Chapter 3: Exam Day Miracle

Description

The hologram floating before his eyes.

Chief Examiner Park Younghwan.

His heart was utterly heavy as he conducted the combat ability proof exam.

It had to be that way.

Not a single person had passed today’s exam.

This is a complete failure…….

Park Younghwan shook his head.

No matter how much it was to lower the hunter mortality rate, this was a total failure.

Not even one passer had emerged.

I guess it’s no good. 

I need to suggest to the higher-ups to adjust the difficulty.

Park Younghwan planned to propose slightly lowering the difficulty to the higher-ups after today’s exam ended.

Otherwise, no hunters would be produced at all.

Still, today’s exam had to continue.

Park Younghwan spoke into the microphone.

“Applicant No. 200, Seo Juwon, are you ready?”

At one end of the vast training ground stood a hunter applicant.

But something was odd: the hunter named Seo Juwon was bare-handed.

“Ah, just a moment.”

The applicant named Seo Juwon rummaged in his inner pocket and took something out.

What he carefully pulled out.

It was none other than a ‘small bone.’

“Um, applicant. What is that, by any chance? Just in case it’s a dangerous item.”

“Ah, it’s a chicken bone. I’m a necromancer.”

“Chicken bone…….?”

Park Younghwan blinked.

The association staff and medical team beside him were equally baffled.

The other hunter applicants, sunk in despair, even burst into laughter.

“So, you’re saying you’re going to summon a skeleton with a chicken bone?”

“Ah, yes. I don’t have gate experience yet. And I don’t have the means to buy monster bones either, haha…….”

Seo Juwon said, scratching the back of his head.

Park Younghwan was utterly dumbfounded.

A handsome man with a neat face seemed like he was playing a prank.

Well, anyway, I understand. 

Then, let me know when you’re ready. 

If you feel it’s dangerous during the exam, forfeit anytime.

“Yes. Thank you.”

Seo Juwon answered and simultaneously threw the chicken bone to the ground.

At that moment, the small chicken bone wriggled and rapidly grew.

Clack! Clack!

One pure white skeleton soldier popped out.

Of course, it wasn’t surprising at all.

No anticipation was felt either.

Necromancers are weak.

Skeletons break with a mere touch.

This one will be obvious too.

Park Younghwan clicked his tongue inwardly.

Even powerful warriors and mages were failing, so a frail necromancer was obviously going to fail.

Haa.

What to do about this.

Should he stop the exam now and change the test monster?

Park Younghwan sighed deeply.

“Um, I’m ready.”

“Understood. Then, we’ll start the exam immediately.”

Park Younghwan pressed the button as he answered.

Then, the iron chains binding the orc slowly loosened.

“Snort! Snort!”

The orc snorted roughly and thud thud walked toward Seo Juwon.

Its massive build was like a tank.

That’s when it happened.

Fwaat!

The skeleton soldier in front of Seo Juwon shot forward rapidly.

A faster speed than expected.

But he wasn’t particularly expectant.

It’ll shatter with one hit from the orc’s club.

Skeleton soldiers are seriously weak.

So it was certain to shatter immediately from the orc’s club.

I need to prepare to stop the exam before holding a funeral.

The orc would easily smash the skeleton and then pounce on the applicant Seo Juwon.

Before that, Park Younghwan prepared to control the orc.

They couldn’t let someone die during an exam.

As the skeleton approached the orc like that.

“Groooarrr!”

The orc swung its huge club diagonally.

And at the same time, the skeleton soldier swung its bone sword.

Of course, the bone sword would shatter…….

Slash!

As the bone sword drew a semicircle, a cutting sound rang out.

And……..

Thud!

The orc’s huge club split in half and fell to the training ground floor.

“……!”

Park Younghwan and everyone widened their eyes.

They couldn’t have imagined the frail skeleton soldier’s sword strike slicing the orc’s club.

But the skeleton soldier’s exploits didn’t end there.

Clack! Clack!

Like a seasoned swordsman, the skeleton that had cut the orc’s club.

It stepped sideways and ran.

Slash!

It cleanly severed the orc’s opposite forearm.

Blood bursting from the cut surface.

“Groooarrr!”

The orc, with its forearm severed, roared and swung its half-remaining club.

However, the skeleton soldier kicked off the ground, leaped into the air to dodge the attack.

Slash!

It swung its bone sword and slashed the orc’s neck.

A red line appeared on the thick neck.

Blood belatedly sprayed from there.

Plop!

As the skeleton soldier landed on the ground, the head fell off.

Immediately after, the orc’s headless body also collapsed with a thud.

“……!”

The moment they saw the orc’s corpse gushing blood, Park Younghwan and the people gaped.

People too shocked to make a sound.

They blankly recalled what had just happened.

N-No way. 

How did a skeleton soldier……

Park Younghwan’s pupils trembled.

He kept suspecting if he’d seen wrong just moments ago.

But no.

Clearly, the skeleton soldier had moved as nimbly as a swordmaster and subjugated the orc in one go.

H-How…….

Park Younghwan couldn’t believe the reality before his eyes.

He couldn’t accept that an applicant had hunted an orc, and using a skeleton at that.

Still, what had to be done must be done.

Park Younghwan spoke into the microphone, his lips trembling.

“T-The exam is over! With the orc incapacitated in combat, we grant a pass to Applicant No. 200, Seo Juwon. Congratulations!”

Applicant No. 200, Seo Juwon.

He was the first passer of the day.

W-What is this…….?

Standing on the training ground, I blinked.

The reason was simple.

The situation had unfolded far differently from my expectations.

I knew it would fight, but to overwhelm like this…….

The skeleton soldier summoned from a chicken bone.

Even when it charged, I hadn’t had high expectations.

Because I’d learned from internet searches that necromancers are weak.

But what was that swordsmanship earlier?

But the skeleton soldier I summoned was strong.

Not just reasonably strong, but incredibly strong.

It sliced the orc’s club and forearm in one go, and dodged its powerful attack.

Moreover, the sight of it leaping high at the end and beheading the orc was like a well-trained knight.

I heard skeletons are really weak?

From my scant knowledge, skeletons weren’t this strong.

Especially a skeleton soldier summoned at level 1 was said to be as weak as a toothpick.

Attack power needless to say.

But what was that flashy swordsmanship just now?

Even as its master, I couldn’t understand it at all.

Wait. Could it be because of that rank?

Then, a clue flashed in my mind.

The EX rank mark next to the skill.

Maybe that’s why it’s this strong.

I couldn’t be certain yet.

“T-The exam is over! With the orc incapacitated in combat, we grant a pass to Applicant No. 200, Seo Juwon. Congratulations!”

At that moment, the examiner’s voice burst from the speaker.

Pass.

I had been given a pass.

Clap clap clap clap clap!

Examiners standing and applauding in celebration.

And hunter applicants cheering “Cool!” toward me.

Looking at them, I was dumbfounded.

Even so, I vaguely realized.

That I had become an ‘official hunter.’

Eunbyeol-ah, Daddy did it!

I clenched my fist.

My heart pounding.

I just wanted to tell Eunbyeol the passing news quickly.

After passing the combat ability proof exam.

I left the dome-shaped building amid everyone’s congratulations.

And I was able to receive my hunter license at the Hunter Association headquarters.

“Ha, so this is the famous hunter license.”

I looked at the hunter license the size of my resident registration card.

The shiny hunter license.

My name, ‘Seo Juwon,’ was precisely written there.

“For me to become a hunter. Jackpot, for real.”

Until now, I’d lived a life completely unrelated to the hunter world.

Yet for me to pass the exam proudly and become a hunter.

It was just all so moving.

As I was leaving the Hunter Association headquarters to go home.

“Seo Juwon-ssi.”

Someone called me from behind.

Turning around, there stood the person I’d seen in the exam room earlier.

“Examiner?”

“Yes. Park Younghwan.”

“Ahh, right. But what’s up so suddenly?”

“Um, I wanted to make a proposal to Seo Juwon.”

“A proposal?”

“Yes.”

To my puzzled self, Park Younghwan said.

“Would you consider becoming a hunter civil servant?”

“A hunter civil servant…….?”

“Yes. I’m wondering if you’d like to try working as a hunter civil servant, which only awakeners can apply for.”

“Uh, doesn’t that require passing an exam?”

“Normally, yes. But hunter civil servant positions have a special recruitment system. It’s a system where skilled people are specially hired without an exam.”

I was startled by Park Younghwan’s sudden proposal.

A hunter civil servant, of all things.

It was something I’d never even imagined.

A civil servant job.

But the proposal itself wasn’t unwelcome.

Since hunter civil servant is still a civil servant job, it offers stable income.

Especially since it’s a life-risking job, I heard the salary is quite high.

So for me, who wandered day labor jobs, there was no reason to refuse.

“I appreciate the proposal for now. But I think I need a bit of time to think.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. I’m grateful that you thought well of me and proposed it, but it’s a bit sudden.”

“That makes sense.”

Park Younghwan nodded as if understanding, then took out a business card from his pocket and handed it over.

“Here’s my business card. Think it over and please contact me.”

“Got it.”

“I was truly impressed.”

“I’d be grateful if you think positively. Actually, I was greatly impressed watching Juwon-ssi’s combat earlier.”

Park Younghwan said with a sincere face.

Like that, I said I understood, turned around again, and started walking home.

A hunter civil servant.

I fiddled with the business card Park Younghwan gave me and smiled happily.

Just getting the hunter license was joyful, but getting a chance to become a civil servant too made me feel really good.

Still, I should think it over a bit.

Even so, I didn’t snap up the civil servant special recruitment opportunity.

The reason was simple.

Hunters usually go to guilds.

The reason to join a guild is the incredibly high annual salary compared to hunter civil servant.

Whatever it is, it’s a total jackpot.

In this situation where fortune rolled in like a vine, I smiled contentedly.

With a good mood, what came to mind was, of course, Eunbyeol’s face.

“Eunbyeol, Daddy became a hunter!”

Recalling Eunbyeol’s bright face, I headed home.

It was the moment I was finally reborn as an official hunter.