Chapter 5: Promotion Test (1)
Seoul’s Promotion Test Center.
From early morning, the place was bustling like a marketplace, crowded with applicants. Hunters who had received their initial rank were entitled to take the ‘Promotion Test’ at the Promotion Test Center in their respective regions, provided they were B-rank or lower.
Pass, and you get promoted.
Fail, and you maintain your current rank.
Very simple rules.
While A-rank and above Hunters are periodically evaluated for their skills, there aren’t any specific penalties for failure for those below that rank. Instead, to prevent indiscriminate attempts at the Promotion Test, a 6-month waiting period is imposed upon failure. Therefore, Hunters usually take the test when they are confident about promotion, but as with everything in life, there were many who weren’t.
“So, is the registration complete?”
“Yes, you can wait in the waiting room.”
“Thank you.”
A Hunter submitted his application form and moved on.
As he walked away, the examiner’s face crumpled in disgust.
“Ugh, why don’t these kids know their place these days? Trying to apply for C-rank Hunter with this level of achievements.”
“Another dud?”
“Obviously. This guy barely has any experience in D-rank raids, but for some reason, he’s gotten confident and decided to apply for the C-rank evaluation. These kinds of guys are the problem. We provide a test with a fair difficulty level, but when these clueless guys get into accidents, it all gets blamed on the management of the Promotion Test Center.”
“That’s how kids are these days. Incompetent and clueless.”
“Idiots.”
The examiner next to him grumbled in agreement.
50 years ago.
When the first disaster occurred, most Hunters awakened with innate abilities. However, as time passed, the 2nd and 3rd generations were born, and they often achieved awakening not through innate abilities but through artificial means. As a result, even though the later generations were overwhelmingly larger in number, they were inevitably inferior in quality compared to the 1st generation Hunters.
Hunter.
A dangerous but representative high-income profession.
Due to the fact that they could grasp both wealth and fame in their hands, there were many clueless and reckless individuals like the one just now.
“It’s all because the media only highlights the good aspects of being a Hunter. These days, there are many Hunters acting like celebrities, calling themselves ‘Star Hunters’ and whatnot. It’s because of those guys that we get these incompetent brats.”
The two continued to grumble for a while.
Then, the next turn.
A man who appeared to be in his early to mid-twenties submitted his application.
“Name, Kang San, age 25. You’ve participated in quite a few raids as an F-rank Hunter, haven’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Wow, that’s impressive. Usually, most F-rank Hunters give up on the Hunter path. Anyway, your desired position for the E-rank Promotion Test is… huh? Are you sure you want to be a ‘Tanker’?”
The examiner looked at him with a surprised expression.
It was understandable.
Tanker.
A better term than ‘human shield,’ but the meaning was clear.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Highest mortality rate.
Most avoided position.
Kang San wished to apply for that position.
✦✦✦✦✦✦
After transferring 150 million to Kim Chun-sik,
Kang San received the reward he had been waiting for.
『Kang San』
━ Strength: 27
━ Agility: 30
━ Divine Power: 3
His stats increased by 2 overall.
Kang San felt a bit emotional at the fact that he finally had a stat that reached 30. At his initial awakening, Kang San had received quite a dismal evaluation. Back then, he had to go through all sorts of hardships to raise his stats, which were stuck in the early to mid-teens, and after overcoming numerous hurdles, he was able to reach his current position.
Kang San calmed his emotions.
Stats were important, but the crucial thing was the skill.
『1-Star(★) 』
『(Guardian) Shield』
1. Draws the attention of monsters towards the user. (Cooldown: 3 minutes)
2. When the Guardian Shield effect is activated, defense increases by 5% temporarily.
A 1-star skill.
The effect wasn’t that great.
However, Kang San knew what Guardian Shield signified.
‘This is a basic Tanker skill, isn’t it?’
Hunters are broadly divided into three categories:
Dealer, Tanker, Support.
Even within these categories, the names differ depending on abilities (e.g., Dealers can be Mages, Archers, Assassins, etc.), but one thing is certain: each position has basic skills that are necessary. Dealers have skills that amplify damage, Supports have skills that grant buffs or heal allies, and Tankers have skills that divert the aggro of enemies.
Guardian Shield belonged to the basic skills of a Tanker.
‘The concept is spot on.’
He could see Azmoon’s intentions.
In the process of resolving his karma, Azmoon was forcing Kang San to embrace altruistic qualities like sacrifice and dedication.
That’s why it seemed like he was deliberately granting skills that aligned with those qualities.
It wasn’t bad.
While he wasn’t a particularly dedicated person, the Tanker position was currently highly valued in the Hunter world.
The reason was clear.
Tankers were responsible for protecting their allies on the front lines. Although Support positions existed to help Tankers endure longer, if a problem arose, the first to die was usually the Tanker. Even referring to the statistics compiled by the Hunter Management Bureau, Tankers overwhelmingly held the #1 spot for mortality rate.
Therefore, if a Hunter was recognized for their skills as a Tanker, they could earn so much that they would practically be called a walking corporation. As a result, there was a time when the number of people hoping to become Tankers increased, but after most of those short-lived individuals died, it once again became a profession that everyone avoided.
‘High risk, high return. Perfect for me.’
The more he thought about it, the better it seemed.
An F-rank nobody.
Instead of risking his life for a few bills, wouldn’t it be much better to have the cool title of ‘Tanker’?
He liked it.
As long as the rewards were guaranteed, it didn’t matter what position he took.
Thus, his goal was set.
Azmoon had paved the way for him, and Kang San intended to respond accordingly.
‘For now, what I need immediately is a promotion. It’s difficult to participate in higher-level raids with my current rank.’
Promotion Test.
For growth, he needed to at least shed the label of an F-rank human shield.
So, Kang San visited the Promotion Test Center as soon as day broke.
✦✦✦✦✦✦
After waiting for about 30 minutes, the examiner called the applicants.
“Applicants numbered 31 to 40, please follow me.”
They moved to a different location.
It was a ‘Virtual Reality Training Ground’ set up indoors, where applicants would have their basic aptitude tested.
The Promotion Test was divided into two stages.
First was the Basic Aptitude Test.
This test was a simple evaluation to determine whether the applicant possessed the basic skills required for the desired rank.
Only those who passed this test would be eligible for the second stage, the Practical Test, which was where most of the Promotion Test deaths that had become a social issue occurred. In fact, when the Promotion Test system was first introduced, it wasn’t divided like this, but due to the increasing number of unqualified applicants, it had changed to its current format 10 years ago.
The examiner spoke.
“We will now begin the Basic Aptitude Test. When you enter the individual virtual reality training grounds, you will be able to control a randomly assigned character in a virtual space. The purpose of the test is to carry out the assigned tasks based on your position and tendencies. We do not accept complaints about the character. We have set up the characters so that anyone with the appropriate skills for the desired rank can sufficiently carry out the tasks. Therefore, if you fail the task, it’s not because the character was lacking, but because you were ‘unqualified.'”
The examiner’s voice was cold.
After answering a few simple questions, the applicants took the test one by one.
“Applicant number 38.”
“Yes.”
It was Kang San’s turn.
As he entered the virtual reality training ground according to the instructions, the world distorted, and the surrounding space turned white.
『Applicant number 38, Kang San-nim, you have applied for the Tanker position. As per the requirements, you will be provided with a sword and shield as weapons, and your task is to endure for 5 minutes against 4 Nols. You must assume that there are allies behind you in this scenario. We wish you success, Kang San-nim.』
Pop.
There wasn’t much time to think.
As soon as the explanation ended, Nols appeared from the light in front of him.
Growl.
Woof woof!
A familiar sight.
Since he had dealt with them just a few days ago, Kang San didn’t show any signs of nervousness.
‘This shouldn’t be too difficult.’
Virtual character.
The character Kang San was currently using had an overall stat value of 30. Not only were the stats higher than Kang San’s own, but there was also a third stat called ‘Reaction Speed.’ The conditions were much better than when he had dealt with Nols in the F-rank zone before. Back then, he had managed to defeat 4 Nols with lower stats than he had now, so he was confident that he could easily pass the Basic Aptitude Test.
‘But I should do it perfectly if I can.’
Woof woof!
Just then, the Nols kicked off the ground.
Kang San held his shield close to his body and parried the first Nol’s teeth attack with his sword.
Clang!
A clear sound.
Kang San quickly sidestepped.
The following Nol’s claw attack barely grazed him, and Kang San kicked the Nol’s side and blocked the attacks of the two Nols coming from both sides with his shield. His body shook greatly. With a character that barely met the minimum stats for E-rank, the Nols’ attacks were still burdensome.
However.
Smirk.
‘This is doable.’
Kang San actually smiled.
Kang San had survived for years as an F-rank human shield.
Ordinary people would blame the character, but for Kang San, this was the best condition compared to his past experiences.
Kang San displayed solid defense despite the continuous attacks. The know-how of a human shield, honed through over a hundred raids, was fully displayed, and Kang San didn’t allow a single attack to land. In fact, he could pass this test just by enduring. The problem was that even the Basic Aptitude Test had a scoring system, and there was something he shouldn’t forget if he wanted to get a high score.
Whoosh!
A Nol passed by his side.
Seeing it as if it was heading towards ‘something’ behind him, Kang San quickly used his skill.
‘Guardian Shield.’
Flash!
Aggro diversion.
As the skill that was basically built into the Tanker character was activated, the enraged Nol’s gaze turned towards Kang San. This was the Tanker’s role. To appropriately divert aggro so that the monsters wouldn’t attack the Dealers behind him. In actual raids, aggro diversion was a highly difficult technique because it wasn’t a game, but Kang San easily fulfilled his role.
The past years.
His survival as an F-rank human shield wasn’t just by chance.
Kang San had the aptitude for being a Tanker from the beginning, but it couldn’t be properly utilized because he didn’t have any skills.
Clang━!
Clank clank!
The attacks continued.
‘Counterattacking’ was forbidden in this mission.
Since it was solely to assess his aptitude as a Tanker, Kang San suppressed his instinct to attack despite numerous opportunities to counter. In truth, even if he took on the Tanker position in the future, he didn’t intend to just defend. Wouldn’t the most ideal situation be to eliminate as many monsters as possible on the front lines while also fulfilling the role of tanking?
However, this was a test.
Kang San acted faithfully according to the established rules, and before long, he heard the voice he had been waiting for.
Beep━
『Time is up.』
『You have passed the test.』
The test was over.
As he came out, Kang San felt that the other applicants were looking at him differently than before.
He was probably right.
Because.
『S+ perfect!』
The score displayed on the electronic board.
It was the highest score possible in the Basic Aptitude Test.
It seemed like this test was going well.