Chapter 24 - Hunter Han Sungyeun (4) (1/2)
Chapter 24: Hunter Han Sungyeun (4)
No regrets.
From the start, I thought this was the most appropriate level.
But Hwang Manho seemed to express some disapproval.
“Sir, are you really going to take the level 10 exam?”
It was as if he wanted to ask how someone like me would pass an exam like that.
Well, I guess I didn’t really have a retort…
“It’s fine.”
I had no intention of changing my mind.
I picked this because I had determined that it was the correct level for me.
Plus, I wanted to double-check exactly how effective the rewards from the ‘Tower of Trials’ were.
“Alright, I’ll set it to level 10, please enter the chamber.”
Kim Inhoo’s tone didn’t change, as if he was indifferent to anything that was happening.
Almost as if he was a machine.
Maybe he just didn’t care since there weren’t any sponsors.
‘Superficial, aren’t we.’
I mean, there were so many controversies associated with sponsors.
This was basically nothing compared to that.
Step step.
I silently marched toward the glass doors.
A pearly white stone chamber, an announcement started as the door shut behind me.
Wrrrr.
「 Starting Han Sungyeun candidate’s hunter exam. 」
「 The following exam is the highest level, level 10, and placement will be at least D-rank upon passing. 」
「 Please choose any weapon to use on your right-hand side. 」
「 In three minutes, please prepare to face the monster that will form inside the black circle. 」
‘Starting with a D-rank? Not bad.’
You could consider it the best starting placement for hunters because it normally took quite a while to get to that point.
Of course, that meant the exam would be that much harder.
But I was more excited than nervous.
I wondered what they were building up so much anticipation for.
‘It won’t be something as ridiculous as the doppelganger.’
I could barely bring myself to smile after remembering it’s near-C-rank combat abilities.
The 1v1 on the third floor left quite an impression on me.
But I think I’d be able to beat the doppelganger pretty easily in my current state.
‘At least if it’s a one-on-one environment.’
I’d probably have some trouble if there were around 4 of them.
They did have a lot of features like physical damage resistance and shapeshifting.
On the other hand, I’d be able to handle almost any monster as long as it was around that level.
The hunter association probably wouldn’t be able to emulate anything too difficult though.
‘Now, I just have to pick a weapon.’
I examined the wall of weapons to the right.
And ended up picking the most comfortable two.
「 Pure Silver Guild’s Mass-produced Steel Sword 」
「 Grade: F 」
「 A sword manufactured by pouring decent quality steel into a mold. 」
「 It is well balanced and does not dull easily. 」
First, I picked the item that said ‘mass-produced.’
There wasn’t anything much better than this and it was also the closest to my obsidian dagger.
It was almost insulting to compare the dagger sitting in my room to this trash but—
‘Well, the length of the blade is similar at least.’
Then I picked up one of the shields close by.
It was a rectangular steel shield that was weaker than my wooden shield.
「 Pure Silver Guild’s Mass-produced Steel Shield 」
「 Grade: F 」
「 A shield manufactured by pouring decent quality steel into a mold. 」
「 It is quite heavy but has no other pros and cons. 」
Even the Crude Dwarf Shield was better than this.
I didn’t want to use them even if it was just for the test.
Especially because there were at least E-rank items the last time I took the test.
‘Is this what happens if you pick the 10th level?’
There wasn’t any information on it because I’d never met anyone who had taken a level 10 test.
The mechanical voice broke my train of thought.
「 The exam will begin in 30 seconds. 」
「 Please finish your preparation. 」
3 minutes had passed by in no time.
I guess it didn’t matter.
I was confident that I could take on any monster, wherever they came from.
‘That’s where they’re coming from.’
I let out a smirk looking at the small black circle in the center of the room.
Normally, I’d have been so nervous that I’d barely be able to breathe.
That’s how I felt on the lowest level exam, but I didn’t feel a thing now.
‘I guess this is growth.’
「 The exam is beginning. 」
「 Please hunt the flame bird. 」
I squinted at the bright burst of flame that appeared in the center of the room.
It was a monster I’d seen in the hunter handbook.
“The flame bird, a D-rank monster. ‘
Its difficulty varied wildly depending on how you fought it.
As the name suggested, the bird had almost no resistance to water and all types of magic attacks.
The problem is that it’s impossible to beat with just physical attacks.
It’s like telling a child to kill a goblin after giving him a stick.
This seemed irrationally difficult but…
‘…I guess level 10 exams are just like this.’
It made sense if they started you off as a D-rank hunter.
The flame enveloped bird let out a chilling shriek.
“Kwaaaaak…!”
「 Due to the skill ‘Predator’s Roar,’ your movements are now 25% slower. 」