Chapter 18
Upon Jinhyuk’s declaration, Kim Gitae flinched.
“To face the entire guild alone?”
It was both reckless and arrogant.
After all, guilds were formed to surpass the limits of individual entities.
And to think, the guild in question was the second-largest in the country, a colossal one at that?
“If you’ve come to take the test now, your level must be low…”
“Low it is. Still at level 1.”
“That’s absurd. But do you truly believe you can do it?”
The average level of the top ranks in the Fight Club guild was over 20.
Moreover, there were more than ten players stronger than Kim Gitae.
Yet,
“If you intend to judge everything merely by level, then you have a complete misunderstanding of the Tower of Trials.”
Jinhyuk’s voice remained monotone.
‘Was he serious?’
Kim Gitae swallowed hard.
This was not an empty boast.
It was the confidence of someone with capabilities.
Of course, defeating hundreds from the Fight Club guild was unlikely.
But at the very least,
‘He’s stronger than me.’
That much was certain.
Kim Gitae, who had been silent, finally spoke.
“What are the terms…?”
“Hmm?”
“The terms of the exchange. What are they?”
It seemed he had made his decision.
To proceed with the transaction.
“Simple. I’ll give you the location of the Mandragora. In return, hand over more than ten of the exclusive dungeons held by Fight Club.”
Exclusive dungeons.
Unlike the common dungeons open to all, these were dungeons owned by guilds, coveted for their lower risks and lucrative rewards.
Thus, guilds were desperately vying for these dungeons.
But to hand over ten of them,
“That’s an exorbitant price.”
“The cure for mana addiction is at stake. Naturally, it should be costly, don’t you think?”
Don’t just grumble about the immediate cost.
Weigh the alternatives.
Between ten dungeons and relations with China,
Which is more crucial to Fight Club?
Kim Gitae’s mind raced.
Stripping away his emotions, he coldly calculated the gains and losses.
Ten exclusive dungeons.
A steep price, but if it meant learning the location of the Mandragora, it wasn’t a bad deal.
The real issue was the person across him.
‘If he’s this strong at level 1…’
How powerful would he become once he levels up?
It was terrifying.
The speed of growth, potential, and the future.
All of it.
However, the decision wasn’t solely Kim Gitae’s to make.
It wasn’t a matter so light that one person could decide.
“I’ll discuss it with the guild executives. I’ll consult them about the conditions you mentioned and get back to you.”
“A wise decision.”
Jinhyuk smiled slightly.
With that, their conversation concluded.
[Lv3 ‘Dark Barrier’ has been lifted.] With the message, the transparent barrier disappeared.
“I’m out!”
“Wow!”
“What happened?”
“What did you discuss inside?”
As the two emerged, those who had been anxiously waiting bombarded them with questions.
“There, lower the camera. Hey, didn’t you hear? Put the camera away!”
“If you don’t want to squeal about freedom of the press, return what you’ve filmed. I trust everyone is aware of the revised Awakened Special Law.”
Players from both the Black Crow guild and Fight Club blocked the journalists.
‘Hmm. This is quite convenient.’
It spared him the nuisance.
Just as it seemed things would quiet down,
Boom!
“Argh!”
With a loud noise, a body tumbled across the floor.
Had he been hit squarely by an ogre?
His nose was completely smashed.
‘That must hurt.’
Jinhyuk glanced towards the direction from where the body was launched.
There, a woman in sportswear, bending her joints, caught his eye.
“Move. Everyone. Unless you wish to die.”
The player known as the Nokdu Fist of Bukgwangdong.
It was Yoo Yeonhwa.
And behind her was the figure of Lee Taemin.
“Brother! Are you okay? If they said something, just tell me. I’ll flip everything upside down for you.”
“Kim Gitae, I am disappointed. To think you’d go this far. Setting up barriers and whatnot.”
The two displayed strong hostility.
Initially, they were extremely reluctant to get involved with other guilds…
But when push came to shove, they didn’t hesitate to step forward without looking back.
Not a bad feeling.
They were willing to stand by me. To be on my side.
‘Yoo Yeonhwa and Lee Taemin…’
Kim Gitae’s expression hardened further.
He thought they merely knew each other.
Considering they were quite famous in this circle, it was unlikely they’d make connections lightly.
But to think they’d go to such lengths.
This was beyond mere acquaintance.
If provoked…
It felt like they were prepared to go to war.
“Just a conversation. There was nothing for you to worry about.”
“Is that true?”
“Indeed. The person was more reasonable than I expected.”
This time, Jinhyuk responded.
“If my brother says so…”
“Understood, for now.”
With that, Yoo Yeonhwa and Lee Taemin dissipated the mana they had gathered.
The tension in the air eased.
Kim Gitae, about to leave, paused momentarily then turned to Yoo Yeonhwa.
“Ah, right. Almost forgot. How is Elder Yoo Cheonyoung doing?”
“He’s flying around so energetically you don’t need to worry about him.”
“Hmm. Well, if an insider says so, then it must be true.”
With a twisted smile, Kim Gitae hurried on his way.
Meanwhile, Yoo Yeonhwa bit her lip in frustration as they passed each other.
The one who seemed impatient now was Park Hajin.
“Wait! Are we really letting them go just like that?”
After being humiliated, he was eager for a chance at revenge.
Why the sudden loss of momentum?
Park Hajin couldn’t accept it.
He felt only by going all out and crushing his opponent could he relieve this tightness in his chest.
“Leave it. Someone like you isn’t capable of dealing with him.”
Kim Gitae drew a line.
“But, but!”
“But?”
“…No. I just wanted another chance…”
“A chance? I gave you one. The chance for your head to remain on your shoulders. Lucky for you, you didn’t die challenging that monster.”
“…”
“If you defy me again, you’ll regret it. Remember, many wish to ally with us for a reason.”
Park Hajin clenched his jaw.
Shooting Jinhyuk a deadly glare was an added bonus.
At that moment,
Ding!
[Conditions met.] [Successfully copied the skill ‘Shallow Breathing (D)’.] [The copied skill is stored in ‘Memories of the World’.] [Shallow Breathing (Passive)] Difficulty: D
Description: Allows control over the amount of breath and heart rate. (Limits vary with skill level.)
His hostility must have peaked.
Being rejected by the one he wished to impress most left him no choice.
But, that was his issue.
‘Let’s make good use of this.’
Jinhyuk smiled satisfactorily, viewing the new passive skill he acquired.
As the commotion settled, the test resumed.
Naturally, the number of participants had dwindled.
The fierce atmosphere had dampened the spirits of many candidates.
Many had lost their nerve or outright quit, leading to a mix-up in the order of applicants.
Eventually, only those eager to proceed were allowed to continue the test.
[1st place Park Hana. Measurement: 1755. Grade A] [2nd place Han Minhee. Measurement: 989. Grade B] [3rd place Oh Junghoon. Measurement: 845. Grade B-] […….] ‘Hmm.’
Jinhyuk let out a small exclamation of surprise upon checking the leaderboard.
Park Hana was in first place, by a significant margin.
‘Did she eat ginseng before coming?’
The nature of the test, conducted privately between the examinee and the examiner, left the method unclear.
But clearly, some amusing mischief had taken place.
And just then,
“Next, please enter.”
It was Jinhyuk’s turn.
The door opened to reveal a rather spacious room.
At its center stood a massive mana stone, with an Awakeners’ Association examiner holding a tablet PC beside it.
“Ah, hello.”
The examiner trembled slightly upon seeing Jinhyuk, likely due to the events that had just transpired.
Understandable, yet…
He wished the examiner would just explain the test already.
“What do I need to do?”
“Ah, yes. For the test, simply strike the mana stone in front of you. You may use your unique abilities or items. The essence is to gauge the potential manifested upon impacting the mana stone.”
In other words, ‘hit the mana stone with all your might’.
‘That’s straightforward enough.’
There wasn’t anything challenging about it.
Jinhyuk approached the mana stone and drew a reinforced dagger.
“A dagger, I see. Will you not use your unique abilities, opting for the weapon alone?”
“Yes. This will suffice.”
“Very well. You may begin whenever you’re ready.”
As the examiner finished speaking,
The blade began to hum with energy, vibrating as it was enveloped in a blood-red light.
And at that moment,
The dagger sliced through the air, grazing the mana stone’s surface, leaving a fine scratch.
It was a strike perfectly blending speed and power.
However,
[589th place Kang Jinhyuk. Measurement: 91. Grade F]
The screen displayed a vastly different result from expected.
“You’ve completed the test with an F… grade.”
The examiner read out the result with a hesitant expression.
In contrast,
Jinhyuk looked at the same outcome and chuckled softly.
There was no surprise.
It’s like one of those clichés in stories, you know?
The talented protagonist takes the initial awakening test only to end up with an F grade – a plot as old as time.
There are countless reasons you could attach to this – system errors, defective mana stones, you name it.
“I’ve always wondered.”
Jinhyuk took a step forward.
“Why do they accept such absurd results without question?”
If they had received proper grades from the start,
The many protagonists in stories would have grown much faster, smoother.
They would have had access to areas, dungeons, and information off-limits to F grades right from the beginning.
It all started off twisted.
But,
In this reality, I won’t let the same thing happen.
“Excuse me, examiner?”
“Y-Yes? Did you call me?”
The examiner, who had been looking around nervously, responded with a start, visibly shaking.
No surprise there.
The scene of Jinhyuk playing with Park Hajin was still vivid in everyone’s eyes.
For a low-level public servant who merely checked numbers during tests, feeling terrified was natural.
“Is there another examiner here besides you?”
“Yes! No! I mean, unfortunately, it’s just me. So, how can I assist you?”
“The mana stone seems faulty. How about we replace it? Not with a low-grade one but at least a mid-grade or higher.”
“Replace the mana stone? Why would we…”
It’s frustrating.
“Do you see the scratch on the mana stone here?”
Jinhyuk pointed at the mana stone’s surface.
Though faint, there was undoubtedly a scar.
“Ye-Yes, I see it.”
“Mana stones don’t easily get damaged by ordinary attacks. But, there’s a scratch here, and I got an F grade? Does that make sense to you?”
Are everyone’s eyes just for decoration? Or are they pretending not to see?
I can’t tell.
Either way, it’s frustrating.
And yet,
“You’re still here?”
Jinhyuk frowned.
“I-I’ll get it ready right away! Give me a minute. No, just 30 seconds, please.”
The examiner rushed off towards the storage as if his life depended on it, his urgency clear.