Chapter 9

Chapter 9

“This is ridiculous! Why am I E-rank? The teacher said I’d be at least D-rank!”

“There’s no point arguing here. If you really want a re-evaluation, make another appointment and come back.”

“The machine must be faulty! That can’t be right!”

“If you keep interrupting, I’ll have to call someone.”

“No! You messed up, so why are you blaming me….”

“Hey!”

Two burly men approached at the call from the woman behind the counter.

They instantly subdued the man who had been bellowing at the top of his lungs and dragged him away.

“Let go of me! Won’t you let go?”

As the man struggled, the men, looking annoyed, slipped their arms under his armpits and lifted him up in one swift motion.

The sight of him dangling with both arms raised was pathetic.

“Right. E-class.”

The woman watched the man being dragged away and murmured quietly to herself.

After all, the men were Awakened ones equivalent to D-rank Hunters. If the man had truly been rated D-rank or higher, he wouldn’t have been dragged away so easily.

Ding-dong-.

“Number 39, please.”

As the number changed on the queue display next to the woman’s seat, a man stood up.

“How did you get here?”

“I’d like to request a re-evaluation.”

“Ah, just a moment.”

The woman pulled several sheets of paper from under the table and handed them over.

It was nearly ten sheets: physical examination forms, consent forms, re-examination confirmation forms, and so on.

“Could I see your license?”

The man handed over the worn hunter’s license he was holding.

It had turned yellowish from lack of renewal.

“Mr. Lee Do-jae? Your resident registration number is confirmed. You’re… Class F?”

The man’s identity was Lee Do-jae.

The woman glanced at Dojae.

Because F-class hunters never came in for re-examination.

Moreover, the issuance date on the license showed it was quite old.

“Is there a problem?”

“No. It’s been confirmed. Please proceed to the examination room and wait there.”

“Yes, thank you.”

The woman watched Dojae head toward the lab with a look of pity.

“Ugh.”

This is the Seoul Regional Hunter Bureau.

It’s where Awakened individuals come to undergo mana scans before taking the Hunter exam.

The mana scan is conducted using a special device called a mana scanner, which evaluates various aspects like mana reserves, activity levels, and distribution.

And since the invention of this mana scanner, the hunter system became more clearly divided, giving rise to E and F grades.

Moreover, since the evaluation is performed by equipment rather than humans, it boasts an accuracy rate approaching 100%.

Of course, since mana isn’t a perfect indicator of a hunter’s ability, they undergo a further verification process through the Hunter Exam later on.

“What a waste of money.”

Cases like the man dragged away earlier, who couldn’t accept his grade and requested a re-evaluation, are not uncommon.

But a re-examination for someone who’s already a Hunter?

In the hunter world, where grade fluctuations are rare, the probability of a grade changing through re-examination is incredibly slim.

But improbable doesn’t mean impossible.

The woman jumped up and stared toward the examination room.

“Nah, that can’t be right…”

The woman sat back down and pressed the button.

And then.

Ding-dong-.

“Patient number 40.”

***

Arriving at the examination room, Dojae sat down among the waiting people.

There were quite a few people waiting, so it seemed like he’d have to wait a while.

‘I should get at least a C-rank, right?’

Since the last Black Wolf raid, he’d only managed to run the dungeon once more in the past week.

No matter how much he reached out, no raid group would take him on an F-rank dungeon. Realizing this couldn’t go on, he decided he needed to get his rank reevaluated.

‘That guy earlier… reminds me of the old days.’

Dojae was an early adopter of the mana scanner.

The grade determination came back in under a minute after scanning finished.

And the feeling when he saw the letter F on the paper handed to him?

‘It felt like getting the final nail in the coffin.’

He knew better than anyone he wasn’t strong, but the misery of having that fact officially confirmed came flooding back.

The days he struggled desperately to survive as an F-grade.

The days I endured every kind of humiliation.

‘Come to think of it, I really was a burden.’

But now it’s different.

Things will change even more from here on out.

Lost in those fleeting memories of the past, Dojae’s turn for scanning arrived.

“Come in.”

The mana scanner is a square room measuring 3 meters wide, 3 meters deep, and 3 meters high.

Inside, the walls were covered in geometric patterns, and magic stones were embedded throughout.

– Scanning commencing.

The voice came from speakers mounted inside the room.

Wheeeee-.

As the scan began, mana flowed through the patterns, creating a faint hum.

To describe the sensation of being scanned.

It’s like being tickled all over by a fan’s breeze from every direction.

Not a strong wind, but a cool breeze brushing past your head, body, and feet.

And the person monitoring the process in real time felt puzzled.

‘Huh?’

Lee Seung-gyu, the technician operating the scanner from outside, blinked at the mana structure diagram of Dojae displayed on the screen.

– Sir. What did you bring in with you?

Lee Seung-gyu asked Dojae through the microphone in an irritated tone.

Occasionally, people would enter the scanning area carrying items despite prior warnings.

They were trying to cheat their way into a higher grade through the items, but since every single one was caught, it had never been a major problem.

– Sir, if the scanner breaks because of an item, will you take responsibility?

Lee Seung-gyu lied.

As a reading device, it wouldn’t break down over something as trivial as an item.

Even S-rank hunters can be scanned; how could it break just because someone’s wearing an item?

“What do you mean? There are no items here.”

Do Jae asked in a puzzled voice.

Dojae knew full well that this wasn’t his first time undergoing a mana scan, and that the rumor about receiving a once-popular buff-type skill before entering being advantageous in the judgment was also just a baseless rumor.

Under those circumstances, there was no way he’d bring an item in.

Then, suddenly, Dojae’s gaze shifted to his chest.

It was something he’d forgotten because it had become so natural.

But his thoughts of mentioning magic power were cut short.

The speaker announced completion.

– Yes, yes. I’m telling you this because you can understand everything. It’s done, so come out.

A printout emerged from the printer sitting on Lee Seung-gyu’s desk.

He picked up one of them.

It was a drawing of a human body with various numbers written over it.

‘You still don’t think this is an item after seeing this?’

A number was written in unusually bold letters on the drawing.

Right where the heart would be.

A perfect spot to hide in a pocket.

‘If it’s an F-grade, you’d just live an ordinary life. Why get re-evaluated? At best, it’d be an E-grade.’

Lee Seung-gyu pondered for a moment, then wrote a single character on the first page of the printout.

‘I showed mercy.’

He wrote ‘E’ in the grade section of the supervisor’s report and wore a satisfied look.

***

Seoul Regional Hunter Bureau Smoking Area.

“Hey, did you hear a new barbecue place just opened up around here?”

“Really?”

The older-looking of the two men said, jutting his chin out.

The other man followed his gaze.

“What do you say? Pork belly and soju after we’re done?”

“Huh? What about your wife?”

“That’s exactly why I’m saying it, you idiot.”

He said that and smiled slyly.

The thought of getting properly drunk for the first time in ages—how could that not make him happy?

“What’s up? Your wife’s not home?”

“She took the kid camping or something. Two nights, three days.”

“Wow. You’re gonna have the place to yourself this weekend, bro.”

“That’s why she’s going.”

“I’m definitely in.”

The two men started bantering.

Where to go for the second round.

How much to drink.

Vroom-!

Just then, a foreign sports car entered the parking lot, its deep engine roar echoing.

A clean turn, a smooth reverse, and it parked in one go.

Amidst the sea of black, white, and gray domestic cars, its intense red stands out strikingly.

“Who could it be?”

“Yeah, who could afford such an expensive luxury car?”

A moment later.

Someone steps out of the car.

Clickety-clack.

Black high heels, neatly dressed in a suit.

She carefully folded her sunglasses and tucked them into her handbag.

“Wow, she’s so damn pretty.”

“Oh, come on, bro. Think about the kid, the kid!”

“What’s wrong with saying she’s pretty?”

“Well… she is pretty.”

The woman walked straight into the building.

Since she had a prearranged appointment, she headed straight for the second floor.

Knock knock.

“Yes, come in.”

The door she knocked on was the Seoul Regional Hunter Bureau Chief’s office.

The chief welcomed her warmly.

“Deputy Director Jung Eun-hee, come in.”

That’s right.

She was Jung Eun-hee from the Association’s External Support Team.

“Hello.”

“Long time no see. How have you been?”

“Yes.”

While the chief greeted her warmly, Eun-hee’s tone remained cold.

“Did you bring the documents?”

“Yes. Here.”

Eun-hee handed over a brown document envelope.

They weren’t important documents.

It was an approval form from the Hunter Association to obtain authorization from the Hunter Bureau.

“Just a moment.”

Thud.

The seal reading ‘Chief of the Seoul Regional Hunter Bureau’ is stamped.

“Thank you. I’ll be on my way then.”

“Ah, wait a moment.”

The chief stops Eun-hee as she tries to rise from her seat.

After a brief pause, he approaches Eun-hee and says,

“Is the Chairman doing well?”

At the chief’s words, Eun-hee’s expression rapidly darkens.

As expected, there was no reason for someone like her, merely a deputy, to meet face-to-face with the chief just to get a signature on a single approval form.

Unless there was another intention behind it.

“Thanks to you, he’s doing well. Did you call me to ask about that?”

“No, not for that. I called you because I need to stamp the approval form. Wait a moment.”

The chief returned to his desk.

Then he pulled out a small rectangular box from under his desk.

“This is a nice one. Take it.”

“Why are you giving this to me?”

The box contained wine.

A premium bottle worth 2 to 3 million won.

Eun-hee was flabbergasted but accepted it without showing it.

“I’ll make sure to give it to Grandpa properly.”

“No, no. This is a gift for Manager Jung. I heard he likes wine.”

“Ah, well then, I’ll enjoy it. Can I go now?”

“Yes, go ahead. I’ve kept you too long—I’m a busy man.”

Squeak-.

Eun-hee exited the chief’s office.

She entered the women’s restroom at the end of the hallway and promptly tossed the wine box into the trash can.

“Ugh.”

It was unpleasant.

It wasn’t unexpected.

However, I thought expressing it so bluntly was beneath him.

How could a public official, a commissioner no less, act like that?

Eun-hee descended the stairs with a sulky expression.

And by chance.

she bumped into Dojae.

“Oh? Dojae!”

But Dojae.

looked even worse than Eun-hee.