Chapter 23 - Hunter Han Sungyeun (3) (2/2)
I knew that man.
“It’s been a while, manager Hwang Manho.”
The man, the legend, my fast pass.
He rubbed on his luxury watch and faked a smile.
“…Haha, it hasn’t been that long.”
“I guess it just feels like a long time because I’ve been through some strange things lately.”
“…Strange things?”
“Yes.”
Hwang Manho seemed curious as to what those events were.
I mean, I guess that’s the normal response.
“He’s probably wondering why I’m so insistent on taking this exam now.”
But it’d be way more fun to not tell him.
It might sound a little petty but I had no plans to be kind to this man.
Especially with all the disrespect I’d been getting the past few years.
I knew exactly what kind of person I was.
I wasn’t so petty that I’d go eye for an eye to exact revenge on everyone who’s wronged me.
But I’m not so compassionate as to pretend that none of it ever happened.
That’s the reason I didn’t feel much guilt when I killed those challengers in the Tower of Trials.
Hwang Manho noticed that I had no intention of telling him anything and moved on.
“Well, I guess that’s not important right now. You said you wanted to take the exam right?”
“Yeah. If you help me, I’ll call it even with the money.”
“Sure. As long as that’s settled.”
As if he knew the results wouldn’t change.
“Ah, and the only part you can override is the theoretical written exam and the interview. That’s okay with you right?”
That’s the only reason I asked.
“I know.”
“Then let’s go in. I already made the necessary arrangements.”
He started walking into the hunter association building.
“This is Hwang Manho from the White Lotus training center. I’m here as Han Sungyeun applicant’s observer.”
“Alright. Just a second.”
I guess he didn’t lie about the arrangements.
After speaking to the front desk employee, a middle-aged man in a suit with a deadpan face came out from the back.
“Hello, I’m Kim Inhoo and I’ll be your examiner for today.”
A face I’d never seen before.
‘I guess having him as an observer has its benefits.’
It looked like he was a high-ranking officer and not just a normal examiner.
I had heard that the examiners for exams who are sponsored by famous centers or guild executives weren’t ordinary examiners.
That they’re veteran hunters who are fit to lead the front lines.
Seeing as they’re so experienced, there’s very little room for error in their evaluations.
‘Of course, that’s not the only thing they might be there to do.’
I guess that’s good though.
It’d be shitty to receive a lower rank just because of a bad examiner.
Kim Inhoo took a quick glance at me and turned back to Hwang Manho.
“Are you here as a sponsor as well? Or just an observer.”
I knew exactly what that meant.
Typically, guild executives can accompany candidates into their exams as observers.
And if they decide to be a sponsor, it means they’ll give all the support that candidate needs to grow.
Consequently, the hunter association will give them an easier test so they have more room to show off.
But none of that applied to me.
“No, I’m here purely as an observer.”
Kim Inhoo nodded and continued to speak in a monotone voice.
“I see. Then let’s go to the examination site. Follow me.”
Upon following the big man in the suit, a familiar scene came into sight.
Beyond a giant glass wall, one could see a white, rectangular stone chamber.
The examiner and the observers watched from here, and the candidate fought in there.
Nothing had changed from the last time I’d been here.
Kim Inhoo turned to me and broke the silence.
“Do you need an explanation on the practical exam?”
“No, I don’t need one.”
“Then please select a difficulty from 1 to 10.”
“…”
This pearly chamber could virtually emulate a chosen monster.
Of course, there were some limitations since this thing runs on a mana device.
‘But it should be able to emulate up to a D rank monster.’
Previously, I’d only ever taken the exam at level 1.
But I lost to the goblin every time.
Why?
‘Because I was weak.’
I failed because I couldn’t even beat a goblin without a life-or-death battle.
More accurately, they failed me right before the life-or-death part started.
It made sense since they couldn’t let the candidates die.
I’d have probably beaten the goblin if I did risk my life to kill him.
But—
‘Someone like that can’t be a hunter.’
You can’t call yourself a hunter if you can barely kill a goblin.
Hunters were the kinds of people who’d always be able to maintain a superior position.
At least, that’s what they told me the 17 times I failed.
It wasn’t like that in the Tower of Trials.
‘Anything goes as long as you stay alive.’
But thanks to that, I knew the extent of my limits.
The tower was cruel but fair to all of its participants.
No matter how bitter the trial was, the reward was always sweet.
Due to that, the me who beat the sand golem was able to beat the orc.
And I was able to grow even stronger from there.
I wasn’t the same weak player I used to be.
After a brief moment of silence, I confidently stated my answer.
“I’ll go with level 10.”
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MC only failed the test 17 times?
Those are rookie numbers
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