Chapter 181: B-Rank Promotion Test (5)

The guild guide, after calming me and Cha Yuri down, immediately explained the Hunter promotion test process.

The content of the test itself was simpler than I expected. It involved hunting a set number of three types of monsters designated by the guild, and assessing combat skills and time during the process.

For reference, the reason for measuring time wasn’t to give bonus points for faster kills, but rather to disqualify candidates who took too long.

For example, the C-rank monster ‘Infected Sewer Rat,’ due to its nature, always lives in groups. While each individual rat is merely C-rank, a group of Infected Sewer Rats moving together is treated as equivalent to a B-rank monster.

Could an ordinary C-rank Hunter achieve victory against such a group of Infected Sewer Rats? While this might not apply to every C-rank Hunter, to put it bluntly, there is ‘definitely’ a possibility. By running around the dungeon, splitting the group of Infected Sewer Rats, and targeting one or two when their numbers temporarily dwindled. Then, when they regrouped, dodging and waiting for an opportunity to take down another one or two…. By engaging in such a war of attrition over several hours, even a single C-rank Hunter could achieve victory against a group of Infected Sewer Rats comparable to a B-rank monster. Regardless of combat efficiency, of course. However, even if such a result were achieved, no one would say that this C-rank Hunter possessed the qualifications of a B-rank Hunter. Which is, naturally, obvious. In other words, the time measurement was essentially a way to signify that hunting monsters through such tricks wouldn’t be condoned. Frankly, this rule wasn’t particularly important to me, as I could normally handle B-rank monsters anyway.

Of course, separate from that, it was the promotion test I had long awaited, so a slight sense of tension was unavoidable. The promotion test for raising a Hunter’s rank carries greater risks upon failure than upon success. If a guild were to misjudge a Hunter’s level and promote them incorrectly, that Hunter would lose their objective grasp of their own abilities and end up entering stronger dungeons. In such a scenario, it would be tantamount to the guild throwing away the life of its affiliated Hunter, which is why promotion tests are generally conducted with extreme caution when raising ranks. Therefore, companies and guild associations have internal rules stating that if a Hunter fails a promotion test, the next attempt can only be made at least a year later. Legally, a B-rank Hunter is defined as ‘a Hunter capable of defeating a B-rank monster, or monsters with equivalent danger levels, in a one-on-one confrontation.’ However, the common consensus is that actual B-rank Hunters can handle B-rank monsters in situations like 2-on-1 or even 3-on-1. This implies that guilds aim to promote only those Hunters who can reliably survive in dungeons of the next rank. Of course, there are C-rank Hunters like myself who frequently venture into B-rank dungeons, contrary to their official rank. However, there’s a significant difference between a C-rank Hunter dying in a B-rank dungeon and a B-rank Hunter dying in one. In the former case, the deceased Hunter is labeled a fool who couldn’t gauge their own level, but in the latter, questions often arise about potential flaws in the promotion test itself. Therefore, to avoid such gossip later, guilds tend to adopt a conservative approach when promoting Hunter ranks.

“Before I continue, have you heard rumors that the number of monsters within dungeons has suddenly increased recently?”

“I hadn’t heard that specifically, but I have often felt that the number of monsters has increased slightly lately.”

“Furthermore, there have been recent instances of monster waves occurring across the globe. Some areas couldn’t contain the waves and subsequently underwent ‘dungeonization.'”

“Ah, I am aware of those incidents.” More accurately, I had experienced them rather than just being aware of them. Having encountered a monster wave during a summer vacation with Do Sihee, and even defeating the wave boss, the Kraken, I naturally had to nod in agreement. If we hadn’t dealt with the Kraken promptly back then, that island owned by the Dokyung Group would likely have undergone dungeonization as well. Even after dungeonization, depending on the type of monster materials generated, some places could transform into profitable facilities. However, if an island, rather than mainland, undergoes dungeonization, utilizing it as a resource in that manner becomes quite difficult. Installing Warp Gates requires considerable manpower and resources, and setting them up on an island, not the mainland, incurs astronomical costs. Even if one tried to utilize a dungeonized island somehow, the likelihood of recouping the invested costs was slim. In other words, what Do Sihee had said earlier, ‘It’s cheaper than losing an entire island,’ was by no means a joke.

The guide, having explained the increased monster population and monster waves, continued with the details of the promotion test.

“In any case, for that reason, the B-rank promotion test has slightly higher evaluation criteria than before. Even Hunters of the same B-rank face greater danger when there are more monsters inside the dungeon.”

“I see. Understood.”

“Honestly, we don’t expect it to be a major issue for you, Kim Sungchul-ssi, who frequents B-rank dungeons regularly, but please, do try not to let your guard down.”

“Yes, I understand.” In reality, my achievements already surpassed those of other B-rank Hunters, so there wasn’t much of an issue. Besides, this employee, who reviews my performance records at the request counter every time, would know that best. Perhaps this promotion test is less about testing my skills and more about verifying whether I engaged in any fraudulent activities during my commission fulfillments.

“Compared to the commissions you usually handle, Kim Sungchul-ssi, it probably won’t be that difficult.” The hidden meaning behind that statement was likely this: ‘If you haven’t been cheating during your regular commission work, the promotion test itself won’t be hard.’ Figuring that’s roughly what they were thinking, I nodded.

“The first monster is a Black Slime. Black Slimes are monsters that even B-rank Hunters find difficult to handle, so they’re rarely presented as test subjects for promotion exams…”

“It doesn’t matter. I can just handle it like I always do with Black Slimes.”

“Understood. Then, we shall proceed to the first dungeon.”

After receiving the full explanation of the Hunter promotion test from the guild guide, we immediately headed to the first dungeon, the Tar Pit. This was the moment the promotion test would truly begin.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

To get straight to the point, the promotion test concluded quickly and concisely. Having already defeated countless B-rank monsters for the purpose of promotion, I didn’t encounter any monsters beyond my capabilities. Furthermore, I had spent the past week hunting various monsters in preparation for the test. Of the three types of monsters, all but the last one were ones I had experience hunting.

The first task set by the guild was the Black Slime. Since I had captured them countless times before, there was no need to learn a new strategy. I had trained myself to defeat Black Slimes using only swordsmanship, just in case something like this happened. Although considered a tricky opponent by others, to me, it was a familiar monster I had faced time and again.

The guide seemed slightly surprised to see me defeat the Black Slime using only my greatsword, without any magic or other support skills.

‘Gloop Gloop…!!!‘

As I dispatched the Black Slime with a single swing, the guild guide asked me.

“You’re still a C-rank Hunter, yet you’re already using sword techniques imbued with Ki?”

“There’s a Hunter I know who’s skilled with greatswords. I learned from them, considering them like a master.”

“You’ve compressed the Ki so much that it’s completely invisible! Normally, Ki of this intensity would manifest as an aura around the sword! I almost mistook it for just swinging the blade!”

“…R-Right.” In truth, it wasn’t so much compressed Ki as it was my internal energy being colorless, making it invisible. Since there was no need to correct them, I let the guide continue with their misunderstanding. After all, my colorless internal energy couldn’t be revealed to others. I was grateful to the employee for making their own assumptions.

In contrast to the guide, who seemed genuinely delighted as if it were their own success, Cha Yuri was biting her lower lip slightly, looking somewhat flustered.

“What do you think, Cha Yuri-ssi?”

“…Not bad.”

“Is that all?”

“You’re making the nature of your internal energy perceived as a magical attack, then using the sword’s physical force to defeat the Black Slime, right? It’s a decent operational method.”

“At this rate, aren’t I starting to match you, Cha Yuri-ssi?”

“D-Don’t make me laugh.” Saying that, Cha Yuri aimed the staff she was holding at a Black Slime peacefully grazing on grass nearby.

‘…Gloop?!’ Suddenly, a blade of wind shot from the tip of her staff, tearing a Black Slime apart.

“An attack combining physical force and magic? I can do that just fine. By manipulating actual air to create physical impact, rather than magically generated wind, and then following up with magic to tear the Black Slime apart – that’s entirely possible for me.” As expected of an A-rank Hunter, Cha Yuri seemed to possess the skill to defeat a Black Slime on her own. I thought the Black Slime, being a moderately tricky monster, would be a perfect opportunity to definitively prove my strength to Cha Yuri. But it seemed difficult to prove I was stronger than her with just this.

“…L-Let’s move to the next test site!” Following the guild employee’s guidance, who was watching me and Cha Yuri’s reactions, we proceeded towards the dungeon that would serve as the second test site.