The F-Class Gate (1)
"Huff. Haa."
Rough gasps echoed through the air. A large group of people was climbing the mountain—over forty of them. What stood out was that several were carrying weapons in their hands.
"Hoo. I'm dying here."
Exam candidate number 31, Park Minsu, roughly wiped the sweat from his brow. His eyes caught a group of hikers descending the trail.
"Ma'am, how much farther is it to Dobongsan Madangbawi?" Park Minsu asked one of the middle-aged women.
"Madangbawi? Just ten more minutes up the path."
"But the old man we met thirty minutes ago said the exact same thing."
"Aigoo, I'm telling the truth! Put some effort in, young man. Hohoho." The woman laughed brightly.
She soon tilted her head, glancing over the group with a puzzled look.
"But where are you all headed with those weapons? Did a monster pop up on the mountain or something?"
People armed with weapons. Mixed among them were others in neat suits who looked completely unrelated to combat. A bizarre procession was making its way up the slope.
Instead of Park Minsu, Choi Jungwoo—who had taken the lead—answered.
"We're in the middle of the Hunter practical exam."
Hunter candidates. Association staff there to support them. And finally, headhunters who had come to scout talent. Their job was to find promising prospects as quickly as possible, which explained why they were hiking in full suits.
This was the final stage of the Hunter exam: real combat.
Of course, they weren't being thrown into a deadly high-rank gate. The test took place at a safe F-class gate.
An F-class gate. Something even a novice hunter could clear alone. With a proper party, it was practically a breeze.
Nationally certified gate measurers—special awakeners capable of assessing gate difficulty—had thoroughly investigated this one in advance. The candidates' safety was guaranteed.
"Aigoo, you've all worked so hard. Here, have some of this leftover kimbap."
The woman kindly held out a roll wrapped in foil.
"N-no, we're fine." The group waved their hands in pale-faced refusal. Most of the forty-plus people were already panting and exhausted.
Gate locations were nearly random. The conditions for the practical exam, however, were extremely strict. Even among F-class gates, the mana reaction had to be especially weak. In short, they needed the lowest possible difficulty dungeon.
While F-class gates were the most common, any gate left uncleared for too long would explode and release monsters. The exam date, however, was fixed. That meant a tight deadline.
So it was rare for a qualifying gate to appear five minutes from a subway station. Since they couldn't exactly move the gate to the test site, the people had to go to it.
Choi Jungwoo glanced back. Unlike the candidates who at least exercised regularly, the office workers looked miserable.
"We'll rest for five minutes," he announced. Meeting the hikers gave them a good excuse for a break.
"Huaa."
"I feel like I'm gonna die." Park Minsu grumbled, hands on his knees.
"Isn't this too unfair? We'll be completely drained before the test even starts."
"This is actually quite favorable."
"You call this favorable?"
"Last year they had to rock climb to reach the site."
"You're joking, right?"
"I'm serious."
At that, Park Minsu quietly sat down. Choi Jungwoo checked his watch and added, "Once we reach the top, you'll be given plenty of rest time—enough for your stamina to fully recover. Don't worry."
Even with the promise of rest, grumbling still rose from the candidates.
"Maybe I should just use a little mana..."
"Don't. If you run dry here, the test is over."
The candidates were all awakeners who could handle mana. Using it to strengthen their bodies would make climbing a mountain effortless. Yet none of them did.
The reason was simple: mana was a limited resource. They had to enter the dungeon for the practical exam today. Every drop had to be conserved.
Stamina mattered too, but it recovered quickly after resting. Mana recovery, on the other hand, was much slower. Only high-rank hunters with massive mana pools could afford to strengthen their bodies casually. These were freshly awakened rookies with zero real gate experience. Their total mana was pathetically low, and their control was even worse.
Wasting mana on the climb would be a mistake. Enduring with pure grit was the smart choice. Knowing that, everyone simply pushed on.
Everyone except one.
"R-really? I can eat this?"
"Aigoo, you look just like a little doll! Eat up. It's leftover anyway, so don't worry."
"Hehe. Thank you."
The twelve-year-old girl boldly accepting kimbap—Kim Cheon-a—was the sole exception.
"Oh dear, it'll get stuck in your throat. Have some barley tea too."
"I really shouldn't accept even this..."
"It's fine! You remind me so much of my own daughter!"
"Gulp, gulp."
"Aigoo, how adorable. You eat so well."
Kim Cheon-a, surrounded by the hikers, was soaking up all the affection. Choi Jungwoo watched quietly.
Only a few beads of sweat dotted her forehead. Despite the rough climb, she wasn't breathing hard at all. She even carried a long sword wrapped in cloth on her back.
Had she done insane physical training before? Choi Jungwoo shook his head inwardly. Even the warrior-type awakeners who supposedly exercised were all panting with their tongues practically hanging out.
That left only one answer. She was using internal energy to preserve her stamina.
I didn't notice it at all.
He had been monitoring the candidates the entire way up, but no matter how hard he focused, he couldn't sense any movement of internal energy.
Incredibly precise control.
It felt like she wasn't using any at all. To the point that even he couldn't detect it, Kim Cheon-a was handling her energy with perfect efficiency—using the absolute minimum to perfectly support her body.
Impressive.
Choi Jungwoo let out a small sound of admiration at that refined control.
"Your steps are remarkably light. Excellent movement."
Heugryeon's voice reached my ear.
"Hmm. But isn't this still consuming some internal energy?" I murmured quietly.
The candidates were exhausted from the climb. None of them were using mana at all. They were powering through with nothing but pure willpower to preserve every drop for the exam.
Yet here I was, the only one using internal energy. It made me a little uneasy. The practical test was right around the corner. Was it really okay to spend energy like this?
For beginner hunters, it was common sense to conserve every bit of internal energy or mana before entering a gate.
"There is no need for concern. The amount of internal energy Lord Cheonma is currently expending is minimal."
Heugryeon replied with a faint smile.
Indeed, even by my own senses, the consumption was barely noticeable. It seemed my energy control was working quite well.
"F-finally!"
The candidate at the front shouted. After another twenty minutes of walking, they had finally reached their destination. Everyone flopped onto the ground as if they'd planned it.
"Everyone, you've worked hard," Choi Jungwoo said, standing at the front.
At those words, slightly resentful eyes turned his way. Every face showed clear exhaustion. The gate location was chosen entirely by the supervisor, after all. They probably weren't too happy with Choi Jungwoo for picking such a brutal mountain.
After briefly reading those looks, he pulled a document from his pocket and spoke calmly.
"For reference, this gate recorded the lowest mana reaction among all candidate sites for this exam."
In other words, it had the lowest difficulty.
Silence fell for a moment. Then the candidates' faces lit up.
"Whoa!"
"Thank you!"
"Light Jungwoo!"
"Dad Choi!"
They cheered like little kids. This was the most important practical exam. Being given the easiest possible gate was absolutely worth celebrating.
"Ahem." Hearing their enthusiastic reaction, the corners of Choi Jungwoo's mouth twitched upward. For the briefest instant, he looked quietly proud.
Even an A-class hunter apparently didn't mind that kind of praise.
"Please rest for now. The Association has prepared drinks," Choi Jungwoo continued after clearing his throat. "The mineral spring and restrooms are down that trail over there."
He seemed to have scouted the test site thoroughly, even pointing out the exact locations with his finger.
He gave off such a cold, professional vibe.
Unexpectedly, he had a very attentive side. He seemed like the type who'd excel as a military drill instructor or camp counselor.
Two hours later.
"Everyone, please gather."
At Choi Jungwoo's call, the candidates assembled neatly.
"The exam will be conducted in parties of four. You'll enter the gate in three separate rounds."
He scanned the list in his hands.
"First party: Candidate 31, Park Minsu. Candidate 32, Kim Cheon-a. And..."
Names were called out one by one.
"Lord Cheonma, you are in the first group," Heugryeon said, stepping closer.
"Yeah. Doesn't matter to me."
I stretched lightly. The small amount of internal energy I'd used on the climb had already been fully restored. One quiet session of energy circulation while sitting down had taken care of it.
Once he'd finished reading the lists, Choi Jungwoo looked over the candidates.
"Before entering the test site, we will distribute additional equipment."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Association staff approached carrying heavy bags.
Equipment distribution. Normally, candidates were responsible for preparing their own weapons and armor. But this exam provided special gear.
Choi Jungwoo gave a short nod. The staff unlocked the bags in unison.
Click!
With a metallic snap, the bags opened.
"Oh."
"These are sick."
Several candidates let out sounds of wonder at the contents. Inside the bags, heavily modified firearms gleamed under the sunlight.