The Promotion Test

"I'm sorry, okay?"

"…."

"Damn… what am I supposed to do with this stubbornness."

"…."

Inside the car heading back up to Seoul, Terra had been maintaining a vow of silence since yesterday.

When we returned to the lodging he was already asleep, so for a moment I genuinely thought he'd starved to death. Thinking about it again, a dragon wouldn't die from missing a few meals… but at the time I panicked, shook him awake, and he looked at me and said:

"I'm hungry…."

Considering a dragon's metabolism, that was a perfectly natural reaction. I myself made sure to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner—and often more on top of that. So I immediately ordered room service and fed him….

"…."

After that he went completely quiet. He was properly sulking, no doubt about it. Looking like a little kid, the way he held a grudge was just as childish….

"Ah, Ha-eun, let's stop at a rest area here."

"Again?"

"Yeah, I'm getting hungry."

"…I'm really jealous of you, unnie."

Where did that come from all of a sudden?

"Sometimes you eat so much, yet you somehow keep that figure…."

"On the contrary, you seem to forget I'm a dragon from time to time. You've seen my real form, right?"

Thinking about that, this barely even counted as light eating. If people were calling this "a lot," it was a little sad. I did manage my weight, thank you very much.

"Terra, you want something too?"

"…."

"If you keep that up, I'm leaving you in the car."

"…."

Ugh, that pigheaded little… or wait. Was he pulling this stunt again just to squeeze more game items out of me? He'd developed some truly terrible habits.

"That's it. No more games for you—"

"I believe I was in the wrong. Please, just one more chance—"

"Haa… fine. So what do you want to eat?"

"That thing from last time was delicious. The meat that was crispy with the brown sauce."

Pork cutlet, I guess.

Thud—

I got out of the car, stretched, and declared, "I'm going for cheonggukjang."

"That… smelly one, you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mean?"

"I don't particularly like cheonggukjang either…."

"You try going a few hundred years without Korean food. You'll start craving that deep, earthy savoriness."

Lately it seemed things like malatang were making a comeback. Honestly I didn't really get the hype. Sure, thinking back to that medieval world, a spicy, stimulating dish like malatang wasn't bad… but this was Earth. There was so much else to eat!

Tap! Tap!—

"…Unnie, I get it, so please do something about your tail. You're not getting back in the car like that, right?"

"Can't help it. Conditioned reflex."

The mere thought of food had me so excited that my tail was thumping the ground. Sometimes it really did feel like the thing had a mind of its own. When I focused I could control it perfectly, but the moment my attention wandered it moved on its own. Maybe it actually had an ego. Maybe it would wake up someday—Goldy Ver. 2 or something.

Anyway, I soothed the tail and started walking at a leisurely pace.

"Hmm."

Ha-eun suddenly cupped her chin and studied me.

"Hm? What's up?"

"Nothing. Just wondering what it feels like to have a tail."

"Oh? Want me to attach one for you?"

"…What?"

I grinned and continued, "If you want, I can. There are ways, you know."

"N-no thanks!"

Just what kind of mental image had she conjured up?

A few days passed after we returned home. In the meantime I looked over Ha-eun's sword technique and spent the rest of the time lounging around the house with Terra.

"Goldy-nim! It's finally finished!"

"Yawn… eh, finished? What is?"

"Please take a look!"

I had been napping when Terra suddenly burst into my room. What he thrust toward me was—

"Oh?"

—a massive dragon claw, glowing with a faint crimson light and mounted as an ornament. Even the base had been finished to look thoroughly luxurious.

"Thanks to the power I gained from Goldy-nim and the magic stones you procured, it was completed quickly! Please inspect it!"

I rose from the bed and examined the piece.

"Wow, you processed this beautifully. Good work."

"Hehe…."

Terra, who usually kept a blank face, was actually grinning from ear to ear. Looking at him like this, he really was just a little kid.

"I'll put this on display in the living room. And now…."

I reached toward the claw ornament.

A powerful red dragon's mana flowed through my fingertips.

"Yeah, this is nice."

An earth dragon really was an earth dragon. His processing skill alone deserved recognition. Now I wanted to test this power somehow. Was there anything good…? Maybe I should ask Ha-eun if she wanted to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hit a gate.

Ring-ring—

While I was still mulling it over, a familiar ringtone chimed. Figuring Ha-eun had perfect timing again, I glanced at my watch—

"Huh."

A name I never expected to see. Should I just change the saved contact to "Creepy Old Guy"?

"Hello? Why the sudden call…."

"It's been a while, Hunter Lee Se-yeon."

"Yeah, so what's going on this time?"

"There is a matter, but I thought it best to share ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the good news first."

Good news?

"Goldy-nim's promotion test has been scheduled."

"Promotion test? There's such a thing?"

"There is. Ordinarily, given the outstanding record of incidents you have resolved, we would have liked to grant you full domestic and international S-class status immediately, but…."

He trailed off. I already had a pretty clear picture.

"The higher-ups or the government aren't keen on it, are they?"

"Correct. The government side expressed concern about agitating neighboring countries."

"Well, they still don't fully trust me, and they don't know the full extent of my power either."

Plus the fact that they couldn't slap a collar on me made them cautious. Keeping a non-human race as a hunter was already a gamble; and I wasn't even one of the more well-regarded races like an elf—I was a dragon, something far closer to a monster. If they went around announcing that to the whole country, who knew how things would spiral.

"Interesting. Do they really think they can control me?"

"…Please refrain from saying such things."

"Ah, sorry. My species is dragon, so occasionally remarks like that just slip out."

I chuckled; silence stretched for a moment on the other end of the hunter watch. Then, carefully, he spoke again.

"For the time being—though it is largely a formality—you may choose one of two options for the promotion test."

"I get to choose?"

"Yes. Normally there is only one method, but given Hunter Lee Se-yeon's unique circumstances, we thought it might be preferable to substitute a commission."

"Like that Incheon job last time?"

"Exactly."

The abandoned mine gate where I met Terra had been an Association commission, so they probably wanted to dump another one on me. Looking at it uncharitably, it was basically dumping the leftovers.

"And the other option?"

"Simply visit the Association, receive counseling first, and—"

"I'll take the commission. The other one looks boring as hell."

"Very well. Do you have any additional requests?"

"Requests? Hmm~ Then I'll bring Ha-eun and Terra along."

Keyboard clacking sounded briefly on the other end.

"By 'Terra,' you mean…?"

"The earth dragon the Association entrusted to me last time."

"Understood. We will handle that on our end. The commission details will be delivered through Hunter Park Ha-eun."

With that I hung up. Great—another scolding from Ha-eun incoming. "What is it this time?" she'd say. Well, until then….

"Terra. Let's go eat something delicious. My treat, as thanks for making this."

"Yes, please!"

Maybe I'd buy us some king crab for the first time in a while.

Somewhere in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul.

Hidden there was an underground city that ranked among the largest shadows currently existing within the Republic of Korea. All manner of illegal monster materials and weapons, prostitution, narcotics… and hideouts for rogue hunters. A place that cradled countless forms of darkness.

It had no official name, yet people used a certain slang for it.

The Ark.

True to the name, every strange thing imaginable could be found here.

Click—

Living in such a place was a woman who leisurely watched a broadcast on her watch. Hooded robe pulled over her head, she sat in a darkened room watching a certain dragon's stream.

"Hehe…."

These days she could honestly say that watching this was the only real joy she had left. The longer she spent in the underground world, the more even this place had begun to feel dull.

She moved her fingers and typed a single chat message.

Creeeak—

At that moment the door opened and light spilled into the previously dark room. She turned her head slightly; a glimpse of pink hair peeked out from beneath the robe.

"Oh my… new guests?"

A seductive voice, the corners of her lips slowly curving upward. The men who saw her smiled as if satisfied. Yet her gaze was fixed somewhere else entirely.

Then, with the confident expression of someone who had just watched the bait get swallowed, she raised a hand.

"It's been a while since I entertained guests."

Snap—

She flicked her fingers. The surrounding candles flared to life, the open door swung gently shut, and—

Click—

—the pink jewel on display trembled faintly, as if a heart had begun to beat. At the same time, from behind her robe—

"Welcome to my house."

—the tip of a heart-shaped tail swayed softly, as if luring someone in.