Chapter 18: Awakening Test (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 18: Awakening Test (3)
At Jinhyuk's words, Kim Gi-tae flinched.
"By yourself... You're going to take on the entire guild?"
It was reckless and arrogant.
After all, a guild was a group formed specifically to overcome the limitations of a single individual.
Moreover, wasn't Ssaulabi a massive guild ranked second in the country?
"If you're only coming to take the test now, your level must be low..."
"It is. I'm still level 1."
"Ridiculous. And you still think you can do it?"
The average level of the top rankers in the Ssaulabi Guild was over 20.
There were even more than ten players stronger than Kim Gi-tae.
But.
"If you try to judge everything solely by level, you completely misunderstand the Tower of Trials."
Jinhyuk's voice remained flat, devoid of any emotion.
He was serious.
Kim Gi-tae swallowed hard.
Those weren't empty words.
It was the composure of someone who possessed absolute confidence.
Of course, he couldn't actually defeat the hundreds of members of the Ssaulabi Guild.
But at the very least...
He's stronger than me.
That much was absolutely certain.
Kim Gi-tae, who had kept his mouth shut, finally spoke.
"The terms of the trade..."
"Hmm?"
"What are the terms of the trade?"
It seemed he had made his decision.
To go through with the deal.
"Simple. I'll tell you the location of the Mandragora, and in exchange, you hand over ten of the exclusive dungeons owned by Ssaulabi."
Exclusive dungeons.
Unlike normal dungeons that anyone could enter, these referred to dungeons that individual guilds held exclusive ownership over.
They were prime real estate—low risk, but highly lucrative.
Because of this, every guild was currently desperate to secure these exclusive dungeons.
And he was asking for ten of them.
That was equivalent to 30% of all the exclusive dungeons the Ssaulabi Guild owned.
"The price is absurdly high."
"It's the price for curing mana poisoning. Shouldn't it naturally be expensive?"
Don't just grumble about the immediate cost.
Compare them relatively.
Ten dungeons versus their relationship with China.
Which of the two was more important to Ssaulabi?
...
Kim Gi-tae's mind raced.
He pushed aside his emotions and cooled his head.
Then, he began to weigh the gains against the losses.
Ten exclusive dungeons.
It was painful to lose them, but if he could find the location of the Mandragora, it wasn't a losing deal.
The problem lay elsewhere.
Specifically, the existence of the man before him.
If he's this strong at only level 1...
Just how strong would he become once his level went up?
It was terrifying.
His growth rate, his potential, and his future.
All of it.
However, making this decision was not up to Kim Gi-tae alone.
It was not a matter light enough for a single person to decide.
"I will speak to the guild executives. We will discuss the terms you mentioned and give you an answer."
"A wise decision."
Jinhyuk smiled faintly.
With that, the conversation between the two came to an end.
[Lv3 'Darkness Barrier' is deactivated.]
Along with the message, the transparent barrier vanished.
* * *
"T-They're out!"
"Ohhh!"
"What on earth happened?"
"What did you talk about in there?"
As the two emerged, the people who had been waiting anxiously bombarded them with questions.
"You there, put the camera down. Hey! Didn't you hear me? Put it away!"
"If you don't want to end up wailing in pain while crying about freedom of the press, hand over what you recorded. I trust you all know about the amendment to the Awakened Special Act."
Players belonging to the Black Crow Guild and the Ssaulabi Guild blocked the reporters.
Oh. This is quite convenient.
Thanks to them, he didn't have to worry about getting dragged into annoying trouble.
He thought it would end quietly like that, but...
Crash!
"Aaargh!"
With a loud boom, a massive figure rolled across the floor.
Did he get hit dead-on by an ogre?
The bridge of his nose was completely flattened.
That's got to hurt like hell.
Jinhyuk glanced in the direction the giant man had flown from.
There, he saw a woman in a tracksuit cracking her knuckles.
"Move. All of you. Unless you want to die."
The player who had made a name for herself as the Bulgwang-dong Nuclear Fist.
It was Yu Yeon-hwa.
And behind her, Lee Tae-min could also be seen.
"Oppa! Are you okay? If they said anything to you, just say the word. I'll flip this entire place upside down."
"Mr. Kim Gi-tae. I'm disappointed. I didn't think you were this kind of person. What are you doing, going so far as to erect a barrier?"
The two of them displayed intense hostility.
Even though they had been extremely reluctant to pick fights with other guilds at first...
Now that the situation had arisen, they stepped forward without a second thought.
It wasn't a bad feeling.
Because it meant they were standing on his side, for his sake.
* * *
Even Yu Yeon-hwa and Lee Tae-min...
Kim Gi-tae's face stiffened even further.
He had thought they were merely acquaintances.
After all, two people who were quite famous in this industry wouldn't just form connections with anyone.
But he never expected them to go this far.
This was beyond just knowing each other.
If he touched him...
He could feel their willingness to wage an all-out war.
"We were just having a conversation. Nothing of the sort you're worried about happened."
"Is that true?"
"Yeah. He's actually quite reasonable."
This time, Jinhyuk answered.
"Well, if Oppa says so..."
"For now, we understand."
Only then did Yu Yeon-hwa and Lee Tae-min release the mana they had gathered.
The tense atmosphere subsided.
Kim Gi-tae, who was about to turn around, paused for a moment.
Then, he looked at Yu Yeon-hwa.
"Ah, right. I almost forgot. Is Elder Yu Cheon-yeong doing well?"
"Grandfather is practically flying around, so you don't need to worry about him."
"Hmm. Well, I see. If an insider says so, then it must be true."
With a distorted smile, Kim Gi-tae hurried on his way.
On the other hand, Yu Yeon-hwa bit her lip in frustration.
They passed by each other.
At this, Park Ha-jin was the one who grew anxious.
"W-Wait a minute! Are we really just letting them go like this?"
He had been utterly humiliated and was only waiting for a chance at revenge.
What was with this sudden anticlimactic atmosphere?
Park Ha-jin couldn't accept it.
He felt like his frustration would only be relieved if he went all out without letting his guard down this time and crushed his opponent.
"Leave it. He is not an opponent someone like you can handle."
Kim Gi-tae drew the line.
"B-But!"
"But?"
"N-Nothing. I just wanted to get another chance..."
"A chance? Yes, I gave you a chance. The chance to keep your head attached to your neck. The good fortune of not dying after recklessly attacking that monster without knowing your place."
"..."
"If you talk back to me again, you'll regret it. Keep in mind, there are plenty of people who want to hold hands with us."
"I... understand."
Park Ha-jin clenched his teeth.
Glaring at Jinhyuk as if he wanted to kill him was a bonus.
At that moment.
Ring!
[The conditions have been met.]
[You have successfully copied the skill 'Shallow Breathing (D)'!]
[The copied skill is stored in the 'Memory of the World'.]
[Shallow Breathing (Passive)]
Acquisition Difficulty: D
Description: Allows the user to control their breathing rate and heart rate. (The limit varies depending on the skill level.)
It seemed his hostility had reached its peak.
It was only natural, considering he had been abandoned by the person he wanted to impress the most.
But that was his problem.
I'll put this to good use.
Jinhyuk smiled with satisfaction as he looked at his newly acquired passive skill.
* * *
Once the chaotic atmosphere settled down, the testing resumed.
Of course, the number of applicants had decreased significantly.
Because the room had been stirred up so violently, the examinees' spirits had been completely crushed.
Since many of them were walking on eggshells or had given up on the exam entirely, the original order became a mess.
In the end, they proceeded on a first-come, first-served basis for only those who still wanted to take the test.
[1st Place: Park Ha-na. Measurement: 1755. Rank: A]
[2nd Place: Han Min-hee. Measurement: 989. Rank: B]
[3rd Place: Oh Jung-hoon. Measurement: 845. Rank: B-]
[...]
Oh.
Checking the electronic display board, Jinhyuk let out a small exclamation.
He didn't know what she had done, but Park Ha-na was in first place.
And with an overwhelming score at that.
Did she eat wild ginseng before coming in?
Given the nature of the test, which was conducted one-on-one with the examiner in a private room, there was no way to know her method.
But she had undoubtedly pulled off a rather amusing trick.
And right on cue.
"Next person, please come in."
It was Jinhyuk's turn.
Clack!
Opening the door revealed a fairly spacious room.
In the center sat a massive Magic Crystal.
Beside it stood an examiner from the Awakened Association holding a tablet PC.
"A-Ah, hello."
Upon seeing Jinhyuk, the examiner flinched and trembled.
It was probably because of what had happened just a moment ago.
He understood.
He understood, but...
He wished the examiner would stop freezing up and just explain the test already.
"What do I need to do?"
"Ah, yes. For the test, you just need to strike the Magic Crystal in front of you. You may use your unique ability, or you can use an item. The essence of the test is the scale of potential displayed when you strike the Magic Crystal."
In other words, 'beat the crap out of the Magic Crystal with all your might,' right?
Well, that's simple enough.
There was nothing difficult about it.
Jinhyuk stood in front of the Magic Crystal.
Then, he pulled out his enhanced dagger.
"A dagger. Are you going to use only a weapon without using your unique ability?"
"Yes. This is enough."
"Understood. You may begin."
As soon as the examiner finished speaking...
Hummmmm!
Mana began to flow along the blade.
The tip of the blade trembled.
Imbued with a blood-red light.
At that exact moment.
Screeech!
The dagger, slashing like lightning, scraped across the surface of the Magic Crystal.
A thin, long scratch appeared on the surface of the Magic Crystal.
It was a strike with a perfect blend of speed and power.
However...
[589th Place: Kang Jinhyuk. Measurement: 91. Rank: F]
The measurement displayed on the screen showed a completely absurd result.
"Good work. You got... Rank F."
The examiner read the numbers with a dubious expression.
On the other hand...
Jinhyuk smirked as he looked at the same result.
It was no surprise.
You know.
That common cliché in novels.
The incredibly cliché trope where a highly talented protagonist takes their first awakening test, only to end up with an F-rank.
There were a truckload of excuses you could throw around, like system errors or defective Magic Crystals.
"I've always wondered about this."
Jinhyuk took a step forward.
"Why people just accept it and move on when they get such a bizarre result."
If they had received the proper rank...
The countless protagonists in those novels would have grown much faster and more smoothly.
They would have had access to all the areas, dungeons, and information they couldn't reach because of their F-rank.
Things had been messed up right from the start.
But.
In the reality I live in, I won't let the same thing happen.
"Excuse me, Mr. Examiner?"
"D-Did you call me?"
Looking around, the startled examiner replied.
His body trembled slightly.
It was only natural.
The sight of Jinhyuk playing with Park Ha-jin was still vivid in his mind.
For a low-level civil servant whose job was merely checking numbers at a test, it was only natural to feel terrified.
"Is there another examiner here besides you?"
"Y-Yes! No, there isn't! Unfortunately, it's just me. So, how may I help you?"
"The Magic Crystal seems weird. Why don't we change it? Not a low-grade one, but at least a mid-grade one or higher."
"The Magic Crystal? Why suddenly change a perfectly fine Magic Crystal..."
How frustrating.
"You see the crack on this Magic Crystal, right?"
Jinhyuk pointed to the surface of the Magic Crystal.
Though faint, there was definitely a single sword mark left there.
"I... see it."
"Magic Crystals don't budge from ordinary attacks. But I managed to damage it, and I get an F-rank? Do you think that makes any sense?"
Are everyone's eyes just for decoration? Or are they pretending not to know on purpose?
I don't know.
Either way, it was equally frustrating.
Anyway.
"Why are you still standing here?"
Jinhyuk frowned.
"I-I'll prepare it right away! One minute. No, just give me thirty seconds!"
The examiner ran toward the storage room as fast as his legs could carry him.