Everyone stared at Kang Jeong-hyeon with blank faces. The plant that sprouted from near his shoulder was sucked in as if absorbed by a black hole, and the War Goblin met a futile end, leaving nothing behind.
Wait.
It left nothing behind? Does that mean it even absorbed 'that'?
Clang.
Something fell to the floor with a clear, beautiful sound.
'That' which was the heart of Monsters and could enhance the abilities of Hunters.
The War Goblin's Core was rolling on the floor. It seemed the plant Kang Jeong-hyeon had summoned devoured the War Goblin's body but couldn't quite digest the Core. Seeing the Core rolling on the floor, the Association's Deputy Chief Joo Jin-hae snapped to his senses.
"W-with this, we will conclude all tests."
Watching the Association staff retrieve the Core, Joo Jin-hae let out a sigh of relief. What if, on top of the glass wall that cost billions to build being shattered, they hadn't been able to retrieve the War Goblin's Core? Joo Jin-hae would have had to stay up all night writing an incident report.
"A pity."
Ga Yeol-chan approached me with a strange smile.
"A pity, you say?"
"If Kang Jeong-hyeon had digested that Core... he would have become a genius of the century. There isn't a single Hunter in this world who can absorb a Core without any processing."
Hmm.
Is there really no one in this world...? For now, I'll just play along.
"Now that you mention it, that's true. I heard that when a Core's Ether is injected into a Hunter, you don't even get 10% of its original efficiency."
"10% would be fortunate. There are countless cases where an astronomical amount of money was spent to convert a high-rank Monster's Core, only for the Ether conversion rate to be less than 1%. In that sense, it's a great shame. If Kang Jeong-hyeon could absorb a Monster's Core with 100% efficiency, his growth potential would have been limitless."
Unaware that the result of that limitless growth was standing right before him, Ga Yeol-chan licked his lips.
"If that were the case, the title of 'Republic of Korea's greatest prospect' might have gone to Kang Jeong-hyeon instead of you."
"Am I being called that now?"
"... You should watch the news."
"Hehe. Even if he couldn't absorb the Core, it's clear Kang Jeong-hyeon is an incredible talent."
"Indeed. I've been a Hunter for over 20 years, but I've never seen an ability like that."
A plant with killing abilities emerges from inside the body. I too have seen all sorts of Monsters on the battlefield, but in a way, Kang Jeong-hyeon felt more monstrous than the creatures inside dungeons.
"For now, he'll be classified as a 'Mutant'."
Ga Yeol-chan said so and pressed the button without hesitation. Following his lead, the other examiners also pressed the 'S' button. A high-rank Monster was instantly killed before their eyes without even a scream.
Who could possibly object? And so, after Bi-soo, the second 'S-ranker' was born.
Click, click, click.
Flash, flash.
No matter what anyone said, the stars of the Hunter Qualification Test were the applicants. As hundreds of applicants came out after finishing the second exam, countless eyes, camera angles, and flashes poured down on them.
"Hey, stop pushing!"
"Can't you follow the guidelines?!"
"Kang Jeong-hyeon, find Kang Jeong-hyeon!!"
"Ms. Bi-soo! Can we have a brief interview?"
"Yes! Please gather around in a circle over here!"
For someone who had just finished her test, her skill at handling the reporters was remarkable. Maybe she really should have been a celebrity. Thanks to her, I was able to rest comfortably in a quiet corner.
I wasn't the main character today, so there were no reporters persistently chasing after me. Now that Bi-soo's test was safely over, there was no longer any need for me to be by her side. But not everything on the schedule was finished yet.
In a way, something even more important than Bi-soo's test remained.
Vroom.
A large SUV entered the Hunter test site. Its unusually large wheels caught my eye.
The wheels.
In the past, it was a sight I would have just glanced at, thinking, 'They're big,' and moved on. But perhaps because of the day it was, the slowly turning wheels kept drawing my attention. Yesterday, when I had my tarot cards read for fun with my sister, I had drawn 'The Wheel of Destiny' card.
What a coincidence. I stared blankly at the wheels until the vehicle parked. The last item on today's schedule.
It might really become a new wheel of destiny.
"Is that someone you know?"
I flinched without realizing it.
Ah, jeez.
You startled me. Maria was standing behind me at some point. I gave an awkward laugh and shifted a little to the side.
As Maria sat next to me, the fresh scent of spring tickled my nose.
"No. I just keep spacing out because I have a lot on my mind."
"Even you have times when you're lost in thought, Hunter Cheon Hae-seon?"
"... I guess I must have seemed like a pretty simple person until now."
"Ah, no. It's just..."
Maria, blinking rapidly, spoke with a hint of envy.
"It's because your words and actions always carry such conviction. That's something you rarely see in me, who's always anxious about everything."
"Conviction..."
It was probably an aspect Maria lacked, having always operated under someone else's shadow. But for her, the winds of change had now begun to blow.
"For someone like that, you made quite a declaration today."
Unlike her usual modest appearance, Maria had appeared in a classy outfit and announced her transfer. It's true I despise the Glory Guild, but honestly, I can't imagine it. Maria, taking off her G badge and working for another Guild.
What Guild would dare to embrace her? No, beyond that. What on earth was the reason for her decision?
"I thought deeply about what you said, Hunter Cheon Hae-seon."
"Pardon?"
"You told me that if I wanted to vent my anger, I should do it to my heart, not my body."
"I... did?"
"In the space where I reflect, I tried clawing at my heart instead of making my body bleed."
"..."
"It was so painful I wanted to stop right away. A scratched heart doesn't heal as quickly as the body. In fact, the more I picked at it, the more the pain grew."
Of course.
It's painful for anyone to face a shameful part of themselves they've been trying to ignore.
"That's when I realized. The act of hurting my body was nothing more than an indulgence I gave myself. It was just a deceptive act that paid no real price."
With eyes glittering in the light from the sky, Maria stared at me intently.
"The more I vented on my heart, the clearer everything became. I became a Hunter to save people, but if my heart isn't at ease, it means my 'way of saving' is wrong."
"Your way of saving... Could it be..."
"Yes. The 'Guild' I belonged to was wrong. That's why I'm trying to transfer to a place where my heart leads me."
Maria's will seemed incredibly firm. Her expression was serene, but within that serenity was a steadfastness like a great mountain. I had seen her several times, but this was the first time I'd seen her like this.
The problem was that the starting point of her change was something I could never have imagined.
'Crazy.
It was because of what I said?' To be honest, it wasn't advice given with good intentions. Before my Awakening, when I was poisoned by Monster Poison.
My body was unstable like that of a terminally ill patient, and I had to spend countless nights in excruciating pain. A pain filled only with despair and frustration was always by my side. But Maria simply used such physical pain as an indulgence.
Even though she knew she would heal quickly. 'That's why I said it.' I told her if she truly wanted to pay a price, she should vent on her heart.
So that a deeper scar would remain. So that the Glory Guild's misdeeds wouldn't be washed away. Because I had hoped that at least Maria would be different from Gu Geon-yi.
But.
I truly never imagined it would lead to this result. Suddenly, an image of a furiously enraged Gu Geon-yi popped into my head. Just looking at everything that's happened so far, Gu Geon-yi would surely consider me his mortal enemy.
But on top of that, what if he finds out that the one who incited (...) Maria to transfer was me? Another hired killer, not Kang Hyeon, might attack me.
"But... it's not easy."
Maria sighed and stuffed dozens of pamphlets into her bag.
"I can't seem to figure out which Guild is a good one. I looked through the histories and articles of several Guilds before coming here today... but I still haven't found one I like."
"That's only natural."
"Pardon?"
"You've only just now decided to cut ties with a Guild you've been with for years. Do you think it would be easy to figure out other Guilds so quickly?"
Maria gave a bitter smile with her beautiful lips.
"You're... right. But, even if I can't decide on another place, I won't stay with the Glory Guild."
Whoosh.
A gentle breeze, neither cold nor warm, blew by. Was I on edge because of the changes that were foretold? The spinning wheels, the blowing wind, everything felt new and different.
Perhaps I wasn't the only one at the center of this change.
Maria.
A woman whose pure heart was so extreme it felt like mysophobia. A healer who covered herself in blood whenever she couldn't perfectly save people. Regardless of her abilities, she was someone who shook my heart every time I saw her.
"If you don't like the established way, there is also a path that no one has ever walked."
"Pardon?"
Her alluring eyes widened. Towards her eyes, which felt like they could pull me in, I gave a gentle smile.
"You'll find out soon enough. About what I'm planning to do."
The Hunter Qualification Test is both a festival and a place of frustration. For some, it's a chance to rise in status and gain wealth and fame; for others, it's a place where years of effort go down the drain, branding them as failures. But the final event of the qualification test could be called a pure festival.
The failures leave, and only the new Hunters who have earned their qualifications remain for the license ceremony.
"This must be quite moving."
"Ah, you're here."
In time for the license ceremony, Iron Arm came to the test site. He had said he wanted to be here from the beginning, but with Bi-soo at the test site and me acting as an examiner, there was no one to accompany him.
[My passing is a sure thing anyway, so just come in time for the ceremony! Ah, but by then, I might be such a big star that it'll be troublesome for you?]
Surprisingly (and annoyingly), Bi-soo's words had come true. Iron Arm said he had spotted Bi-soo but couldn't go near and greet her. An Esper of startling beauty who received an 'S-rank'.
Moreover, since she possessed a Buff Skill, which was rare in the world, there was no rookie more spectacular than her in terms of glamour. If Kang Jeong-hyeon hadn't appeared, she would have hogged all the spotlight today.
"Doesn't it seem like her nose is already a little higher in the air? It'll be a problem if she gets world-class syndrome."
"Haha. Wasn't her nose already perfectly straight?"
"Was it."
"To think the tomboyish young lady we met in the Poison Dungeon has become an S-ranker. I feel so proud."
These were people who had already faced life and death together in a dungeon. Iron Arm, with a face like a friendly uncle, waved at Bi-soo. Bi-soo, who was waiting on one side of the ceremony, spotted Iron Arm and bounced in her seat.
She, and Iron Arm as well, were both grinning from ear to ear. Seeing the corners of my own lips twitching up, I guess I wasn't much different.
'S-rank' Esper, Bi-soo.
Whatever path she walks, the Republic of Korea will treat her like a treasure.
"... With this, we conclude the Hunter license ceremony."
Bi-soo, wearing the badge symbolizing her S-rank, lifted her head towards us.
Hmm.
I think I'm going to have to push that high nose of hers down, even by force. I wanted to go up on the stage right now and press it down hard with my thumbs, but there was something I had to check first. The coming winds of change.
No, should this be called a Great Cataclysm?
"Ahem."
The applicants had all stepped down, and now only one person remained on the stage. The new Vice Chairman of the Hunter Association, Baek Jeong-dae. The time had come for the last of the conditions I had set to be revealed through his lips.
"There is an announcement for all Hunter officials present here."