31

In front of us were a small training room and a place to register as an awakener. I stopped for a while and observed the building from outside.

I turned to Yoo Ee-Na.

“Instead of the daggers you’re using or close combat fighting, how about using a gun?”

“A gun?”

“I heard that there are some Hunters that use guns as their weapons.”

“There’s just one like that. His name is Taylor Adams, a unique skill holder in the US. He is now working as an advisor to a Navy SEAL team, and there’s a movie showing his story of sniping monsters from twenty-one kilometers away. Haven’t you heard of it?”

“I haven’t. It was just a suggestion, and I didn’t know that there was already someone who does that.”

She looked at me as if she saw something absurd. Anyway…

“Try guns. I’m not telling you to snipe but use your ability to get closer to your opponent and shoot the gun point-blank. In my opinion, guns are the best weapons for you.”

Yoo Ee-Na was watching me quietly. What was with that face?

… Oh, I think I got it now.

“I know I’m charming. You can stare at me whenever you want, but let’s go inside first.”

* * *

The procedure of registering was quite simple.

First, you must check if you were an awakener or not. There is a crystal sphere in the middle of a table, and people were supposed to place their hands on it.

Awakeners usually have more than one aura. That was the most common trace of awakening.

All you had to do was possess an aura. I might not be an awakener, but I knew how to use and manipulate my aura. It was easy to pass the first test.

After that, you would write down your name and address, get your number, and wait to be called for the next test. How simple was it? Well, the actual test was much simpler in theory.

All you had to do was fight with a monster. Not an actual monster, but just a hologram of it. If you were to win against it, a stronger monster appears. This process will be repeated until you are defeated, and that’s how they will determine your rank. The strongest monsters will be from an S-rated dungeon.

Today was a Monday. Mondays to Thursdays were for the awakeners registering for the first time, and the remaining days were for updating their statuses. I had received a piece of paper with a number on it. Looking down, I saw that my number was 155. There was also a total of 155 people for the registration today.

Yoo Ee-Na whispered at my side.

“You got the last number?”

“I guess so.”

“I guess you really are unlucky.”

***

The second test had started.

The first candidate for registration entered the training room. From the opposite side of the room, a bright light came on and formed into the shape of a monster. It was a ground hound from an F-rated dungeon.

It looked like a hound with numerous, threatening, sharp teeth. If you couldn’t kill this monster, you can’t become a Hunter. Candidates can choose their weapons, and the man chose a longsword.

With the sound of a bell, the test started. The monster and the man rushed toward each other simultaneously. With a loud crash, the longsword collided with the hound’s tusks. Eventually, it was the ground hound who stepped back. The first candidate then used his longsword to cut the hound’s head.

“Isn’t this too inefficient?”

“Why?”

“I think they are determining a Hunter’s rank just by their physical abilities. That doesn’t sound right.”

It really seemed inefficient. There were a lot of aspects to judge about a Hunter’s ability, but all they cared about were the physical skills.

Yoo Ee-Na sighed and explained the reason for it.

“We had no choice.”

“Why?”

“Everyone can learn skills through a skill stone. And if you have money, skill stones are affordable. If they allow skills to be used, there’s a big chance that people who just have the skills but are not ready for actual battle can become Hunters. We are trying to prevent that.”

Alright, that made sense. But I also had another question.

“Then why is no one holding a gun?”

Yoo Ee-Na smiled awkwardly and tried to explain. “I’ll just tell you now. We can’t use guns at the gates.”

“Seriously?”

“To be more specific, we can’t use any explosive weapons, including gun powder.”

What kind of rule was that?

“For instance, all guns melt when near a gate. That’s why the skilled stone for ‘explosion’ is expensive. They can’t bring guns to fight inside.”

“All kinds, including nuclear weapons?”

“Yes. In fact, the army went inside a gate with those weapons, and they all failed. That’s why the demand for Hunters has risen significantly. As it gets more and more complicated, Hunters and ordinary people have to divide their zones.”

“But you just told me that there is a sniper from America.”

“That’s true, but he does that from outside of the gate. You know about ‘dungeon break,’ right?”

“Yes, I’ve heard about it briefly.”

It was interesting to hear that. It would have been easier for us to clear the gates if those weapons were usable inside. In fact, a single nuclear bomb can blow up a gate.

However, apparently, they couldn’t. It seemed that the system was limiting the use of weapons like that. But why? Why would they provide inadequate power to the Hunters and make them fight with the gate?

It was odd. It reminded me of monkeys in the zoo, receiving food from their keepers who controlled them for their entertainment.

Why did the gates and the system appear in the first place?

Everything must have a reason. And was it just a coincidence that they appeared just as I went to Valhalla?

As soon as I had gone there, the gates and the system had simultaneously appeared. That doesn’t sound right, and it certainly was disturbing. While I was lost in my thoughts, Ee-Na asked.

“…Why are you laughing? It’s freaking me out.”

I just then noticed that I was laughing. I didn’t even know I was doing that.

“It’s nothing. I just thought of something disturbing.”

***

The first candidate was now fighting with a C-ranked monster.

Goblin. It was a rather common name for a monster, and it sounded easier to kill than it was. However, a goblin is the standard opponent for this rank.

F-ranked and E-ranked monsters did not have the capacity to use tools. However, those that were C-ranked and above were able to use tools like humans did.

The first candidate was on the last stage of the test. He fought with ten goblins but eventually lost.

He was able to get to that stage solely through his physical abilities. That meant that he was quite talented. A lot of guilds were attempting to scout him and convince him to join them.

I checked the time and saw that it had taken ten minutes for him to finish the test.

“How was that person?” I asked Yoo Ee-Na.

“You mean the person who just got C-ranked?”

“Yeah.”

“I wouldn’t take him.”

“Why?”

“…He does know martial arts and some sword skills as well, but…”

“But?”

“When he killed the goblin, he hesitated.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. He took some damage that he could have dodged. He is more suitable for a guild than for ROKHA.”

Yoo Ee-Na’s eyes were asking for my confirmation. I do have a lot of experience and knew that it was time to nod.

“I suppose you are correct.”

Time passed as more and more candidates took the test. We had gotten to the fiftieth candidate, but there was no one else to scout for. The first person had been the best so far. Everyone else lasted for only a few minutes.

“I suppose it’s hard to find a talented awakener.”

Yoo Ee-Na was half asleep when I said that, so she reacted to my words belatedly.

“Wh—what were you saying?”

“Maybe you should wipe your mouth first. You were drooling.”

“………”

With that, I continued to observe the candidates.

As I had mentioned before, I would do my best for my job. When you did a task, responsibility was the first priority. That was what I had always thought and lived by.

Even if their physical abilities were low, I checked for someone who had potential. I didn’t like the first candidate since he was acting weird. To me, he kind of looked like a pervert. His face was full of bliss when killing a monster. He was the type of guy who would get horny while killing something. That was why I didn’t go for him, but compared to the others, he seemed to be the best.

While I was yawning, a kid stepped out into the ring. She was a girl no taller than 5 feet 5 inches and was wearing a school uniform. I could confidently say that she was the most interesting candidate so far.

Even if she was physically weak, she had strong eyes.

She immediately rushed toward the monster, but it was her who was blown away. The monster lunged at her and broke her arms. It was quite a severe injury.

However, a surprising thing happened. Light glowed around her and, in an instant, her injury was completely healed. Even I stared in surprise.

She had a healing ability.

According to what I have heard, at least a hundred thousand dollars was required to buy a healing skill stone.

“Did you learn your healing skills?”

The girl shook her head.

“Nope. I had it from the beginning.”

***

Yoo Ee-Na was definitely surprised to hear that.

If she had that skill from the beginning, that meant that she was also a unique skill holder. Unique skill holders were very rare. In fact, there are only ten in this world. Only one or two awakeners with this ability are registered annually, but Park Jeong-Nam and this girl were both unique skill holders. And this was just in Korea.

A lot of people immediately approached her, guild members who were trying to scout her. Even crowded malls with a 90% sale were not as vapid as this.

While everyone was crowding around her, a huge boom came from the middle of the room. It was Lee Hwan, and he caught everyone’s attention.

“Let’s talk about that later. I still have to take the test.”

That settled everything. Everyone knew by now that he was the brother of Lee Ho. That was why they did as he said, and the testing resumed.

A lot of candidates were tested, and now it was finally his turn. Everyone paid full attention to him, knowing that he was the Implementer Lee Ho’s brother. And everyone was wondering the same thing—if he was as powerful as his brother.

Lee Hwan stood in front of everyone and declared.

“Start from the most difficult one.”

“…Are you sure?”

“It’s past 6 pm. It’s already later than usual. I’ll make it quick.”

“…If that’s what you want.”

The exam officer, Kim Cheol-Soo, set the dials for the test.

As the light began to flow, the monster appeared in front of him. It was a large black orc. With a height of three meters tall, it was definitely a boss monster. Usually, orcs are B-rated, but this one was exceptional. It was the king of the orcs, and it required no less than an S-rated Hunter to fight it.

Lee Hwan thought that this orc looked quite familiar.

“Isn’t this the one that I fought before?”

He recalled the day he returned to Earth. The orc he had fought looked just like this. If they could represent orcs in a hologram like this, then that must mean that orcs had been appearing a lot.

Interesting.

Lee Hwan had only heard about them from myths, but they actually existed here.

“For the S-rated exam, you can use your skills.”

To be honest, that did not really matter much.

Lee Hwan looked back at Yoo Ee-Na. She had already befriended the girl with the healing skills. “You told me that your skill’s name is ‘accelerate.’”

Ee-Na nodded.

“Do you want to know what the skill’s exact name is?”

“…What is it?”

Exact name? That was an odd thing to hear.

‘Does he mean the precise naming?’ Yoo Ee-Na wondered, and Lee Hwan, with a smile, answered.

“I am not any man’s man but my own.”

“What?”

Lee Hwan did not reply. He closed his eyes, and a thick, black aura covered him. After reinforcing his aura, he was ready to go.

To him, everything became slower.

To the rapt audience, he became faster. 1.2 times, 1.4 times, 1.6 times, then finally, two times faster than the normal speed.

With this, Lee Hwan stepped forward. With his every move, his aura sparkled. Everyone felt the pressure that was pressing down on the orc.

Their faces were filled with astonishment, and no one was able to react to his attack.

To be more precise, everything did not become slower. It was Hwan who had become faster. That was the mechanism of Ee-Na’s skill.

That could only be done by someone who has overcome their limit. Hwan was one of those people.

He approached the giant orc and flicked the orc’s forehead with a finger. That was enough to crush the king of the orcs. From its head to its feet, every part of the orc immediately shattered at his flick.

Lee Hwan turned his head. Yoo Ee-Na froze and the only thing she could have done at that moment was stare at him.

He smiled at her and commented, “Again, I know that I’m charming.”