"Let the hunt begin," the announcer’s voice shattered the tense silence among the viewers and participants as the countdown alarm rang through the whole kingdom.

A deafening roar erupted from viewers while the participants were left to grapple with the fact that, the time had finally come.

Banners with the participants’ names fluttered everywhere as spectators, especially those on the outskirts of the Spitting harrows danced with jubilation hoping to motivate their chosen participants.

Zelpher quietly sat next to Helther but both their eyes were fixed on the screen. He had been sent to keep an eye on Atheline in case things went south and he needed saving or got lost in the forest.

While babysitting did annoy him, the fact that it was a free vacation was enough to make him stay for the next three days.

On the screen, the competitors began to move. The wooden heavy gates were pushed open, the loud groans filling the outskirts.

Beyond the gates stood the dark and uninviting Spitting Harrows forest. Even from the screen, everyone could taste the tension in the air.

Some of the participants walked in confidently, others hesitated and a few looked like they were already regretting their decisions.

The hunting competition has always been brutal, it was the place where glory and death existed side by side. Fame could be obtained overnight but so could death. And because of that naturally the participants separated themselves into categories.

The first groups.

The most common type.

Mercenaries, hunters, knights, and nobles formed temporary alliances to increase their chances of survival. Some carried shields and magical equipment equally funded by the nobles that sponsored them. They were a mixture of weapon wielders, manipulators, and scouts especially those that were familiar with the Spitting harrows.

It was at this point that most species intermingled and formed groups that were good enough for the hunt. These balanced teams hunted efficiently allowing them to defeat more monsters and increase points faster while reducing casualties.

One such notable group immediately drew attention.

A team of seven silver-armoured human knights entered in a disciplined formation, their captain was leading from the front while two dark elven manipulators stayed protected at the centre. Their coordination alone made it clear that they had known each other for years and probably trained together during those periods.

"Isn’t that the Iron Fang hunters?"

"They really came. "

"This year really brought every famous hunter group to the competition."

"They’re definitely aiming for the top fifty."

"Maybe even higher."

The crowd murmured to itself.

Another group nearby looked completely different.

Five rough-looking dark elves laughed loudly as they walked into the forest, carrying monster blood-soaked shields drenched from the previous hunts, they seemed to be at home.

Then, there was the lone wolf.

They were considered the most dangerous and arrogant to boot but their reputation stood. Only the best would dare enter the harrows by themselves.

They were considered to be right below the top competitors in terms of power or could rival them.

"Lady Christina is here!" Loud shouts vibrated as the screen switched to a dark elf woman.

Just from the way they called her everyone could already guess her standing in society. She was a dark elven noble, the outspoken female councillor’s daughter.

She was just right below the top competitors, just at the beginning of S class but her fame and beauty knew no bounds around the dark elven kingdom.

She had long dark blue hair, a face that called to attention but a cold personality. She was carrying two crimson daggers with her. She flipped her hair and promptly disappeared into the forest ignoring all attempts to talk.

At the gates javier patted the little dust away from Poller’s uniform.

"Be careful, Captain, I know you can do it."

Poller smiled at his worried face. He took a step back, his eyes shifting to the towering forest. He swallowed lightly.

"Do not worry, I’ll be sure to come out among the top fifty," he said.

He didn’t wait for Javier or his fellow guards’ response, he was gone before they could say anything.

"This year is carrying giants," Javier murmurs, worry flooding his mind.

The next in the group.

The weak and desperate.

These were mainly people who continued the competition, desperate for luck. Some hoped to gain recognition, others needed money while a few simply wanted to survive long enough to say that they had participated.

One boy wearing worn leather armour tightly gripped his rusted spear as he entered the gates beside other competitors. His face was pale yet determination burned through his eyes.

The crowd barely noticed him.

Javier slightly counted the competitors. He saw all the groups. He shook his head when he saw more weak but alone participants trembly enter the forest.

One, two, three.

A scream cut through the voices. He shook his head, looking into the dark forest.

’There are always those who die in the first second’

Competitions like this were cruel. Most weak participants vanished without leaving behind even a name.

Still, every year someone rose from the pool of participants. The uncertainty was what made the event memorable. With the addition of the other species, it just made it better.

The screen shifted. A loud chime echoed throughout all the cities that had the screen installed.

"Displaying current rankings."

The screen divided into two. The left side was blank while the other shifted between the participants in the forest. The black screen flickered slightly then words started to form, the rankings.

"Ladies and gentlemen, three minutes have passed since the start of the hunting competition! You can see on the screen the rankings of the participants’ kills. This is the current status of the participants who have the highest count of the monsters killed," the dark elf announcers on the first half of the screen said.

He had appeared the moment the rankings started to show. The letters on the second screen fully formed as the names started to appear in glowing golden letters.