As expected, Jiyeon's guild building was just as overwhelming as Jinhyuk's.
Standing before the towering skyscraper, Seo Elena found herself tilting her head back, her gaze following its height as it stretched endlessly into the sky. Just looking at it made one thing painfully clear,
How much did it even cost to build something like this?
And it wasn't just the structure. The facilities inside, the staff, the constant maintenance... the sheer scale of it made it feel less like a building and more like a self-contained world.
Not that it has anything to do with me.
She let out a quiet breath and shook her head, as if physically pushing those thoughts aside, then lightly tapped her cheeks.
Focus.
She wasn't here to admire architecture.
Today, she had something important to do, getting her hunter license.
...Well, "important" might be a bit of an overstatement.
It wasn't as if she were some high-ranking hunter who needed official recognition.
If anything, she had managed perfectly fine without it until now. Reporting to the Association, dealing with procedures, having her name formally recorded... none of it sounded appealing.
If she could avoid it, she would have.
But... The National Auction.
A quiet sigh slipped past her lips.
Right. She needed it for that.
Shifting her weight slightly, Seo Elena glanced up at the massive building once more before rolling her shoulders.
Whatever.
Just think about the coffee.
She exhaled softly, trying to convince herself.
She was only here for the coffee.
"Oh, you're here!"
Jiyeon waved from a distance, Chiyeon standing beside her as usual.
Elena made her way over, her gaze naturally drifting to the man standing with them.
He was tall and well-built, the kind of person who looked like he could tank anything thrown at him, yet his face was surprisingly refined, with a small mole under his eye that made him stand out.
"...Are you busy right now?" she asked, her eyes lingering on him.
"No," Jiyeon answered instead. "This is Lee Jaewok. He works with the KHA, so I brought him along to speed things up for you."
I blinked, confused.
"...Speed things up?"
"It normally takes about two weeks to issue a hunter license," Chiyeon explained. "There's paperwork, identity verification, and internal approval from the Association."
She paused briefly, then glanced at Jaewok.
"But if a high-ranking official from the KHA is present during the evaluation, they can personally verify the results and submit a direct authorization."
Jiyeon smiled.
"In other words, he can issue you a provisional license on the spot under his name. It'll be recognized immediately, and the official registration will be processed afterward."
"Is that really allowed?"
Lee Jaewok finally spoke, "Yes. I'll be overseeing the verification myself, so it won't take long. There's no need to worry."
"...Ah."
I straightened slightly, realizing I hadn't properly introduced myself yet.
"Thank you, Mr. Lee Jaewok. And... I apologize for the late introduction. My name is Seo Elena."
A small, easy smile formed on his face.
"There's no need to apologize. Jiyeon-ssi already mentioned you," he replied. "But for formality's sake, I'm Lee Jaewok. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"...It's nice to meet you too."
Elena reached out, and they exchanged a brief handshake. His grip was firm without being overbearing, which somehow made her even more aware of just how strong he likely was.
Before she could say anything else, Jiyeon suddenly grabbed her wrist.
"Come on, let's get this over with. The faster we finish, the faster you can enjoy the auction."
"...The coffee," Elena corrected instinctively.
Jiyeon let out a soft laugh.
"Right. The coffee."
·•—–٠✤٠—–•·
Inside the Korea Association building, where hunters came to have their ranks evaluated, I was given special treatment and escorted past the waiting line.
I could feel the stares immediately.
People in line whispered under their breath, words like "favoritism" and "who does she think she is" weren't exactly hard to catch. I pretended not to hear them, letting it pass through one ear and out the other.
Honestly, I wasn't thrilled about this either!
I didn't even remember what my original goal was anymore. Somehow, things kept spiraling out of control. But I had already agreed to this, and Jiyeon went through the trouble of arranging it...
Backing out now would just be awkward.
When I entered the testing room, a woman in a white coat greeted me with a polite smile.
"Welcome," she said. "Is this your first time being evaluated?"
"Yes," I answered, a little stiff.
"Don't worry," she reassured me. "We'll guide you through everything step by step."
She gestured toward a circular platform in the center of the room. It looked like glass, with faint lines running across it like veins.
"Please stand here first. We'll begin with a basic mana measurement."
I stepped onto the platform. For a second, nothing had happened.
Hummm.
A low vibration spread through the floor, and a faint blue light rose around me like a thin barrier.
"Try to relax," she said, watching a screen beside her. "The device will measure your total mana capacity and output."
The light flickered slightly, and the screen beside her began to fill with numbers, first at a steady pace, then faster, almost like it was trying to catch up with something it couldn't quite process.
Her expression shifted.
It was brief, subtle enough that most people probably wouldn't notice, but I did.
"...That's strange," she murmured under her breath.
"Is something wrong?" I asked immediately, my voice coming out more alert than I intended.
"No, it's just..." She hesitated for a moment before shaking her head lightly. "The readings are a bit... inconsistent."
Inconsistent?
Before I could question her further, the machine let out a sharp beep.
『 Primary Measurement Complete 』
She tapped across the screen a few times, scanning the results, then gave a small nod as if she had reached a conclusion.
"Your base output places you at approximately C-rank."
C-rank.
...That actually sounded better than I expected. I was D-rank not too long ago.
"But," she continued, glancing back at me, "we don't determine ranks based on raw mana alone."
"We'll proceed with aptitude testing next," she said. "Please follow me."
I stepped off the platform and followed her into the next room.
The difference was immediate.
This space felt more enclosed, dimly lit in a way that made it hard to tell how big the room actually was.
In the center sat a single chair, connected to a helmet-like device with thin cables running into a nearby console.
"...What is this?" I asked, unable to hide the unease in my voice.
"A simulation interface," she explained calmly. "It evaluates your combat tendencies, mental resistance, and class affinity."
That didn't sound reassuring in the slightest.
"You'll be placed into a controlled virtual environment," she continued. "There's no real danger, but your responses will be recorded and analyzed."
'No real danger.'
That was exactly the kind of thing people said right before something went wrong.
Still, I didn't really have a choice...
I sat down, trying not to overthink it, and let her place the helmet over my head. The moment it settled into place, my vision faded to black.
『 Initializing Simulation... 』
When my sight returned, I found myself standing in what looked like an empty field stretching endlessly in all directions.
At first glance, it seemed calm, but this is a test so surely...
"Please respond naturally," a voice echoed faintly, as if coming from somewhere far beyond the horizon. "Your actions will determine your classification."
I let out a quiet breath.
Right. No pressure.
A subtle movement caught my attention, something shifting at the edge of my vision. Then another followed, and another, until the stillness of the field began to break apart.
Shapes emerged from the distance.
Monsters.
Of course it had to be monsters.
A sword appeared in my hand. Whether I used it or not, I honestly couldn't remember. Everything after that felt like a blur. One moment I was standing there, and the next, I was being trampled, crushed under their weight before I could even react.
And then I woke up again, as if nothing had happened.
Right. Virtual world.
That thought was the only thing keeping me from completely panicking.
The next test began almost immediately. This time, it focused on defense. The difficulty was lowered, and a group of goblins appeared in front of me. Compared to before, they looked smaller, weaker... manageable.
At least, that's what I thought.
The moment they threw their weapons, aiming straight for my chest, everything went black again.
Instant death.
...Is this some kind of humiliating ritual or torture? I genuinely couldn't tell anymore.
By the end of it, both my offensive and defensive abilities were deemed extremely low.
Then the third test began.
A single monster appeared in front of me, standing completely still. It didn't attack or move. It just... stared.
I stood there as well, frozen, unsure of what I was supposed to do. Was I meant to fight it? Wait? Run?
Nothing happened. Time passed in silence until the scene faded on its own. When the results finally appeared, I blinked in confusion.
S-rank mental resistance type.
That was... unexpected.
I mean, I had my "Blessed from Coffee" skill, so I could understand having some resistance to curses, but S-rank against every kind of mental attack? That didn't make sense. A C-rank hunter with S-rank-level resistance?
No... nothing about this made sense from the beginning anyway.
Even if I asked the system, it wouldn't answer. That stupid thing only ever shows up when it feels like it.
After the tests were completed, I was officially classified as a C-rank hunter with a specialization in mental resistance. Since I mentioned that I mainly worked as a healer, they adjusted my classification to the support category without much hesitation.
Considering how poorly I performed in everything else, it made sense.
"Congratulations," Chiyeon said as she walked up beside me.
"Thanks. Where's Jiyeon and Mr. Lee Jaewok?"
"Over there," she replied, tilting her head slightly toward the far end of the hall. "After hearing that you have S rank-level mental resistance, Mr. Lee Jaewok seemed very interested in recruiting you into the KHA."
"What?" I blinked. "W-why would they recruit me? I'm just a C-rank hunter..."
Chiyeon let out a small laugh. "Even as a C-rank, you're already valuable enough for most guilds, especially if you have a decent skill set. But having something at the S-rank level? That's a completely different story. In situations involving mental interference or curse-type abilities, you'd be incredibly useful against other awakeners."
"...Is that so?" I muttered. It made sense when she put it like that. "Even so, I have no intention of joining a guild. Ever."
She chuckled softly. "You're too valuable to stay unaffiliated forever. At this rate, you might even become an S-rank someday. It hasn't even been that long since you were an F-ranker."
I flinched.
Did she just say what I think she said?
"H-haha... there's no way I'd become an S-rank," I said quickly. "I already reawakened as a C-rank, so that's probably my limit."
Chiyeon's expression didn't change.
"I don't have an ability that reads status windows," she said calmly, "but I've trained long enough to sense mana accurately. It's something I specialize in."
She looked at me directly.
"Your mana has been increasing. Gradually, but consistently."
...She noticed.
My grip tightened slightly.
"Chiyeon-ah," I said quietly, forcing a small smile, "can you keep this a secret?"
"I can keep it a secret," she said, lowering her voice slightly, "but I'll tell you this now... Jiyeon noona and Hyein already know too."
...
Of course they do.
I let out a quiet breath, my shoulders dropping slightly.
"So I'm the only one who didn't know I was being watched this whole time?" I muttered.
Chiyeon smiled, not even bothering to deny it.
"It's hard not to notice something like that," she said lightly. "Your mana isn't just increasing... it's stable too. That's what makes it stand out."
That didn't make me feel any better.
"Don't worry," she added, her tone softening a little. "We're not planning to expose you or anything like that. You're our savior."
『 Above The Broken World 』
Cheer up, human. With great power comes great responsibility.
『 The Shiniest Gem 』
As expected. My child cannot hide her brilliance forever. Soon, the whole world will know... kyahaha!
『 Under The Oak Tree 』
They are right. You cannot keep that power in secret for long.
_________________
A/N:
I feel asleep editing this chapter kekeke. I would've uploaded it with a bunch of typos on accident. Phew.
I have 5 chapters sitting in my draft waiting to be published, but they're not edited so I unfortunately can't publish them yet. >.< I'll try to post one more in a bit... Maybe... The few readers still reading this story is the only reason why I keep writing... I love you all~ Fighting~