Ch.14The Truth of the Saint

Wednesday, early morning.

Aila stood in front of a building.

This was the place she had found by getting directions from Kang Seona and walking slowly while sightseeing around the city.

“This must be it, right?”

It was a large rectangular building with a dome on top.

When she opened the door and entered, the place was bustling with many people despite the early hour.

Aila looked around curiously, observing the people seated in chairs.

Someone with a sword at their waist, a giant with a greatsword on their back, even a woman carrying a staff taller than herself.

Aila felt an intense sense of déjà vu.

‘This is no different from an Adventurer’s Guild.’

Except for the cleanliness of the building, it was no different from the Adventurer’s Guild she knew.

The atmosphere, the appearance of the people…

It seemed Aila’s assumption that hunters were similar to adventurers wasn’t wrong.

The corners of Aila’s mouth turned up involuntarily.

Ah, this wasn’t the time for that.

Aila stood up and walked toward the machine that dispensed numbered tickets.

So far, everything was exactly as Kang Seona had told her.

She said to go in, take a number, wait until your number is called, then walk up and say you’re here for a hunter rank assessment…

After taking her number, Aila returned to her seat and waited quietly.

Even while waiting, she didn’t forget to look around.

Looking here and there.

She kept turning her head to examine her surroundings.

To others, she might have looked like a child fascinated by a new place.

While it was true that she was intrigued by the new location, that wasn’t the only reason Aila was looking around.

Aila had expectations.

If hunters were similar to adventurers, wouldn’t the things that typically happened in an Adventurer’s Guild also happen here?

The Hero had told her.

There was something called a “standard development” when entering an Adventurer’s Guild.

Something about newcomers receiving contemptuous glances from others…

‘Back then, the Hero was disappointed because he knew no one would pick a fight with me due to the holy sword at my waist and the fact that I was a Saint…’

She couldn’t help but smile.

She remembered the Hero’s gloomy face saying, “Well, novels are just novels after all…”

“Ah.”

Aila composed her expression again and scanned the people around her.

Any one of them might pick a fight with her.

After some time had passed…

“Number 17? Is number 17 here~?”

“Ah, yes!”

Realizing her number had been called, Aila immediately rushed to the receptionist.

“How may I help you?”

“Um, I came for a… Hunter rank assessment?”

“Are you here for new registration or a promotion application?”

“New regist—no, promotion application!”

“…Promotion application, is that correct?”

“Yes.”

Phew.

Aila breathed a sigh of relief.

That was a close call.

It was supposed to be a promotion application, not a new registration, right?

The receptionist spoke with a warm smile.

“Registration complete. Please wait a moment, and one of our receptionists will guide you~.”

“Ah… yes, thank you.”

Aila felt something odd.

The receptionist’s tone had changed from businesslike and stiff to soft and warm, as if speaking to a child.

‘Did I do something wrong?’

As Aila walked back to her seat, she checked her clothes and looked around, trying to find what might be strange about herself.

She was unaware that the receptionist behind her was watching with a fond smile.

***

As expected, there was no hazing from others as Aila had hoped for, and she was led into a room when her name was called.

Inside, a man wearing the same uniform as the receptionist was seated.

The man spoke:

“You’re here for a promotion assessment? Could I see your Hunter registration card?”

“Um… I don’t have a registration card yet. Would an ID be acceptable? The boss said it would be fine…”

“Ah, that’s possible. Could I see your ID then?”

Hearing this, Aila handed over her freshly made resident registration card from her pocket, the ink barely dry.

The receptionist took the ID and typed something.

“…Miss Aila, C-rank Hunter…. Yes, registration complete.”

Registration complete.

Aila felt her heart race again.

Well, not everything had to happen exactly as expected.

The “standard development” the Hero had mentioned for Adventurer’s Guilds wasn’t just that one thing.

A crystal ball that explodes when measuring magical power…

People murmuring in amazement around it…!

She remembered the Hero explaining with a bright face.

Of course, since he was the Hero, he was immediately given the highest rank, so it didn’t matter much…

“Now then…”

The man bent down and started looking for something.

From the rustling sound, it seemed he was opening a drawer to find something.

A crystal ball? Is it a crystal ball?

Aila’s heart pounded fiercely.

“Could you place your palm here?”

“…A plate?”

Not a crystal ball after all.

What the man offered was a white plate connected to a computer with black lines.

“Do I just put my palm on this?”

“Yes.”

Aila carefully placed her right hand on the plate.

The plate, which she expected to be cold, was surprisingly warm.

She could feel a faint flow of magical power.

“It will sting a little.”

“What? Ow!”

A tingling sensation shot up her spine.

Aila instinctively pulled her hand away.

She examined her hand for injuries, but it was fine.

“…Yes, the results are in. No change in rank. You’re C-rank.”

“I see…”

“You can leave now.”

“…Pardon?”

Leave?

That’s it? Just placing my palm on this plate?

Aila was bewildered.

How could her rank be determined by simply touching this plate?

“Um, shouldn’t I demonstrate my skills against a training dummy or something…?”

“For skill training, exit and turn right, go straight ahead and you’ll find an open space.”

“Or maybe duel with another hu—I mean, hunter to show my abilities…?”

“If you want a duel, please apply at the reception desk you saw earlier.”

“…Is this really it? Nothing else?”

“Come back after more training.”

“No, this seems wrong somehow…”

Is the assessment method different here?

Then what about the “standard development” the Hero mentioned?

Weren’t novels supposed to have some basis in reality?

Aila tilted her head in confusion as she walked out.

“Ah, please give me my Hunter registration card!”

She went back in.

Almost forgot that.

Well, C-rank wasn’t so bad.

She could improve with hard work.

Aila received her Hunter registration card and headed back to the company with a smile.

***

“Shit…”

Kang Seona was burning up inside after hearing Aila’s story.

Shit, was it false advertising?

No, if the reports were accurate, these numbers were impossible.

Seona sighed.

Someone who defeated a Kraken and a Daidai only has C-rank magical power?

It made no sense.

“Hey, did you do it properly?”

“I asked several times just to be sure, and they said everything was normal.”

“This is bullshit.”

It had to be one of two things.

Either the machine was broken, or the paperwork was wrong.

Logically, the former was more likely than the latter.

“Hey, wait a minute.”

Seona got up from the sofa and went somewhere.

When she returned, she was holding a transparent orb.

“Hey, put your hand on this.”

“A, a crystal ball…”

Aila placed her hand on the crystal ball as if entranced.

Seona stared intently at the center of the crystal ball.

B-rank artifact [Rainbow Crystal Ball].

As the name suggests, it emits seven colors of light depending on the magical power of the person touching it.

‘Please, please be purple…’

Seona prayed with her hands clasped.

Hunter ranks are determined by magical power.

Human science had succeeded in breaking down the mystery of dungeons and turning it into technology.

Devices that create dungeons, technology that forecasts dungeon occurrences, devices that suppress dungeon formation.

Dungeons were no longer an unknown entity.

As dungeons became integrated into daily life and began to be systematically classified, the need to classify hunters’ strength also emerged.

But how could one classify a hunter’s strength?

Destructive power? Survival ability? Speed?

Strength was too abstract a concept.

Hunters who use swords, spears, guns, magic, or fight bare-handed.

Who could definitively say which was strongest?

The answer from the higher-ups was to rank hunters based on the amount of magical power they possessed.

It wasn’t perfect, but it was the most reasonable method.

With more magical power, one could cast more powerful spells faster and fire more of them.

With more magical power, one could maintain physical enhancement longer and stronger.

For this reason, ranking hunters didn’t require various devices or systems.

Just measuring magical power was enough.

Of course, there were ways to get promoted by submitting various achievements or records…

But Aila, who had just arrived the day before yesterday, couldn’t possibly have such records.

“Oh, ohh!!”

A white light formed in the center of the transparent crystal ball.

Seona prayed.

And the color that appeared on Seona’s retina was…

“…What is this? Salmon?”

It was a vivid orange, like the salmon she had eaten yesterday.

Orange.

C-rank… barely?

Seona fainted.

***

“Um, Seona?”

“I know, I know, shit… But you could at least pretend to be a little sad…”

Quickly regaining consciousness, Seona handed Aila a piece of paper.

“It feels wrong to go back on my word… Here, it’s the contract. Sign it.”

“Just a moment, I’ll read it before deciding.”

“Everything we agreed on is written there… I’ll find the person you mentioned. In return, you’ll work at my company during that time. I’ll provide food and lodging, but the cost will be deducted from your salary…”

It was exactly as Seona said.

The contract contained what she had just described.

“…Would it be okay to add one more condition?”

“…What is it?”

‘Do you have any conscience?’

The words almost escaped her throat, but Seona barely held back.

“When we find that person, can I leave this company?”

“…And why is that?”

Seona was about to curse but stopped.

It was because of Aila’s expression.

A familiar, and therefore unpleasant, expression.

The look of someone who had let go of something.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you that.”

“…That’s fine. But I have a condition too.”

“What is it?”

“If you cause our company any losses… simply put, if you incur debt, you can’t leave until that debt is paid. Understood?”

“…Hmm, I understand.”

Aila nodded with a bitter smile.

Seona nodded as well.

“Then we’re good. Now, you can sign here.”

“Do you have a pen?”

“Oh, you have a signature? Just a moment…”

Seona took out a quill pen from her pocket.

Aila took the pen and signed the contract.

“Is that all?”

Seona took the paper Aila had signed.

“Yes. Welcome, Aila. To our Rainbow Entertainment.”

Seona extended her hand toward Aila.

Aila took it.

‘Well, I’ll find a way to make use of a C-rank… Tsk. I wasn’t planning to use this artifact.’

Seona looked at the quill pen she had given to Aila, now lying on the table.

A-rank artifact [Demerios’s Writing Instrument].

A set consisting of paper and a quill pen, with the ability to duplicate whatever is written with the quill onto another piece of paper with identical handwriting.

In other words, though Aila didn’t know it, she had just signed two contracts at once.

One was the normal contract Aila had just signed.

The other was a slave contract that Seona had diligently prepared, hidden in her bosom.

Originally, she hadn’t planned to use it, but when Aila proudly declared herself a C-rank that morning, Seona had prepared it just in case.

Aila might be angry if she knew, but what could she do?

Her signature was already on it.

“So, what kind of work will I be doing?”

“Ah, first…”

Suddenly, Aila turned her head.

She turned toward the main entrance—not the door Seona claimed was the main entrance, but the actual main entrance. Seona followed her gaze.

That’s when it happened.

With a bang, the door flew open.

“Ta-da! The great me has arrived!!!”