Chapter 306: Anxiety (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 306: Anxiety (5)
The second-quarter Hunter Qualification Exam took place over four days and three nights.
This time, the exam was mostly straightforward.
It was naturally difficult, as it was designed to separate the wheat from the chaff, but at least there was nothing like the ‘Maze of Darkness’ from the last quarter, which had caused dropouts to sprout like weeds.
Kim Do-jin’s team members, who had garnered significant attention from the start, survived with excellent scores.
Considering their skills, it was to be expected.
But given that this was a competition, it was still an impressive feat.
“Wow… he put together a great team.”
“I know, right? That Kim Do-jin fellow doesn’t just have skill, he has a good eye for talent too.”
“Look at them, holding their own and surviving despite being targeted so heavily.”
“It’s not just their skill; their tenacity is even more incredible. Kids like that tend to last a long time as Hunters.”
Such were the assessments of the scouts watching through hundreds of monitors.
Kim Do-jin’s team had been practically public enemy number one even before the exam began.
Many joined forces to eliminate them, interfering with and obstructing everything they did.
The few cannot stand against the many.
It would have been understandable if they had faltered, unable to cope with the constant pressure from dozens, even hundreds, of opponents.
Yet, the team members used every trick in the book to survive until the end, carving their names into the top ranks.
Thanks to this, the scouts’ eyes began to sparkle.
“Hmm… Kim Do-jin, of course, but the others are all unaffiliated too…”
The leader, Kim Do-jin, and all his team members were free agents with no guild affiliation.
This meant that if they played their cards right, they could potentially recruit not only Kim Do-jin, considered one of the most promising talents in Korea and the world, but his hand-picked team as well, all in one go.
“Yes, Director. I’ve sent the recruitment list. Why is Kim Do-jin’s name on it? If we get him, all the promising talents from this quarter will likely follow him in a neat little line.”
Even though the exam wasn’t over, they were already on the phone with their guilds.
A final test remained, but their passing was all but a foregone conclusion.
Amidst the bustle, only one person sat in silence, staring at a monitor.
‘Heh, this tournament bracket is interesting.’
He was none other than Kim Do-jin.
When he had casually mentioned to the Association that he wanted to see his team members in action, they had even given him a disguise and let him in.
Thanks to that, he had been able to watch how they passed the exam over the past four days and three nights.
Kim Do-jin’s evaluation of them was simple.
‘I sure know how to pick them.’
He was satisfied.
They had demonstrated their skills exceptionally well.
Even in critical situations, they remained calm instead of tensing up, methodically searching for a solution and using it to control the flow of events.
At this rate, they wouldn't panic in a dungeon unless it was a truly dire crisis.
‘If they keep growing like this… hmm.’
While he was at it, he tried to gauge their futures.
It wasn't certain, of course, unless he took a time machine to the future to see for himself.
But assuming they didn't neglect their training and continued on their current path…
‘They could easily reach the top of A-rank, at a minimum.’
The top of A-rank was the minimum.
That meant, depending on how they spent their time, even S-rank was well within the realm of possibility.
Some might scoff at the idea.
There were only six S-rank Hunters in all of South Korea. How could it be possible that an entire team under one person held the potential to become S-rank?
‘Well, it’s not impossible.’
The world was advancing.
And with it, the potential of budding Hunters was also improving with each generation.
It wasn't that the top Hunters of the past were all hype, but it was a fact that the standards had risen.
Even among this elevated pool of talent, the team members Kim Do-jin had chosen were exceptional.
No, he had chosen them because they were exceptional.
‘Or did I pick them because they were pretty…?’
Had he picked them for their looks, only to find out they were talented?
He wasn't sure, but anyway.
They were outstanding talents even among the gifted students of Korea University, which only accepted the best of the best.
Wouldn't it be stranger if they didn't have the potential to become S-rank?
‘The one I’m most worried about among them is…’
Kim Do-jin’s gaze shifted to one of the monitors.
The final event of this quarter’s Hunter Qualification Exam: the 1-on-1 tournament.
Stepping onto the stage for the final match was Shin Yu-jeong.
‘She’s the one I’m a bit concerned about.’
Shin Yu-jeong was also more exceptional than the other students at Korea University.
However, among the extraordinary individuals Kim Do-jin had gathered, she fell a little short.
In truth, his decision to choose her had been influenced by a bit of personal sentiment.
Of course, that didn't mean she was far behind, but… he was still a little worried.
She drew greater motivation from seeing people more skilled than herself.
She would push and whip herself harder, using it as a stepping stone for immense growth.
So far, that process was working wonderfully.
‘The problem is, if you follow the wrong way, you can just tear yourself apart.’
Until now, she had been keeping up well.
In fact, hadn't she even surpassed others to reach the tournament finals?
But one day, it would come.
A moment when a gap that couldn't be closed, no matter how hard she tried, would form between Shin Yu-jeong and the other team members.
The fate of those who struggle to bridge such a gap usually ends in one of two ways.
‘Either they tear themselves apart, or they grow wings.’
The vast majority end up breaking down in frustration, their legs metaphorically ripped apart while trying to leap over the chasm.
But occasionally, a rare few not only overcome it but even sprout wings they never had and take to the sky.
That was why Kim Do-jin was both worried and curious.
When that moment came, what would become of Shin Yu-jeong?
Would she break?
Or would she overcome even that and gain her wings?
‘Her first trial is right now.’
Shin Yu-jeong had reached the finals by crushing her opponents with unstoppable momentum.
But the opponent blocking her path now was a dazzling crystallization of talent.
It was Son Seo-yeon.
* * *
Shin Yu-jeong had reached the finals by tearing through her opponents with unstoppable momentum.
Among those she had defeated was her own teammate, Elena.
Recalling that match, she grimaced and shook her head.
‘I’m never fighting her again, not even if I die.’
The memory alone sent a shiver down her spine. It had been that intense.
Because both of their defenses were so solid, they had fought for a full hour and a half.
The reason she had won in the end?
Shin Yu-jeong’s offensive power was slightly superior to Elena’s.
‘All that time I spent grinding my swordsmanship paid off.’
And that had been at Kim Do-jin’s recommendation.
He had told her that her shield skills were already decent, so her swordsmanship needed to be at least on par.
Thanks to him, she had won.
‘That admirable guy.’
She felt like running over and giving him a kiss right then and there.
But it was too early to celebrate.
Having defeated her rival to reach the finals, she now faced an even bigger mountain.
“Let’s have a good match.”
Son Seo-yeon greeted her with an understated tone and expression.
Looking at her, Shin Yu-jeong gave a bitter smile.
“I had a feeling you’d be the one to make it up here, Sunbae…”
From the moment she saw Seo-yeon’s name on the opposite side of the bracket, she had expected it.
One of the spots in the final would be hers.
However, the aura she felt from her on the tournament stage was far more intense than she had imagined.
“You’re much more passionate than you look.”
Her blazing eyes and powerful aura felt like they could scorch her whole body.
She didn't remember Seo-yeon being this fervent before.
“Don’t tell me this is because of Do-jin’s wish, is it?”
She asked jokingly, but the thought was amusing.
As if someone like her, who lacked nothing, would show such passion over a simple wish from a guy…
“That’s right.”
“……?”
Shin Yu-jeong stared at Son Seo-yeon, her mouth agape and her eyes blank.
What.
Is this a dream?
‘…No, it’s not a dream.’
The pressure from the hundreds of pairs of eyes fixed on the stage, and the even greater presence of Son Seo-yeon herself, completely blocked any chance of escaping reality.
Something felt off.
Scowling, Shin Yu-jeong asked.
“Sunbae, do you… like Kim Do-jin?”
Son Seo-yeon froze for a moment at the question before shaking her head.
“No.”
She felt a certain fondness for him, but she didn't like him.
In fact, other feelings were much stronger.
Respect, awe, things of that nature.
“Oh, really? For a second there, I thought…”
Shin Yu-jeong felt a wave of relief at her answer.
But you know what they say.
You have to listen to the very end.
That was exactly her situation now.
“Not yet.”
The words, uttered a moment later, made Shin Yu-jeong’s heart plummet.
She stammered, her voice laced with panic.
“So… you mean, not right now… but you might like him later?”
“Exactly.”
That was precisely what Son Seo-yeon meant.
You never know how things will turn out in life.
Of course, if she felt nothing for him at all, she would have closed off any possibility of a future.
‘I don’t know.’
The feelings she currently had for him were overwhelmingly positive.
Besides, he was so much like her father.
And ever since she was a little girl, she had always said she would marry her dad when she grew up.
Whether that childhood ideal type had carried over and was influencing her now… only she knew for sure.
“Ah.”
Meanwhile, upon hearing Son Seo-yeon’s reply, Shin Yu-jeong scrunched up her face and looked up at the sky.
An image flickered in her mind.
The image of Kim Do-jin when he used to be fat.
She hadn't disliked him because of his appearance.
She had simply hated his lazy and slothful personality, always holed up in the corner of his room doing nothing.
If he had the same personality back then as he did now, she felt she could have loved him passionately, even in that state.
‘Should I make him fat again?’
She was seriously considering it.