Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Re-evaluation
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"This is ridiculous! Why am I an E-rank? The instructor said I'd be at least a D-rank!"
"Making a scene here won't do you any good. If you really want a re-evaluation, make another appointment and come back."
"Isn't the scanner broken?! This can't be right!"
"If you keep causing a disturbance, I'll have to call security."
"No! You're the ones who made a mistake, so why are you doing this to me..."
"Over here!"
At the woman's call from behind the counter, two burly men approached.
They swiftly subdued the shouting man and began to drag him away.
"Let me go! Let go of me!"
As the man struggled, the men, looking annoyed, hooked their arms under his armpits and lifted him clean off the ground.
The sight of him dangling with his arms raised was pathetic.
"Yep. E-rank."
The woman muttered to herself as she watched the man being dragged out.
After all, the men were Awoken on par with D-rank hunters. If the man had truly been D-rank or higher, he wouldn't have been dragged away so easily.
*Ding-dong.*
"Now serving number 39."
When the number on the display next to the woman's station changed, a man stood up.
"How can I help you?"
"I'd like to get a re-evaluation."
"Ah, one moment."
The woman pulled a few papers from under the table and handed them over.
There were nearly ten pages, including a physical examination form, a consent form, and a re-evaluation confirmation.
"May I see your license?"
The man handed over the hunter license he was holding.
It was yellowed with age, having never needed renewal.
"Mr. Lee Do-jae? Your resident number is confirmed. You're... an F-rank?"
The man was Lee Do-jae.
The woman glanced at Do-jae.
It was rare for an F-rank to come in for a re-evaluation.
Moreover, the issue date on the license was from a long time ago.
"Is there a problem?"
"No, not at all. It's confirmed. Please head to the examination room and wait."
"Yes, thank you."
The woman watched Do-jae walk toward the examination room with a pitying gaze.
"Sigh."
This was the Seoul Regional Hunter Administration.
It was where the Awoken came to get their mana tested before taking the hunter exam.
The mana test was conducted using a special device called a mana scanner, which performed various evaluations, including mana capacity, activity, and distribution.
The invention of this mana scanner led to a much clearer division in the hunter system, creating the E and F ranks.
Furthermore, since it was a machine doing the evaluation, not a person, it boasted nearly 100% accuracy.
Of course, since mana wasn't a perfect indicator of a hunter's ability, there was a further verification process through the hunter exam.
"It's probably a waste of money."
Cases like the man who was dragged away earlier, who refused to accept their rank and requested a re-evaluation, were not uncommon.
But a re-evaluation for someone who was already a hunter?
In the hunter world, where rank changes were almost unheard of, the probability of a rank changing through re-evaluation was incredibly slim.
But slim didn't mean impossible.
The woman shot up and looked toward the examination room.
"Nah, it couldn't be..."
The woman sat back down and pressed a button.
And then.
*Ding-dong.*
"Now serving number 40."
***
Arriving in front of the examination room, Do-jae sat among the others waiting.
There were quite a few people, so it looked like he would have to wait a while.
*'I should get at least a C-rank, right?'*
In the week since the Black Wolf raid, he had only managed to clear one more dungeon.
No matter who he contacted, no raid party was willing to take on an F-rank. He decided he couldn't go on like this and had to get his rank re-evaluated.
*'That guy from earlier... brings back memories.'*
Do-jae was one of the first to use the mana scanner.
Once the scan was complete, the rank assessment came out in less than a minute.
And the feeling of seeing the letter 'F' on that piece of paper...
*'It felt like the final nail in the coffin.'*
He knew better than anyone that he wasn't strong, but he recalled the misery of having it officially certified.
The days he struggled to survive as an F-rank.
The days he endured all sorts of humiliation.
*'Looking back, I was quite a nuisance too.'*
But now, things were different.
And they would be even more different in the future.
While he was lost in old memories, his turn for the scan arrived.
"You may go in."
The mana scanner was a square room, 3 meters wide, 3 meters long, and 3 meters high.
Inside, the walls were covered with geometric patterns, and mana stones were embedded here and there.
- Commencing scan.
The voice came from a speaker in the room.
*Whirrr-*
As the scan began, mana flowed through the patterns, creating a low hum.
As for what the scan felt like...
It's often described as a fan blowing from all directions, tickling your entire body.
Not a strong wind, but a cool, gentle breeze brushing past your head, body, and feet.
And the technician monitoring the process in real-time felt something was off.
*'Huh?'*
Lee Seung-gyu, the technician operating the scanner from outside, blinked as he looked at Do-jae's mana structure on the screen.
- Sir. Did you bring something in with you?
Lee Seung-gyu asked through the microphone, his voice laced with irritation.
Occasionally, despite prior warnings, people would enter the scanner with items.
They were people trying to cheat the system and get a higher rank assessment using items, but it was never a major issue since the system caught them a hundred percent of the time.
- Sir, are you going to take responsibility if your item breaks the scanner?
Lee Seung-gyu was lying.
As a device designed for reading, there was no way it would break because of a mere item.
It could scan even S-rank hunters; why would it break just because someone was wearing an item?
"What are you talking about? I don't have any items."
Do-jae asked, his voice full of confusion.
It wasn't Do-jae's first time being scanned, and he knew the old rumor that getting a buff-type skill before entering would give you a better result was just that—a rumor.
There was no way he would bring an item in.
Then, Do-jae's gaze suddenly shifted to his chest.
He remembered something he had forgotten because it had become so natural.
But just as he was about to mention the magic power...
The speaker announced that the scan was complete.
- Yes, yes. I'm just saying, since we can tell anyway. It's finished, so you can come out now.
A printout emerged from the printer on Lee Seung-gyu's desk.
He picked one of them up.
It was a diagram of a human body with various numbers written on it.
*'He sees this and still says it's not an item?'*
There was a number on the diagram written in particularly bold letters.
Right where the heart was.
A perfect spot to hide something in an inner pocket.
*'If he's an F-rank, he should just live a normal life. Why bother with a re-evaluation? The best he can hope for is an E-rank.'*
After a moment of thought, Lee Seung-gyu wrote a single letter on the first page of the printout.
*'I'm being generous.'*
He wrote 'E' in the rank section of the technician's report and wore a self-satisfied expression.
***
The smoking area of the Seoul Regional Hunter Administration.
"Hey, a new barbecue place opened up just out front."
"Oh yeah?"
The older of the two men said, jutting out his chin.
The other man followed his chin with his gaze.
"What do you say? Pork belly and soju after work? You in?"
"Huh? What about your wife?"
"I'm asking because she's not here, you punk."
He said with a sly smile.
How could he not be happy at the thought of drinking his fill for the first time in a while?
"What's the occasion? Your wife isn't home?"
"She took the kid to some camp or something. For three days and two nights."
"Wow. You're going to have a blast this weekend."
"So, are you in or not?"
"Of course I'm in."
The two men started chatting idly.
Where they'd go for the second round.
How much they'd drink.
*Vroooom-!*
Just then, a foreign sports car entered the parking lot with a deep engine roar.
A clean turn, a smooth reverse, and it parked in one go.
Amidst the domestic cars painted in black, white, and gray, its striking red color stood out.
"Who could that be?"
"I know, right? Is there anyone here who can afford such an expensive luxury car?"
A moment later.
Someone got out of the car.
*Click-clack.*
Black high heels, a neat business suit.
She carefully folded her sunglasses and put them in her handbag.
"Whoa, she's gorgeous."
"Hey, man. Think of your kid, your kid!"
"Is it a crime to say she's pretty?"
"Well. She is pretty."
The woman went straight into the building.
She had a scheduled appointment, so she headed directly to the second floor.
*Knock, knock.*
"Yes, come in."
The door she knocked on was that of the Seoul Regional Hunter Administration Director.
The Director greeted her warmly.
"Assistant Manager Jeong Eun-hee, welcome."
That's right.
She was Jeong Eun-hee from the Association's External Support Team.
"Hello."
"It's been a while. Have you been well?"
"Yes."
In contrast to the Director's friendly welcome, Eun-hee's tone was icy.
"You brought the documents, right?"
"Yes. Here they are."
Eun-hee handed over a brown manila envelope.
They weren't important documents.
It was an approval form from the Hunter Association for the Hunter Administration's authorization.
"One moment."
*Thump.*
The official seal, reading 'Director of the Seoul Regional Hunter Administration,' was stamped.
"Thank you. I'll be on my way now."
"Ah, wait a moment."
The Director stopped Eun-hee as she was about to get up.
After a brief pause, he approached Eun-hee and spoke.
"Is the Association President doing well?"
At the Director's words, Eun-hee's expression soured rapidly.
As expected. There was no way someone of her rank, a mere Assistant Manager, would have a face-to-face meeting with the Director just to get a stamp on a simple approval form.
Not unless there was another motive.
"He's well, thank you. Is that why you called me here?"
"No, that's not it. I called you because I had to stamp the approval form. Wait here a moment."
The Director returned to his desk.
He then took out a small, rectangular box from under his desk.
"This is something nice. Take it."
"Why are you giving this to me?"
The box contained a bottle of wine.
And an expensive one at that, worth two to three million won.
Eun-hee was dumbfounded but didn't let it show as she accepted it.
"I'll make sure to deliver it to my grandfather."
"No, no. This is a gift for you, Assistant Manager Jeong. I heard you like wine."
"Ah, then I'll enjoy it. May I go now?"
"Yes, you may go. I've kept a busy person for too long."
*Creeak.*
Eun-hee left the Director's office.
She went into the women's restroom at the end of the hall and promptly threw the wine box into the trash can.
"Tch."
She was disgusted.
It wasn't unexpected.
But she thought this kind of blatant display was far too classless.
How could a director, a public official, act like that?
Eun-hee descended the stairs with a sullen expression.
And by chance.
She ran into Do-jae.
"Oh? Mr. Do-jae!"
But Do-jae.
His expression was much worse than Eun-hee's.