Chapter 7 - Hunter Exam (2)
Hunter Exam (2)
A good idea came to him.
So he acted immediately.
Lee Jeon-seok did not hesitate.
There was no need to.
Lee Jeon-seok suddenly approached Kim Man-jin.
He briefly glanced at Anya Ivanov.
She showed no sign of stopping him.
Despite the sudden and unexpected action, she merely remained silent.
‘I don’t know why, but…’
Even for Lee Jeon-seok, this was not a bad situation.
Standing before him was a man no different from a villain, and stopping someone like that would surely increase his good karma.
Lee Jeon-seok gripped his dagger in a reverse hold and stood before Kim Man-jin.
“W-what is this?”
The sudden situation.
Kim Man-jin stammered, clearly flustered.
It was a completely different figure from before.
All traces of composure were gone.
Having someone suddenly approach mid-exam with a blade in hand—it was only natural.
Lee Jeon-seok said nothing.
There was no need.
He simply wore a chilling smile.
“W-what are you trying to do—”
While Kim Man-jin hesitated in panic—
“Ghk—?!”
Lee Jeon-seok swept his leg, breaking his balance, grabbed his head with one hand, and slammed it into the ground.
Then he drove the dagger into the floor right beside his neck.
If Kim Man-jin moved even slightly, the blade would dig into his throat and sever his artery.
“E-examiner! You should stop this—!”
One of the examinees shouted in anxiety.
Yet Anya still kept her mouth shut.
Seeing that, the examinees did not protest further.
If the examiner was staying silent, there was no way they could intervene.
Rather, they believed this situation was part of the test the examiner intended.
For Lee Jeon-seok, it was the perfect situation.
Even if he didn’t know the reason.
‘I can ask about it later.’
Lee Jeon-seok looked down at Kim Man-jin.
“Y-you—!”
“Don’t speak.”
“…!”
“If you speak, I’ll cut your artery immediately.”
Lee Jeon-seok whispered into his ear.
Smiling as he whispered those words with lifeless pupils, Lee Jeon-seok looked like nothing less than a demon.
“You only need to answer my questions. Of course, if you try to force your way out using your ability, I don’t really mind. I’ll just slit your throat right away. Honestly, I’d prefer that…”
He trailed off and stared at Kim Man-jin.
Was he terrified?
Pupils trembling like an aspen leaf.
Labored breathing, as if suffocating.
‘What… what the hell is this…!’
Kim Man-jin trembled as if he were about to lose consciousness at any moment.
The strange pressure emanating from Lee Jeon-seok crushed him as though his heart were being squeezed.
“I didn’t think you were this much of a coward.”
What a disappointment.
If he had thrashed around, this would have ended more easily.
“Then let’s start with the first question.”
Lee Jeon-seok continued, wearing a murderous smile.
“What’s your trait?”
“….”
Kim Man-jin couldn’t answer right away.
Perhaps because of the threat to slit his throat?
But only briefly.
He replied in a terrified voice.
“…M-mark of Maggots.”
“Disgusting name. What’s the effect?”
“It restricts… the movement of anyone I make contact with…”
Restriction.
‘I see.’
That must be why the examinee on the screen earlier looked unusually sluggish.
But—
“You’re hiding something more, aren’t you? Don’t tell me these horns are because of the Mark of Maggots.”
Ssssk—
Lee Jeon-seok tilted the dagger slightly.
A drop of blood trickled down Kim Man-jin’s neck.
“…!”
Kim Man-jin’s eyes trembled—he couldn’t even scream.
“Talk.”
Pressure.
Oppression.
Pitch-black eyes that seemed to suck everything in.
Pupils drained of light, murky in color—like those of a ghost.
A demon.
Yes.
This was a demon.
A blood-soaked ghost.
“…!”
In the end, Kim Man-jin rolled his eyes back and lost consciousness.
“Hah.”
Lee Jeon-seok let out a hollow laugh.
He hadn’t expected him to pass out so easily.
Then—
“That will be enough, Examinee Lee Jeon-seok.”
Anya finally stepped in.
Lee Jeon-seok withdrew his hand and dagger and looked at her.
“I don’t particularly feel the need to stop…”
His tone sounded slightly petulant.
Anya explained calmly.
“I had already been keeping an eye on Examinee Kim Man-jin. Continuing the interrogation would only become torture. There’s no need for you to dirty your hands further.”
“Then why didn’t you stop it earlier?”
It was a double-edged question.
Why she didn’t stop Kim Man-jin from interfering with others.
And why she didn’t stop Lee Jeon-seok from pressuring him.
“Because I judged it necessary.”
“Necessary?”
“Yes. I wanted to see how the examinees would respond when their bodies suddenly wouldn’t move properly. As hunters, they’ll encounter countless unexpected situations caused by villains.”
In other words, Anya already regarded Kim Man-jin as a villain.
Interfering with movement during a dungeon run—
That could easily be considered an act of terror.
‘Considering the trait’s effect… he probably planned to hinder competitors and pass the exam in first place.’
Passing as top rank brought greater benefits upon becoming a hunter.
But—
‘How foolish.’
That shallow scheme ended up branding Kim Man-jin as a villain himself.
Villains cannot become hunters.
No matter how much they pay for their crimes.
The Association never issued hunter licenses to those with a criminal record.
“Since this wasn’t a planned part of the test, there will be no penalty…”
Anya Ivanov turned toward the screen behind her.
“Simply staying calm in your response was enough to pass.”
Three goblin corpses lay scattered on the floor.
The examinee stood there, panting.
Judging by his expression, he had heard everything.
“Th-then…?”
“You’ve passed, Examinee Lee Yong-jun. Please receive treatment from the safety staff and wait in the first-floor lounge. Once the exam concludes, your hunter license will be issued.”
“Thank you!”
The examinee bowed deeply.
A safety staff member approached him.
They must have been waiting inside the dungeon.
Meanwhile—
“So it wasn’t an extra test?”
“How did that guy know…?”
“I shook hands with that horned guy earlier…”
“I passed, right? …Lucky.”
The other examinees murmured among themselves.
Then—
“Indeed.”
Anya, overhearing one of them, turned to Lee Jeon-seok.
“You’re at a level where it wouldn’t be strange to hand you a hunter license immediately.”
He had noticed Kim Man-jin’s malicious interference before anyone else.
He had responded calmly and decisively to a villain.
And he had caused zero collateral damage in the process.
“However,”
Anya continued slowly.
“To formally grant you a pass, you’ll need to clear a dungeon once. Would that be acceptable?”
She asked carefully.
Lee Jeon-seok merely shrugged.
If it wasn’t acceptable—
What could he do about it?
The examiner held absolute authority here.
Besides, Lee Jeon-seok had something he wanted to test inside a dungeon anyway.
“I don’t mind.”
“Thank you.”
She bowed slightly.
Soon, safety staff appeared from nowhere and carried away the unconscious Kim Man-jin.
At Anya’s direction, the exam resumed.
As passes and failures were announced—
Lee Jeon-seok observed Anya.
‘She’s quite competent.’
Even by rank alone, that was evident.
An examiner had to be at least A-rank.
Her judgment and response were solid.
Rather, she was exceptionally capable.
That only deepened his doubt.
Why hadn’t she appeared during his previous life?
‘…There was a major operation around this time where the Association wiped out a notorious villain group.’
It wasn’t Dawnlight Society.
But a group just as dangerous.
Kidnapping. Confinement. Human experimentation.
Many hunters died then.
Civilian casualties were significant as well.
There was a chance Anya had died there.
Or perhaps been crippled and forced into retirement.
Lee Jeon-seok wondered—
If he saved her then,
Would his good karma increase again?
[You have stopped a malicious act of interference.]
[Good karma has increased by ‘800’.]
‘Oh.’
A system message suddenly appeared before his eyes.
As expected, his good karma increased.
But only 800.
Equivalent to saving roughly 80 people.
Was suppressing Kim Man-jin worth that much?
And that wasn’t all.
[Congratulations!]
[Your good karma has exceeded ‘10,000’.]
[As a reward, the ‘Karma Shop’ has been unlocked!]
Something entirely unexpected appeared before him. ※ ※ ※ About an hour passed.
Most examinees had finished.
Eight passed.
The rest all failed.
Considering there were 34 applicants in total, the pass rate was abysmally low.
Not even half.
Though one examinee still remained.
Written exam first place—Lee Jeon-seok.
Even Anya had been watching him closely.
‘Cold judgment, analytical skill, decision-making—everything is exceptional. His behavior and appearance may seem villain-like, but his moral essay answers leaned toward altruism.’
His thinking was surprisingly pure.
And his combat ability?
Not lacking at all.
The way he subdued Kim Man-jin—
‘A seasoned fighter.’
Not a soldier. Not a warrior.
If anything, Lee Jeon-seok moved like a combat-obsessed gladiator.
‘That unsettling appearance must be due to his trait.’
Anya watched as Lee Jeon-seok entered the dungeon when his turn came.
The dungeon he chose was undead-type.
An F-rank dungeon dominated by skeletons.
Because of their defense, it was one of the least-chosen dungeons among examinees.
Yet—
‘No hesitation.’
As if he had decided long ago.
Was his trait specialized against undead?
Those ominous eyes—it was hard to think otherwise.
“When the exam details are released, scouts will swarm him.”
Suddenly, someone approached Anya.
It was the safety staff member who had escorted Kim Man-jin out.
A teammate from the same department.
“Yoon Jin. What do you think?”
“He’s flawless. I’d like to recruit him to our department if possible.”
“I agree.”
Anya nodded.
Anyone would.
Lee Jeon-seok’s talent was that brilliant.
That was why she watched the screen, eager to see what more he would show.
But—
‘That is…’
What Anya witnessed next was utterly bizarre.