[Seoul National Hunter Association – Testing Center B] [Time: 09:00 AM]
The Hunter Exam was essentially the college entrance exam (CSATs), but with more weapons and a higher chance of death.
I stood in line outside the massive glass building, surrounded by hundreds of hopefuls. The air smelled of cheap hair gel and nervous sweat.
I adjusted my collar. I was wearing a generic black tactical suit I'd bought at the market, and my face—thanks to the excruciating Face Sculpting—looked sharper, with a slightly different nose and jawline. To the world, I wasn't Ash, the Wasted Potential.
I was Jin.
[System: You look like a K-Pop idol who decided to become an assassin. It's a good look. Very 'mysterious past'.]
"Quiet," I muttered. "I need to focus. If I fail this, Chairman Lee releases the video, and I spend the rest of my life in a government lab."
I checked my back. The Dark Ore Rod was wrapped in bandages to look like a staff. It weighed 300kg, but thanks to a constant low-level Gravity spell, it felt like a broomstick to me.
"Next! Number 405!"
"That's me."
I walked up to the registration desk. The receptionist, a bored-looking woman, took my fake ID.
"Jin," she read, popping her gum. "Class: Physics Mage. C-Rank Applicant."
She looked at me, then at the heavy iron 'staff' on my back.
"Physics Mage?" she raised an eyebrow. "Is that like... throwing calculators at monsters?"
"Something like that," I said smoothly. "It involves applied kinetics."
"Whatever. Go to Hall 3 for the Mana Measurement. If you blow up the machine, you pay for it."
[Hall 3 – Mana Measurement]
This was the hurdle. The make-or-break moment.
The room was filled with crystal orbs on pedestals. Examinees were stepping up, placing their hands on the orbs, and waiting for a color.
Red: E-Rank
Orange: D-Rank
Yellow: C-Rank
Green: B-Rank
Blue: A-Rank
I watched a guy in flashy armor touch the orb. It glowed a weak Orange. He cursed and walked away.
"Next. Jin."
I stepped up to the pedestal. The Proctor, an old man with thick glasses, yawned. "Place your hand. Output your mana."
I swallowed hard.
If I output my mana naturally, the orb wouldn't even glow. It would stay clear (F-Rank). I would fail instantly.
[System: Don't panic. You can't fill the orb with mana, but you can hack it. These orbs work on 'Resonance'. They vibrate when mana enters them, producing light.]
So I just need to make it vibrate, I thought.
I placed my hand on the cool crystal.
Tier 3: Friction/Vibration Control.
I didn't pour mana into the orb. Instead, I grabbed the molecular structure of the quartz crystal itself.
Shake, I commanded.
I began to vibrate the molecules of the orb. Faster. Faster. I matched the resonant frequency of 'Yellow' light—approx 580 terahertz.
HUMMM.
The orb began to hum. A faint yellow light flickered in the center.
"Push it," the Proctor muttered, not looking up. "It's barely lit."
More, I gritted my teeth. Friction heat. Molecular agitation.
I poured more concentration into the vibration. The orb grew hot under my hand. The light flared brighter, turning a solid, undeniable Yellow.
[System: Warning. Crystal integrity dropping. You are literally microwaving the testing equipment.]
"Good enough!" I yanked my hand away before the orb could crack.
The Proctor marked his clipboard. "Solid C-Rank. A bit unstable, though. Your mana control feels... twitchy."
"I had too much coffee," I said.
"Move along. Combat Test is next."
I exhaled. I had hacked the machine. Phase 1 complete.
[Hall 5 – Practical Combat Arena]
The arena was a massive circular pit filled with sand. In the center stood a Training Golem—a hulking construct made of enchanted stone and rubber tires.
The Examiner for this round was a terrifying woman named Instructor Ma. She was an A-Rank Tank, built like a brick house, smoking a cigar that smelled like burning tires.
"Alright, maggots!" she barked. "The test is simple. Destroy the Golem. You have 3 minutes. Show me your skills!"
Several applicants went before me. A Fire Mage blasted the golem with flames—it barely scorched the paint. (Score: 6/10). A Swordsman danced around it, chipping away at the stone. (Score: 7/10).
"Next! Jin! Physics Mage!"
I stepped into the sand. The Golem loomed over me, its rubber-tire eyes glowing red.
Instructor Ma looked at my bandaged stick. "A Mage with a staff? Where are your robes? Where is your wand?"
"I believe in... direct application of force," I said, unstrapping the Dark Ore Rod.
"Begin!"
The Golem charged. It was slow, but heavy. It swung a stone fist at my head.
[System: Combat Mode. Analyze Pattern. Target has exposed knee joints. Structural weakness detected.]
I didn't cast a spell. I didn't run.
I deactivated the Gravity spell on the rod.
Weight: 300kg (Restored).
The rod instantly became impossibly heavy in my hands. My boots sank an inch into the sand.
I didn't swing it like a sword. I used the momentum.
I stepped inside the Golem's guard.
"Newton's Second Law," I whispered. "Force equals Mass times Acceleration."
I pivoted my hips and swung the rod upward, aiming for the Golem's chin.
WHOOSH.
The rod moved with terrifying speed because I used Tier 1: Wind to push it from behind, adding propulsion to the swing.
CRAAAAACK.
The sound was like a thunderclap.
The impact was absolute. The 300kg rod connected with the Golem's stone jaw.
The Golem didn't just break; it launched.
The massive stone construct was lifted off its feet, flipping backward in the air. Its head disintegrated into gravel. It crashed into the arena wall, twenty feet away, and slumped down, headless.
Dust settled.
Silence filled the arena.
Instructor Ma dropped her cigar.
"What..." she whispered. "What kind of spell was that?"
I rested the rod on my shoulder (reactivating the gravity reduction so I didn't look like I was struggling).
"Spell?" I blinked innocently. "That was 'Heavy Cast'. It's a... gravity spell."
"You... you physically batted a two-ton Golem across the room," Ma stammered. "With a stick."
"It's a magic stick," I lied.
Ma looked at the destroyed Golem, then at me. A slow grin spread across her scary face.
"Unorthodox," she chuckled. "Violent. Simple. I like it."
She scribbled on her clipboard.
"Full points. Get out of my face, Jin."
[Association Lobby – 1 Hour Later]
I walked out holding a shiny plastic card.
[Hunter License] [Name: Jin] [Rank: C] [Class: Mage (Melee Specialist)]
"Melee Specialist," I sighed. "They think I'm a muscle-wizard."
[System: You are a muscle-wizard. You just use gravity instead of protein shakes.]
My phone buzzed. A text message.
[Sender: Unknown (The Chairman)] [Message: Impressive. You passed. And you didn't even use the Time Stop. I see you're learning restraint.]
[Message: First Assignment: There is a C-Rank Gate opening in Sector 7 tomorrow. The 'Clockwork Ruins'. Enter it. Retrieve the 'Gear of the Chronos'. Do not fail.]
I stared at the screen.
"Clockwork Ruins," I muttered. "A machine-type dungeon."
[System: Machine types usually have high physical defense. But they are vulnerable to Lightning and Magnetism. It's a perfect grinding spot for Tier 2 skills.]
"Then we grind," I said, pocketing the license.
I had the ID. I had the weapon. And now, I had a mission.
"Jin is open for business."
[End of chapter 10]