Chapter 58

Team Building (3)

“We’ve booked a promotion review for two-persons under ‘J-corp.’”

“Yes, please wait a minute.”

The measurement center I had stopped by for the first time in a long while remained unchanged.

The ministry official in front of me spoke once more after checking the computer system.

“The reservation has been confirmed. Nate Hope and Amano Hibiki?”

I answered on behalf of the two. “That’s right.”

“Since both of you are foreigners, please present your passport and Hunter’s ID card together to confirm your identities.”

I then asked the official before the registration process was complete. “I didn’t make a reservation in advance. Can another apply for a promotion review?”

He paused, checking something for a moment. ” Since there is only one team of Hunters, which is your team for this morning’s review, I think it would be possible. By the way, there is no problem with the Mana Output review and Mana Control Capability Evaluation. Still, the Combat Capability Assessment may not be possible on the same day, is that okay? You may have to visit again later.”

It didn’t matter.

He hasn’t guessed it yet, but I wouldn’t need a combat capability assessment anyway. There was no need to make unnecessary trips.

“That’s all right.”

I couldn’t book a promotion review in advance under my name.

As I had already witnessed in the first measurement, the insider from the Ministry of Constitutional Affairs would soon tell Seo Gyu-Cheol about it.

‘Before things get tiring, I should disappear after finishing the screening.’

The receptionist spoke with his eyes still fixated on the monitor.

“Please tell me your name and the guild you belong to. Please give me your Hunter’s card, too.”

“I am Seo Jin-Wook.”

“Seo Jin··· Huh?”

The public official who heard the name raised his head and looked at my face. His expression changed dramatically.

“Oh….!”

My picture had never gotten in the press, so it was natural for people to not recognize me just by looking at my face. However, they couldn’t be unaware of the name, since I was one of the factors as to why Celestial Dragon was so famous on the news these days.

‘As a runaway heir, that is.’

The government official asked, “Do you belong to the same group as the other two….?”

Instead of giving the name of a company made up with the Senator’s help, I stated a different affiliation.

It was not impossible to belong in multiple companies at the same time, depending on the terms of the contract, but I intentionally stated the name of the guild still on my Hunter’s card.

“Celestial Dragon, please.”

*

There was a commotion among those waiting for the first measurement in the waiting room. Everyone’s ears were sharp, so they could clearly catch conversations from the reception desk.

“Seo Jin-Wook? Did he just say Seo Jin-Wook?”

“Oh wait, isn’t that really him? I saw that face when I went to the Celestial Dragon.”

“Why all of a sudden, at this point? Is it a promotion review?”

There was more commotion among guild employees who came with them than the Hunters who came to be measured.

“It’s not all of a sudden. It’s been months since he has awakened, so it’s about time he measured again.”

“I heard he’s never been in any exploration team since the Okcheon dungeon. Didn’t he lock himself somewhere because of the shock?”

“It’s the other way around. There’s a lot of rumors going around that he did not lock himself up in his room, but that he also did not return home ever since he ran away.”

“How long can the dearly raised young master hold out? He came back home because he couldn’t take it anymore!”

Although they tried to speak in a small voice that even the Awakens could not hear, it was still not enough to escape from my ears.

It was natural since they would regard my state as a D or C-ranked Hunter at best.

“Seo Gyu-Cheol must be a mess because of the internal situation of the Celestial Dragon. Did he send him to a promotion review right away?”

“There’s no way he’s done rounds at dungeons ever since he left his house, so wouldn’t it be the same if they measured him now?”

In fact, I had done my rounds. A whole lot of them.

“No. Seo Gyu-Cheol wouldn’t send his successor to a promotion review without thinking when he’s someone who can’t let his reputation down even if he could give up eating. I’m sure he allowed him to do so, now that he has reached a certain state.”

“There’s a lot of rumors going around that he’s got an extreme potential; he should at least be C-Rank, right?”

“That’s the rate that’s possible after months of serious rounds in the dungeon. How can a man who hasn’t even seen poked his nose at the gate get a promotion already?”

“I don’t know. Even if he didn’t go to the dungeon, he could have been madly engaged in Activating Mana training.”

“That method is less efficient.”

“That’s only your opinion. There’s nothing scientifically proven for one method to be any better than others yet!”

Everyone was talking with an empty tongue.

The general public opinion was on speculation that Seo Gyu-Cheol had intentionally sent me to the promotion review, as I had made some achievements when no one was looking.

Their guess was that this would serve as an opportunity to reverse the Celestial Dragon’s image, whose reputation was under fire, by showing off my undisputable growth to the public.

‘Their predictions were only half right.’

I was trying to show off my ability, but my real goal was to take Seo Gyu-Cheol’s seat, the man that had only been holding onto his position thanks to his symbolism as the first S-Ranked, and his shareholdings as a founder.

“But who are the people who are with him?”

“Isn’t the boy a minor?”

“No way!”

Leaving the murmurs behind, we went into the promotion room.

*

“Well, we will start with Ms. Amano Hibiki. This is Mana Output Evaluation. Please put your hands on the stone.”

Hibiki concentrated on pouring Mana into the Artifact, and the official’s eyes grew slightly larger after checking the figure.

“Hmmm…. You’ve got a C-Rank.”

Hibiki had indeed been trying pretty hard.

‘This is by just pure effort and talent. Even if the way one’s Awakening method had changed, the person won’t change.’

The official tilted his head.

“Hmm.”

The records he saw now would show that she was an E-Rank at the initial measurement.

It was not that there weren’t any instances where an E-Rank had risen to C-Rank within a month of measurement, but it was still shocking enough.

Contrary to that, the official’s reaction was rather calm. There was a reason for this.

“Well, you guys are from abroad. You must have had a complicated situation.”

He concluded that a hunter, who was originally a C-Rank, pretended to be a non-Awakened when she departed from Japan to avoid trouble. She then registered, as she said she Awakened from Korea and manipulated the results last time, since receiving a C-Rank in the initial measurement would make her appear on the news.

There were cases where an E-Rank quickly rose to a C-Rank, but nobody got a C-Rank from the first measurement.

I said with a grin, “It’s not going to be a problem, is it?”

“Well, it happens sometimes.”

From the government’s point of view, it was appreciated when the best hunters gathered from abroad. The official no longer dug in for the details.

“As you know, from the promotion review, there are two additional tests, including output testing.”

One wasn’t confirmed to be of C-Rank even if it measured so from the Mana Output testing.

“According to the results of the subsequent tests, the rank may increase or decrease.”

Unless other test results were superior or disastrous, they were most likely to show the same result, and they usually moved one class even if there was a change.

“We will start with the Mana Control Capability Assessment that we can do inside the center.”

Hibiki moved away, and Nate and I looked at the scene through the glass window.

Ten metal artifacts were placed in front in size and shape.

“Think of it as a three-dimensional puzzle.”

It was based on the pattern of the maze type dungeon.

“If you assemble the ten pieces in the right way, they will form a cube. Refer to the holographic images on which piece should be assembled to where and how.”

Indeed, a video that came up next to her was explaining how to assemble it.

Hibiki said in a dry voice, “You’re giving me the answers.”

“It’s not a test to assess spatial perception.”

In fact, it was not easy to assemble those, even with the correct answers.

Each of those pieces was an artifact; in other words, it responded to Mana.

Mana, which was concentrated to a specific pattern without the Awakened having to use a particular skill, contained a semblance of physical force, and it was called psychokinesis.

The evaluator must assemble the pieces with the force of the force lifted from the air.

“It is a given that each piece has a different weight, size, material, and other properties, and it responds to the Mana by changing its mass and volume. Some types turn when it comes in contact with Mana.”

The piece’s shape on how much Mana was injected, so the Awakened must maintain the Mana output optimized for assembly.

‘It’s not as easy as one thinks.’

For example, that huge cone piece was usually the heaviest, so you had to consume a lot of Mana, but if you were to pour it in without controlling yourself, the shape of the pointed part changes, so you had to keep a fine line.

On the other hand, a crown-like piece weighs light, but one couldn’t simply assemble it since it spun when it touched Mana that had been fired randomly. She needed to find an output that would stop it from turning.

‘It gets quite tricky if one doesn’t train regularly.’

The official then spoke.

“Scoring is done by giving 100 out of 100 points, and then is reduced every time a minus factor is found. If any piece touches the floor during assembly, you will get a 5 point deduction per frequency. From the moment the assembly time has passed more than 5 minutes, the points will be deducted by 1 point per 10 seconds. Then, we will get started.”

When the start signal went off, Hibiki concentrated on raising all the pieces of the puzzle in the air.

And ···

[Multiple Cognition]

Instead of touching the pieces one by one to examine their temper, Hibiki tapped everything with Mana simultaneously.

the ten pieces as the targets to see the reaction.

The precise experiment, of course, was only visible to my eyes.

Officials would mistake the scene in front of them as pieces reacting all at once because of random Mana.

‘This test result comes out perfect if she assembles it within 5 minutes without dropping any of it.’

Of course, the perfect score didn’t come out that easy.

‘How many seconds has it been?’

Hibiki, who gazed at the piece in the air, nodded as if she got the feeling.

She muttered, “I understand.”

“Huh?”

Officials, who were watching the scene, held their breath. Now, they could see it too. Not the Mana, but the state of each piece.

“Is everything stabilized?”

None of the ten were uncontrolled. It was all in the optimal condition to be assembled, fixed, and floating in the air.

“No way….?”

Hibiki gathered her two hands extended in front of her as if she were conducting a band. The change took place immediately.

Tuck!

Tuck tuck!

Tuck tuck tuck tuck!

There was not an ounce of error. It was to the point that it would make you mistakenly think that you were watching a replay of a cubic object receiving a shock and breaking apart into ten pieces. All the pieces of the puzzle were assembled in the air, finding their exact place.

I saw the terminal. ‘45 seconds.’ At this, a happy smile arose on my face. This time, it had been a new record ever since the Hunter’s promotion review began.

The official spoke in a quivering voice, “Th… The test is over! You can put down the completed cube.”

Despite the significant weight, Hibiki’s psychokinesis-controlled cube sank like a feather on the floor. There was not the slightest sound of shock. The score was automatically shown by the program that had analyzed the video. Well, they wouldn’t have had to calculate for it.

The official who checked the screen spoke, “Discount factor ···None. It’s 100 points. Congratulations.”

Clap, clap, clap!

Nate’s enthusiastic applause rang out. Hibiki bowed to the officials.

“Thank you. I appreciate your hard work.”

Her pronunciation was unbelievably accurate for someone that had just started studying Korean.

*

Nate was rated A in the Mana output evaluation. Officials didn’t fuss with it this time, either. However, he looked at us as if he knew what was going on, but chose not to comment on it.

“It must have been a while since you’ve been Awakened.”

However, Nate was already an adult, and they had no evidence of the exact point of his Awakening.

‘Like the stage set by Park Chang-Hee, there is no problem if one is not caught underage.’

In the ensued puzzle assembly, there was a deduction by dropping the piece on the floor in the middle, but as a result of making the five-minutes cut, he received an excellent score of 90 points.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such great people. I understand why you invited them from abroad.”

I nodded without supplying a verbal answer.

“Well, next is Mr. Seo Jin-Wook?”

I put my hand on the stone.

Curiosity flared in the eyes of government officials. They must have heard the rumor of a man with enormous potential, who in turn had caused several psychokinetic storms before his Awakening.

So, what would the rate of growth be like?

‘It should get at least to the point that it would be engraved in their memories.’

To the extent that it would leave a deep impression on the public.

Whoo!

Mana gathered in my hands and started to intertwine. I could see the stone shining blue.

“Uh…. Uh?”

The figure in the monitor has already begun to rise, and officials have noticed at a glance that the rate was unusual.

How many measurements should they have seen, all while sitting in that place?

However, they had never before seen a scene like this before.

Whoooooooooong!

The stone would have for sure been crushed and turned to a powder if I did not regulate the Mana output.

“H-Hold on,” Someone murmured meaningless words.

He wasn’t aware of what he just had said.

Whoo! Whoong!

The stone kept sucking my Mana.

‘They should use a good artifact··· In this era, it was not distributed until Korea.’

I kept injecting Mana at the rate that Artifact could take.

That alone made me take some time with my task. A trembling voice could be heard over there.

“The mana’s still getting absorbed!”

“No, wait a minute. Didn’t he already go over C-Rank?”

“He already passed the C-Rank a while ago! He’s at the high B-Rank state now… But it’s too fast. And it’s still going on.”

“Isn’t there…. something wrong?”

Their murmur of bafflement died down. Around me, only the resonating hum of the Artifact and the low breathing of government officials reverberated. The stillness had been created by confusion. Everyone was suspicious of his eyes, but they couldn’t take their eyes back from one direction.

And there I was.

“Gasp!”

One of them made a rumbling sound like a drowning man when Mana’s total amount absorbed by the stone exceeded A-Rank.

‘It’s not enough yet.’

A hunter who had grown to A-Rank in just a few months of Awakening. This was slightly better than the original Seo Jin-Wook’s of the previous life, who had been labeled the century’s genius.

‘I can’t stop at that point now.’

More, I poured in more. Heavy movements like ocean currents headed continuously in one direction.

‘So that no one can disagree with me even if I become the symbol to represent the Celestial Dragon right now.’

It was the first step toward meeting the requirements.

Whoo!

When I finally finished injecting Mana and took my hands off. People couldn’t even breathe now. After a while, someone broke the silence.

“Oh, my God.”

Their faces were full of distrust. Their expressions showed that this couldn’t possibly be happening. However, they knew best that no errors or mistakes could occur in the measurement process. That was why their heads were more messed up. The person in charge of the measurement spoke urgently.

“L-Let’s do it again! I’ll get the Mana Potion ready.”

I merely shrugged in reply.

This was the consequence that I had already been expecting.

I answered with ease, “Well, let’s just repeat it to the point where I won’t get a potion shock.”

They didn’t even turn their heads to hear what I had been saying, but they just looked at the screen. The pupils shook relentlessly. Someone managed to bring out the result, which everyone dared not to speak of it as if they could not readily admit it and believe.

“Active Manna, over 30,000! ··SS-Class!”

Except for Han-Seol, who kept her talents and herself hidden under Seo Gyu-Cheol, it was the moment an SS-Rank hunter officially appeared for the first time in Korea.