Chapter 25

Measure

Grading was not available every day, but every other week at the Hunter Center. If I missed this opportunity, I would have to wait more than a month, so I had to go.

The grading process that I experienced after a long while was still primitive.

"Mr. Seo Jin-wook? I will verify your identity... Yes. That's good. Please put your hands on the stone here."

It was complicated to measure potential Mana, so measuring active Mana was really the only way to do it.

"It has almost been a month since you Awakened. Do you have basic Mana control? Then pour all the Mana in your body on this stone."

It was a method to quantify the Mana when the hunter himself injected Mana into a stone-shaped artifact.

The problem with this method was that they couldn't catch the hunter in the act when they chose to pour just a little amount of Mana. By the logic of the current era, since a hunter had nothing to benefit from having one's active Mana measured less than it was, they would stick to this method.

'How much should be suitable?'

Meanwhile, my capacity had increased.

-Active Mana: 7,200 (+4,100) / 3,100

-Potential Mana: 76,000

The Constitution Department had no means to measure the potential Mana, so that was out of the question. My real active Mana capacity was 3,100, which belonged to the upper class of the D-Class Hunter.

If I included all active Mana created from Mana drain that could not be recovered when consumed, it was 7,200, but this was the amount of Mana that could earn a B-Class rating if I did well at the promotion test.

And, in the first place, a D or B rating was never given to a hunter immediately after the Awakening in this era. Therefore, it was a number that was unacceptable by common sense right now.

I read in the report that Seo Jin-wook, of his previous life, received an E-Class rating at the time of the first measurement.

'So a reasonable number based on E-class standards should do it.'

I began mulling this over.

'Since there's a background that people are aware of, it's complicated even if it's too normal, perhaps to a reasonably excellent amount?'

Unfortunately, I had never seen the average and peak active Mana data for hunters who had first measured their rank in 2038.

Since I had never seen it, [The Successor's Eyes] did not work, and I had no choice but to rely on the vague memory of 'Was it this much in these times?'

When Mana was poured into the stone, the official's eyebrows in charge of the measurement rose. He couldn't hide the surprise as he looked at the machine.

The official then asked.

"...Are you finished?"

In my sense, it was no different from scooping out a few spoons of water from a well, but I spoke confidently, pretending.

"Yes, I made sure to scoop the last handful and put them all in."

I harbored a strange feeling of stupidity.

When I thought about it, Choi Seung-hyun of his previous life had said similar things.

The official who was in charge of the measurement urged me to concentrate a little more and push with more strength.

Then I answered, 'I put in until the last grain of it.'

The official shook his head, saying it couldn't come out so little, but the result did not change. As my system message told me in advance, Choi Seung-hyun's active Mana was 9.

In shame, I used to think that he must faint if I told him that my potential Mana was '1'.

"Ah, yes."

Returning to reality to myself now, the official in front of Seo Jin-wook operated the device and printed out my hunter certificate.

He spoke with a shaken glance.

"Congratulations. You are in E-class. Active Mana is... 760."

I asked as I received it.

"Thank you. Is this better than average?"

"Average? Originally, I shouldn't be telling you in this way... I will tell you since it seems that our bosses are likely to give private messages of congratulations to Mr. Seo Jin-wook's father anyway. It came out so much better than great. Probably would remain a record considering that it's the first measurement after Awakening."

The officials still looked at me with disbelief.

Looking at him, I muttered inside. If he found out that my potential Mana was 76,000, he would faint.

However, from the Constitutional Department's perspective, there was no way to verify the potential Mana other than one's statement. Therefore, there was no mandatory reporting required.

"Keep up the good work."

I opened the door and came out.

-We will deliver the next news.

Secretary Kim was fully concentrating on watching TV in the waiting room.

-...the police spoke about the inter-Hunter violence in a warehouse the day before yesterday evening placed in Okcheon County, Chungbuk, an investigation set to examine the injured, four arrested at the scene. Meanwhile, they plan to set up the special headquarters for a joint investigation with the Hunter Management Department.

-The unidentified dungeon, also known as the illegal dungeon, currently found in the building was found to be in a 'somewhat unstable' state, increasing anxiousness among nearby residents. According to the relevant laws, the Hunter Management Department must assemble an expedition unit to be assigned to the dungeon within two weeks.

I approached him and spoke up.

"It's done. Let's go."

"Yes."

Secretary Kim jumped up. He then asked in a whisper as he came up to me.

"Is it···?"

The question was obvious. I immediately answered.

"It's 760."

"...I am not surprised anymore."

"Speak up after you relax those wide-open eyes."

Seeing Secretary Kim and I moving along, other hunters in the waiting room murmured. As it's being measured every other week, there were quite many crowds, from the newly Awakened hunters to the hunters who visited for promotion.

"Did you hear that? They said they came from the Celestial Dragon Guild."

"Oh, right. The eldest son there was the same age as us, right?"

"Oh, I envy him. Those kids even have bodyguards when they come to be tested."

"Then, is that the guy behind those rumors? That his potential Mana will be huge!"

"Is his measurement results good? Since he has potential, he shouldn't have a small amount of active Mana, right?"

"Oh, those kids have instructors attached to them 24/7. Wouldn't he have already activated as much as he can?"

I held back my laughter while listening to their murmurs. Instructor? He did try to stay near me 24/7. It was difficult to play along.

On the other hand, unlike most hunters who just envied, the conversation between a few people in the corner was negative.

I gave a little glance to them with the waiting number on their chest—two women and one man. What they had in common with me was that they were each accompanied by an attendant like me.

They tried to lower their voice as much as possible, but my body, which had already been significantly upgraded with Mana, captured all the smallest sounds.

"Sister, that's him. Seo Jin-wook. Seo Gyu-cheol's eldest son."

"I was wondering if I'm going to see him next month or so, but I get to see him here. I heard that he's a complete lunatic? My brother despises him."

"Well, I'm okay with a shitty personality with that face. Is he a 'bad guy' style? It's charming, you know."

"Sister, please wake up. You fall by looking at his face. Celestial Dragon defends him as much as possible, but the rumor has spread through most major guilds. They said that he's not just a bad guy but is a maniac. More than the personality, they say it's an illness."

I can hear you all, people.

Secretary Kim also deliberately turned the topic, quickening his steps as if he heard their conversation, too.

These days, I had changed like a completely different person, but he must be worried that if it got into my ears, I would cause trouble in the same way as before.

Away, what did he mean when he said he would see me next month? I familiarized their faces for now.

"Oh yeah. Team Leader."

Secretary Kim whispered quietly. "You do know that you have to see the Guild Master right away when we get home, right?"

I nodded.

It turned out that after Awakening a month ago, Seo Gyu-cheol only had an instructor attached to me. He never ate a meal with me.

And the time to find me again was the day the level measurement results are released?

I could see through him so clearly that it made me sick. What kind of father-son relationship worked this way?

For a moment, I thought that Seo Jin-wook's mental illness might not have been 100% due to the curse.

*

Instead of working in the guild office today, Seo Gyu-cheol was working in the office of the company house.

Was it because of me?

As I stood at the door, I heard a conversation inside. A hunter in the level of Seo Gyu-cheol would have noticed the presence of a person standing outside the door even if he could not see Mana. I waited without knocking.

The conversation between them followed.

"···As they withdrew, almost all of the machines that were left on the site were damaged, so there is no data. The police and the Constitutional Department interrogated the arrested gang members and sent the contents primarily."

"It's not that big for an E-class dungeon."

"Yes, it is."

"How is the Constitutional Department holding the bottom line?"

"They hope that the expedition teams will be deployed at least by the beginning of next week. Statistically, if the state is 'somewhat unstable,' there will be a time of at least three months, but the residents are anxious, so to appease the public sentiment..."

"You say it's a dungeon with clear conditions? We wouldn't have to rush like that."

"Because the perception of ordinary people is somewhat different."

" Hmm... Okay. You can leave now. Come in."

The word to leave was for the person he was talking to, and the next phrase was to me in the hallway.

I opened the door and entered. Seo Gyu-cheol's secretary bowed to greet me and went outside. After a few steps, I made eye contact with him sitting at the desk.

He gave a dry gaze that even a handful of emotions can't be felt.

"I heard that you got an E grade. 760, right?"

While returning home from the Constitutional Office, I didn't see Secretary Kim contacting him.

As the official said, did the high-ranking official of the Constitutional Department directly contact him?

I answered briefly. "Yeah."

"I think it's okay to conduct live practices in the dungeon now."

As soon as I got the rating?

He continued.

"The original plan was to select an appropriate F-class dungeon to send you. A suitable hunting ground that has already been explored and waiting to be cleared. It's a common practice for just Awakened hunters."

If that was originally the plan, did that mean the plan had changed?

"However, strictly speaking, such a hunting ground is a dungeon for the mining team, and it is not suitable for the exploration team."

Seo Gyu-cheol planned to remove me from the support team I belong to and insert me into the exploration team sooner or later.

"What's more, hearing the results today strengthens my conviction that you don't have to follow common hunters."

He tapped the top of the desk, which was also used as a touch screen. A huge hologram floated in front of my eyes.

"It is an illegal dungeon found in Chungbuk. The grade is E."

Deliberately, I pretended that I was unaware.

"Illegal dungeon?"

"Yes, an uninhabited dungeon that has not been reported. There are dirty things that mines in that kind of place unbeknownst to the government to make a few more pennies. Well, they're not worth that you must know..."

Perhaps I knew more about the guys he described than Seo Gyu-cheol himself.

"Anyway, they are battling and fighting among themselves these days for some reason, and it is a dungeon where the government found out about its existence. Now it is passed to us."

I read the description.

I understood the situation. The war between the Gangdong Revival Alliance and the United Clan had already begun, and the illegal dungeon that one of the sides had hidden in a mess had been exposed.

Looking back at the memory, in the days of Choi Seung-hyun's life, this dungeon also collapsed before being taken care of by the government.

History had changed because of the advanced war between the two organizations.

I began to ask Seo Gyu-cheol.

"Is this my first practice site?"

"It would be better not to think of it as a practice, but to think of it as the first mission."

Unbelievable. This was a ridiculous case, based on the standards of this era.

To push a just Awakened hunter, even more, his son, into an E-class that hadn't even been explored yet?

This wasn't even Spartan. It was just illogical.

"It's a low class, but the state is 'somewhat unstable.' So I have to attach an exploration Team Leader level with you..."

The name that made me say 'no way' came out of his mouth.

"I am thinking of Park Chang-hee."

Even though he knew clearly what happened between his son and Park Chang-hee, he did not take that into account.

Instead, I...

Instead, I thought it went well.

Seo Gyu-cheol's cold gaze looked at me.

"What do you think?"

It was a question with many implications.

The eyes seemed to be experimenting with me. I smiled and answered.

"That's good. It will be a great opportunity to improve our relationships with each other."

Only then did Seo Gyu-cheol put on a light smile on his lips.

"Yes, you can go now. The support team will prepare detailed data and skill cards."

Yes, it would be an excellent opportunity to improve our relationship. Sometimes, getting rid of one of the components at all could be the best method of improvement.

'But this is not enough.'

The scheduled entry date for the dungeon was about ten days from now. Until then, I had to be prepared.

'I should be hectic for the time being .'

*

"What? What the hell are you saying! Nonsense. It would be safer to get into the tiger's den at your own will!"

Secretary Kim jumped when he learned that I would be exploring the dungeon with Team Leader Park Chang-hee, but I persuaded him.

"Actually, there aren't many opportunities left for the perpetrators and other forces that are targeting me."

It was known that the guild members had learned about my potential Mana, and the activation speed was extremely fast.

If left like this, they were afraid that soon I would grow out of their reach.

Seo Jin-wook's current specifications that they knew were an inexperienced E-class hunter with over 700 active Mana.

If they were trying to hurt me, now was their time.

"So, I'm going to put out some traps."

This was for them to be able to rush and do whatever they want to do. The environment of a dungeon was optimized for burying a person.

If I died in an unfortunate accident, the primary criticism would go to Seo Gyu-cheol, who pushed the newly-Awakened hunter into the E-class dungeon rather than Park Chang-hee.

Secretary Kim listened to me and thought about it for a while, and finally spoke, as if he had decided on something.

"Okay. In return, I will go in with you."

"I'll try to suggest that."

I delivered the contents to Seo Gyu-cheol, and it was accepted right away on the same day.

The day after, it was confirmed that Secretary Kim would also accompany me.

On that day, less than ten days left from the exploration of the uninhabited Okcheon dungeon, Secretary Kim and I sneaked out of the company house and headed somewhere.