The evening air in the Hunter Academy was heavy, too heavy for the hour. The 3rd year students gathered in the courtyard, expressions tense. Above them, the dusk sky hung over like a fading bruise, deep violet bleeding into black, with a last smear of crimson fading over the horizon. The light seems unsure whether to die or linger, and the air hums with the hush of things unseen, waiting for night to take hold.
The final exam of the semester is upon them.
Dakota stood among the crowd, adjusting his belt. Beside him, Yuji was already stretching, calm and precise as always, while Sota quietly tied his shoes, his expression unreadable. Marlon cracked his knuckles excited for the exam.
Dakota: "You ready, Sota?"
Sota nodded, though his face was pale: "Yeah. I've been training. I can keep up."
Marlon: "That's the spirit. Just don't die trying."
Yuji shot him a look. "You ever heard of encouragement?"
Dakota smirked faintly but said nothing. His eyes wandered across to Erika, Sylvie, Shinatsu, and Esmarie, who stood in a tight formation. Erika caught his gaze for half a second, her expression equal parts determination and worry. She gave a tiny nod.
Dakota returned it.
Across from them, Austin was joking with Remi and their friends. Mike stood with his hand on his chin, speaking to his team like a general preparing for war.
Then, a voice cut through the murmur.
?: "Attention, 3rd years!"
The sea of students fell silent.
Five figures emerged from the entrance of the main auditorium, each wearing the black and gold uniform of the First-Class Hunters. The students have seen it many times as they teach them practical lessons. But their presence right now bent the atmosphere, a silent reminder that these were not ordinary instructors.
One stepped forward, a tall woman with sharp gray eyes and long braided red hair. Her name was Rosa Scarlet.
Rosa: "Tonight, you will fully understand what separates you students from Hunters. The first part of your final exam will test not your swordsmanship, but your endurance, and your resolve."
She gestured inside the auditorium. There was no floor. It loomed open, revealing a sloping tunnel that disappeared into darkness.
Rosa: "We've removed the flooring. Inside is a tunnel, an underground route stretching ten miles to the northern forest. That forest will serve as the battleground for the second phase of your exam."
A murmur rippled through the crowd: "Ten miles underground?"
Hunter Rosa raised a hand for silence: "You must keep pace with us. Make it to the other side in 65 minutes or less. Those who fail…" Her eyes hardened. "…will be placed one step away from expulsion."
The word expulsion hit like a thunderclap.
Shinatsu let out a low whistle: "They're not holding back this time."
Dakota swallowed hard. Seventy minutes for ten miles underground, no sunlight, no rest, and led by professional Hunters who could outpace horses. He could already feel the pressure clawing at his chest.
Rosa continued: "There are no vampires in the tunnels, but the environment is hostile. The air is thin, the terrain uneven, and the path will test your mental endurance as much as your legs. You'll run. You'll climb. You'll crawl. And you'll learn whether you belong here." She turned to her colleagues. "Hunters. Lead them."
Four nods. Four Hunters stepped into the auditorium. And with a thunderous shout, the thousands of 3rd year students enter.
Rosa: "Everyone make your way inside!"
The moment they entered the tunnel, the air changed.
The world above vanished, replaced by the echo of boots against stone and the steady rhythm of breathing. Dim crystal lamps embedded in the walls cast ghostly light along the corridor. Once every student was in, the exam started.
Rosa: "Begin!"
Dakota: 'I'd better not see Gon and Killua down here.'
The Hunters set a brutal pace right from the start.
Within the first 10 minutes, a third of the students were already panting.
Marlon cracked a grin: "Oh, this is my kind of hell."
Yuji: "Less talking. More running."
Dakota focused on his breathing—steady, measured. He thought this would be a breeze if he could use a breathing technique. The air was thinner than he expected. The tunnel sloped downward in long, spiraling arcs, the walls damp with condensation. Every sound was amplified, the scuff of shoes, the drip of water, the grunt of students straining to keep up.
Behind him, Sota was quiet. His steps were light but uneven.
Dakota: "You okay back there?"
Sota: "Yeah… just keeping pace."
But his voice was faint.
Up ahead, Erika's group moved with coordination. Shinatsu set the rhythm, fast yet steady. Sylvie maintained pace easily, Esmarie humming softly between breaths as if the run was just another melody. Erika ran near the front, her expression fierce. Austin's team lagged slightly behind, they decided to go at a slower pace, while Mike's group ran silently, efficiently, not wasting a single breath.
Every five minutes, the Hunters increased their speed slightly. Pushing and punishing.
After a few miles, students stumbled and had to stop to catch their breath.
The Hunters didn't slow down.
Rosa: "Keep up!" Her voice thundered through the tunnel. "Vampires won't wait for you to breathe!"
By mile five, the students were fracturing. The top teams stayed close to the Hunters; the others began to fall behind. The air grew thicker, heavy with sweat and dust.
Marlon wiped his brow: "Five down, five to go. Easy."
Dakota: "Speak for yourself."
Sota's breathing was ragged now. He stumbled once, caught himself, and forced a smile when Dakota glanced back: "I'm good. Promise."
Dakota frowned. He didn't buy it. Behind them, another team gave up, three students sitting against the wall, heads low, one of them crying quietly. The Hunters didn't look back.
Failure was its own lesson.
At mile six, the tunnel narrowed. The ceiling dipped low, forcing them to crouch as they moved. Their knees screamed. Dust filled their throats.
Erika's group kept pushing.
Shinatsu's voice carried through the tunnel: "Focus your breathing! In through your nose, out through your mouth!"
Erika: "Roger!"
Sylvie smiled faintly: "We can do this."
But even they were slowing.
Esmarie more so than the others. Her breathing got heavier by the minute: "Crap, I was good for a while. But the fast pace is getting to me."
Erika slows down to her and gives a slap on the back: "You got this, I believe in you."
Esmarie smiled with a wink: "Thanks."
The thin air gnawed at everyone equally.
At mile seven was a checkpoint, nothing more than a marker etched into the wall, a cruel reminder of how much was left.
Rosa turned briefly, her braided hair swinging: "45 minutes passed. We'll stay at this pace. Keep up."
Dakota felt the burn in his legs, the ache in his lungs. Sota's steps were faltering now, slower each minute.
Sota: "Dakota…" he gasped. "Go ahead. Don't slow down for me."
Dakota: "Shut up. We're finishing this together."
Yuji grinned between breaths: "Didn't think you were the motivational type."
Dakota: "Neither did I."
Ahead, Mike's voice echoed smugly: "Pace yourselves properly and you won't have to worry about sentimentality. Efficiency wins every race."
By mile eight, the tunnel tilted upward, an incline that felt like climbing a mountain.
The Hunters kept pace like they said. But going uphill didn't help, even the front of the pack started falling behind. Every step was agony now. Their shoes scraped against loose stone, the echo of their labored breathing blending into a dull roar. Some students even started slipping. Esmarie was one of them, but she got back up immediately.
At mile nine, the tunnel widened greatly, but it was pitch black. Students tripped all over each other. By this point, almost everybody is at their limit and their pace has slowed down considerably. The Hunters pressed forward without pause.
Rosa: "This," she called over her shoulder, "is where Hunters are forged. Not in classrooms. Not in practical drills. Here. When your body tells you to stop and you move anyway."
Dakota started feeling lightheaded. He could feel his pulse pounding in his ears. Sota stumbled beside him and he went down hard.
Dakota: "Sota!"
Marlon: "Did he eat it?"
Yuji: "We're running out of time!"
Dakota: "I'll get him!"
Sota tried to push himself up but collapsed again, gasping. His body was trembling violently: "Go… I'll catch up…"
Dakota: "Like hell."
Without a second thought, Dakota crouched, hauling Sota onto his back. The boy was light, but it felt like he was going to crush him.
Marlon: "You'll slow down like that!"
Dakota: "Then help me!"
Yuji: "Good grief."
They pushed forward, Dakota carrying Sota, Yuji and Marlon flanking them, pushing through the tunnel. The sound of their shoes thundered.
The Hunters reached the end. The final stretch was another upward slope. The students could faintly see the light of the night shining around the Hunter's silhouettes.
Rosa roared, her voice carried all the way down the tunnel making it impossible for a student not to hear her: "5 minutes left!"
Dakota's muscles screamed. His lungs burned. His legs threatened to buckle. But he didn't stop.
The others around them started to notice the sight of Dakota hauling another on his back, face pale but eyes burning with defiance with the help of two others.
The students surged forward, every ounce of strength poured into that final stretch. The shouting that erupted from the students was full of desperation.
Yuji: "Keep the pace steady, we'll make it."
Dakota could feel Sota's faint heartbeat against his back. Dakota's vision tunneled. His legs moved on instinct. He stumbled. Yuji caught his shoulder, steadying him.
Yuji: "Don't you dare quit now."
Dakota: "Wouldn't dream of it…"
Students started making it outside, completely out of breath. Some collapsed onto the ground while others tried their best not to.
Dakota roared, every fiber of his body screaming.
They made it.
With 2 minutes to spare.
Dakota fell to his knees, gently lowering Sota beside him.
Sota's eyes fluttered open: "…We made it?"
Dakota managed a shaky smile: "Yeah. We made it."
Marlon flopped onto the ground with a wheeze: "Remind me… to never run with you again."
Erika's team came running over.
Esmarie: "You guys made it!"
Erika: "Of course they did!"
Dakota: "I'm gonna hurl."
By now, almost all of the students have made it out except for the stragglers or the ones who gave up. Meanwhile, the Hunters were composed with not a single drop of sweat. As the final minutes passed, the students felt the forest's cold breeze.
The first part of the finals ended. Over 300 students didn't make it. Somewhere, a branch cracked, it was too sharp, too deliberate, and the sound lingered longer than it should have. Among the scattered students, Drake stood. The whole time, he'd been watching Erika. Like a predator stalking his prey. But she knew. She felt his gaze the entire time, just as she still does. As the others are joking about the hellish run, her eyes finds Drake in the pool of students. Nobody else but Yuji felt it, the intensity Erika was giving off. They stared daggers at each other, until finally Drake disappeared.
Rosa: "Rest up for one hour. Groups that lost members will combine to even out the teams as much as possible. The second part of the exam is the Dark Arena."