Chapter 9: Exam
The scores for the written exam were announced immediately on the spot. Since the exam was conducted via computer, the scores appeared sequentially on the large screen at the front.
[1st Place – 100 points: Shin Juha
2nd Place – 99 points: Seo Mi-na
…
7th Place – 94 points: Lee Ji-hyung
…
211th Place – 50 points: Kim Seon-jak]
Only a single written exam had been administered, yet nearly a hundred candidates had failed.
It was acknowledged that the exam was exceptionally difficult. Even before the regression, I had once nearly failed to score full marks after studying a little every day about monsters with the conviction that I would graduate from the tutorial and venture into the Abyss before my untimely death.
— “Wow! It’s been a while since we had a perfect scorer. Congratulations! You 211 have passed the written test excellently. The 92 who failed should pack up and leave immediately. The rest should move to the 10th floor for lunch in the cafeteria! Everyone must eat by 1 PM and assemble in the auditorium on the 3rd basement! Proceed!”
The examiner shouted and left the exam room, while the candidates began to disperse in small groups.
— “Wow…! Still can’t get over how good the association’s food is!”
— “You crazy bastard, we should be practicing instead of eating!”
— “Still, it’s true that the association’s food is delicious. That’s why they treat the candidates.”
Some walked lightly towards the cafeteria, filled with the joy of passing and hunger.
— “Damn it, if I’d gotten just one more question right, I would’ve just barely passed!”
— “Sigh, looks like I have to study for another month. Good luck, everyone. See you next month.”
— “Yeah, let’s make this the last time! Alright, I’m off then.”
Others trudged off towards their departure with a brave face, pretending to be calm after facing the bitter taste of failure.
And yet another person…
— “There you are! Damn, do you know how long I’ve been looking for you? You crazy bastard!”
The commotion began as I was spotted.
“Lee Ji-hyung? Ugh, I was trying to avoid you, but how did I run into you like this?”
Could it be that the luckless bastard was pulling strings again?
But seeing no message from the bad luck, it seemed unlikely.
That meant I wasn’t meeting him out of bad luck; it meant he had been searching for me with intent.
‘What should I do?’
To be honest, I was the one who had wronged him. It was I who collided with him while walking and then knocked him out after countering his attack.
— “Are you ignoring me again? You really want to die!”
If he couldn’t get over his anger, he would likely keep bothering me until the end. Should I just take a hit?
The fist of the awakened wizard who had once been a celebrity wouldn’t hurt too much, I thought.
But the moment I saw his slow and clumsy punch flying towards me, my body reacted faster than I expected.
I caught his incoming fist with one hand and pulled him towards me, disrupting his balance, then tripped him to throw him off balance.
Thud!
Once again, Lee Ji-hyung had his face slam into the ground because of me. He was flinching in embarrassment and pain, but he struggled to get up.
Still, for him, there was a silver lining in this misfortune; it seemed he hadn’t fainted this time.
What a pity; if he had fainted, I could have eaten my meal in peace.
‘Ah, damn it. I couldn’t hold back.’
Seeing his annoyingly handsome face twisted with rage made me remember what he had done before the regression, and I just didn’t feel like giving him a break.
‘No matter what, he would throw a fit if I let him off easy.’
Although he was a talented wizard ranked in the top five, participating in the Hunter exams with high expectations, knowing his future made him someone I couldn’t spare.
If I showed weakness, he might become even more arrogant and cocky.
— “Ah! My nose!”
In the end, unable to endure the pain, he shot up, holding his nose and glaring at me fiercely.
“Hey… you’ve got a nosebleed!”
A double nosebleed. He seemed to realize the red liquid trickling down his fair skin from his nose and glared at me with a terrifying look before dashing off to the restroom.
“Ugh, this is annoying. I wish he’d just get disqualified.”
But that wasn’t going to happen. Even looking like a punk, he was still a talented wizard.
With a deep sigh, I desperately wished for the exam to end soon, pushing away the gazes from others as I exited the written exam room.
And then, in the now-empty exam hall, a woman who had been sitting in the back finally stood up and slowly walked forward.
“……This is fun?”
Seo-mina, gazing down at the scene where Shin Juha and Lee Ji-hyung were arguing, flashed her characteristic golden eyes.
It was a perfect suppression, flowing like water. Even though the opponent was a magician, Lee Ji-hyung, who had received support as a promising candidate in the guild and had taken a potion, was humiliated not once, but twice without any effort on Shin Juha’s part.
Indeed, she had witnessed everything when Shin Juha knocked out Lee Ji-hyung. It wasn’t a coincidence that she appeared at the right time; it meant she had deliberately focused the attention on herself to assist Shin Juha.
‘Since I properly humiliated a bothersome guy.’
The scumbag who had latched onto her, using their shared status as candidates to stick around since before the hunter exam, didn’t sit well with her.
“He’s not a promising candidate, that’s for sure.”
Since promising candidates must attend programs prepared for the guild’s competitive spirit, like mock battles and monster experience practice, they inevitably encountered one another, making it impossible not to recognize who the promising candidates were.
However, in this cycle, there were only two candidates from her guild: herself and Lee Ji-hyung.
She had never seen a man like that before. No matter how weak a guild might be, they should have applied for the guild alliance program to earn the title of a promising candidate…
“Is it really possible for someone with natural awakening to have that kind of ability? What kind of ability has he awakened?”
To be honest, even if she had been in Lee Ji-hyung’s place, she didn’t believe she would have won.
Rather, she probably would have been overwhelmed just like him.
“This is very interesting!”
Somehow, she thought that Shin Juha, who had taken her first place, must be that man.
The nonchalance emanating from him, as if he knew everything, was more than enough to pique her interest, and thus the future SS-rank hunter began to keep a close watch on Shin Juha.
***
After enjoying a meal that rivaled a hotel buffet, I immediately moved to the auditorium prepared by the association.
I was also trying to avoid the bothersome Lee Ji-hyung, so I started running in the auditorium to loosen up a bit.
Buzz!
Someone suddenly appeared and sped past me.
“Hmm?”
Just by brushing past, I felt a jolt of static electricity throughout my body, sending a shiver down my spine for a moment.
I controlled my breathing and tried to identify who had just overtaken me.
‘Seo-mina?’
She was running, and as she moved vigorously, fine golden currents flickered across her entire body.
However, her movements were a bit excessive for just warming up.
‘What is this?’
I tilted my head in confusion, attempting to focus back on my running, but as if she had used her ability, she quickly overtook me again, creating static electricity once more, and I couldn’t help but exclaim in disbelief.
‘What the heck? Is this a new provocation? Is she asking for a fight?’
Looking closely, her eyes were fixed on me, as if to say, “Is this all you can do?”
‘Out of nowhere?’
What’s up with these promising candidates being so insane?
But I had a bit of a temper myself. How could I ignore someone who so openly challenged me?
‘And I want to test this out.’
I wondered if I could defeat this impressive Seo-mina.
As strength began to flow into my previously lazy body, my pace picked up, becoming incomparably faster than before.
“Whoa!”
In an instant, I surpassed Seo-mina, who had been running ahead, and lightly tapped her shoulder.
2:1. I still had one more payback to settle.
Seo-mina, realizing she had been overtaken, began to emit more electricity from her body and started to increase her speed.
Tap!
“2:2.”
However, my enhanced physical abilities, boosted by my Mugeuk stats, weren’t weak enough to lose to a power that had yet to fully blossom.
Tap!
“3:2.”
I only confirmed my victory after overtaking her one last time, stopping my run.
“So what’s up?”
I asked, glancing back at her as she approached, quietly observing me with her golden eyes.
— “Shin Juha?”
“Yes?”
— “Of course, you were the one who scored full marks on the written exam. And you also overpowered Lee Ji-hyung.”
Ah… so that’s what it was. I must have stood out too much. Indeed, it seemed quieting down to take the top spot was quite difficult.
Had I touched her pride? Or sparked her competitive spirit?
I wasn’t sure, but it was clear she felt competitive toward me.
— “This exam will involve defeating hologram monsters. In terms of practical exams, you won’t be able to beat me. The difference between someone who has seen monsters and someone who hasn’t is significant.”
What was she talking about?
I had probably killed thousands and thousands more monsters than she had.
“Really? Are you sure?”
— “Absolutely. I’ll win in the practicals. It’s not that you’re lacking in skill, so don’t be too disappointed.”
Her confidence that I would lose ignited my competitive spirit.
“If I win, what will you do?”
— “Hmm? You won’t win, though?”
“But if I do?”
Seo-mina stared blankly at me for a moment, then nodded her head and spoke.
— “I’ll give you one of my collections. Whatever you want.”
“Oh! It’s the collection of a chaebol third-generation. Nice.”
— “In return, you do the same.”
“Hmm…? I don’t have anything to give you.”
Since I was a poor low-class citizen.
— “Look, here.”
Seo-mina pointed at me, and for the first time, the corners of her mouth lifted. It was as if she had been waiting for this moment.
— “If I win, you join our guild. I know your skills, so I’ll give you a legendary deal!”
I burst into laughter at her bold trickery.
Well…
“Alright!”
Just like you, I’m confident that I’ll win.
***
“This practical exam is about defeating hologram monsters!”
As soon as the clock struck one-thirty, the examiner locked the doors of the auditorium and began explaining the practical exam.
Seo-mina was right. This month’s practical exam was about defeating monsters using holograms.
It was an exam in which monsters were recreated by hologram machines prepared by the association, to be defeated…
— “Damn it, this month is also a bust, a bust!”
— “Ugh, another month wasted. Damn it!”
— “I have no damn luck. Why does it have to be a monster extermination exam? Damn!”
This exam was notorious for having the worst difficulty among practical tests.
Of course, since it was a hologram and the examinees were beginners, the monsters would be weaker than the real ones.
But killing monsters is harder than one might think.
You have to feel the disgusting sensation of flesh tearing and blood splattering, endure the pain of being cut and stabbed.
Additionally, you have to overcome the instinctive fear induced by the monsters.
“This month’s monster is a goblin. Prepare quickly, as the exam will start immediately!”
Hearing that goblins were the monsters, I let go of any remaining tension.
I absolutely cannot lose this bet.
I can confidently say that among everyone here, including the examiner and instructors, I am the best at killing goblins.
How could I not, when I have even earned the title of Goblin Slayer?
The examiner immediately activated the hologram, and the practical test began in the order of the numbers distributed earlier.
—Kyaaaaak!
— “Save me!”
“Exam candidate number 17 is disqualified. If you’re going to challenge the hunter exam with that kind of foolish mindset, you might as well spend your money on food! Next!”
The exam progressed more quickly than expected. Almost half of the examinees shouted their surrender after seeing the monster even once.
After about an hour of waiting, my number was finally called.
“Exam candidate number 165. Come forward!”
I stepped out and gripped the prepared sword.
“Are you not going to give up?”
“No!”
“Then I will begin!”
The hologram started, and the goblin’s eyes, which had been still, began to move and locked onto me.
—Kyaaaaak!
With a scream that was all too familiar, the goblin recognized me as an enemy and charged at me, wielding a sharp dagger.
If I step forward with my left foot and lower my head…!
‘Left thigh!’
But it was obvious. I already knew the goblin’s attack patterns by heart. Just watching its movements tells me where and how it will attack.
It’s a sort of prediction made through experience.
‘Unfortunately, there’s no bloodied chicken, though.’
I am no longer a weakling who can only capture it by unfair means.
Though it seemed reckless, I dodged all of its precise attacks and infused strength into my body.
‘There’s no time to let it use its rage skill!’
I won’t drag it out; I’ll finish it in one blow!
The mythical stat infused strength into my body, and heavenly fortune opened up an opportunity for me.
〚The awakened heavenly fortune is shining weakly upon you!〛
〚The curse of misfortune is merely waiting for its time to gather strength!〛
‘Now!’
The supply-type wooden sword for holograms sliced from left to right.
—Kieek…
With the goblin’s expression of despair as the last sight, it spewed green blood from its neck and died.
“Excellent! It’s been a while since I’ve seen a talented individual. Well done. You may return.”
Praise naturally followed. The applause from the other examinees was also expected.
I glanced over at Seo-mina, who was looking at me in shock, and smirked.
Did you see that?
After teasing her lightly, I bowed my head slightly and returned to my place, while the examiner, who had been writing evaluations in a nonchalant manner, followed my movements with his eyes.
***
‘It was a perfect strategy.’
The examiner thought as he wrote the evaluation. It was as if he had seen someone who had killed thousands and thousands of goblins, based on the movement and strategy.
‘He didn’t even give the goblin time to use its rage skill.’
He knew well that the hologram monster exam was difficult. No matter how much of a hologram it was, the fear and pain a monster brings are terrifying for ordinary people.
Moreover, the difficulty of this exam could be said to be the highest ever.
When it was ordered from above to set the goblin, one of the ultimate tutorial monsters, as the test monster, the examiner had protested against the difficulty. It was clearly an unreasonable level for beginners. They had even changed the conditions to grant passing marks if the examinees could even make the goblin use its rage skill.
Yet, candidate number 165 killed the goblin in a single blow. He even showed the composure to dodge the goblin’s attacks as if he were merely testing it.
‘Is he a promising candidate from a guild?’
But it was said that there were only two promising candidates among the examiners.
And those promising candidates hadn’t even taken the exam yet.
‘He’s a hidden star!’
The examiner thought this and without hesitation awarded candidate number 165 a perfect score.
—
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