Chapter 07 - The Test (4)

‘Cute little things!’

Hwang Tae-hoon grinned.

It was always fun when dealing with growing sprouts.

It was because he felt as if he had become younger along with them.

As his tension rose like that, Hwang Tae-hoon often tended to use excessive force on occasion.

That's why the nickname he got among the aspirants was the Grim Reaper.

It didn't matter.

He thought there had to be at least one eccentric person like himself.

Tadadadadak!

The encirclement created by the 9 challengers closed in fiercely.

What Hwang Tae-hoon had promised the challengers was a 10-second yield. Until this time was up, the stormy attack of the 9-person alliance would continue.

Shushushuk!

Nine sword blades flashed a cold blue light as they thrust forward.

But it was just laughable.

‘I’ll show you the difference in class.’

Hwang Tae-hoon planned to stomp on the 9 sprouts.

Stomping on them here was by no means a metaphorical expression.

The plan was to jump into the air, step on the crowns of the challengers’ heads one by one, nine times, and then break out of the encirclement.

Even to Hwang Tae-hoon himself, it seemed like a cool picture.

Whoosh!

With that in mind, he kicked off the ground and leaped into the sky.

His body was as light as a feather.

Such lightning-fast movement was a realm that the challengers couldn't even dream of.

A laugh naturally escaped him as he imagined the nine cuties' jaws dropping after the sprout-stomping was over.

Yes, this was the fun of this job, he thought.

‘Huh?’

Whoosh!

A dot appeared before his eyes.

The identity of the dot was the tip of a sword flying towards his forehead.

Although it did not contain great magical power, someone had predicted his movement in advance and thrown a sword.

He couldn't believe it.

How could a mere challenger dare to foresee his movements?

‘Could it be Han Ye-ji?’

If there was a challenger among them who could, it would be her.

But that wasn't it either.

Han Ye-ji had just spotted him flying into the air and was making a shocked face.

Then who in the world.

But right now, finding the source of the thrown sword was not important.

The priority was to parry the sword first.

Chaaeng!

The moment the swords clashed, Hwang Tae-hoon couldn't help but be surprised once more.

The flying sword contained only extremely faint mana, but the way the mana was contained was by no means at a level an aspirant could achieve.

The mana gathered at the tip of the sword was concentrated in one spot without spreading to the entire sword.

Without even the slightest disarray while the sword was flying.

This kind of mana control was something that even Hwang Tae-hoon himself could not do.

‘Who in the world!’

The very edge of the right side of the Five Elements Formation.

There was a guy there.

Looking this way indifferently after throwing the sword.

Hwang Tae-hoon momentarily doubted his eyes.

Because that gaze gave the feeling that it was dominating this space.

‘It must be a coincidence.’

It didn't make sense.

In the first place, if he were at that level, there was no way he would remain an aspirant.

Hwang Tae-hoon thought so, and soon regained his composure and landed on the ground.

The promised 10 seconds had still not passed.

The planned sprout-stomping was now out of the question.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Hwang Tae-hoon moved quickly to the side as if sliding, blocking the challengers’ attacks one by one and beginning to break out of the encirclement.

***

In my opinion, Hwang Tae-hoon was at a pretty decent level even by the standards of the Kalia Continent.

He was still far from the realm of an Expert, but he could easily serve as a Decurion of the Imperial Royal Knights.

Depending on his future development, even a Centurion.

This much alone was considerable.

Not all swordsmen could become Experts and Sword Masters.

A talent that appeared once in ten was enough to raise a family.

Well, a talent like mine, which appears once in hundreds of millions, changes the history of the world, and

“10 seconds are up! Now, brace yourselves!”

I also liked the aura he was emitting.

Among those who trained with the sword, there were those who had killing intent or hostility engraved within them, but I couldn't feel any of that from Hwang Tae-hoon.

Although he seemed a bit mischievous, his sword felt pure, unfitting for his age.

That's why his intentions were so easy to see through.

Though he pretended to be calm on the outside, he was quite flustered by my earlier attack.

He regained his composure right away, but I could still feel his gaze being slightly conscious of me.

Kwakakang!

Hwang Tae-hoon’s attack came shooting.

After the 10 seconds passed, his movements certainly became more aggressive.

“Maintain the formation!!”

Han Ye-ji shouted urgently.

But it didn't seem like Hwang Tae-hoon would go so far as to break the challengers' formation.

Although our side had the numbers, we were clearly inferior in terms of power. Hwang Tae-hoon was defending against our joint attack with ease, giving the impression that he was testing the challengers one by one.

If so, I, at the very end of the formation, would be the last in order.

I planned to make my move right then.

‘The remaining mana is….’

A considerable amount had already been consumed, so I didn't have much left.

This damn body had atrocious mana efficiency.

Every time I matched my steps with the person next to me to unfold the Five Elements Formation, my already speck-like mana was being drained away.

What a shame.

If I had just two more weeks, I would have had a bit more leeway than now.

“Did you all come without eating!!”

Hwang Tae-hoon was still overflowing with leisure even while facing the nine of us.

He would push us as if he could crush us all at any moment, but at the decisive moment, he would ease his strength and step back.

The difference in class was clear.

Although Han Ye-ji's power at the front stood out, comparing her to an active Hunter was an insult.

“Alright, shall we push a little harder then?”

Judging by Hwang Tae-hoon’s movements, he would soon be in close proximity to me.

I focused, raising all my senses to their peak.

‘One chance.’

When I was Johan Raven, I could see all things as if the world’s time was slowing down, so I could find the perfect timing.

But with this body now, no matter how much I concentrated, that was impossible; I had to find a compromise at a reasonable level.

First, what I had to utilize the most was the joint attack with the challenger to my left.

In a joint attack, it was possible for one plus one to produce a result much higher than two.

If I predicted the path of the person next to me's sword and then created my own sword path that could generate the optimal synergy to strike a gap, I could surely surprise Hwang Tae-hoon.

This method was one of the 4,885 special skills I possessed.

Shwiiik!

Finally, Hwang Tae-hoon approached to the closest distance.

A distance where I could reach him by extending my sword once.

He grinned at me.

It meant he was indeed conscious of my earlier attack.

It made sense.

Until now, Hwang Tae-hoon hadn't allowed a single effective hit, and the time I threw the sword was the only moment that had threatened him.

“You! I have high expectations.”

Hwang Tae-hoon suddenly spoke.

Given my circumstances, even this light acknowledgment felt like an honor.

And it was only polite to willingly meet such expectations.

The challenger to my left first extended his sword and thrust.

Shuuuuu!

Predicting where the tip of his sword was headed, it was around Hwang Tae-hoon's shoulder.

Next, what I had to calculate was Hwang Tae-hoon’s path in response to this.

Of course, a completely flawless prediction and calculation were impossible, but this kind of approach significantly increased the probability of my attack.

My numerous battlefield experiences and my genius made all these calculations possible in an instant.

After deciding on the optimal attack route, I immediately infused mana into my sword.

The mana gathered at the tip of the sword created a single star and began to resonate.

This was the last real opportunity I could aim for.

I swung my sword without hesitation.

Ssssk!

I heard it.

The sound of cloth being cut.

The place I aimed for was two finger-widths above Hwang Tae-hoon's right knee.

It was very faint, but the tip of my extended sword had touched his skin.

It probably created a single red line.

The look of shock in Hwang Tae-hoon’s eyes in that instant proved it. And.

Kwaaaaang!

Immediately allowing his counterattack, I was thrown against the wall and collapsed.

Still, perhaps because Hwang Tae-hoon had held back, I was able to keep ahold of my consciousness.

At the last moment, I had also gathered up all my remaining mana to defend.

Though I had collapsed so miserably and was stretched out on the floor, I had accomplished everything I had planned.

It was, without a doubt, a pass.

***

“Please have a seat. I am Director Yeom Jae-han, in charge of this test.”

“I am Seo Ji-han.”

After all the 3rd stage tests were finished, I was summoned to the highest floor of the building.

The person waiting for me there was Director Yeom Jae-han, who had just introduced himself.

It was an unscheduled private meeting.

“Congratulations, Mr. Seo Ji-han.”

“It seems I’ve passed.”

It was as I had expected, so I wasn't surprised, but I gave a polite smile.

“It’s not just a simple pass.”

“If it’s not a simple pass….”

“After receiving the 3rd stage evaluation sheet, I had no choice but to summon you, Mr. Seo Ji-han. It was the moment the first record was set since this test was implemented.”

Yeom Jae-han paused for a moment before continuing.

“It’s a perfect score.”

“I see.”

“You don’t seem very surprised?”

The 1st stage was 15 points and the 2nd was 35 points, so the 3rd stage was 50 points.

There was no reason for me, the only being who had fought a real sword fight with a dragon, to be surprised by such a numbers game.

“No, I am surprised.”

“Your tone doesn’t sound like it at all.”

“It’s because I don’t have high emotional fluctuations.”

“Haha. Is that so?”

“But may I ask why you have personally summoned me….”

As far as I knew, there was no such thing as an awards ceremony.

My background would be listed on the application form, so he wouldn't push me into the guilds' recruitment war.

“It turns out you are a child of the Haewon Sword Family.”

“You’ve looked into it.”

“Yes. Because the performance Mr. Seo Ji-han showed during the 2nd stage was extraordinary.”

“Back then, I was just lucky.”

“Such humble words.”

It wasn't humility, but the truth.

Although it wasn't possible with pure luck alone.

“Then I’ll get to the point. If Mr. Seo Ji-han agrees, we, the organizers, plan to release a news article right away.”

“The fact that I got a perfect score on the qualification test?”

“That’s right. It’s a very interesting story. The youngest son of the Haewon Sword Family, whose existence was unknown until now, turns out to be a hidden dragon! And that hidden dragon, for the first time in history, achieves a perfect score in the Hunter qualification test and finally reveals himself to the world! Isn't it wonderful?”

“……”

“Perhaps, Mr. Seo Ji-han will be the hottest figure in this field for a while.”

“But is there a reason for the organizers to go out of their way like this?”

“Well, isn't it good for both sides? Sometimes we receive favors, and sometimes we repay them.”

In the end, it meant he wanted to get on my family's good side.

Saying that we should recognize his credit for proceeding with this unsolicited work so smoothly.

“I refuse.”

“……What?”

Yeom Jae-han made a troubled face, as if he hadn't expected this reaction from me.

“I’ll say it again. I refuse. I can't help it if rumors spread, but.”

“But why! Is there a reason to do so? Today's event should be a joyous occasion that the Haewon Sword Family would want to publicize widely.”

It was because I judged that it was still too early to reveal myself to the world.

Although my test score was perfect, I was still a weak being.

It wasn't that I was hiding my power; I didn't even have any power to hide.

And above all, a reputation that was just an empty shell with no substance was rather a poison.

This principle probably wasn't much different on Earth.

“If you must ask for a reason, I will answer that it is a family matter.”

It was a good excuse.

Just as Yeom Jae-han had said, I was someone who, despite inheriting the bloodline of the Haewon Sword Family, was unknown to the world.

“Hmm. So there are internal circumstances that outsiders cannot know. In that case, I understand. I may not be able to block all the rumors that spread, but I will try my best to keep things under wraps.”

If he was willing to go that far, I had no reason to refuse.

“I would appreciate it if you did.”

Now, all I wanted was to go home and get some rest.

I had already exhausted all my strength in the 3rd stage test.

Just as I was about to find an angle to leave, the voice of a secretary was heard from outside the door.

“Director. Hunter Hwang Tae-hoon has arrived.”

And a familiar voice followed.

“Brother Jae-han, I’m coming in! That guy is here, right?”

A sinister premonition washed over me.

Because it seemed that the guy Hwang Tae-hoon was talking about was probably me.