I can feel my hands slightly trembling as I reach for the papers lying in front of me. I feel nervous — while I do believe in myself, I know the questions are going to be a bit hard.
I grab the pencil. The first question reads, "You and your partner are surrounded by two Class B devils. Your partner is unconscious. You have one cursed weapon and 3 minutes until reinforcements arrive. What's your best course of action?"
Hmm. I should secure my partner's body behind cover if possible. Prioritize survival, not confrontation. Use the cursed weapon defensively, aim to stall rather than kill. If the devils are aggressive, bait them into terrain that limits their movement. If they're cautious, don't provoke. My goal is to keep myself and my partner alive for 3 minutes, not win.
Fighting recklessly would get both of us killed.
That didn't seem too hard.
I move on to question 2. It reads, "List three known weaknesses of illusion-type devils. Explain how a hunter can expose or counter these illusions in the field."
It's a good thing I read all those books on devils. The first is Reflection Inconsistency — illusions often fail to appear in mirrors or water. The second is Sound Mismatch — their illusions usually can't mimic sounds perfectly, especially speech. The last is Smell/Touch Ignorance — most illusions ignore scent or pain, revealing the truth when tested.
I move on to the third question. It reads, "A devil possesses a child and begs for mercy, claiming it won't harm anyone. The child's body will die if you exorcise it. What do you do?"
I freeze for a second. I think about the situation — and then Mother. My head hurts. I begin writing, Devil or not, a child is a child. I will spare both the devil and its child unless they pose a threat.
Writing the answer "I would kill the child" -could maybe guarantee me getting accepted, but in a situation like that, I wouldn't be able to kill the child or the devil.
I move on to the fourth question. It says, "You and your comrade are both wounded, and your communication device is broken. A devil is threatening nearby civilians. How do you protect them?"
Ah. This one is way too easy. I play the scenario out in my head.
I send my comrade to find backup, since two injured hunters are less useful than one who can move freely. I confront the devil to draw its attention away from the civilians. If the devil is manageable, I engage it to stall or disable it. However, if it's clearly too powerful, my priority becomes evacuating the civilians as quickly and quietly as possible — even if that means avoiding a fight entirely.
Moving on to the fifth question. It reads, "Name and briefly describe three different devil types, and explain which one you'd least want to fight alone."
"This one's easy too. I also read about this in a book before."
First is the Possession-type — takes control of human bodies, hard to detect until too late. Illusion-type — manipulates the environment and senses to confuse its victims. Flesh-type — grows from devoured matter; can become massive and overwhelming. I'd avoid fighting illusion-type devils alone. Though most illusions have flaws and weaknesses, their illusions are very real — your senses can't be trusted, and backup helps confirm what's real.
Moving on to the sixth question. It says, "You suspect your teammate is hiding something — maybe even a connection to devils. Do you report them immediately?"
For some reason, this question hits me hard — harder than the previous question about killing the child. This time I freeze. I really freeze. I picture everything in my head, but I'm still unsure what I would do. I think what I would do is confirm my suspicion on whatever they may be hiding, and then keep their secret. — But I can't write that, I doubt I would get accepted then, moreover it could raise suspicion. I'm sure they wrote this question to know if you're really on their side. If something like this were to happen, I don't think they would let it slide.
I take a deep breath in and grip the pencil tightly in my hand. I begin writing my response, I'd observe them quietly and gather proof first. A wrong accusation could ruin their life and mine. If I'm certain, I'll report it — but never on a hunch.
I move on to the seventh question. It reads, "A devil flees into a crowded area. You're ordered not to use your weapon. What do you do?"
Track it without alerting the crowd. If it starts harming civilians, I distract it. It can be risky, but I'll fight it off — even with what little combat I know — if I have to, to lead it away. Once clear, I can neutralize it or buy time until backup arrives.
Moving on to the eighth question. "Your cursed weapon starts acting strangely — pulsing, vibrating, even whispering. What do you do?"
I should stop using it immediately. Cursed weapons carry the remnants of devils — if it's reacting, something is wrong. I'd report it to a handler or specialist. Better to lose a weapon than lose my mind.
Going to question nine... "What do you think is a Devil Hunter's greatest weakness?"
Overconfidence. Thinking you've seen it all or can handle anything gets you killed. The moment you underestimate a devil, it finds a way to destroy you — or worse, someone else.
Moving to question ten. "If you had to die to save 10 people… or kill one innocent to survive… which would you choose, and why?"
I'd rather die than live with killing someone innocent. That's not weakness — that's knowing the kind of person I want to be. But if the situation were more complicated… I don't know. I'd try to find a third way, even if I fail.
This question really made me realize, -if I go along with everything they say and do become a hunter, my life could still be tossed away at any moment. -No. I've made my decision. There's no going back now.
Wow, seriously? The eleventh question? I think I answered the questions pretty fast, but this is going to take a while. I let out a sigh — just small enough for nobody to hear me.
1 Hour Later...
"Hello everyone! It's me again, Instructor Daizen. You must drop your pencils. We'll now be taking your exam sheets. Everyone, follow me outside for the physical exam."
We all follow him and end up outside — and to our surprise, we see a city. It looks as if it's been abandoned.
Instructor Daizen points to the enclosed city-like zone. "You all will be put into teams of six. There are devils in there. They haven't eaten anything for days and are starving. -So of course, they'll come after you to get your soul. You all will be marked based on how well you work together. I suggest you all get along without any problems and vote for a team leader."
Teams? Just great. I would have been fine solo.
Before I know it, Instructor Daizen starts calling names. I start to pay attention.
"Step forward, Kaito Hisame. Step forward, Sora Kanzaki. Step forward, Haru Okabe. Step forward, Yuki Kurosawa. Step forward, Rei Kisaragi. Last person of the group, step forward, Rin Amano."
Oh no. I need to step forward, but my legs don't want to move. I say to myself in my head, "You can do this."
I take a step forward, but look down at the ground so I don't make eye contact with anyone.
"Now that your group is complete, I suggest you pick a leader while I call everyone else's names."