Chapter 4
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: An Unjust Start (4)
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“Bang Han-na... Shield arts are your specialty?”
“That's right!”
I glanced at Bang Han-na, who was holding a small shield and answering with such energy.
Bright golden hair cascading down to her chest, slightly drooping eyes, and those rare green irises.
She had an innocent, friendly look about her, but unlike her delicate features, she was quite tall...
Even in that baggy dress that hid her figure, the slight hints of her curves were downright astonishing.
'Looks even bigger than Yu-ra...'
It gave off the same vibe as Hong Yu-ra, who was famous for her unreal proportions, so you can imagine just how impressive it was.
“......”
I quietly averted my gaze and scanned her resume once more.
'Bang Han-na... 21 years old... Graduated from the Academy, currently attending Seoul National University...'
Bang Han-na was a college student in the middle of her studies, having received higher education at what was commonly called the 'Academy'—the mandatory training institution for ability users.
“You're an Academy grad?”
“Yes! I graduated from the Seoul branch!”
She'd gone to the exact same place as me—my direct junior there.
'Well, plenty of people graduate from the Seoul branch...'
I brushed it off without much thought, set my pen down for a more in-depth interview, and looked at her.
“Hmm...”
Shield arts weren't all that rare as a specialty, really.
You saw people combining swords or spears—even magic—with shields sometimes, and there were hunters who'd made names solely with shield work.
But.
Someone who used only a shield? That was a first for me.
“I've seen people who incorporate shields, but handling nothing but a shield feels pretty unusual. Any special advantages?”
“Yes!”
Bang Han-na launched right into her answer, like she'd been waiting for the question.
“I can focus purely on tanking!”
“...Tanking?”
“I can concentrate solely on blocking, so I block way more!”
Her declaration was so bold that I blinked in surprise, then unconsciously rubbed my chin and probed further.
“Sounds like you're pretty confident in your tanking.”
“Yes!”
She met my eyes straight on and proclaimed her resolve with total conviction.
“Even if it kills me, I'll protect the team!”
'Whoa...'
I could tell her determination was genuine.
Eyes don't lie—if you're anxious, they cloud over; if you're nervous, they waver.
But Bang Han-na's shone bright and steady.
And more than that...
Her specialty of wielding nothing but a shield made that sincerity shine even brighter.
'They say an ability matches its user...'
It wasn't widely known, but abilities usually awakened in line with the user's personality.
The fact that Bang Han-na could wield nothing but shield arts...
'Means she's that selfless and devoted.'
The first round of interviews wrapped up.
Out of 52 candidates, 20 who fell short were sent home right away. The remaining 32 headed to the final hurdle: the practical test.
Kim Jun-hyeong and I met up with another evaluator, Choi Gap-gyu, midway through and made our way to the hunter-exclusive training center we'd rented near city hall...
“Man... I had no idea our Jun-hyeong was buddies with someone as big-time as you.”
Choi Gap-gyu was sucking up to me—way younger than him—using polite speech like he wanted something.
“You're the lead producer for Queens, right? With Cheonhwa Guild?”
“That's right.”
“Whoa... Cheonhwa Guild under the Cheonhwa Group! Even the name screams elite! Haha!”
Choi Gap-gyu wasn't hiding his greed at all.
Or maybe he had no intention of hiding it from the start.
“We're connected by fate and all—how about drinks after we're done today?”
Guys like him only suggest drinks for shady reasons.
No need to get tangled up.
“Appreciate the offer, but I've got something tonight, so not this time.”
“Ah... Yeah, you're swamped, makes sense. Next time for sure, then.”
Was he just testing the waters? He backed off easier than expected and left it at that.
“This way.”
We arrived at the training center, and the practical tests kicked off immediately.
“As announced earlier, the practical test will be mock training against robots. One at a time, and we'll notify you of results later, so feel free to head out after yours.”
The practicals were mock battles tailored to each person's specialty, pitting them against training robots.
These bots had advanced leaps and bounds in recent years, mimicking same-rank monsters so closely that tons of hunter teams used them for practice.
Ching—! Chiiing—!
Beyond the transparent glass, a candidate's sword clashed with a training robot.
Chiiing—! Chiiiing—!
The bot started countering bit by bit but slowed under her fierce assault.
“Sharp attacks, huh?”
“High chance she'll rank up to C-grade eventually.”
Choi Gap-gyu and Kim Jun-hyeong saw potential there, giving her solid praise.
But...
'Her swings are too shallow. Bad habits.'
To me, she seemed hopelessly lacking.
Not because I produced the world's top team, Queens—no, she truly had no potential.
My ability, Envy of Others, doesn't lie.
Name: Kim Ji-min
Potential Rank: D
Possessed Ability: Basic Swordsmanship Lv2
Her current rank was D-rank.
She'd already hit her max—no room to grow.
Scritch—scritch—
I quietly marked an X for elimination on the eval sheet and waited in silence for the next one.
And soon enough.
Her turn finally came.
'Here she is.'
Bang Han-na, the shield-only specialist.
Unlike the interview, she was now in a form-fitting combat suit that hugged her body. She stepped into the training booth with stiff, tense strides, gripped her shield tight, and stood before the robot.
She clasped her hands in front of her ample chest, took a deep breath...
Squish—!
And without hesitation, stomped the activation button at her feet.
Kiiing—
The robot shifted into a four-legged beast form matching her specialty and raised its head with a whine.
'Let's see what she's got...'
Shield training is dead simple compared to other specialties.
Just block the opponent's attacks.
Your skill comes down to how efficiently you do it.
Kiiing... Tat—!
The robot charged at Bang Han-na.
She froze for a split second, then snapped her shield up to block its foreleg.
Kaaang—!
A massive clang echoed beyond the booth.
I watched her intently and let out a small gasp of admiration—she hadn't budged an inch.
Kaaaang—! Kaaaang—!
The robot ramped up with sharp strikes calibrated to her level, but Bang Han-na blocked every one, showing skill way above her rank.
“Not a single counter.”
“Hmm...”
Choi Gap-gyu and Kim Jun-hyeong weren't impressed, reacting tepidly.
Kaaaang—! Kaaaang—!
The training ended after a few exchanges.
“Bang Han-na, good work. We'll let you know the results later.”
“Thank you!”
After her turn.
While the next candidate prepped, Choi Gap-gyu gave his take on her.
“That girl who just left? Tough to make it as a hunter. Looks-wise, though... she won't starve.”
Kim Jun-hyeong didn't argue much, just let out a low chuckle, so Choi Gap-gyu craned his neck toward me.
“What do you think?”
“Well...”
Truth be told, Bang Han-na had the best showing of any candidate here.
Her form wasn't polished, no bad habits, and above all, she had the key trait for a frontline tanker.
Not running away.
Even against a training bot, she never backed down.
Most overlook it, but that's the foundation—and the most vital quality—for a tanker.
Tankers draw aggro from monsters.
The tactics you can pull off depend on how well your tank holds. If they fear the front line, what then?
In that sense, Bang Han-na was tailor-made for tanking.
“I liked her. Hope she passes.”
“...Huh?”
“You... liked her?”
I made a show of drawing a big O for pass on the eval sheet.
They stared at me in disbelief...
But honestly, my high opinion of Bang Han-na went beyond her skills—there was another reason.
Name: Bang Han-na
Potential Rank: A
Possessed Ability: Basic Shield Arts Lv1
My ability confirmed her potential rank as a whopping A-rank.
And her shield arts were only level 1.
Level 1 meant she barely knew how to hold the thing, yet she'd faced a D-rank bot. That's near impossible.
But.
She blocked everything right in front of me.
With a shield that didn't suit her, no fancy techniques.
It meant she tanked through sheer grit...
And that made her my favorite type: a tenacious scrapper.
All interviews done, evals on the passers wrapped up.
“Come on, head out with us.”
“Sorry, still got work. Gotta run.”
“...Mm... Can't be helped, then...”
“Next time we get the chance, dinner's on me. Good work today. See ya, Jun-hyeong.”
“You too. I'll hit you up.”
Parted ways with them and headed home...
Bzzz—bzzz—
My phone buzzed in the car.
Figuring it was Kim Jun-hyeong, I pulled over at a light and checked the screen...
“!”
It wasn't him.
A message from Gu Seok-il.