I'm Not a Hunter, Though (3)
“Exam number 117! Where's 117?!”
“I'll be back.”
“Do your best, mister.”
I quietly raised my hand and stepped forward.
The certification exam wasn't anything complicated—just prove you had what it took to survive the Gray Forest, and you were done.
After the founding boss of the Alligator Gang laid the groundwork for this city, he'd established the law making this the gateway test for becoming a hunter.
Of course, it was really just an isolated section of the Gray Forest turned into a testing ground.
All you had to do was head to the designated spot, grab the flag, and come back. Simple.
Of course, there were traps and saboteurs along the way, so it wasn't a walk in the park.
It was designed to weed out the posers and cut down on casualties, after all.
I glanced at the woman holding a notepad in front of the entrance gate to the testing area.
Examiner, huh.
“Candidate 117. No weapons?”
“Nope.”
“Just a reminder: once you enter, you can't leave until the exam ends.”
“Got it.”
Too well, actually. That was the problem.
Passing this testing ground was its own little two-parter episode.
I didn't remember every detail, but all the major hazards were mapped out in my head.
“Then you're good to go. You have 15 minutes.”
I slowly stepped forward, dredging up memories from the original story.
So many green rookies who can barely walk straight. Why do they all show up like this?
He knew the exam was important.
It was the founding leader of the Alligator Gang's way of keeping the unqualified from going out and dying.
That's why he'd started out full of a sense of duty.
But after countless repeats, that sense of duty had worn down like a rock eroded by sandstorms.
Now it was just... a job.
So, as always, he mechanically prepared to mess with the candidates.
Hurry up and finish so I can slack off. Sigh.
He stretched in the small cave that served as the waiting area, stepped out, and took a deep breath.
Moist, humid air.
Familiar as it was, he inhaled deeply, then made a bored face—
“Knew you'd be here.”
“Huh?”
“Stay put and just sleep it off.”
A young man's voice bounced off the cave walls, echoing.
“What the—?”
Before he could finish, someone shoved his chest.
A light push that should've just rocked him back.
Enough force to maybe make him fall on his ass, at worst.
But weirdly, his body flew backward into the cave.
What ability is that?
Telekinesis?
Body enhancement?
Or some special superpower?
Before he could figure it out, he heard boots hitting the ground.
The examiner rolled across the floor to absorb the impact, got up, and tried to bolt out of the cave.
If a sudden boulder hadn't rolled in to block the entrance.
“No fucking way... what the hell is this now?”
Was it blocking the path on purpose to trap him?
The examiner stared at the blocking rock in disbelief.
“Jeez.”
Pushing the boulder aside wasn't hard.
He'd been doing this job for years, seen worse.
How'd he know where I was?
This cave was so well-hidden you had to get close to spot it—only another examiner could've found it.
No candidate could spare the time to search it out mid-exam.
“Whatever. Might as well nap now.”
Just chalk it up to some weird ability. Easier that way.
With that conclusion, the examiner lay back in the hammock strung up in the cave and closed his eyes.
Until the next exam started.
“Good thing it's the exact same spot as in the original.”
A small cave hidden on a hill about a third into the testing ground.
The examiner who popped out from there at the start was a real pain.
He knew every obstacle and trap inside the grounds and herded candidates toward them with threats.
His combat skills were just trained soldier level, but his ability was the issue.
Anyone who heard his voice suffered auditory hallucinations and illusions.
Once it kicked in, you were totally under his sway—which was why I'd decided to neutralize him upfront.
Mental ability users always had clear limits in a straight-up brawl.
And I'd pulled it off perfectly.
“Time to hurry.”
With the toughest examiner out of commission, I could leisurely grab the flag.
I glanced at the blocked cave entrance and headed for the flag point.
No obstacles, no traps—it was starting to feel more like a stroll than an exam.
“So this is the flag.”
I picked up the one stuck in the ground.
About a meter tall, give or take.
I slung it casually over my shoulder and turned back.
Time to head out.
I retraced my steps.
No saboteurs on the way back either.
Had they just given up?
Or not shown up yet?
Didn't matter to me either way, so I sauntered up to the examiner watching my approach and handed over the flag.
“13 minutes... not bad.”
“Can I go now?”
“Park Isak... got it. Congratulations, you pass. Pick up your certificate at the counter. Got a photo?”
“No.”
“We'll need to take one—head that way.”
I eyed the dim little passageway he pointed to, not the way I'd come in.
Pretty creepy vibe.
But I knew it wouldn't screw me over, so no big deal.
“Thanks for your hard work.”
“Looking forward to your exploits.”
With that rote send-off, I stepped into the dark corridor.
Straight shot, not too long—about thirty steps to a door.
I opened it and entered a dark room.
If I hadn't read the original, the ominous atmosphere might've gotten to me.
But it was just because the photographer's ability only worked in the dark.
...Yeah, you could argue how the hell do you take photos in pitch black, but expecting common sense from ability users was pointless anyway.
“You there?”
“Three steps left. Turn 90 degrees right. Chin up a bit, eyes wide. Corners of the mouth up.”
A cranky old voice barked orders.
I followed without flinching.
The guy just wanted a proof photo, nothing more.
Once I was posed, a blinding flash filled my vision.
“Sharp and alert. You'll last long out there.”
“Thanks.”
“Here's your photo. Don't make me retake it—handle with care.”
“Got it.”
I took the photo and headed for the door with light streaming in.
Opening it revealed the lobby.
I scanned around and spotted Mina in the corner, coldly talking to some guy.
Assholes like him were everywhere, here or there.
“Come on, don't be like that—”
“No business here, so I'm going.”
“Just a chat's fine, right? There's a nice restaurant over—”
“Hey, enough—let's go.”
What, was this some novel cliché playing out?
I glanced at Mina's face—expressionless but with a hint of fear—then glared at the sleazy thug.
“You know who I am, punk?”
“Quit with the third-rate villain crap from some web novel and just fuck off?”
“Third-rate villain?”
Should I just beat his ass?
Nah. No need to trash my image right from the start.
I grabbed Mina's hand and headed for the counter.
But the guy wouldn't let us go easy.
“You little shit, you know who I am?”
“Who the hell are you to be hitting on a kid?”
Should smash his head in with juvenile protection laws... oh wait, no such thing here.
Fucking world.
“You really don't know me?”
“Nope.”
What the hell with this guy?
Acting like not knowing him was insane? No TV here—how would I?
“New in town, huh? Act like that and you won't last.”
“You worry about yourself.”
Beat his ass?
No.
Too many eyes here.
Better handle it somewhere discreet.
Anyway... looking at him, we'd cross paths soon enough.
I ignored the goblin-faced creep and headed to the counter.
To become a hunter.