Chapter 7
Chapter 7
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: 2. Promotion Exam (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"We'll now move through the gate."
It was Team 2's turn.
The moment they stepped into the gate leading to the Backside World, the world twisted around them, revealing a landscape entirely different from before.
Whoosh.
A wave of dizziness hit.
Those experiencing dimensional travel for the first time often suffered from motion sickness and nausea. But Kang San was a veteran who had run hundreds of raids, even as an F-rank Arrow Sponge. He accepted the familiar queasiness with a stoic expression and immediately assessed his surroundings the instant his foot touched the unfamiliar ground.
'...A swamp?'
This place was a forest too.
Towering trees blocked out the sunlight, and the ground beneath their feet was sticky overall.
It was the worst.
Extreme climates or terrain like swamps that hindered combat were prime examples of areas people avoided. Normally, prior investigations would confirm all such details before hunting commenced, but this practical test provided zero information about the hunting ground.
They had to clash with it head-on.
The ability to handle variables was part of the evaluation too.
Rustle.
"Something's approaching!"
"Everyone, form up!"
Jo Han-byeol raised his voice.
As one team member had said, something was heading their way.
At first, only the grass on one side stirred.
But as they watched it intently, the rustling suddenly spread in all directions.
Rustle rustle!
Snap!
"Goblins!"
The grotesque creatures bursting through the dense grass were Goblins, known F-rank monsters. Small and puny in stature, they were infamous for their individually weak combat prowess. But the appearance of Goblins in an E-rank zone meant this wasn't just any hunting ground.
"Damn it, this is Hobgoblin territory."
Hobgoblin.
A Hobgoblin, endowed with intelligence, knew how to cunningly utilize its kin as a leader of monsters.
As expected, the Goblins didn't charge mindlessly.
The first one to leap forward was bait, and Goblins popping out from all sides simultaneously fired paralyzing needles.
Psssh!
A surprise attack!
Fortunately, the Tanker's reaction was swift.
Kang San had already positioned himself optimally to protect his teammates the moment the Goblins appeared.
Pak pak pak!
The Goblins' paralyzing needle assault was blocked by his shield. At the same time, the leaping Goblin aimed for an opening and thrust its dagger, but Kang San swiftly swung his sword first. Slash—the Goblin's chest split open. Since its individual stats weren't impressive, the Goblin spewed blood and crumpled to the ground.
"Just stay calm and respond accordingly. Goblins are just Goblins, after all."
Kang San said coolly.
His voice, as if there was no threat at all, put the team members' minds at ease in turn.
The follow-up Goblins attacked immediately.
Some charged at Kang San with weapons, while others targeted him from range.
About ten in number?
A smile tugged at Kang San's lips.
Goblins were monsters he'd faced countless times, but unlike before, he now had 'skills' at his disposal.
And killer ones at that.
'Perfect.'
It was the source of his confidence.
The Iron Body that Park Jeong-su had used against the Orc only boosted Defense by a measly 5%. Guardian's Will, however, granted increasingly solid Defense the more opponents there were. Monsters that relied on numbers like Goblins were actually easier for Kang San to handle.
Thud!
Kang San calmly blocked the Goblins' attacks.
They had put their all into it, but the inherently weak Goblins' strikes inflicted no damage whatsoever.
Damage reduction.
All percentages were based on 100%, so with 12% Defense secured, Kang San nullified that much of the enemy's attack power. Of course, monsters with skills that amplified attack power or those wielding strong weapons might hit harder, but the Goblins before him weren't among them.
Easy prey.
Kang San blocked every attack at his line.
The team members behind him looked surprised at how adeptly he was holding the front line.
"Not bad."
It was an unexpected situation.
They'd thought Kang San's skills fell short of Park Jeong-su's, but contrary to expectations, he was showing remarkable stability.
Thanks to that, things progressed smoothly.
While Kang San held the line, Team 2's members began attacking the Goblins one by one.
Thud!
An arrow lodged in a Goblin's head.
Its body flew up and slammed into the ground, and the swordsman dealer quickly closed in to finish it off. Jo Han-byeol's marksmanship from the rear was quite solid. As one of the A-rank prospects Kim Myung-min had taken interest in, his accurate shots rapidly thinned the Goblins' ranks.
Then.
'What an interesting skill.'
He couldn't help but smile.
A skill that grew stronger with more foes and weaker with fewer.
He liked it.
Though conditional, it was a tremendous advantage for a Tanker.
The situation wrapped up quickly.
Including reinforcements, there had been nearly 30 enemies, but with Kang San solidly holding the front, dealing with them was no issue. Smiles spread across Team 2's faces. Picking Kang San had been a stroke of genius, and this test seemed destined for success.
But then.
An unforeseen variable struck.
Bam!
"Urk."
Kang San's body was pushed back.
Good thing his instincts had blocked it—taking that hit directly would've smashed his head.
But something was off.
Destructive power.
This was no Goblin's strength.
"Gasp!"
"What the hell is that?"
"Why is a Blood Orc in an E-rank zone?"
Snort.
Blood-red skin.
A massive body over 3 meters tall.
If regular Orcs were E-rank, Blood Orcs—the lowest rung of their hierarchy—reached D-rank.
Team 2 fell into shock.
For those taking the E-rank promotion exam, a D-rank Blood Orc was a catastrophe.
In that moment of chaos.
Kang San alone faced a different dilemma.
Third Trial and Tribulation
The wicked one's karma has forcibly raised the test's difficulty.
If people die due to the Blood Orc, your karma will directly lead to murder.
Prevent this: Return your team safely to reality without a single casualty.
🎁 Reward: Strength +3, Agility +3, Magic Power +3, 1★ Skill x1
'Fuck.'
Kang San's face hardened.
What a shitty quest.
The moment he confirmed the forced difficulty spike, the bright future he'd hoped for shattered.
'Azmun, Luca Bellino—you're not on my side. You don't want me to repent and live well; you just want my past karma to crush me. Fucking bastards. What did I do wrong to sic a Blood Orc on someone just aiming for E-rank?!'
Rage boiled up.
He wanted to curse Azmun and Luca Bellino outright, but he had no time for that now.
Snort!
"Hup!"
The Blood Orc snorted and swung its axe ferociously. He'd dodged by a hair, but the chilling whoosh of air cutting wind dried his mouth. This was no frontal matchup. His abilities held up in E-rank, sure—but that was strictly E-rank territory.
D-rank was another beast.
This damned trial demanded he truly risk his life at his current level.
Luca Bellino.
He wasn't just a mere divine messenger.
As God's Judge, he had no reason to cut Kang San any slack.
'No other way.'
He had no choice but to accept this race.
Kang San gripped his shield tightly.
He lacked confidence against a single Blood Orc, but he didn't want to bail on this race either.
The rewards he'd gained so far.
His life was changing.
People who once saw the F-rank Arrow Sponge as trash now looked at him differently.
This life.
This moment.
Born a man, why not live flashily while at it?
'I won't back down first, you fucking pricks.'
"I'll hold it—get ready to attack!"
Grinding his teeth, Kang San left the still-dazed Team 2 behind and threw himself at the Blood Orc's descending axe.
Krunch!
Beyond the screen.
The people in the real world erupted in chaos.
At the Blood Orc's appearance, the practical test staff showed signs of panic.
"No way!"
It was abnormal.
Practical tests.
Highly dangerous exams where fatalities could occur, so promotion exam sites prepared meticulously for variables. Sending a scouting team to check the zone's difficulty was basic protocol. Variables here could mean applicants' deaths. Only after fully grasping the monster situation would a zone be classified for testing.
'How is a Blood Orc there? We scouted three times—no signs of that.'
Scouting team.
They were pros.
They wouldn't miss traces of Blood Orc habitation, and it wouldn't have been rated E-rank after three checks. Whatever the case, the problem had arisen. If the Blood Orc killed an applicant, there'd be hell to pay, so the staffer urgently contacted Kim Myung-min.
"Examiner Kim Myung-min, halt the test immediately. We may need you to step in and handle the Blood Orc."
Beyond the dimension.
Kim Myung-min was there for safety.
A B-rank Hunter.
If he intervened, the Blood Orc would be no issue.
But the response was unexpected.
[Let's watch a bit longer.]
"Pardon? What do you mean? If we bungle this and an applicant gets seriously hurt, we'll be drowning in lawsuits. You know the media's been harsh on us over applicant deaths lately. We should stop the test now."
[I get it, but this is Kim Myung-min speaking. I'm not dumb enough to make that call.]
"Then why...?"
[Seems the applicant Kang San—who got S+ on the basics test—has exceptional skills. I want to observe. Thought he was just a rookie with fundamentals at first, but he held firm against the Blood Orc's ambush. I'll jump in at any sign of trouble. So don't worry—just give it a little time.]
Kim Myung-min's firm voice.
The staffer's face twisted miserably.
"He's at it again with his bullshit."
This was Kim Myung-min's problem.
Once he fixated, rules be damned.
That's why he'd been demoted to examiner.
A hotshot Hunter on-site, he'd broken protocol and been forcibly reassigned.
Thus.
'If Kim Myung-min's hooked, can't stop him.'
He was in reality.
All he could do was watch.
The staffer's pained gaze turned to the screen.
"Please, just don't get hurt."
Meanwhile, this applicant Kang San seemed to have lost his mind, facing the Blood Orc head-on.
It was a total clusterfuck.