My Werewolf System
chapter-655

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My apologies for the mistake. Here's the edited version with the same paragraph spacing:

With focused determination, they readied themselves by donning the necessary equipment. Simultaneously, their eyes remained fixed on the captive beast, scouring for any subtle indications of potential weak points. While many among them had confronted Altered in the past, there was an undeniable disparity when it came to facing this new type of creature that had been presumed extinct mere minutes earlier. A distinct air of uncertainty hung in the atmosphere, underscoring the gravity of the situation and reflecting in their collective gaze.

For those that lacked decent equipment, they were handed out basic Anti-Altered equipment of their choosing. One of the four-star hunters approached Innu, who had refused since he had his pair of red axes. The moment he took them out of the bag, they caught the attention of many Hunters, even those around Edvard.

The weapons stood out conspicuously, defying the notion of being basic in any way, leaving everyone pondering the significant cost one would incur to possess such extraordinary armaments. Even more astonishing was the realization that these formidable weapons were in the possession of a no-star Hunter, shattering any preconceived notions of the correlation between rank and equipment prowess.

‘Alright, I feel a lot more comfortable now that I’m holding these two.’ Innu smiled, which was something he thought he would have never said. In the past, he had relied on nothing but his own body, but the ability to draw out energy from his axes was something he didn’t want to miss during this assessment. As he observed his surroundings, Innu tuned in to the conversations of his fellow Hunters. There was still some time left before they were required to descend, allowing for further discussion and preparation.

“So, what do you think the best way to handle this is?” one of the Hunters asked his peer.

“None of us have any idea how to deal with them, so I suggest we treat this as if we were hunting Altered and group up. There is nothing in the rules that prevents us from doing so, and it should make it safer for all of us.”

Most of the Hunters seemed to agree with this approach and in a matter of seconds small groups started to band together, the strong three-star Hunters grouped up in pairs of two or three, whereas the weaker Hunters created groups of five and more.

Unsurprisingly, there were also some that decided to stay on their own. Among them was Rad, the student who once again gave Innu a conceited look when he noticed the teenager looking at him.

‘I bet you’re just on your own because nobody wants to work with a stuck up guy like you,’ Innu thought to himself.

Innu's gaze shifted towards Blake, considering the possibility of collaborating with him, but it quickly became apparent that the young Altered Hunter was immersed in his own preparations. It dawned on Innu that Blake was determined to seize this moment and shine independently, not desiring to share the spotlight with anyone else, and he respected that about him.

Without exchanging words, they silently conveyed their well-wishes, acknowledging each other's presence but understanding that they would not be joining forces. Each intended to face the challenges ahead on their own terms, driven by a desire to prove their mettle and show off that they deserved to be here.

“There is one problem,” one of the Hunters suddenly realised. “They said as soon as someone takes out five beasts, that they are to head back immediately without helping anyone else. So if we’re in a large group, no matter what, we’ll eventually have to take out of one of them by ourselves.”

"Alright," Edvard clapped his hands to signal that time was up. "The assessment will now begin."

Lifting the top of the cage, the fierce beast rushed out toward them all. It was an unexpected act, and they had never dealt with something so aggressive before. The beast immediately jumped up and landed on one of the Hunters. Its heavy weight and strength pushed down its target and it used its sharp teeth to bite into the poor man’s forearm, making him drop his weapon.

"Help, someone, help me!" the Hunter cried for help.

One of his teammates charged in, but with a swing of the beast’s claw, the charging Hunter was hit in the stomach and went flying away. Seeing this made the others Hunters realise that the beast was stronger than they had anticipated.

In the first place, most of the time when the Hunters fought against Altered, it was through surprise attacks and in groups. This was different from the way they were used to fighting. At the moment, no one wanted to approach the beast, and it looked like one of the four-star Hunters would have to step in.

"Ahhh, help!" the trapped Hunter screamed as the beast’s teeth went through the armour and hit flesh. The struggling then stopped, blood covering the student's face, and looking at the beast, it was still as if a sharp sword had been lodged right through its neck. Pulling the sword out, then kicking the beast away, the body lay on the side, revealing Blake stood there with a bloody black sword.

‘He managed to cut through the beast's hide relatively easily. I don't think it was the weapon. As I expected, he has full control over his strength. I knew he was special,’ Edvard inwardly smiled.

When all the other Hunters were frozen in fear, only one of them acted when it really mattered, and that was Blake. Some, seeing this, were jealous. After seeing how easily the beast was defeated, they thought they could have come in and done the same thing.

Looking at the beast, though, Blake soon noticed something, and another person was walking toward it.

‘What is that doing there?’ Blake wondered.

The student came over and pulled out the red axe from the side of the head, and smiled while an announcement was made.

"The first point for this assessment goes towards our Apprentice Hunter," Fang announced, pointing at Innu.

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