Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Unprecedented Record
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The examinees who finished the practical exam emerged from their capsules.
The average time for the practical exam was just over ten minutes.
It seemed short at a glance, but since the virtual reality program created for the practical exam could adjust the time dilation to some extent compared to reality, the actual time the examinees experienced was around thirty minutes—very long indeed.
Of course, almost no one lasted the full half hour in real time.
The practical exam's difficulty was tuned so tightly that it was supposed to end within twenty minutes at most.
Soon after, the examinee who had entered the capsule next to Su-ho's came out.
"Eleven minutes... Definitely shorter than the last batch."
Kim, the supervisor, shook his head inwardly as he watched the examinee emerge from the capsule.
He had been overseeing the practical exams for hours now, but no standout talents had appeared.
Before receiving the next examinee, Kim asked the supervisor in the neighboring station, Park.
"How long has it been for yours?"
"Thirty minutes."
"...Pardon?"
"Just now passed the thirty-minute mark."
Thirty minutes?
Was that even possible?
The shocked Kim approached Park's capsule and checked the monitor attached to it.
Sure enough, the examinee inside had been diving for over thirty minutes.
And not only that—they were fighting hordes of orcs like a madman.
Seeing this, Kim asked,
"A warrior? They're fighting incredibly well."
"No, a healer."
"...Pardon?"
"A healer. Look."
Park showed him the examinee's info.
It was true.
The examinee on the pad, 'An Su-ho,' was indeed a healer class.
"B-but they're fighting like that? This person's a healer, right? Doesn't that disqualify them?"
"No, all conditions are met. Why would they be disqualified?"
At that moment, someone answered in Park's place.
It was Jeong Cheol-min, the inspector partnering with Park for supervision.
Jeong Cheol-min continued his explanation.
"A healer's main purpose is to protect the patient until the end. Look at the screen. Did the examinee ever leave the patient's side? Or abandon them to just fight? They're healing intermittently in between."
It was true.
Amid slashing down orcs, Su-ho healed the patient whenever he had a spare moment.
Jeong Cheol-min said with a serious expression,
"All conditions are met perfectly. There's no reason to disqualify them. Even the practical program isn't stopping them—what grounds do we have?"
"Oh...."
Kim let out a quiet exclamation of admiration.
Seeing his reaction, Jeong Cheol-min smiled and said,
"Looks like this practical exam's top scorer is already decided. So let's just watch. See what kind of insane record this person sets."
At his words, both Kim and Park could only nod.
And rightly so—this was the first time something like this had happened in practical exam history.
***
"Kiieek!"
Thud!
An orc collapsed.
He had no idea how many that made.
On top of that, there were no experience points or items awarded, but Su-ho didn't mind.
Because he was gaining things far more valuable.
[Your understanding of Quick Draw Technique is exceptionally high.]
[The system has begun reassessing your talents.]
[Congratulations! The rank of your Quick Draw skill has been adjusted to A-rank.]
[Quick Draw (A) now covers a much wider range and releases even faster.]
His Quick Draw skill's rank had risen.
And that was just the start.
Beheading Slash reached A-rank too, along with newly mastered skills like hilt strike, flat-of-the-blade strike, ankle slice, and countless others—all elevated straight to A-rank.
'Who knew such a golden opportunity would come like this.'
That was why Su-ho was thrilled.
He could restore his skills like this without even entering a gate.
Of course, he didn't neglect patient care in between.
No matter how crucial skill restoration was, protecting the patient was the top priority right now.
He had been slashing through them for quite a while like that.
[Your understanding of swordsmanship exceeds all others.]
[The system, impressed by your unique swordsmanship, has decided to fully acknowledge it.]
[Would you like to integrate Basic Swordsmanship and Basic Footwork into a new swordsmanship skill?]
[Upon registration, a new rank will be assigned, and you can name it yourself.]
'Finally!'
Su-ho's eyes widened at the notification.
The system had finally fully recognized his skills.
Without hesitation, Su-ho answered the system prompt.
And then,
[Please name the newly created swordsmanship skill.]
The system's question.
His answer was already decided.
"Guardian Sword."
[Is Guardian Sword correct?]
"Yes."
[Congratulations! The system acknowledges your supreme mastery and has created your unique swordsmanship as a new skill.]
[You have created the new swordsmanship skill, 'Guardian Sword (S)'.]
[Effects of existing swordsmanship and footwork skills are increased by 50% each.]
Su-ho grinned broadly at the system notifications.
He had finally obtained Guardian Sword.
In the past, it had taken over a decade to acquire it, but this time, just a few days.
Sure, even before getting Guardian Sword, Su-ho had already been using the Guardian Sword techniques ingrained in his body.
But he had pushed so hard to get it as soon as possible for other reasons.
[You have achieved a great feat. The system grants you 10 bonus stats.]
The next notification appeared.
As a reward for obtaining Guardian Sword, Su-ho received 10 additional bonus stats.
This was a special perk given only when a player honed their own talent to acquire an S-rank skill—it didn't apply to S-rank skills from gates or skillbooks.
But the perks didn't end there.
Soon, another notification popped up.
[You possess brilliant swordsmanship skills acknowledged by all swordsmen.]
[In hopes that you continue down the path of the sword, the system has decided to grant an additional gift.]
[Congratulations! You have received Sword Understanding (S) from the system.]
Sword Understanding.
It was yet another S-rank skill perk from the system.
Only then did Su-ho smile in true satisfaction.
Because his real goal wasn't Guardian Sword—it was Sword Understanding.
Su-ho checked the info on the Sword Understanding he had acquired.
[Sword Understanding]
- Rank: S
# The right of exploration granted only to those with profound understanding of swordsmanship.
# Removes acquisition restrictions on all swordsmanship skills.
# Removes usage restrictions on all swords.
# +50% additional correction effect on all swordsmanship skills.
Su-ho's lips curled up as he reviewed the details.
Swordsmanship and other embodied skills could be learned through repetition, but Sword Understanding allowed him to master skills that only warrior classes—or related classes—could normally learn.
'Swordsmanship is paramount for a swordsman, but hunter swordsmen inevitably have to prioritize skills too.'
It wasn't just skills.
Swords were the same.
Some swords could only be wielded by the exclusive 'swordsman class,' not general warriors.
After finishing the skill check, Su-ho closed the notification window.
He looked around.
He had felled quite a few orcs, but plenty more remained.
He wasn't worried at all.
Even if this was just the practical exam program, if his memory served right, the total number of spawning orcs was fixed anyway.
"Come on."
Having gotten what he wanted, Su-ho began massacring the orcs with even greater joy.
***
How much time had passed since then?
Gradually, all the supervisors turned their attention to Su-ho's capsule.
"Test time: 3 hours and 2 minutes?"
"So this person's been in the practical exam for over three hours?"
"Whoa, insane."
Su-ho had already become a legend among the supervisors.
That was when it happened.
Jeong Cheol-min, who had been quietly watching the capsule monitor, suddenly lit up.
"It's over."
"Really?"
"Let me see!"
The supervisors crowded around at Jeong Cheol-min's words.
But the system notification on the monitor was a bit odd.
[All prepared orcs for the practical exam have been killed.]
[Please restart the program.]
The program master was requesting a restart, not an end to the test.
The supervisors, who had never seen such a notification before, let out quiet exclamations.
"Whoa...."
"They really killed them all?"
"So this pops up when you wipe out all the orcs here...."
That was why they all turned to Su-ho's supervising supervisor and asked,
"What are you gonna do?"
"You're not really gonna restart it, are you?"
"Of course not."
It was then.
Jeong Cheol-min answered in place of Park, Su-ho's supervising supervisor.
Suppressing his excitement, Jeong Cheol-min said in a serious tone,
"This is unprecedented in practical exam history, but forcing a retake just because they didn't die to orcs without reason would cause a huge backlash in all sorts of ways."
At his words, the supervisors' expressions turned grave, and they soon nodded.
"Well... They didn't cheat, and the patient they had to protect is still alive."
"With all these eyes on it, obviously a pass. No—beyond a pass, we should name examinee An Su-ho the top scorer of this practical exam. And if they cleared the written test's minimum, make them overall top scorer too. It'll be great for promotion. So, what do you all think?"
Was it Jeong Cheol-min's passionate argument? Or were they all captivated by Su-ho's overwhelming performance?
Not a single supervisor here could refute him.
Thus, the moment an unprecedented top scorer in hunter exam history was born.
***
Finally, the exam ended.
Su-ho heard from Jeong Cheol-min that good results were coming and left the association lightly.
But shortly after stepping out, someone called out to him.
"Excuse me?"
"Yes?"
Turning around, he saw a stranger acting familiar.
Who was this?
No one from his memories.
Then, the man pulled a business card from his pocket and offered it.
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Park Pyeong-sik, scout for Prime Guild."
Ah.
A guild scout, huh.
Prime Guild, no less—the current number two mega-guild in the industry.
He could guess why they approached.
But etiquette demanded playing dumb and asking.
Su-ho took the card and replied,
"And?"
At that, Park Pyeong-sik said politely,
"To get straight to the point: Prime Guild wants to team up with Player An Su-ho. If you're not affiliated with any guild or in talks, could we chat for a moment?"
As expected.
Su-ho smiled inwardly at Park Pyeong-sik's guild recruitment offer.