This was extremely bewildering.
I had closed my eyes and waited, assuming she would approach me, but I never imagined she would suddenly rush over, cling to my trouser leg, and burst into tears.
She seemed to be apologizing repeatedly, but since I had not done anything, the situation felt terribly unfair.
At this rate, I might be branded a criminal despite having done absolutely nothing....
“Everyone, lower your phones.”
A deep voice instantly silenced the noisy room.
Mana echoed like gentle waves, sweeping across the bodies of the Hunters in the examination hall.
Intimidated by that alone, the Hunters immediately turned toward the source of the voice.
“I apologize for being late. Something urgent required my attention, so I was delayed.”
He was late.
And to an important event like an examination, no less.
However, no one present dared to complain.
That was only natural.
Even I, who had been too busy working construction jobs to pay much attention to Hunters, knew who the man was.
After detaching the woman clinging to my leg, I stared wide-eyed at the man standing in the center of the room and looking in our direction.
No—
“As I am sure you all know, I will introduce myself. My name is Jeong Chanu. Although I am embarrassed to have received an alias while still only an A-Rank Hunter, I am known as Comet.”
Until a year ago, Jeong Chanu had been considered the A-Rank Hunter closest to becoming Korea’s next S-Rank Hunter after Kim Taeseong.
That was why he possessed an alias, the mark of a famous Hunter.
Why would such a promising individual appear at an E-Rank Promotion Exam?
My question was answered almost absurdly by Jeong Chanu’s next words.
“This is not normally my responsibility, but we are short-staffed, so I have been assigned as your exam supervisor.”
Hmm.
Even the famous Awakened Association suffered from staff shortages.
I could tell immediately from the exhaustion in his voice.
Even famous Hunters were still human.
Perhaps he was tired, because he rubbed his eyelids and spoke with a sigh.
“Could someone explain what is happening here?”
“I did absolutely nothing, but this woman suddenly grabbed my trouser leg and began sobbing.”
“H-He is right....”
No, agreeing that quickly made it sound as though I had threatened her.
I truly had not done anything.
I had barely even looked at her.
With all my resentment showing in my eyes, I watched Jeong Chanu approach.
‘Ah....’
As expected of an A-Rank Hunter.
He understood the truth!
Jeong Chanu nodded as though he understood and immediately separated the woman and me.
“I do not know what happened between you, but I would appreciate it if you continued after the examination.”
“....”
Apparently not.
He was only doing this because he wanted to finish his work quickly.
There was not a single person in this world I could trust.
“Squeak.”
Right.
At least I could trust you....
Feeling Cheori quietly squirming inside my pocket, I swallowed my tears.
I never imagined I would come to trust a snake more than a person.
Unaware of my feelings, Jeong Chanu moved to the center of the examination hall, cleared his throat, and spoke.
“The contents of this E-Rank Promotion Exam are simple. This examination will consist of a sparring match against me.”
What?
That was completely different from what I had expected.
Until now, the E-Rank Promotion Exam had involved entering a Gate and killing monsters.
I had not expected it to change so suddenly.
“Some of you may have believed that the primary objective would be to enter an E-Rank Gate, fight monsters, and return with twenty monster materials.”
Jeong Chanu pushed up his glasses and clasped his hands behind his back.
“However, it was recently discovered that an increasing number of examinees have been forming parties and hunting together during the exam.”
It was commonly called party hunting.
It referred to forming a team and hunting monsters together.
Jeong Chanu looked at the people who flinched as though struck by guilt.
There was nothing inherently wrong with it.
Hunters normally formed parties and hunted monsters together inside Gates.
However—
“I have heard that there are cases in which an entire party is formed solely for the sake of one individual.”
The situation changed when someone acted as a carrier and promoted an ‘unqualified’ candidate.
That was clearly cheating.
Therefore, the examination format had been changed.
That was what Jeong Chanu explained.
“This E-Rank Promotion Exam will test whether each of you possesses the ability to continue advancing as a Hunter. Therefore, do not worry. You may use your skills against me without restraint.”
They would use their skills directly against an A-Rank Hunter.
Only those who received his approval would become E-Rank Hunters.
It was an extremely simple method.
“Those judged to possess exceptional talent may also receive special benefits, so I ask that you give this examination everything you have.”
After saying that, Jeong Chanu quietly turned and walked toward the door.
“I will be waiting in Training Room Nine on the second basement floor. Please arrive within ten minutes.”
Step. Step.
Jeong Chanu disappeared with his hands clasped behind his back.
The moment he left, everyone in the examination hall vanished almost instantly.
From behind, I watched the people gathering in front of the elevators and the others rushing toward the stairs.
Left alone in the examination hall, I quietly looked around.
‘She is gone.’
The woman who had been clinging to me and sobbing only moments ago had also disappeared.
Who in the world was she?
‘She did seem somewhat familiar....’
Had I done something terrible to her?
I tilted my head in genuine contemplation and began walking down the stairs.
***
The second basement floor looked entirely different from the floors aboveground.
The walls were pure white.
Mana radiated from them.
‘So this is Mana Ore.’
There were stones commonly known as Mana Stones.
The reason for the name was simple: they contained mana.
Mana Stones could be broadly divided into Mana Crystals and Mana Ore.
First, the crystallized mana found inside a monster’s heart was called a Mana Crystal.
Mana Crystals were among the most important new resources of the modern age and were used as fuel for Mana Devices.
Unlike Mana Crystals, Mana Ore referred to minerals extracted from inside Gates.
They were ores imbued with mana.
Because of that, the properties of Mana Ore were entirely different from those of ordinary minerals.
I quietly ran my hand across the wall, which was made entirely of Mana Ore.
It was fascinating.
These were the famous training-room walls of the Awakened Association, said to restore themselves even after being destroyed.
After spending quite some time touching and examining the wall, I turned at the sound of clapping.
Jeong Chanu stood in the center of the training room marked with the number ‘9,’ a sword hanging at his waist.
“I will assume that everyone has arrived. We will now begin the E-Rank Promotion Exam. Examinee 701, please step forward.”
A black-haired man approached Jeong Chanu with a deeply tense expression.
Jeong Chanu stared calmly at the man without even drawing the sword at his waist.
The man glared at Jeong Chanu and gathered his mana.
‘Oh.’
WHOOSH.
Flames rose above the man’s right hand.
However, how should I put it...?
‘They are small.’
They were small.
Extremely so.
The flames burning above his hand were only about as powerful as those of a particularly strong lighter.
After producing the flames, the man bent his knees and charged toward Jeong Chanu.
“HAAAAAH!”
WHOOSH!
The moment he drew near, the man swung his flame-covered right hand.
Jeong Chanu did not evade.
He simply stood still and allowed the attack to strike him.
Then he quietly spoke.
“This is barely enough to pass.”
“Y-Yes!”
What?
“You will need to increase your firepower considerably before attempting the D-Rank Promotion Exam.”
“Understood!”
Seriously?
My jaw dropped as I watched the man celebrate his passing result.
That was enough to pass?
Unable to believe it, I repeatedly opened and closed my mouth.
“Next, Examinee 702, please step forward.”
One after another, the Hunters approached Jeong Chanu.
Their abilities were not significantly different from Examinee 701’s.
Every single one of them was weak.
Extremely weak.
I knew that Black Dragon was powerful, but was the difference really this severe?
“E-Excuse me....”
“...?”
As I watched with a hollow laugh, I turned toward the voice beside me.
The Short-Haired Woman from earlier was timidly trying to get my attention.
What was she planning to do this time?
I immediately looked at her warily.
Seeing my expression, she hurriedly whispered,
“I-It is not what you think. I came to apologize.”
“...Apologize?”
“I am sorry.... I never expected to encounter you here, so I panicked.”
I tilted my head and stared at her.
She had never expected to encounter me?
What was that supposed to mean?
When she saw that I did not understand, the woman squeezed her eyes shut and shouted,
“Y-You are the person who saved me last time!”
“Saved... Ah!”
I understood now.
That was why her face had seemed familiar.
She was the woman I had encountered when I killed the Orc Lord.
The world truly was small.
I had never expected to meet her again like this.
Smiling brightly, I said to her,
“It seems you managed to escape from the Orcs safely.”
The woman quietly nodded.
Then she lowered her head and muttered in a voice barely louder than a mouse.
“I am sorry....”
“For what?”
“Gasp!”
Had she thought I would not hear her when we were standing this close together?
I blinked at the startled woman.
She hesitated, then suddenly tried to drop to her knees.
“Stop.”
“Eek!?”
“Please, just stop.”
If she knelt here again, I really would be socially executed.
Setting everything else aside, why was this woman so quick to drop to her knees?
Only then did she realize that she should not do it.
She squeezed her eyes shut and cried out softly.
“I-I took a picture of you, Black Dragon, and uploaded it to the internet!”
“...A picture of me?”
“I took a picture of you dealing with the Orcs and posted it online!”
Hmm.
My face had not appeared in the photograph.
In that case—
“I do not particularly care.”
“...What?”
“Did you write something strange?”
“N-No. But rumors spread that Black Dragon was an F-Rank Hunter....”
“That is fine. I really am F-Rank.”
At my casual reply, the woman’s jaw quietly dropped.
She did not seem to believe me, but I truly was an F-Rank Hunter.
I merely happened to be strong enough to kill an A-Rank Monster with a single blow.
“Was that why you were acting like this?”
“Yes. I thought I had caused harm to the person who saved my life....”
It was not much of a reason.
However, judging by her face, she did not agree.
Her dark circles had nearly reached her chin.
No wonder I had failed to recognize her immediately.
“Still, we ended up meeting again.”
“Yes! My family strongly disapproves of me becoming a Hunter.... I could not apply online, so I registered on-site. I never imagined I would encounter you here.”
“Hehe.”
The woman smiled brightly and scratched the back of her head.
“Come to think of it, I do not know your name.”
“What?”
“What is your name?”
“My name is Cheon Yuna.”
“I am Han Mir. I look forward to seeing you around.”
I smiled and extended my hand toward Cheon Yuna.
She stared at it for a moment before belatedly flinching and grasping it.
“I-I look forward to seeing you too!”
“Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up, you should prepare for the examination.”
I quietly turned my gaze to the side.
By then, joy and despair had begun appearing on the faces of the once-large crowd.
“U-Understood. B-But....”
“Yes?”
“You may speak casually to me. I only use polite speech because it feels more comfortable....”
“Hmm. All right. Then I will speak casually.”
There was no reason to refuse if that was what she wanted.
I shrugged, then stood when I heard Jeong Chanu call my number.
“Examinee 738. Please step forward.”
It was finally my turn.
I lightly loosened my neck as I walked into the training area.
‘He said that someone with exceptional talent might receive special benefits.’
I had no idea what those ‘special benefits’ were.
‘But I was never planning to hold back.’
Black Dragon’s fist had killed even a B-Rank Monster with a single blow.
Would it also work against Jeong Chanu, the man known as the strongest A-Rank Hunter?
I was curious.
Therefore, I had no intention of taking this lightly.
I planned to face this ‘sparring match’ with my full strength.
“Come forward.”
Jeong Chanu stood there with a completely relaxed expression.
He had told me to come forward.
After nodding once, I kicked off the ground with all my strength and charged.
[Black Dragon]
CRACKLE.
Scales instantly erupted across my arm.
The moment Jeong Chanu saw my right arm transform into something no longer human—
“...!”
His expression hardened, and he drew his sword.