Ch.19[Chapter 19] ★ Rank Evaluation

“You can take the Tier Evaluation online and then complete it at one of the departments under the Executive branch.”

“Is this the place?”

Sir Dominic, now back to his normal appearance rather than the cute 3-head-tall form, had followed v.a.l.l.o.c.’s advice and completed his Tier Evaluation application online before heading to the examination site on the scheduled date.

Council of War under the Executive branch.

The emblem combining a sword, wings, and an anchor caught his eye first, as if declaring that a character’s value lies in their combat prowess.

Sir Dominic moved forward, looking up at the building with its metallic gray walls and camouflage-like green roof—simple in design but imposing in size.

“Those here for Tier Evaluation, please go left and then take a right at the second intersection to reach the examination hall. For Warrior Title evaluations, go right and continue straight—”

The Council of War building was apparently hosting several different evaluations, befitting its large size.

Sir Dominic wondered if he would ever take such evaluations himself as he turned left.

Though he worried about getting lost in this vast space, there were arrows printed on papers attached to the walls and floors, so there was no concern about losing his way.

When he finally reached the Tier Evaluation hall, someone approached him at the entrance with a friendly smile.

“Welcome. Are you here for a Tier Evaluation? Which tier are you?”

“Tier 1.”

Sir Dominic answered proudly.

The reception desk staff pulled out a waiting ticket and handed it to Sir Dominic.

“When your number is called, please enter Examination Room 3. Until then, would you please wait in one of the chairs in front?”

Sir Dominic looked at the ticket marked “12” as he walked to his seat.

It seemed there weren’t many people seeking Tier 1 evaluations.

While waiting briefly and adjusting his shield and scabbard, Sir Dominic’s turn came up.

“Number 12, examinee number 12?”

Sir Dominic stood up and headed to Room 3.

A guard standing at the door opened it for him.

Sir Dominic slightly bowed his head to the guard in gratitude and entered the room.

The room defied his expectations in many ways.

In the cleanly finished white room, there was only one long desk with three chairs, and behind nameplates reading “Examiner” sat three individuals.

“Tier 1, I see.”

A woman with a lizard head spoke with a hissing sound.

“Seems to have decent character development.”

A stone golem muttered.

“Well, we still need to evaluate properly. Could you show us your card?”

A man with bright golden hair asked.

Sir Dominic handed his card to the golden-haired man seated in the middle.

The man had his hair styled in three cone-shaped spikes and his mustache in two straight points, which combined with his golden hair made him look somewhat like a star.

After briefly handling the card, the man exclaimed in admiration.

“Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve seen someone so diligent.”

“Let me see. What’s so impressive?”

The lizard-headed woman flicked her tongue as she examined Sir Dominic’s record.

Finding something questionable, she asked Sir Dominic:

“It says here you resolved a bug. Do you have a certificate with System Industries’ seal?”

“No, I don’t.”

Sir Dominic wondered if such a certificate was really necessary, but since he didn’t have one, he answered honestly.

“His character development is sufficient. His concept hasn’t faltered since he arrived.”

The golem’s eyes—which were actually gemstones—gleamed.

“Based on what’s written here, you pass, but it’s hard to believe someone who hasn’t been here for even a month has achieved such accomplishments.”

The golden man let out a good-natured laugh.

“Let me explain the criteria for this evaluation. Character development, achievements, and expandability. As you can see, your character development and achievements seem sufficient. However, the third criterion, expandability, seems ambiguous.”

The man returned the card and continued.

“It seems we’ll need an additional evaluation. If you’re in a hurry, contact the Executive branch evaluation team and say ‘I want to be evaluated by Mister Nova.’ Then I’ll re-evaluate you anytime.”

“May I ask what expandability is?”

Sir Dominic asked the man who had introduced himself as Mister Nova.

“Ah, right. I forgot you’ve been here less than a month. You seem quite experienced.”

Mister Nova smiled and explained expandability.

“With evaluations becoming stricter recently, the need for expandability has emerged. It refers to character development that transcends genres. Literally, it means… you need a self-introduction for expansion.”

“Why explain it so elaborately, Chairman? Just say it’s about having a marketable character.”

“How unromantic.”

The examiners started grumbling at each other. It seemed the two examiners besides the chairman didn’t get along.

“Two years ago, a character like Sir Dominic could have been promoted directly to Tier 2, but unfortunately, with so many games doing collaborations, Easter eggs, or April Fools’ jokes these days, we regretfully have to fail you. As I said, if you want a re-evaluation, please contact us after securing at least a supporting role in one or more games. I’ll be waiting for your call anytime.”

The kind Mister Nova then asked Sir Dominic to make way for the next person.

Sir Dominic rose from his seat.

Even as he left the room, Sir Dominic was still thinking about character development.

Someone else might have complained about the messy evaluation or questioned the difficulty of the assessment, but Sir Dominic was too innocent to understand such issues.

If advancing from Tier 1 to Tier 2 was this difficult, how much harder would higher tiers be!

Yet Sir Dominic was actually enjoying himself.

For someone whose life had been tediously filled with blood and battle, the very fact that he could have diverse experiences was enjoyable.

“My goodness, I heard Tier Evaluations had gotten harder, but not this hard. I should have done this last year.”

With an “oops,” someone sat down next to Sir Dominic.

“Huh? Wait, aren’t you my super fan!”

It was Super Deluxe.

His iconic top hat and golden mask remained the same, but below he wore shabby olive-green sweatpants with three black stripes.

An amazing fashion that satisfied both practicality and attention!

Super Deluxe greeted Sir Dominic warmly, seemingly having forgotten that he had kidnapped him.

“Hey, sorry about last time. I got an offer two days before the event, and when I thought I was being ignored while I was already on edge, I lost my mind.”

Sir Dominic just nodded.

The memory was still in his subconscious, making him instinctively keep his distance.

“Oh, acting like that hurts my feelings. Want to get kidnapped again?”

What a villain! Super Deluxe casually used criminal acts as threats.

“What brings you here anyway?”

Sir Dominic asked, still wary of Super Deluxe.

“Well, I’m here for a Tier Evaluation too. Look at this brilliant star!”

Super Deluxe pulled a luxury wallet from his sweatpants pocket, which was miraculously still attached, and took out his character card.

The card showed Super Deluxe in his top hat, golden mask, and silk cape, striking an elegant pose.

The background featured fireworks bursting against a crescent moon night sky, and watching the moving picture was a fascinating experience in itself.

“Tier 3 with a moving picture. Now do you understand how amazing I am? Worth being a super fan, right?”

Super Deluxe grinned confidently.

Though his worn sweatpants made him look rather shabby.

“But you know, this year seems particularly tough. Is it just me? Don’t you think so?”

Sir Dominic nodded, though he actually didn’t know what was different from last year and was just trying to go along with the conversation.

Whether Super Deluxe knew this or not, he continued talking.

“I was so curious about this expandability thing that I stol—borrowed the rulebook. And look what it says?”

Super Deluxe opened a rulebook from who knows where and pointed to the section labeled “expandability.”

Tier 2 Expandability: Must have appeared as at least a supporting character in character introduction videos or trailers.

Tier 3 Expandability: Must have appeared as at least a main character in character introduction videos or trailers.

Tier 4 Expandability: Must have appeared in a standalone character introduction video or a trailer centered on this character.

Tier 5 Expandability: Must be the protagonist of a game, movie, or drama, or at least a GOTY-level multimedia medium.

Note: These criteria may change after this year.

That’s what was written in that section.

“Until now, when your tier increased, the Executive branch would make an introduction video for you or provide funding. But now they’re too stingy and want us to make them in advance. Does that make any sense? No wonder I don’t mind being called a villain.”

As Super Deluxe grumbled, he suddenly realized that Sir Dominic was silently reading the rulebook.

With the happiest expression in the world.

Super Deluxe was so overwhelmed by this pure aura of happiness that he couldn’t continue speaking.

Apparently, this super fan Super Deluxe had spoken to wasn’t quite normal.