If there was one thing I had overlooked, it was that this test wasn’t something I’d be taking alone.
Using a monster to evaluate just one person would be dangerous. Even a foolish brute like Pienos remains a monster far stronger than any human—that fact doesn’t change.
Through a relatively easy monster, they assess the potential of four people at once. That must be the Hunter Association’s reasoning.
But why exactly four people—neither more nor less?
Well, it’s because the standard recommendation for hunting monsters is a party of four.
Going with more than that is fine, but it becomes a waste of manpower and resources.
Unless it’s a colossal monster, having too many people complicates things, and the more people there are, the more agitated the monster becomes.
Four is just right—a perfect number to target the monster from all sides: front, back, left, and right.
It was a reasonably designed test, in its own way.
Facing a powerful enemy that can only be defeated by working together allows them to evaluate cooperation, courage, and individual skill all at once.
If it were up to me, I’d rather do it solo, but that kind of selfish attitude would be a stain on my path to becoming a hunter.
Of course, doing it together is nice. Isn’t one of the reasons Hunter Land got so popular because of party play?
What’s the downside of going solo?
You’re limited by the number of tools you can carry alone.
The monster’s attention is solely on you, and the pressure of having to take every attack by yourself is overwhelming.
So, what’s the upside of soloing?
The monster’s aggression—its aggro—doesn’t shift to anyone else. That’s a big advantage.
Stamina, honestly, isn’t much of a perk. But that second point? That’s a real merit.
It’s just me and the monster, locked in a battle of wits with no distractions. It feels like a duel—a one-on-one showdown. Isn’t that the true charm of solo play?
That doesn’t mean I’m dismissing multiplayer, though.
Solo has its own appeal, and multiplayer has its own strengths. The charm of multiplayer, naturally, is being able to help newbies, right?
Yeah.
Right now, I’m feeling the appeal of multiplayer.
“Gulp…”
By my standards, the three people I have to hunt this Pienos with are total newbies.
I couldn’t help but swallow hard.
This place is the Colosseum.
It’s a Colosseum surrounded by wooden fences, located behind the Association district in Antico.
But it’s not like the old Roman arenas where slave gladiators spilled sweat and blood for sport. This one was built for hunters.
Wouldn’t it be overwhelming to face a monster you’ve never encountered before? If you don’t know its patterns, you’ll just get hit. To avoid that, you need something to practice against.
If this were a game, I could watch YouTube to memorize its patterns or brute-force my way through with reckless head-butting.
But this is reality. There’s no YouTube here, and if I tried charging in blindly, I might end up smashed like an egg.
That’s where the Colosseum comes in—to prevent that.
Rookie hunters can experience fighting monsters captured by veteran hunters without having to track them down themselves.
Usually, once research on captured monsters is complete, they’re used like this—set up in the safe confines of the Colosseum for hunters to gain experience.
Not Pienos, though.
This guy’s been caught so many times there’s nothing left to study. It’s just a practice monster now—a punching bag.
“—Grrruu?”
We stared at the Pienos from the Colosseum’s entrance.
There it was, making dumb noises, looking around aimlessly. It sniffed the air, yawned widely, and even flopped down on the ground.
Completely carefree, oblivious to the fact that it was about to die.
Aside from the hunter assigned to the Colosseum to protect and evaluate us, there was no one else here. They didn’t want extra people stirring up the monster unnecessarily.
Suddenly, I heard someone swallow nervously.
My teammates—newbies who were scared even of a Pienos like this. I’m blending in with them, pretending to be a newbie myself, but…
Anyway, a ridiculous silence settled over the place, all because of this one measly Pienos.
“…Don’t be nervous. Just do it.”
The Colosseum hunter threw out some encouraging words to ease the tension.
He was a grizzled guy with a bristly beard.
“Yes, sir!”
“…Yeah.”
The other three responded with gusto. They were all wound up tight.
I nodded a bit late, but my mouth, lacking any sense of decorum, just blurted out an informal reply.
This jerk—no filter, no respect for hierarchy. A fearless loudmouth.
Luckily, the Colosseum hunter didn’t seem to mind. He nodded, apparently satisfied with our responses, and continued.
“Your opponent is the Pienos. Show your strength. The tools are prepared in that box over there. And keep your eyes on your surroundings—there’s definitely something useful.”
With those wise words, the Colosseum hunter stepped back.
I rolled my shoulders. I don’t need tools, though.
Thanks to the basic gear from the Association, everything fit perfectly—no slipping hems or sleeves. It was way easier to move in than the clothes Noah gave me.
Time to put our heads together, I guess.
Truth be told, I love just mindlessly bashing things until I win… but for now, I’ll play along.
What’s more fun than watching newbies stumble around?
Noah told me to take it easy, so I’ll mess around a bit before hitting hard.
—
## The Evaluation Begins Now
The Colosseum hunter rubbed his chin, watching them quietly.
“How about we start with introductions? I’m Yor. This is my weapon.”
“I’m Ethan. Same weapon as you.”
Two with sword and shield.
“I-I’m Sophie. My weapon’s dual swords.”
One with dual swords.
“…Alice. Greatsword.”
And one with a greatsword.
A variety of weapons is good. Doesn’t really matter what you wield, though—when hunting monsters, you use whatever you’re most comfortable with.
Sometimes you get four hunters with the exact same weapon taking on a job.
The Colosseum hunter stroked his chin again, running his fingers over his rough beard as he observed them.
The one who stood out most was the greatsword user.
Alice, the girl with the greatsword, didn’t say a word—just listened silently to her teammates.
It was hard to tell if she was focused or just blank. But since she was mimicking his chin-rubbing, it didn’t seem like she was ignoring them.
There are hunters like that—passive types who just go with the group’s flow.
The discussion didn’t drag on. They cut the small talk and got ready to head down into the Colosseum.
Four recovery potions, four small bombs, four poison bottles.
With four people, that’s one of each per person.
They stuffed their pockets and stood in front of the iron gate.
Fair enough—they didn’t even know what kind of monster Pienos was yet, so crashing into it headfirst to figure things out made sense.
You never know what’ll happen in a fight with a monster. Adaptability is key.
That’s what he meant by “observe your surroundings carefully.”
The Colosseum was rigged with devices to help hunters fight.
A cannon that could deal heavy damage to a monster was nice, but there were other options too.
Figuring out what those were was up to them. First-timers wouldn’t know, obviously.
Noticing what’s there, using it or not—it’s all on the hunter.
That’s what a hunter is.
Survive and win, by any means necessary. That’s it.
“Alright, go.”
The Colosseum hunter pulled the lever.
Clank! Rumble!
The iron gate blocking the Colosseum entrance slid open, and the examinees stepped inside.
The Colosseum hunter loved this moment.
The hunter test was when new lights emerged among hunters. Sure, there were countless lights already, but there’s no hierarchy among them—every one shines beautifully in its own way.
Overcome this. Earn your qualification.
Starting with this monster, strive to become a light brighter than anyone else’s.
The Colosseum hunter grinned, pulled some jerky from his pocket, and plopped down.
Watching a fight without something to munch on just didn’t feel right.
—
“—Guuu?”
The Pienos puffed up its jaw, eyeing the four humans who’d suddenly appeared.
It was a threat: “I’m this big, so don’t come near me.”
But no one was fazed by that. They were here to become hunters.
A petty threat like puffing up its jaw wasn’t going to stop them.
“Let’s go!”
At Yor’s shout, they all hurled their poison bottles.
Alice joined in casually, flicking hers toward the target.
The heavy bottles struck the Pienos, shattering and soaking it with poison.
Sizzle.
“—Grrruuu!!”
The poison seeped into its hide.
The Pienos drooled in agony.
With a pained roar, it charged forward.
Its wobbly steps—thanks to that puffed-up jaw—belied its surprising speed. Get caught under that massive jaw, and your body would be flattened like jerky in an instant. They all dodged the Pienos’s rush with quick reflexes.
But it didn’t stop there. Shifting its feet, it veered to the side and charged again.
Its target: Yor, the shield-bearing boy at the front.
This was tough to dodge. Not expecting a second charge was a miscalculation. Seeing the Pienos barreling toward him, Yor raised his shield tight and crouched low.
Boom!
A deafening crash sent his body flying back. Slammed by what felt like a living battering ram, Yor’s breath caught in his throat.
He hit the ground back-first, skidding across it. Even a milder monster like Pienos was still leagues above humans—no denying that.
“Ugh…”
“Yor, you okay?!”
“I-I’m fine!”
Yor nodded at Ethan’s call and struggled to his feet. His whole body screamed in pain.
He pulled a recovery potion from his pocket and downed it in gulps. With its painkiller effect, the sharp stabs in his arms and back dulled.
Tossing the empty bottle aside, Yor wiped his mouth roughly with his sleeve and started thinking.
The Pienos’s charge was dangerous. The tight, circular Colosseum left little room to dodge.
If it rushed again, he’d be helpless like before.
“For now, let’s fight up close so it can’t charge!”
Yor shouted, pulling himself together.
Ethan and Sophie grabbed their weapons and rushed the Pienos.
They had a plan.
Sophie would draw its attention with her dual swords while Ethan blocked its dangerous attacks with his shield.
Ethan would be the shield for the dual-sword wielder.
“Sophie, right side!”
“Hyaah!”
Thankfully, both were handling their roles well.
Thud!
On the other side, another shield—Yor—would buy time for Alice to land a heavy blow with her greatsword.
But that first charge had already shattered their formation. Yor scooped his sword off the ground.
He spat out a mix of dust and saliva.
Four against one, yet the gap in size and power was overwhelming. How do you win in a situation like this?
Observe your surroundings carefully.
Yor frantically scanned the area. His focus had narrowed his vision, but he could still make out shapes.
In a corner of the circular Colosseum, there was a cannon emplacement and its entrance.
Fire the cannon right now?
It was a solid idea, but getting there would be rough.
Who’d risk their life distracting the monster while someone else got the cannon ready?
Yor glanced at his team.
Ethan was sticking close to the Pienos, marking its attacks, trying to stop it from charging.
Sophie, with her dual swords, was being overly cautious.
Even with Ethan covering her, she didn’t know what the Pienos might do, so her attacks were timid. At this rate, they’d never deal real damage.
If this dragged on, they’d be the ones worn down.
“—Grrruaa!”
Ethan and Sophie stepped back to catch their breath, but when the Pienos stomped, they closed in again.
Good—they’d stopped the charge.
The cannon would make this easier. But how…
“Yor!!”
“I-I’m coming!”
Ethan’s desperate yell meant hurry up and join us.
Yeah, no overthinking. Stick to the plan, stick to the plan…
…Wait, where’s Alice?
Yor scanned the area again. Her white hair should’ve been easy to spot, but she was nowhere in sight.
Then, in the corner, he saw something like a white snowball.
“Hmm.”
Alice was there.
Far from fighting, she hadn’t even drawn her blade. She stood against the wall, arms crossed, watching everything unfold.
What? Why’s she over there?
Their eyes met. Her pale pink eyes stared at him blankly.
Then she pointed behind him.
Yor’s head tilted up, following her finger.
A small catapult.
Its ropes were already twisted tight, ready to launch a stone.
It had been hiding next to Alice.
Since when?
No—it must’ve been there from the start. They’d all been too focused on the Pienos to notice.
Yor looked back at Alice.
She nodded and mouthed something. Yor read her lips.
Cat-a-pult.
His eyes widened. Alice had already scoped out the Colosseum.
She’d been silent during the planning, so he’d assumed she was just pretty but lazy—a passive tagalong. He’d gotten it all wrong.
Alice had been calculating with sharper eyes than anyone.
Biding her time, hiding the blade that would kill the monster.
To the center.
He got it.
Making a snap decision, Yor gritted his teeth and charged straight at the Pienos.
