Rest stop | You know? In some exam halls, you can even find traces of past examinees.

"Even this fucking place has reforms?" Yu Wen looked especially green around the gills.

He had suffered through reforms for all three years of high school. Wherever the winds of reform blew, their review plans changed to match. One day it was three plus two; the next, the two were graded on a scale instead.

He had never imagined that even after surviving the college entrance exam, he still couldn't escape reforms.

While everyone's faces were looking grim, Qin Jiu tipped the box again and took out the last card. "I almost missed this one. You should really like it."

> Guaranteed admission (one person)

The cabin fell silent for a moment, then abruptly erupted in a buzz of discussion.

"This guaranteed admission... does it mean what I think it means?" Zhou Jin asked.

Because of his illness, he couldn't get too worked up, making him the only one among the bystander examinees who could ask calmly, "Does it mean... no more exams?"

Before Qin Jiu could speak, 922 cut in. He seemed particularly fond of moments like this, when he got to introduce the Guaranteed Admission Card.

"It looks a little like the Exam Exemption Card. But that card exempts you from one subject, and your score for it is calculated based on your average exam score. It's a very safe card, a perfectly ordinary reward."

922 said, "The Guaranteed Admission Card is different. It's a real trump card, one per deck. Drawing it means you pass all the exams outright. You can eat and drink your fill, get some sleep..."

"And when you open your eyes, you'll be home."

Home?

At that word, almost every examinee in the room froze.

In the past twelve hours, that was the one thing they had been least willing to think about. They had to rely on their companions and luck just to stay alive. Who would dare hope to go home?

But now, the Guaranteed Admission Card had stirred up everyone's desire to go home.

Old Yu mustered his courage and asked, "Without this card, how long would it take us to get back?"

922 thought for a moment. "Going by the current examination system, you can go back once you've completed the required subjects and met the score requirement."

Old Yu wanted to say more, but Qin Jiu had already gathered the Guaranteed Admission Card together with the others. He shuffled them twice like a deck of playing cards, then fanned them out face down and said to You Huo, "Come on. Two chances, so hurry up."

But You Huo didn't move. He turned to the others and said, "Who's lucky? Come draw."

As soon as he spoke, the radio crackled:

[Warning: Examinees may not transfer their right to draw.]

You Huo: "..."

"The system issued the warning. Why are you glaring at me?" Qin Jiu lifted his chin and said lazily, "Don't throw your looks around. Draw."

Fuck you and my looks.

You Huo's face was ice-cold. He stared at Qin Jiu for several seconds, then yanked out a card.

The others, who weren't drawing, were extremely nervous. They held their breath and stared at the face of the card.

You Huo turned it over:

> Top of the class. Commendation awarded.

Note: This is recognition of the examinee's abilities. Please keep up the good work.

You Huo: "..."

He had drawn exactly what he didn't want. Fucking luck.

The radio chose that moment to beep:

[One draw used.]

Qin Jiu pressed his tongue against his cheek, the corner of his mouth lifting. "Not bad. One more."

You Huo gave up on caring and yanked out another card.

Yu Wen, watching from the side, pressed his palms together, apparently trying to summon some kind of power. It might have had a little effect, though. At least this time it wasn't an encouragement card.

You Huo turned the card over:

> Invigilator's Help

Note: Your outstanding performance has earned you an invigilator's favor. You are entitled to make one additional request of an invigilator during an exam, and the invigilator is obliged to grant it. Valid until the end of the next exam.

"..."

You Huo felt that every word on the card was mocking him.

Fortunately, he quickly regained his composure and asked Qin Jiu, "Are the invigilators the same for every exam?"

"Of course not," Qin Jiu said. "The invigilators are randomly refreshed whenever a new subject starts."

The radio crackled again:

[Two draws used in total. The draw is over. Congratulations.]

As soon as it finished speaking, the answer wall, quiet for some time, creaked and began displaying new text:

Punishment: A guest sat in the cursed seat. He escaped death and will become the new Hunter A.

When the second half appeared, everyone looked at the words, yet somehow failed to understand what they meant.

Or rather... they didn't dare understand.

"What does it mean, 'become the new Hunter A'?" someone murmured.

A piercing scream suddenly rang through the room.

Everyone stiffly turned their heads.

The bald man in seat twelve had finally sat upright. His eyes were wide as he stared at his hands in horror.

Their original color was rapidly fading, turning a ghastly pale tinged with bluish gray.

His lips turned bright red and, set against his deathly pale skin, split apart at both corners in a way no ordinary person's could. Strange spots also appeared on his temples and fingers.

The bald man looked up blankly. He stood there dazed for quite a while, then suddenly rose stiffly to his feet, his neck twisting.

His appearance and movements grew more and more like those of the dead Hunter A. Only his expression still retained a trace of his original terror.

"No, no, no, this can't happen... You can't leave! Stay with me. Stay with me, all right?"

He muttered a couple of words, then suddenly lunged at the others.

Whoosh-

Wind and snow came surging from nowhere, howling past and blasting them in the face so hard they couldn't open their eyes.

They instinctively shielded their faces with their elbows. When they opened their eyes again, the cabin was gone, and the bald man who had become Hunter A was nowhere to be seen. Even the three invigilators had disappeared.

They stood amid the swirling snow, facing a pine forest where a path down the mountain was faintly visible.

Volume 2: Guess who I am

Chapter 13: Rest stop | You know? In some exam halls, you can even find traces of past examinees.

The path down the mountain was long, and everyone walked in unusual silence.

Half of it was because they had been frightened by the bald man turning into Hunter A, and half because they were freezing.