Chapter 3

EP.3 First Rune Hunt (2)

<Next Rune Holder> is a growth-oriented hunter story.

Naturally, the protagonist, Jino Park, is weak in the early stages.

While his speed is relatively high, his strength and magic power are pitiful.

His rune level is also significantly lower compared to other main characters.

Therefore, he was often ignored by those around him in the early stages.

However, the turning point for him was just one thing.

‘Sweat of the Seeker…’

[Sweat of the Seeker].

An epic rune that maximizes the growth of a holder.

It triples the rune level growth speed and slightly increases abilities in proportion to training time.

A rune that honestly rewards effort.

For Jino Park, a holder obsessed with training, it was a rune that suited him better than anyone else.

If Juyeon Kang is a genius in the realm of talent,

Jino Park can be seen as a genius of effort.

“Jaehyun, over here.”

In the sparring test area, Chaewon Kim was already there.

Chaewon Kim, who was smiling and waving at me.

I approached and sat down next to her.

“Did you do well on the test?”

“No. I ended up in the lower class.”

“...That’s a shame. I thought you would end up in the middle class since you’ve trained a lot.”

“It’s not a field where training alone can do it. There’s nothing I can do about it.”

While talking to Chaewon Kim, I noticed that the test area was gradually filling up with applicants.

In the center, the stern supervisor from earlier was holding a microphone.

“Applicants, I sincerely congratulate you on being accepted to the Seoul Holder Academy. Soon, the final test of the entrance examination, the practical sparring, will take place. The practical sparring will be conducted according to the temporary classes you have been assigned to, and it is an important test that affects class promotion and academy entrance scores, so please approach it with caution.”

The practical sparring is a test to determine entrance scores.

Professors and supervisors observe the sparring and evaluate based on existing abilities and practical skills.

Occasionally, class promotions are also made through this.

If practical skills far exceed measured abilities, current abilities are highly evaluated over potential, leading to promotion.

Moreover, it is an important test with various honors and benefits such as top and second positions and academic scholarships.

“But why do we have to do sparring? We could just catch a monster.”

Chaewon Kim asked quietly from the side.

...Am I pretending to know too much in front of her?

She seems to ask me whenever she doesn’t know something.

I sighed slightly and answered.

“In the past, the test was done with monsters.”

“Eh? Really?”

“Yeah. But it was too dangerous to handle in the entrance examination, and if the monsters were too weak, there would be no distinction in the upper class, so it was eventually abolished. Besides, professors can roughly gauge the level just by observing the movements during sparring.”

The goal and main task of holders, monsters.

With various grades, they are ambiguous as test subjects.

Monsters that appear in the city are immediately eliminated, and the process of going to a dungeon is complicated.

Bringing monsters artificially for the entrance examination is even more complex.

It is also inefficient in terms of cost, and such monsters are generally too low in level to distinguish the upper class.

For these reasons, the 'monster test' was briefly implemented and quickly abolished.

“First, we will conduct the practical sparring test for the temporary upper class. Holder Juyeon Kang.”

“Yes.”

Juyeon Kang answered briefly and stepped forward.

Her black hair tinged with red.

And the fiery aura surrounding her.

Even from a distance, I could instantly recognize her.

The owner of [Unextinguishable Flame].

A rune holder with genius talent, Juyeon Kang.

‘Wow, it’s really Juyeon Kang…’

I marveled several times in my head.

A character I had only seen in text.

A heroine I could only imagine through illustrations.

Juyeon Kang was really in the same space as me.

When she broke down the injustices among academy students.

When she caught a suddenly appearing monster with overwhelming skill.

When she went on a dungeon expedition with the protagonist Jino Park.

I vividly imagined those scenes in my head and had watched every moment.

Juyeon Kang is right in front of me, within sight.

The test area is so large that I can’t see clearly, but Jino Park must be nearby.

As a reader who was most enthusiastic about <Next Rune Holder>, I couldn’t easily hide my sense of wonder and excitement.

“Please designate the opponent for the sparring. If there is no designated opponent, one will be randomly selected.”

The practical sparring in the entrance examination is conducted in a designation format.

The names and measured abilities of each class are not confidential.

Therefore, you can carefully observe the applicants and designate an opponent.

Choosing a weak applicant doesn’t always guarantee good results.

While there are bonus points for victory, the process is more important.

If you overwhelmingly defeat an applicant with a significant difference in level, you might receive a lower score from the professors.

Finding an applicant with a similar level, sparring with them, and showing your maximum potential to achieve the best results.

That is what this practical sparring requires.

“None.”

But Juyeon Kang answered firmly.

It doesn’t matter who the opponent is.

What can I say...

It’s a very Juyeon Kang-like answer.

And with that simple statement, the other applicants became even more enthusiastic.

“Of course, it’s Juyeon Kang.”

“This is it, right? The feeling that there’s no match in the upper class...”

“Why would she be the top prospect for nothing? The professors must be watching only Juyeon Kang...”

“The top position will definitely be Juyeon Kang.”

“Really envious... Is it genetic? Her dad is S-grade.”

Juyeon Kang was already a celebrity before entering the academy.

One of the five S-grade holders known in Korea.

The only daughter of Uhyun Kang and the owner of an epic rune.

Her trademark rune, [Unextinguishable Flame], has already been featured in several news articles and is considered the most talented rune among holders.

A holder considered a likely successor to the giant clan, <Fire's Judgment>, led by Uhyun Kang.

That is Juyeon Kang.

“Then we will start the sparring with random matching. The opponent for Holder Juyeon Kang is Holder Jin-a Seo.”

“Ah...”

A woman in the corner reacted to the supervisor’s call.

She seemed to be a holder of a [Spear] type rune, judging by the long spear she carried.

‘Poor thing.’

Starting with a practical sparring against Juyeon Kang.

I felt sorry for her misfortune.

She also sighed when her name was called.

She must have predicted her own miserable defeat...

The first practical sparring of the entrance examination began with the supervisor’s signal.

Clang-

Whoosh-

“The sparring is over. Holder Juyeon Kang wins.”

And there was nothing much to see.

The sparring ended in Juyeon Kang’s victory in less than three minutes.

I had expected it to some extent, but the overwhelming difference was hard to believe even for the same upper class.

“No way... It ended so quickly?”

“Is she really a holder like us?”

“How did she dodge the first attack? She’s a mage, but her speed is that high...?”

The surroundings became noisy with the first sparring of a celebrity.

I, too, watched the scene with a dazed face.

It ended so quickly that my thought process momentarily stopped.

‘Was it a magic shield?’

Originally, when mages and warriors face off, the former is at a disadvantage.

They allow attacks before they can use magic.

But Juyeon Kang easily overcame this disadvantage.

She dodged the first thrust from Jin-a Seo and blocked the immediate follow-up slash with a skill.

A semi-transparent shield composed of red magic power.

It was clearly a [Magic Shield], one of the representative defensive skills of mages.

‘Really, it’s an unbelievable talent...’

[Magic Shield] is a skill derived from the [Magic Control] rune.

To derive a skill from a rune, you need to raise the rune to a considerable level.

In other words, Juyeon Kang not only possesses the [Magic Control] rune but also has a high level in that rune.

Truly, an overwhelming talent.

I could understand why the surroundings became so noisy with just one of her sparrings.

“The next practical sparring.”

After Juyeon Kang’s sparring, which was like a breeze.

The sparrings of the upper class continued one after another.

At first, I watched with interest, but as I continued, there weren’t many eye-catching talents.

At best, it was the main characters of the story, like Taejun Lee or Gaeun Moon?

Even they were still in an incomplete stage.

Many holders hide their true strength in the early stages, and if there’s a slight difference in skill, they often give up quickly, making it lack excitement.

“Jaehyun, I’ll be back!”

Chaewon Kim, who stood up with a bright voice.

The practical sparring for the middle class had already progressed.

Chaewon Kim won the sparring easily.

Her opponent was a holder of a [Water] type rune.

A perfect match for Chaewon Kim, who uses [Freezing].

It was a somewhat anticlimactic match, but it seemed that winning was all that mattered to her.

She approached me with a happy face, making a V sign, looking like a puppy seeking praise.

“The practical sparring for the middle class is over. We will now proceed with the practical sparring for the lower class. Holder Jaehyun Joo.”

“Yes!”

Finally, it was my turn.

After the upper and middle classes, it was the lower class’s turn for practical sparring.

The opportunity to designate an opponent is random.

I wasn’t the first name, and I didn’t have high abilities in the lower class, but I was chosen first.

It was a pleasant surprise for me, who had already decided on an opponent.

“Please designate the opponent for the sparring. If there is no designated opponent, one will be randomly selected.”

“I will...”

I looked around at the supervisor’s words.

The lower class holders were sitting in their own groups.

And...

In a corner, leaning a sword against the wall.

A man doing image training alone.

The protagonist of <Next Rune Holder>.

Jino Park.

“I will designate Holder Jino Park.”

And the rune I need the most right now.

The owner of [Sweat of the Seeker].

My first target for the rune hunt.