Chapter 14. When Will It Be My Turn?

A month came to pass in the blink of an eye.

Once Kim Do-Joon got home, he immediately copy-pasted the Tier 3 labyrinth key's effect onto himself.

[The item effect of the Tier 3 Collapsed Temple Key can be copy-pasted onto Kim Do-Joon.]

[Item effect available for copy-pasting:]

1. Grants entry to the labyrinth 'Collapsed Temple.'

Having successfully accomplished his task, Kim Do-Joon entered the labyrinth with a light heart.

[Corrupted Disciple]

Compatibility

- 37%

The monsters of the Collapsed Temple seemed to have Compatibilities well above the average. Kim Do-Joon could dispatch one or two of them with relative ease, but any past that would become a problem. He decided to retreat, realizing that he needed to raise his own Compatibility to better handle the labyrinth's perils.

Thus, Kim Do-Joon spent the month leading up to the Hunter Exam on a regular routine.

"Good morning!" rang the alarm.

He woke up to the noise and, with sleep-ridden eyes, reached out to shut his alarm off. He blithely washed up and changed into some workout clothes, then headed out for a morning jog.

He aimed to run beyond the neighborhood and to a training ground located nearly twenty kilometers out. The training ground, using a style of business having emerged alongside Hunters, rented out individual training spaces in time slots.

Twenty kilometers was perfect for a warm-up. He entered the training ground, breath only slightly disturbed. A single college student chewing gum manned the counter up front.

"Welcome," she said. Her expression, be it lazy or sleepy, was hard to read.

Kim Do-Joon had heard that the girl, looking to be a delinquent, was helping around her father's business over summer break, earning herself some pocket money all the while. Delinquent or not, she was a diligent worker opening the day with an early morning shift at seven o'clock.

After exchanging a casual nod with her, Kim Do-Joon proceeded onwards into one of the training rooms underground.

The floor was covered with mats and the walls, made of exceedingly sturdy material, were all scratched up. They might have looked a tad ominous, but the walls were proof that many people frequented the grounds.

Set to one side were a number of different devices. Among them was a machine measuring impact—it was a device that appeared frequently throughout older Hunter exams.

Kim Do-Joon favored the device to practice the force of his swings. After all, his axe was a weapon preferring solid strikes over flashy techniques.

Thud!

[Bam! 3564 points! Highest score updated! Congratulations!]

"Wow," Kim Do-Joon muttered, satisfied with the cheerful clamor of the machine.

Whenever he happened to achieve a score higher than his last, Kim Do-Joon did his utmost to remember the movements preceding it: his distribution of weight, how he timed the stretch of his legs, and the speed of his swinging arms.

He was aware of the fact that mindlessly swinging his axe about would lend quite poorly to learning. Kim Do-Joon needed to put in the effort to understand and explore himself if he sought improvements to his weapons mastery.

Little by little, his movements grew progressively more refined. He ran through his exercise routine, practicing his axe swing, throwing his knives, and loading up his crossbow among others.

By the time the lunch hour rolled around, Kim Do-Joon had jogged the twenty-kilometer distance back home. He was not surprised to find a meal placed at his doorstep. He had subscribed to a delivery service and paid a hundred and eighty thousand won per month for a rotating lunch menu.

The Kim Do-Joon of the past had zealously cooked himself his meals, hoping to save every last penny. Ironically enough, the opposite had become true—now, every minute was far more precious.

"Nice, it's tonkatsu today," Kim Do-Joon remarked.

Exercise normally left him quite hungry, and hearty meals were well welcome. He took a shower to wash away his sweat and, feeling refreshed, sat down to enjoy his meal.

He took a brief break afterwards, giving his body some time to rest. Lying down on his sofa, he scrolled through the news on his phone.

What followed was the time allotted for his main job: potion crafting. His shop may have been closed for the time being, but he still had a stock due for delivery to some guilds. After all, clients were hard to win back once they were lost.

Selling items directly out of a labyrinth raked in the profits, but having a steady and reliable source of income granted him a peace of mind. Moreover, he needed to set aside most of his items for copy-pasting.

He was finished by the evening, and headed out to the hospital to visit Kim So-Eun.

"Daddy!" Kim So-Eun greeted him, a warm smile on her face.

"Sweetheart, were you good today?" Kim Do-Joon asked.

"Of course!"

As they played, Kim Do-Joon lamented how he lacked another item boosting Vitality—had he a second Cold Heart of the Glass Snake, he would have copy-pasted its effect onto his daughter without a thought.

However, he was limited to clearing the Elemental Island once every ten days. Were he rewarded anything boosting Vitality from the Random Boxes, it would go straight to Kim So-Eun. Any others he would have to keep for himself.

[Kim So-Eun]

Compatibility

- 0%

[Additional Effects]

- Vitality Level + 11

- Cold Resistance + 9%

Kim Do-Joon could see that his daughter was looking much healthier as of late. She used to spend all her time stuck in bed, but was now able to go out for a walk once a week.

They had dinner together that night, and Kim Do-Joon stayed by Kim So-Eun's side until she fell asleep. He returned home at around nine o'clock—of course, the day was yet to end. He had another bout of training due at the deserted mountains nearby.

Within the confines of the training grounds, he had focused on honing his posture while handling his weaponry. Inside the mountains, he instead tested his movements with his focus under duress.

Kim Do-Joon had experienced four modes of battle thus far. For the first, he faced off against a mix of Skeleton Warriors, Mages, and Archers inside the Catacomb. Then, he waded his way through hundreds of swarming Skeletons to track down their lynchpin.

The Elemental Island, on the other hand, had matched him against a variety of burrowing snakes attempting to ambush him while unaware. Afterward, he engaged in a fierce duel against the labyrinth's boss, the Glass Snake.

On his own, he had conquered two dungeons in just over a month. A mere month had granted him a sum of experience dense enough to rival that of Hunters active for years.

Hunters generally tended to form calculated lineups against easy-to-handle monsters. It was procedural, like a business more than hunting itself.

Kim Do-Joon, of course, held no distaste or animosity toward their methods. It was a means to an end just like any other—all that mattered was that their Compatibilities were raised.

However, it was a path he could not abide in his haste. Kim Do-Joon experienced a sheer volume of battle far outstripping that of the average Hunter. What other rookie threw themselves into a battle against over three hundred strong, all on their own?

The sum of his experiences could hardly be quantified within the confines of a status window. Rather, Kim Do-Joon treasured it as invaluable knowledge to work off of, to be simulated for training.

He scrutinized his past self, wondering how things might have fared had he made a different move. If he ever had an inkling, he schemed to execute it in actual combat once he returned to the Elemental Island.

Over the past month, Kim Do-Joon had already visited the labyrinth three additional times. He achieved an average of twenty percent across his elemental resistance snakeskins. Moreover, he never failed to copy-paste the Cold Heart of the Glass Snake's effect onto Kim So-Eun.

The other boss drop, The Scaly Skin of the Glass Snake, was tucked away safely inside his inventory. He contemplated selling his duplicates, but figured they may come in handy later.

So went his busy month until finally, the day of the exam arrived.

***

The morning of the Hunter exam, Kim Do-Joon left his store to find Lee Ji-Ah standing out front next to a car.

"Good morning," she said.

"Ms. Ji-Ah?" Kim Do-Joon replied, looking puzzled.

Seeing the man at a loss, Lee Ji-Ah explained, "I wanted to drive you to the test center."

"Uh, are you sure? Isn't it in Gangwon-do?"

"

Haha,

yes. I'm well aware."

The exam was set to take place outside of downtown Seoul and in a backwoods village in the mountains of Gangwon-do. From their current location, it was a three hour drive.

"It's another part of my job, like what a manager does. Hurry up and get in," said Lee Ji-Ah.

Kim Do-Joon, left feeling baffled, hopped into the passenger seat.

Vroom—

The car started with a low hum. Catching a whiff of nauseating fumes and fearing it might induce motion sickness, he fastened his seatbelt.

"How are you feeling today?" Lee Ji-Ah asked.

"I'm doing fine," Kim Do-Joon replied.

"I'm certain that you won't have any trouble passing. You were amazing, handling those Goblin Riders on your own."

In truth, he had looked more brutal than amazing, but Lee Ji-Ah decided against mentioning it.

Hearing her compliment, Kim Do-Joon awkwardly scratched his head and replied, "Was I?"

"Yes. Your only problem will be the latent talent rank evaluation."

No matter how good a skill set a Hunter had, they usually started as F-ranks and raised their Compatibilities from there. Accruing achievements through hunting would grant them upward mobility.

That wasn't to undersell the impact of a Hunter's unique skills. The latent talent rank evaluation gauged the strength of an examinee's skills across a host of criteria and cast a prediction for how far they could climb.

"Is the latent talent rank evaluation really that important?" Kim Do-Joon asked, watching as they approached a red light.

After all, the grade you received was not absolute. With enough effort, it was possible for a Hunter to go beyond their initial latent talent rank. The opposite was true in turn—they may very well never meet their forecast at all.

Kim Do-Joon, for his part, found himself in a unique situation full of variables. As a result, he was far from concerned about what score he may receive.

To this Lee Ji-Ah remained unaware.

"Well, that goes without saying. Isn't the first impression always important? Guilds are very particular about that sort of thing," Lee Ji-Ah explained.

"

Hmm...

"

Kim Do-Joon, having no particular inclination toward any guild, remained skeptical.

Their conversation shifted to small talk. A little past two hours and a half had gone by the time the two arrived at their destination.

National Monster Research Institute

As the name suggested, it was a research facility established to study monsters. Normally, only researchers and staff were allowed entry, but the part of the venue was slated to host the Hunter exam twice a year.

To the north was a forest zone, and to the south was a scattering of buildings about the headquarters. Kim Do-Joon and Lee Ji-Ah arrived in front of the main examination building, itself already bustling with people.

"You guys will definitely pass."

"Don't be nervous, just do what you usually do while training."

"Are you sure you haven't forgotten anything, son?"

Many of the nervous examinees were fostered and supported by private training centers, academies, or guilds. The seniors that accompanied them tried to lift their spirits with encouragement.

Other Hunters-to-be had come along with their families, each fretting over them. Some family members cheered with the thought that their lives would all improve should their children pass, while others worried that the examinees might get injured over the course of the dangerous exam.

Kim Do-Joon was somewhat discomfited, looking bereft against the warm scene. Without the colleagues to provide him guidance, seniors to encourage him, or any remaining family outside of his hospitalized daughter to fret over him, he had nobody present to see him off.

As he smiled awkwardly, Lee Ji-Ah tapped his shoulder and handed him something.

"Here, take this."

He received a gift; it was a small candy with "Good Luck" written on it. Kim Do-Joon chuckled, finding the candy cute.

"

Haha,

weren't you the one saying that I'm almost certain to pass?" Kim Do-Joon said.

"Be that as it may, a good luck charm is bound to keep your chin up," Lee Ji-Ah replied with her usual blunt expression. "I'll wait for you at the café over there."

With those words, she turned and left.

Kim Do-Joon tossed the candy into his mouth and headed toward the main building. It was filled with many rooms and unfamiliar devices, undoubtedly used for research.

Following the arrows on the floor and walls, he headed to the first exam room. The first exam, held in a large hall resembling an auditorium, was a basic screening to verify whether or not examinees possessed any abilities.

"We will begin verifying your abilities. Please step forward to demonstrate once your number is called," said the staff.

At the front of the hall were three large machines, with a staff member assigned to each. It seemed that the verification process would be conducted in groups of three.

The test was a short one, with machines speedily measuring the output of mana used when activating a skill and analyzing its characteristics.

As the staff went down the list, a well-built young man eventually stepped up, seizing the attention of everybody in the hall.

"Wow..."

"That's insane..."

Outside of his large physique, the young man—seeming to be in his early to mid-twenties—looked rather ordinary. He was neither handsome nor ugly; at most, he appeared a bit rough.

In his hands was a weapon, approximately two meters in length: a spear of light.

20-24%

974-991

Light, Manifestation

His results appeared on the screen, and the crowd burst into murmurs—especially the people gathered about the guild managers' zone.

"Is he the one?"

"Yeah, I think so. He's the man who became an Awakener while out doing labor."

"You hardly ever see that sort of output... And why's his Compatibility so high?"

"He said he went into the dungeons as a Laborer and ended up dabbling in some hunting."

"Well,

some

looks like an understatement."

The norm was to obtain a Hunter license before going out to fight monsters. Of course, as the world often went, there were exceptions.

Laborers and Gatherers could enter dungeons without a Hunter license, and it wasn't particularly uncommon for them to do so to raise their Compatibilities in advance. Moreover, a number of academies and institutions included dungeon trips in their curricula.

It was, however, still very rare for an examinee's Compatibility to be over twenty percent.

"Is it over?" asked the young man.

"Sorry? Oh, yes. You've passed; you're good to head back," replied the staff.

"

Hmph

."

The young man snorted and returned to his seat. He gave the impression of having a rather confident and somewhat arrogant attitude.

Attention continued to pour onto him. Guild managers looked at him with greedy eyes, while other examinees stewed in envy.

However, Kim Do-Joon did not have any interest in him.

When will it be my turn?

Seeing them firsthand following Lee Ji-Ah's portents, Kim Do-Joon was far from taken aback by the younger man's skills. He had, after all, witnessed his fair share of shocking events.

"Number fifty-eight, please come forward," called the staff.

A while later, it was Kim Do-Joon's turn at last. As he approached, a staff member read his documents.

His skill is physical enhancement, and... Wait, he's thirty-five? Ugh, this isn't some sort of civil service exam. What is he even doing here...?

The staff member shook his head. For Hunters, physical fitness trumped all else. While the Yggdrasil system allowed one to transcend human limits, it did not prevent aging.

A Hunter typically reached their prime around their forties. A man the age of thirty-five had a mere five years until then. Worse was that it took an average of two to three years to enter a guild and become a full-fledged member, so it was likely that his active years would be even fewer.

Most of the examinees present were in their teens or twenties—including the young man earlier.

A few examinees began to whisper among themselves.

"What's this old guy doing here?"

"How does he plan to start working, getting a license at his age...?"

"He should have just stuck to his previous job."

Many did not seem to care at all. The guild managers were similarly dismissive.

The staff member proceeded with the examination, expectations tempered. He attached several electrode patches to Kim Do-Joon's body and activated the machine.

"Try using your skill," said the staff member.

"Alright," Kim Do-Joon replied.

Kim Do-Joon infused his will into the Mana Core in his heart. A cold force of mana began to roam around his body, gradually enveloping it in its entirety.

"Huh?"

The staff member's eyes blew open in disbelief as he saw the letters that appeared on the machine.