"W-what's this...?" Yeon Yujun stands there, utterly surprised by the scene before them.
"Pupu...!"
When they arrived at the assessment center, the members of
They only stop talking when their eyes shift to Seo Hwigeon and Yeon Yujun's direction, Pouch is resting on Yeon Yujun's shoulder.
"Hey, another newbie!" one of the new awakeners snickers before their jaws drop at the sight of Seo Hwigeon.
"No way! One of the strongest hunters is here!?" The arrogant man who looks like a college student didn't hesitate to approach Seo Hwigeon, completely ignoring Yeon Yujun.
'This brat...' Yeon Yujun huffs as his eyes land on Woo Taehwa who is already approaching him with genuine curiosity and interest.
"You're the one who cleared that B-ranked vortex with our Guild leader, right?"
"Yeah..."
"Awesome! I can't wait to see your skills!" Woo Taehwa looks even more excited than Yeon Yujun himself.
Then his eyes shift to the small and fluffy creature. "Ooo! You have a manifested pet? So cute!!"
When he reaches out to touch it, Pouch just backs away and Woo Taehwa has no choice but to gawk from afar.
Chae Yuna comes next, crossing her arms around her own chest as she looks at Yeon Yujun up and down. "If you ace this assessment, I'll consider dueling with ya."
"N-Noona! You gotta stop challenging anyone you see into a duel!" Woo Taehwa scolds her like a puppy barking up at the bigger dog.
After Seo Hwigeon shoos away the arrogant brat, Seo Hwigeon places his hand onto Yeon Yujun's shoulder and leans in casually. "Don't bother him, he requires all the focus for this training."
Yeon Yujun flinches as he forces a smile that barely reaches his eyes, reaching up to remove his hand slowly from his. "Let's not get so touchy now, as you said... don't bother me, right? You don't want me to space out later."
"Right, my bad. We'll be watching."
Seo Hwigeon just chuckles before flicking his hand and walking away to the viewing area, Chae Yuna and Woo Taehwa follow him behind.
"Good luck!"
Woo Taehwa's enthusiastic voice echoes as they disappear to the room.
"Bubu..."
"It's alright, Pouch. We can do this."
'I have to hold back my abilities even if my instincts scream not to...'
Suddenly, a figure walks into the room and is dressed in a sleek formal suit that screams power and command.
"Shit...! She's here!" The arrogant man quickly fixes himself and stances while the others scramble in confusion.
'Who's here...?'
Yeon Yujun didn't question and quickly gets into position at the lineup.
The heels clicking against the floor stop, and Yeon Yujun gets a clearer look at who the person they're talking about is.
"We won't be expecting our 10th awakener today; they're... unavailable for now," the woman in black says in a cool voice as her eyes focus on the lineup of beginners.
"I am Chief Examiner Baek. You may address me as Chief Baek. Nothing else."
'S-class at minimum. Maybe higher. Her mana aura is quite overwhelming...'
"We will begin our first assessment. No need for introductions, I already know all of you," Chief Baek claps her hands sharply and commandingly. She doesn't sound like a patient person at all.
"Our first test is Mana Reading. I have high expectations for all of you, as this is a very simple task."
Then her cold eyes turn to Yeon Yujun and Pouch. "It's rare to see a new awakener with a manifestation. Let's start with you first, Mr. Yeon."
Yeon Yujun isn't even surprised that he's first... He's already standing out with Pouch on his shoulder.
'I should've left him at home... but Pouch will just be disappointed again, or worse, throw a tantrum.'
"Yes, Chief Baek."
Yeon Yujun steps forward and takes a deep breath. When he finds himself looking up at the ceiling of the room, he sees three people looking down at them by the window, with a man who seems interested in Yeon Yujun, grinning.
'Are they the VIPs or something?'
But he didn't linger on it way too long, he has to focus on the task at hand and try to pass as someone who is just in between strong and weak.
Could he really do it? He finds himself doubting every single choice that led him here.
—whirrr
One of the staff members walks into the room with an orb on a silver tray and a rolling cart, as if serving it to them. It stops when it reaches Yeon Yujun.
"Place your hand on the [Mana Orb], it will determine how strong your mana is," Chief Baek instructs, watching him carefully.
As if one wrong move could expose him and them.
Yeon Yujun just nods, feeling Pouch tremble on his shoulder, while others watch him with anticipation and curiosity.
'Here goes nothing.'
Yeon Yujun places his hand on the surface of the sphere— it feels cool, perfectly sleek, frictionless, and impossibly smooth.
He couldn't quite describe it.
'So this is the [Mana Orb] I've been hearing about in the past…'
Then the orb begins to emit aura from Yeon Yujun as he ensures his mana won't overwhelm it— just right, as Seo Hwigeon told him earlier.
The colorless orb turns into blue and purple, blending slowly. Yeon Yujun watches in amazement as he almost allows some of his mana to seep out.
"You may pull back now."
Yeon Yujun steps back to his place, and Chief Baek pulls out her hologram screen, checking the percentage of aura manifested from him.
"65% of mana… That's the strength of a B-class awakener, impressive for an E+ class like you."
The result only makes Chief Baek suspicious, but she doesn't push further and accepts it.
'That was a close call…' Yeon Yujun lets out a sigh of relief, wiping nonexistent sweat from his forehead, and Pouch does the same.
It wasn't long before the others finished the Mana Reading Test. Most of them received E, D, or C-class strength, except for the arrogant man and Yeon Yujun.
The orb was taken away by another staff member as Chief Baek continued the assessment.
"Now that the Mana Reading Test is finished, we'll move on to the Skill Demonstration Test."
"Oh yeah!" The arrogant man grins, muttering excitedly to himself, while the man beside Yeon Yujun appears nervous about the next test.
"We will start with Mr. Hong. Please step forward and proceed to the training area." Chief Baek gestures to the other area filled with dummies, and the arrogant man, named Hong, walks there confidently.
"All of you better watch this one!"
Hong laughs, getting into a fighting stance and focusing on the distant dummy target.
"Easy." he scoffs before activating his skill with confidence.
( "[B+] Whirling Shadow" is now activated! )
He directs his skill with his hands at the target and swiftly slices off the dummy's head—Hong turns around with a grin, and the awakeners, including Pouch but excluding Yeon Yujun, clap in amazement.
Yeon Yujun just stares at the arrogant man, feeling more annoyed than impressed by his display.
"Whoa, sick dude!"
"That's one hell of a skill!"
"Awesome!"
"Mr. Ahn, you're next." Chief Baek cuts through the cheers and excitement as the shy, stuttering guy quickly yelps and frantically nods.
"O-Of course, Chief…!"
The entire room goes quiet instantly when it's his turn to demonstrate his skills. Hong returns to his spot next to Yeon Yujun and leans close to whisper.
"You think he's passing this one?" he snickers.
'Can't he go away and bother someone else?'
Yeon Yujun quietly maintains his distance from him and watches Ahn start at the training area, where the damaged dummy Hong destroyed is quickly replaced with a new one.
"You may start." Chief Baek commands, flinching at the nervous man as he fidgets with his fingers, just staring at the dummy then at the weaponry area.
"Is he going to start? I wanna go now…" one of the beginners whines impatiently, and Chief Baek pays no mind.
Ahn then takes a deep breath, chooses a simple bow from the shelf, and walks far from his target.
"Why is he so far from the dummy?" Yeon Yujun can't help but feel curious about the nervous man's skill.
Ahn looks around him one last time before hesitating, as if nervous to showcase his skill in front of everyone.
"Ready to start, Mr. Ahn?"
Ahn nods and aims the bow with an arrow at the distant target dummy.
( "[C] Precise Strikes" is now activated! )
A glow emits from the weapon, bathing the arrow in golden light. When he releases it, the arrow hits the dummy, causing it to explode with light as the stuffing falls to the ground.
Everyone is stunned, especially those who doubted him earlier.
'For a C-class skill… that's a strong one.'
There's probably a negative or side effect after activating the skill despite its strength.
"Impressive, Mr. Ahn." Chief Baek nods with a polite yet impressed smile, as Ahn flushes and quickly returns the bow to the weapon shelf before sheepishly returning to his spot.
"You did well," Yeon Yujun praises him, causing Ahn to turn even redder as he nods, accepting the compliment.
"Tch, what a show-off,"
Yeon Yujun hears Hong mutter under his breath, likely out of jealousy since he didn't get the praise from the Chief Examiner.
'Serves him right.'
"Mr. Yeon, you're next," Chief Baek gestures toward the training area as Yeon Yujun bows slightly and complies, walking calmly to the spot before his gaze shifts to the viewing area where Seo Hwigeon and others are watching him.
He could've sworn he saw Seo Hwigeon chuckle.
Yeon Yujun watches as the dummy is replaced with a new one before viewing through his hologram screen — he has three choices for which skill to demonstrate.
The safest option is definitely <[B+] Thunder Spark>(the one he quietly changed to a C-class skill). It's not too weak, not too strong — looks normal enough for others, as he didn't want to show off.
Yeon Yujun closes the hologram view as his grey eyes shift to the dummy. He raises his finger then waves it downward, directing it at the dummy.
His pouch on his shoulder gets ready and covers its ears before the skill fully activates.
"Boom," Yeon Yujun mutters, and before anyone can react—
— CRAAACK!
Lightning strikes the dummy, and the sound echoes through the room, loud enough that some of the viewers cover their ears.
When the lightning subsides, all that remains of the dummy is dust.
It's all burnt to a crisp, and Yeon Yujun clearly messed it up. Real bad.