Hunter Exam (3)
“Time to go pick it up. My hunter license.”
I let out a deep sigh. I'm a little nervous. If I fail today's practical exam, it'll be a real hassle. The test only happens every six months. Failing means waiting half a year.
“You've trained so diligently, so I'm sure you'll see great results.”
As if reading my mind, Heukryeon spoke in her soft voice.
Just as she said, I'd thrown myself into training hard for the past week.
“Ugh.”
I rummaged around and grabbed my sword. A blunt training sword without a sharpened edge. But it was made of the same metal as a real blade. Not just the material—the weight and balance were identical to a proper sword, heavy and solid. Now that I had some money, there was no need to use a cheap wooden one anymore.
A sword feels like the best choice, after all.
The Cheonma Shingong contained every martial art of the Demonic Cult. Naturally, it included countless weapon techniques. Swordsmanship, spearmanship, staff arts, daggers—you name it.
'What about a spear, my lord?'
Among them, the weapon Heukryeon had strongly recommended was none other than the spear.
'Why?'
'No Heavenly Demon with such short arms and legs as yours has ever existed before.'
When I first heard that, I thought she was teasing me, but Heukryeon's expression was dead serious.
'Hey, you made me this body...'
True enough, no previous Heavenly Demon had ever trained martial arts in the body of a 12-year-old girl. Considering my physical specs, a spear would perfectly compensate for my short reach. It made sense on paper.
But in the end, I chose the sword. Honestly, isn't a sword way cooler than a spear? Plus, it's versatile enough to handle tight spaces or open areas.
'But couldn't I just go with the Cheonma Punch?'
I asked, thrusting my fist out straight. But Heukryeon's gaze lingered on my extended arm, and I immediately dropped the idea. My reach was too short. Like with the orc, sure, I could blow heads off with my fists, but getting splattered in blood every time felt gross.
In the end, I settled on the safe choice: sword.
So my training boiled down to three core elements. Swordsmanship. Footwork. And inner power cultivation method.
First, I practiced drawing qi from my dantian and channeling it into the sword. Then, I repeated swings in the air using Gwieungbo countless times.
My body, optimized for the Cheonma Shingong, was incredible. It reacted on instinct without conscious thought. Thanks to that, my progress was lightning-fast even in just a week.
'I even picked up a new sword technique.'
I'd successfully learned one sword form too. Once I got comfortable with Gwieungbo, I had the bandwidth for it.
'You've grasped the basic framework of swordsmanship.'
Heukryeon seemed pretty satisfied watching my swordplay.
And with that, my week of training wrapped up.
I wrapped the long training sword tightly in cloth and strapped it securely to my back.
“Heavier than I thought.”
To compensate for my short arms, I'd gone with an extra-long sword. The extended reach was great, but carrying it was tougher than expected.
I hopped on a bus to the Hunter Association Seoul Branch.
“Nngh.”
Inside the bus, people stared at me curiously. A kid with a long stick on her back must look pretty weird.
Soon enough, we arrived. Stepping off, the massive Hunter Association building loomed before me.
“What a huge building.”
“Yes. I hear it's the largest in the Seoul branch.”
This was different from where I'd taken the written exam. Since it also hosted practical tests, it was far bigger.
I headed straight to the first-floor lobby and the reception desk.
“Here for the practical exam registration.”
The receptionist, who had been bowing her head, looked up at my voice. She glanced between my face and my exam ticket, her expression turning surprised.
“You're taking the test yourself?”
“Yeah. Here.”
I placed my ID on the desk.
“Ah, please wait a moment.”
The receptionist cleared her throat and tapped at her keyboard. I get why she's shocked—a kid trying to become a hunter. Awakening or learning mugong at this age is rare to begin with. Even then, most wait until they're bigger before testing. No point getting a license early if you can't take jobs yet.
Hunter work is real combat, and kids struggle with the mental strain. Sure, there are tough little brats who bulldoze through and get certified anyway, but young awakeners are uncommon, and super-tough ones like that? One in a million.
I hear there's live combat too.
The practical exam includes real combat testing. You have to swing weapons and prove your physical abilities—it's risky.
“Your guardian didn't come with you?”
“Nope. Came alone.”
At my answer, she checked her monitor and typed some more.
“Alright, registered. You're Kim Cheon-ah, right?”
“Yes.”
“The practical exam is in the third-floor main training hall. You'll do mana measurement first, then straight into the test.”
The receptionist gave a quick explanation, then added,
“It can be dangerous, so be careful not to get hurt. Got it?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Treated like a kid, but with this appearance, what can you do? I bowed politely and grabbed my exam ticket and name tag.
The mana measurement process is dead simple. They stick a small electrode patch on the examinee's arm. Press the button connected to the machine, and done.
The key difference between awakeners and normals is mana. No matter how much you train under waterfalls in the mountains, without mana, you're just a strong regular human. Mana lets you surpass human limits. That's how you fight inside gates.
Mugong users are the same. They wield inner power instead of mana. Of course, the Association's machines detect that too and convert it to numbers.
The Hunter Association staff checked the documents. The photo showed a doll-like beauty. Age: 12. A kid.
These days, kids get way too much photo editing.
Made her look even cuter, like heavy filters. Impressive skill, but this isn't SNS. It'll cause ID verification issues.
Should say something.
With that thought, the staff opened his mouth.
“Next, please come forward.”
A petite 12-year-old girl approached at the cue. ID verification. He looked up—and nearly gasped.
Waist-length glossy black hair. Snow-white skin. Huge doll-like eyes with strange red pupils. An unreal, perfectly pretty doll of a girl.
No editing, huh.
That girl had a sword almost as big as herself strapped to her back, creating a bizarre contrast. She tilted her head, as if asking what was wrong.
“Ah, ID confirmed.”
Comparing the photo and the real thing, the staff snapped out of his daze. He carefully attached the electrode patch to her slender arm.
He pressed the scanner button routinely.
Beep-!
The gauge lit up with a number.
“Hmm?”
The staff's brow furrowed at the monitor.
“This is...”
The reading was way lower than expected.
Hmm. She has inner power, but... cases like this?
There was inner power, but the value was ridiculously low.
Did I mess up?
He tilted his head and checked the computer settings.
No.
Mugong user classification was set correctly. He pressed again, but the inner power showed abnormally low.
Should I pass her anyway?
He scratched his chin, pondering. It wasn't zero, at least. Normals read 0 for mana or inner power. But this low? Might as well send her back as a regular.
As he agonized,
“Achoo!”
The girl let out a tiny sneeze.
Crackle-!
The monitor flickered wildly. Then the computer crashed.
“Wha-what? What's going on?”
The panicked staff hammered the mouse and keyboard. No response.
“Sniff.”
The girl sniffled softly. Her round eyes stared at him blankly.
“Um, is something wrong?”
“Hold on. Why's the computer acting up?”
He tried rebooting the tower, but
“Ah, totally fried.”
Black smoke wafted from the case. Not quite on fire, but definitely dead.
He yanked the plug and sighed.
Someone mess with the cables?
But the other stations were fine. Lights were on. Only his spot glitched.
“Please wait a moment.”
Just swap the computer. He moved to disconnect the measurement device.
“Huh?”
The crystal orb scanner. A thick crack split its sturdy surface.
This was a custom magic tool from alchemists. Top-tier gear ordered by the cash-flush Association. Reliable, no glitches, excellent performance. Never cracked out of nowhere like this.
Worn out?
He squinted in disbelief. At least broken gear during tests gets covered by insurance. No one's fault if no one threw it.
Still a headache. He slammed a pass stamp on her papers. No time for this.
“Measurement complete. Head inside down the hall.”
“Thank you.”
The girl bowed and walked toward the training hall.
The staff flicked on the desk mic.
“Ahem. Measurement equipment is down for repairs. We'll guide from the next examinee onward.”
After the announcement, he scratched his head. Then eyed the cracked scanner curiously again.