There's a place that gets busy every time the qualification test is held. The Hunter-related message boards on internet portal sites. People show great interest in the new Hunters that appear each quarter.
It's only natural, as these are the beings who protect their lives, but in truth, there are other reasons as well. Since they have a massive influence not only on national security but also in various fields of society like politics and entertainment, they are treated like celebrities. └Wonder if an S-rank will show up this time?
We haven't had one in a few years. └I know, right? I heard Japan already got two this year alone. The gap is widening instead of closing ㅡㅡ └Let's get five this quarterㅏㅏㅏㅏㅏㅏㅏㅏㅏㅏㅏㅏㅏㅏ └Dream on.
You think S-rank Hunters pop out of a popcorn machine? They all upgraded from A-rank. └That's right. The only person in our country who got S-rank on the test day was 'Saint' Maria. └Speaking of which, the Glory Guild will probably sweep up everyone again this quarter, right? └Probably.
Damn.
Doesn't the government have monopoly regulations or something? └Regulations, my ass. You think they'd enforce monopoly regulations when government ministers are bending over backward trying to get close to the Glory Guild? └They say the healer position is gonna be the trend this quarter too. Us untouchable Tankers are crying ㅠㅠㅠㅠ └Oh, right.
I heard the Vice Chairman's son is taking the test this time? Wasn't that bastard preparing to be a celebrity or something? └Yeah. A good-looking, silver-spooned brat even Awakened.
Isn't the world so unfair? └His type is healer, too. Looks like we're getting another celebrity Hunter like Shin Chan-gi.
Damn it.
‘The Vice Chairman's son…’
Checking the comments, one fact stood out. Shin Chan-gi was an actor who used to be an action star. He was an actor who gained attention for his delicate, handsome looks, but one day after suffering from a severe illness, he showed signs of Awakening.
A Knight-type, which suited his profession well. In the test he took under the spotlight of numerous media outlets, he surprisingly received a B-rank. This level of ability placed him in the top 10% of all Hunters in Korea.
With a handsome actor becoming a B-rank Knight, there was no way the media would leave him alone. Criticisms followed that he was neglecting his Hunter duties and only appearing in movies and commercials, but regardless, he rose to the ranks of Korea's top stars with his Hunter license.
Thus, it's common for wealth and, of course, honor to follow once you become a Hunter. Since the son of the Vice Chairman of the Hunter Association, Korea's most powerful institution, was taking the test, it was no surprise that attention was focused on him. His name was Yoo Ji-won, I think.
Coincidentally, he was a Healer-type like me, so it seemed likely we'd run into each other at the examination site. Could it be? Is that why the Vice Chairman was hanging around those guys from the Glory Guild?
“What are you thinking so hard about?”
My sister's voice woke me as I was lost in thought, my gaze fixed on the monitor.
“Ah. I was just reading some things about the test.”
“Huhu. Looks like even the great Cheon Hae-seon is getting nervous on test day, huh?”
“Nervous? As if.”
Even if the sky fell, there was no way I would fail the test. In fact, I could pass by choosing any of the Healer, Knight, or Poison-types. Of course, if I passed as a Poison-type, I'd be investigated before I could even become a Hunter.
However, my sister had no idea what my abilities were. Like a parent dealing with a student about to take their college entrance exams, my sister spared no words of encouragement.
“You'll definitely pass. My handsome Hae-seon.”
My handsome Hae-seon. It was something she used to say like a habit, even when I was covered in spots. With or without the spots, my sister was the only person in this world who treated me the same.
“Don't worry, Sis. I'll pass no matter what.”
“Oooh. That's pretty cool.”
“I'll bring back my license as a gift, so just wait.”
My sister nodded emphatically with a warm smile. A Hunter license. And seven hundred and fifty million.
She would soon receive these two gifts.
Hmm.
A sudden question came to mind. Of the two gifts, which one would my sister like more?
A white shirt, jeans, and black canvas shoes. Her attire was extremely plain, but it couldn't hide her inherent radiance. A core member of the Glory Guild and an S-rank Hunter who had established herself as Korea's top healer.
Maria.
Her brilliant eyes shining, she asked Gu Geon-yi.
“Are you sure?”
“Of course. The thing you're worried about didn't happen, so rest assured.”
The young head of the Glory Guild, Gu Geon-yi, gave a reassuring smile. They were heading to the Hunter Association in the company sedan. Today, Maria was serving as an examiner for Healer-type Hunters.
Gu Geon-yi had arranged this small event for Maria, who needed a mental break after the Double Gate incident. However, Maria's expression wasn't very bright. Discovering new prospects was always a pleasant task, but Maria had recently heard some suspicious news.
The son of the Hunter Association's Vice Chairman. Information that Yoo Ji-won had visited the Glory Guild research labs several times.
‘No way… it can't be.’
Hunters improve their specs in various ways. By converting Cores obtained from Monsters into Ether and absorbing it, or by equipping the latest gear. Or by repeated training.
The most effective method was, of course, absorbing Cores. When a Hunter acquires a Core and brings it to a research lab, the lab converts it into Ether and returns it to the Hunter. Sometimes, a cash-strapped Hunter would deposit a Core, and a wealthy Hunter would buy it.
Since Cores were practically the currency of the current era, this type of transaction wasn't exactly illegal.
However.
If the one involved in the transaction was an Awakened who had not yet become a Hunter, the story changes.
‘That definitely wasn't normal growth…’
Yoo Ji-won was someone she had met several times even before he applied for the Hunter test. With the backing of the Association's Vice Chairman, he had walked a different path from the other applicants from the very beginning. They had pleasant chats over dinner and even discussed the Hunter profession.
So far, so good. But every time Maria met Yoo Ji-won again, his condition would change unrecognizably. As if he had gone through several Awakenings, the amount of Ether accumulated in his body had increased exponentially.
Initially, Yoo Ji-won was a man whose ability to pass the Hunter Qualification Test was questionable. About the level of becoming an E-rank healer, maybe. However, the last time she met him, Yoo Ji-won's Ether level had surpassed that of a B-rank.
Maria, who was particularly sensitive to Ether, could clearly sense this change, and she found out through a staff member that Yoo Ji-won had been visiting the Glory Guild research labs. Injecting Ether into an Awakened who has not been granted a Hunter license is clearly illegal and an extremely dangerous act.
It was no different from administering a new drug without clinical trials.
‘I'll have to check for myself.’
Maria steeled her resolve, and Gu Geon-yi, seeing her expression, spoke as if doing her a favor.
“You don't need to give him special treatment just because you know him. Just evaluate what you see.”
“Understood.”
It was something she would find out soon enough anyway. Maria threw her complicated thoughts out the window and thought of one other person.
‘He definitely said… he was testing as a Healer-type.’
The district they couldn't protect when the Double Gate opened. The man covered in spots who said he was from Gaebang District. Just as the memory of that man's abrasive gaze was about to surface, their car arrived at the Hunter Association.
“Whoa…” -Kkuwang!
I couldn't help but let out a gasp along with Ppori. What is this massive crowd? This wasn't my first time at the Hunter Association, but before, it was either quiet or moderately bustling.
But now, the front of the Hunter Association headquarters was packed with people like sardines in a can. Reporters lined up with cameras as big as cannons and scouts watching the applicants with hawkish eyes. Various onlookers and the applicants' families.
So many people had gathered that it was difficult to even pass through the entrance. -All Hunter exam applicants, please move to the designated area. An announcement came through the speakers. The main auditorium on the first basement level of the headquarters.
Right in front of the stage, four large signs were visible.
Knight. Healer. Esper.
Other.
Almost no one tested as anything other than the top three types. This was because not being a standard type(?) put you at a disadvantage when forming a team or signing a contract. Even unique types who could mutate parts of their bodies would apply as a Knight-type for the test.
‘The Knight-type has the most people. Is Esper next…?’
Compared to the swarming Knight-type applicants, the applicants in the 'Other' category were a drop in the bucket. Perhaps because the qualification test was just around the corner, the applicants' faces were full of tension. I have to pass this time for sure.
Please let me get a high rank. Words like that brushed past my ears. But unlike the others, my interest lay somewhere else.
Fifty million won per head… how much is all this? I guess I take after my sister in this regard. I ended up at the very back of the Healer-type line because I was busy estimating the number of people.
Click, click, click. As I stood in line doing some light stretching, a commotion came from the entrance. The sound of a group of footsteps and camera shutters.
And loud laughter.
“Wow~ this photo composition is great, I'll use this one. Hunter Yoo Ji-won. How about the headline, 'The Next-Generation Savior Following in the Footsteps of Saint Maria'?”
“That's a great idea. Haha.”
I heard reporters weren't usually allowed on the first basement level. But it seemed the man appearing now was an exception. Yoo Ji-won, son of Vice Chairman Yoo In-won.
He was being treated like a star even before becoming a Hunter.
“No, wait. What am I thinking? If you get the highest score on the Awakened Value test, should we go with that instead?”
“That sounds more dramatic and better.”
Yoo Ji-won gave a faint smile and walked toward the healer section. He had a delicate, pretty face. Though his narrow jaw gave him a slight rat-like impression.
Expensive-looking clothes at a glance, with sunglasses perched low on his nose. It was an outfit more suited for the red carpet than a Hunter test site. Why was he wearing sunglasses to take a test indoors?
Yoo Ji-won nonchalantly ignored the stinging glares from the surrounding applicants and stood behind me.
“A few more steps to the side…!”
“Here?”
Did you come here for a photoshoot, you bastard? As Yoo Ji-won moved at the reporters' request, he bumped into me.
Thump.
“Ah, damn.”
Yoo Ji-won glanced at my face and then suddenly tensed his body.
This guy.
He says he's a healer, but it looks like he knows how to strengthen his body too. He could probably show off his strength against ordinary people. But at his level, he couldn't even match an E-rank Knight.
CRACK.
An impact sound unbelievable for a collision between two bodies rang out. The guy grinned as he slammed his shoulder into my forearm, while I just stood there as usual.
As usual.
Meaning, while maintaining the reinforced body of a D-rank Knight.
“Aargh!!”
Yoo Ji-won screamed and staggered back a couple of steps. Judging by the sound, the impact must have felt like his shoulder was being crushed. He must have thought everyone would be frail since we were in the healer group.
“Hey! Fuck. What are you?”
“An applicant.”
“The Knights are over there. Why are you standing here like a pole?”
“I'm a Healer-type.”
At my indifferent reply, Yoo Ji-won's eyes widened. I could understand why he was confused. There were only a few people in the entire country who had a D-rank reinforced body as a Healer-type.
“What kind of bullshit are you….”
Yoo Ji-won gritted his teeth and glared at me, then, as if conscious of the reporters around, he forced an awkward smile.
“I need to take a picture, so please move. All those people came here to photograph me, I can't just send them away.”
Let's just get along, is that it? Something like that. But there was no reason for me to give him the answer he wanted.
“I know. You should have come a little earlier.”
I've felt this for a while, but I seem to have a talent for getting under people's skin. Yoo Ji-won's thin earlobes instantly turned red.
“You, do you not know who I am?”
Of course I do. The pampered son of the Hunter Association’s Vice Chairman, who was giving interviews to all sorts of media outlets before even taking the test. But the appropriate answer in this situation was this.
“An applicant.”
“…?!”
I turned my head away after saying that. If you've got a problem, try ramming into me again. -In a moment, we will begin the Awakened Value test. Applicants, please come forward to the Record Device one by one.
“Wow… it's finally starting.”
“Please…!!”
“If I don't pass this time, it's straight to the Han River for me…!!”
The announcement signaling the start of the Hunter test was heard. The Record Device that measures one's awakened state and potential. When you stand inside that rectangular device, the machine tells you your Awakened Value.
If you weren't confirmed as an Awakened, or if your value was below a certain threshold, you failed on the spot. The fifty million won application fee would be for nothing, and the Awakened's dreams and hopes would turn to dust.
“Hey, let's make a bet.”
A sly voice came from behind me.
A bet?
When I looked at Yoo Ji-won, he made an unexpected proposal. He seemed pretty pissed off about bouncing off me earlier.
“Who gets a higher Awakened Value. How about it? Let's just bet ten million won for fun.” …I didn't know how to interpret this.
Is ten million won some kind of child's play to him? I've been making decent money recently, but that was equivalent to two years of my family's expenses. He couldn't win with his body, so now he's trying to intimidate me with money?
Something like, 'Ten million won is nothing more than the price of a meal to me.' He looked about my age, but his actions were no different from a nouveau riche old geezer. In reality, as the son of the Hunter Association's Vice Chairman, ten million won might be nothing to him.
But unfortunately for him, I wasn't confident. I wasn't confident I would lose this bet.
“Fine.”
“…??”
Did he expect me to tuck my tail between my legs and whimper? Well, I had to admit, my outfit was far from looking wealthy. When I readily accepted, the muscles on Yoo Ji-won's face twitched strangely.
I continued, as if pronouncing his death sentence.
“But if you try to back out later, you're dead.”