Chapter 13
The candidates who completed the practical exam emerged from the capsules.
The average time for the practical exam was about 10 minutes.
Although it seemed short, the virtual reality program of the practical exam adjusted the time differential with reality, making it feel like approximately 30 minutes for the candidates.
Of course, few lasted the full 30 minutes.
The difficulty of the exam was tightly controlled to ensure it concluded within 20 minutes at most.
Soon, the candidate who had entered the capsule next to Suho came out.
‘11 minutes… definitely shorter than the previous group.’
Supervisor Kim shook his head internally as he observed the candidate emerging from the capsule.
After overseeing the practical exam for hours, he had yet to find a standout candidate. Before accepting the next candidate, Supervisor Kim asked Supervisor Park next to him.
“How long has the one in yours been inside?”
“30 minutes.”
“…What?”
“He just passed the 30-minute mark.”
30 minutes? Is that even possible?
Surprised, Supervisor Kim approached Supervisor Park’s capsule and checked the monitor attached to it.
Indeed, the candidate inside the capsule had been in the dive for over 30 minutes.
The candidate was fiercely fighting numerous orcs, which prompted Supervisor Kim to ask.
“Is he a warrior? He’s fighting incredibly well.”
“No, he’s a healer.”
“…What?”
“He’s a healer. Look.”
Supervisor Park showed the candidate’s information.
It was true. The candidate, ‘Ahn Suho’, was indeed a healer according to the information on the pad.
“But, he’s fighting like this? Isn’t that grounds for disqualification?”
“No, why would he be disqualified if he’s meeting all the required conditions?”
At that moment, someone answered in Supervisor Park’s stead.
It was Jeong Cheolmin, participating as an examiner alongside Supervisor Park.
Jeong Cheolmin explained further.
“The primary objective for a healer is to protect the patient to the end. Look at the screen. Did the candidate ever leave the patient’s side or abandon them just to fight? He’s healing the patient intermittently, too.”
It was true.
Suho was cutting down orcs and healing the patient whenever he had a chance.
Jeong Cheolmin spoke with a serious expression.
“There’s no reason to disqualify him if all the conditions are met. The practical program itself isn’t stopping him, so why would we?”
“Ah…”
Supervisor Kim murmured in admiration.
Jeong Cheolmin smiled and added.
“It seems like this exam’s top scorer is decided. Let’s just watch how impressive his record will be.”
Both Supervisor Kim and Supervisor Park could only nod in agreement.
This was unprecedented in the history of the practical exam.
***
“Kieeeek!”
Thud!
An orc fell.
Suho had lost count of how many orcs he had taken down.
Moreover, there were no experience points or items, but Suho didn’t care.
Because he was gaining something much more valuable.
[ The system is reevaluating your talents. ]
[ Congratulations! Your Quick Draw skill rank has been adjusted to A rank. ]
[ Quick Draw (A) has a much wider range and is executed even faster. ]
The rank of his Quick Draw skill had increased.
That wasn’t all. His Decapitation skill also rose to A rank, and he acquired numerous other skills such as Hilt Strike, Backhand Strike, and Ankle Slash, all of which he successfully upgraded to A rank.
‘This is such a fantastic opportunity.’
Suho was ecstatic.
He could restore his skills in this manner without having to enter a gate.
Of course, he didn’t neglect taking care of the patient in between.
No matter how important skill recovery was, the most critical task at hand was protecting the patient.
Suho continued cutting down the enemies for a while longer.
[ The system is in awe of your unique swordsmanship and has decided to fully recognize it. ]
[ Would you like to register your combined basic swordsmanship and footwork as a new swordsmanship skill? ]
[ Upon registration, a new rank will be assigned, and you can name it yourself. ]
‘Finally!’
Suho’s eyes widened as he read the notification.
At last, the system fully acknowledged his skills.
Without hesitation, Suho responded quickly.
Then,
The system prompted him.
The answer was already clear in his mind.
“Suho Sword.”
“Yes.”
[ You have created a new swordsmanship skill, ‘Suho Sword (S)’. ]
[ The effects of existing swordsmanship and footwork skills have increased by 50%. ]
Suho smiled brightly at the notification.
He had finally obtained Suho Sword.
In the past, it had taken him over ten years to master Suho Sword, but this time, he acquired it in just a few days.
Even before mastering Suho Sword, Suho had already been using the techniques he had ingrained in his body.
However, the reason Suho wanted to obtain Suho Sword as soon as possible was for another reason.
Another notification appeared.
Suho received 10 bonus stats as a reward for mastering Suho Sword.
This was a privilege given only when a player honed their natural talents to acquire an S-rank skill, not when they obtained an S-rank skill through gate rewards or skill books.
But this wasn’t the only reward.
Another notification soon followed.
[ The system is delighted by your dedication to the way of the sword and has decided to grant you an additional gift. ]
[ Congratulations! You have been awarded the skill ‘Sword Mastery (S)’ by the system. ]
Sword Mastery.
It was an S-rank skill, another special reward from the system.
Suho finally wore a satisfied smile.
After all, his true goal wasn’t just Suho Sword but the Sword Mastery skill.
Suho checked the information on Sword Mastery.
– Rank: S
# A right of exploration granted only to those with a high understanding of swordsmanship.
# Removes acquisition restrictions on all swordsmanship skills.
# Removes usage restrictions on all swords.
# Increases the effect of all swordsmanship skills by 50%.
The corners of Suho’s lips curled up as he read the details.
For a swordsman, swordsmanship was indeed the most crucial aspect, but for a swordsman hunter, skills were also essential.
Not just skills, but swords as well.
Some swords could only be wielded by the ‘swordsman class’ and not by other warrior classes.
After confirming the skills, Suho closed the notification window and looked around.
He had cut down many orcs, but there were still plenty around.
However, he wasn’t worried at all.
After all, even though this was a practical exam program, the number of orcs that appeared was predetermined as he remembered.
“Come at me.”
Having obtained what he wanted, Suho joyfully began slaughtering the orcs.
***
How much time had passed?
As time went on, more and more examiners started to take an interest in Suho’s capsule.
“3 hours and 2 minutes for the exam time?”
“So, this person has been taking the practical exam for over 3 hours?”
“Wow, that’s insane.”
Suho had already become a legend among the examiners.
It was then that Jeong Cheolmin, who had been quietly watching the capsule monitor, had a glint in his eye.
“It’s over.”
“Really?”
“Let me see!”
The examiners flocked to Jeong Cheolmin’s monitor.
But the system notification on the screen was unusual.
[ Please restart the program. ]
The Program Master was requesting a restart instead of ending the exam.
The examiners, who had never seen such a notification before, let out a low murmur of amazement.
“Wow…”
“He seriously killed all of them?”
“So, this is what happens if you kill all the orcs…”
Because of this, everyone turned to the examiner in charge of Suho.
“What will you do?”
“You’re not going to restart it, right?”
“Of course not.”
At that moment, it was Jeong Cheolmin who answered instead of the examiner in charge, Supervisor Park.
Jeong Cheolmin spoke seriously, trying to hide his excitement.
“This is the first time something like this has happened in the history of the practical exam, but if we rigidly require him to retake the exam just because he didn’t die to the orcs, it will cause a lot of trouble.”
The examiners’ expressions turned serious, and they nodded in agreement.
“Indeed… He didn’t cheat, and the patient he was supposed to protect is still alive.”
“With so many witnesses, it’s clear he passed. In fact, not only did he pass, but I believe we should designate Ahn Suho as the top scorer for this practical exam. Furthermore, if his written test scores are above the minimum, he should be named the overall top scorer. It would be great for promotion. What do you all think?”
Whether it was Jeong Cheolmin’s persuasive argument or Suho’s overwhelming performance, none of the examiners could refute Jeong Cheolmin’s words.
Thus, a historic top scorer in the hunter exam was born.
***
The exam was finally over.
Suho left the Association with the promise of good results from Jeong Cheolmin.
However, shortly after leaving the Association, someone called out to Suho.
“Excuse me?”
“Yes?”
Turning his head, he saw a stranger approaching him.
Who is this?
He didn’t recognize the person.
Then, the man pulled out a business card and handed it to Suho.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Park Pyung-sik, a scout for the Prime Guild.”
Ah.
So, it was a guild scout.
And from Prime Guild, the second-largest guild in the industry.
He understood why they approached him.
However, it was polite to play along in situations like this.
Suho accepted the card and asked,
“And?”
Park Pyung-sik responded courteously.
“I’ll get straight to the point. Prime Guild would like to work with you, Player Ahn Suho. If you don’t belong to any guild or aren’t currently in discussions with any, could we talk for a bit?”
Just as expected.
As Park Pyung-sik offered the guild invitation, Suho smiled inwardly.
