An Unexpected Connection
The hunter registration exam.
As far as I knew, it was an exam taken mostly by talented individuals who had awakened their mana through a Hunter Academy.
There were exceptions called 'Awakeners,' but the probability of that happening was incredibly slim.
Should I be happy about this?
Having become the protagonist of that slim probability and barely survived a life-or-death crisis, I wasn't sure how to feel.
Slide...
I walked into the smoothly opening Association building and met the receptionist, who was wearing a pleasant smile.
"Hello! How can I help you today?"
"Ah, yes. I'm here for the registration exam..."
"Oh! By any chance, are you candidate Kang Woojin?"
"Yes."
"Please follow me this way."
After checking my ID, the receptionist led me forward with highly practiced movements.
The place we arrived at was a waiting area.
"Please wait here for just a moment."
"Ah... okay."
"Since your candidate information was registered in advance, it should be processed very quickly!"
"Thank you."
In advance?
Just when, where, and how had this pre-registration even taken place?
Is this the power of the elite?
I knew Han Sae-ah had a lot of pull, but I didn't expect it to work this effectively.
This wasn't just saving time; it was a direct pass.
"You've really made it big, Sae-ah."
Even though she was just starting to rise in popularity, she could already exert this much influence on the Association?
It was the moment I truly realized she had become successful enough to move me to tears.
After waiting for a short while—
"Candidate Kang Woojin!"
"Ah, yes."
At the receptionist's polite call, I stood up.
I immediately got up and moved to take the registration exam.
"As you may know, Woojin-nim, you aren't officially registered as a candidate for this session."
"I heard about that."
"Yes... so..."
The receptionist, looking troubled, glanced around before speaking in a hushed tone.
"Inside, there are others whose exams aren't finished yet, so it might be a bit..."
"Ah... the academy students?"
"Ah, yes..."
"Understood."
Ah, the academy.
I wondered how puffed up their chests were right now.
They had trained to death, awakened their mana, and finally stood in a place to test their qualifications to climb the Tower.
Receiving media attention, people's awe, and enthusiasm all at once, their egos were bound to be inflated to the maximum.
Just thinking about it gives me a headache.
Our Sae-ah was once an academy student too.
I had zero talent for mana, so I was rejected right at the entrance.
Meanwhile, Han Sae-ah was so outstandingly talented that she was scouted by the Hunter Academy immediately.
I can see the picture clearly.
If the receptionist was warning me like this, she must have had a very exhausting day.
All thanks to those ego-inflated academy students.
"B-but, it's the end of the session now, so..."
"You've had a rough day."
"..."
Offering a word of comfort to the receptionist, we finally arrived at the testing hall.
"Huh...?"
In the distance, my eyes met with a candidate who was sitting slouched on a waiting room chair, playing on his phone.
He practically screamed "I'm an academy student," sitting crookedly in his school uniform.
He openly scanned me from head to toe, quickly lost interest, and looked back down at his phone.
"Wow."
Rather than feeling offended, I found it fascinating.
Seeing an active academy student in person was a rare sight in my ordinary daily life.
Look at the quality of that uniform.
Even though the design changed every season, the quality of the clothing easily put luxury brands to shame.
Actually, it had to be better than luxury brands.
After all, only the "chosen" ones in the entire world were allowed to wear that uniform.
"P-please come this way."
Glancing back and forth between me and the academy student, the receptionist hurriedly guided me into the testing room, keeping an eye on my reaction.
"Can I just go in?"
"Ah, yes! The slot is empty right now, so you can use it immediately."
"Understood."
Stepping inside the testing room, a massive device greeted me.
That's obviously a mana measurement device.
Unlike the patrol drones outside, this one was far larger.
It practically screamed, "Hit me right here."
— Testing, testing. Can you hear me?
A very exhausted voice began to flow through the speakers in the testing room.
"Yes."
— Candidate, if you are ready, you may perform your prepared attack.
"...Right now?"
— Yes. At your stage, we need to measure your mana first.
"Ah, I see."
Fair enough.
Taking a step closer to the device, I paused to think.
"Hmm."
I need to control my strength... right?
I wasn't stupid.
Having just survived the Apocalyptic difficulty, there was no way this fragile measuring device would register my skills as "ordinary."
— Candidate, please begin the measurement now.
"Ah, yes."
At the urging voice from the speaker, I had a sudden realization.
This was a moment that required *that*.
A classic scene I had watched once, where in a dire moment—
A character briefly activates a maximum-power skill for a split second to resolve a situation while minimizing damage and collateral impact.
"Inhale..."
Tensing up, I looked at the status window visible only to me.
Would you like to cast Predator's Domain (Lv.3)?
Timing was everything.
I focused my concentration to the limit and glared at the device.
Cast.
— Whoosh...!
In that split second.
I saw the domain expanding outward with me at the center.
I had already adjusted the skill's form to be suitable for striking the device.
"...!"
Cancel, now.
In the blink of an eye.
Having manifested the domain for only a fraction of a second, I immediately commanded the system to cancel the skill.
This was the hit-and-run tactic.
"...Whew."
Having exerted maximum concentration in less than a second, I let out a relieved breath and waited for the device's measurement.
And then.
— Beep!
"Huh?"
— Beep! Beep!
"Uh, wait."
The center of the device.
Cracks began to spread from the exact spot my domain had touched, followed by a massive shockwave.
WARNING! Evacuate the testing room immediately.
The walls cracked, and the measuring device began to malfunction violently.
Sensing that something had gone terribly wrong, I hurriedly escaped through the emergency exit.
"This wasn't supposed to happen."
"What in the world... just happened?!"
The entire testing hall, including the mana measurement zone, fell into utter chaos.
The peaceful and smooth atmosphere from earlier was completely gone.
Association officials and testing staff gathered from all over, trying to analyze the situation.
"What on earth happened?!"
"Ah, well, um..."
The receptionist's gaze drifted toward me.
I instinctively shook my head, but it was too late.
"As soon as the new candidate went in... it suddenly..."
"A candidate?"
At those words, a veteran-looking Association official turned to look at me.
"...May I ask your name?"
"Kang Woojin."
"Ah."
What was that look? Why were they having a silent conversation only they understood again?
"Um... Candidate Kang Woojin."
"Uh... yes?"
"Please follow me for a moment..."
I followed the Association officials, who had suddenly become extremely cautious, as they led me away.
The dumbfounded face of the academy student staring at me along the way was something I wouldn't forget for a long time.
"...To be honest, we had already received some information regarding you beforehand, Candidate Kang Woojin."
"Ah, did Sae-ah talk to you in advance...?"
"Yes, but to be precise... the Association has been waiting for you to emerge from the Tower."
"Waiting for me?"
"Yes."
How could they have been so sure I would make it out of the Tower and wait for me?
Wait, don't tell me.
Was this entire mana measurement thing just a massive setup to test my current capabilities?
"No, this is way too sudden."
"We completely understand your confusion. However, our goal is solely to assist Hunter Kang Woojin in adapting as smoothly as possible—"
Somewhere along the line, my title had already been upgraded to "Hunter."
From what I could gather.
Ever since I was caught up in the sudden awakening and forced summoning incident, being abducted into the Tower.
The Association had been focusing on securing my safety even faster than my childhood friend.
But they were missing the most crucial point.
"...Why?"
"..."
Seeing them hesitate at my fundamental question only made me feel more anxious.
"I shall explain that part myself."
"A-Association President...!"
Huh? What president?
At the sudden mention of such a heavyweight, my body instinctively stiffened.
The Association President.
The number one figure of what could be considered the most important institution in South Korea today.
A man who could make the media tremble with a single word, the absolute center of all hunter-related affairs—
—had suddenly shown up right where the official and I were standing.
Why on earth is such a VIP here?
Technically, it wasn't strange for the Association President to be at the Association.
But still.
Why did he personally grace a former ordinary citizen like me with his presence?
"On behalf of the Association, I welcome you back."
"Uh... thank you."
"We have a great deal of interest in you. Let us have a quiet chat."
"No, wait a minute."
"Is something the matter?"
The surrounding staff looked horrified, while the Association President stared at me with a puzzled expression.
He must have been an active hunter back in the day, as his impressive physique was clearly visible even through his suit.
"Am I some kind of celebrity now?"
"A celebrity... Not yet. But if you wish, at any time—"
"No, I'll pass on that."
Why would I want to throw away my entire private life?
Even if he spoke to me like a professor who had just discovered a brilliant student, it only triggered my alarm bells.
"Not only did you awaken under sudden circumstances and get summoned to the Tower, but you also returned safely. And just now..."
"...Ah."
"Even looking at the report generated by the mana measurement device. Did you know? Even comparing you to all the academy students who have tested their mana here, none of them have produced a reading as bizarre as yours."
I had tried so hard to look ordinary, but it hadn't worked.
"And ultimately."
"...?"
"Hunters from another dimension—and promising ones at that—suddenly came looking for you by name."
Karrmia and Lisha.
The moment those names crossed my mind, a sudden wave of fondness welled up inside me.
"It is truly fascinating. For those proud races to show such interest in a hunter from Earth."
Once he laid it all out like that, I had no choice but to surrender.
"That is the reason I have such a great interest in you. Has my sincerity reached you now?"
"It reached me loud and clear."
"Haha."
It seemed I would have to hold a private conversation with this Association President.