10 chapter - C-Class Promotion Exam (1)

The day of the C-Class Promotion Exam.

I woke up at the crack of dawn and headed to the exam site at Jamsil Sports Complex.

Just as I was about to park, I got a call from Lee Yuna.

[Oppa. Where are you right now?]

“It’s promotion exam day. I’m at Jamsil.”

[I’m at Jamsil too!]

“…What?”

At that moment, I locked eyes with Lee Yuna, who was ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) wandering around the parking lot.

[Ah, I found your car.]

“…Why are you here?”

[I came to cheer you on.]

It wasn’t unusual for civilians to show up to promotion exams to support someone.

But they usually came in the afternoon.

“You won’t even get to see anything. The morning’s just the written test.”

The written test was held at a middle school right next to the stadium, and obviously, only test-takers were allowed inside.

[I had to give you this before the written part. Hurry up and park and come out.]

When I finished parking and stepped outside, Lee Yuna handed me a black plastic bag.

I peeked inside.

It was yeot (Korean sticky taffy).

“Eat it.”

“…You came all the way here just for this?”

“That’s how you pass exams! Chapsak!” (sticky sound)

I gave her a look that said, You’ve gotta be kidding me, and she giggled.

“What? You moved?”

“Thanks.”

I took a piece of yeot, stuck it in my mouth, and headed to the written test site.

Lee Yuna followed me right up to the school, chattering away.

“Oppa, don’t you need to study?”

“I’m fine.”

Three years ago, when I had just awakened as an F-Class Hunter, I believed—without a shred of doubt—that I was special.

So I’d already studied the C-Class written test in advance, preparing for a quick promotion.

Thanks to all the grinding I did back then, the basic material was still stuck in my head.

Even just skimming through last year’s questions yesterday was enough.

“The written test starts in 10 minutes. All non-test-takers, please leave the classroom.”

That was clearly directed at Lee Yuna.

“I’ll be waiting outside.”

“Yeah.”

Just as expected, the written test wasn’t hard.

{Which of the following is the correct owner of the footprints in the photo?}

{Which of the following is not an appropriate emergency response for stopping bleeding?}

‘Easy.’

Say what you want, but I’d been grinding in this world for three years.

Even if I didn’t experience everything firsthand, I’d picked up tons of D-Class Gate knowledge from others.

Thanks to that, I was able to breeze through every question without a hitch.

“Great work, test-takers. Good luck with the practical exam this afternoon.”

The practical test started at 1 p.m.

Since there was still time, I took Lee Yuna to a nearby restaurant for lunch.

“Oppa, are you really gonna be okay?”

“With what?”

“Proof of qualification.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Come on, at least try to find someone to qualify with you at the exam site. I’ll help you look too.”

Unfortunately, that just wasn’t realistic.

“No one taking the C-Class exam is going in solo like me. Honestly, proof of qualification is the main point of the exam.”

Most applicants come in pre-formed teams of three.

To apply for the C-Class test, you need achievements from clearing D-Class Gates, and most form teams with those they cleared them with.

We’re talking about Choi Changshik here—he didn’t even have a party that would take him in, so he couldn’t meet the basic requirement for D-Class clear records.

It was fair to say there wouldn’t be any team willing to take me.

“So, you're really going to fight alone? Against a D-Class boss-tier monster?”

“Yeah.”

Being able to take down a D-Class Gate boss solo—

That basically means you’re capable of solo-clearing D-Class Gates.

In general, that kind of thing’s only possible if you're at least B-Class level.

But I can do it.

I’d already tested it out.

And I did it inside an actual D-Class Gate.

“…Haah. Just… please don’t get hurt.”

“Got it.”

By the time we got to the stadium, the stands were already half-filled with spectators and cameras.

“Oppa, fighting!”

With Lee Yuna’s loud cheer behind me, I walked down onto the field.

About 2,000 Hunters were gathered here.

Only a few hundred of them would become C-Class Hunters.

It was almost time for the test to start.

Right at 1 p.m., a woman with sleepy-looking eyes appeared on the giant screen.

[Nice to meet you all. I’m Kim Jieun, the general supervisor for the C-Class Promotion Exam.]

A-Class Hunter, summoner Kim Jieun.

Among civilians, she was one of the most famous Hunters.

Small build, cute looks.

She’d practically become the mascot of the C-Class exam, boosting broadcast ratings just by showing up.

There were even jokes that regular people only watched the test broadcasts to see Kim Jieun, not the rookie Hunters.

With a voice dripping with boredom, she spoke.

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

Proof of qualification.

The content of the test was simple. Just defeat the summoned creature that Kim Jieun would randomly summon.

The problem was that all of those summons were on par with D-Class Gate bosses.

[Teams who are ready, please step forward.]

With that official start announcement, some people confidently stepped forward.

“Team Hi, we challenge!”

“Icarus… challenge…”

“Team Blackball. We challenge.”

Starting with those three, a total of ten teams declared their challenge right off the bat.

The cameras in the stands moved in perfect unison.

From this point forward, everything that happened here would be broadcast live nationwide.

I stood with my arms crossed, quietly watching the exam unfold.

Been a while since I’ve felt this kind of atmosphere.

Back when I was a civilian, I used to watch the C-Class exams all the time.

But after years of struggling as an F-Class Hunter, the shame kept me away from it.

This view’s way better than premium seats.

I was once again a spectator—for the first time in a long while.

With interest, I scanned the lineup of participants.

“Challengers, please have your mana measured over here first!”

Mana measurement was also considered part of the qualification proof.

The mana threshold for C-Class was 1,000.

If your reading was under that, you were disqualified on the spot.

That said, almost no one failed here.

Most people knew their mana levels ahead of time before applying.

But of course, there are always exceptions.

“Mana reading: 998. Disqualified.”

“Whaaat?! No way! I checked before! Test it again!”

“That won’t be possible. Please step aside.”

A man slumped his head and trudged out, the staff’s firm response leaving no room for argument.

Mana readings were like body weight. They could fluctuate depending on your condition that day.

So people whose mana barely passed 1,000 were always at risk of getting screwed like this.

“Pfft, I knew this would happen!”

“Idiot! I told you to manage your condition better!”

Team Hi was laughing and mocking their own teammate for getting disqualified.

‘Aren’t they just screwing themselves over?’

They were now going to have to take a three-person exam with only two people.

And yet, the other two showed no signs of being troubled. They were too busy mocking their disqualified teammate.

One of the laughing guys spoke up.

“Behold this hyung’s mana level!”

The guy who looked like Team Hi’s leader placed his hand on the mana reader.

“Mana level: 1,983. Pass.”

“Whoa.”

Gasps of admiration rippled through the crowd the moment his result was announced.

That was an insanely high reading, even for the C-Class promotion exam.

“At that level, won’t he become B-Class in no time?”

“Probably. C-Class is in the bag for sure. Some people are just born lucky.”

“God, it’s always the talented bastards who get everything handed to them.”

Even the announcers in the broadcast booth were freaking out.

[A super rookie! A super rookie shows up right out the gate!]

[I think that might be the best result this year. Absolutely incredible.]

The audience-packed stadium roared with excitement.

The talent monster with a near-2,000 mana level soaked up the cheers and waved gleefully. Meanwhile, the guy who got disqualified whined beside him.

“You’re too cruel, hyung. You’ve got so much mana, couldn’t you have spared me just two points?!”

“Nope. That would be cheating.”

Judging by looks alone, the title of “hyung” should’ve gone the other way. Team Hi’s leader looked ridiculously young.

“Wait… Did you boost my mana during the last check on purpose?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Go away. You’re gonna give me bad luck.”

“Hyung!!”

That little scene was guaranteed to get airtime.

It was hilarious, and combined with the arrival of a super rookie, it was the perfect recipe to draw viewers in.

Team Hi’s leader was definitely going to blow up online. And the guy with the 998 mana? He’d be trending too—for all the wrong reasons.

Anyway, aside from the 998 guy from Team Hi, everyone else passed the mana check with readings over the threshold.

[All test-takers who are not participating in the qualification round, please gather here and take the mana test in order.]

The Hunters, who had been scattered all over the field, started gathering around the mana reader. Now, only the ten teams attempting qualification were left standing in the center of the stadium.

[We will now begin the exam.]

The qualification trial had officially started.

Bzzzzzzzzzzzz.

With Kim Jieun’s announcement, summons began to appear in front of each team, each one in a different form.

From that moment, the real game began—the strategic reading of the room among the test-takers.

I was no exception.

There it is.

The teams that had stepped up first were all clearly confident in their abilities.

No matter what kind of summoned monster showed up, they believed they could crush it.

Not everyone here shared that kind of confidence.

Even though the summons were supposedly all on par with D-Class Gate bosses, the truth was their strength varied. Depending on your Trait, some were easier or harder to fight.

The ones hesitating now were hoping for the most favorable matchup.

That included me.

Unlike the teams, I had to take the qualification test alone—so I had to be extra careful.

Team Hi’s summon might be the one I want.

What I was targeting was a brown wolf about the size of a cow.

Out of all the summons, this one was average. Not the weakest—but that was exactly the point.

It’s the one I have the best chance against.

The ones considered “weaker” actually had horrible compatibility with me.

There were monsters like the Ironhide Rhino, resistant to physical attacks but weak to magic, and the Black Vulture, which couldn’t be harmed unless hit by long-range attacks.

Teams could form strategies around all kinds of variables, but I didn’t have that luxury.

It has to be the brown wolf. No question.

For someone taking the test alone, strategic target selection wasn’t just smart—it was essential.

So I watched Team Hi’s qualification battle closely.

A woman with a sword, and a man with a bow.

The guy with the near-2,000 mana reading was the one holding the bow.

“Charge in, Pikachu!”

The woman sprinted straight toward the brown wolf, swinging her sword wildly.

The wolf dodged her attack with smooth, elegant movement and slammed her with its front paw.

Thunk!

There was a sharp impact as her armor took the hit and she was sent skidding backward.

“Down!”

The moment the man shouted, the woman hit the dirt without hesitation.

Right after that—

Vwuuuuum!

The bow the Team Hi leader was holding glowed blue, and a mana-infused arrow flew forward.

Thwack!

The arrow pierced right into the wolf’s skull, destroying its head.

“Nice! Great job!”

The crowd in the stands erupted in noise.

“What Trait was that?!”

“Could it be…?”

“Mana Infusion?”

Mana Infusion was a rare Trait—but insanely popular among civilians.

The announcers were just as excited.

[Ah, amazing! That’s the Mana Infusion Trait!]

[It’s the same Trait as Han Sooyoung, the Sword Saint of Korea!]

Sword energy.

Mana Infusion was one of the signature Traits that allowed a weapon to be imbued with blue mana.

“What are you waiting for? Get ready to interview him! Go grab a spot near the exit!”

“Hello?! What guild is he from? Someone find out!”

A rising star had arrived like a comet.

In the blink of an eye, the exam field had turned into his debut stage.