The First Perfect Scorer
The first perfect scorer in both the practical and written exams.
The first-ever issuance of an A-Class license.
The institute's examiners quickly reported the fact.
First, they reported it to the institute director.
— Examinee Kang Yujun achieved perfect scores in both the practical and written exams. First license grade evaluation: A.
The same report was sent to the Management Bureau.
Shortly after the reports were filed, a summons from the director arrived immediately.
The written examiner, practical examiner, and scorer entered the director's office at once.
Knock, knock—.
Bang—!
The director himself opened the door to greet the staff.
"Come in and sit. Is this really correct?"
The director was a large man with short hair streaked with white. He hadn't been in a good mood lately. Constant pressure from the government had seen to that. They insisted that institutional safeguards for trainers were necessary and had drastically raised the difficulty of the license exam. As a result, the workload of the civil servants at the institute had increased, and the flow of prospective trainers visiting had dried up completely.
"Yes, Director. It's exactly as reported. A perfect scorer has appeared in both the practical and written exams."
"Have you reported it to the Management Bureau?"
"The report to the Management Bureau is complete."
"Hmm. The Management Bureau will definitely take an interest in this case. It will be a fine achievement for our institute, and performance bonuses are certain to follow."
The director nodded with a satisfied expression. That was precisely why he was curious. Who on earth had produced such overwhelming results along with perfect scores in both exams?
The director folded his arms and asked, "Who exactly is this person? The name sounds familiar. It can't be the same individual I know."
"It is likely the same person."
"The person I know is a prospect who was expelled?"
"Yes, that is correct."
The practical and written examiners answered the director's question in unison.
"How did it go? Your expressions look quite flushed."
The two examiners wore distinctly pleased looks.
"Explain in detail."
The two examiners described the situation at length.
"Because the exam difficulty had been raised, no one could solve the questions properly. Objective questions could be guessed, but subjective questions required understanding the problem and writing the exact answer. At that time, only examinee Kang Yujun wrote down answers. He solved the problems fastest and submitted his answer sheet first."
Then the practical examiner spoke. "So..."
The practical examiner had a great deal to say. Nearly thirty minutes of explanation followed. Though somewhat lengthy, the director was an Awakened himself and quickly grasped what the examiner was trying to convey.
"You corrected the problem with the awakening ability the examinee originally possessed, right there on the spot?"
That was the most shocking part.
"Without even being shown it properly?"
In the practical exam, examiners deliberately create physical problems that did not originally exist. These intentionally fabricated physical issues were the exam itself, allowing an intuitive evaluation of the examinee's training ability. Yet that exam had been completely corrected like an appetizer, and furthermore, the examiner's own real problem had been resolved.
"Yes. He simply solved the problem I had."
"Is that possible?"
If the question was whether it was possible, this was something that could be stated with certainty.
"It's impossible. If it were possible, I would have fixed it long ago. I already knew what needed to be done."
Examiner Lee Jihun was both an Awakened and a trainer. His career as an Awakened alone spanned decades. The clear weakness that had developed during that time had never disappeared despite years of training and discipline. That was why he had created strengths to conceal the weakness as much as possible. Until now, he had hidden his flaw behind his strengths. Moreover, because of that problem, he had even transferred to a civil servant position that would never require him to enter combat.
However...
"It's enough for me to return to active duty. Of course, more training will still be necessary..."
He had reignited the dream of returning to active duty in an Awakened who had retired and become a civil servant.
"...This wasn't a talent that could be identified through a license exam!"
The director smiled broadly.
"Escort examinee Kang Yujun to the VIP room immediately! He is a precious individual!"
"Yes!"
"Yes."
* * *
"Hoo..."
Waiting room after the exam. The examinees who had taken the test were sitting and waiting. No—only a few were actually seated. Most stood or leaned against walls, nervously fiddling with their phones. In the midst of that atmosphere, Yujun entered. The moment everyone saw him, they quickly approached. The examinees who had taken the exam together had witnessed Yujun's practical and written performances with their own eyes.
"Yujun, you did really well. That practical exam was something else!"
"I did well too. What I was doing was child's play compared to that. Thanks to you, I clearly realized I have no aptitude as a trainer."
"I've become a fan. I thought you came here lightly, just switching careers, but it was nothing like that!"
"It was incredible!"
Because of this exam, everyone who had held prejudices against Kang Yujun now saw him differently. Kang Yujun hadn't run away to become a trainer. There was no bubble around him. Rather... he had found his true talent. The thought occurred to them that the reason he had never shone as an Awakened was because he possessed an even greater talent. Through this practical and written exam, he had properly demonstrated what a real trainer's talent looked like. That was why everyone couldn't help but speak to Yujun with excitement. The people here only lacked licenses; most were already working as trainers. They felt it even more keenly.
"Thank you for the praise."
Yujun was quite pleased by their compliments.
'It's been a while since I've heard praise like this.'
When he was young, he had heard such compliments every day, but as his time as a prospect dragged on, he had gone a long time without hearing any. 'I used to think it was annoying back then.' Now he could fully appreciate how grateful such unconditional praise truly was.
Knock, knock—.
At that moment, someone knocked on the waiting room door.
"The exam results have been announced."
When the examiner entered, everyone's expressions hardened.
Gulp—.
Someone's loud swallow echoed through the room.
"I'll announce the results."
The examiner began the announcement immediately.
Ding—! Ding—!
Messages arrived instantly on the phones everyone was holding.
"Accurate scores and feedback have been sent via message. First, the passers: examinee number 1, examinee number 3, and examinee number 12."
Three out of fifteen.
"!"
"I, I passed!"
"Phew..."
"I thought I'd fail."
Among the three passers was, of course, Kang Yujun. Examinee number 12, Kang Yujun. Yujun grinned and immediately checked his grade.
"...?"
He had thought he would barely manage B-Class. But it wasn't B-Class.
"...A-Class?"
He rubbed his eyes and looked again, but it was clearly A-Class.
"Examinee Kang Yujun."
The examiner called Yujun last.
"Examinee Kang Yujun, please come to the VIP room."
"...?"
"What...?"
Everyone began murmuring. A VIP room right after passing? What kind of scores must he have to warrant that?
* * *
"Congratulations, examinee Kang Yujun."
VIP room inside the institute. Originally, trainer pass announcements were made in the institute's waiting room. If you waited there, an examiner would notify you of passing via smart pad and state your grade. However, Yujun was special.
"This VIP room is not originally open to examinees. It is a place to receive precious visitors to the institute."
This time, Yujun had rewritten the entire history of the institute. Receiving such a talent in the VIP room was only natural.
"In the history of the institute, there has never been a trainer with scores like these! That is why I invited you here. Examinee Kang Yujun has now become a precious person to our institute. My introduction is late. I am Kim Ilgyeok, the director of the institute."
Director Kim Ilgyeok smiled kindly. Yujun admired the aura emanating from him.
'S-Class.'
The director's rank was S-Class. Although not a combat-type Awakened, the aura he radiated was highly refined. Moreover, there was far more blue light than cracks.
'I can't see anything to fix.'
Rather than nothing to fix, it was more accurate to say it was hidden. 'At S-Class, one can hide it as much as they please.' Furthermore, proper abilities or movements would need to be shown before he could grasp it. 'Still, I've come quite far to reach this level.' Now he could judge even S-Class individuals to some extent. It wouldn't be perfect, but finding clues had become much easier. The director's lips curved upward at Yujun's cool gaze. As reported, Kang Yujun was indeed the Kang Yujun he knew. Yet his eyes were completely different from before.
"Trainer Kang Yujun, you are aware that policies regarding trainers have been significantly strengthened recently. There have been too many accidents. We are the institution that produces nationally certified official trainers, so we have struggled greatly with difficulty adjustment."
Yujun felt quite pleased at the shift in address from examinee to trainer. Outside, many people called him trainer out of courtesy, but now he was a proper nationally certified trainer.
"However, since Trainer Kang Yujun has proudly obtained A-Class, we now have something to say. The difficulty adjustment has been successful, and if one possesses the skill, anyone can obtain a license. With this level of difficulty, it is normal for trainers to struggle to obtain licenses!"
The director was quite delighted. Now, no matter what pressure came from above, he could counter it all with Kang Yujun. What they had wanted was precisely a talent like him. If you have skill, anyone can obtain a license. If licenses are obtained safely, accidents decrease accordingly. It was exactly the outcome the higher-ups would favor.
"First, I will prepare the A-Class promotion commemorative payment immediately!"
"How much is it?"
"One hundred million won."
At the director's words, Yujun smiled. 'Fortunate in many ways. I thought I would barely reach B-Class.' He had believed he could achieve B-Class, but he had never expected A-Class. Yet A-Class had come out. 'Thanks to that, I gained another hundred million.' Added to the five hundred million contract fee from Neverland, that made six hundred million. 'Among A-Class Awakened benefits, there are probably tax advantages as well.' Then, even if he earned a large sum, he could pay less tax in the first year. 'Excellent.' Now he met the minimum conditions to challenge beast training as well.
"Then, may I leave now?"
Yujun's overly calm reaction left the director rather flustered. He had achieved an incredible record—how could he remain so composed?
"This is an extraordinary accomplishment, Trainer Kang Yujun. It has never happened even once before. Perfect scores in both practical and written exams. Not a single one of the current S-Class trainers has achieved this."
There were only a handful of S-Class trainers in Korea. Among them, not one had received A-Class from the very beginning.
"Even Do Gangmyeong, the exclusive trainer of the Master Guild, started at B-Class."
S-Class trainer Do Gangmyeong. He, too, had begun at B-Class.
"Aren't there people who started at S-Class from the beginning?"
"Yes, there are. Those who received special recruitment licenses. But those individuals passed through other means instead of the exam. In reality, it was no different from not taking the exam. There has never been anyone who took the exam properly like this and received A-Class as their first grade."
It was that remarkable an achievement. However, Yujun did not care much.
"May I go now?"
Since he had taken the exam, there was no reason to remain any longer.
"I obtained the license, so I intend to start working right away."
The director's eyes sparkled. To achieve such an unbelievable result and still remain so calm. Moreover, he could have rested, yet he chose to go straight to work. He was a rare young man.
"I will properly arrange employment connections for you, Trainer Kang Yujun!"
Unintentionally, he had earned the director's favor. Yujun grinned.
"If so, then perhaps..."