Everyone Is So Strong
"Huh? That, um, that wasn't me…!"
Shiro waved her palms in front of her, shaking her head in a panic. Lee Jong-wu had strictly told her to keep the fact that she was the top-ranked player in the Tower a secret.
'B-but is it even possible to hide that while training here?'
Shiro thought it would be incredibly difficult. She knew full well that her abilities were far beyond the level of a standard A-rank hunter.
To avoid being found out, she should have used a pseudonym, but Lee Jong-wu had simply added her to the roster without changing her name. She fretted over how to navigate this predicament.
She wondered if maybe Uncle Jong-wu had given her a silent signal that it was okay to reveal her identity and operate openly here.
While she was lost in thought, Lee Woo-rin clapped his hands amidst the confusion and spoke up.
"I don't think that's it, is it? I heard the name 'Shiro' is quite common in Japan. If someone cleared the Tower at the SSS+ rank, they'd at least be an S-rank hunter."
"Hmm… is that so?"
"Seems like it… they could just be people with the same name."
"True."
Just like that, the suspicion that Shiro was the hunter who set the record on the first floor of the Tower vanished in an instant. She blinked her eyes, looking at Lee Woo-rin, wondering how on earth he had pulled that off.
'Shh.'
He simply brought his index finger to his lips and smiled.
The cadets and the director gathered here weren't fools. Hunter life required not just combat power, but the ability to make sound judgments in any situation.
In fact, it was more accurate to say they were smarter than the average person in any other profession. However, the reason they fell for Lee Woo-rin's words so easily was due to the effect of one of his skills.
Communication (B)
One of Lee Woo-rin's skills, which allowed him to use telekinesis or teleportation through mental power, was the ability to transmit his intentions directly to others.
This ability could be used like telepathy or to relay precise commands during a raid—and right now, it was being used to make others easily believe his words.
Of course, it wouldn't work on someone who was wary of him or possessed overwhelmingly superior mana… but there was no one like that in this room.
"…?"
Shiro, unaware of the inner workings, tilted her head in confusion. It was an arrangement by Association President Lee Jong-wu. One of those arrangements was Lee Woo-rin, who had caught his eye and been recruited as a secret agent for the Association.
Well, I don't know what happened, but it was resolved somehow.
I proved my ability, and the fact that I was the #1 in the Tower's Hall of Fame remained hidden. All I did was overwhelmingly demonstrate my power, but once Woo-rin Oppa stepped in, the latter issue was easily resolved.
What exactly is that Oppa's ability…?
"Then… let's have everyone come out one by one to explain and demonstrate your abilities. Even if we all know each other, including myself, it's necessary to review before we start formal training."
"Hey, aren't you just doing this to show off to Shiro?"
"If the goal was just to show one person, there'd be no need to go through all this trouble. I could just show you the videos of the exams you took at your academies."
"That's true… fair point."
"U-um, can I go back now?"
"Oh, right. Yes, Shiro. Go ahead and watch the other unnis and oppas."
"Okay!"
Finally, I was out of the spotlight. Now, only the exciting parts were left. Honestly, while doing hunter activities myself was interesting, watching other people's abilities was also a lot of fun.
Following the director's orders, they went out one by one to demonstrate their skills. Since they were top-tier academy students gathered for NOVA, their level was already far beyond what you'd expect from mere students.
Even the youngest, 16-year-old Choi Se-yeong Oppa, held a B-rank hunter license. Aside from their age, they were truly some of the strongest active hunters around.
"Next, Lee Woo-rin."
"Yes."
'Oh.'
After about five people had gone, Woo-rin Oppa stepped forward. According to the internet, his main weapon was a silver bracelet, an artifact equipped with all sorts of functions to assist his psychic powers. It was a phone-shaped artifact that Grandpa Yong-su had bought me… it had a top-tier AI installed, making searches super convenient.
Anyway. Woo-rin Oppa stepped forward, shook his head lightly, and raised his index finger toward the ogre statue. It was a new statue, different from the one I had used Skadi on. Because the one I hit had been sliced in half and was rolling on the floor.
Mana gathered at the tip of Woo-rin Oppa's index finger. Then, his two sky-blue eyes flashed purple, unlike their original color.
"As you all know… my name is Lee Woo-rin. I'll be serving as the captain of this NOVA national team. My abilities are telekinesis and—"
Zzzzt— Crack!
A faint purple light bloomed around the ogre statue's neck, and the surface of the statue crumpled inward as if it had been struck by Grandpa Yong-su's fist. At the same time, Oppa's body vanished in an instant—reappearing next to the dented spot and swinging his leg violently.
Whack! The statue, struck by Oppa's leg, shook violently before toppling over with a loud thud.
"Teleportation. And some telepathy. I look forward to working with you all."
Wow… applause came naturally. It wasn't just how he handled his powers; he had great showmanship. Watching him felt like seeing a confident genius jump right out of a movie.
Wondering if I was the only one impressed, I looked around. 'They're used to this….' Everyone was watching without much reaction. One Oppa with light orange hair and yellow eyes was even yawning.
"Next, Kim Seong-hyeon."
"Haa, me?"
So that Oppa's name was Kim Seong-hyeon. Seong-hyeon Oppa approached the fallen ogre statue holding a spear with a yellow blade.
Zzzzt— Crackle-crackle-crackle!
Yellow electricity wrapped around Seong-hyeon Oppa's spear, flashing wildly. Even though there was quite a distance, the fierce and sharp scent of residual mana hit me.
"I'm Kim Seong-hyeon… and my ability is exactly what you see."
Boom—! As he thrust the spear downward, a massive thunderclap echoed, and a hole was pierced through the statue.
A small gust of wind blew, making me squint.
— Bwong! Bwong!
"Umm, why are you like this…?"
Seeing the lightning-attribute mana, Jeolmi got excited and spread his wings. Come to think of it, I remember Jeolmi once wielding blue lightning along with a blizzard. Is Jeolmi also related to the lightning attribute…? But Jeolmi is a summon I created…?
I was thinking I should check on that later. That was the moment a certain unni suddenly dashed out from behind me.
"Next, Ha I-hwa."
"Yes."
A cold-looking beauty with long, dark purple hair and dark red eyes. According to the internet, she was the greatest genius girl in the history of the Ha family, having reached A-rank last year at the age of 16. Sword Flower Ha I-hwa.
I-hwa Unni dashed out before the director had even finished speaking. At the same time, she drew her sword, and the empty scabbard fell to the floor where she had started.
"What the, why are you running at me instead of the other statue? Hey! Why do you always do this to me!"
"Hmph—"
'Ohhh…!'
I-hwa Unni lunged at Seong-hyeon Oppa, who was just about to return to his spot after pulling his spear out of the statue. Mana in the shape of flower petals with a faint indigo hue scattered over the snow-white blade of the sword she was wielding.
"Damn it!"
Boom—! Seong-hyeon Oppa, watching her, seemed to have no choice but to adjust his grip on his spear and shake it once. With the sound of thunder, lightning mixed with yellow and blue light swirled around it.
I could feel mana that was far more refined and powerful than when he was demonstrating it earlier.
Kwah-ah-ah-ang—!
The sword and spear collided, but there was no clang or slash sound. Only the massive shockwave caused by the collision of two powerful mana sources echoed.
"Whoa."
— Bwong.
I almost fell backward from the shockwave, but Jeolmi caught me with his wings. Thanks, Jeolmi.
The director watched the scene for a moment, then tapped the file containing the roster and let out a sigh.
"Yeo-un, clean this up."
"Got it~"
An unni with a grey bob cut and glasses walked out smoothly. She reached out toward the two who were clashing with spear and sword and clenched her fist tightly.
Clatter-clatter-clatter—! Then, iron chains surged from the shadows on the floor, binding their arms and legs tightly.
"I almost died for real! Why do you only do this to me!"
"Tsk…."
"Stop fighting, you two~ Why are you guys on such bad terms~"
Yeo-un Unni mediated between I-hwa Unni and Seong-hyeon Oppa, who were growling at each other. Judging by her slow, relaxed tone, she seemed to be from the Chungcheong region.
"Alright, if everyone's settled, let's call it a day and finish up lightly. Got it?"
"Yes!"
"Yes, sir…!"
The ending was a bit chaotic, but it was a good time to see various people's abilities. I felt good because it seemed like my own abilities had been proven and acknowledged.
"Before we finish, let's do a quick survey. We'll make assignments based on training performance, but if there's an event you want to participate in, don't hide it—raise your hand."
NOVA was divided into team and individual events, with a total of 10 categories. Team events included 10-man team raids, 5-man team labyrinth clears, team gate defense, and team tournament battles—while individual events included Vanguard Defense, Seeker Labyrinth Exploration, Back-code Support Simulation, Striker Attack, Wildcard Solo Raid, and individual tournaments.
Across both team and individual events, the tournament categories were overwhelmingly the most popular.
'Since I'm the only wildcard on the Korean national team… I guess I'll be the one going for the Wildcard Solo Raid?'
Because the wildcard position was so rare, there were even countries that didn't have a single hunter in that position. So, it was a category that allowed hunters from other positions to participate… but since Korea had me, it was all set!
"Just in case anyone doesn't know, a person can participate in a maximum of two team events. For individual events, each country can enter three people per category. Now, I'll call out the team events first."
Following the director's call, the unnis and oppas raised and lowered their hands. Honestly, I didn't know what I should do yet, so I just stayed still.
"Next, Wildcard Individual—"
"M-me."
I couldn't miss this, so I raised my hand high. But perhaps because that drew too much attention, everyone looked at me.
"Hahaha, right. With Shiro here, we don't have to worry about the wildcard position."
"Oh… t-that is…."
I should have just raised my hand quietly.