CH 29

The process of registering as a hunter in the novel is as follows.

[…Kang Si-hoo walked into the association. Just like him, there was a line of people who’d received a number tag, and at the very front, was where a rating meter made of mana stone stood. The woman who was measuring the grades in the silent room, said.

“Class E. Please register with the receptionist to the left.”

The words were divided between joy and sorrow. The man who was measured as E-Class had a look of despair, and the man right behind him looked relieved. He must be thinking that he will be evaluated better than that man.

However, there were only a few hunters with C-Class and higher in the world, and it was even more difficult to find an A-Class. There have only been a few S-classes in Korea with the highest grade, so it would be foolish to expect that such an accomplishment can be achieved. In the first place, if you had that level of ability, you would have noticed it instinctively. That your own strength was superior….

…Kang Si-hoo placed his hand on the mana stone slowly with a tense face. The mana stone, which was probably the largest in Korea, whispered in his ear as soon as his hand touched it.

– Welcome, unobservable fate.

It was a clear human-like voice.]

A Grading Tool is a special device created by adding artificial intelligence to mana stones. In order to activate the rating meter, the creator, or someone who has the relevant skills had to be next to it. There have also been attempts to steal it by the rumors that what it’s worth was astronomical, but it was impossible due to its theft prevention function.

This was the very first ‘Grading Tool’ developed in Korea, and later on, the world’s first Grading system was introduced using this Grading Tool. Isn’t that amazing? That from a country that has a surprisingly good water supply system as well.

However, as soon as I entered the association, I felt puzzled.

‘What?’

Piercing eyes. As if looking at an animal in the zoo, bystanders gave me a stinging gaze that I could easily notice. When I looked at the place where I could feel their gaze, most turned their heads and pretended they weren’t staring, but there were some that didn’t even try to hide their gazes.

I looked down at my body to see if there was something wrong with my outfit, but there was nothing wrong. Baek Tae-beom lowered his head toward me and whispered.

“It’s because of me.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Maybe it’s because I’m a high-ranking hunter? Right now, there are only a few S-Classes in Korea.”

I was convinced by Baek Tae-beom’s words. In the current era, Class-B hunters or higher can be seen as celebrities, and even more so if you were an S-Class like Baek Tae-beom, it should be expected to receive this kind of attention. Moreover, it was natural to wonder about the man standing next to him they’d just seen for the first time.

“Are you nervous, Hyung?”

“No, not really. You’re right by my side, after all.”

I said boldly and walked towards the reception desk. Baek Tae-beom followed mew a beat later.

“Excuse me….”

“A-ah, yes!”

The receptionist greeted me with an awkward tone. Still feeling eyes furtively staring from behind me, I suddenly realized that Baek Tae-beom really was a celebrity.

“I’m here to measure my class.”

“Oh, have you recently awakened?”

“Yes.”

“We only do gradings on Wednesdays… but….”

The receptionist awkwardly mumbled out the end of his words and looked at Baek Tae-beom and me alternately. When I turned my head, wondering if he saw something strange, Baek Tae-beom looked at me with a smile on his face.

“What?”

“Nothing… Anyway, we can’t do it today?”

“Ah… It’s not, it’s not that you… can’t….”

The receptionist spoke vaguely and quietly wiped the sweat from his forehead. He looked strangely tense.

“Since you came all the way here… Ah, but… we can only do one of you… or so. Yes…”

Anyone who was watching would have thought we were about to eat the man.

Feeling uneasy, I was about to take a step back until the receptionist shouted urgently.

“No! Please do the Class Grading! Y-you can!”

“Huh? Ah, alright….”

“You can go through that door on the right! Once you go in, please don’t touch anything, and… Please be careful.”

I wondered why he was like that, but I could only guess that part.

I couldn’t just go back after saying things like that, so I nodded half-heartedly and entered the door to the right. What welcomed me was a huge auditorium and a massive mana stone placed at the very front. Baek Tae-beom said with a smile.

“It feels refreshing to be here again.”

“Yeah?”

“I think the receptionist is really nice. Even on days off, they do gradings like this.”

Well, I don’t think it’s just because of that. I looked dumbfoundedly at Baek Tae-beom, who was pretending to be innocent.

‘It’s obvious that you pressured him.’

I had no idea what kind of expression he was making behind my back. I sighed and sat down on a chair near the mana stone. The reason why I shamelessly went to take a class grading even on their days off was because I was just easily trusting in anyone. At this point, I felt like I was raising a real tiger cub.

[CH.Personal/One Who Is More Dazzling than The Sun: This guy has raised a tiger entirely.]

[CH.Personal/One Who Is More Dazzling than The Sun: Actually, not a tiger. What was it called?]

[CH.Personal/One Who Guides The Dead: Tyrannosaurus]

[CH.Personal/One Who Is More Dazzling than The Sun: That’s a little too much]

[The Constellation, ‘One Who Is More Dazzling than The Sun’ giggles and laughs.]

[CH.Personal/One Who Is More Dazzling than The Sun: So, what are you going to do?]

[CH.Personal/One Who Seeks To Avoid The Fall: What do you mean?]

[CH.Personal/One Who Is More Dazzling than The Sun: I think it would be better to hide all constellation-related skills.]

[CH.Personal/One Who Seeks To Avoid The Fall: But then, since I do not have my own skills, my class will be F.]

[CH.Personal/One Who Is More Dazzling than The Sun: That’s why you should do it.]

[CH.Personal/One Who Is More Dazzling than The Sun: Wouldn’t it be a problem if the one that the tiger cub carries is insanely strong?]

I guess that makes sense.

[CH.Personal/One Who Guides The Dead: I. Think opposite.]

[CH.Personal/One Who Seeks To Avoid The Fall: Why is that? Please make your argument.]

[CH.Personal/One Who Guides The Dead: Look weak. Humans ignore.]

Ignoring seems to be what you’re good at.

[CH.Personal/One Who Guides The Dead: Moderately strong. How you should appear.]

[CH.Personal/One Who Guides The Dead: Otherwise. Greedy. Selfish human. It’s unbearable.]

[CH.Personal/One Who Guides The Dead: Look. If low class. Humans disparage you. Whatever you are. Even if you are constellation.]

What he meant was that people would treat me badly if I looked weak. Anubis had a point. No, rather, this was closer to the right answer. To be next to Baek Tae-beom, it was better to look like someone with skills. If not, I’ll only be a burden once again.

While we were waiting, a man and a woman came in. The woman looked at Baek Tae-beom with her eyes gleaming, as if she was looking at a high-quality test subject.

These must be the people who made the grading tool.

As I read in the novel, they looked unusual. Apart from the braids in her pigtails, she was wearing a long robe that looked like it was from a fantasy novel.

‘Information.’

[Summary of Individual’s Information.]

[Master of Assembly Lee Yun-ju]

[Title: Master of Assembly, Sustaining Life

Class : A

Status: Unable to verify.

Constellation : Three Old Women

Coins possessed : Unable to Verify.

Skills possessed: [Intuition] [Creation] [Connecting the Unconnectable]

It is better not to make the constellation of this Awakened your enemy.]

Lee Yun-ju’s constellation was something that did not appear in the novel, but when the additional information was added, I knew immediately. The Three Old Women translated to the Three Goddesses of Fate.

“So you’re here for the grading… Your name?”

Our eyes met. I chewed my bottom lip, swallowing my nervousness. Lee Yun-ju blinks as if nothing was wrong.

“I’m Choi Ga-hyun.”

“Yes, Choi Ga-hyun. Please come this way.”

I slowly stood in front of the grading tool. As the woman came closer, the mana stone started spinning with a loud hum, and looked somewhat menacing.

“Please do not remove your hand until the grading has finished.”

“Alright.”

I answered frankly and slowly put my hand on the meter. Then, a faint voice came forward.

– Welcome, observer of fate.

I felt like something was going through my head slowly. The blue lines that have penetrated the back of my hand slowly climbed up my arms and covered my body.

However, an unfamiliar question came up.

– Why did you come to this place?

‘I’m here to measure my class.’

– I cannot measure your class.

It was difficult to understand what the soft voice whispered.

‘Why?’

– As you are a fragment of a star, I am not capable of measuring a star’s grade.

– You are out of the ordinary.

I crumped my eyebrows in bewilderment. My fingers trembled, and my wrist felt strained. I couldn’t believe there was such a variable.

‘You can’t measure anything at all?’

– Computer processing is not possible. It is out of specification.

– You are the constellation of this world.

– Unable to verify class.

At that moment, a gripping, distorted spark bounced off. When I took a step back from the mana stone, exhaling my breath, silence lingered in the auditorium. The woman, who was checking my grade, looked at me with her mouth open and a dazed expression.

“…Grade cannot be verified. Please register with the receptionist to the left….”

A hunter whose class cannot be verified.

Seeing the people looking through the gaps in the door trying to peek into the auditorium, I realized that something was wrong.

What a daunting thing to look like. It seems that I was going to be portrayed as a person worse than Baek Tae-beom.