Chapter 10
Hyeon-jun arrived at the nearest Exchange.
The employee behind the counter paused when he saw the size of Hyeon-jun’s bag.
Then he brought over an entire purchase cart and loaded the whole bag onto it.
“That’s quite a lot. You must have had a pretty large party.”
“I hunted everything alone.”
“...All of this?”
“Yes. How long will the inspection take?”
“Uh... well...”
Inside the employee’s head, a debate had already begun over whether Hyeon-jun was telling the truth.
It took him a moment before he could even calculate the processing time.
“Probably around three hours.”
“Please transfer the payment as soon as you’re done.”
Hyeon-jun left the Exchange.
The employee alternated between staring at his retreating back and the enormous pile of loot on the cart.
“No way... Wait. Seriously?”
After leaving the Exchange, Hyeon-jun didn’t head home.
His destination was the Awakener Management Bureau.
Among the forest of skyscrapers in Gwanghwamun stood one particularly imposing tower.
The headquarters of the Awakener Management Bureau.
The institution responsible for overseeing everything related to Awakening.
It looks exactly the same as four years ago.
This was where he had come to register as a Hunter, full of dreams and hope.
Back then, he hadn’t known he would spend the next four years struggling.
And he certainly hadn’t known those struggles would eventually lead here.
Hyeon-jun stared at the building for a moment before entering.
He checked the directory and stepped into an elevator.
His destination was the Customer Support Office of the Special Support Department on the fifth floor.
When he opened the door, he found an interior that resembled the service counters at an Exchange.
“What brings you here today?”
An employee standing near the entrance asked.
“I want to process some Soul Traces.”
The employee tapped several times on a touchscreen and personally printed a number ticket.
“Please wait until your number is called.”
Hyeon-jun sat in the waiting area.
Before long, his number appeared.
He went to the corresponding counter.
“You’re here to process Soul Traces?”
“Yes.”
“Please fill out these documents.”
The employee handed him several forms.
They required detailed information.
The applicant’s personal details.
When, where, and how the Soul Traces had been obtained.
Everything had to be recorded.
Because these could potentially be connected to a crime.
Hyeon-jun had nothing to hide.
He quickly filled in every field.
“I’m finished.”
“One moment, please.”
The employee checked the paperwork and nodded.
“Everything is confirmed. We’ll review the information you provided, and once the verification process is complete, we’ll begin processing.”
“How long will that take?”
“As little as two hours. As long as two weeks.”
“That’s longer than I expected.”
“We need to cross-check your statement. It’s only around two weeks because you recovered the deceased Hunters’ identification. Without that, the investigation could take much longer. If you urgently need cash, you can apply for a secured advance.”
“An advance? Something like that exists?”
Hyeon-jun wasn’t particularly interested in borrowing money.
He was simply curious because he had never heard of the system.
“We introduced it recently because we received so many complaints about processing times. It’s closer to an advance payment than a loan. There’s no interest. The limit is ninety percent of the estimated settlement amount.”
Hyeon-jun immediately nodded.
He hated loans.
But ironically, that made the decision easier.
An interest-free loan? Why wouldn’t I take it?
They were basically offering him free access to money.
There was no reason to panic just because they called it a loan.
“Here are the forms. Just check the marked areas and sign.”
Hyeon-jun carefully read through the documents.
The employee could have misspoken.
But he found nothing strange.
Everything was exactly as explained.
Hyeon-jun completed the forms and handed them back.
“Your application is complete. Once the Soul Trace inspection is finished, the money should be deposited within one hour. You don’t need to make a separate repayment. The amount will automatically be deducted once final settlement is complete. The remaining ten percent will be deposited separately afterward. The final amount may vary depending on market-price fluctuations.”
“Thank you.”
Hyeon-jun submitted the Soul Traces and left the Customer Support Office.
Since I’m already here, should I register for the exam too?
One of the requirements for becoming an E-rank Hunter was the E-rank Hunter Qualification Examination.
The examination was held once every two weeks.
The next one was around ten days away.
He could register online.
But since he was already here, he thought he might as well visit the Hunter Academy downstairs and check out the exam environment.
-One! Two! Three! Four!
Loud shouts greeted him the moment he entered the Academy.
Apparently, a class was currently underway.
“Welcome.”
An employee at the front desk noticed Hyeon-jun and greeted him.
Hyeon-jun approached.
“Hello. I’d like to register for the E-rank Hunter promotion exam.”
“Please submit your ID and fill out this application.”
Hyeon-jun quickly completed the application and handed it over.
“Your registration is complete. Here is your ID.”
“Would it be possible to look around the exam rooms beforehand?”
“Ah, yes. Of course.”
Leaving the front desk behind, Hyeon-jun headed deeper into the Academy.
The first place he reached was the computer room where the theory examination was held.
There was one computer on every desk.
A completely ordinary computer lab.
So when I arrive on exam day, I take the theory test here first.
This was the first hurdle.
Anyone who failed to reach the required score here wasn’t allowed to take the practical examination.
I only need sixty points.
Hyeon-jun was confident in theory.
Even so, he didn’t intend to get careless.
He had already begun reviewing the material whenever he had free time.
He was confident he could easily pass the written exam.
Is this the practical testing room?
The next location was the Simulation Room.
Here, Hunters earned points by destroying augmented-reality targets.
The distance is random. And I can’t attack lightly just because the targets are augmented reality.
The system recorded attack strength too.
If an attack was too weak, destroying a target wouldn’t count for points.
It’s pretty large.
Hyeon-jun stood in the center and estimated the distances.
He imagined targets appearing simultaneously on opposite ends of the room.
“It would take a while to go from one end to the other. I guess I should give up on getting a top score.”
He felt slightly disappointed.
Hunters who ranked near the top of the exam received an E-rank Rune as a reward.
“It would be nice to get one, but it doesn’t really matter if I don’t.”
After finishing his inspection, Hyeon-jun left the Management Bureau and boarded a bus home.
There were few passengers.
