They did.

The four groups stood side by side beneath the lantern glow.

Sera folded her arms as Ulmak approached. "You’re late, Ulmak," she said casually. "Well... understandable if they hunted a stone boar."

Ulmak snorted faintly. "Yeah. It was quite fun to watch." His eyes shifted toward the battered team. "What happened to that one?"

Sera let out a short laugh. "Apparently they were too cocky and tried to hunt a fire bear. Darnel saved their asses. He’s royally pissed."

Ulmak was shocked. "What? I would be too. Why did he even allow that to happen?"

"Beats me," Sera replied with a shrug. "I think he just didn’t pay attention. Was too far behind them to notice what they were up to."

Kosak stepped forward, calm as ever. "Let’s do the evaluation and get this over with."

Ulmak nodded once. "Sure. We’ll start in order of who came back first."

Darnel stepped up.

His face was already red.

He didn’t even open with pleasantries.

"Not only did you go after an impossible hunt for a novice team," he barked, voice echoing across the yard, "you almost got yourselves killed and forced me to intervene."

The four trainees in front of him flinched.

"I gave you a chance to turn back when you spotted the bear," he continued, nostrils flaring. "But to my surprise—and utter dismay—you charged in. Didn’t even give me time to process what a stupid decision that was."

He jabbed a finger toward their leader.

"Leadership was god-awful. Judgment was god-awful. You panicked. You didn’t ambush it. You didn’t coordinate. You ran in screaming." His lip curled. "Though it wouldn’t have mattered anyway with that thing as your opponent."

He was practically huffing now, shoulders rising and falling.

"You all failed!"

He pulled out his notebook.

Cold mana spread across its surface instantly, frost crystallizing along the edges. With a sharp motion, he threw it to the ground and stomped on it.

It shattered into many frozen fragments.

The silence afterward was suffocating.

Next came Ralph’s team.

Kosak stepped forward, opening his notebook without theatrics.

"First," he began evenly, "leadership was poor. Ignoring your teammates because you believe you are right is not confidence. It is stupidity."

The boy at the front—Brock—stiffened.

"Scouting and tracking were excellent," Kosak continued. "Teamwork was below average. Game choice was also below average. The beast you brought back could barely cover your operational cost."

He turned a page.

"You had more potential than this. Frankly, one hunter could have completed that hunt alone."

Brock swallowed.

Kosak looked up.

"Leader Brock. You failed. Re-do the exam next year if you wish."

The boy’s shoulders slumped.

Kosak’s gaze shifted.

"Team member Tessa. Your scouting was impeccable. Combat ability is passable. You pass. Welcome to the hunters."

Tessa inhaled sharply, then bowed her head.

"Team member Ralph." Kosak’s eyes flicked toward him. "You brought the team together when leadership faltered. Your agility and combat performance were solid."

Ralph stood straighter.

"You pass. Welcome to the hunters."

A slow grin crept across his face.

"Team member Cyprus," Kosak continued, voice hardening slightly. "You conspired with your leader to claim the game your teammates hunted. Additionally, your combat contribution was negligible."

Cyprus’ face drained of color.

"You failed. Re-do the exam next year if you wish."

Kosak closed the notebook.

Sera stepped forward next.

"Loric," she said, glancing briefly at him. "Clean execution. Good ambush positioning. Minimal wasted mana. Two dire wolves taken down without unnecessary risk."

Loric stood tall, expression composed but satisfied.

"Leader Loric," she finished, "you pass."

She glanced at Kross beside him.

"Solid support with no hesitation. You pass as well."

The rest of their team passed as well.

Then—

Ulmak stepped forward.

He opened his notebook and looked at Teclos’ team.

He looked at the four of them for a long second; he saw tired and dirty faces with trembling hands.

Then he exhaled through his nose.

"Well," he began, scratching lightly at his beard, "first of all... it was a messy hunt."

His words stung a bit.

"But a hunt you performed nonetheless."

A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"You decided to make it entertaining for me."

A few nervous breaths escaped the trainees.

Ulmak tilted his head slightly. "Leadership was solid. Execution?" He clicked his tongue. "A mess."

Teclos felt his shoulders stiffen.

"I was," Ulmak continued calmly, "about this close to intervening." He held up two fingers with barely a sliver of space between them. "And I don’t enjoy paperwork."

A faint ripple of restrained laughter moved through the other hunters.

"Scouting and tracking were solid. Ingenuity?" He shrugged. "Acceptable. You didn’t die. That’s already a plus considering your choice of prey."

Then his expression sharpened.

He looked directly at Teclos.

"Team leader Teclos."

Teclos met his gaze.

"Your leadership was solid. You adjusted quickly when things fell apart—and they did fall apart." A faint emphasis. "Your commands were sharp. You regained control when your team started panicking."

Ulmak flipped a page.

"Combat ability—solid. Ingenuity—solid. Quick thinking saved that hunt."

A small pause.

"You pass. Welcome to the hunters, boy."

Teclos exhaled slowly, tension draining from his spine all at once.

Ulmak’s eyes shifted to Samara.

"Team member Samara."

She straightened.

"Butchering skills—very useful. Good positioning during the fight. You listened to your team leader and you adapted well."

He nodded once.

"Combat ability also passable. You pass. Welcome to the hunters."

Samara allowed herself the faintest victorious smile.

Ulmak turned to Gillard.

"Team member Gillard."

Gillard stood rigid.

Ulmak raised a brow. "Your power is outstanding."

Gillard blinked.

"But," Ulmak continued dryly, "you are clumsy...like really, really clumsy."

A few snorts escaped from the side.

"You charged multiple times. From the front. Where the beast could see and react to you." He tapped the notebook lightly. "Twice you almost turned yourself into a decorative wall ornament."

Sera coughed to hide a laugh.

"Combat ability good. Awareness?" He tilted his head. "Needs work. A lot of it."

He tapped on his notebook, thinking.

"You pass... barely," he replied a second later.

Gillard’s jaw tightened, and he did a guts pose.

"Don’t celebrate yet, kid. You were really close to failing, and you need a lot of work and training...nonetheless, welcome to the hunters guild."

He looked down, a tiny bit ashamed, but still nothing could beat passing at this moment.

Then Ulmak’s gaze moved to Eldric.

"Team member Eldric."

Eldric swallowed.

"Positioning—poor. You fixated on its eye and wasted a lot of arrows. That decision put your team in harm’s way, as you didn’t listen to your team leader and didn’t aim for pinning shots." His tone was no longer joking.

Eldric’s fingers curled at his sides.

"Cooperation was acceptable. Combat ability is also passable."

Ulmak closed the notebook.

A short silence.

"Sadly," he said evenly, "you failed. You may retry next year."

The words landed heavy.

Eldric lowered his head.

"Why?! Gillard also made many mistakes!" he complained.

"Yes, he did. He barely made it through with his power and self-sacrifice...you? You made mistakes on an even worse level but with no impact on the fight. Decision-making is nonexistent, as everyone had to tell you what to do; even your positioning was god-awful. Without a dependable team, you would fare even worse."

Ulmak didn’t soften the blow.

"That concludes the evaluations."

He ignored the frown from Eldric and moved on.

Four groups had entered the forest that morning as trainees.

Some now stood as hunters.

Some did not.

Ulmak looked across all of them one last time.

"Being a hunter isn’t about how much you hunted or how strong the prey was," he said calmly. "It’s about teamwork and surviving to hunt another day."

On that note, the exam was officially over.

And for Teclos—

A new path had just begun.