Chapter 3: The World’s Strongest Adaptation Period(3)

The chair I’m sitting on feels like a bed of thorns.

Because the hulking man beside me keeps glancing over, eyeing me up and down.

“Is something bothering you?”
“N-No…”
“Good to know.”

I couldn’t snap at Manager Park, who checked on me every five minutes. He’s just trying to be helpful. It’s not like I can be cold to someone acting out of kindness.

As we sat waiting our turn, an awakened who’d finished their rank test trudged out, looking dejected.

I gave the awakened a curious glance, and Park, noticing, explained.

“Bet their rank came out low.”
“Like…?”
“In Korea, B-rank and up is considered high. But judging by that depression, probably D-rank at best.”

From Park’s words, I realized Sohyun’s rank was pretty high. To me, though, it felt like a faint spark.

Anyway, I just need to aim for an E or D-rank.

“Miss Kim Suhyun, do you have a preferred rank?”
“Higher’s better, right…?”
“Don’t worry. With the Guild Master’s bloodline and you being a returnee, you’ll get at least B-rank.”

B-rank would be a relief. If I accidentally test as S-rank, I’d attract global attention. That’s why I’m nervous—figuring out how to control my power.

Then, a commotion broke out.

“What kind of nonsense is this?!”

The rank testing room’s door slammed open, revealing a man in a leather jacket with someone who looked like his bodyguard. The waiting awakened and desk staff stared, startled.

“That’s… Ahn Youngwoo from Black Wing Guild, right?”
“Didn’t he say he was testing today? Must’ve gotten a bad rank.”

The whispers among the awakened reminded me of what Sihyun said in the car. According to him, Black Wing Guild is fairly well-known in Korea.

He warned me their guild master has a weird personality and to steer clear.

Judging by the guild member’s state, I can guess what the guild master’s like. Best to ignore them. Park, too, stayed put, taking no action.

“What’s the problem…?”

The glasses-wearing clerk from earlier rushed toward Ahn Youngwoo.

“This makes no sense!”
“What are you talking about…?”

The confused clerk faced Ahn Youngwoo, who thrust a piece of paper at him. It was a rank notice with a bold “B” stamped on it.

“You’re saying I’m only B-rank?! Test me again!!”
“Please… calm down. Retests are possible in a week.”
“A week…?”

—Slap!

The clerk’s glasses hit the floor.

I barely steadied my flinching body to take in the scene. I’ve seen plenty of jerks hassle staff before, but is this guy human, mindlessly slapping someone?

Yet, no one intervened; the other awakened just hung their heads.

“No more talk, set up a retest now.”
“But… the other awakened waiting…”

—Slap!

“The others are my problem? They’re just gonna get trash ranks anyway, so why keep testing them?”

Ahn Youngwoo slapped the clerk’s other cheek the moment he responded. I’ve seen his kind among the stars—trash who bully the weak.

His words stirred unease among the other awakened, but no one stood up to him.

The clerk, fists trembling, picked up his broken glasses from the floor.

Unable to tolerate the pathetic sight and injustice, I sparked tiny motes of stardust in my hand.

“Stop it.”

Park stood up as I made my move. Sensing his killing intent, I snuffed out the stardust.

“…Who’re you?”

Ahn Youngwoo, hands in pockets, sneered like a delinquent. His steps toward Park carried a menacing air.

“Manager Park Mutae, Red Knight Guild.”
“R-Red Knight Guild…?”

He faltered at the mention of Sihyun’s guild, clearly intimidated. But a typical egoist wouldn’t back down here.

As expected, his bodyguard handled the cleanup.

“That enough?”

The bodyguard tossed cash at the clerk picking up his glasses, signaling Ahn Youngwoo to leave. Park didn’t let it slide.

He grabbed Ahn Youngwoo’s shoulder as he turned.

“Apologize properly.”
“God, what a pain.”

Ahn Youngwoo brushed off Park’s hand and summoned a black feather. He pressed it to Park’s throat, threatening him.

“You think Red Knight Guild is all that? Without your guild master, you’re nothing.”
“That’s an insult to our guild. Can you handle the consequences?”
“Consequences? Can you handle our guild?”

Where’s his confidence coming from? Despite Park’s pressure, Ahn Youngwoo kept pushing. His bodyguard, fed up, started dragging him away.

“We’ll be late for the next schedule. Let’s go.”
“Park Mutae, was it? I’ll tell my hyung, and you’re done.”

Typical extra behavior with an extra’s lines.

Ahn Youngwoo, huh? I hope we don’t cross paths again, but if we do, he won’t like it.

I’ll make sure of that.

After the commotion, the clerk, having fixed his glasses, approached Park to thank him.

“Thank you for helping.”
“No, I didn’t do much. You okay?”
“Yes, my glasses are broken, but… nothing else.”

Nothing else? The lenses are completely shattered.

[Awakened Kim Suhyun, please come in.]

My name echoed through the center’s speakers, signaling my turn.

“Wait, can I see your glasses before I go?”

The clerk looked puzzled as I snatched the tilted glasses from her face. Infusing starlight into the cracked lenses and bent frame, I restored and smoothed them.

“What are you…”
“Here.”

The glasses, broken by Ahn Youngwoo, returned to their original shape, perfectly fixed. The clerk and Park stared in shock.

“I’ll be back!”
“W-Wait…!”

Afraid of questions, I bolted toward the testing room.

Inside the large room, a staff member typed at a computer, and a massive mana stone sat in an odd formation. To break the eerie mood, I greeted with a bit of enthusiasm.

“H-Hello…”
“Yes, sit next to the mana stone.”

The staff’s stiff reply made sense—dealing with so many people. I slowly sat in the chair beside the mana stone as instructed.

The mana stone began to glow with a strange reaction.

“Place your hand on the mana stone.”
“L-Like this…?”

I want at least D-rank.

Precise power control is needed for D-rank.

Tiny starlights began swirling around my hand. This should be fine, right?

As my small, pale hand touched the mana stone, the staff’s typing sped up, loud enough to echo like gunfire. A brief silence followed.

Then, the mana stone started vibrating wildly.

—Hummm.

The stone glowed red, as if it might explode, and the staff raised their voice.

“Take your hand off!”

Panicked, I tried to pull back my power, but it was already too late.

Park Minsu, an awakened rank assessor assigned by the association.

Five years working in Seoul, and I’ve never seen anything like this.

The mana stone, specially crafted to withstand even an S-rank hunter’s power, lay shattered before me.

Amid the fragments stood a petite, short-haired girl. This frail-looking girl broke the mana stone single-handedly.

“Uh… do I have to pay for this…?”

I couldn’t respond to her obvious question. Does she not realize her position?

I’d heard from seniors about hunters stronger than S-rank, the so-called national disaster-level hunters.

Their stories always include tales like Jin Seyeon, who also shattered a mana stone during her test.

To think such a legendary case would happen to me.

“Hey…?”
“Y-Yes!!”
“How much… to pay for this?”

Payment isn’t the issue. I need to contact the association immediately to report this girl with S-rank or higher potential.

“Wait a moment. This is an emergency; I need to contact the association.”
“E-Emergency…?! Because I broke the mana stone…?”

The girl panicked, thinking it was about the stone. She’s not wrong, but if she’s deemed S-rank, the association would cover this, so I reassured her.

“No, it’s because you’ve shown S-rank or higher potential. We need to inform—”

Her aura shifted mid-sentence. Her hair turned white, and her eyes became blue.

The smartphone I held slipped from my grasp, and all I could feel was the overwhelming presence of the girl gripping my hand.

“If you don’t want trouble, you’d better keep your mouth shut.”