Chapter 23

023. Hunter Han Seong-yun (3)

In the office of the Player-Exclusive Gym Baekryeon.

"Damn brat, does he think he's some kind of genius?"

Baekryeon's manager, Hwang Man-ho, felt his irritation rise for the first time in a long while.

His agitation stemmed from an unexpected phone call.

"He wants to take the Hunter Exam without a refund of his membership fees? What a load of crap."

Hwang Man-ho recalled a man who had been silently focused on training.

A thorn in the side, tarnishing the image of the Player-Exclusive Gym Baekryeon.

'Han Seong-yun.'

His stats, skills, and unique traits were anything but ordinary.

His abilities were closer to those of a regular person who exercises a bit, and his skills wouldn't even form even when the conditions were met, along with his unopened unique traits.

Yes, that was unusual in itself.

No player was weaker than Han Seong-yun.

But.

His perseverance in training for seven years without giving up, despite his unsuitability as a Hunter, always left Hwang Man-ho feeling irritated.

'Idiot, why does he keep trying when he knows he has no aptitude?'

From Hwang Man-ho's perspective, Han Seong-yun had no chance of becoming a Hunter.

Yet, his stubborn persistence in training without giving up was annoying.

He couldn't understand why Han Seong-yun kept trying when his stats didn't improve, and he had no unique traits or skills.

Of course, the membership fees weren't cheap, so there was a part of him that wanted to make some money.

'I didn't expect him to keep this up for seven years, even I didn't.'

Hwang Man-ho felt a chill at the intensity of Han Seong-yun's obsession, which bordered on madness.

He wondered if Han Seong-yun was under some curse that would kill him if he failed to become a Hunter.

While the obsessive dedication was a bit off-putting, the regular payments made it tolerable, so he had taught him loosely for a few years.

In fact, he hadn't really taught him much, just left him to train on his own after realizing he had no aptitude.

He thought Han Seong-yun would eventually leave the gym on his own after a few months.

However, Han Seong-yun became notorious among aspiring Hunters for his tenacity.

In the end, Hwang Man-ho expelled him to prevent him from negatively influencing the gym.

He thought that would be the end of Han Seong-yun's fanatical training.

But less than a month later, Han Seong-yun called him and made a proposal.

"Help me take the Hunter Exam."

Arrogant.

If he had asked for a refund, Hwang Man-ho would have been willing to return half.

But to suddenly ask to take the exam without a refund was audacious.

'I didn't expect him to come back and say something like that.'

It was a ridiculous request, perhaps a last bit of pride.

The Hunter Exam, while it took some time to apply, could be taken after a two-day process if you were an awakened player.

If Hwang Man-ho accompanied him as an observer, it would only skip the written and interview parts.

'But he wouldn't ask to take the exam just to skip those parts.'

Hwang Man-ho suspected Han Seong-yun was trying to mock him.

But even with that conclusion, he was puzzled.

How did Han Seong-yun plan to pass the Hunter Exam?

'His stats are the weakest among players, he has no skills, and his unique traits are unopened.'

It was doubtful he even had a weapon to fight with.

Then a possibility occurred to Hwang Man-ho.

'What if he opened his unique traits?'

If he had gained that unique ability, it would explain his newfound confidence.

But even if it was exceptional, Han Seong-yun's stats were still poor.

'Whether it's strength, magic, or anything else...'

His stats were so bad that even his unique traits would be buried.

Even if he had gained a unique trait, it was unlikely he had achieved anything in the meantime.

Most Hunters' abilities only grow in dungeons.

'An aspiring Hunter has no way to develop his abilities.'

He couldn't even enter the gate.

Whatever had happened recently, it didn't matter.

"Arrogant brat, digging his own grave."

With that thought, Hwang Man-ho prepared to leave the office, grabbing his coat.

He needed to accompany Han Seong-yun as an observer to skip the Hunter Association's procedures.

'Curious to see if there's been any change, but...'

From the start, they were worlds apart.

Han Seong-yun, with abilities that couldn't even match a snake's tail, couldn't do much.

"Still, better to be prepared just in case."

Hwang Man-ho sent a text to a Hunter Association supervisor on his smartphone.

"I plan to observe the Hunter Exam today. Please ensure the examinee I'm observing fails as quickly as possible."

Manipulating exams, a common practice among famous guilds and gym managers.

Normally, it would require a large donation to boost a promising candidate's grade.

'But it's enough to fail an unconnected aspiring Hunter.'

Hwang Man-ho had connections within the Hunter Association and planned to use them to fail Han Seong-yun.

His malice stemmed from a deep-seated annoyance.

The irritation he felt at Han Seong-yun's efforts despite having no aptitude.

Hwang Man-ho's malice could lead to direct action as long as it didn't harm him.

It was a feeling similar to jealousy but different.

A vile malice without justification, which Hwang Man-ho acknowledged but didn't care much about.

Burying a player with no abilities or connections was easy.

Hwang Man-ho smiled as he finished preparing.

The Hunter Association in Uijeongbu would be Han Seong-yun's final challenge.

***

Standing in front of the Hunter Association in Uijeongbu, I smiled bitterly.

Returning to a place I hadn't visited in about a year brought a new sense of nostalgia.

"It's been a while."

I once came to the Hunter Association with high hopes.

Of course, the outcome wasn't good, so my smile was bitter.

'I did well on the written test, but the practical was something beyond a failing grade.'

I excelled in the written test, ranking at the top, but the practical test was a different story, according to the supervisor.

This was true for subsequent exams as well.

The only difference was that they asked why I was so enthusiastic about taking the exam.

Of course, they stopped asking after I mentioned my parents had passed away.

'It took a long time to get here, didn't it?'

The emotions I tried to suppress in the Tower of Trials were slowly surfacing.

But I didn't have time to dwell on these thoughts.

"Welcome, Mr. Han Seong-yun."

A voice from behind made me turn my head slowly.

A man with a gray coat, sharp eyes, and a sports haircut.

Someone I knew.

"It's been a while, Manager Hwang Man-ho."

The person who would help me skip the Hunter Exam's procedures appeared.

Hwang Man-ho fiddled with his expensive watch and put on a fake smile.

"Ha, it hasn't been that long, has it?"

"Maybe it's because of the strange things I've been through recently."

"Strange things?"

"Yes."

Hwang Man-ho expressed doubt at the mention of strange events.

It was understandable, given his curiosity about why I was so confident in taking the Hunter Exam.

But keeping him in the dark was the best way to irritate him.

I had no intention of being kind to Hwang Man-ho after all the contempt I had endured.

I knew who I was.

I wasn't vindictive, but I wasn't magnanimous enough to absorb malice.

I couldn't bear others' malice, especially after the Tower of Trials.

Hwang Man-ho, realizing I wouldn't reveal more, returned to his usual expression.

"Well, that's not important now. You said you want to take the Hunter Exam, right?"

"Yes. If you help me with that, I won't ask for a refund."

"Hmm, fine. Whatever happened, it doesn't matter."

His tone suggested that the outcome wouldn't change regardless of what I did.

"By the way, as an observer, I can only skip the theoretical and interview parts. Is that okay?"

Using the gym's title to achieve this was fair.

"I understand."

"Then let's go. I've made the arrangements."

With that, Hwang Man-ho walked into the Hunter Association building.

"I'm Hwang Man-ho from Baekryeon Gym, here to observe Han Seong-yun's Hunter Exam."

"Understood. Please wait a moment."

It seemed the heads-up I gave on the way wasn't a lie.

A middle-aged man in a black suit with a stern expression appeared after Hwang Man-ho spoke to the desk attendant.

"Hello, I'm Kim In-ho, the supervisor for the Hunter Exam."

A face I hadn't seen before, and his neat appearance was impressive.

'Having an observer is beneficial.'

It seemed a high-ranking official, not a regular supervisor, had been assigned.

'I remember hearing something about this.'

When a famous gym manager or guild officer accompanied an examinee, a high-ranking official would be assigned.

They would ensure a fair and accurate evaluation, reducing errors.

'Of course, the supervisor isn't just there for a fair evaluation.'

That was a relief.

If the supervisor had given a low evaluation, it would have been uncomfortable.

Kim In-ho glanced at me and then turned to Hwang Man-ho.

"Are you here as a sponsor?"

I understood the implications of his question.

Usually, when a famous guild officer accompanied an examinee, it meant they were supporting the candidate.

The Hunter Association would then provide a more favorable exam.

But this didn't apply to me.

"No, I'm just here as an observer."

Hwang Man-ho's response made Kim In-ho nod and continue in a formal tone.

"Understood. Let's proceed to the exam room. Please follow me."

Following Kim In-ho, I saw the familiar Hunter Association exam room.

A large glass wall revealed a white square chamber.

The observer and supervisor would watch from here, while the examinee would fight in the chamber.

The familiar structure was unchanged.

Finally, Kim In-ho turned to me.

"Do you need an explanation of the practical exam?"

"No, I don't."

"Then please choose the difficulty level from 1 to 10."

"..."

The white chamber could simulate any monster I desired.

While limited by the magical device, it could still simulate up to a D-rank monster.

'In my previous Hunter Exams, I always chose level 1.'

But I always failed against the goblins.

Why?

'Because I was weak.'

I couldn't easily defeat the goblins and had to fight for my life, leading to disqualification.

Technically, I was disqualified just before the life-or-death fight.

Of course, they couldn't let an examinee die, so it was understandable.

If I had fought to the death, I might have defeated the goblin.

But.

'Winning like that isn't being a Hunter.'

If I had to fight for my life against a mere goblin, I couldn't be a Hunter.

A Hunter should always be in a position to hunt.

I failed the Hunter Exam seventeen times, hearing this repeatedly.

But the tutorial trial in the Tower of Trials was different.

'I just had to survive, no matter what.'

This allowed me to understand my limits.

The Tower of Trials was ruthless but fair to all challengers.

While the content was harsh, overcoming it brought sweet rewards.

Thanks to this, I defeated the Sand Golem and then the Orc.

I progressed to face even stronger monsters.

After this process, I was no longer as weak as before.

After a moment of silence, I calmly stated my decision.

"I'll choose level 10."