Grrrrooooooaaaaaar! Thud!!
The Ugly Troll, now a size larger, struck the glass door.
Crackle.
A powerful electric current struck the Ugly Troll’s body, but it swung its fists repeatedly as if it didn't matter.
Thud!! Thud!!
Then, astonishingly, the glass wall began to crack. Though not as strong as Pranium, this glass wall was made of a considerably durable material. It was impossible for even a 5-star, no, a 6-star Monster to break this glass.
Since no madman would put a 7-star or higher Monster inside for a mere test, the strength of the glass wall was set to that exact level. But what was this? The glass before the examiners' eyes was cracking as if it would shatter at any moment.
"Wh-what is this...!!!"
The most surprised was Joo Jin-hae, the Deputy Chief of the Planning Department, which was overseeing the examination. The Difficulty of the Ugly Troll measured beforehand was by no means at this level. Tests, in any case, are conducted based on safety.
If the applicant Bi-soo's condition seemed to worsen, a 'device' to immediately subdue the Monster was supposed to activate. But the 'restraints' wrapped around the Monster's body were not working at all. 'No, it's not that they aren't working...!!'
Joo Jin-hae grit his teeth and glared at the emergency warning light on the restraints. The light, which had been blue, had turned red. That meant the restraints were properly generating an electric shock.
It was just that the Ugly Troll was withstanding the shock. After all, the electric current surrounding the glass pane was much stronger than that. Since it was enduring that, it was perhaps natural for it to withstand the electric shock from the restraints.
"Isn't it really going to break at this rate?"
Yeon Ji-seon asked Joo Jin-hae, sweeping back her short hair. Her voice was so sharp that Joo Jin-hae had to swallow a dry gulp. Of course, she wasn't scared.
She just hated that the schedule was dragging on. Besides, hadn't she just said something a moment ago?
"Th-that's impossible. This glass wall is designed not to break unless the Monster is a 7-star."
"But it's breaking right now, isn't it?"
"That is... It's as if the Ugly Troll suddenly had an Awakening or something...!!"
"What are you talking about right now? What do you mean a Monster had an Awakening? It's not a person."
"Then there's only one answer."
Ga Yeol-chan, who had been listening silently, opened his mouth. His eyes were fixed on the empty space where Bi-soo had been before using Stealth.
"Wouldn't it be that someone has drawn out a growth in ability close to an Awakening?"
"What? Surely not..."
Yeon Ji-seon's face, as she shook her head, was filled with doubt. But it was also true that there was no other way to explain it. Having suffered a significant loss of image lately, the Hunter Association had taken every precaution for this qualification test.
It was impossible that a mistake had been made in measuring the Monster's difficulty. Besides, wasn't a 7-star Monster of a boss-rank difficulty that couldn't be captured even if one tried? If so, the conclusion was one.
Someone had upgraded the Monster's abilities. The unseen presence in the empty space of the examination site.
"It's a Buff. Is there any other way to explain it?"
"...!!"
Ga Yeol-chan spoke with conviction, and no one could object. As quick-witted as Yeon Ji-seon was, she had also considered it to some extent. She just didn't want to admit it.
While Stealth was a very rare and valuable skill, there were a few Hunters in the country who possessed it. But 'Buff' was different. This ability was possessed by fewer than five people not only in the country but in the entire world.
If she could really use a 'Buff' skill, her value would be whatever she named. The problem was how to prove that ability, and Cheon Hae-seon had come up with the following masterstroke.
[Raise the monster.]
[What?]
[Only one person ever enters the examination site. Even if you want to upgrade someone's ability, there's no target.]
[So you're telling me to give a Buff to a Monster instead of a Hunter?]
[Why. Can't you do it?]
[You crazy bastard. What if I really die because of that?!]
[With Stealth, you couldn't die even if you wanted to. Just turn on Stealth in a corner and give Buffs. When I give the signal.]
[A signal?]
[If they're going to give you an S-rank just for Stealth, there's no need to waste energy on a Buff. And there's no guarantee a Buff will even work on a Monster.]
[Hmm... That's true.]
[Me giving you a signal means things aren't going as smoothly as I thought. It means the Esper bastards around are trying to crush you.]
[Those sons of bitches?!]
[... Getting angry already is a talent, if you can call it that. Anyway, just think about that in the examination site. Use Stealth. Then, if I give the signal, try casting a Buff on the Monster.]
[Okay.]
In the end, Cheon Hae-seon's plan turned out to be a perfect masterstroke. One that could prove all of Bi-soo's abilities while also putting Yeon Ji-seon of Glory Guild in her place. The fact that his strategy had hit the mark was starkly evident just by looking at Yeon Ji-seon's expression.
'Damn it.
I ran my mouth for nothing...' Regret began to wash over Yeon Ji-seon. Glory Guild was already a low priority for Bi-soo, and now she had personally stepped up to ask for a beating.
Though she was the top Esper, Yeon Ji-seon was also just one Hunter. What would happen if she, an 'S'-rank, were to receive Bi-soo's Buff? As she pictured herself rampaging on the battlefield after receiving a Buff, an immense sense of regret flooded in.
"First, you'll have to solve this. Glory Guild wouldn't break a publicly declared promise, would they?"
'That bastard who deserves to be beaten to death...!!' Yeon Ji-seon bit her lip as she looked at Cheon Hae-seon. If the Troll broke through the glass door and stepped in here, the person who had to solve it was none other than herself.
Why?
Because she had boasted, 'A guy like that won't be a problem no matter how many levels he's upgraded.' It wasn't impossible to dispose of it. But the current situation felt exactly...
'Like cleaning up someone else's shit...' The corners of Cheon Hae-seon's mouth rose in a subtle, barely perceptible smile. Wasn't this a case of watching the show and getting the rice cakes for free?
Bi-soo had proven her Buff skill by making the Ugly Troll stronger, and thanks to her Stealth skill, she was probably cracking up in some corner over there right now. If it were just Stealth, maybe, but no examiner would refuse to give an 'S' rank to a Hunter equipped with a Buff as well.
In that case, only one thing remained. For Yeon Ji-seon to clean up the shit someone else had made.
Crash.
Finally, the Ugly Troll shattered the glass wall and burst out.
"Hiiiik!!"
The examiners from the Association who weren't Hunters hastily stepped back, while the Hunters stood still. Though it was tricky to deal with, the Espers gathered here were all 'S'-rankers. Each one's combat power was too great to flee.
Moreover...
"We'll get to see the skills of the 'Black Vampire of Glory' for a change."
Ga Yeol-chan grinned, baring his teeth. It wasn't that Yeon Ji-seon actually drank blood, but Monsters afflicted by 'Devastation' all turned into withered sticks. Because that appearance was similar to being attacked by a vampire, and taking after Yeon Ji-seon's short black hair, she was called the 'Black Vampire of Glory.'
Of course, right now she was nothing more than a cleaner tidying up shit.
"Grrrrooooooaaaaaar."
"Shut that mouth."
Was that directed at Ga Yeol-chan? Or was it directed at the Monster? Hurling an insult with an ambiguous target, Yeon Ji-seon roughly scratched the back of her neck.
A glance revealed Cheon Hae-seon watching her with a very interested expression. He looked as if he were watching a monkey in a zoo. Annoyance soaring, Yeon Ji-seon spasmodically stretched out both her arms.
Woooooooooong...
With a sound that felt out of place, a peculiar vibration generated from the palms of her hands. Like objects shimmering over a hot desert, a transparent vibration shot towards the Troll. 'Is that it...!'
As the ability began to activate in earnest, Cheon Hae-seon's eyes also turned quite serious. Yeon Ji-seon, ranked third in the guild for combat and killing ability. Befitting the name Black Vampire of Glory, the Ugly Troll's movements began to gradually slow.
Stagger.
As her transparent vibration shield took control of the Troll's entire body, the creature's knees buckled significantly. Its fully grown muscles began to wear away little by little, and its puffy cheeks grew increasingly gaunt. 'So this is Devastation...'
It was an ability that even Cheon Hae-seon was seeing for the first time. An ability that securely restrains the target, then vaporizes all the moisture and energy within its body.
Making a mockery of the Association staff's words that it must be at the level of a 7-star Monster, the Ugly Troll collapsed to the floor, unable to move a muscle.
"Hoo..."
A drop of sweat fell from Yeon Ji-seon's temple. At a glance, it looked like she was completely overwhelming it, but 'Devastation' was a skill that required an enormous amount of Ether and concentration. It was like single-handedly taking on a dungeon's boss Monster, so the burden she carried was not small.
The other Hunters were looking back and forth between Yeon Ji-seon and the Monster, their faces a mix of curiosity and admiration. They felt inwardly grateful to Cheon Hae-seon. He had induced Yeon Ji-seon to face this cumbersome Monster alone, and they also got to witness the Devastation technique, didn't they?
Tremble.
Yeon Ji-seon's arms trembled slightly. It seemed like her strength was gradually failing, but the condition of the Monster she was facing was even more serious. It had already shrunk by a third of its total size and was forcefully holding itself up with both arms on the ground.
In just a few more seconds, the Ugly Troll's life force would be exhausted. The moment everyone expected that to happen, "Grrrrooooooaaaaaar!!"
"?!"
"No!"
The Ugly Troll, which had looked ready to collapse any second, let out a monstrous cry and straightened its back. Its already devastated face was contorted pitifully as it squeezed out its strength. However, Yeon Ji-seon's face was contorted as well.
"How...?!"
Once restrained, it was impossible to resist until the moment of death. That was the power of the 'Devastation' skill. How did a creature on the verge of death suddenly find such strength?
Yeon Ji-seon's face, plunged into bewilderment and dismay, resembled a crushed can. Once freed from the restraint, Devastation would not proceed. Yeon Ji-seon once again shot out the formless vibration shield.
She poured so much of her soul into it that a couple of blood droplets formed on her lips.
But, Thud.
The vibration shield cut through empty air and passed by. The Ugly Troll, having squeezed out its final strength, had rapidly contracted and collapsed.
"...!!"
And then, Bi-soo, dripping sweat all over her body, revealed herself in the examination site.
"Is it... over now?"
"Ah, now that you mention it...!!"
The Association officials rushed over to check Bi-soo's condition. From their perspective, if an applicant were to be harmed due to a miscalculation of the Monster's difficulty, it would be a huge problem. The Association's already tarnished image would have plummeted into the abyss.
"A-are you alright? Applicant Lee Bi-soo...!!"
"Yes. It was a bit tough, but I'm fine! By any chance, is there a place to shower here?"
"There is. We will guide you shortly...!!"
The Espers standing in the examiners' section were staring at Bi-soo with different expressions. Yeon Ji-seon's face was a mixture of anger and regret, Ga Yeol-chan's was filled with admiration, and most of the other Espers couldn't close their gaping mouths.
"It's true. An Esper with a Buff ability has truly been born."
"At this point, there's nothing more to see."
"It's not just a partial growth in a specific stat; this is on a level that surpasses a rank...!"
Only Cheon Hae-seon was sending a slightly different gaze from the others. Cheon Hae-seon's lips, as he looked at Bi-soo, were forming a strange curve. 'You really have to give it to her personality.'
At the end, it was of course Bi-soo's doing to power up the dying Troll once more. Through the signal I gave, she figured out that one of the examiners was trying to obstruct her. And that the one subduing the Ugly Troll right before her eyes was that intruder.
In other words, Bi-soo's feelings toward Yeon Ji-seon were not likely to be favorable. Bi-soo doesn't sweat unless she gives a ton of 'Buffs.' For her to be drenched in sweat, it seemed she had scraped the very bottom of her Ether to give the Buff.
Why?
'She probably thinks the same way I do.' The fact that 'Devastation' had been broken, even for a moment, had ruthlessly crumpled Yeon Ji-seon's face. For her, who was as proud as a noble crane, a battle development like this was clearly an undesirable result.
She was in a state that was very enjoyable for Bi-soo, and for me, to watch. The reason she had so tenaciously poured power into the Monster must have been because she wanted to see this very face. 'What a twisted hobby.'
Forcibly suppressing my deepening smile, I slowly moved my feet.
Thump, thump.
And, returning to the front of the examiners' section, I pressed a button. The button engraved with an 'S'. The glass wall was broken, but the button worked normally.
As I shrugged my shoulders, the other examiners scurried over and pressed the same button.
'S' 'S' 'S' 'S' At the very end, looking like a cow being dragged to the slaughterhouse, Yeon Ji-seon appeared.
The button she firmly pressed was also an 'S'.
Unanimous.
It was the moment a new 'S'-rank Esper was born.