MDITS Chapter 8

The Hunter Management Agency was not far from Seoul City Hall.

It served as the command center of all Hunters in Korea.

A skyscraper with over 80 floors – it is said that those who visited this place for the first time shrink unknowingly from its overwhelming presence.

There was already a huge crowd waiting near the entrance, even before its opening hours.

Today is the <Hunter Rating Assessment> which only occurs once a year.

Since all the Hunters could not be graded at once, they were divided into four sections, and Cha Yeji belonged to the first section.

After browsing through various pamphlets, Do-jun took out his smartphone and checked the time.

9:10 AM. 

The assessment starts at ten o’clock, so there was still some time left.

“Is this your first time taking the test?”

Do-jun asked as he looked at Cha Yeji, who seemed to be very nervous.

At that question, Cha Yeji shook her head in response.

“I did the same thing when I first took the Hunter exam. But this is my first time since then.”

“Even though we only trained for a short period of time, but I know you’ve been working hard during that time, so I’m sure you’ll get good results. Good luck.”

“Thanks!”

From a distance, someone suddenly shouted.

“It’s Kang Min-hyuk!”

“There’s also Han Min-ji!”

“The two renowned S-class Hunters…!”

As Do-jun and Yeji turned their heads,

The crowd parted like the Red Sea, as if Moses’ miracle was happening again.

A man and a woman, who appeared to be in their early 30s, or in their late 20s, were walking side by side at the entrance of the Hunter Management Agency, and people were paving the way for the both of them.

“Can I have your autograph?!”

Click!

Click!

The reporters were busily taking pictures of them, and there are also others who reached out their hands just to have the chance to touch them.

That scene was like watching some movie stars pass by on the red carpet.

“Are they famous?”

When Do-jun asked, Cha Yeji was immensely shocked.

“Of course! They are ranked 7th and 10th in the Hunter Ranking! Ahh, if only I could shake hands with them…”

Whoosh.

Kang Min-hyuk and Han Min-ji.

The two S-class Hunters passed by Do-jun and Cha Yeji and finally entered the building.

Do-jun opened his eyes after assessing their auras.

“If you work really hard, you’ll be able to catch up to them in a year.”

Those S-class Hunters lived up to their rank, strong energy naturally emanates from them.

When Do-jun was in Murim, he was quite famous. He was renowned as a first-class warrior.

But still, it doesn’t mean that he is the pinnacle of the arts.

Well, Cha Yeji had the swordsmanship skill created by the man called the Sword Saint

If she tried, she could easily catch up to those S-class Hunters.

“Ehh?! M-manager! Please don’t say that, it’s embarrassing…”

Do-jun’s words caught the attention of the people around them.

Looking at Cha Yeji, who turned beet red, Do-jun smiled.

＊ ＊ ＊

The Hunter Rating Assessment began with the measurement of the Hunters’ stats.

A Hunter’s stats are displayed on a screen through the airwaves fired from the machine placed on their forearm called the ‘Statometer’. It is similar to a blood pressure meter commonly found in health centers.

Beep.

A man in his early 40s placed his arm on the Statometer. The numbers in the display column were divided into four categories namely Strength, Agility, Vitality, and Mana. Slowly, the readings of the device began to rise little by little, and then suddenly came to a stop. The staff who was measuring his stats smiled and then printed out the result on a sheet.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Tsk. E-class again?"

The man was restless as he got up from his seat and nervously snatched his printed results.

Do-jun looked at the ‘temporary’ grading table that determines the rank of a Hunter based on the results they got from the Statometer only.

“A total of 20 or more points, collectively, in Strength, Agility, and Vitality, and 1 or more for Mana, that’s E-class.”

And that man’s stats are; 10 for Strength, 4 for Agility, and 9 for Vitality.

And his Mana was only 2.

Based on the table, his stats landed him on E-class.

Of course, their ranking could still be changed by another factor which is their overall fighting experience which would then be measured through a practical test of combat against monsters.

However, in most cases, their final grade is almost fixed at E-class because such situation rarely happen.

“Oh, she got a grade higher than last year?”

“C-class. That must be great.”

The managers of each guild quickly ran and surrounded the woman who just received a C-class ranking.

“Hello! I’m Ko Gil-dong, Human Resources Manager for the Balkan guild. If you don’t mind, I’d like to talk to you for a moment.”

“I’m Cho Hyun-jin from the Buffalo Guild! We have a large number of Hunters, from C-class and above. We also rent weapons and suits of D-class and above free of charge for new hunters! We’ll also give you a generous deposit.”

The woman’s face immediately brightened up.

It’s no surprise since Hunters who are ranked C-class and above are quite rare.

The value of a Hunter is judged by their ranking, that’s why when the assessment reveals an individual to be C-class, small and medium-sized guilds were very eager to recruit them. 

“Sigh.”

It was Cha Yeji who sighed at that sight.

Do-jun alternately looked at both that C-class woman and Cha Yeji.

“Are you jealous, human?”

“Pft! What the hell?”

“You were staring at her.”

“It’s not like I’ve never gotten a love call from a guild. It’s just... I’m nervous.”

Ding dong.

[No. 78 Hunter Cha Yeji. Please come to Window 5.]

“It’s your turn now, Ms. Yeji. Let’s go.”

After taking a few deep breaths, Cha Yeji slowly walked towards Window 5 and sat down.

“Please roll up your sleeve and place your arm on the Statometer.”

Cha Yeji complied accordingly with the staff’s instructions.

Do-jun looked at the device calmly.

Then the figures began to go up little by little. 

After a while, the measurement was finished.

Strength 6, Agility 11, Vitality 8, Mana 10.

The staff was surprised as he opened his eyes wide.

This reaction pushed Do-jun to ask the staff.

“Is there something wrong?”

“Oh, there’s nothing wrong… By the way, are you her guardian?”

“I am the in-charge of her.”

His answer made the staff think he was her guild manager.

“Her Mana stat is abnormally high compared to her other stats. She must be someone who is very fortunate in terms of body strengthening. The measurements have been completed, and her final grade is… D-class.”

“Thank you. Let’s go, Ms. Yeji.”

“Alright!”

Immediately, the guild managers who were watching Cha Yeji came rushing in.

“Hello! I’m Mir Guild’s…”

“I’m from Buffalo Guild! We…” 

Cha Yeji’s consciousness began to deteriorate from the sudden outpour of people towards her.

After failing to see him, Do-jun sighed and pulled Cha Yeji into his arms.

“Anything to say about our Hunter?”

At that moment, Cha Yeji’s face turned red, and lowered her head.

After the guild managers realized what happened, they turned around and clicked their tongues.

“T-thank you, manager.”

“Of course, I just did what I had to do.”

At best, she is a contracted hunter.

If he loses her to a guild, he will be ashamed to face the rest of the employees in the Rift Management Department.

However, Cha Yeji interpreted his words in a different way. 

‘He’s unexpectedly bold… Hehe.’

Cha Yeji looked up at Do-jun’s face and smiled back.

＊ ＊ ＊

After having a brief lunch, Do-jun and Cha Yeji entered the waiting room of the ‘examination site’ located underground of the building. 

Two hours passed.

Tap.

Do-jun tapped his finger on the glass partition separating the waiting room and the examination site. Looking down over the glass partition, a total of five stages could be seen.

There, dozens of Hunters are currently dealing with the D-class monsters called ‘Skeleton Soldiers’ on each separate stage.

“It’s finally your turn next.”

“…Uhm, Manager. Can I really try out for C-class?”

Cha Yeji couldn’t hide her anxiety and hunched over.

“Believe in yourself. You might be D-class based on your stats right now, but I know you can already deal with a C-class monster.”

“H-how can you be so sure of that?”

“It’s my hunch.”

“Ahh…”

Do-jun had no doubt that Cha Yeji would perform well in the next test.

This was to be expected as a result of him overseeing Cha Yeji’s training these past few days.

And he has already perceived her level to be already above C-class.

‘Scholar’s Swordsmanship is a training technique, but its power is well beyond what mere mortals can perceive.’

The more you learn about the swordsmanship skill, the higher the level of skill and ability you can access from Scholar’s Swordsmanship

In addition, even the Mana in your surroundings can naturally be stored in your abdomen.

Do-jun gained more respect for Jin So-woon, the creator of the Scholar’s Swordsmanship.

[In 10 minutes, the C-class Rift will be activated.]

The Hunters who challenged for D-class slowly left the stage.

And the stage was restored to how it was before.

The ‘Cave Field’ disappeared and then changed into a ‘Meadow Field’.

“As expected, the Orc Warriors came out. As I said, you will never win by force, so don’t think about taking the offensive head-on.”

Cha Yeji swallowed her saliva and nodded.

She then took out her Suitcase that she brought in, and armed herself.

Inside it contained an F-class suit, and her D-class weapon, the Skeleton Soldier’s Sword.

After seeing her equipment, Do-jun thought he should change it after this test.

‘Getting promoted to C-class is definitely possible.’

Chief Kang Chul-soo was smiling widely at that scene.

＊ ＊ ＊

Cha Yeji raised her head and looked at a certain spot.

It was an opaque partition 30 meters above the ground.

Its interior wasn’t visible if seen from the stage, but from the waiting room, the view down the stage could be seen clearly.

Clank.

“Oh? Why are you here?”

Startled.

As Cha Yeji turned her head, she saw a familiar figure.

“…Na Han-jung.”

“I’ve never seen an F-class Hunter challenge a C-class Rift in my entire life.”

At that remark, the Hunters on the same stage began to gossip.

“...F-class? What is he talking about?”

“She’s an F-class?”

“She’s wearing the lowest-grade suit.”

“Whoa. What guts.”

Cha Yeji bit her lips.

She then turned around, clasping her sword.

Now is the time to concentrate on the test.

There is no time to pay attention to surrounding gossip and chatter.

Tap.

Na Han-jung looked around.

It seemed that the ‘monster’ she was with last time wasn’t there.

“Well, try your best anyway.”

＊ ＊ ＊

Swoosh.

Do-jun turned his head as he heard a noise coming from the side.

After Cha Yeji entered the stage, the waiting room had suddenly become noisy.

He then checked the face of the man next to him.

‘Isn’t this Kang Min-hyuk?’

The S-class Hunter who ranked 7th in the Hunter Ranking.

Although it wasn’t time for the S-class’s stage yet, Kang Min-hyuk’s appearance in the waiting room made the people excited, and some even secretly took pictures or approached him to ask for his autograph.

“I’m a fan! Can I have your autograph, please?"

A woman held out a paper and a pen with a flushed face.

Kang Min-hyuk said with a bright smile.

“I’m sorry. I want to focus on that right now.”

His fingers pointed towards the stage.

Seeing this, the woman stepped back regretfully.

Swoosh.

Kang Min-hyuk faced the stage again.

And at the end of his gaze, there stood Cha Yeji.

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