S-rank verification ended once you demonstrated the Aura Blade, High Mana, S-rank Summon, and High Spirit.
Doing it in front of others was for the sake of fairness.
It was questionable what fairness meant when it came to S-rank, but since all the other rank exams were like that, it was only right to do it the same way.
“You’ll register as a Summoner class, right?”
“Swordsman, Mage, and Summoner. All three.”
“You’re going to do all three classes?”
“That’s right.”
Just one would be enough, but the reason he wanted to be a Mage as well was because of Choi Yunseo.
That way, he could grab the titles of both the youngest S-rank Hunter and youngest S-rank Mage, making it easy to tease Choi Yunseo.
“Then let’s start with the Aura Blade.”
Clack.
Aura Blade shimmered at the sickle claw extending from his wrist.
“As expected! Next, High Mana, please.”
He transformed his Source Power into Life Essence and spread it everywhere.
President Kim Gwang-shin nodded, feeling the Life Essence for the first time in a while.
“Next is the Summon. You’re not going to summon that huge creature here, are you?”
President Kim Gwang-shin asked out of concern.
Choi Kangjoong summoned Rutali.
“Krrrk.”
Rutali, radiating the will of Outer Mind, forged a Death Blade.
“A fusion of Death Mana and Aura Blade… V-very good. From this moment, Outer Mind is officially recognized by the Hunter Association as an S-rank Hunter.”
Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap!
“Hyung, that was awesome!”
Joo Eun-jong cheered and applauded.
“What are you all doing? The fourth S-rank Hunter just appeared, you should be happy. Hurry up and congratulate him!”
Those oppressed by Outer Mind’s will were paralyzed by vague fear, unable to move.
Only after Choi Kangjoong dismissed Rutali did people start clapping.
President Kim Gwang-shin, who had been standing right next to him, wiped away a cold sweat.
“That was some overwhelming pressure. Do you have any other plans? If not, would you care to have a meal with us at the Association?”
“I have to go.”
“You have an appointment. That’s a shame. I should have told you sooner.”
Choi Kangjoong bowed politely.
President Kim Gwang-shin considered that enough.
“Hyung! Let’s go together!”
Joo Eun-jong waved his hand eagerly.
Instead of going with someone who could make his ears bleed, Choi Kangjoong left the Hunter Association with a stealth Blink.
“H-hyung?”
Ignored, Joo Eun-jong gave a sheepish laugh and left the Hunter Association.
After the 6th Dimension Fortress battle exposed Dielka, many Elves were appalled.
Some Elves insisted that Dark Elves, being untrustworthy, should be driven out at once.
Iselin didn’t hide, but broke through head-on.
She announced the return of Nahrromel and publicly declared that Dielka was a High Dark Elf.
She kept secret the fact that their family had been exiled by the Elf Grand Assembly.
Instead, she claimed that they had left Marsala to solve the problem of how hard it was to obtain a Death Spirit.
By spreading the distorted story that, after a long time, Dielka had kept the promise to retrieve the Death Spirit and returned home, public opinion quickly turned positive.
When she decided to accept Dark Elves, many entered Marsala.
At first, even Iselin was highly wary at the swelling number of Dark Elves.
She, too, couldn’t escape the prejudice born from fighting against Dark Elf Pirates.
But her worries proved groundless.
The flocking Dark Elves devoted themselves to making a living rather than causing trouble.
They were never pirates to begin with; they lived off other means.
Most also believed in legends that some savior would set them free.
The savior’s name varied—Nahrromel, Nahil, Nihomil, and so on.
Dielka, who fulfilled her family’s long-cherished wish, wept with joy.
Even Iselin couldn’t help but acknowledge Dielka’s determination and ability to create a Death Spirit in such harsh circumstances.
In this way, the number of gathered Dark Elves exceeded 100,000.
Dark Elves still living somewhere were making their way here, so no one knew how much their number would grow.
Dark Elves had a more combative nature than Elves, so many wanted to become knights.
With talent so readily available, the founding of Dielka’s Order of Knights went smoothly.
Wanting more knights was the reason Iselin had agreed to accept Dielka, and she was satisfied.
Iselin’s office.
Iselin’s blond hair glowed in the sunlight pouring through the three-meter-high windows.
A gentle smile played at her lips as she held a necklace.
“You registered as S-rank, I heard. Congratulations.”
-Thanks. It’s something I should have done anyway, but I forgot. Did you find anything out from Senjo Count?
“I’m reviewing everything from different angles using what Senjo Count confessed as clues. Something should come up soon.”
-What about Duke Royal?
“Duke Royal is known as the trusted aide of the Demon Commander of Chaos and has spent his life researching teleportation magic.”
-If he’s the Commander’s right hand, he won’t be easy to catch, right?
“He’ll be in the deepest part of the Demon Realm. But if the Gate Stone wasn’t made by him, maybe we can use it to lure him out.”
-It’s worth a try.
Iselin twirled a strand of hair around her finger.
A habit she had whenever something amused her.
“I’ve found the approximate location of Dark City.”
-Where is it?
“Near the Separate Sea. Many Dark Elves live there, so it seems to be the center of their activity.”
-Separate Sea… It’s not on the local sea charts.
“It’s far from the Enterprise Union, so that’s probably why. I’ll send you my own charts.”
Imagining Outer Mind using inaccurate and narrow-ranged public charts made Iselin smile in amusement.
-Thanks. Looks like I need to be near the Separate Sea.
“I’ll set out as soon as the Dimension Ship is repaired.”
-I’ll get started first.
“Okay.”
The light on the necklace went out, and Iselin set it down.
“If I can take out the Separate Sea and Charigna, I can destroy the Immortal Legion’s fortress too.”
Ensuring Marsala’s safety was only natural as an Elf of the Derrael family.
Knock knock.
Arthil entered.
“Eleanor has arrived.”
“Eleanor?”
“Yes. He seems to have returned early.”
Eleanor was the eldest son of the Amadecon Family, the only clan that could rival Derrael.
Because of their similar status, Iselin had known him since childhood, and there had even been marriage talks.
If it hadn’t been for Natasha stealing the Spirit Tree, they might really have gotten engaged.
Not that it ever would have happened, since Iselin would have fiercely opposed it.
Eleanor had recently left to recruit the Metra, a race with superb Dimension Ship construction technology, into the Enterprise Union.
His mission was crucial, so Iselin thought he wouldn’t return for another two or three years, but now here he was—she was surprised.
“Looks like he failed.”
From the start, Iselin never thought Eleanor would succeed.
He was two-faced and an Elf supremacist—what harmony with other races?
It was enough to make a dog laugh.
Iselin stood and went to the drawing room.
A handsome Elf stood to greet her.
“Iselin! How long has it been? Do you know how much I missed you?”
“I didn’t miss you, so just say what you have to say and go.”
“Oh, I have so much to say. Bring some tea.”
Arthil brought the tea, and Iselin and Eleanor sat down.
The conversation was mostly Eleanor talking, with Iselin giving perfunctory replies.
“By the way, what are you thinking lately? You’ve been getting friendly with Dark Elves after the humans.”
“There’s no reason not to.”
“Do you know what kind of creatures Dark Elves are? All they know is pillage and betrayal. They’re base and filthy.”
“Do you think a Death Spirit is born so easily?”
“What if demons helped?”
“That’s not possible. I checked personally—there wasn’t a trace of demonic energy.”
“Iselin, you might not know, but there are demons without demonic energy, too.”
Iselin slammed down her teacup.
“While you were gallivanting, I was out on a Dimension Ship fighting demons, monsters, and pirates.”
“Yes. You protected Marsala, and I broadened my horizons—for Marsala’s sake.”
Eleanor spread his arms in a gentle gesture.
Annoyed by his self-absorbed attitude, Iselin frowned.
“So now you want to expel the Dark Elves?”
“No. Since you’ve accepted them, you should use them properly. Gather them in one place so they can’t attack Elves and use them as crew or fighters for the Dimension Ships. Divide them into classes so they handle the underbelly of Marsala.”
“That method’s already been rejected by the Elf Grand Assembly.”
“Then resubmit it and make sure it passes.”
Iselin once again realized how different she and Eleanor were.
“And about this Outer Mind person—aren’t you curious?”
“About what?”
A subtle killing intent flickered in Iselin’s eyes.
“For now, he’s swallowing up dumb Ogres, filthy Dark Elves, and despicable demons. But what happens when they’re all gone? Who will he try to devour then?”
“You’re saying we’ll become his prey?”
Eleanor shrugged.
“It could just be a latent period.”
“Eleanor, you’re wrong.”
“Why?”
“If he intended to swallow us too, he would have joined the demons and attacked us first to expand his power. So why is he fighting the demons and taking the hard road?”
“Well, only he would know.”
“Meaning it’s just your delusion.”
With a gesture from Iselin, Arthil cleared the teacups.
That was the sign to leave.
“It was fun, Iselin. If I’d returned sooner, I’d have brought you a Spirit Tree from the Kraken Sea as a present, but I was just a step too late.”
“I never expected anything.”
“Look forward to another gift.”
Without even answering, Iselin left the drawing room.
Eleanor, leaving the mansion, looked up at Iselin’s office.
The sunlight reflected off it, shining white.
“Humans, Dark Elves, and Outer Mind.”
With a strange smile, Eleanor boarded his plane.
“How am I supposed to receive the Separate Sea chart, anyway?”
Only after switching off the necklace did Choi Kangjoong realize there was no way to receive the chart.
“I’ll have to ask for it through something else later.”
He was about to go out for a workout when his Dawn Phone rang.
He thought it was a message from Han Junghwa, but it turned out to be the chart Iselin had sent.
“Impressive skill.”
Choi Kangjoong opened the chart on his Dawn Phone.
The Separate Sea was far from the Ma Woo Sea.
It was twice the distance from the Kraken Sea to the Ma Woo Sea, making it difficult to travel in one jump even by opening a Gate.
If he had a Central Unit strongly connected to Outer Mind, it wouldn’t be a problem.
“So Dark City is somewhere in that huge area.”
Even though the distance was great, getting there wouldn’t take long.
That was because there was a secret Gate used by Dark Elves near the Ma Woo Sea.
“Could I use that to move the Apocalid Dimension?”
He had to make a choice.
Should he leave the Apocalid Dimension behind, or bring it with him?
If he left it, even if the expedition fleet was lost, he could recover.
It would be a painful loss, but better than losing everything.
If he took it along, he could fight defensively in the Apocalid Dimension when there were many enemies.
But if the enemy was too strong, he could lose the Apocalid Dimension too, making recovery impossible.
There was no way to escape at the Apocalid Dimension’s speed.
“I’ll leave it. If the fleet is in danger, I can have them escape. I’ll keep the Apocalid Dimension near the Enterprise Union.”
That way, if the Apocalid fleet was fighting and the Apocalid Dimension came under attack, support could come from Elves or humans.
“Let’s get going.”
Choi Kangjoong moved Apocalid to the Dark Elves’ secret Gate.
“The Gate’s small.”
It wasn’t meant for moving large Dimension Ships, so even Kuongi couldn’t fit through.
Choi Kangjoong sent Source Power through Kuongi, willing the Gate to expand.
The Gate, absorbing the Source Power, grew larger, and Kuongi passed through.
On the other side was a Dark Elf pirate ship, but Kuongi rapidly closed in and swallowed it whole.
“Well done. They won’t know we’ve crossed.”
After confirming all the Titan Class ships had crossed, he entered the Chamber of Evolution.
It was time to synthesize the Ogre’s mighty muscles.