Chapter 39
Chapter 39
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Promotion Exam (4)
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The altar of the expansive hall where they'd entered for the conquest exam.
Jeong Do-jin strolled through the dungeon's forest, glancing up at the sky.
'Ghosts flying around.'
Of course, they weren't monsters from this gate.
They were the filming cameras being flown by the Hunter Association's examiners.
This damn job really is just a one-trick pony with cameramen.
Jeong Do-jin offered a silent prayer of sympathy for the association staff.
"Everyone knows what our mission is, right?"
At that moment, another team member piped up, lifting his chin.
The conquest exam operated on a system where three people formed a team.
The warrior Hwang Jae-jun and the mage Yang Beom-seok.
They were the teammates who'd been paired with Jeong Do-jin.
Jeong Do-jin nodded at Hwang Jae-jun's question.
"Boss mob hunt. It's on the easier side, honestly."
It might sound stupid, but it was a fact.
They didn't even need to take down the boss themselves.
'Just participating in the boss fight gets you an evaluation, right?'
Actually taking it down yourself almost guaranteed a pass in most cases.
Yang Beom-seok chuckled lazily at his response.
"Oh, right. As expected of Yeoto. Are you planning to turn the kobold shaman into an undead too?"
"Haha, no way. This is a Hunter Association-owned gate."
This gate had been prepared by the association for the exam.
Naturally, all drop items belonged to the association.
That included byproducts like monster corpses.
'Even if they let me, I'd politely decline.'
Jeong Do-jin shuddered inwardly.
'A kobold shaman? That's a summoner-type monster.'
Good lord, a summoner!
No way was he bringing that honey-sucking leech into his party.
Plus, its skills were pure garbage.
Making it an undead would just be a waste of mana.
Jeong Do-jin blinked after nodding to himself.
"Ah, guys. Kobolds."
"Pardon? Where?"
"Over there. Across those trees."
"...Wow, good eyes."
Hwang Jae-jun whistled as he looked where Jeong Do-jin pointed.
Of course, it was thanks to his ghosts' scouting.
Jeong Do-jin just shrugged instead of explaining.
"They haven't spotted us yet, so let's hit them first. It'll factor into our evaluation."
"Sounds good. Yeoto, summon something quick."
"Huh? Oh, sure. Right."
What was with the commanding tone?
Jeong Do-jin found it odd but didn't argue.
"Call Dancing Specter El Ayla."
"If my lord calls, I shall gladly answer."
Having summoned El Ayla, Jeong Do-jin turned to his teammates.
"It might get dangerous, so I'll let my summon take the first swing."
"Go ahead. I'll follow right behind."
Hwang Jae-jun smirked and stuck close to her back.
El Ayla glanced at him briefly before attacking the mob.
"Kekek!"
"Grrr... Kyaaang?!"
Thwack! Slash-!
El Ayla's blade flashed mercilessly as she led the charge.
The few kobolds shrieked in agony.
'If I wipe them all out, the others won't get proper evaluation points, so pace it just right... Huh?'
Jeong Do-jin's face hardened as he considered score distribution.
Hwang Jae-jun, standing right behind El Ayla.
His swinging sword was aimed straight at her.
-Whoosh!
Thankfully, El Ayla dodged the blade with her innate senses, no warning needed from Jeong Do-jin.
"Whew~. Pretty quick."
"...What the hell was that?"
His backstab missing, Hwang Jae-jun whistled in surprise, then waved it off as Jeong Do-jin narrowed his eyes.
"Why so serious? Just a mistake. Mistake."
"A mistake? Attacking a teammate?"
"Teammate? It's your summon."
Ptooey!
Hwang Jae-jun spat openly with a sneer.
El Ayla stepped back to dodge the phlegm.
"Anyway, sorry. I'm just an F-Rank Hunter, y'know? Sword slipped. Consider it forgiven?"
"That was awfully aggressive for a slip-"
"Hey, cut the fighting already. What's your problem? Being petty."
Mage Yang Beom-seok snapped, interrupting.
"It didn't even hit. Don't pick fights over a summon almost getting struck. Keep this up, and I'll complain if you tell me not to cast spells."
Tap tap!
Yang Beom-seok slapped Jeong Do-jin's shoulder with his arm.
A touch loaded with subtle force.
"Everyone's trying hard here. Don't nitpick and ruin team morale, or I'll report it to the examiners later."
"Whoa, don't do that. I get it. Apologize once, and we'll call it even."
Perfectly in sync, like theater actors.
Jeong Do-jin half-lidded his eyes, then nodded.
"Sorry. I overreacted over a little mistake."
"Nah, no big deal. Forgiven. Buy us a meal after the exam."
Hwang Jae-jun strode ahead, sounding magnanimous.
Yang Beom-seok glared at him but quickened his pace.
'Heh heh heh.'
With their backs turned to Yeoto, they hid rising smirks and snickered softly.
"That dumbass noticed from our reaction, huh?"
"Even if he knows, what can he do? Tell him to cope in his head."
They were examinees recruited by Bok Beom-ho.
A few candidates Bok Beom-ho had secretly swayed!
And two of them had ended up on Jeong Do-jin's team.
"Of all people, we get picked for his team. What luck."
"Karma for strutting around like that."
Bok Beom-ho's skill didn't manipulate minds directly.
It just made his words hard to doubt.
'Just drag this guy's ankle enough, and Bok Beom-ho said he'd hook us up with a guild he knows.'
'We're failing anyway because of Yeoto. Even if he's a conman, nothing to lose.'
But his incitement skill synergized perfectly with their gullibility.
'Fighting kobolds won't get us a pass, so it's unfair to work for passion pay just to boost yours.'
'Can't go down alone. Your turn to screw up.'
Screw over Jeong Do-jin and transfer to a better guild.
They fantasized buoyantly about that rosy dream.
About Jeong Do-jin's face as he trailed behind them.
Be it flushed with rage or coldly pissed.
Not like he could do anything anyway.
But if they'd turned around, a chill and terror would have gripped them from deep within.
"Eung."
If they'd seen Jeong Do-jin's utterly innocent smile.
I don't favor violence in education.
'If they listen after a beating, they're still decent.'
Fools only wise up after pain?
That's nonsense. 100% perpetrator logic.
If a beating leads to reform, they had the basic foundation to change from the start.
A real idiot who won't listen keeps living their way, even if beaten to a pulp in the rain.
Thus, I believe.
People who solve things with violence are mostly nasty types too lazy to persuade without abusing others.
'But... today's the big exam day.'
I'm a tad busier than usual.
No broadcasting chatter, so it's boring too.
What can you do?
'Guess I'll reluctantly play the slightly bad adult.'
I smiled at my tea... no, teammates.
The little ghosts swarmed around them.
'Stick to their ankles. All the scouts too.'
-Kyui!
Four or five ghosts per leg, grabbing on!
Of course, each one's strength was chihuahua-level.
'But five chihuahuas add up to some weight.'
Especially if yanked when walking or moving?
"Ugh?!"
"Waaah?!"
What else? They faceplant forward, obviously.
Snuck in, tripped 'em, and pulled.
No way an F-Rank stays upright.
Thud-!! Crash!!
Far sneakier than tripping on a rock, they tumbled forward, smashing faces into the dirt.
Wow, that looks painful as hell.
"Aaaack-?!?!"
I yelled in a tone that'd piss anyone off.
The kind that makes you wanna punch their solar plexus.
"What in the world?!?! How does this happen?!?! Two people tripping at once on flat ground?!"
"You son of a-!"
"This your doing?!"
Gasp. Already figured it out? Sharp eyes.
Not necromancers, so ghosts invisible to them.
I raised my hands and tilted my head sideways.
"Meeee?! Meeee?! Why?! Why suspect me?! Got proof?!"
"That infuriating tone is proof enough!!"
"No it's noooot?! My tears are proof?! Waaah, this is unfair? I'm innocent? Am I too awesome, triggering your inferiority? Sorry?"
"This bastard to the end...!"
Whoosh!
A black shadow blocked Hwang Jae-jun as he lunged.
"……………."
El Ayla, arms spread protectively in front of me.
Sword sheathed behind her waist, expressionless.
A stance screaming no intent to harm.
"...Agh, fuck!"
But Hwang Jae-jun didn't press further.
Scummy like a true lowlife, but wise.
'Frontal fight? He'd get wrecked.'
Couldn't even land a backstab.
'Saw kobolds diced by El Ayla. F-Rank warrior got the balls?'
Causing a scene hurts him most anyway.
"...You think you can handle the fallout from this crap?"
Then, the cocky Hwang Jae-jun suddenly grinned slyly.
Like he'd grabbed my weakness.
"People hyping you up makes you think you're hot shit? What if I make this public?"
"Public?"
"How many morons would back you to the end if you screw up? I fake a power trip story, your hunter career's done."
Oh ho. Quite the idea.
I lit up at his low-rent improv.
'Sounds like spur-of-the-moment bullshit...'
Dumbass baits the hook, and they bite instantly.
These types bluff with ego, fists, and half-assed knowledge. Palette-swap NPC patterns make psychology easy.
Tripping with ghosts?
As if petty discipline satisfies me.
Grinning, I pulled out my smartphone.
"Whatcha doing? Calling mommy?"
[...You think you can handle the fallout from this crap?]
"...Huh?"
Hwang Jae-jun froze mid-sentence, dumbfounded.
Makes sense. His face on my phone screen.
Video Hwang Jae-jun cackled viciously.
[People hyping you up makes you think you're hot shit? What if I make this public?]
"...V-video? When?!"
"Hmm. Jae-jun, you seem low on brains, so I'll explain slowly, step by step."
I shook my head with a pitying look.
-Kyui!
A little ghost popped out of the smartphone.
Invisible to Hwang Jae-jun, though.
"You know what films my broadcasts, right?"
"...Ah."
"My summons double as observers. Obviously recorded your bullshit."
Ah, this is the 「Blackbox」.
Scattered for scouting, lucky capture.
'Daring a frame-job against a reporter?'
Learn from pro cameraman Jeong Do-jin.
Normally charges for lessons. Got it?