Chapter 27 - B Rank (2)

B Rank (2)

The monster leaped high, almost flying, and the huge Golem’s fist turned to the monster.

Wow! A single blow has crushed one arm of the Golem.

Then the monster threw the spear again.

This time, it was aimed at Il-hyun, at great speed.

Bang!

Il-hyun raised his sword at the right moment and blocked it. The spear crashed next to him.

He stretched his hand to the spear on the ground and grabbed it firmly.

He tried to steal the weapon, but it was no use.

With its hand stretched out, the monster called back the spear. Il-hyun couldn’t hold on it with his power.

Boom! The spear flew and went back to the monster’s waiting hand.

The skin of Il-hyun’s right hand was peeled off, and blood dripped down. It was painful.

The monster that recovered the weapon jumped and smashed the Golem’s head.

The Golem lost its balance and tilted, and then the monster speared it down from the top. The spear broke through the Golem’s side, and it collapsed to rubble.

The sharp spear is now pointed at him again.

Caen!

Il-hyun wielded his sword, and when it crashed against the spear, the spear broke in half!

The monster was astonished and froze on the spot.

The monster was shocked. It was impossible for the spear to break with just that little power.

However, Il-hyun laughed knowingly and, at that same moment, swung his sword against the monster’s neck.

When Il-hyun held the monster’s spear earlier, he used his transformation ability to weaken the weapon’s hardness.

Quork!

The monster caught the sword with its bare hands.

The blade dug into the the monster’s palms. Dark blood flowed from it.

Il-hyun’s put more strength to his sword.

The monster knelt on the ground as it tried to endure the attack.

Once again, Il-hyun’s gazeandthe monster’s met.

In the heat of that stare, he felt his hatred intensify.

“Be quiet… die!”

Il-hyun exclaimed, and at the same time, a giant snake appeared behind the monster and swallowed it up!

Qaw aah!

A three-story building had been transformed into the huge snake, and as the snake writhed around, it struck other buildings, throwing vast amounts of dirt and debris.

Il-hyun stepped back, and only after the dust subsided was he able to identify the torn monster’s body.

“Hoo…”

Il-hyun exhaled loudly, filled with a sense of accomplishment.

Meanwhile, Lee Soo-yeon jumped over the debris and approached.

She looked down at the fallen monster and looked amazed.

“You caught it yourself…?”

“I got lucky.”

Said Il-hyun.

His words were full of pride.

Monsters of rank B were stronger than he thought, and it was only possible to defeat it because his ability was not blocked.

“Anyway, I broke my tooth, can this be fixed?”

Il-hyun said while touching the missing part of the molar with his index finger.

He felt his nerves, and it was a bad feeling that stung.

His beaten face was swollen slightly.

“What… right. I’ve broken mine a few times, and it grew up again in a day.”

Nowadays, even if a few teeth went out, a few pills can make them grow again. It was not a big problem.

The problem was that the drug price was a little high.

Lee Soo-yeon still found it difficult to believe the situation. She walked around the monster’s body and asked Il-hyun.

“How long has it been since the last time you were tested as an Awakener?”

“Well… It would have been two weeks ago. Why are you asking now?”

“Haha… Maybe you should try it again.”

Lee Soo-yeon laughed as if the thought was absurd.

* * *

Aegis inspection laboratory was in the basement.

A day has passed since the end of the operation in the Philippines.

Beyond the glass window, Il-hyun looked at the machine that measured his body.

It was the second Awakened testing procedure for Il-hyun, and he went through several items without awkwardness.

Strength, wits, judgment, etc.

From simple measurement to simulation using virtual reality, results were combined.

Aegis produced more accurate results with fewer errors than other professional inspection stations and government inspections using its own developed equipment.

Of course, it took a lot of time.

After a few tests, he was given a break for a while, and Il-hyun lay down on a bench.

The employee who was in charge of the inspection went out of the laborartory.

Meanwhile, Lee Soo-yeon and Jung Jin-sung were waiting for a brief internal meeting.

“How is it going?”

“It’s exhausting, but looking at these numbers, he seems to be in B rank. All aspects have improved dramatically since the first test. The exact thing will be known after the inspection is over.”

The employee said, sticking his tongue out.

In his words, Lee Soo-yeon smiled with satisfaction, and Jung Jin-sung burst into laughter.

“However, that fast? Doesn’t he need more time to increase his rank?”

It has been a short period, less than two weeks after joining the Aegis team.

There were a lot of cases of Awakeners in other companies that couldn’t match the level of monsters they faced during their first two weeks in their companies.

It was hard to believe that Il-hyun grew up to surpass his class in just that period.

“I think it’s because of his ability.”

“Are you talking about the predation ability you mentioned last time?”

Lee Soo-yeon nodded at his question.

“I thought it was nothing. He’s not the first one to have that kind of ability.”

Jung Jin-sung shook his head and questioned her.

Predation ability could be found in a lot of Awakeners.

The bizarre ability to eat the flesh and intestines of the monsters was well known to the public.

However, even if it’s a famous ability, it was an ability in the D-rank, and the growth gained by eating monsters was not very large.

There was also a side effect that gradually changed the Awakener’s skin and appearance.

From the standpoint of Jung Jin-sung, he found it inconvenient, and he would not want to have it even it could be given freely to him.

He was more interested in summoning or transforming than predating.

It was more powerful and effective to use both functions.

In particular, the Summoning ability was rare enough to be seen.

However, Lee Soo-yeon, who knew more about Il-hyun’s ability, felt different.

“It’s fundamentally different. It absorbs the core of the monster’s ether. It affects the mental and psychological function of the Awakener.”

“Mental?”

When he asked, Lee Soo-yeon explained to him what had happened in Ulsan. About Il-hyun’s first mission in Aegis and the days when he showed her another aspect of predation.

Then, Jung Jin-sung, who was listening to the story, got convinced. He nodded and began to go.

“Is it just that?”

No matter if one entered the B-level, it shouldn’t mean that one could defeat B-rank monsters anytime soon.

Different monsters’ abilities, patterns, and unexpected situations.

Unlike in simulations, there were more variables that could affect the outcome of real-life battles with high-ranked monsters.

An Awakener’s experience will allow them to cope with multiple variables, and the difference in experience would determine winning or losing.

But what if the predatory ability mentally bridged the difference in the experience?

Even the monster’s special ability of blocking was completely ignored, so it’s possible.

“Then how could he have known how to use this ability?”

“I don’t have the answer to that. He was just lucky, perhaps.”

Lee Soo-yeon shook her shoulders and her head.

It was the same with Jung Jin-sung, who has an A-rank ability.

Only a higher level of ability could stop the monster’s blocking ability.

There must be an overwhelming difference between Il-hyun’s ability and the B-ranked monster.

“Anyway, he’s really growing at a fast pace.”

“I thought we had to wait a few months before he could contribute to the team. Wait, don’t you think he can be ranked A soon?”

Jung Jin-sung fluttered.

In Aegis, when the rank of an Awakened person climbed to A rank, it was Jin-sung who took over the team member directly.

“Maybe… I never thought he could catch a B rank mob alone.”

Defeat the B-rank monster alone.

It was something that Il-hyun did yesterday.

There were dozens of confirmation calls to Aegis asking whether this record on the site was a typo.

Not only outside, but also inside Aegis, the rookie has become quite a topic.

However, it seemed Il-hyun himself could not feel the impact of what he’d done.

“I wonder where the limits are.”

Jung Jin-seong murmured.

* * *

“B rank!”

Il-hyun, who came out of the lab, clenched his fist while holding the test results.

He actually achieved a grade that seemed impossible for him in the past.

He expected to be around between B and C, but this was completely beyond his expectations.

There was nothing more pleasant to the Awakener than getting promoted in rank, and Il-hyun walked vigorously.

“Oh, brother. What was the result?”

When Il-hyun entered the basement gym room, Ghost was wiping off his sweat with a towel.

The mask that was covering his face was thrown to the side.

“B rank!”

Il-hyun smiled and opened the test paper, and Ghost’s eyes widened.

“Yeah, it’s amazing! Would you like to drink?”

“I thought you were busy?”

“We’ll be dispatched in a few days anyway, well. I’m probably going to stick around all day, so I’ll spend my time with alcohol. It’s perfect.”

“Ah… Yes.”

Due to the nature of Aegis’s fast rotation, Team A was soon to be dispatched.

It was difficult for team members to be far from each other because they immediately have to go out together whenever there was a surprise gate.

Ghost suddenly stood up and made a suggestion.

“I must see how much your power has increased.”