Wheeeeing.
One by one. The applicants stood before the ‘Record Device’. It was a state-of-the-art machine that measured one’s Awakened Value to determine who passed the first round.
The long line was a concern, but fortunately, the measurement itself did not take very long.
Beep.
<756 points> <1,320 points> “Ah…!!”
“Ooh!!”
Every time an applicant’s score appeared, a mix of sighs and exclamations erupted. The cutoff for the first round was 1,000 points. Applicants who scored over 1,000 points clenched their fists and cheered, while those who fell short covered their faces with their hands.
<998 points> “Wow…
What’s he going to do?”
“Shit. Talk about bad luck.”
“He looks old, too. What a pity.”
In particular, a middle-aged man who failed by just two points dropped to his knees and couldn’t get up for a while.
Two points.
Because of that small difference, the fifty million won application fee and his rosy future vanished like a bubble. Even as the lowest-rank Hunter, he could have earned back the application fee and more within a year. With that one trivial difference, which felt like a prank from the gods, a man’s life had been completely changed.
‘If only I could, I’d want to lend him some of my Ether.’
With that despondent middle-aged man, the first test for the Knight-type applicants came to an end. The passing rate was lower than I thought. Only Awakened with a certain degree of confidence would have applied, yet less than 10% of them met the standard.
Of course, since their job is to protect people from Monsters, it’s normal for the standards to be strict. But my dissatisfaction lay elsewhere. If so many people fail after a simple test, is it really necessary to gobble up a fifty million won application fee from each of them?
For some, it might be an amount they poured their souls into earning. Just like that man being helped out by the staff, looking completely devastated. -Healer-type applicants, please come forward in order.
“Watch closely.”
Yoo Ji-won patted my shoulder and stepped to the very front. He was incredibly confident. The reporters who had been watching his every move also moved to the front of the Record Device.
The Knight-type applicants were tested in the order they lined up, but Yoo Ji-won seemed to be an exception. It would be more convenient in many ways for him to be tested first, under the spotlight. I stood there with my arms crossed, watching the scene unfold.
Grrrr…
Ppori growled lowly from my shoulder. For a Monster, it made a sound like a growl when it was angry.
“You… Do you even know what you’re angry about?”
Kwang!
The sound wasn’t threatening at all, but it seemed the little guy was also quite displeased with the current situation. Contrary to the Association's promotion of a ‘fair and clean selection process,’ Yoo Ji-won was receiving all sorts of special treatment. I heard you couldn’t even take a selfie inside the examination site.
The standards seem to change drastically depending on the person.
“Well then…”
Yoo Ji-won stepped onto the Record Device with a confident smile. I don’t know where he learned it, but he was a guy who had mastered how to use Ether for body enhancement. I’d love to see him fail spectacularly, but that was probably not going to happen.
He was the one with the strongest Ether energy among everyone here. As expected, Yoo Ji-won received a remarkably high score.
<5,103 points> As he stepped off the Record Device, Yoo Ji-won raised a hand towards the cameras.
He looked like a candidate who just won an election.
“Woooah!!”
Click, click, click. Just as I predicted, Yoo Ji-won easily surpassed the cutoff. The envious gazes of the other applicants and the focus of the cameras formed a strange contrast.
He’ll probably be on the front page of tomorrow's newspaper. South Korea’s next-generation prospect surpasses the standard by five times. Something like that.
<677 points> <2,131 points> Occasionally, a notable score would appear, but for the most part, they hovered around 1,000 points.
And the reporters watching this scene had disappointment written all over their faces. It was because a top-ranker hadn’t emerged from the recently registered Hunters for quite some time.
“This year’s qualification test is a bust, too…”
“If it weren't for Hunter Yoo Ji-won, this would have been remembered as the worst selection test ever.”
“The Monsters are getting stronger and appearing more frequently, but at this rate…”
A Hunter full of potential needed to appear for the good of the world, and for the reporters themselves. Standing at the very back, I waited quietly until it was my turn. Yoo Ji-won’s score was certainly unparalleled.
Not only among the healers, but even among the previous Knight-types, there wasn't a single applicant who scored over 3,000. Even after seeing his score, the guy stood at a distance, watching the selection process. He was probably waiting for my turn. Unlike when I first saw him, his nose was now pointed to the heavens.
Having surpassed 5,000 points, his confidence was understandable. But how does he know what score I’ll get? -Healer-type applicant.
Cheon Hae-seon.
My identity was displayed on the screen via a facial recognition device. I had the spot when I first registered, but unlike the employee at the reception desk who was rushing me, this thing recognized me just fine. Zzzzzzing- As I stepped onto the Record Device, multi-colored lasers scanned my entire body.
And soon, the following message appeared. …Huh?
Murmur.
I wasn’t the only one tilting my head in confusion. The people who had been watching the other applicants' scores were looking back and forth between me and the screen, as if wondering, ‘What's going on?’
“Puhahahahaha!!”
Yoo Ji-won, who had craned his neck to see my score, burst out laughing.
“What the. Was he not even an Awakened? Good grief.”
It seemed he thought I got that result because I wasn’t an Awakened. Does ‘measurement impossible’ mean I’m not an Awakened? No. That can't be.
There was already a vast amount of Black Ether inside my body, and if I weren't an Awakened, I wouldn't have been able to enter the black market. Surely the equipment brought in by the Hunter Association can’t be worse than the access control device at the black market.
“Huh? What’s wrong with this? Just a moment.”
A Hunter Association staff member came over and examined the equipment. There had been cases of a zero score, but never a message saying the measurement was impossible. That must be why the staff member examining the machine was scratching his head.
“Supervisor.”
After fiddling with the machine here and there, the employee finally went to the supervisor sitting on the platform. As time was delayed and a strange message appeared, all eyes naturally turned this way. What a pain.
Why did this suddenly happen?
“I am Supervisor Pyo Hyeok-gyu, in charge of the first examination. What is the applicant’s name?”
“It’s Cheon Hae-seon.”
The kind-faced supervisor appeared and confirmed my identity. He checked the machine for a long time, then, as if having made a decision, he gave an order to a subordinate.
“What?!”
The subordinate was startled, then hastily picked up a radio to communicate.
What.
What’s going on. Let me in on it too. About five minutes passed.
An incredibly sturdy-looking alloy case was handed to the supervisor.
Clank.
The supervisor placed his thumb on it and unlocked the case. A golden orb, dazzling just to look at, radiated a brilliant light.
“Waaah!!!!!”
“Is that?”
“A G-Gold Core?”
Gasps that were almost screams erupted from the crowd.
Wow.
So that’s a Gold Core. The highest-grade Core, which can only be extracted from a 7-star (★★★★★★★) or higher epic monster. A precious item whose value cannot be calculated in money had appeared here.
To think I would see a Gold Core, which I’d only seen in pictures, with my own eyes. The supervisor glanced at my face one more time, then unlocked the Record Device.
Thunk.
He then took out the hazy orb inside it and inserted the Gold Core. By this point, everyone in the auditorium was showing interest. Even the reporters who had been chatting picked up their cameras again and prepared to shoot.
Ah, I hate being the center of attention. The supervisor, having reactivated the Record Device, called me.
“The Awakened Value is measured by a very sensitive machine. If it exceeds a certain permissible range, there is a risk of it malfunctioning, so it automatically shuts down the measurement. It should be fine now.”
“Ah, I see.”
I replied blandly, and the supervisor, in turn, seemed surprised by my reaction. Being told that one's Awakened Value was off the charts was like hitting the jackpot for an applicant. It meant their potential for growth as a Hunter was limitless.
So much so that major guilds would sometimes make recruitment offers based on the Awakened Value alone, even if the person’s actual Hunter abilities were lacking. For a Hunter, it was such a blessing that they would say, ‘A mere lottery ticket is nothing compared to this.’
And yet.
In a situation where it wouldn't be strange to dance a wild jig on the spot, I had just reacted with, ‘Ah, I see.’ He must have been flabbergasted. The staff members nearby also looked at me as if to say, ‘What kind of guy is this?’
But even so, they couldn’t hide their anticipation towards me.
‘Let's just get this over with.’
Following the supervisor’s guidance, I quickly stepped onto the Record Device. I could feel a slightly denser energy from the scanning lasers. It would be nice if I could absorb the Gold Core inside the machine.
While I was having such silly thoughts, the measurement was completed.
<100,000 points> “WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
The auditorium thundered with the cheers of the crowd. Not just the applicants, but even the reporters who had been filming Yoo Ji-won, all had expressions as if their eyes were about to pop out. One hundred thousand points.
As a Hunter acknowledged by Kiril, I should at least score this much, right? I stepped off the Record Device with an air of it being no big deal, and that attitude, in turn, seemed to have left a strong impression on people.
“That kid, what was his name again?”
“Ch-Cheon Hae-seon.”
“What are you doing! Start filming, quickly!”
Tsk.
When the reporters turned their cameras towards me, I pulled up the hood of my tracksuit. Wearing hooded clothes had become a habit since I had the spot, but I never thought it would be helpful like this. Seeing them anxiously stamping their feet because they couldn't film me, after they'd been so excited filming Yoo Ji-won, felt rather gratifying.
Ah, by the way. I have to ‘settle the bill’.
“Do you have something I can write on?”
“Ah, yes, here.”
After getting a sticky note and a pen from an Association staff member, I jotted down a few numbers. Everyone looked at me as if wondering what I was doing. I don't want to draw any more attention, so I should just ‘settle up’ quickly and leave.
I walked towards Yoo Ji-won, holding the sticky note. His face was a mask of panic, completely crushed by my Awakened Value.
“A shameful situation, all because of a number…”
Kkureu…
Ppori let out a small cry, as if telling me not to say such lame things. Damn, this thing is sharp. I told it not to come in with me during the test, when did it get on?
“Hey.”
Looking at Yoo Ji-won’s face, crumpled like a piece of used tissue, felt as satisfying as digesting a meal that had been stuck in my throat. Well, as a Poison-type, it’s not like I’d ever get food poisoning, though.
“……!!”
His expression was filled with indignation for one reason or another. The Awakened Value, the spotlight, everything had been taken by me, so his jealousy seemed to have reached its peak. I don't need the spotlight, you can have it all.
Just give me this one thing.
“Take this.”
I handed him the sticky note, and after checking its contents, he looked dumbfounded.
“What is this?”
“A deposit slip. Ten million won. That’s my account number.”
“!!!!!”
“The account holder’s name is written there too. Can’t you read?”
I let out a small laugh and turned my back. Ah, as with all transactions, there should be a deadline.
“Wire it by tomorrow. If you try to skip out on it, you're dead.”
I wasn’t looking at him, but I could almost feel the vibrations of him trembling behind me. With the thought that I hoped we wouldn’t cross paths again, I walked out of the first examination site.