The ranking board updated at noon with mechanical precision.
A soft wave of light passed across the façade of the Hunter Association headquarters as backend data synchronized with the public display. Names shifted in subtle increments. Performance metrics recalibrated. Small notations appeared beside certain entries where review processes had been triggered.
Hunters gathered in loose clusters across the plaza. Some watched openly. Others pretended not to care while still scanning the board carefully for their own position.
Jae-min stood near the outer edge of the crowd.
He had learned early that visibility was a form of currency. Too much of it invited scrutiny. Too little of it erased presence. What he needed now was controlled exposure.
The board flickered once before stabilizing.
His name appeared near the lower third.
Kang Jae-min — F-Rank — Provisional Performance Review
The notation was small, but its meaning was not.
Provisional review meant that his dungeon data from Gate Five had deviated far enough from statistical norms to trigger evaluation. It did not grant promotion. It did not guarantee recognition. It meant only that the Association's monitoring systems had marked him as irregular.
Around him, muted conversation shifted tone.
"Wasn't he the one who awakened yesterday?"
"F-Rank triggered review already?"
"That was Gate Five data, right?"
The murmurs were not hostile. They were curious.
Curiosity was preferable.
Hostility created pressure. Curiosity created space.
He stepped across the street toward the entrance of the headquarters.
Inside, the lobby felt subtly altered. Several administrative staff were gathered around a central console reviewing flagged reports. A large wall display showed dungeon performance heatmaps and anomaly indicators.
His name appeared in a small highlighted column.
An Association analyst adjusted his glasses and tapped the display. "Clear time variance exceeds projected F-Rank output by forty-two percent," the analyst said to a colleague. "However, baseline scan remains within F parameters."
"External enhancement?"
"None detected."
Jae-min approached the provisional review kiosk without drawing attention to himself.
A staff member turned toward him with professional composure.
"Kang Jae-min?"
"Yes."
"You triggered performance review from your Gate Five solo entry. Your clear time exceeded average E-Rank group metrics under monitored conditions."
"I focused on minimizing wasted motion," he replied evenly.
"That may be," she said, "but we are required to verify baseline output when statistical variance exceeds projected thresholds."
He placed his hand on the scanning panel.
The device hummed softly as it analyzed muscle fiber density, mana circulation stability, and unassisted physical output. He kept Reinforcement inactive.
The results appeared within seconds.
Baseline Physical Output: F-RankMana Signature Stability: NormalExternal Enhancement Trace: None
The staff member reviewed the numbers carefully before nodding.
"Your baseline remains within F-Rank parameters. A monitored field evaluation will be scheduled within seven days. Until then, you are restricted from entering gates above E-Rank classification without prior approval."
"I understand."
He stepped away from the kiosk.
Behind him, the analyst at the central console continued reviewing data.
"Efficiency pattern shows precision strikes rather than brute force," the analyst muttered. "Either he's unusually disciplined for F-Rank, or we're missing a variable."
The comment was not directed at him, but he heard it.
Precision.
That was acceptable.
Precision suggested training, not anomaly.
He exited the building and returned to the plaza.
The ranking board continued its slow cycle overhead. His provisional review marker remained beside his name.
The system interface pulsed faintly in his peripheral vision.
[Upgrade Available]
The experience accumulated from Gate Five had been sufficient for advancement. He had delayed confirmation inside the facility to avoid mana fluctuation detection.
Now he walked several blocks away from the Association headquarters before turning into an unfinished commercial development site where skeletal concrete pillars rose from the ground.
Once alone, he focused on the prompt.
Confirm.
The reinforcement settled into his body with the same controlled structural correction he had experienced before. It was neither explosive nor unstable. It felt like recalibration.
[Upgrade Successful]Reinforcement C-Tier → Reinforcement B-Tier
He studied the new parameters carefully.
[Reinforcement B-Tier]Effect: Increases physical output by 80 percent for 60 secondsCooldown: 60 seconds
Eighty percent amplification sustained for a full minute placed the skill within upper mid-tier performance. That output level would exceed most E-Rank enhancement abilities and begin approaching low D-Rank combat capacity.
He activated the skill briefly.
The enhancement integrated seamlessly. His movements felt sharply aligned, efficient rather than exaggerated. When he struck a reinforced concrete support beam, fractures spread visibly along the surface.
He withdrew his hand before causing structural collapse.
The enhancement faded after a minute.
His breathing remained steady.
There was still no backlash.
No diminishing return.
The scaling curve remained consistent.
He leaned lightly against one of the pillars and considered the implications.
The Association relied on stable ceilings to predict risk. If his skill continued upgrading without cost or visible limit, then the foundation of that predictive model no longer applied to him.
That was both advantage and liability.
If he accelerated too quickly, the discrepancy between baseline scans and combat performance would become unsustainable. If he moved too slowly, he would waste momentum during the early review window.
A shadow shifted across the construction site entrance.
Jae-min glanced toward the street.
The black sedan from earlier was parked several buildings down, partially obscured by scaffolding. It had not been present when he entered the site.
The windows remained tinted.
He did not approach.
Instead, he deactivated the visible interface overlay and walked calmly toward the opposite exit.
Inside the sedan, a man in his late twenties studied a tablet displaying flagged performance charts. He wore a tailored jacket bearing the insignia of a mid-tier guild.
"B-Tier output potential estimated within two to three growth cycles," the man murmured quietly. "And baseline still reads F."
He adjusted the display to overlay historical performance data from other rapidly ascending hunters.
The patterns did not align.
"Interesting," he said softly.
Back on the street, Jae-min merged with pedestrian traffic and allowed distance to form between himself and the vehicle.
He did not look back.
The ranking board continued cycling across the plaza, his name marked with provisional review.
It would not remain provisional forever.
Growth required calibration.
Visibility required timing.
And somewhere nearby, someone had begun paying attention.