Chapter 40

Chapter 14: Apostle Test

Yeqi picked up his personal belongings and bid farewell to the guard, leaving the Thorn Tower. The sunny young man from last time did not appear, which made the Hunter sigh with relief. After all, facing someone whose strength was unknown, even if they had no ill intentions, was not an easy task.

"Yeqi, congratulations on getting out!" The giant's massive frame was impossible to ignore wherever he went. Seeing the giant waving at him, Yeqi returned a friendly smile: "Thank you, Ted!"

If he were facing the other two instructors, Yeqi would never be so kind. Although he wouldn't draw his sword due to headquarters' rules, he would definitely not hesitate to mock them.

"Let's go, I'll take you to change your clothes! I'm sure you can't wait to take a shower, right?" The giant's smile was as simple as ever, but there was a hint of teasing in it—Yeqi, who practiced with his sword every day, naturally sweated a lot. Trying to rinse off the sweat with the small amount of water in the cell was clearly impossible. So, after a week of sweating without a change of clothes, Yeqi emitted a smell that no one could ignore.

No wonder the guard left so quickly! Could it be that the young man didn't come because he didn't want to smell this?

Reminded, Yeqi sniffed himself and couldn't help but laugh self-deprecatingly. He then shrugged and looked at the giant: "Besides clothes and shower water, would you mind preparing some hearty food for me? Of course, any bread is an exception!"

"Of course!"

Led by the giant, Yeqi returned to the central castle. After Yeqi finished washing and changing, a sumptuous breakfast was already laid out on the table—milk, bacon, ham, pancakes drizzled with honey...

Looking at the breakfast, Yeqi felt he had never understood John's deep resentment towards potatoes as much as he did at that moment.

"Yeqi, the tests for the other new apostles have all been completed, and they started systematic training three days ago..." As Yeqi wolfed down his food without any grace, the giant made arrangements for his next steps: "So, after breakfast, you need to go with me to the Arena Tower to complete the final apostle test, and then start training with the other new apostles!"

"C-Class Task: Apostle Test. Complete the apostle test arranged by headquarters."

Receiving the system task notification, Yeqi paused for a moment but quickly returned to normal.

A C-Class test, it seems the higher-ups at Hunter headquarters are paying me "special" attention!

After defeating Nofa, fighting Ted, and killing Koster, and with the uncertain plot against Pachi, if Hunter headquarters didn't pay attention to him, the one who started it all, Yeqi would be worried that they were planning something—powerful strength is indeed frightening, but what is truly terrifying is the hidden conspiracy.

Throughout history and in legends, countless heroes have been invincible on the battlefield, slaying enemies by the dozen, but they have been defeated by conspiracies woven from seemingly innocent lies. Even these heroes, who have no place to rest in death, are often distorted by the weavers of lies, becoming scoundrels in the mouths of countless people who do not know the truth...

Hero? Only those who are not afraid of death can be one, right?

The Arena Tower and the Thorn Tower were located at opposite ends of a diagonal line. Unlike the Thorn Tower's surroundings, which were dead silent, the area around the Arena Tower was bustling with people coming and going. Among them were several new apostles who greeted Yeqi enthusiastically when they saw him—the power of the fireball spell and his final words in the assembly hall a week ago had made all the new apostles remember him. Especially his final words, which significantly improved their perception of him.

Yeqi returned their enthusiastic smiles and pointed to the giant in front of him. The new apostles immediately understood and gave him a thumbs-up, even asking if he needed them to accompany him.

Hunters are like this: they are rebellious and disobedient, but they have a heart that is always hot. Once they gain a friend, it is a lifelong bond.

Politely declining the new apostles' offers, Yeqi followed the giant into the Arena Tower. The spacious hall, the flat stone floor, the walls hung with various shields and weapons, and the occasional shouts from the tower made Yeqi feel as if he had entered a military camp.

"The atmosphere is great, right? This is my favorite place!" The giant excitedly introduced the place to Yeqi: "The Arena Tower is the best place for testing and practical training, and several large-scale competitions are held here every year. I was the champion of all the competitions last year! And the year before that, too..."

Following the excited giant, Yeqi listened to his detailed introduction of every area, even the shields on the walls. He knew the giant was telling the truth—this was indeed his favorite place. Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to know the history of even a candlestick stuck in the wall...

"Here we are!"

Leading Yeqi through the hall to a large door, the giant pushed it open and walked in. Yeqi naturally followed, but when he looked past the giant's massive frame, he saw someone he did not expect—Pachi Deko.

Hmm? I didn't expect him to recover so quickly! Did the Deko family get a priest from the church to heal him?

Yeqi had witnessed Pachi's beating that day. Given his injuries, he should have been bedridden for months. But now, apart from a slightly pale face, he stood in front of Yeqi with a fierce look, which made Yeqi marvel at the benefits of being from a noble family.

In the room, besides Pachi, whom Yeqi did not want to see, there was one other person, but this person was also someone Yeqi did not want to see—a cold-faced man. Clearly, the feeling was mutual. However, compared to Pachi, this person was a bit better, at least nodding at Yeqi. Of course, it was purely out of courtesy, with no hint of friendliness.

"New apostle Yeqi's test begins! Testing instructor, Pachi Deko!"

As the cold-faced man announced it without emotion, Pachi, who had been staring at Yeqi fiercely, suddenly smiled with a sinister look.