The Traps of the Unknown Forest
The forest known as #095 was an unknown space. And "unknown" also meant that anything could be lurking within. Even on Earth, where human influence reached everywhere, forests remained cruelly dangerous places. Naturally, the forests of Shareltea—untouched by human hands—were far more perilous. You never knew what might be there. You never knew what might appear. You never knew what might happen. Even the hill behind one's neighborhood couldn't be trusted. That was the forest of Shareltea.
Hunters had to enter those woods as casually as they ate meals. Even if it meant risking their lives, even if they knew what threats awaited, even if they could foresee what future approached. That was why Hunter Academy had to prepare its students for the forest somehow. They needed to show aspiring hunters what kind of place it truly was. The experience might be painful due to their inexperience, but realizing it beforehand was infinitely better than dying.
The situation Kang Sian and his teammates now faced was exactly that.
Kang Sian quickly grabbed Cheon Mari by the hair.
Creak!
Thud!
"Aack!"
The moment her foot stepped on a stone in the path, the ground right in front of them collapsed. Inside the sudden pit were several sharpened wooden stakes.
A trap?!
It was a basic trap—one that would kill you if you fell in. Though the protective barrier would prevent death, without it, things could have gotten rather painful. Cheon Mari, who had nearly fallen in by a single step, carefully backed away.
"Those crazy bastards. Setting traps for students?"
Her reaction showed she hadn't expected this. It made sense—she hadn't discovered the trap even during reconnaissance.
"There must be something here. No way there'd be this many traps otherwise."
Kang Sian pointed between the trees. It looked like an ordinary path, but reality was different. Something faint. Focusing on the ground, he spotted a thin wire stretched across it.
"These damn—"
A trap that would activate if stepped on or cut. Whether the ground would collapse again or arrows would fly was unknown. The only certainty was that traps existed.
Cursing at the underhanded method, they carefully avoided the trap and moved forward. Of course, avoiding the many traps wasn't enough to solve everything.
While walking cautiously, Kang Sian felt something catch on his shoulder.
Whoosh!
A faint sound rang out. He immediately heightened his senses and ducked. With a thunk, something embedded itself into a tree. Turning his head, he saw an arrow stuck in the trunk beside him. Looking the other way, he spotted something pointed protruding from what looked like a squirrel hole.
It was a trap crossbow.
"That squirrel must've lost its home."
More precisely, it had lost one of many homes, but lost was lost. Just as he wondered where the squirrel had gone after being evicted by humans—
"Hmm...?"
The tree hole didn't contain only the crossbow. He approached and pulled out a single sheet of paper from inside. Writing was faintly visible. He unfolded it carefully.
Wow, you actually found this lol lol lol
Your observation skills are acknowledged lol lol lol
Hint: Just keep going straight
A truly unrefined note. He crumpled it and tossed it back into the squirrel hole.
"Keep going straight? What does that mean?"
"What else? It means follow the path and keep moving."
Any lingering doubts vanished. This was definitely the right way.
The group continued navigating the forest while carefully avoiding traps. Several more minutes passed.
They reached a clearing in the woods—a bald patch amid the trees. As expected, brilliant sunlight poured down warmly. The light illuminated old structures instead of trees.
"...It's an observatory."
The Arecibo Observatory. A place that once gazed at the stars, but no longer.
The path ended there. In other words, this was their destination.
"They don't mean we have to search the entire place, right?"
"Of course not. That'd make finishing today impossible."
"But the path stops here, so we should look around anyway."
He nodded. Kang Sian and his teammates examined the observatory. They circled the broken dome, checked the abandoned offices, and searched the storage areas. Before long, their attention was drawn to a particular steel tower.
"That tower..."
"It looks relatively recently built compared to the observatory, doesn't it?"
"Yeah, I didn't notice from afar, but looking again, it seems that way."
A single steel tower erected near the observatory. It was tall, and showed no signs of rust. Its gleaming surface seemed suspicious, so they headed straight for it.
As they approached, voices became audible. Certainty grew. Then they encountered an unusual sight.
"No, seriously, why can't we go in?!"
"Because you have not met the conditions, entry is impossible."
"Then what the hell are the conditions?"
"I cannot disclose that."
"Damn it! How are we supposed to bring what we need if you won't tell us the conditions?!"
"Regulations prohibit it."
"Seriously, ugh..."
Beneath the solid steel tower, one team was arguing with the guards.
"If you continue this behavior, we will disqualify you for regulation violations."
"No! You people... seriously..."
Faced with an unsatisfying reality, the team members let out repeated sighs of frustration. Meanwhile, the guards stood firm before the iron door. Opening it would likely allow access to the top of the tower. It seemed odd for a simple "authorized personnel only" restriction. From the conversation, it sounded like students could enter under the right circumstances.
Except they require something for entry...
There was something. Something important enough that they were blocking access to the tower like this. What it was, they would find out starting now.
Kang Sian walked toward them with confident steps.
"Excuse me, what is this place?"
The others' gazes turned to Kang Sian. The guards' stares were particularly intense. He glanced casually at the door behind them. It seemed they required something.
"I cannot disclose that."
"What exactly must we accomplish to enter the tower?"
"That also cannot be disclosed."
"Hmm. Will you tell us once we've met the conditions?"
"The same applies."
"Then what if I brought a key card?"
"In that case, it would not matter."
Silence followed for a few seconds. The guards belatedly realized their mistake.
"So a key card is required."
"......"
The door behind them was digital. It wasn't opened by a physical key—only by fingerprint or key card. Since obtaining someone's finger wasn't realistic, the only option left was a key card.
Therefore, Kang Sian pulled an item from his pocket.
"...!"
"...?!"
He waved the card they had been thinking of. The guards' surprise showed on their faces.
"This is it, right?"
"...It is."
"I thought it was strange they gave this to us for no reason."
Nothing was meaningless. Especially not during an important exam.
Who knew the card we received during the test would be a key card?
He held out the observatory's key card—the reward card. Just as one of the guards reached for it, the leader of another team who had been watching from the side approached. The person stared directly at Kang Sian's face. The brazen gaze made Kang Sian pause mid-motion.
"Hey, where'd you get that?"
Just one sentence, yet it carried many implications. Suppressing the urge to tell him to speak more politely, Kang Sian turned to look. A blond, tanned delinquent came into view. Even someone who dismissed physiognomy as superstition would nod at that face.
"Can you hand that card over to me? I'll buy it."
"Ah, yes..."
It wasn't agreement. It was simply a short "I see. So what?" The blond tanned delinquent lacked the ability to understand such compressed speech. Interpreting Kang Sian's trailing words as hesitation, he continued.
"You know the Cancon Guild? I'm the guild master's son. If you hand it over, I'll talk to my parents and—"
"I'm not selling."
He cut him off firmly and handed the card to the guard. The guard swiped it and opened the door. Seeing this, the other team's members tried to approach the door but were stopped.
"Only teams that have obtained an entry card may enter."
"What...?"
"You're telling us to go back the way we came?"
"Ah, no, if that's the case, you should've said so honestly from the start!"
Faced with the belated truth, the other team's members jumped in frustration. The guards didn't even blink. Naturally, the blond tanned delinquent's mood grew anxious as well. He grabbed Kang Sian as he tried to enter the door.
"That card. Can you at least tell me where you got it? I don't need anything else, just where you got it. I'll definitely repay you. Okay?"
"......"
"A thousand dollars? Two thousand? Three thousand? You can be honest. I'll beg my parents and pay somehow."
"......"
"Opportunities like this aren't common for commoners like you. No, I'm giving you this chance because it's me. I'll definitely give you the money, so just tell me the location."
"......"
"Huh? Just tell me the location. Getting paid to share information isn't that hard, is it?"
"Ha..."
Desperation showed in his words and actions. He was unpleasant, but not to the point of being irredeemable. Kang Sian figured he was just a bothersome guy anyway and considered brushing him off with an answer. But the way he spoke still rubbed him the wrong way. Honestly, that vaguely mocking expression was also unappealing. It felt like dealing with a spoiled rich kid—dislike incarnate.
Just as his simmering anger was about to spill over into refusal, someone stepped in front of Kang Sian before he could speak.
"What the hell is this bitch—huh?"
"Let's stop here, okay?"
Cheon Mari had stepped forward. She looked at the blond tanned delinquent with clear displeasure.