Pressing open the heavy wooden door with all his strength, what lay beyond shocked Aaron to his very core.
Anyone participating in the Hunters' Exam knew that anyone without a criminal record could apply; however, the sheer number of individuals standing in wait overwhelmed the boy.
It was the single largest gathering of people he had witnessed with his current memory, numbering close to a thousand people crowded together in a massive auditorium.
For this was an annual event for the world, a time of year where the next generation of Hunters would be born and take to the seas.
Some were burly men whose muscles flexed and bulged through their thin shirts; others were tiny women who looked more like children than the actual children did.
Soldiers, craftsmen, blacksmiths, and hundreds of other professions made up the group as they competed for a chance at the real reward of the exam.
While the top five of each sea group would be selected for the final selection process in a separate sea, whoever was ranked first in the global ranking would receive the formal endorsement of any Marshal of their choosing.
It was a prize that nobody could refuse, for the most sought-after achievement was the recognition of the world as the strongest.
Aaron himself had been dissuaded by the brown-haired Marshal from aiming for such prestige in case it brought unnecessary attention and popularity.
Of course, the incident in the casino struck the nail in the coffin for the attention; however, with his identity still hidden, it was best to remain incognito.
Instead of number one, she had urged him to attempt for the top five, for if they succeeded in the final selection, they would receive an artifact from the Nautilus Vault and an immediate promotion.
The blond boy had agreed with her assessment even without any knowledge of what the vault entailed, with the tangled mess of memories inside his head distorting his thoughts.
So as he stepped into the auditorium, overwhelmed and a little embarrassed, he stood firm, facing the balcony that overlooked the challengers.
Clack… clack… clack…
The sound of heavy footsteps resounded through the chamber as all eyes turned upward, towards the place where a new outline had appeared.
Camilla Buckley, the so-called Queen of the Ancients, stood above the crowd, gazing aimlessly until spotting Aaron in the back.
Not a glimmer of recognition flashed across her face, but inside, the boy could feel her wishing him luck for what was about to come next.
The crowd itself devolved into murmurs of unease and awe at the appearance of such a figure; however, with an explosion of noise, they were silenced.
"Welcome to all challengers who have decided to participate in the special examination held annually."
Her voice boomed out at such volume that some of the audience slammed their hands over their ears, protecting their hearing at all costs.
Aaron, who was quite experienced in extreme, ear-shattering noises, simply straightened his posture, glaring confidently at the woman above.
Around him, only three others remained steady, with each of their appearances being burned into the blond-haired boy's mind.
The first was a boy, or maybe a man, who had flowing white hair that drooped down past his shoulders.
His eyes were a heavenly gold, similar to that of the wretched casino owner, Stein's, yet his clothing was more refined, oozing nobility.
Further away from him, there was a girl with cherry pink hair whose blue eyes danced like flowers in the wind.
Her stature was incredible, with her height possibly even matching the blond boy who stared at her calmly.
To Aaron, something tugged at the back of his mind, urging him to look closer; however, he shrugged off the thought as simply paranoia.
As he continued to stare, the girl noticed his gaze, tilting her head with a confused smirk before winking and turning back to the Marshal above.
Finally, the last one who showed the most struggle out of the standers was a familiar face through the crowd of strangers.
Ezra Flock, descendant of Javier Flock and Aaron's only non-comatose friend, a boy the same age as himself.
His eyes were locked firmly on Cam, whose face had contracted into a scowl of disappointment at the quality of the recruits this year.
She paused for a moment before sighing deeply and continuing with the spiel she was almost certainly being forced to read.
"Due to unforeseen circumstances, your former proctor, Elizabeth Squall, will be stepping down from her position this year. Instead, I shall take her place."
There was a pause as she adjusted her volume, allowing most of the challengers to regain their stance, with some even deciding to walk away immediately.
To Aaron, it was disappointing; however, he knew why they would do such a thing.
Rumors must've spread about Cam's appearance here, so they came to see if it was true… Now that she has harmed them in some way, they want to leave…
In a rough count, he could only guess that around one hundred or so of the nearly thousand were left, leaving the room slightly more spacious.
As expected, none of the ones who stayed firm throughout her initial address even glanced towards the exit, instead focusing on the woman who continued to speak.
"For those who have made the honorable choice to join us today. I thank you for coming, and you're courage is… Heartwarming…"
The obvious sarcasm in her voice resulted in murmurs of annoyed challengers breaking out; however, her words quickly silenced them.
"I will cut to the chase as I do not expect most of you to even come close to completing the first task."
Another clutter of angry whispers and even a shout rang through the audience, criticizing her for her doubt in them.
For not even a moment did she regret her words; instead, she straightened her posture and further announced the event.
"As per the theme given to us by Guild President Alex Lispentine, the first test of the exam will be the extermination of sea terrors within the waters of the Dream-Mystery Oceanic Edge."
The finality in her statement brought silence throughout the room as the absurdity of the challenge settled onto the regular men and women who had competed for the glory.
It was a near-impossible task for a normal civilian to even think of surviving an encounter with a sea terror in the safest parts of the sea, much less defeating one on an Oceanic Edge.
They were places where the laws of nature were defied and the truth of the depths was first understood by scientists.
The borders between the seas themselves.
Aaron had never seen such a sight in his lifetime, for the only time he had ever crossed such a gap, it was under the barrage of a storm so fierce he couldn't even see the sea below.
The thought of his travel across the Sea of Chains with Eleanor stirred a pang of nostalgia in his heart as he awaited further details.
"Anyone with a letter of recommendation will be given a mission of increased difficulty, with the fullest extent of their limits being forced onto display. The ultimate test of determination and skill that could guarantee you the top spot among thousands."
Cam's speech had returned to the carefully curated notecards that lay sprawled across the stand ahead of her.
Her eyes were glazed over, yet she continued to read with an emphasis on the next line specifically.
"Three formal recommendation letters have been issued, and the recipients have already been notified at registration. These individuals stand before us now with open hearts full of confidence and belief…"
She paused, turning her eyes away from her cards suddenly.
"These thoughts are wrong. You are not special. You are nothing in the face of this system, and you will be treated as such. The only benefit you shall receive is more pain, more suffering, and almost certainly the expectation of death."
It was such a startling comment that many of the challengers stepped backwards in surprise, covering their mouths with a gasp.
The white-haired boy and cherry-haired girl both tensed up, leaving Aaron with his suspicions about the identity of his fellow recommendees.
Marshal Buckley herself looked from left to right across the crowd, scanning carefully before returning her gaze to the script ahead of her.
"The individuals who haven't been selected by an Admiral or higher will be given the task of bringing the core of a magnitude two or higher terror before dawn three days from now."
Ezra sighed in relief as he listened to the challenge, quietly muttering something under his breath that the blond-haired boy couldn't read.
His own mind had been drawn elsewhere, specifically to a ledge much higher than the one the brown-haired woman was perched on.
It was something so tiny from where he stood that he could barely notice, and he doubted that anyone without the enhanced perception of a Ghostship could see it.
There was a shadow lurking above, watching silently, patiently, and with a presence that was only slightly below that of Cam's.
And to the figure perched high above the crowd, their eyes just so happened to connect with the blond boy's at the very same moment.
They stared, and an endless battle of vision where each other's eyesight was tested; however, in the end, a smile crept up along the mysterious person's face.
Then, without another sound, every trace of the person placed atop it all vanished, as if it were just a ghost in the wind.