Islets Caroline is a recruiter. She recruit good people for her company. When she say good it means they don't need to have a good educational background, good experiences, training or any of those. What she looks for is a good smell. She have a special ability. That is to smell who is good and who is bad. Simple. She was told to seek for people with that good scent and hire them. She's been doing it for five years now. But two years ago, she hired a very special one. A man she cannot forget. You see once she hired good people she bids them good luck and never see them again. Until she sees this particular man. When he entered the room immediately cold shivers run through her spine. He is no longer the same person. He is bad news. At least bad for her. He said to her, I want to hire you for something. Are you up for the job?
Looking back at that time Islets realised it was never a question.

"Whao!"

"Whao!"

"Awhaooooo!"

The loud cheering of a large crowd resounds throughout the stadium as a young man with a bizarre hairstyle wearing a fur coat wins his match with overwhelming power. The match which was supposedly to decide 1st and 2nd place from Qingzhou Academy one of the elite academies from the Hangzhou province, ended quickly with just a single attack.

"Winner, Sun Zan!" the referee for Qingzhou Academy announced as the rounds of applause grew louder which caught the attention of every school in the stadium.

"Sun Zan!"

"Sun Zan!"

"Sun Zan!"

Those same words were heard throughout the arena until it was forcibly suppressed however, it still didn't kill the admiration of the students for Sun Zan who had already returned to his seat.

Sun Zan who had won caught the attention of the recruiters as groups of them bombarded him with papers and questions.

"Pfft, look at that wild monkey he even has the surname Sun! Anyways the cheers won't be his for long once he gets a piece of me." Wang Tao sneered.

"..."

"Did you really need to make a pun?" Ye Qin asked.

"..."

"Yes…"

"..."

"..."

Shortly afterward, the loud cheers weren't just for Sun Zan as the winners of other schools were decided momentarily. According to Ye Qin's observations, only a select few of them would be able to force Ye Qin to become serious which included Sun Zan of Qingzhou Academy, He Ru of Mingdu Academy, Gao Xun of Tianjing Academy, Gu Zexian of Lingqing Academy, and Ding Shi of Luofei Academy.

Each of them had recruiters lined up for them with is the opposite of Ye Qin and some other schools. In actual fact, Ye Qin and Wang Tao had recruiters however, they had both turned down all the offers making the recruiters walk away in disappointment.

Even amongst those five, Sun Zan had a Rare grade monster with a high-level while the others had Rare low levels and Uncommon grade high levels.

Looking at Sun Zan far away from him, Ye Qin saw another source of energy within the former's body. This naturally meant that Sun Zan is hiding his true power and even deeper than that is an unrevealed monster with even power to his other.

"Finally we can get serious." Ye Qin thought.

…

Just as he thought that those five mentioned above were the biggest threat to him, he felt a strong aura from a different type of monster.

Normally a human would form a pact with a beast type monster such as a cat, dog, bird, and more. In a special case, some humans would be able to form a pact with other types of monsters. Since dragons can exist, naturally other mythical beasts and monsters from stories exist to be summoned from the monster plane.

He felt the aura from a short female student wearing a scarf and face mask not far away from his school's field. In front of that female student, a human-shaped figure with black wings on its back and long purple hair gave off a powerful aura as it stepped on top of the opposing monster.

"A demon type!" Ye Qin thought, Such a rare monster is naturally born at the Rare grade and even without training them in special ways or using materials, they would be able to advance grades into the Epic Grade! However, that is only if the demon type monster has a pure enough bloodline and has fulfilled its ancestral teachings.

"Hey, fatty you see that?" Ye Qin said.

"Yea the cute looking girl?" Wang Tao replied.

"Wtf? How do you know if she's cute or not? Besides I meant her monster!" Ye Qin said as he didn't know whether to laugh or cry at Wang Tao's remark.

"Of course I noticed, just look at her figure! You can tell she's a beauty from that and besides it's not like her eyes and nose are covered." Wang Tao continued.

"This guy…" Ye Qin thought before saying "I had initially thought that Sun Zan and the others would be a threat but it seems like she will be the hardest to defeat in the stadium."

"I know, I know just let me admire her figure ok?" Wang Tao said with a displeased face before quickly turning around to ogle the female student.

…

After all the battles were over, every student that wasn't in the top three was sent home. As for those who won, they were to stay behind in the dorms along with their teachers until the battles between every school are over.

Once the winners were confirmed, they all lined up for an assembly held by the Ministry of Education for a while as they were congratulated for their strength. Once the assembly came to a close, the rooms to the dorms were allocated to each and every one of the students. The dorms only separated males and females which disallowed the males to peek and also meant that everyone was to share a single building with strangers.

******

After getting his room number, Ye Qin and Wang Tao left together for dinner which was provided by the Ministry of Education free of charge. In the dining room, the two grabbed dinner as they sat down at an empty table.

As soon as they sat down, another food tray slammed down onto their table slightly shaking the two's meals. Looking up, Sun Zan smiled at them and said "May I sit here with you?" as he munched away on his food.

"..."

"You might as well since you started eating before we could say anything…" Wang Tao replied.

"Great!" Sun Zan said.

After a few minutes of silence and chewing at food, Ye Qin dropped the bomb and asked "So what do you want?"

"Ah? Relax man just here for a meal." Sun Zan replied.

"There's plenty of empty tables, you couldn't have consequently have chosen this table and even ditched the other two from your school." Ye Qin said.

"Ok fine, I just came here to check out a potential rival." Sun Zan replied bluntly.

"Rival?" Wang Tao asked.

"Yea in fact both of you are on my list, during my match, I saw a bright golden light and turned around to see you two messing around." the latter replied.

"Right…"

"So? How do you know we weren't serious?" Ye Qin asked.

"Hahahaha! Hahahaha! If someone as great as I couldn't even tell that someone is holding back then how could I have gotten this far?" Sun Zan laughed.

"Ok."

"Believe what you will." the two brothers replied as the three of them finished off their meal before heading to their own rooms for the night.

…

Ye Qin walked down the corridor towards room 201 with a key in hand.

Step! Step!

Once he arrived in front of his designated room, Ye Qin unlocked the door as the lights automatically turned itself on.


Later that night, Ye Qin lied down on the bed as he went through the scenes of the battles he had seen throughout the day. All the information he gained from various types of monsters and evolution branches are like experience points for himself.

He then closed his eyes and cleared his mind of any thoughts before focusing on his Monster Sea.

Floats!

Floats!

Floating within his Monster Sea, Ye Qin approached his seven monsters as they all gathered and danced around him. Looking at the display of lights from his monsters, Ye Qin smiled as he put out a hand to pat the Koi's as they all stopped dancing and took turns being patted by him.

Ye Qin faced the five Koi that have always been inside his Monster Sea and said "You guys will get your chance. Just be patient, once I enter university I will be able to train you before you eventually leap over the gate and become a mighty dragon."

The five Koi fish nodded as they all looked at him whilst the Gold and Silver Koi changed into their dragon forms and let the others ride on their backs as they flew around at a slow speed for Ye Qin to follow behind them.

…

The next morning, Ye Qin and Wang Tao left the dorms along with everyone else as they assembled back in the stadium. A government worker from the Ministry of Education department spoke into a mic and remarked, "Today is Day two of the exams, the next few days is basically the real exam. Everyone should do their best in order to compete and make a name for themselves by entering one of the Top Universities! I hope that amongst you all there will be some hidden dragons or crouching tigers that will be able to enter one of the top three Universities namely the War God Academy, Nine Peaks Academy, and Heaven's Gate Academy!"

"Now today will be a group battle between the schools. As the name implies every school will be battling against each other in your groups of 3. As for who you're against it will be determined through a lottery just like the first day." he continued.

After drawing lots, every student stood in their groups as they all revealed their numbers at the same time. Ye Qin drew the number 15 which meant their school will be fighting last against the school that drew number 16.

…

The first two schools to battle each other were Sun Zan's, with his overwhelming strength, he crushed his opponents on his own and drew attention to himself and overshadowed his two team members. The same could be said for the other schools with the other five people that Ye Qin paid attention to, each of the five crushed their opponents making it hard for them to gain any potential recruiters at this point in the exam.

Though this could be redeemed if they were to do better or showed potential in the matches during the next few days in matches of one on one. As he observed the battles, Ye Qin made sure to check whether the six student's monsters had improved at all.

After observing for any changes, he faced Wang Tao and Tang Yaling before giving his opinion and came up with a plan. Since Tang Yaling's Phantasm Peacock specializes in illusions, she can support the two and hide their presence as they attack their foes.

She agreed with the plan whilst Wang Tao looked questioning before he agreed reluctantly. Since the others had already fought, Ye Qin shook his head at the other school's that lost since they had bad luck to go against the schools with the six students. Ye Qin and friends watched the last match before their turn to appear on the stage.

Finally, when it was their turn, Ye Qin and friends made their way to the field as all eyes laid on them from above. All six students from both schools called out their monsters as six flashes of light appeared at once on a single field.

Unfortunately for the other school, Ye Qin's trio is just too strong for them, being able to make it this far with their monsters was a good achievement. The opposing side had monsters that were on the same level as Xie Xuefeng and Lang Hui, Ye Qin, and Wang Tao's monsters both took out all three opponents with a single headbutt as the opposing school drowned in sorrow since they didn't even need Tang Yaling to make a move.

The schools that lost weren't eliminated yet, those schools were all able to have another match against each other whilst the winning schools did the same against the other winning schools.

After winning the match, Ye Qin's trio watched the matches between the losing schools before having lunch and preparing for their next match against one of the six potential threats to them.

A Koi? What’s that going to do against my Unbreakable Titan Ape?

Oh, sh*t! Why did it turn into a dragon?

In fact, why are there 6 more of them! This is impossible!

A young man forms a pact with 7 different koi fish after a meteor falls from the sky and turns into a beam of light that shot into his forehead, forever changing his destiny.






Cover by fellow author - Sleepwrite

The Po family was divided into three parts, first was the mortal. Slaves worked and expanded the farming land, small villages popped up alongside the streams that separated plots. 

The outer family were martial artist, trained at local sects and schools they monitored the Po's county lands. Occasionally a martial artist would stand out and be accepted into the main family.

While the main family lives off in a city Atom knows little more than a single rumor; 'The Po family has immortal cultivators.'

As Atom wandered out of the forest none of this was on his mind. As the week came to a close he knew the twelve trees needed for the quota was impossible and lashings were inevitable. Since he was sold to the Po family he had not eaten enough, every day he grew weaker and every week he was whipped harder and harder.

At first his body was simply to small and weak to meet the quota. As the malnutrition and beatings began he never developed making each week tougher than the last. He managed to eat throughout the weeks but never enough.

Head down still short for his week - the young boy did not notice the small crowd forming around his hut.

"You there slave -You are Atom right?" A guard yelled out. "Come here now!"

As Atom scurried forwards he began to notice the few well dressed individuals, even the young master. His father standing behind him had a scolding look as he pointed, "this is the useless slave?"

"Yes master Po, he has never met a quota!" A guard replied.

"Fine tie him to the wagon we will sell him in town."  The man said taking his seat, signaling to the others it's time to leave. His son the young master quickly took his rightful seat smile from ear to ear.

Atom was bound behind the caravan, he kept pace until under the bright moon his legs gave out - his last memory being pulled be hind the cart. 

When he finally awoke, blood stained and wounded, they where already inside the city gates. Looking around struggling to stand, Atom heard the clear voice of Master Po off in the distance. "Unpack the slave and goods, we will take them with us. First to the sect recruiters, then the auction house and finally the slave market."

"Put the mule to work on the way right father?" 

"Yes son, plus sometimes it's good to give the recruiters a small token of appreciation - silver or slaves usually works. It can make the difference between a heavenly sect or an earthly sect." Master Po informed his child as they began to walk away. Behind them guards stuffed Atom with packs and set off in tail.

Young master spoke of many sects and schools upon reaching theirngoal however the young man fell nearly silent as a single question quivered out "Father? What is the celestial school?" 

Looking at the audacious banner the old man sighed, "if a heavenly sect is what you are aiming for the celestial sects are what the main family desires."

"So that is where the main family learns to cultivate?" The young master asked.

"Only three members have ever been accepted..." the father said with awe and sadness in his voice. "We shall take you to the heavenly sword sect, if your aptitude is good they should accept you with open arms." He continued voice growing with pride.

"Heavenly sword sect is very powerful in the region, that would be amazing!" The boy continued praising the sect as they wandered about, before coming across a shabby stall with the words "Black earth and sky sect" written poorly. Behind the table sat an old man with white hair and beard.

"Old master can you tell us where to find the heavenly sword sect? They should be close?" The father asked respectfully, fearing hidden masters he often spoke cautiously in the city.

"This old man can tell you but it's a waste..." he replied pointing to a street just a little further down.

"Why?" The young master asked sternly.

The old man opened his eyes looking the boy up and down before speaking, "you have an earth root." 

As if all at once the boys father felt his knees nearly give out. These recruiters were often good with root detection, further more earth was the lowest rank. He felt his knees and hands shaking, "are you sure?" He pressed.

"There is nothing wrong with earthly sects, mine is proud of our roots." The old man said gleefully. "Many earth sects would accept you." 

His words rang out in master Po's ears, "it must be a trick!" He replied, "my son is talented.... we will hear what the heavenly sects have to say first!" In a fit of anger and rejuvenated moxie he marched forward.

The old man looked over the group and slowly closed his eyes muttering to himself "might have a good little monster soon."

As the Po family moved forward they noticed small trinkets on each table. Pointing one out master Po said proudly "those are to measure spirit roots, I was caught off guard by that old man and nearly forgot."

As they approach the heavenly sword sect the Po family withdrew a small satchel filled with silver. "Great heavenly master this esteemed Po family would love for my son to be tested, please accept this silver as our thanks."

The sect recruiter waved his hand gesturing towards the small crystal on their table; "if the crystal reacts, you will be an outer sect member." He said calmly.

The young master approached, excitement on his face. Moment by moment that excitement faded to horror as the crystal remained in changed.

"Fail..." the man said waving the family onward.

Shocked an embarrassed the family withdrew. All the while mumbling about the earthly root. Two other sects showed the same treatment before the family retreated towards the earthly sects.

"What do we do father?" The boy asked nearly void of all emotions. 

"Do not fret that old man had it right, be proud of your roots even if it's just earthly." Trying to cheer is son but all ambition was clearly drained from his voice.

Suddenly a soft tone reached their group "Your right this old mans is right and honestly, this old man is still willing to help - if you show me a little face." 

Shocked and relieved the father looked to his son, "see this old man still has an intent.."

"No... not your son," the old man cut in, "I'm old and require a slave to carry these things to my sect. I'll buy that boy slave from you."

"You don't want my son but you want my slave!" Master Po yelled in anger, "I'd rather kill the boy than help you!"

The old man frowned reaching into his pocket pulling out a clear coin;  "I said show this old man some face..."

A young boy, once a slave now free set on the path of immortality. Can an earthly cultivator crush the heavens and transcend the celestial limit...

"…." What Alex saw through the window were numerous wooden houses, all piled together between paved roads. Each house looked similar with each other, and they were the only structures that existed here, along with the nearby trees.
The sight of this houses made Alex narrow his eyes, as their arrangement was something that felt familiar to him.
"Am I… in a small village made up of wooden houses?" Alex muttered as his eyes took in the sheer amount of wooden houses in front of him. "If these were the houses that has the Rookie Travelers, shouldn't they look better?"
"Oi hooman, if you are curious why the houses here are like this, don't bother asking it. It's the Endless Monarch who constructed everything here, and he did not explain why he did this." As if she had sensed Alex's curiosity, Asteria began to explain to him about the existence of the wooden houses. "However, the Monarch said that this place is called the Starting Village, since this is where Rookie Travelers start. They should be using this place to acclimate to this world, but just like what I said earlier…"
"Everyone who leaves their house immediately gets hounded by the recruiters. Yeah, I can see that now." Alex muttered, with his eyes stuck on staring at the people that are slowly making a commotion just outside his house.
 "…."
There are 13 people standing right in front of Alex's house right now, with 9 of these people standing in a such  a way that a human circle was created with them. This circle has a diameter of around 10 meters, which created a  large, empty space inside it.
These 9 did not do anything else after making the circle, as they stayed right where they were. Their eyes also did not wander around, as all of them only  stared intently at the center of the circle.
"…."
As for the remaining 4 people, they were huddled together in one group, which interestingly was located right at the middle of the circle. This is also the spot where the other 9 people were intently staring in, which places the group of 4 under their scorching gazes.
The 9 in the circle looked like they were not interested on making the group of 4 run away, and the greedy look on their eyes made that more obvious.
"…"
Just by looking at this situation at a glance, Alex can tell what was happening.
The huddled group of 4 must have been cornered by the other 9 people, with the circle formation implemented to seal the group's path of escapes. This circle formation was bolstered more by the intimidating aura released by the 9 people, which made the cornered group look extremely uncomfortable.
Tension and wariness can be seen from the eyes of these 4, as if they were facing a dangerous opponent at this point. They were even holding their hands together as they tightened their huddle, an act that made them look much more vigilant.
But that's not the only thing that this group did. After staying in their huddle for a few more seconds, the only male member in the group began to make his move.
"Schwang!" With a sound similar to that of a commoner's power, this young male deftly summoned a wooden staff on his hands, which he quickly brandished like a sword. This act, along with the tense expression on his face, clearly shows his intent to battle now.
As for the other 3 members of this group, who were all mature, well-endowed women, they began to summon their weapons too. They then pointed these weapons directly at the 9 people cornering them, an act that smeed to have amused the 9.
Some of them laughed from the defiant act by the group, while the others only shook their heads out of pity. These reactions made it appear as if these 9 were not worried about getting hurt at all. Instead, they seemed to even enjoy the reaction of the cornered group.
The same case can be also said to Alex, who only felt amusement upon seeing the weapons brandished by the group. It was as if Alex thinks that this group had no chance to win, a fact that he did not deny in his mind.
"This group of 4 is most likely a group that has a Rookie Traveler in it. As for who the Rookie Traveler is, it's most definitely that man." Alex thought as he stared at the staff-wielding male. He shook his head as he saw this young male's handsome face and blond hair, which seemed to be out of place with his weapon. "Yeah, the Rookie Traveler is most likely this guy. And he's a decent one… But it's still not enough to let him win here."
 With his power sense, Alex could definitely say that the staff-wielding male has a power of around Third Stage. As for the 3 well-endowed women with him, they were all at Third Stage too.
Such kind of powerset is impressive for a Rookie Traveler, but  this Third Stage of power is something that is not enough to save this group now.
After all, the power levels of the 9 people cornering them were around the Peak Third Stage!
The weakest of this 9 was exuding this level of power too, while the strongest of them showed signs of almost breaking through the Fourth Stage!
 Such kind of power levels made the contrast between the 9 and the 4 more obvious, a sight that Alex can clearly see.
"Hm… if Asteria's words earlier were right, then these 9 people on the circle were most likely the recruiters sent by the Half-Step Transcendents. As for the group huddled inside, they must have been the Rookie Traveler and his companions that just left the house." Alex muttered as he quickly summarized the scene in front of his eyes.
  "Right now, this Rookie Traveler and his companions are being cornered by the 9 recruiters. Heck, their path to escape was even sealed! Hmph, these recruiters must have been really desperate to recruit Travelers for them to act like this…" Alex added as the tension outside his house continued to increase. "Well, desperate or not, with the powers that the recruiters have, there is no way for the Rookie Traveler to escape from them. Sooner or later, he will be forcefully recruited, and there's nothing that he can do about that…"
"Yeah, that blond hooman is weaker than the recruiters so he will be forcefully recruited right here. The question is, who gets to recruit him?" Asteria suddenly said behind Alex as she also watched the unfolding situation with interest. "Only one recruiter can get the Rookie Traveler, so having 9 of them there will make things a little… chaotic."
"Chaotic? Heh, I may be new to this world, but even I knew that recruitment events can get messy. Especially if these events had Travelers in it…" Alex said with a smirk. "Hehehe, now this makes me want to see what happens here more. Will they beat up the Rookie Traveler? Or will they offer him with many incentives? What will be- Oh, so they are beating him up."
Just as when Alex began wondering what could happen, the 9 recruiters uddenly began making their move, unleashing their attacks on the outnumber and outpowered group.
"Swash swash swash!"
One of these recruiters was surprisingly an Immortal Cultivator, with his Dao Core   releasing numerous flying talismans that rained down explosion on the Rookie Traveler. These explosions rocked even the pavements on the street, with some actually blown away by some distance.
Standing beside this cultivator was another recruiter who was also attacking the helpless Rookie Traveler.  This recruiter appeared to be a woman around 30's, who seemed to  have the power to cast curses and hexes.
She could be seen spitting out venomous words out from her mouth, which made the Rookie Traveler shriek in pain, while the women with him began clutching their faces as sores appeared on their skin.
"Ugh… that two recruiters are strong as f**k.  No wonder they can be used as recruiters. With their prowess, they must have the talent to be unrivalled in the Third Stage…" Alex thought as he looked at the Immortal Cultivator and the Cursemancer with interest. "Well, the other recruiters are not that bad too…"
The remaining recruiters all had their own unique power and abilities too, which allowed them to also unleash more pain and suffering on the already defeated Rookie Traveler.
 One of these remaining recruiters was a man whose body was made up of lightning. Every now and often he will release lightning attacks that tend to shock  the companions of the Rookie Traveler. This move had turned these woman blackened from superficial burning, a sight that made even Alex wince.
There was also this woman who had numerous books floating around her. These books were usually closed, but these books will occasionally open, with creatures and supernatural objects leaping out of the book's pages.  These creatures and objects will then attack the Rookie Traveler's group, with the book woman giving them shouts of encouragement.
"An Elemental Druid and a Divine Librarian. These kind of people can be Travelers too? Man this world surely is weird…" Alex said as he turned his eyes away from the fight.
 There was no more need for Alex to watch, as the defeat of the Rookie Traveler was already set in stone. Instead of watching this man's defeat, Alex was more interested on seeing who among the 9 will get to recruit this Rookie.
"You want to know  how these recruiters will decide on who gets the Rookie? Heh, there's no need for you to wait. I can just explain it to you." Asteria suddenly said, as if Alex's look of interest right now had forced her to talk.
"No, there's no need for you to explain. I can just wat-"
 "Once the recruiters thoroughly beat up the Rookie Traveler, they will then hold an auction on the spot, with the Rookie Traveler and his Companions as the item." Asteria continued to say as she interrupted Alex. "The one who pays the highest price will get to be the recruiter of this Rookie Traveler.  Pretty simple, right?"
"…"
"So, once that transaction was done, everyone will disperse. The recruiters who failed to get the Rookie will go back empty, while the recruiter who succeeded shall be bringing the Rookie on their headquarters. What happens to that Rookie will then depend on the group that he was brought in." Asteria  crossed her arms after saying this, an act that made her look a little professional. "That's basically the gist of it, hooman. So, do you have any questions?"
 "I don't have any questions. I just have a comment." Alex replied indifferently as he stared back at the fight, which seemed to have just ended. "I think that the reason the recruiters beat up the Rookie Traveler is for them to know the fighting capabilities of the Rookie. That way, when they start to auction him, they can set the right price…"
"Yeah, you are right. And you are just in time too, hooman. They seem to be starting the auction. Do you want to watch it?"
"Well, just a little. After all, I might need to be dabbling in this in the future too…"
"???"


After all the things that he had done in his life, Alex realized that it was already his time to die. 

But a sudden encounter with a weird person will turn his whole life around.

The formerly about-to-die teen shall now be a Traveler of different worlds!



"You are an Esper? Then come and taste my saber!"
"You are a Daoist? Then come and taste my fist!"
"You are a Genie? Well, can you grant me infinite wishes?"

Everyone shall witness Alex's rise on his endless journey!


Disclaimer: (((Don't make me credit to einlion. His novel, Endless Paths: Infinite Cosmos, from the reception of his readers, is obviously good,  but its an accident that my title is similar to his. Really.)))

Edge of Night constructed their teleport station on top of the Evernight Mountain instead of directly inside their headquarters.
This mountain was a new transportation port set up by Edge of Night during recent years. To the public, they claimed that the place was meant for all friendly organizations to conveniently set up their temporary offices. However, most people believed that they simply did this to upset their biggest rival, the Sleepless City. 
This might seem a bit childish, but wizards didn't care as long as they could frustrate their opponent, even if just a little. Besides, the Evernight Mountain did a pretty good job of gathering traveling wizards until now.
Angor arrived at the mountain and realized that it was rather crowded with passengers who sought to use the teleport station.
Under the effect of Infinite Reticence, he carefully blended into the crowds.
From the occasional conversations he heard, he could tell that there were so many people here because of the new "black dome" that was looming not far away from here. Wizards and apprentices alike were smart enough to tell that Edge of Night was no longer a safe spot to stay. Even if there was only a slim possibility that Edge of Night would be affected by the crisis, people would choose safety over everything else.
Angor got a feeling that should the nightmare monsters choose a new target to attack, Edge of Night would be the obvious choice since so many vulnerable people had gathered here.
Soon, it was his turn to use the teleportation array. Following the instructions of an apprentice on duty, he stepped into the array drawn on the floor.
Lucky for him, there were many wizards trying to leave Edge of Night as well. Angor easily found a wizard who was heading to the same destination as him—the White Clam City. As such, he could ask the wizard to "escort" him.
This wizard seemed to be the insociable kind who didn't like to speak with apprentices, but as long as Angor paid enough, he had no problem bringing an apprentice along.
The wizard asked for a hundred crystals, which was quite a high price. However, it was still worthwhile as an apprentice always needed a wizard's help to stay alive during long-range teleportation. It was money for life.
As soon as enough people had stepped onto the array, Angor felt his eyes blinded by a flash. Shortly thereafter, he felt a sense of weightlessness taking over.
In the next second, he smelled seawater.
The dim mountaintop settlement had been replaced by bright sunlight and the sound of tides, which meant they were at White Clam City.
While most of the apprentices were trying to recover from teleportation-induced nausea, several wizards were already leaving the area unaffected.
The wizard who protected Angor raised his eyebrows when he noticed that, unlike the rest of the apprentices, Angor seemed fine from the teleportation.
"Huh… maybe this one is studying dimension-related art?"
Then he left without caring about Angor's condition. It wasn't worth the time.
Similarly, Angor quickly left the moaning apprentices. He found somewhere more private and used Glamor. Slowly, his handsome look turned into a common square face that would not arouse any attention among crowds.
He didn't believe that Centipede Guild would come and bother him so soon, but he still acted cautiously by using both Glamor and Infinite Reticence to hide, just in case.
White Clam City was a middle-sized coastal wizard fair inside the Goman Kingdom, which did not usually have many visitors. The city belonged to the Goman Kingdom in name only; it was actually controlled by Floating Mech City.
It was located along the southernmost shore of Fey Continent and was a perfect spot for travelers and traders to enter the southern seas as well as the other continents across the water. The "other continents" were mostly mortal lands, but they still possessed various valuable resources, and Floating Mech City regarded White Clam City as an important hub that transferred these resources.
This was why the city was highly valued despite its moderate size.
While casually walking around the streets, Angor found many souvenirs, which obviously originated from Heylan Imperial—an island nation next to the Goldspink Empire. Three years ago when he left home, these two countries were still at war, and Padt Family was responsible for providing provisions to the front line.
Even if Heylan Imperial was the enemy of his home, he still felt a bit homesick when seeing their products in this foreign land.
Without tarrying too much outside, he quickly arrived at the office of Brute Cavern.
There weren't many offices of other organizations here because the city didn't provide much profit to outsiders other than those from Floating Mech City. Still, a number of organizations left their members stationed here so that they could scout for talents.
Floating Mech City only dominated the production of raw materials. They did not dominate human resources. They knew that being too imperious over everything would easily attract enmity.
While it was true that Floating Mech City had what it took to rule every minor city, they wouldn't do this because they preferred to remain a resourceful trading partner with everyone. They had established friendly relationships with a lot of wizard organizations. It would be troublesome if one of them suddenly decided to become hostile.
Brute Cavern also had a department located in White Clam City. Soon, Angor saw the emblem that showed the Tree of Eternity on a round-domed building.
He found no wizard inside. There were only several apprentices managing the building, among whom a white-bearded elder, who had just reached level-3, was the strongest one.
Angor's arrival immediately attracted everyone's attention.
As he wondered why people were staring at him so openly, the old man slowly walked toward him with the help of a walking cane.
"I'm Boro. May I know your name, Mister?"
"Padt." Angor bowed politely, following his nobleman manners.
"Mister Padt. What is it that you want, if I may?"
A young man suddenly approached them and interrupted, "Hey, old man, what's with all the mishmash? Just ask him which quest he's handing in and make our job quicker."
This young man had uneven eyebrows, and the right one had a strange angle that looked funny.
He saw Angor looking at him and grinned. "Call me Hami. But I prefer that people use my title 'Right-Eyed Devil'. I got it approved at a Sky Tower!"
Angor showed a hollow smile. "What's this 'quest' you mentioned?"
Hami and Boro exchanged a confused look. Hami then questioned, "You… are not from the HQ?"
As they explained, Angor learned why he received the strange treatment.
Brute Cavern rarely sent any members to White Clam City. Each time they did send someone, they were either recruiters who would go and seek new talents across the sea or were appointed to replace someone in the office.
Recruiters usually came in spring, when most sea routes were available so that they could travel through more destinations. However, there were very few apprentices who were willing to take this job because it was so time-consuming and would always ruin their own training plans. This was why Angor was considered to be someone for the second job, meaning, he was sent here to work at the office.
Workers here were usually compensated well, but they couldn't receive proper training from a wizard all the way here, nor could they find enough resources to undergo other forms of training, so they were all eager to see a "replacement".
This was the reason why Angor instantly became the center of the spotlight.
"Hey you, you're from the HQ, right? And you'll work in the place of one of us? Come here, let's talk. I've had enough of this pointless post." Hami was raising his right eyebrow so high that it almost sank into his hair.
"Quit it, Hami. You came way after I did! If someone's leaving, it should be me!" another apprentice protested.
"Oh, really? How about we duke it out, huh?" Hami stared at the opposer and raised a fist.
"But Mister Right-Eyed… Can you please give me the chance? I've been a level-2 for years, and I don't even know many level-1 cantrips!" Someone started to fake crying.
Hami spat on the floor.
Angor found the sight to be quite funny and looked at the old man, Boro. "Aren't you going to compete with them?"
"I… do want to go back. But as you can see, I'm approaching my limit now. And I've already learned what I can from my teacher. The organization won't provide me with much. I might as well remain here and wait for destiny."
"You can find destiny in this city?"
"This place is very close to the Devil's Water, and many strong wizards would travel through. If I look hard enough, I might find their leftovers one day. Do you know Phantom Master, one of the most powerful fighters in our organization, Mister Padt?"
"Of course," said Angor. 
Not only that, we know each other reaaaally well, he thought.
"Last time, Phantom Master entered Devil's Water on a cloud whale and killed a giant squid monster on his way. He took the core of the monster and tossed the corpse in the sea. The corpse of a powerful monster! I heard that many people earned a great fortune from it. You see that? Sometimes you just pick up destiny like that."


A young traveler who receives enlightenment from another civilization is on a mission to save his beloved mentor. In his journey to seek the ultimate truth, he travels extensively and along the way, he experiences some unpredictable encounters. Will he be able to save his mentor or will his path be derailed?

(Transport Ship- 013)
(Private Room 105Y)
[3rd Place – Sophie Peterlor]
When Darren saw the line of text on the monitor screen, he could not resist the urge to let out a string of curses.
The best-case scenario would have been that the hybrid girl was eliminated early in the examination so that he would be justified in not sending an offer.
Even if she did make it to the final one thousand, an offer to the side branches of Atlas University would have been a decent compromise between the two factions.
But she made it to third place.
There was no good reason not to send in an offer to Atlas University and the only possible option would be the main branch.
How could Darren explain in his report the decision to send one of the top students in the entrance exam to a side branch?
What was even worse was that many of the noble children on his priority list did not perform as well as expected. 
The Tarkkakans were a challenge that very few of those sheltered students were able to handle.
Darren rubbed his temples in frustration before entering a string of text into his communicator device and submitting. 
There was one more factor that Darren had to take into account.
This decision was not an easy one to make but the risk of offending a god stage cultivator like Duke Peterlor over this matter…. well only a fool would do it.
That monster had once razed an entire mercenary corps to the ground for attempting to kidnap his daughter for ransom.
It was a well-known fact among the upper nobility of the Earth Federation that Rokan Peterlor was not a man to be messed with.
And his daughter was not someone they could involve in their schemes.
Darren decided to just send an offer of admission and pray silently that the hybrid girl did not accept.
(Private Room 105G)
[2nd place- Astrid Lilac]
Unlike the Atlas University recruiter, Adriana Greenhorn was ecstatic to see the high magic potential of the Mendolesa girl.
That level of talent was on par with the geniuses of the Servies race and several professors who had seen the footage were now fighting over her.
Race meant little in the face of overwhelming talent and unlike the younger generations, Archmages were more nonchalant about such matters.
Servies may have the best magic potential on average but that did not mean that there were no hidden dragons among the other three species of the Earth Federation.
It was only rare that it was a Mendolesa. 
Mer University had a simple approach to their requirements and only took those within a certain grade of mana potential.
Having just one main campus and no side branches meant that their student population was the lowest among the four great universities.
Honestly even the final rankings of the exam were pretty inconsequential as mages usually had a lack of combat experience at lower cultivation levels.
Three important figures had even made offers to take Astrid as their direct disciple before she had even entered the school!
Among the three was a man called Lapis Hollystorm who specialised in spatial magic and was infamous for rejecting all of the students who came to learn from him.
The heavens truly blessed the talented and Adriana could foresee that the Mendolesa girl was certainly going to be a powerhouse of the future.
(Private Room 105F)
Swish! Swish!
A mass of liquid was happily flowing from side to side in a container while humming along to a pop song.
"I can see the wind whistling through the moonlight"
"My love for you sparkles in the sunlight,"
"My beloved, your eyes drown me in the sorrow of the wonder of tomorrow,"
"I will run a thousand yards to save you!"
Bubbling noises were heard from the container as the Quafes recruiter attempted to sing along to the tune in his liquid state. 
He could afford to be relaxed as compared to the other three University recruiters, his job was relatively easy going.
Tantibus University would send offers to all students who made it into the top one thousand as their robust departments covered all areas of cultivation.
Some called them jack of all trades master of none, but the fearsome graduates of their campuses would prove those naysayers wrong.
The Nephilim Church was located right in the middle of the Quafes' zone of the Earth Federation and their influence was not to be underestimated.
Many of the graduating alumni were members of the clergy and the recruiter was happy to see a saintess candidate in this batch of students.
(Private Room 105H)
"The rookies this year have quite a bit of potential," whispered the Mendolesa warrior lounging casually on his bed while reviewing footage of the exam.
He was very impressed by the few teams that decided to face the Tarkkakans head on instead of hiding or fleeing.
Of course, Selvon was only impressed with those that managed to emerge from the encounter unscathed. 
Reckless bravery was nothing more than foolishness. 
Most recruiters would be selecting seedlings for both the main and side branches but Selvon was only interested in the top students.
There was no lack of candidates to fill the vacant spots in the side branches, but it was important to select only the highly talented for the elite class to maintain the quality.
Zrudread University prided themselves on producing the fiercest warriors in the Earth Federation so Selvon was interested in both potential and attitude.
He had already made a shortlist of fifty names from the entire batch of one thousand students with the lowest rank among the list being ninety-eighth place. 
Not all the students would accept the offer, so he had also made a back up list of additional names from the remaining candidates. 
"Those four…." Selvon grinned with his fangs bared as he reviewed the footage of Sophie and her team.
He dialed a number in his communicator and a few lines of text came from the other end,
Selvon: [ I am going to use my authority to send scholarship offers to ten students from site 013]
Head Recruiter: [ You don't have that authority.]
Selvon: [ Remember that night in Planet Venus when you met those lovely bargirls….] 
Head Recruiter: [ . . . . . ]
Head Recruiter: [ Alright I can pull a few strings]
Head Recruiter: [Please don't tell my wife]
The now cheerful Mendolesa exited the chat and accessed the virtual net to watch one of the new romance dramas produced by B.Y.T entertainment. 
Anything was possible with the power of a good information network!

In the Year 30XX......

Humans have long been discovering the wonders of the universe and exploring the great galaxies beyond the milky way.

They are not alone.

The universe is primal and untamed with civilisations pitted against one another in battles to decided life and death.

Mankind is one of the weakest races but have discovered cultivation techniques that morph their bodies and grant them unimaginable power.

Sui Meng was just an ordinary girl who woke up in the body of  sixteen year old Sophie Peterlor.

Sophie is the half human hybrid of a prestigious duke house but faces discrimination based on her racial heritage and apparent lack of cultivation talent.

This changes when Sophie discovers a cultivation manual hidden in the necklace given by her late mother.

'Spider Whisper Art'

Sometimes power comes with a price......

Even before the test for martial talent began, I was already the forerunner of the examination. With my exceptional strength and concentration, unless I didn't have an abnormally weak talent, I would be graded very high.

The test for martial talent contained  2 parts. First, we had to pass through an area which looked like a metal detector gate we find in airports on Earth. This produced an x-ray image, not of our bones but meridians and dantian. My results were very good but not too exceptional or earth-shattering. The next part was to test the reservoirs of internal qi in our body. This test gave a good idea on the initial amount of true essence we would be able to convert when we formally enter into Foundation Consolidation stage. This test required us to put on something like an oxygen mask and regulate our breathing according to a specific rhythm given to us by the examiner. It was at this point that the examiner testing me found that there was something seriously wrong with me.

 At first, he rubbed his eyes a couple of times at the screen (which was hidden from the examinees) before asking me a couple of times to regulate my breath carefully. When he found out there was nothing wrong with my breathing, his pupils dilated as he immediately called for the head of Examinations and my eldest brother to take a look at my results. When both of them arrived and looked at the screen, both of them almost shouted aloud as they quickly covered their mouths and looked at me as if I was a monster. 

Soon I was brought into another room where I was informed that the level of internal qi in my body was off the charts and such a huge amount was not found in humans but beasts that usually have a stronger body type than humans like tigers or rhinos. The people in the room included the head of Examination, the head of the branch and my second uncle who had been expressly called for this reason. The three of them took a hard look at my body using true essence. When they found that there was no foreign object in my body, they asked me if I ever ate something strange. I replied that I only ate what was served on the dining table. After this, the other 2 people asked my uncle some questions and soon the puzzlement in their eyes turned into excitement as they eyed me like a tiger eyeing a sheep. If I have to give an analogy, the situation was similar to university recruiters looking at a child with an IQ above 250. They couldn't even wait for him to pass high school.

Our protagonist is a modern mixed martial artist on Earth who retired early due to injury and went on to research about ancient martial arts and religion.

Lying on his deathbed he only has one wish, "If only I could pursue martial arts in my next life too". Next time he opens his eyes he realizes he is reborn in a world which was similar to the ones in wuxia novels while retaining the memories of his previous life.

Protagonist - " What the hell is wrong with the martial artists of this world ! They spend their entire time sitting and meditating. And what type of childish fighting is this, yelling out different names when throwing simple punches and palm strikes."

Follow our protagonist as he carves his own path in this martial world.

Fenwick Copeland. We broke him out of the prison in Stonebourn when he was just a boy, only twelve years old. He lived with us for a while and then started training to be a Guardian when he turned sixteen. I treated him like a son, and even promoted him to Admiral when he finally finished his training. I can't believe he betrayed me. After all I did for him? 
"What happened Iris? How did you meet these recruiters?" She handed me one of the Recruiters satchels and started explaining everything to me. She explained how she got lost in the woods and was attacked by the Recruiters in her sleep. She explained the hawk. I grabbed Iris by the wrist and started half walking, half running to the conference room. Fenwick was supposed to give a presentation to his superiors today, but I wasn't going to give him the chance to. I yanked the door open and open and led Iris inside. Fenwick was setting up his presentation when he saw us. He looked up at me in confusion, "Hello, Officer Hendrix. Is something wrong." 
"Yes, something is wrong, Admiral Copeland. Maybe you can explain to me what this is?" I handed him the crumpled up map. He took it and uncrumpled it, "It's a map. Of Gratia Island." I took it back from him, "The Guard has not made any maps of this island, for it could end up in the hands of the enemy. So, can you explain to me why I am holding a map of our camp in my hand right now?" 
He looked down at his hands and swallowed nervously, "I'm sorry. I don't know officer."
"Oh, but I think you do. You see, my friend Iris here ran into some Recruiters in the woods. They tried to capture her and she entranced the hawk into attacking the Recruiters. She entranced the woman Recruiter and you wanna know what she told us. She told us all about the spy that's been leaking information to them for a year. She told us his name too."
His expression turned sour and he started to panic. Then he disappeared. Fenwick was a Photokinetic. He could control light, and because I oversaw his training I knew that he could control the light around himself and turn invisible. I instinctively lunged at empty air and felt my hand brush something, but he slipped away. Then he appeared again, but he was completely still. I looked back at Iris and she was squinting her eyes in concentration, her arms stretched out in front of her. She made him put his hands behind his back and I took the hint. I took one of the pairs of suppressioncuffs from the satchel and bound his hands. Iris relaxed and let go of Fenwick. Two Guards came forward and took control of him. He was struggling to get free and cursing at me.
"I thought you were different. We rescued you from that prison and this is how you repay us. You're a disgrace to the Guard. You're going back where you belong. Prison."

Iris, Calvin and Hunter were born with extraordinary powers. They belong to a group called the Gifted which only makes up about one percent of the population. In a world were the Gifted are forced to fight in a war for the Commoners, Iris, Calvin and Hunter are forced to hide their Gifts in order to escape the War front and hopefully keep their lives. Join them on their thrilling adventures and witness what surprises lie ahead.

Xiao Fang, Xiao Hei, and Li Xiang entered the room the White Jade guild recruiters were in, then Rong Shi closed the door behind them.
Sitting at the table were 2 girls. 1 sat up straight in her chair, while the other was more laid back with her feet on the table.
"Oh, looks like we have a few interesting rookies today," the laid back girl said as she took her feet off the table.
Xiao Fang sat down across from them, then Xiao Hei and Li Xiang did the same.
"My name is-" Li Xiang said before he was interrupted.
"Li Xiang, Fei Lin, and Long Wang, right?"
"Yeah, that's-"
"Of course, I'm right. We always do a background checks on new inner court disciples, so we already know all about you."
'I highly doubt that,' Xiao Fang thought.
It was clear to him what they were trying to do. Unfortunately for them, Xiao Fang was never interest in their guild in the first place, so their behavior only came off as being pompous and arrogant.
Suddenly, the girl that had been sitting up straight took 3 scrolls out of her spatial pouch then tossed it to Xiao Fang, Xiao Hei, and Li Xiang.
They were contract scroll. Each scroll explaining how much they would be paid every month, and the responsibility they would have as guild members.
"Huh? Why are you offering me a higher allowance than Fei Lin?" Li Xiang asked.
"You're the daughter of a Patriarch, Fei Lin's background is unknown," the recruiter explained.
The truth was, the allowance they were offering Xiao Hei was also very high because they knew she was accepted into the sect without having to do the entrance exam. Contrary to what most people believed, only elders with a notable background were capable of doing such a thing.
Xiao Fang couldn't see the text on his scroll, so he didn't bother picking it up. When Li Xiang finally looked at his scroll her brows became knitted.
"This... you can't be serious," Li Xiang said with a hint of anger.
Xiao Fang's contract was almost blank. No allowance, no benefits, plenty of errands, and even more responsibilities. Not only did he have many responsibilities, he was not allowed to join the guild on important guild missions. Only a fool would accept such terms.
"If he joins our guild, the best we can offer him is our guild nameplate and our unique cultivation techniques, but nothing more. He will be an official member of our guild, but he'll be prohibited from participating in our guild activities." 
"I don't understand. He's a Phoenix-Class disciple, so his talents should even surpass mine," Li Xiang argued.
"That might be the case, but there's no hiding the fact that he's a blind body cultivator, and his background is completely unknown. The only reason why our guild is even considering him is because he's a Phoenix Class disciple."
"There has to be a mistake. Can't we negotiate for something better?" Li Xiang tried to say politely.
"Of course. Has he attempted the trial pod test yet? If he can rank within the top 50 the guild will give him a monthly allowance."
Xiao Fang suddenly stood up to leave. He wasn't interested in join the guild in the first place, he just wanted to see how much the guild would offer him.
"Long Wang..." Li Xiang said hesitantly.
Xiao Fang stopped to hear what Li Xiang had to say, but she froze. There was no way she was going to convince him to agree to their terms because they were being too unreasonable, but she hated to see him pass this opportunity.
'Hmph, we so generously give him the opportunity to join our prestigious guild but he actually turned it down. Who does he think he is?' the laid back guild recruiter thought.
For the first time, Xiao Fang spoke, but he wasn't speaking to the recruiters, he was speaking to Xiao Hei and Li Xiang.
"Let's go."
The recruiters gave Xiao Fang a funny look.
The White Jade guild only accepted the best spirit cultivators, and right now, Xiao Hei and Li Xiang were the best just behind Bai Fan. Since they were the youngest disciples to get accepted into the Tiger-Class this year, the monthly allowance they were offered was a much higher than any other guild could offer them. So when Xiao Fang told Xiao Hei and Li Xiang to leave with him, the last thing the guild recruiters expected was for them to really follow him out.
'What!? Are they crazy!?' the recruiters thought.
Before they could leave the recruiters tried to stop them.
"Ah, please wait! Is the contract not to your liking? We can negotiate your allowance. Please sit, let's talk about this."
Li Xiang didn't have any intentions of joining their guild in the first place. She had a responsibility to her own family clan's sect, so she didn't stop walking till she was behind Xiao Fang. Xiao Fang and Xiao Hei on the other hand stopped when they heard the recruiter's voice.
"You want to negotiate?" Xiao Hei asked curiously.
Xiao Hei then looked back at Xiao Fang to see what he would say, but Xiao Fang stayed silent.
"Yes, let's talk about it, please sit."
Xiao Fang sighed.
"You say that I am blind yet you see less than I do," Xiao Fang shook his head disappointedly.
"You!- What did you say?!"
Not once did they ever speak directly to him till now, Xiao Fang wasn't one to reward bad behavior, so even if they gave him an allowance, he still wouldn't join their guild.
He finally turned back around and continued walking away. Xiao Hei saw this and followed him out, leaving the recruiters dumbfounded.
.
.
.
Xiao Fang spoke to the other 2 major guilds, but they outright rejected him. The Jade Flower guild rejected him for being a man, while the Silent Shadow guild rejected him for being blind.
"Long Wang... I'm sorry," Li Xiang said with her head down.
Xiao Fang patted her on the head.
"Don't worry, I didn't have any interest in joining them anyways."
Li Xiang assumed that he was just saying that to make her feel better, but what he said was the truth. When he told Xiao Hei that he wanted to find a guild house to live in, he didn't mean that he wanted to join a guild.
Xiao Fang walked back up to Rong Shi.
"Long Wang, how did it go? Did the Silent Phantom guild accept you into their guild?"
"Nope."
"That..."
"Rong Shi, I would like to start my own guild."


A massive grizzly bear sprinting towards a human at full speed doesn't give the victim any time to escape. Without any traps, large weapons, or any sort of countermeasures, barely gives the victim time to pray and overcome the cycles of impending doom. Which was exactly what a young hunter named Eliza what doing when she realized that the bear she shot multiple times had located her and decided to fight back.
The moment the bear landed on the shore and stared into the forest was the moment Eliza began thinking about her escape. She could run, hoping that somehow the bear decides to give up on her or that the pain from the arrows slows down its movements. At that moment, she decided to run. 
Eliza was sprinting faster than she has ever gone before. She could even feel the wind blowing on her face and the sap of the pine trees mixed with the air stinging her eyes.
She was still young, only turning 20 a season ago. She was accepted into an Archer school when she was 18 and even learned to hunt in similar forests since she was a young girl. However, she had only hunted small game and the occasional boar with her hired instructor. With all of the money her family has paid for archery lessons, she was confident in her accuracy. After all, she was one of the best archers in her class consistently placing in the top three in nearly every competition.
Eliza's life was filled with luxury. Her father inherited his father's estate and all of the wealth that came with it. While growing up in that mansion, she could always find hunters in the nearby forests. She instantly grew a passion for archery as she sometimes saw girls gracefully firing an arrow. They were fast, nimble, and could attack from far away.
She wanted to be an archer, slaying monsters with a beautiful bow. She wanted to be that graceful figure she saw so many years ago. Although many others would want to be some sort of mage or swordsman, she couldn't see herself wielding magic nor a sword. It seemed relatively safe but still came with all of the glory and respect that monster slayers won. She thought that her impeccable accuracy could make her one of the greatest archers in the country of Ashana.
She dreamt every waking night, that her front door would be lined up with noble suitors, rather than the nearby sons of merchants, hoping to get a piece of her family's wealth. In her dream, she would reject all of them as each young man begs her for marriage, hoping to marry one of the most famous archers in the country. She saw herself standing before the massive monster heads mounted on her wall, each with a small hole in its skull, drinking a glass of wine. She wanted fame, attention, and power.
After graduating from Archer school as one of the best in her class, she was confident that she could hunt small monsters by herself, so long as she sticks to the teachings. On the day of her graduation, she happily sprinted off into the nearby forest used by students to hone their skills. She ran a mental checklist, making sure she had all of her gear and remembered all of her lessons. 
She wanted to find a massive horned deer and casually drag it back to the school while taking in all of the jealous glares of her classmates. She wanted attention and praise from her teachers. She hoped that the recruiters sent from various guilds would ask her to join, showering her with praise.
Luckily, she knew of a spot where horned deer gather and feed. She was positive that she could kill it if she were quiet enough. She learned that horned deer were extremely fast and some can sprint faster than what the human eye can track. Their antlers grew out of their head towards their nose acting as a shield or weapon for defending themselves. The antlers were metallic white which reflected light and can be sharp enough to be fashioned as a knife.  The horned deer was really only possible to kill with an arrow from a skilled and strong archer, making it the perfect first prey for young Eliza. However, her solo hunting trip quickly changed its target from horned deer to a massive monstrous beast covered in long brown fur. 
She immediately froze in her tracks and ducked down behind a bush, careful not to make any sudden noise. 
'A...A monster...I've never read of this kind before.' thought Eliza as her heart started racing.
Eliza started daydreaming about her slaying a new monster and the amount of fame and attention that came with it. She nearly started drooling just thinking about it. She imagined people staring at her with awe.
'That girl is absolutely amazing! She took down such a massive monster on her own and on the day of her graduation to top it off!'
'Eliza Hartkin, your potential is inspirational to all of us, and we would love for you to join us in the next expedition as our first archer.'
'Mommy! Look! Look! it's miss Eliza!' 
As Eliza fantasized about all of the possible scenarios if she were to kill the behemoth in front of her, she shook her head and decided to focus on the task at hand.
The monster was standing there on its hind legs staring into the sky and slowly looking around for something. She didn't want to miss this chance so she quietly nocked her steelhead arrow into her beautifully carved wooden longbow. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and pulled back the bowstring. 
'Just like target practice. Just like target practice.' Eliza told herself, desperately trying not to mess up this golden opportunity. 'Whatever this monster is, I'm going to kill it and use it as a stepping stone into finally fulfilling my dream.'
She released her right fingers, clinging to the string, and released the arrow as it launched itself from her bow. It whistled through the air as if it were penetrating the atmosphere with one single purpose in mind.
'This is it. This will be the start of my career.'
She stared at the perfectly shot arrow as it closed in on its target but passed by the monster.
'...Fuck...'
She quickly nocked another arrow, her hands trembling, and fired it again.
'AH! I HIT IT!'
The monster roared so loud that Eliza fell backward on her bottom, her body trembling.
'S-Shit. It barely did anything. Obviously, this monster has some tough skin but we'll see if it can handle some more arrows.' Eliza thought as she tried to regain her previous confidence.
The brown-furred monster ran off into the forest. It was fast, much faster than it looks.
'It must be really hurt and easily scared, its size is probably just for defense. I'll track it down and put it out of its misery.' Eliza smiled, thinking that this was her golden ticket. Unfortunately for the young hunter, her dreams of ambition and endless fame would end that day.

monster recruiters novel

The Recruiters

From Fish to Dragon (Hiatus)

Black Earth & Sky Sect

Endless Journey: Infinite Realms

Warlock Apprentice

The Spider Queen

A Modern Man's Cultivation Story

Cursed with a Gift

Naked Sword Art

Dropped by author

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