Chapter 45: Promotion Exam (2)
Beep. Beep. Beep.
I woke up to the blaring alarm ringing through the spacious mansion and glanced at the notification about the hunter exam while yawning. I quickly began to prepare.
It had been about ten days since the Dungeon Black Hole Incident, and during that time, I had taken the opportunity to organize my newly raised [F]-rank mythical stats and spend some time for personal maintenance.
Of course, I had also received ample rewards from the Miracle Guild.
I took out a black wing from my inventory. It was still sealed, currently just an [Ordinary-F]-rank item.
‘I need to visit the Black Market again.’
Just as I had unsealed the first Divine Wing, I would need an item related to demonic energy to unseal this Demonic Wing.
Divine Power and Demonic Energy. Two rare and polar opposite magical attributes.
Some might question why a supreme deity, a top-ranked Constellation, possessed only rare-level magic, but the true power emerged when these two wings were united.
‘The fusion of these two stats and the Authority of Arrogance creates a new stat.’
Naturally, it would be a mythical-level stat. I wasn’t exactly sure what kind of energy it would be, but before my regression, the invader who held three wings demonstrated an overwhelming gray power, so that must be the result.
After putting the wing back into the inventory, I left the house. When I arrived at the promotion exam site via taxi, the place was buzzing with people, as expected on the day of the promotion exam.
Since it was an exam day for hunters of the lowest ranks [F-~F+], there seemed to be fewer people compared to the previous license exam, but there were still plenty.
I pushed through the crowd and finally entered the association building. Just then, like the parting of the Red Sea, the crowd split in front of three cars speeding towards the entrance.
I let out a hollow laugh as I watched, shaking my head.
“When did she apply?”
As if this was a regular occurrence, bodyguards opened the center car door, and out stepped Seo Mina.
Our Seohwa Group’s princess walked confidently through the crowd and into the lobby. When she spotted me, her eyes lit up, and she approached.
“You’re here?”
“What? When did you apply? I didn’t tell you on purpose.”
At my question, she shrugged as if she’d achieved something noteworthy, raising her shoulders proudly.
It wasn’t a compliment, you know. I couldn’t bring myself to say that, so I nodded and turned to head inside.
Thankfully, because a lot of the power of the Curse of Misfortune had been consumed during the Dungeon Black Hole Incident, I figured there wouldn’t be major issues this time. Although that also meant that Heavenly Fortune wouldn’t be at full strength.
‘I’ve always been unlucky, but what could happen?’
Unless something as absurd as a Dungeon Black Hole occurring inside the association happened, there shouldn’t be any problems.
Thinking that, I calmly made my way to the exam hall.
“Yes. Number 444. Shin Juha confirmed.”
Number 444. Did I really get assigned such an ominous number?
***(the number 4 is considered highly unlucky in east-asian culture as it is often associated with death and misfortune.)
I forced myself to shake off the unease, reminding myself that the Curse of Misfortune wouldn’t activate, and found my seat.
The promotion exam was straightforward.
First, the initial test measured basic stats. Passing the threshold meant qualification.
Next, the second test involved sparring with an examiner affiliated with the association. Passing their evaluation meant moving on.
Lastly, the third test required clearing a dungeon overseen by the association with a team of five randomly assigned members.
It was simple enough. The exam was tailored for hunters of [F]-rank and included the option for up to a triple-stage promotion for promising candidates, but otherwise, it was no different from any other promotion exam.
Naturally, I, the top candidate, applied for the triple-stage promotion to move from [F-] rank straight to [E-] rank.
‘Most promising candidates request the triple-stage promotion.’
It made sense, given they’d received significant support from guilds and grown quickly.
I activated the Eye of the Sun to observe Seo Mina. Her status window came into view.
『Status Window
Name: Seo Mina
Title: Raindrop Lightning Wood Avatar [Mythical-S+], World Destroyer [Legendary-SSS]
LV 18 (77%)
Status
Soul Power (Ancient) F- (95/100)
Agility (Unique) F (33/100)
Growth (Unique) F (17/100)
Lightning Spirit (Mythical) F (45/100)
Remaining Points: 0
Unique Ability
[Raindrop Lightning Wood – Sapling (Mythical) LV 1]
Skills
[Thunder Step (Unique) LV 4] [Lightning Drop Spear Technique (Ancient) LV 2]……』
I couldn’t help but be amazed. So this is what happens when you throw enough money at something.
‘This is insane.’
Despite not possessing absurd abilities and future knowledge like mine, having stats and skills like those is impressive. It made me realize once again that she truly is the cherished princess of Seohwa Group.
I wondered how many more elixirs and skill books had been prepared for her.
Not that I was envious. After all, I had more elixirs and weapons at my disposal than she did.
‘Perhaps the third floor of the Golden Tower is where I can learn new skills.’
Items and weapons were followed by skills, weren’t they?
I wasn’t sure how they would be given. Maybe I’d be able to choose and use them as I did on the first floor, or perhaps I’d need to use an intermediary like Manbyun on the second floor.
One thing was certain: I’d only know once I unlocked the third floor.
‘Thanks to the ample points I received as a reward for clearing the Dungeon Black Hole, I’ve raised my ownership level quite a bit.’
Even though it was still less than 15%, it would increase as I kept progressing. Thinking that, I waited until the examiners arrived and led the F-rank hunters to the underground area.
A spacious measurement room greeted us first. Familiar with the process, the examiners divided us into groups and began the measurements.
It didn’t take long. I completed the measurements while keeping my performance moderate.
‘Good.’
The results showed stats at a level typical for a promising candidate. Seo Mina glanced back and forth between my results sheet and me with a suspicious look, but the measurements were already done.
‘It’s so nice when things go smoothly without any trouble!’
Satisfied, I turned to the next test area, and I was able to pass the sparring test without much difficulty.
This time, I put in a bit more effort and won against the examiner. For someone aiming for rapid advancement, it was necessary to defeat an [E-] rank examiner who had given up on growth. I fought with control.
‘At my current level, I could probably defeat a D-rank hunter.’
Thanks to the Heart of the Colossus doing its job well, I could say that. The Mugeuk stat increasing the Sun stat along with it—what more overpowered skill could there be?
Time passed, and after completing the second test and a meal break, we were finally ready for the third and final test, known as the real challenge.
“Now, I will announce the team members for each exam! Those who meet the conditions listed on the sign in front should gather quickly!”
Groups were divided into F-rank promotion teams, F+ rank promotion teams, and E- rank promotion teams.
Hunters who met the conditions lined up, and Seo Mina and I also took our places.
There were a total of 14 participants in the E- rank promotion exam. Eight were taking the single-stage promotion from F+, three were taking the two-stage promotion from F, and the remaining three, including me, were taking the three-stage promotion from F-.
‘Unfamiliar faces.’
Among the candidates from my batch were one person taking the two-stage and three taking the single-stage promotion. This meant that the others were from batches before ours.
The license exam for the batch after mine hadn’t been held yet.
Once the promotion exam was over, the license exam would likely be held soon. The association usually scheduled things that way.
Thinking about it, it had almost been a month since I became a hunter.
As I was quietly feeling moved by that, the examiner started calling out the teams.
“…Lee Ji-ah, Kim Woo-rim, Ma Dong-won, Shin Juha, and one instructor make up Team 3. I assume no one’s foolish enough to have missed this announcement. Begin entering immediately. The dungeon you’ll be tackling is a standard B- rank dungeon.”
When I heard the rank and type of the dungeon, the first thought that crossed my mind was absurd: I felt it would be easy to clear.
‘Crazy.’
Just because I had cleared a Unique-D+ dungeon once, I was getting overly confident.
However, I could say this with certainty. If I hadn’t encountered the Ganggwi and faced another monster, I would have died without being able to put up proper resistance.
If the Ganggwi hadn’t been so heavily focused on strength, with low agility, no magic power, and clear weaknesses—and if I hadn’t obtained Flow Transformation—I would have been the one who died.
A Unique-D+ dungeon typically required a raid party with at least one member of B rank or higher.
The fact that someone like me had cleared it was astonishing. Without Equivalent Exchange and my mythical stats, I wouldn’t have been able to even touch the Ganggwi scout.
I was lucky. If it had been another Unique-rank monster, I would have already crossed the river of the afterlife.
‘You can never be too careful in a dungeon.’
At that moment, Seo Mina, who had come up next to me at some point, looked disappointed that we weren’t in the same team and pouted for a while before reluctantly joining her group at the examiner’s urging.
I also joined my team.
They were all unique individuals, none of whom I recognized, likely from a different batch.
“Hello! My name is Lee Ji-ah, and I’m participating in this promotion exam! I’m a supporter who can provide buffs and debuffs! Thank you!”
The first to break the ice was Hunter Lee Ji-ah, the only woman in the group. She was a rare buffer and another promising candidate aiming for the three-stage promotion.
Judging by her demeanor, she seemed to have earned her license in the batch before mine.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Kim Woo-rim, and my main weapon is a spear.”
The next to speak was a man with blonde hair, tattoos covering both arms, and multiple piercings. He casually showed the spear strapped to his back and introduced himself.
His tone, unsurprisingly, was rather insolent.
“Good to be with you. I’m Ma Dong-won! My main weapon is the tower shield! I’ll be taking the role of the tank. You won’t have to worry about being attacked when you’re with me! I can also serve as a secondary damage dealer. Looking forward to working together.”
The next was a burly man whose sheer size was reminiscent of Gundan. He introduced himself with a hearty voice and pounded his chest, exuding reliability.
Finally, the examiner introduced himself.
“My name is Seok Woon. I’m an archer. Let’s not cause any trouble, okay?”
He looked exhausted, like a corporate worker overwhelmed with tasks.
When it was my turn, everyone looked at me.
“I’m Shin Juha. I can use most weapons. Think of me as a damage dealer. Nice to meet you.”
My final promotion exam had begun. Little did I know, this exam was a trap set to kill me.
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