episode_0036

The Hunter Promotion Test is a kind of festival.

Hunters’ festival held once a month on the 1st of every month.

Regardless of level, numerous hunters gather in one place.

Guild scouts come to recruit new talent. Reporters are always in crowded places.

And the Hunter Association, which does not want to lose delicious talent to the guild, also turns on its eyes and sets out to discover talent.

So, reporters who know how to turn off aggro sometimes refer to such promotion tests as ‘Hunter Auction House’… but whatever. That’s roughly true.

“There’s no one to keep an eye on this month.”

June 1st, 12:50 PM.

10 minutes before the practical exam starts.

Jeong So-ra, a scouter of the large guild [Changcheon Swordsman] and a B-level hunter, chewed her lips as she checked the list of test takers sent by the guild.

Her job is to find useful gemstones and recruit them to the guild.

However, in this promotion test, there were no good hunters due to the bad water.

The ones you think are good are already in other guilds and aren’t attractive enough to force you to take them away.

The rest are half-baked idiots wondering whether to join a mid-sized guild or not.

In other words, they are not needed in [Changcheon Sword House], one of the four major guilds.

Yeah, well, there are bad days.

Sora Jeong put the test taker list into her bag and looked around.

Seats surrounding a wide open space, similar to a baseball field.

Not only Jeong So-ra, but also scouts from other guilds are sitting here and there.

The distance from the test site is quite far, but if you are a hunter, you can see this distance with the naked eye.

They were watching the test takers warming up in the open space with serious eyes, as if they were evaluating fish at a fish market.

The majority of hunters risk their lives on the promotion exam.

Not only is it to become a higher level hunter, but if you leave a good impression on those watching the test, your future life as a hunter will be easier.

‘He was so nervous, he was going to pass normally… What? Is that guy only looking this way? Do you want to join [Changcheon Sword House]? If you look at one side too much, other scouts will dislike you.’

Jeong So-ra also evaluated the test takers and quickly came to a conclusion.

No value.

Criminals who are not good at investing.

Still, since it’s work, I’ll have to watch it…

Jeong So-ra played with her smartphone with a disinterested expression on her face as she waited for the test to begin.

The first practical exam.

Basic physical fitness test.

Skills and mana available.

No artifacts, no drugs.

Do it only with your own strength.

Although it may not seem like a big deal, it is a very important test.

Since it is a test that any hunter with skill and mana must pass, ‘how’ he or she passes this obvious test reveals the level of the hunter.

A type of performance that shows off one’s capabilities and shows them to others.

I’m sure there won’t be any lousy hunters who are struggling because they don’t have enough basic stamina.

‘No, there’s just one person… Then, I can’t see ‘Jibakryeong’?’

5 minutes before the test.

Jeong So-ra, who was looking around blankly at the test-takers, made a puzzled expression when she realized that the hunter she always saw was not in the test room.

It is a famous story among guild scouts.

Ji Bak-ryeong at the promotion test site. Eunha, a lifelong F-level hunter who has taken tests every month for the past three years and always fails the basic physical fitness test.

She is famous in many ways for her gender-neutral and androgynous appearance and fairly even face.

Did you say you work as a waiter at a small cafe in Euncheon-gu?

But that’s it. I’m not really interested.

In the eyes of the guild scout, Galaxy was the worst of the worst.

“There is no Ji Bakryeong today. Have you really given up?”

“It’s only natural. Did you see him fall alone during the 3km run last month? Even if it were me, I ran away because I was embarrassed.”

Other scouts sitting nearby also realized that Eunha was not there and started whispering among themselves.

“It’s a shame. I tried for years.”

“I tried. Which guild would hire a 30-year-old student? Even if I passed Class E, there is no guild that would take me anyway.”

A harsh assessment of a lifelong F-class hunter.

But it is a straightforward theory. Guts and all, the hunter society is all about talent and skills.

There is no guild that covets hunters whose potential is clearly visible.

Still, the face was really nice… but it’s disappointing.

Beep!

Soon after, test proctors carrying timers and checklists entered the vacant lot.

5 minutes before the test.

Test takers headed to their assigned locations, and supervisors used ‘mana detectors’ on them to check whether they possessed other people’s enhancement skills or artifacts.

Jeong So-ra yawned as if she was bored and waited for the test to start.

Tap… tap…

And, 1 minute before the test.

There was someone who entered the exam room with perfect timing.

He avoided disqualification by one minute.

In what spirit is the test taker coming now?

When it’s not enough to impress scouts?

Tap… tap…

However, Jeong So-ra’s thoughts collapsed like a sand castle the moment she saw the test taker entering the vacant lot.

“…….”

When you live as a hunter, there are times when you feel it.

Ah, that’s a crazy person you shouldn’t touch… I thought.

It’s not that I don’t touch it because it’s stronger than me.

You can’t touch it because you don’t know what it’s going to do.

“Uh, Eunha?”

“…….”

One of the supervisors, who was glaring at the examinee who came in later than them, stammered.

The test proctor, who had encountered countless hunters and experienced all sorts of hardships, was visibly embarrassed.

That’s how much that test taker… A 10,000-year-old F-class hunter, the atmosphere of the galaxy was unusual.

Tap… tap…

A stumbling gait as if drunk and pale white skin.

His stomach was sunken, like he had been starving for several days, and his eyes were puffy, as if he had been crying.

Her face was so haggard that it was hard to see her face, which had become several times more beautiful than a month ago.

However, her eyes, as black as the night sky, were shining more clearly than any other test taker.

Was ‘Ji Bak-ryeong’ a woman? Or rather, was she the F-class hunter I knew?

Was he a puppy-like person who always smiled and chatted with supervisors?

Everyone paid attention to Eunha in the unusual atmosphere.

“……Let’s start right away.”

It was 1 o’clock.

Eunha went to her seat and spoke to the supervisor with an expressionless face.

A murderous look in his eyes, as if he was going to kill me if I messed up even a little bit.

The supervisor, overwhelmed by her gaze, nodded quietly and used the ‘Mana Detector’.

“…There’s nothing wrong… Eunha. Are you okay? You smell like blood right now…”

“It’s that day. I’m in a bad mood, so let’s get started quickly.”

“Yeah, yeah…”

Before the supervisor could say anything, Eunha fell to the floor and grabbed the push-up bar.

Every time I move my body, I keep frowning as if I feel extreme pain.

I guess… it was that day…

A magical day that comes to women of the right age.

There’s nothing I can do on that day.

He seemed in a bad mood for some reason. My complexion is also bad.

The test proctor, convinced by the strange part, set a timer.

Push-ups, 90 reps in 2 minutes to pass.

Galaxy’s highest record, 0 times.

Even when I was in good condition, it was too much, but I wonder if it is difficult now.

The supervisor, who was looking down at Eunha with pity, cautiously opened his mouth.

“If you’re having a hard time, tell me, I’ll finish it right away…”

“Start. Quickly.”

However, in response to Eunha’s cruel response, I kept my mouth shut and pressed the timer.

That’s how you catch people.

Beep–.

With the sound of the whistle, the measurement begins,

Eunha gritted her teeth as if she had been waiting and started doing push-ups.

One… two… three…

I started doing push-ups.

That promotion test Ji Bakryeong.

Not only the supervisor but also the scouts in the audience stared at Eunha with shocked faces as they saw it for the first time in their lives.

Scout Jeong Sora of [Changcheon Swordsman] was no exception.

‘Jibakryeong is doing that? really? ‘You haven’t been able to do one thing in three years?’

A very ordinary push-up where you just lower your body and then lift it up.

When others are showing off their strength by jumping up and down dozens of times in 10 seconds, or using push-ups and skills at the same time to attract attention,

Eunha just quietly does push-ups with calm movements like a candle burning its last embers.

For some reason, compared to other hunters, this movement is insignificant.

I can’t take my eyes off it.

‘That’s…’

At that time, Jeong So-ra, who was watching Eunha, let out a moan of admiration.

As a scouter of the four major guilds, she was confident in her sharp eyes.

Because he was a B-class hunter who was skilled enough to use his body to the point where it was difficult to use his body, he was barely noticeable.

It was frighteningly efficient.

The width of the arm, the height it goes down, the angle of the arm…

The woman in front of me seemed to be demonstrating directly how to move the muscles to do a push-up with minimal force.

‘Is that possible for an F class? ‘Who on earth taught you this?’

This is impossible unless you are a monster of at least Class A or higher, capable of analyzing human body mechanics down to every muscle.

What did a 10,000-year-old F-class hunter do to receive lessons from such a monster?

Some of the other scouts also seemed to have realized this, and their expressions were unusual.

Because it means that there is something in that F-class hunter that such a monster would be interested in.

“Huh… Huh…!”

Meanwhile, the galaxy was moving.

However, as she became more and more tired, her movements became noticeably slower than before.

By the end of the two minutes, I was barely able to raise my lowered body with all the strength I had from breastfeeding.

It’s so fragile that even people want to cheer for it, like the flapping wings of a baby bird.

So, time passed…

Two minutes, which seemed like an eternity to Eunha, ended.

Beep!

“Stop!… Eunha. 91 push-ups… Passed.”

The moment the supervisor, who was looking at the timer with an incredulous expression, muttered like a person possessed by a ghost.

Only then did Eunha become happy with her usual languid smile.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Ha… ha… wait, can I go to the bathroom?”

“Huh? Uh, okay. There are still about 6 teams left, so come back in 10 minutes.”

After two hellish minutes, Eunha, who had passed the first hurdle, apologized to the supervisor and left.

Eunha’s condition must have been very bad for her to willingly accept it.

A strict supervisor would have put Eunha in trouble by saying that leaving during the test would be grounds for disqualification, but who is Eunha?

A guide for lost mite hunters in the association.

This is a person who went to dinner with supervisors, thanking them for helping them with their work.

Is this what personal connections are?

When Eunha passed the push-ups for the first time in three years, the supervisors there looked at her with eyes full of emotion.

Well, anyway.

Eunha left the exam room for a moment and headed to the employee-only restroom located in the most deserted part of the association.

She somehow entered the bathroom with unsteady steps and entered the toilet cubicle, touching her pale face in the mirror.

Rattling.

“Uweek–!”

Then, he vomited sticky blood into the toilet.

Wow…

The tarpaulin that had been laid out on the ground in advance was covered in blood.

The kitchen knife lying on the floor was still sharp, and the pay-as-you-go bag left next to the trash can heavily contained parts of her body.

I’m glad no one came into this bathroom.

If this was discovered, there would definitely be a major accident.

“Whoa… hehe… big.”

The fishy smell of iron numbs my nose.

Eunha, who had vomited her stomach several times, was out of breath as if she would collapse at any moment.

I thought I was going to die.

Liver, intestines, a piece of lung… everything that could be removed was removed.

Perhaps thanks to [self-recovery], if the organs are removed just enough to avoid death from shock due to pain, the person will not die.

Even thinking about it now, it’s crazy.

Since you can’t increase your strength, you have to reduce the weight…

The thought of quitting has been going through my mind several times over the past 10 days. No matter how much I think about it, this is crazy.

But I couldn’t.

(It’s hard to move up to E-level, isn’t it? Who said that, but there’s nothing worse than continuing to hold on to a goal that can’t be achieved… That’s just it!)

(Why don’t you try a different career path? I think you’ll be popular if you run a personal broadcast with that face~.)

(I continued to ‘observe’ the changes in Eunha’s condition… but sadly, the results turned out to be insufficient for me.)

(I am not able to help you with Eunha’s ‘E-Class Hunter Promotion Test in June’. I am truly sorry.)

The ridicule, contempt, and pity I have heard over the past three years,

He pushed Eunha’s back. Even though there is a cliff in front of you.

So I decided to fall off the cliff.

Because I wanted to fly somehow.

I wanted to show that I, too, could fly.

“Ha… it hurts….”

Maybe I should have taken some painkillers.

Because of [self-healing], Eunha doesn’t receive the medicine properly, but it must have been some consolation.

“Hehehehe… Hehahahaha~. Hehehe~.”

I started laughing without realizing it.

Have I gone crazy because of the pain?

Yes, I’m crazy happy.

The basic physical fitness test that had held her back for three years. That first obstacle was overcome.

There was no reason not to be happy.

“Hehehe~… Ah, I guess I’ll have to open it again.”

Eunha wiped the blood from her mouth and muttered as she took off her sweatpants.

A tarp was wrapped around the body in case blood leaked out.

When I carefully removed the tarpaulin, which had become red with her blood, the long knife wound that stretched from her abdomen to her side had already healed, leaving only a scar.

In just a few minutes, the [Self-Healing] skill healed Eunha’s wounds.

This is why when she was doing push-ups earlier, her movements became slower as time went by.

This is because my internal organs are regenerating every moment, making my body heavier.

If I had been even a little late, I would have done this damn thing and not passed the test.

It was a good idea to tear off a few ribs just in case.

Now that I’m back to the bathroom after finishing my push-ups, most of my organs have already finished regenerating.

And the remaining exams to come.

Sit-ups, 100m run, 3km run.

Running is okay.

Thanks to the proper training I received from Ban Harin on how to run, I was barely able to pass with pull-ups. All you have to do is remove a little of the intestines to adjust the weight.

It’s about a 3km run, so it won’t be a problem for Eunha, who has some stamina left through [self-recovery]… There’s only one problem left.

Wailing sit-ups.

Unlike push-ups, which are less painful because you only move your arms, sit-ups, which require constant movement of your entire body, cannot even be described as terrible.

Even when I was practicing at home, I was in so much pain that I passed out several times.

“Hehehe… It’s okay. I can do it. If I pass this, I’m also level E. Hehehe~.”

He smiled like a crazy person and grabbed a kitchen knife.

Sit-ups are an exercise that uses the abdominal muscles and hip muscles.

Therefore, to avoid damaging the muscles, the right chest must be opened, the sternum broken, and the contents taken out.

The bones were as weak as the soft muscles, so they broke easily when I hit the sternum with the back of a kitchen knife, like pounding garlic.

Is it a snack?

Because of the location, the lungs and diaphragm were damaged, but not being able to breathe for a few minutes did not mean death.

It’s just painful enough to die.

“Hehe… Hehehe, E-level… I will be E-level.”

There is no hesitation.

Approximately 8 minutes remaining.

It’s been 3 years.

I’ve been looking forward to it for like 3 years.

As the goal of becoming an E-class hunter approaches, there is nothing I can see.

That much, about the E-class hunter…

Eunha’s grudge was enormous.

(I am not able to help you with Eunha’s ‘E-Class Hunter Promotion Test in June’. I am truly sorry.)

“Haha… wait and see. I’ll pass somehow.”

It just needs to hurt a little more.

I am also an E-class hunter.

Eunha, who had a bloody bandage in her mouth, smiled heartily and eagerly grabbed the kitchen knife.

It’s time to get rid of it.

… … .

… … .

“Haha… wait and see. I’ll pass somehow.”

“…….”

And in front of the bathroom.

[Rare Hunter Protection – Kill Section] Team 1 leader, Class A Hunter Ban Harin… was sitting helplessly on the floor with his back against the wall.

There is a sign next to her that says ‘Toilets under construction, no entry allowed’.

“Ugh…! Ugh…! Ugh…!”

“……Eunha.”

A moaning sound coming from inside the bathroom. The sound of a sharp blade cutting through a soft object. The sound of blood pouring into the toilet.

Hearing such a terrible sound, Banharin covered his face with both hands.

“I… what on earth should I do…”

Team leader of [Rare Hunter Protection-Kill Department].

An ordinary club member who hopes for Eunha’s dream.

Eunha takes it out.

Ban Harin’s heart becomes heavier as the weight is lifted.

Banharin was just, while Eunha was preparing for the exam,

I couldn’t do anything and just stood in front of the bathroom.