56 chapter - Jamsil Olympic Stadium (1)

Jamsil Olympic Stadium.

It felt like only yesterday that we’d been here for the C-Rank advancement exam, and yet three whole months had already passed.

Seeing Yuna and the party step outside after finishing the written test filled me with a strange sense of nostalgia.

Back then, Yuna had been the one waiting outside.

From her perspective, though, she was now taking the C-Rank advancement exam only three months after becoming a Hunter.

If nothing goes wrong, she’ll pass.

Yesterday’s mana measurement for Yuna had been an incredible 1,709.

She had surpassed the C-Rank threshold of 1,000 by an overwhelming margin—in just three months.

Her growth rate was monstrous.

Of course, part of it was thanks to her Trait, the way she grew when I hunted monsters. But it also proved she was gifted in her own right.

Her mana sensitivity was simply that high.

“Oppa!”

“How’d the test go?”

“I think I got everything right!”

“Really? Nicely done.”

Behind her, the rest of the party trailed along.

Among them, Im Jin-sol wore a dead-eyed expression, muttering to herself.

“I’m fucked. Goddamn it.”

“Nunim! It’s still fine! As long as you do well in the practical!”

Looked like Jin-sol had blown the test.

I told her flatly:

“Told you to study a little.”

“Boss, are you fanning the flames of a burning house right now?”

“Save it. Just get in the car and eat. At least do well on the certification trial.”

Today’s lunch was a boxed meal Yuna had packed herself.

“This one’s for you, Manager.”

“I get one too?”

“Of course you do.”

“Thank you very much.”

The lunch was solid—spicy pork stir-fry, kimchi, Spam, fried eggs, and rice, all packed neatly.

Jin-sol gasped.

“Whoa. You made all this yourself?”

“It wasn’t much. Everything’s easy to make...”

“Easy, my ass! I can’t cook like this!”

“Aw, come on. You can fry Spam or eggs just fine, can’t you? Spicy pork stir-fry is just tossing meat in and cooking it...”

She brushed it off like nothing, but cooking was never just about difficulty. It was about the care put into it.

Getting up early, taking the time to prepare lunch—that alone was something to be grateful for.

I tried the pork stir-fry first and couldn’t help murmuring:

“This is really good.”

“Hehe. Of course it tastes good—it’s pork.”

And I wasn’t the only one impressed.

“With quality like this, I’d pay ten thousand won for it.”

“...It is good.”

Compliments filled the car.

“Even the kimchi’s delicious!”

“Oh, I bought that at the mart.”

“O-Oh? Guess that’s why it tastes so good.”

“Right?”

I’d thought it before, but Yuna clearly had a knack for cooking.

“Urrp. I’m full.”

Jin-sol had cleaned out her lunchbox down to the last grain of rice.

“Eating something good actually makes me feel better.”

Sprawled out with a satisfied look, she glanced at Hong Soo-ah.

“Unni, are you really okay going solo?”

“...I’ll be fine.”

“Well, with your skills, handling a summon beast should be nothing.”

Aside from me, the most powerful in our party was Hong Soo-ah.

Her mana was an incredible 3,035.

She should’ve advanced to C-Rank long ago; she just hadn’t taken the test yet.

And with her wand crafted by Baek Jang-in, she was practically a B-Rank Hunter already.

“Still, three’s safer than one.”

It was true. No matter how strong a magician, their body was frail.

Going with a protective party would make the certification far safer.

“...I don’t need it.”

The guild had even arranged two D-Rank body-enhancement types for her, but she’d refused. She insisted on taking the test alone.

Watching her, I thought:

Going for publicity?

With the exam broadcast, clearing it solo would make her stand out.

But even with three, she’d still be noticed.

A blade hidden in a sack will cut through regardless.

With her talent, recognition was inevitable.

“Alright! If you’re all done eating, let’s move out!”

“Nunim, everyone but you is still eating.”

“Hurry it up already!”

After barking, Jin-sol flopped onto the seat and fell asleep snoring.

As the exam time approached, I said to Seong Yohan, who was letting her use his thigh as a pillow:

“Yohan. Wake her up.”

“Yes, Party Leader.”

He gently shook her.

“Nunim, it’s exam time.”

“Mmgh... Already?”

“Yes, we need to go.”

Half-asleep, Jin-sol reached her arms toward him and puckered her lips.

Startled, Yohan blurted:

“N-Nunim! We have to go take the certification test!”

She snapped fully awake and looked around.

And of course, we’d all been watching.

Yuna beamed.

“You two look so good together.”

“N-No, this isn’t—”

Flustered, Jin-sol quickly changed the subject.

“W-We’re gonna be late! Let’s go!”

“Wait, Nunim! Don’t forget your gear!”

She bolted from the car, leaving Yohan to gather her equipment and chase after her.

That left only Hong Soo-ah and Yuna.

I told them:

“Do well out there.”

“Yes, oppa.”

“...Mm.”

I headed alone to the stands.

The stadium was filled with Hunters here for the test.

As my party entered, all eyes turned their way.

“Hey, isn’t that the Mountain Guild insignia?”

“Mountain Guild? Yeah, it is.”

“Whoa. They’re D-Rank but already in Mountain Guild? That’s badass.”

Most large-guild Hunters were C-Rank or higher.

You had to have a solid career to get in.

It was rare for someone to be scouted at D-Rank.

So naturally, in a test hall packed with only D-Ranks, my party stood out wearing Mountain Guild insignia.

Even the broadcast crews in the stands had their cameras fixed on them.

“But there’s four of them.”

“Yeah, wait. They’re a team of four?”

“Isn’t that unfair?”

“Come on, you think they’d allow favoritism on a nationally broadcast exam? Probably splitting into pairs.”

“Pairs, huh? That much confidence?”

“Well, it is Mountain Guild.”

Everyone was talking about my party when the giant screen lit up, showing summoner Kim Ji-eun’s face.

[Welcome, everyone. I’m Kim Ji-eun, chief examiner for the C-Rank advancement exam.]

At last, the test began.

[The practical exam is simple. Prove that you deserve to be a C-Rank Hunter.]

At the signal, four people stepped forward.

Each wore the Mountain Guild insignia.

The rest stayed back, watching them.

Just being Mountain Guild members /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ made them the stars of the exam.

“Let’s go!”

Jin-sol shouted bravely and was first to place her hand on the mana-measuring device.

The staffer reading the device blinked in shock.

“Mana count: 2,319... P-Pass!”

Gasps and cheers erupted.

In the C-Rank exam, anything over 1,500 was considered very high.

But Jin-sol’s number had started in the two-thousands.

“Kya-ha! Easy as that!”

“Nunim... Please calm down.”

Next was Seong Yohan.

Again, the examiner’s face showed surprise.

“M-Mana count: 2,489... Pass.”

Compared to Soo-ah, their careers fell short, but both were veterans nonetheless.

And we’d cleared dozens of D-Rank Gates these past months.

That kind of growth was only natural.

“Next!”

The examiner’s voice brimmed with expectation.

Yuna shyly placed her hand on the device.

The staffer’s face fell slightly at the reading.

“Mana count: 1,721. Pass.”

“S-Sorry!”

Blushing, Yuna stepped aside.

With her pass, Jin-sol raised her hand and shouted:

“Team Mountain, entering!”

“This way, please.”

An attendant guided the three of them.

The crowd looked puzzled.

“What? Why are only three going?”

“There’s still one left.”

All eyes turned to Hong Soo-ah.

She calmly placed her hand on the device.

“...!”

The examiner leaned in, then announced loudly:

“3,033!”

Exclamations erupted everywhere.

“Whoa—”

“Incredible.”

“So that’s why she stayed behind alone.”

“Insane.”

She was drawing more attention than I had during my own exam.

All because of the Mountain Guild insignia.

It was a reminder of the sheer weight a major guild carried.

“Target!”

On the field, Jin-sol’s group began their match.

Their opponent: a giant turtle.

Not aggressive, but with tremendous defense.

From beside me, a voice clicked its tongue.

“Tch tch. Unlucky. Two archers, and they get a turtle?”

I turned.

“...Chief?”

Lee Yechan was there, cloaked head to toe.

He smirked.

“Yeah, it’s me.”

“What brings you here?”

I’d heard he’d gone to clear a B-Rank Gate yesterday.

Even for Mountain Guild, that wasn’t something you cleared in just a day.

“Operational mission.”

“A mission?”

“Yeah. Operation ‘Catch the Big Fish.’”

I wanted to ask about the suspicious name, but he shifted the topic fast.

“Anyway, tough luck for them. Fighting a turtle’s gonna be hard, no?”

“No need to worry.”

“Confident, huh?”

“You’ll see.”

Yohan kept the turtle occupied up front, while Yuna shot arrows into its gaps, gradually piling up damage.

“Target!”

Meanwhile, Jin-sol had done nothing but keep shouting Target.

And her blue marks appeared only on its shell, not its head.

“Why’s she doing that?”

“Stacking.”

“Stacking?”

“Overlapping targets multiplies the effect.”

“Ah...”

After five uses of the skill, Jin-sol suddenly rushed the turtle.

The beast flinched, wary—but that was its mistake.

Thunk!

“Kreeee!”

An arrow from Yuna pierced one of its eyes.

“Yohan, your back!”

“Yes, nunim!”

Using Yohan’s back as a foothold, Jin-sol vaulted high.

From her view, the turtle’s shell lay wide open.

There, five overlapping targets glowed brilliantly.

Thunk!

Her arrow struck dead center.

KABOOM!

The shell shattered, and the turtle collapsed, dead—its heart pierced in one shot.

Watching, Lee Yechan murmured:

“Confidence justified.”

The stands roared at Team Mountain’s dazzling fight.

But they had no idea.

Something greater was still to come.

“Soo-ah’s opponent is... a wolf? Straightforward enough.”

The moment the wolf appeared before her—

CRACKKK!! Thunk!

A massive icicle erupted from the ground, skewering its heart.

CRACKK!

Ice spread instantly from the wound, freezing the beast solid.

Before it could even move, the wolf shattered into pieces and was forcefully unsummoned.

They say too much shock leaves you speechless.

The stadium froze along with the wolf.

[Applicants, please continue your exams.]

Kim Ji-eun’s voice from the screen prodded the stunned crowd back into motion.

“Woooooahhh!!”

“Mountain! Mountain! Mountain!”

For a long while, the stadium resounded with cheers more like war cries.