Chapter 147: Examination Again

"Xing Cai!"

Guang Yan has been waiting for Xing Cai in front of the Explorer's Federation building. They always meet here whenever they are not exploring dungeons.

She wasn't expecting her to come, since she already found what she was looking for all these years. Guang Yan thought that Xing Cai might not even go to dungeons anymore, seeing Viel was already here.

But here she was, along with Viel and… Sofia, was it?

"Hello there", Guang Yan waved her hand towards Viel, who also waved back with a slight smile on his face.

She then turned her attention towards Sofia and bowed, "I believe we have not been properly introduced, my name is Guang Yan. I am a friend of Xing Cai's", she said with a smile on her face.

"Sofia", was the only thing Sofia said as she nodded her head. Guang Yan's smile could not help but twitch, how was her introduction so different when she introduced herself to Xing Cai.

"My name is Viel!", Viel intruded.

"I- I know", Guang Yan chuckled. The first time she met Xing Cai, Viel was mostly the only topic she talked about.

"I will let the three of you get acquainted, I am going to see if there's still a slot for registration", Xing Cai said.

"Oh, the two of you are here to register as Explorers?", Guang Yan raised her eyebrows.

"Yes! Sounds like the examination will be fun", Viel groaned as he stretched.

"F-fun?", Guang Yan awkwardly chuckled. This is probably the first time she met someone who takes examinations for fun.

"Excuse me, serf", Sofia said as she approached Guang Yan, "Are the tests and registration really necessary? Can't we just enter the dungeons directly?"

S-serf? It was a good thing that Sofia was a Drifter, if not, she might have already picked a fight with her. They have different cultural norms, Guang Yan thought as she tried to calm herself down.

She then cleared her throat, "Only those who are registered can enter registered dungeons".

"Sounds complicated and unnecessary", Sofia thought as she placed her hand on her chin.

Well, at least they have something they agreed on. "It is", Guang Yan sighed, "But during the first year of the dungeons' appearance, people just entered them. Whether by curiosity or greed. And the outcome was always the same"

"Which is?"

"They either get killed or bring in tons of locals native to the dungeon here, to our world", Guang Yan then looked at Sofia, "Which we call Drifters"

"Hm, your world is more complicated than mine", Sofia furrowed her eyebrows, but there was a hint of passion coming out from it. A world connected to hundreds of other worlds, perfectly splendid, she thought.

"Anyway…", Guang Yan continued with a chuckle, "It's just some laws set up by the Empire so they can pretend they are still in control"

"It's as good a move as any", Sofia shrugged her shoulders, "My father would have probably done things differently, though"

"Your father?"

Right, she overheard yesterday when Sofia introduced herself that she was a princess. Quite a choice to make to follow Viel into their world.

A Princess following her betrothed to another world, abandoning all her luxuries and her friends... how romantic. Guang Yan's eyes started to moist as she touched Sofia's shoulder.

Sofia was weirded out by Guang Yan's sudden… touching, but she didn't really think much of it, just putting it up as a cultural difference.

"So, what is the test going to be!?", Viel suddenly asked Guang Yan, "Do we get to fight someone!?"

"Hmm… There should be a group battle at the end. Other than that, people said the rest of the tests were almost the same as the entrance examination in Taizhou academy, it should be familiar to you, since you went there, right?"

"Ehh… Sounds boring", Viel's excited expression slightly dwindled as he went back to looking around.

"W-well, it might have changed since I last took it. This fancy building wasn't here when I became an Explorer"

Guang Yan awkwardly chuckled as she saw Viel releasing huge bouts of sighs of disappointment. She then noticed that Sofia was staring at her, no, more specifically, the bow on her back.

"Are you curious about this?", Guang Yan took the book from her back, "You can look at it if you want"

"May I?", Sofia said as she gently grabbed the bow, "Thank you", she said as she began examining the bow.

"That's a reward from the dungeon"

"How does it work?", Sofia tried to draw the bow, but nothing was coming out of it. She remembered it didn't need any arrows when Guang Yan fired it.

"Oh, you insert your Qi into it"

"Qi?", Sofia furrowed her eyebrows.

"Uhmm… I don't know what it's called in your world… power?", Guang Yan scratched her head.

"It should be similar to mana!"

Viel jogged towards Sofia with an excited smile on his face, "Do it! Insert some mana into it!"

"Just pull and insert mana? How much?", Sofia raised her eyebrows.

"As much as you can without getting tired", Guang Yan said.

"Hmm...", Sofia placed her hand on the strings of the bow once again, but before she can pull it and insert some mana into it,

"Let's go inside",

Xing Cai called for them from the inside of the building.

"I have already registered the two of you for the exams", Xing Cai said as the three entered inside the building, "You just need to wait here for your names to be called"

"Eehh, where will you be?", Viel asked.

"You do not have to worry about anything, we will be watching you on the side", Xing Cai patted Viel's hair, "They will take you to a huge hall, we will be watching from above, quite similar to when you took the exams for Taizhou Academy if you still remember"

"Hmm… Okay", Viel nodded.

"Don't hold anything back", Xing Cai said, "I want to see how you have grown all these years"

"Ehh… That would be impossible, sister", Viel shook his as he released a wry sigh, "If I do that…

...I might kill everyone here"

"!!!"

Guang Yan, who has been smiling from the sweet exchange of the two siblings, almost choked to death when she heard Viel's words. She then looked around her, it would seem the other examinees heard what Viel said as they all stared at him with a frown on their faces.

Xing Cai could not help but sigh. It would seem that some things don't change. Viel was still as insensitive as a rock.

"Do your best as well", Xing Cai said as she looked at Sofia.

"G-good luck, both of you!", Guang Yan awkwardly raised both her thumbs as she and Xing Cai walked away.

***

"Tch"

One of the examinees could not help but click his tongue as he heard what the western-looking kid said.

Kill all of them? Who does he think he is? The examinee thought as he furrowed his eyebrows.

His name was Guanbei, and his story was similar to most of the people here who were not cultivators. He came from a far-away village which was destroyed by the sudden appearance of the creatures that came from the dungeons.

Their village set out most of their men, including him, to venture inside the portal.

They cleared the dungeon. But he was the only survivor. After that, he was bestowed with the power of the dungeon.

He became obsessed with clearing the dungeons, going inside, again and again, trying to enter them as much as he could.

But when the Empire started claiming the dungeons. The dungeons that he could go inside became limited.

He did not want to be registered, as he thought it would just hinder his advancement. Normal cultivators no longer became a match for him, but when he tried to enter a registered dungeon by force.

He tasted first hand how strong the cultivators of the higher stages are. And so, here he was, taking the test.

Fate…

Fate brought him here.

But seeing a western kid who looks like he hasn't even entered a dungeon yet to be so arrogant, he could not help but feel offended.

Guanbei then approached the western-looking kind, his steps domineering.

"Brat", he said in a cold tone, "Just because you came here with a famous explorer, don't think the dungeons will be easy. They will eat you alive. I will make sure to wipe that arrogant smile on your face during the tests later-"

"You think the tests will be fun?"

"I think it's a hassle, but even so, we are already here, I will try to ace it"

"Eehh… but don't you want to hide your strength?"

"I do not see the sense in hiding what I have. Mediocrity was not allowed in my family. If you do something, be the best in it!"

"Hmm… Okay, I will do the same!"

"Please don't. You might really end up killing all of us"

Guangbei could not help but twitch his eyes as the two completely ignored him.

"J-just you wait!", he once again shouted even though he was being ignored,

"I will show you your place!"