The Hero Returns

Act 10

After the first test, Su-hyeun took a break until the next test. Actually, he was not particularly tired, physically or mentally, so it wasn't exactly taking a break. The next test was the same. Kim Hyun-soo, who dubiously doubted the malfunction of the device, had no choice but to admit it.

"…He is a monster."

The word "monster" came from the mouth of Kim Hyun-soo, who oversaw the evaluation of the S-Rank awakeners. After all, the other S-Rank awakeners he had met so far were monsters as well. Among them, some of them had become stronger years after the S-Rank reexamination.

But by far, Kim Hyun-soo had never seen anyone who gave him as much shock as Su-hyeun.

<<Magic Grade and Factor, his physical ability…These stats are not much different from other S-rank awakeners….>>

The device for measuring magic and physical ability was made to be able to check the stats of the awakener accurately. Su-hyeun's stats were not much different from other S-Rank awakeners. The difference was his ability to handle his own skills.

"He finished his first test in 20 minutes….And his ability to control magic…"

When people had the same Magic Grade, Factor, and physical ability, the most important ability for determining their ranking was magic control. It was about how that person could efficiently and accurately use the same amount of magic. Even with the same amount of magic, the efficiency was very different depending on who used it. The factor that determined that ability was experience and talent.

Soon, the last test began. There were hundreds of thousands of floating slabs of stones all over the huge void. They were slates that were very difficult to break. In fact, they had strength similar to that of bulletproof glass. So, it was impossible to break them without any effort, even considering how good of an awakener he was. The final test was about how fast Su-hyeun was and how many the slabs he could crush. He had to crush them without skill or physical abilities — he could only use magic.

Swish—

Crack—

The magic shot from Su-hyeun's hand penetrated the slabs. The slab with a hole in the center was split in all directions and soon shattered and fell to the floor.

<<Did he figure out where to hit to break the slab with minimal force?>> the general examiner thought.

It was amazing that he noticed it in such a short time, but there was something more surprising.

<<The concentration, the speed, and the accuracy of the magic are amazing. Is that just a talent?>>

He broke the stones too quickly. The examiners could not even count the number of broken slabs. The deputy examiner, who set a timer, shouted, "10 minutes have passed! Stop!"

Crack—

Crash—

The last slab broke. Su-hyeun turned his body away from where he was standing. He blinked his eyes a couple of times and loosened his concentration, which had been raised to its limit.

"How did it go?" he asked.

"Well…"

It was not a matter of whether he was passed or not. The number of slabs on the floor was far beyond the minimum number for acceptance even if they estimated it roughly. The problem was the record.

Because the stones were broken so quickly, they could not count how many slabs were broken.

"What are you doing? Count them quickly! "

"Yes, yes!"

At Kim Hyun-soo's nagging, the other examiners began counting the remaining slabs. After about five minutes, the record came out.

"The remaining slabs are 1,450! The destroyed slabs are 1,550!"

"What? One thousand and five hundred…?"

Kim Hyun-soo quickly looked at the previously held records. Of course, the person who destroyed the largest number of slabs was Park Ji-yeon, who had been tested relatively recently. All of the slabs she had destroyed were just over five hundred.

<<It…doesn't make sense, does it?>> Kim Hyun-soo thought.

Su-hyeun's Magic Level and Factor did not differ much from when the other S-Rank awakeners took the test for their first time. His physical ability was much less than them. In terms of condition, he was not better than other S-Rank awakeners. The difference was his ability to use those things. Above all, Kim Hyun-soo, who checked Su-hyeun's magic control with his own eyes, got shocked. He could not believe his eyes.

"Are the examinations done?" Su-hyeun asked.

"Oh? Yes. Y-yes. They are all done."

Kim Hyun-soo urgently finished the test record for Su-hyeun. He added the records one by one. He finally saw all the records at once. The result was something incredible.

<<If we rank him based on these records…He will be the top ranking one among the S-Rank awakeners all over the world,>> he thought.

In any case, further tests would be meaningless. Kim Hyun-soo closed the recording paper and said, "Congratulations on passing."

***

It took about an hour for the S-Rank awakener registration card to be issued. Su-hyeun waited for the registration card along with the other party.

"I knew it was going to happen….But I feel a little weird that you are becoming an S-Rank."

"Why?"

"Because you are the sixth. It symbolizes the best awakener, and it also means you are a world-wide revel awakener."

Hak-joon felt strange and unfamiliar that he was sitting next to the new S-Rank awakener. He felt that way especially more because he had thought Su-hyeun was a C-Rank awakener just until recently.

"You won't take long, either," Su-hyeun said to Hak-joon.

"Me? No way."

"You could get an A-Rank awakener card if you made up your mind right now, couldn't you?"

Hak-joon's eyes widened at Su-hyeun's question. Hak-joon had shown only his ability as much as a B-Rank awakener could do. He did the same for the outbreak last time in Anyang. He had prepared himself his own way. When he could surely defeat Jung Dong-yeong, he thought he could trade his life and the cure for Yun-seon. But…

"How do you know?"

"I can just tell."

"Wow. That sounds a little rude…"

Yun-seon pinched Hak-joon's thigh."Mind your manners."

"O-okay." Hak-joon thought he should be careful and opened his mouth slowly to say, "That…How did you know?"

"As I said, I can just tell."

"Only with the concentration of magic?"

"More than that…I am sure you can tell as well when you meet weaker awakeners than yourself. You know about that person's level or how much magic concentration that person has, something like that. It is something cannot be hidden even if you try."

"That makes sense."

"It's the basic of the basics. If your plan was trying to hide your growth and hit Jung Dong-yeong's back, it was pretty dangerous."

Su-hyeun read his point. Hak-joon's eyes were shaking. If Su-hyeun's words were true, Jung Dong-yeong, who became an A-Rank awakener a long time ago, may have been aware of Hak-joon's level.

"If Jung Dong-yeong knew that I was waiting for revenge…"

Perhaps not long afterward, something big possibly could happen.

Hak-joon got chills and his face turned pale. Yun-seon held his hand tight.

"It is over. It is okay," Yun-seon said.

"…Yes, you are right."

Even though he answered like that, his deathly pale face did not return to normal. The thought that Yun-seon might have died by his own mistake was more terrible than anything else for him.

<<I guess I have to talk about Dump Guild…next time,>> Su-hyeun thought.

He had thought he should talk about it soon, but it didn't seem like the right time. Like the saying out of the frying pan into the fire, if he figured out there was a bigger problem called Dump Guild behind Jung Dong-yeong, Hak-joon might have felt scared. The conversation was cut off for a while. Soon, Kim Hyun-soo brought the new registration card.

"Here is your new awakener registration card," he said.

It was a gold-colored, shiny card.

On the card, Su-hyeun's name was carved. It seemed quite sophisticated for the short time they had worked on it.

"Don't think we worked half-heartedly because we made it too quick. A registration card is for showing off anyway, isn't it?"

"I don't care."

Su-hyeun took out the wallet he had put in his pocket and put his registration card inside. He should have looked at the front and back with surprise, but he didn't. Kim Hyun-soo clicked his tongue at Su-hyeun's lack of enthusiasm.

<<I wonder if he just doesn't realize it, or he doesn't know about its value…>>Kim Hyun-soo thought.

"What can he do with it?" Hak-joon asked.

Rather, the more curious one was Hak-joon. As if he was waiting for the question, Kim Hyun-soo responded with a proud expression.

"Anything."

"Anything, like what?" Hak-joon asked again.

"If you have any dungeons you want to go to, you have the highest priority in the dungeons registered with the Authority. Not only can you borrow money from the bank, but you can also…"

Kim Hyun-soo, who explained the benefits and rights of the S-rank awakeners, became louder as he spoke. Of course, there was no information that Su-hyeun was curious about.

"Let me ask you something."Su-hyeun cut Kim Hyun-soo's words in the middle and asked, "Have there ever been any cases where you guys gave overseas support?"

Kim Hyun-soo thought for a moment and nodded. "Overseas…Yes, we do that often."

"What about America?" Su-hyeun asked.

"No, we have never done that. There are so many strong awakeners and their incidence of the dungeons is not that high. Actually, the US is sending awakeners to other countries."

In the United States, a system of training awakeners professionally had been quickly implemented compared to Korea. As a matter of fact, Korea's awakener training system itself was taken from the United States, so it was natural that the level of awakeners was higher in the United States.

"Why? Do you have any American awakeners you want to meet?" Kim Hyun-soo asked.

"Not a person…"

But he did have one dungeon had in his mind.

<<Not right at this moment though,>> Su-hyeun thought.

He didn't want to talk about the details. Su-hyeun only wanted to know one thing.

"What if I want to attack a particular dungeon that appeared in America?"

If it would be difficult, he planned to even use a dark route. But if he could use the privilege of S-Rank, he would like to do so.

"I think it would be possible," Kim Hyun-soo said.

"Really?"

"The criteria for S-Rank awakeners is the same in every country in the world, so you are S-Rank in any country you go to. There's no reason for the Americans to turn down your help, but I am not sure if you will get a satisfying dividend rate after the attack."

"I don't care."

He didn't do it because of money anyway. The dungeon attack itself was his purpose, and he could make plenty of money from now on anyway.

<<Well. I am relieved for now,>> Su-hyeun thought.

As it turned out, the time that he had spent for the reexamination was not a waste. It was about time Su-hyeun sighed of relief.

"Mr. Su-hyeun! Where are you? Please, pick up your phone!"

The voice of Lee Ju-ho came from the hallway outside the room. Lee Ju-ho had gone out to see the situation outside. His voice sounded pretty urgent.

<<I should not have set my phone on silent mode.>>

The problem was that he had turned his phone on silence mode because he didn't want it to interfere with the exam. Su-hyeun left the room scratching his head with a sorry heart.