"Three minutes from now, a professional sorcerer will open the portal to the Nightmare Wastes."
"All participants, please get ready!"
"And as for the audience, please remain in the viewing area. We will be using advanced recording stones to broadcast the event live!"
As Jason's voice echoed through the air, two sorcerers ascended onto the stage.
These two sorcerers were senior figures who had been collaborating with the government—remarkably powerful individuals.
They began casting spells, their actions so intricate that no one could follow exactly what they were doing. On the stage, two massive spatial portals appeared.
One portal was for the various associations, while the other was designated for the individual Hunters.
"Associations, please proceed to the left. Individual Hunters, enter through the right." One of the sorcerers turned and instructed.
"The locations where the associations and individual Hunters will be teleported to differ slightly. The distance is approximately three kilometers."
This was mainly due to the different courses, as individual Hunters could not compete directly with associations. Hence, their starting points were different.
Once the explanation was complete, the sorcerers stepped aside, and the two groups of Hunters began lining up to enter the portals!
Beside Ed, Thomas spoke again: "Hey, buddy, it's starting!"
"My heart's racing, my hands are shaking. You need to remember, once we go through, stick close to me, alright?"
His face was full of concern, as though he worried that Ed, being a young rookie, might face danger once they entered.
Ed nodded: "Got it, thanks."
Aside from Ed, Thomas didn't forget to gather a few more people. He made arrangements with several individual Hunters nearby to walk together, clearly satisfied once everything was set.
Finally, Thomas and Ed stepped into the portal.
Ed saw the portal as a mesmerizing magical vortex. As they got closer, he could feel the magical energy radiating from it.
Once they entered, a sensation of spinning and disorientation overwhelmed him. In the next instant, he felt himself being rapidly transported to a completely different place!
Meanwhile, as the Hunters were teleported to the competition arena, the massive black curtain on the stage was slowly pulled open.
Several special recording stones rose into the air, aimed at the black curtain.
"Click!"
All the recording stones lit up, and the black curtain immediately displayed a scene—a desolate and eerie wasteland!
The Nightmare Wastes!
At the entrance to this dark and ruinous landscape, there were two portals!
At that moment, figures began to emerge from the portals—it was the very same Hunters who had just been on stage!
"Woo! What powerful teleportation magic! This is the true power of sorcerers!"
"If I'm not mistaken, the Nightmare Wastes is at least fifty kilometers away from here, and yet they got here in the blink of an eye!"
The audience couldn't contain their excitement, their eyes wide with anticipation as the atmosphere grew electric!
The competition had finally begun!
Meanwhile, on the other side…
In the Nightmare Wastes, Ed had already arrived.
His first action was to quickly survey his surroundings, activating his Hunter's senses to their fullest.
"The atmosphere is incredibly eerie, bloody, and the air in the jungle is filled with a mix of various scents. There are a lot of monsters around!"
Ed furrowed his brows, already getting a sense that this competition was going to be quite challenging.
Standing beside him were Thomas and a few other individual Hunters.
"Alright, the ones I arranged to come with me, follow up!" Thomas called out loudly.
A few young-looking individuals walked over, and in the end, a five-person team was formed, including Ed and Thomas.
Ed was the youngest, followed by Thomas. The other three, though young, appeared to be over 25 years old.
"Hey, let's introduce ourselves. I'm Thomas, as you can see by my cloak, I'm a First-Level Apprentice. This little guy next to me is Ed. What about you guys?"
A man who looked a bit simple-minded replied, "David."
The other two, both with buzz cuts and looking very similar, spoke one after the other: "I'm Alex Moreno, Second-Level Apprentice."
"I'm Lucas Moreno, First-Level Apprentice. Alex is my brother!" the other one said.
Thomas nodded. "Alright, since I initiated this team, let me temporarily take the role of the team leader..."
Before Thomas could finish his sentence, Alex suddenly interrupted him.
"Hey, why should you be the leader? The rule should be whoever's got the bigger fist calls the shots."
Alex made a point of showing off his Second-Level Apprentice cloak, clearly proud of it.
His appearance was intimidating, with several scars on his face and head, and his gaze suggested someone who had been through many fights.
Thomas cleared his throat. "Ahem, well, because I have more experience looting bodies. I know how to find valuable corpses and avoid danger."
Alex interrupted again, his tone sharp. "You think I can't do that?"
"Also, the most important thing—why are you bringing such a young rookie? Isn't he just going to hold us back?" Alex pointed at Ed, clearly unhappy.
Ed appeared too young, which in the Hunter world usually meant he wasn't strong enough.
"This is indeed a newcomer, but I want to bring him along. Isn't it all about helping each other out as Hunters?" Thomas's expression turned grim, but he still tried to argue.
At this point, Lucas stepped in to support his brother, laughing mischievously. "Enough, Thomas. We don't want to make things hard for you since you'll be teammates later."
"How about this: You let my brother take the lead, and we'll allow you to bring the rookie along!"
Hearing this, Thomas sighed and reluctantly agreed. "Alright then."
The two brothers were satisfied, but the next moment, they suddenly felt a cold chill creeping up behind them.
They turned around and saw Ed staring coldly at them.
"It seems that individual Hunters are all of mixed quality. No, I should say, this rule of whoever has the bigger fist calls the shots is the real norm," Ed muttered to himself.
He muttered to himself, no longer having any goodwill towards the two brothers.
He hadn't expected Thomas to just give up the position of team leader. He wasn't sure if it was to help him or because he was intimidated by Alex and Lucas.
But either way, Ed had murderous thoughts.
If it weren't for the fact that the competition was about to start and there was no time to deal with them now, he would have taught these two brothers a lesson.
"You brat, what are you staring at us for?!" Alex felt a chill run down his spine.
He couldn't understand why someone who looked so young and inexperienced like Ed could exude such terrifying killing intent!
"I just want you to remember, I don't like being pointed at."
Ed said coldly.
Both Alex and Lucas, who had intended to scold this younger Hunter, were stunned.
After Ed spoke, the killing intent radiating from him made both of them feel an icy coldness all over their bodies. Neither of them could say a word!
Just as the two sides were about to clash, a voice suddenly rang out from nearby.
"Attention all Hunters, I am the head of the arena, Tim! The competition will begin in one minute!"
Everyone's attention was immediately drawn to the source of the voice, where they saw a burly man with a rugged appearance.
Around him, there were many soldiers clad in armor, forming a large group. They had completely sealed off the perimeter of the Nightmare Wastes.
This area had long been under military lockdown, but it was only opened recently due to the competition.
The head of the arena, Tim, continued speaking: "There are many recording stones scattered throughout the Nightmare Wastes, but there are also areas where they haven't been set up."
"So, in order to prove how many monsters you've killed, please cut off their ears after each kill! At the end of the competition, bring all your spoils back here!"
The participants absorbed the rules and mentally took note of them.
Then, Tim added: "That's all I have to say. I'll just remind you of one last thing."
"In this competition, the organizers will not be responsible for any injuries or deaths caused by the monsters. This disclaimer was effective as soon as you signed up."
"Please cherish your lives. Now, the competition begins!"
With that command, individual Hunters around Ed began to move, some heading deep into the Nightmare Wastes alone, others forming groups as they ventured onward.
As for Ed's team, which was still in disarray, they temporarily put aside their internal conflicts.
"Time is money. As the leader, you all need to stick with me. Let's go," Alex said coldly, then led the group forward into the wasteland.