WebNovels

Chapter 7 - Chapter 7

Holding ticket number 89, I walked up to the counter.

 There was Kim Yun-sung hyung waiting for me.

 Mm, judging by his face, he must've just gotten chewed out by his boss again.

"Ah, Kang-hyun. You already know the drill, right?"

 "Yes."

It wasn't like this was my first or second time doing this….

I handed the number slip over the counter and picked up one of the two stacks of papers to the right.

 For reference, the stack on the left was the Aptitude Test Application, and the stack on the right was the Talent Grade Examination Form. Heh, finally, I get to hold the right-side paper.

"Uh, Kang-hyun. You grabbed the wrong one."

 "Huh? What do you mean?"

 "That's not an aptitude test form, that's a talent examination form."

 "Oh, then I didn't grab the wrong one."

 "…What?"

I flicked the talent examination form in my hand and lifted the corner of my mouth.

 I had been dying to try this line on him just once.

 And it's not just because he awakened his talent before me.

"I awakened my talent."

 "…What?"

Without looking at Kim Yun-sung hyung's expression, I turned on my heel.

 Finally, it was time to see the long-awaited result of my talent grade.

After filling out all my personal information on the form and submitting it, I moved straight to the room with the examination capsule.

 Of course, there was a bit of waiting inside.

But since I could peek at other people's talents, that time flew by in an instant. This thing really was a time-eater.

 Most were D or F grades, sure, but I had always been fascinated by talents themselves, so it was more than enough entertainment.

'If I'm ever bored, I could just sit in a café and watch people like this.'

My footsteps echoed crisply down the hallway.

 Arriving in front of the Talent Grade Examination Room, my heart began to race again.

 There was nothing to be nervous about, but… feelings rarely listen to reason.

Click.

When I opened the door, I was greeted by a single massive capsule in the center.

 Just then, a man sitting at a computer to the side swiveled his chair toward me.

"Baek Kang-hyun, correct?"

 "Ah, yes."

 "Everything's ready, so please step inside the capsule."

With a hiss, the oval capsule in front of me opened upward.

 Sliding inside slowly, I felt it cradle my body comfortably.

'Come to think of it, I always scored S-class on aptitude tests….'

Just to be sure, I pulled up my status window again.

=

 Name: Baek Kang-hyun

 Level: 1

 Hunter Rank: Pending (Estimated Grade: Under Adjustment)

 Skills

 – Opportunity (Grade under adjustment)

 – Observation (Grade under adjustment)

 – Frost Shaping (S)

 – Empty Slot

 Stats: Stamina (D), Strength (C), Agility (C), Magic (D), Willpower (C)

As expected, both Opportunity and Observation still read "Grade under adjustment."

Well, I was here now, so I'd finally get the exact ratings.

Just then, a beeping sound rang and a coefficient gauge lit up.

 My grade would be determined by those numbers.

"This is the new model. Comfortable, right?"

 "Oh, is it? Yeah, feels good."

New model, huh?

 Funny, I could've sworn I sat in this same capsule just last week….

 Figures. They'll milk this machine for the next ten years.

Sure, maybe higher-ups would move on to new gear over time, but for common folks like me, this was all we got.

As these thoughts drifted by, the capsule whirred to life.

 Something pressed down on me like a massage.

 And at the same time….

Beep, beep-beep….

Numbers began to etch themselves onto the capsule's display.

'…It's here.'

My breath caught as the numbers climbed.

 This time, it wasn't "None" like always.

 If it were "None," there wouldn't even be a reading.

 Which meant these numbers were real.

Proof. Proof that I had a talent.

'S. S is coming!'

The digits kept climbing.

 Higher, higher, higher.

 The higher they went, the more my lifelong sense of inferiority was washed away. I bit my lip in exhilaration.

"…Huh?"

But that thrill didn't even last ten seconds.

 With a chime, the grade popped up.

"…C?"

The word slipped out of me in disbelief.

 Even if the under-adjustment skills didn't count yet, the Frost Shaping I stole from Yong Sang-jae was definitely an S-class skill.

So how could my overall grade be C?

Whoosh.

Regardless of my confusion, the capsule hissed open. My body felt weak; I couldn't stand right away.

"Measurement complete. Please step out."

 "Ah, yes."

For now, I forced myself upright.

 Grade or not, I couldn't sit here forever. At the same time, I quickly pulled up my status window.

=

 Name: Baek Kang-hyun

 Level: 1

 Hunter Rank: Pending (Estimated Grade: Under Adjustment)

 Skills

 – Opportunity (Grade under adjustment)

 – Observation (Grade under adjustment)

 – Frost Shaping (S)

 – Empty Slot

 Stats: Stamina (D), Strength (C), Agility (C), Magic (D), Willpower (C)

'…Unchanged?'

Nothing had changed from before I entered the capsule.

 Still "Grade under adjustment." Frost Shaping still intact.

"Your measured grade is C. Please fill out this form and submit it at the counter to receive your certificate."

The man handed me a sheet of paper.

 I took it absent-mindedly and walked out of the room.

Just in case, I checked again — the paper still said "C."

 Not S.

'C-class, huh…. Why C?'

Rather than frustrated, I felt oddly calm.

 Frost Shaping was S, and Opportunity and Observation weren't even graded yet.

No way Opportunity was C.

Wait. Could it be…?

'The grading only finalized up to C?'

After all, the machine was just that — a machine.

 The fact that it gave me C despite having an S-class skill, and that it didn't register "Grade under adjustment," made that the most realistic explanation.

'…If anything, this might be good.'

C-class wasn't high enough to draw attention, nor so low as to be useless.

 It was just right.

 And more importantly, my skills remained hidden.

With technology in 2067, all this machine could really measure was an overall talent grade.

 That's why even someone like Yong Sang-jae came in for these checks now and then.

 It'd be years before they could identify specific skills.

 Which meant Opportunity and Observation were safe.

My eyes dropped to the form in my hand.

 Registered talents had to be written down and submitted.

 Most people detailed everything carefully, since higher benefits came with special skills even at lower grades.

But me?

'I'll keep it vague.'

If I didn't specify, no one would know about Opportunity or Observation.

The "Cold Weapon Shaping" cover I'd mentioned before would fit perfectly as a C-class skill.

While thinking this over, I returned to the counter and picked up a pen.

That's when—

"Baek Kang-hyun."

 "Jesus—! You scared me!"

Yong Sang-jae suddenly appeared and clamped a hand on my shoulder.

"…What's your talent grade?"

 "Are you crazy? Did you even take your test?"

 "I did. And that's not the point."

His eyes burned with seriousness.

 Why was he so invested in my grade?

"So what is it?"

 "C-class."

 "…C-class?"

 "Yeah, that's what they said."

I gave him a perfunctory answer and kept filling out the form.

But then—

"That's impossible. I need to contest this."

 "Yeah, sure. Wait—what?"

I froze and looked back at him. What insane thing was this guy saying?

"Baek Kang-hyun, you can't be C. You're S. The aptitude test said so."

 "The machine says C. Then it's C."

 "That capsule was a new model."

 "…So?"

 "It glitched. To think a mere machine would demean a human—this is serious."

 "No, no. That's not it. And I'm fine with it—"

 "I'm not fine with it!"

What the hell!?

 Why was he making a scene when I said I was fine?

Because of him, everyone's eyes were now on me.

 Guess that's what happens when you're an S-class already — your face gets recognized.

"Isn't that Yong Sang-jae?"

 "What's he doing there?"

 "Looks like some problem? Who's the guy with him?"

 "Friend, maybe?"

This was spiraling fast.

 No good. I couldn't afford attention.

I had already finished filling in my talent details — just needed to review.

 Using my reporter's instincts, I skimmed my answers quickly, then grabbed Sang-jae's arm.

But he just muttered—

"Don't worry. I'll fix this."

Like hell.

"I don't need it fixed. This is fine. Sang-jae, please. This is embarrassing…."

 "But you're the same as me…!"

This wasn't working. He wasn't going to back down.

"Growth-type skill!"

 "…What?"

 "Mine's probably a growth-type! You know, the kind that starts B but evolves to A, that kind!"

There were plenty of cases like that.

 As skill proficiency grew, sometimes they evolved upward.

 No one knew the mechanics, how much effort it took, or even whether a skill could grow — it was an unsolved field, even a decade later.

"How do you know that?"

 "Because it's similar to your skill."

 "…Similar?"

 "Yeah. Cold Weapon Shaping is still shaping magic. You know that, Sang-jae."

He nodded slowly.

 "…True. Creation-type magic has high evolutionary potential."

 "Exactly! Someday, mine will evolve like yours. Then it'll be S-class."

 "…But—"

 "And aptitude just means 'potential grade,' not the current result, right? That means I have the seed of S-class in me!"

It was a convincing argument.

 Even if aptitude was listed A, sometimes the actual result came out B or C. And those people usually grew into A later.

"Sang-jae, I really like this skill. Since it's similar to yours, I can even learn directly from you."

 "…Learn from me?"

 "Y-yeah. That's what I was thinking."

"..."

Suddenly, Sang-jae went quiet.

 Did… did he accept it?

 I had no idea why he looked persuaded, but thank god.

People were staring, sure, but that didn't matter.

 What mattered was getting out of here.

"Just wait here. Don't go anywhere. I'll submit this quick."

 "…All right."

Watching him mutter "Learn from me, huh…," I let out a sigh of relief.

 Now wasn't the time to argue with him.

The Polygon application deadline was right around the corner….

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