Chapter 182: B-Rank Promotion Test (6)

The second monster the Guild assigned as a test assignment was the Dust Kelp.

A plant-type monster formed from ocean trash and seaweed tangled together into a single mass.

It moved using the junk draped on its body as a vessel, and the moment external attacks came in, it adopted a defensive form by hiding the seaweed body inside.

If I had to compare it, it was a monster that protected itself in a way similar to a turtle or a hermit crab.

It could be neutralized by slicing off the seaweed part of its body, but naturally, that process isn’t as easy as one might think.

If you try to cut the temporarily exposed seaweed part, it hides with quick reflexes, and what’s more, even if you cut off just the tip, it doesn’t die and regenerates soon after.

To kill it, its body, hidden among the clumps of trash, must be cut into at least four or five pieces.

I wasn’t completely without experience fighting it. Although, it wasn’t in the Guild’s dungeon.

One of the types of monsters that had washed ashore with a monster wave on the island where I spent my summer vacation with Do Sihee was precisely that Dust Kelp.

However, there was the slight difference that back then, I had defeated it using fire magic, not a sword.

Using fire magic allowed me to cook it thoroughly, whether the creature hid inside or not, using the heat, making it the most efficient attack against them.

Besides, back then, I didn’t have the leeway to use means other than magic, as I was dealing with the Kraels swarming underfoot and the Kraken wielding giant tentacles head-on.

So, is fire magic the only way to defeat this Dust Kelp? Naturally, that’s not the case.

The easiest way to sever the lifeline of the creature hiding inside its tough shell using only a greatsword?

Naturally, it’s smashing the creature, shell and all.

Kwajajak! With the sound, the one Dust Kelp that touched my greatsword completely crumbled, its form utterly destroyed along with the sound of its shell breaking.

The objects that became the Dust Kelp’s shell synchronize with its unique magic power, gaining tough durability to the point where ordinary blades couldn’t cut them, but…

If, from the start, you don’t aim to slice it but focus solely on the act of applying force itself, the Dust Kelp’s shell, unable to withstand the pressure, breaks apart as the pieces collide with each other.

Once the exposed body, which pops out from between the completely broken protective gear, is sliced, the hunt is over.

The Dust Kelp’s body is only slightly tougher than common seaweed like kelp or wakame, so naturally, it can be easily sliced.

After slicing up the two Dust Kelps according to the number specified by the Guild guide, I waited for the evaluation that would follow.

“How was it?”

“Excellent! Not only do you know the proper strategy for the Dust Kelp, but you also possess sufficient strength to utilize it!”

Seeing this reaction, it seemed I had passed the second assignment without issue.

In fact, it was a monster with a poor matchup for a swordsman, but that was only the case when facing opponents of the same rank.

My swordsmanship level itself is aiming for A-rank, so it would be strange if I struggled against a B-rank monster like the Dust Kelp, wouldn’t it?

Wondering what reaction Cha Yuri would show, the moment I turned my gaze to her, two splashes of water suddenly shot up from the beach.

The two Dust Kelps caught in the center of the two whirlpools created like that exploded and died within seconds, each by the wind pressure of the cyclones.

“…Cha Yuri-ssi?”

Wondering if something had upset her, as soon as I called her name, Cha Yuri-ssi began an explanation about the monster called Dust Kelp without me asking.

“Dust Kelps are seaweed that look like kelp, and that pile of trash they embrace is merely armor. Since they use something not originally part of their body as armor, conversely, it’s possible to inject magic power into the gaps within it and create wind pressure.”

“…Yes?”

“So, what I’m saying is, I too can easily catch a monster of this level in this way. Just because you became a B-rank Hunter and caught a few B-rank monsters, don’t you dare try to match me.”

“…Ah, yes.”

Why she used magic out of the blue… was it to explain that she too, like me, has the skill to catch Dust Kelps?

Objectively speaking, it was indeed a powerful display worthy of considerable pride.

Judging by her hunting method, it meant she crammed magic power into the narrow gaps in the junk the monster enveloped to catch the Dust Kelp. Just being able to achieve such fine control over magic power already signified she was a top-tier mage.

“Uh… Urgh…”

The problem is, whether she really needed to show it to me right now.

Even the Guild employee doesn’t know how to react and is flustered.

“Still, I am stronger. J-just because you’ve reached B-rank Hunter status, I won’t tolerate that kind of nonsense, saying you’ve become stronger than me.”

“Alright, alright, let’s just head to the next test site. Your original role is the test proctor, isn’t it, Cha Yuri-ssi?”

“…Fine.”

Perhaps because my reaction was lukewarm, Cha Yuri too wore a slightly displeased expression and stepped onto the warp gate to move to the final test site.

“I’m telling you… this promotion test isn’t a hunting match between the two of you…”

The guide’s timid protest was all that reached my ears.

The final test site for the B-rank promotion test.

To face the final monster, we moved our steps to the Temple of Golems and immediately proceeded with the final task of the promotion test.

The final promotion task, explained by the Guild employee, was three Stone Rellos.

A giant-type monster, about 5 meters tall and made of giant rocks, served as the final task.

As expected of a popular dungeon, various hunters were proceeding with their hunts against one or two Stone Rellos besides us in the Temple of Golems. I voiced a nonchalant impression about the now easier final task compared to the previous two assignments.

“For a final task, it’s quite ordinary.”

“Not necessarily, the difficulty doesn’t always increase as you go towards the end, so… by general standards, Black Slimes or Dust Kelps would be more troublesome monsters than the Stone Rello, right?”

“I think so too, that seems to be the case.”

“And actually, Kim Sungchul-ssi’s Hunter promotion test is practically a pass already, so you can skip the final test.”

“Oh, really?”

“It’s set that you pass as long as you defeat two or more out of the three assignments. Especially since you easily defeated the two monsters Kim Sungchul-ssi previously faced, despite not having a good matchup against close-combat Awakeners. They’ll probably fully recognize you as a B-rank Hunter, even from higher up.”

No matter how much being able to defeat a B-rank monster one-on-one is the condition for a B-rank Hunter, there were naturally monsters that absolutely cannot be won against due to matchup. To make matters worse, if one were to fail the promotion test just because a monster with a bad matchup unfortunately appeared in the test assignment, it would be unfair enough on its own. Thus, the Guild’s policy of passing if you clear two out of three assignments was perfectly understandable.

Moreover, I had already faced and won against two types of those monsters with poor matchups. It was just that it meant a matchup against a typical B-rank swordsman.

Still, I lightly shook my head to the Guild guide’s words that the test could end here.

“If possible, though, I want to finish things cleanly until the very end.”

“Understood. Then, starting now, I will start the timer, so please defeat three Stone Rellos.”

As soon as the Guild employee activated the timer, I immediately charged towards the nearest Stone Rello with my sword.

With a single sword strike imbued with my energy, the Stone Rello split exactly in half and met an anticlimactic death.

‘Grrr….’

Where the monster had been, uttering a low groan as it fell, only the monster’s corpse and one B-rank monster core remained.

Why would the Temple of Golems, where Stone Rellos inhabit, be a popular dungeon?

Of course, the Stone Rello’s core is more expensive than other B-rank monster cores as it’s used to move its giant body, and its rock body is also good for processing, giving it considerable value as a material, but…

Even setting those aside, the reason the Temple of Golems is a popular dungeon was precisely this.

Unlike its seemingly tough body, this golem is extremely vulnerable to physical attacks.

Because it wears magic resistance all over its body, it’s a monster barely affected by magic attacks, but it has no resistance whatsoever to physical attacks, so with just one swing of a sword like this, it meets an anticlimactic death.

It wasn’t just because the Mithril greatsword I was holding was sharp.

Elsewhere, close-combat hunters conducting hunts just like me are also smashing or breaking Stone Rellos with their own weapons without delay.

The woman in plate mail at 11 o’clock was decapitating it with a spear imbued with energy, and the muscular woman at 2 o’clock was cleaving the golem’s body with a halberd.

Even the woman at 6 o’clock is crushing the golem without any weapon, just using martial arts, so that it’s vulnerable to physical attacks goes without saying.

As its body is made of granite, its hardness was merely about the hardness of granite.

And for a close-combat B-rank Hunter, breaking granite boulders is the most basic of basic qualifications.

Therefore, not only is it always crowded, but sometimes there are more hunters than monsters – that’s the characteristic of this dungeon, the Temple of Golems.

For me, who had only handled floor quests, it was a place I rarely visited, yet even I, facing a Stone Rello for the first time without prior preparation, could slice it down in one blow.

In the same manner, in the blink of an eye, after slicing two more Stone Rellos, the Guild employee greeted me with applause as I returned.

“Good work, Kim Sungchul-ssi! You finished splendidly until the very end!”

“Thank you for the praise.”

“Your B-rank Hunter certificate is scheduled to be issued within three days, so you can pick it up at the counter after next Monday!”

The B-rank Hunter promotion was much more nonchalant than I expected, but that didn’t mean the joy was diminished, of course.

Now that I’ve reached the position of a B-rank Hunter, there will be even more to do going forward, but for this moment, I can fully enjoy this joy.

Therefore, wanting to enjoy this joy a little more fully, the moment I turned my head to call Cha Yuri, the proctor for this test.

“Cha Yuri-ssi! I finally got promoted to B-rank Hunter…!”

“Cannon Cyclone! Screw Tornado! Wind Cutterrrrr!!!”

There, a mage was unleashing all sorts of her magic while facing a Stone Rello.