The Price of Potential
Medical Sign rushed over, her hand, now a bloody mess, mercilessly slapping the broad back of Ha Ohu, who was busy pounding a sandbag. Whack!
"Are you insane?! What kind of lunatic tries to get his ability evaluated by grinding his own hands into hamburger meat? Stop it right now!"
Stung by the blow, Ohu finally stopped his assault, letting out a ragged breath as he turned to face Medical Sign. His hands were shredded, the white of his bones visible through the torn flesh, blood dripping steadily onto the floor.
"Haa... You wrecked your legs at Bupyeong Station, and now you’re pulling this crap again today! Ugh, you’re going to be the death of me!"
Medical Sign shouted in annoyance, grabbing Ohu’s mangled hands firmly.
"Ah—."
She opened her mouth wide, extending a long, sticky tongue. "..." Ohu, accustomed to this, offered his hands with a stoic expression. Medical Sign’s tongue wrapped tightly around his shattered hands.
"Uee-eh, ooo-er, uee-eh~!"
Because her tongue was fully extended, her words came out as an unintelligible alien language. Last time at Bupyeong Station, Triple Axel had kindly acted as an interpreter, but he wasn't here now. Ohu had no way of knowing if she was cursing his stupidity or worrying about his condition. Watching her angry eyes, he offered a tentative excuse.
"...The examiner said maximum power was part of the evaluation. I wanted to show them the endurance and patience I have to withstand this level of pain and limit, so I just..."
At Ohu’s brazen and calm excuse, Medical Sign, still wrapping his hands with her tongue, rolled her eyes and shook her head, using her free hand to massage her forehead in disbelief.
"Uoo-er..."
As the bizarre treatment continued—the bones and flesh of Ohu’s crushed hands slowly turning into a soft, jelly-like substance under her saliva before being reconstructed into their original form—
> Ahem, ahem. I, I apologize. I got a bit excited.
The speaker in the control room, which had let out a screeching sound earlier, cleared its throat and resumed the announcement in a calm voice. Of course, it was still slightly strained.
"The physical and ability evaluation for examinee Ha Ohu is now concluded. We will proceed with the verification of previously submitted performance records."
The control room’s reading echoed through the hall.
"Ha Ohu’s major achievements and history over the past year. A few days ago, during the Bupyeong Station armed conflict, he led the evacuation of numerous citizens and controlled the scene. Furthermore, he dealt a fatal blow to the mutant-type villain 'Duggy,' who had been reclassified as B-rank, contributing significantly to his subjugation."
The sound of the examiner flipping through papers followed.
"That is all."
"..."
Ohu let out a dry, self-deprecating laugh. Compared to Namiyang, whose colorful criminal history—ranging from stealing snuff films to distributing stolen goods on the second-hand market—had been recited at length, his own record was pitifully short. It was only that one instance of activity at Bupyeong Station.
'Since 70% of the evaluation score is based on performance, at this rate, Namiyang and I will be crawling at the bottom of C-rank together.'
Just as Ohu was resigning himself to the thought:
"Ah, one moment. There is one additional item to be reflected here."
The examiner’s voice, sounding surprised, continued over the speaker.
"An official letter of recommendation has been received from KHC Association A-rank hero Triple Axel, recommending Ha Ohu. This letter highly evaluates Ha Ohu’s character and potential as a hero, and it will be specially reflected in this evaluation’s performance score."
"...!"
Triple Axel. Even amidst his busy schedule, he had taken the time to leave an official recommendation with the Association to help with Ohu’s evaluation before leaving. That deep, warm consideration made even the corner of Ohu’s heart, which he had been forcing himself to keep under control, sting with emotion. He was truly a good man.
"Uoo-er, eh-eep!"
Hearing the broadcast, Medical Sign began to grumble irritably even while she was still treating him. When Ohu looked at her, confused, she retracted her tongue and spoke brazenly.
"Why are you looking at me? Ugh, the senior must have really liked you. He hounded me endlessly to write a recommendation for you with my special authority, too."
"Ah... really?"
When Ohu asked in surprise, Medical Sign shoved her hands into her pockets and looked away.
"Well, I was busy and forgot, so I didn't write one."
"..."
Ohu was speechless at her blatant negligence, but his heart began to race.
'Triple Axel’s recommendation will be specially reflected? Then...'
A small flicker of hope sprouted. Although he only had one performance record, if a recommendation from a figure of that caliber was added, along with the maximum power destruction score he had shown earlier...
'Could it be... could I aim for a much higher rank than I thought? Maybe B-rank, or if I’m lucky, the entry level of A-rank?'
Thump. Thump.
Ohu looked up at the monitor hanging at the top of the training ground with a tense expression.
"This concludes the verification of submitted history and recommendations. Calculating the final rank for examinee Ha Ohu."
With the examiner’s words, the monitor screen began to blink rapidly. Ohu clenched his fists.
Ding!
With an electronic sound, Ha Ohu’s final evaluation rank was displayed in large letters on the screen.
C
"..."
Ohu’s shoulders slumped. C-rank. The same rank received by Namiyang, who had been selling stolen goods on the second-hand market earlier.
"Haa... tsk."
Ohu clicked his tongue before he could stop himself. The disappointment was as great as his expectations had been. No matter how much he struggled and broke his own bones to prove his strength, it seemed he couldn't escape the limitations of a complete novice in the face of this system.
"Hey, why is your face like that?"
Medical Sign, who was packing up her medical kit, scolded him in disbelief at his expression, which failed to hide his disappointment. "Why are you disappointed? Did you really think you’d get B-rank or A-rank?"
"...Honestly, I ground my body into the dirt like that, so isn't C-rank a bit stingy?"
Medical Sign let out a dry laugh, as if she were dumbfounded.
"You idiot. You think the Hero Association’s system is a total joke, don't you? Unless you're a monster like 'OnlySevenDay,' a disaster-level exception that goes down in history, the maximum ceiling for a complete novice in their first evaluation is always C-rank."
"What? The maximum is C-rank?"
"Of course! Think about it."
Medical Sign poked Ohu’s chest with her finger, pouring out a realistic explanation. "If we just handed out B-rank or A-rank badges to complete novices who have no field experience and whose crisis-response abilities haven't been verified, just because their stats are high or their punch is strong, what do you think would happen? According to Association manuals, A-rank or B-rank heroes are forced to be deployed to high-risk missions or large-scale terror suppression scenes that match their rank."
Medical Sign’s eyes turned serious.
"Kids who don't know anything would just rely on their rank and act cocky, only to be thrown into real death traps and get killed by villains! That’s why C-rank is the maximum. It’s the Association’s most basic safety device. Even genius elites who graduate at the top of the Hero Academy for four years straight get a maximum of C-rank on their first practical evaluation and have to start from the bottom of the field."
"Ah..."
C-rank wasn't a label of incompetence, but the Association’s minimum safety net to prevent new heroes from being thrown into merciless death traps. At the same time, it was a certification mark that they wouldn't die easily even if they were deployed to the field tomorrow and performed a mission alone.
'Then... Namiyang getting C-rank earlier wasn't because she was a petty thief, but because she received the maximum for a first evaluation?'
Ohu scratched the back of his head, feeling embarrassed that he had misunderstood the system and been disappointed for no reason.
"Anyway."
Medical Sign warned him one last time as she packed her bags and headed out of the training ground. "Don't you ever act like a reckless idiot in the field again like you did earlier. If your ability has that kind of recoil, you should at least get proper special equipment or gauntlets to wear when you fight. Next time, I won't wrap it with my tongue—I’ll just cut it off."
"...I’ll keep that in mind."
Ohu bowed his head lightly to express his gratitude for the advice from an S-rank hero who was genuinely worried about him.
* * *
After finishing the evaluation, Ohu left the hall and returned to the waiting room for observers.
"MASTEEERRRR!!"
As soon as he opened the door, Namiyang came rushing into his arms, her tail spinning like a propeller. Gone was the look of disappointment from when she had returned with her tail tucked after receiving C-rank earlier. Perhaps she had heard about the true meaning of C-rank and the ceiling rule from the staff, because she was back to her arrogant expression, nose held high.
"Hehe! Master, you’re C-rank too, just like me! Nya!"
"Yeah. That’s a relief."
Ohu smiled and patted Namiyang’s head, and she proudly fluttered a document she was holding in her hand.
"Look at this! It’s a temporary guide the examiners made after analyzing my electrical ability data!"
The document meticulously recorded the output of Namiyang’s electrical ability and her physical reaction speed, and at the bottom, it provided detailed analysis from experts on how to apply her ability and train to develop her destructive power, along with primary training guidelines.
Ohu scanned the document, once again impressed by the power of the systematic structure the KHC Hero Association possessed. With such objective and scientific analysis, it would create a synergy effect for his own training, as well as for Namiyang’s.
Just as Ohu and Namiyang were sharing their satisfaction with the evaluation results:
"Next, special recruit examinee Han Eunbyul. Please enter the evaluation hall."
The indifferent announcement called the name of the final examinee through the waiting room speaker.
...Gulp.
The moment had finally come. Eunbyul, who had been sitting in the corner of the waiting room, stood up unsteadily. While Ohu and Namiyang had at least possessed superior physical specs, Eunbyul was in a state where her practical combat ability was literally non-existent. Her 'Flight' ability, which crawled through the sky like a slug, was the only card she held.
"I, I’ll be back...!"
Eunbyul tried to steady her pale, trembling face, clenched her fists, and began to walk toward the door of the evaluation hall.
* * *
Ding!
D
"Ah..."
Eunbyul’s final evaluation rank was mercilessly displayed on the monitor. Trudge, trudge. Not long after, Eunbyul opened the waiting room door and entered, her head bowed low, looking like she was about to burst into tears.
"Master..."
Eunbyul stood in front of Ohu and Namiyang, her lips pouting with teary eyes. "I... I got D-rank... sob..."
Seeing her pitiful appearance, as if she might collapse and sob at any moment, Ohu suppressed a chuckle, recalling the evaluation process he had witnessed through the window just moments ago.
'That’s what you get for doing something so reckless.'
At first, it hadn't been bad. Measuring her basic physical ability without using her power. Eunbyul had performed the steps she had learned until her bones broke during Last Moment’s hellish training, landing quite heavy and sharp punches on the sandbag in succession.
"For that physique, her striking form and muscle strength are quite excellent. Her basic training is very well done."
Positive evaluations from the examiners had flowed through the control room microphone, and Ohu and Namiyang, watching from the waiting room, had nodded as well. The results of enduring the muscle-tearing training of that crazy B-rank instructor, Last Moment, with nothing but grit and guts, were clearly shining through in the non-ability physical evaluation.
However, the maximum output destruction measurement, where she had to activate her awakening ability, was the hurdle. Eunbyul’s awakening ability, 'Flight.' It was a power so sluggish and slow that she only rose a few centimeters per second. She had no additional destructive power or special ability to add to her punches. In a situation where it was obvious that hitting the sandbag in that state would have no difference from hitting it with her bare body, a desperate Eunbyul had executed a very simple and reckless idea.
If the speed was slow, she would go up incredibly high and use gravity and falling acceleration to strike down. Eunbyul had started crawling up like a slug, and the examiners in the control room had watched with dumbfounded expressions, saying, "What is she doing right now?" and "That’s almost at the level of a levitation trick, not flight."
Just as Eunbyul, who had reached the dome ceiling, was about to flip her body like a spinning top and attempt a vertical drop to strike the sandbag—
Bang!!
The emergency door of the training ground wall was kicked open violently, and Medical Sign came rushing in.
"Th, that crazy little brat!!"
She had just finished treating Ohu and was trying to rest. She extended her tongue like a whip, snatched the falling Eunbyul by the waist, pulled her to the floor, and immediately slapped Eunbyul’s back mercilessly.
"Are you insane?! What would you have done if you couldn't control your speed from that height, fell onto the sandbag, slipped, and smashed your head into the floor? You’d have cracked your skull and died instantly, you idiot! Even I couldn't save you from that!"
Medical Sign bombarded her with nagging, clutching her chest. "The guy from earlier was the same, why are they all risking their lives diving just to get an evaluation! I’m going to melt them all with my tongue!"
In the end, her idea for maximum destructive power, which she had racked her brain to come up with, was judged as a dangerous suicide attempt and forcibly terminated. And the result was that bitter D-rank judgment on the screen.
'Still, if it weren't for the physical ability proven by Last Moment’s hellish training, she would have undoubtedly fallen to F or E-rank, and her debut would have been canceled entirely. It was a close call.'
Ohu chuckled and reached out his large hand to pat Eunbyul’s head.
"You worked hard."
"Sob..."
"Well, it’s not bad for a first time. If you’re starting from the bottom, there’s nowhere to go but up, right?"
At Ohu’s indifferent but warm consolation, Eunbyul nodded, wiping away her tears. Namiyang, who was standing next to them, crossed her arms and added, wagging her tail triumphantly.
"That’s right, kid! At least you didn't get E-rank! From now on, just stick to Master and me, build up your performance records, and you’ll be promoted! I’ll specially be your training partner!"