Qualification (2)
May 27th, exam day. The sky was cloudless and brilliantly clear, the air warmed by a gentle sun. It was a fine day to feel good.
“Fighting, senior!”
“Go get ’em, Team Leader.”
“Boss, let’s grab some meat later.”
The teammates who had come out to see him off each cheered Kang-jun in their own way. He gave a single wave of his hand and climbed into the van. Kang So-mi followed right after and hit the close button. The side door slid shut with a soft hiss. Soon the van was gliding smoothly down the road.
“You’ll do great, Kang-jun.”
“You don’t have to say that anymore. I’ve heard it enough.”
“Ah… right.”
Both of them let out a short laugh. Kang-jun made a final check that he hadn’t forgotten anything. …In truth, as long as he had his ID and number tag, there wasn’t much that could go wrong.
The van headed for the 45th Zone. One of the Hero Association branches was located there, so nearly every applicant living in the 40s zones gathered in this direction.
The Hero qualification exam was held once every half-year—twice a year in total—and those who passed the document screening numbered roughly two to three hundred. Of those, only ten would pass. The riffraff had already been filtered out, leaving mostly the real deal, so competition was fierce.
The exam was split into a first and second round. The first consisted of a written test and ability measurement; the second was an interview.
Even Association members who had already earned Hero Spy qualifications often failed multiple times; the exam was no joke. Most washouts came from failing to clear the cutoff on the written portion. …Well, things like the various histories and common knowledge of the Third Dungeon weren’t exactly easy for Players.
Still, Kang-jun—who had passed in his third playthrough—wasn’t particularly worried. He still remembered poring over past exams, comparing and analyzing them thoroughly. …Back then he had felt every possible wave of self-doubt while sitting at that desk. Being dragged into a novel was already unfair enough; having to grind through boring study on top of it had been the last straw. He never dreamed it would actually help him like this.
The van arrived in front of the Hero branch. Because it was exam day, security was tight. Before Kang-jun got out, Kang So-mi hesitated, then held something out to him. Chocolate.
“Eat a little as you go. They say it helps concentration.”
“I’ll enjoy it.”
“Okay. Fighting!”
When Kang-jun stepped down from the van, the gazes that locked onto his good looks were considerable. He pinned number tag 29 to the left side of his chest and strode steadily toward the Hero branch. After a simple ID check at the entrance, he went inside.
The main building was a massive ten-story structure. Applicants, however, weren’t allowed anywhere near it. Entry was strictly limited to authorized personnel. Applicants were directed to an annex.
“I warn you not to engage in any suspicious behavior whatsoever. This is a Hero Association branch under strict government management. If you are caught committing an illegal act, you will be detained and punished under special law. Should you attempt to flee, live rounds will be fired without warning.”
Before they entered the annex, the guide gave the waiting crowd that little scare, then let them inside. Of course another identity check waited there as well. This time it wasn’t just a visual confirmation like at the front gate—they took fingerprints. Three mismatches and you went straight to the holding cell, then faced punishment according to the severity of the offense.
Kang-jun pressed his thumb and got an instant match, sailing straight through. He passed through a maze of complicated corridors and entered the testing hall. This was the room for the written exam.
There were still thirty minutes left, yet more than half the seats were already filled. A giant screen at the front repeatedly played a video emphasizing that anyone caught cheating would be punished under special law.
When the exam time arrived, the testing hall doors slammed shut with a heavy thud. Stacks of exam papers were set neatly on each applicant’s desk.
The proctor checked his watch, then called out, “Begin.” The applicants immediately started. Kang-jun flipped over the face-down papers. They were problems he had already seen and drilled dozens of times. He wrote the answers without hesitation. After carefully filling in even the final essay section, he set his pen down with a crisp tap. Looking at the clock, only twenty minutes had passed. An hour remained.
Kang-jun raised his hand high. The proctor looked at him.
“Number 29, is there a problem?”
“I’m finished.”
The proctor gave a small nod to the assistant proctors. It wasn’t unheard of for an applicant to finish roughly and leave early.
Kang-jun submitted his exam and answer sheets and left the hall. Guided by a staff member, he headed to the ability measurement room. Because he was the first, only a few proctors were milling around inside.
“Number 29, this way.”
The guide finished a brief explanation and had him begin the measurements. Three stats were measured: Strength, Speed, and Mana. Pure numbers were required, so mana use was forbidden during the Strength and Speed tests.
Stamina measurement took relatively longer, so it was done individually after one passed the qualification exam.
Kang-jun went first to the Strength measurement proctor. He stood before the device and gripped the handle tightly. The measurable value started at 40. It would slowly decrease from there; the number at which it stopped was recorded.
“Beginning now.”
The device hummed to life. Kang-jun poured in maximum force. His current Strength was 33. Considering the average applicant sat around 22, his Strength was overwhelmingly high.
“33.56.”
The record was rounded up and logged as 34. Slightly higher than his status window.
Next was Speed. This time it was a device that had him slice downward through a laser with the edge of his hand. The difference in laser signals calculated the speed.
Kang-jun informed the proctor he was ready. The man activated the device. Kang-jun swung his arm down with everything he had. A sharp whoosh of wind followed.
This reading also came out at 33—identical to his status window.
Finally, Mana measurement. This time there were two handles. The format was to grip both and fill them with mana within a time limit. Completely emptying one’s mana and collapsing wasn’t allowed, so a reasonable limit was set.
Kang-jun took one deep breath and poured mana straight in. Thanks to the mana pathways expanded three or four times beyond an ordinary person’s by the Heavenly Demon Mind Method, his recovery speed was monstrous.
No need to stand out too much.
People with Strength or Speed over 30 showed up occasionally. But a Mana score over 30 among applicants? Never once. His current Mana was 38. If he poured everything in, he could push the device all the way to 40, but he had no desire to do something that flashy. There was a saying about the nail that sticks out getting hammered, after all.
Moderately. Just around 25.
Even that much would make him a highly watched rookie. Excessive attention eventually invited disaster.
“Mana: 25.”
That produced an estimated level of 170. Even among all past applicants, he ranked among the very top. He was already solidly C-rank level.
“You’re free to go.”
Twenty-nine-year-old applicant number 29, Lee Kang-jun, finished the entire first round in forty minutes and left the branch. Kang So-mi, waiting in the van, didn’t even realize he had arrived until he opened the door.
“Wh-what? Kang-jun? Why are you back already? …Did you leave something behind?”
“No, I finished everything. Let’s head out.”
Kang So-mi didn’t immediately grasp what he meant. She checked the time. Barely a little over forty minutes had passed. The average time spent on the exam was an hour and a half. He had cut that by more than half. What that meant was obvious.
“You really finished? This fast?”
“Have I ever lied to you? Just start driving already.”
The driver revved the engine. The van set off back toward the lodging. Kang So-mi understood the situation and asked no more questions. Maybe the exam had been so hard he’d given up and walked out. Pestering someone like that would only make them feel worse. She was the kind of person who could offer at least that much consideration.
When they arrived in front of the lodging and Kang-jun stepped down, Kang So-mi carefully said,
“Let’s keep fighting till the end. Fighting!”
Kang-jun gave a short laugh and waved her off, telling her to go on in. After confirming he had entered the lodging, Kang So-mi sank deep into the seatback and let out a long sigh. The driver asked suspiciously,
“He flunked it, didn’t he?”
“Sir, don’t show anything on your face. I heard the Hero exam is really hard. It’s possible to wash out once or twice.”
“Hey, I won’t say a word. Of course not.”
Kang So-mi hoped he would rise above this failure. Anyone could fail, after all.
…And not long after, the first-round results came out.
Applicant No. 29, Lee Kang-jun. First Round: PASSED
Rank: 1 / 211
Kang So-mi was overjoyed at the word “passed,” then tilted her head at the numbers that followed. What was that 1 supposed to mean?
The moment she realized it was his ranking, she nearly had a heart attack. This simply did not compute with her common sense. Hadn’t he finished both the written test and the measurements in forty minutes and walked out? …Was this even possible?
She called the representative first. The hand holding her phone trembled.
“Yeah, So-mi.”
“Representative!”
“Results out? Did he pass?”
“No, it’s just… something’s a little strange.”
“Just tell me if he passed or not first.”
“He did pass, but the ranking is… a little weird.”
“Ranking? What’s wrong with the ranking? Didn’t clear the cutoff?”
The first round took 1.5 times the final quota, so only the top fifteen passed; everyone below failed. Occasionally a system error would send a pass notice even to someone ranked sixteenth or lower.
“No, it’s that… he’s first.”
“First? Did you just say first?”
“Yes. First place.”
The conversation cut off for a moment. Thinking first place was “strange” was a first in his entire life.
“He’s a real genius. That bastard’s the real deal.”
The representative’s voice was trembling slightly.
“That bastard really is something else. Now I get why the senior talked him up so much.”
“This is real, right?”
“Of course it’s real. If it still feels off, call and double-check.”
There was always the chance of a system error. Nothing would be more awkward than announcing first place only to have it revoked.
“Yes, Representative. I’ll confirm one more time and call you back.”
“Yeah, do that.”
The representative’s tone already sounded like he knew the answer. He seemed certain of something.
Kang So-mi called the Hero branch in the 45th Zone directly and confirmed with the exam officer herself.
“Yes, that’s correct. Applicant No. 29, Lee Kang-jun—his rank is first place.”
“Ah… thank you. Have a good day.”
Kang So-mi hung up and sat there blankly for a moment. Then the corners of her mouth shot upward. She was too happy. She immediately dialed Kang-jun.
“Yes, Manager Kang.”
“Kang-jun! You passed!”
“Ah, yes. Is that so.”
The actual party’s reaction was lukewarm. Of course the excited Kang So-mi didn’t notice and just kept gushing.
“And first place! You passed the first round in first place!”
“Ah, first place. Ah, yes. I see.”
…Wait. Right then Kang So-mi thought she heard a woman’s voice through the receiver.
“Oh my, is someone with you? Should I call later?”
“If that’s what you were about to say, no need.”
“Ah, then I understand. Let’s definitely grab a meal next time.”
“Yes.”
Right before the call cut off she thought she heard something like a moan, but Kang So-mi didn’t try to guess any further. She was far too excited and a little out of it right now.
She called Representative Jang Wei again and reported that it was an undeniable fact.
And that news was soon delivered to the Association’s 41st Branch as well. The branch head and the instructors realized once more that the bastard was a genuine genius.
The 41st Branch was now on the verge of producing the Association’s first-ever top-ranked Hero graduate.