Finn observed the walls, the sight outside, as well as the carriage itself. This world had domesticated equines that were relatively easy to control, though they seemed to do badly if beasts appeared.
It was why they were usually limited to the safe zones, or Level 0 at most, unless there were strong guards around to make sure the horses wouldn’t get spooked.
Speaking of which, the driver was not weak; Otherwise, they wouldn’t even take a horse out here.
Finn then looked at the other two examinees in the cart with him. They had solemn expressions on their faces, their weapons out, and ready to fight.
He could only hope that they were ready to fight beasts and not the humans in this carriage.
That said, Finn knew that he needed to familiarize himself with these people. He had to sound out their attitudes, ideally to convince them to become allies, or at least not to start a hostile relationship.
There was no reward in attacking teammates except for those vindictive people who simply wanted fewer people to pass.
He considered offering them jerkies and biscuits (food had a way to bring people together), but when they looked sharply at him at his slightest movement, he had a feeling they’d assume it had poison instead.
Rather than accept his food, they could either attack him or waste the food, either of which Finn did not want to see. In the end, he decided to just talk with them first.
"Hi, my name is Finn," he said, looking at his new companions and/or enemies. "I...use this halberd, but I’d like to believe I’m decent with other blades."
He used his old weapon this time. The growth-type still snug in his inventory.
The two looked at his halberd, a Class D weapon. Class D was not too rare, but it was definitely not cheap, and it usually wasn’t something examinees would have. According to Marcus’ horror stories, it was more likely for the newbie to lose their weapon during one of the exams.
Finn looked at the other two and gauged their reactions. They were curious, partly impressed, and maybe a bit greedy, but so far, there was nothing sinister. At the very least, it didn’t feel like they’d kill him for the weapon, at least a Class D one.
Although it was too early to tell if they could be friends, acquaintances should be safe enough.
Finn let out a handsome smile. "There’s no reward for killing other examinees, so this means that they don’t encourage fighting. Why not become allies instead and help each other out?"
The two didn’t even look at each other, but they were guarded from all angles. They didn’t answer him immediately, either.
It was the man who spoke first. He seemed to be around middle-aged. He had dark skin and curly hair, a short beard, and an overall tired look on his face.
"My name is Remus," he said, and his voice was quite low, and he was tall. If he had a bit more aura, he’d look very imposing and maybe a little handsome. Sadly, he just looked tired. Even his posture was a bit slumped, which was a pity.
"This is my third time taking this test, and the two times before, I was stabbed in the back (one of which was literal) so I’d like to make a forewarning that I will abandon you the moment I feel like my life is threatened."
"Understandable," Finn nodded with a smile. "I’ll prove my trustworthiness in time. We have all day anyway," he said, then turning to look at the woman.
She was also quite tall. Her height caused her to look a bit thinner, making her look like a bamboo tree.
"Marie," was all she said, holding her sword, which she had been holding like a cane, as if ready to strike the moment she felt threatened.
Finn nodded, no longer asking too much because that would make them feel like he was prying into them, and they might close off. He’d take his time. Besides, even if they didn’t become his friends, he didn’t really mind.
He chatted with the driver instead. "Don’t ask me tips or tricks, though. We’re not allowed," the man said before he could even say anything.
"Yah, just chatting," Finn said, not taking offense. "I’m a bit of an extrovert, and I live for chatting."
The driver’s name was Pagol, a Toughened tier 1, and was about the same age as Remus.
"How many usually pass?"
"Not sure. I do know at least a tenth usually die or are heavily injured each time," he said. "Adventurers also watch at the side, too, to rescue when they encounter them and also to prevent cheating."
"..." Which part was the answer to his question?
Anyway, a few hours later, they started to encounter a few monsters. Fortunately, the exam wouldn’t start until they reached the designated distance, so dealing with the beasts was the drivers’ responsibility.
They might be called ’drivers’ for this test, but they were all adventurers of at least the toughened level. This was just a D-class mission for them.
They dealt with the occasional monster with ease, just in time before the equine panicked. The equine in this world was like horses, though bigger, but they could still get spooked by beasts if they got too close.
Richer people could apparently equip them with special blinders or feed them with numbing potions to ensure they wouldn’t be spooked, but either of those weren’t cheap, so the open air carriages they used as examinees wouldn’t have such a luxury.
That said, as they went further and further, they did encounter more and more monsters.
He wouldn’t be surprised if there were examinees who would refuse to get out of the carriage in the end, opting to refuse taking this exam after seeing what they’d go through.
The disadvantage was that they’d have to take the exam from the start next time, unlike those who had quit before the exam started.
Anyway, they arrived at the location some hours later. The drivers determined the distance by looking at the flags tied up on certain trees spaced about twenty to thirty meters apart.
"This should be right..." he mumbled. "Hopefully, no one messed with the flags this month."
"...."
"What?"
"Ah, you see, a few months ago, some mercenaries moved the flags farther away just to mess with our recruitments," he said. "Don’t worry. We drivers have a rough idea of distance after doing this for so long."
Then, the man shrugged. "My sense of direction isn’t the best, though."
"..."
Was he doing this on purpose?