Chapter 59: 31.1

 Chapter 31 Part 1: Written Exam

The first round of any exam starts with the written portion. The same is true for the Gate Entry Qualification Test and the so-called Hunter Test. During the first round of the exam, they mostly assess your basic knowledge of the gate, like the weaknesses of the monsters inside, what grasses are edible, and how to prepare monster meat.

「Which of these plants will make your tongue numb when you eat it?」

‘That’s Trenchevia.‘

To me, as an experienced hunter of over a decade, of course, this much is easy.

「Which of the following is not a part of the Awakeners’ Special Law?」

‘Number three, The special law was created for crimes involving deliberately killing a hunter at the gate to collect money.’

「Cleared permanent gates are called «Dungeons» and are used by new Hunters to practice. True or False? 」

‘True.’

The written exam, which was divided into six different sections from period 1 to period 6, took a long time to finish. By the time it was over, the sun was already setting. I actually answered most of the questions correctly, except for a few that have faded from my memory over time, but I didn’t want to make a name for myself as the first person to finish… So I played it safe.

‘I need to be as low key as possible if I’m going to find Theo Arrangements and move around indiscriminately.’

I resolved to just answer enough to be able to pass over the cutoff, so it shouldn’t be a problem. It was like I’m back in high school all over again, taking exams after so long. It’s been a while since I’ve been so happy after the end of SATs, but it seems like yesterday to everyone else, and it’s still very awkward to realize that I’m only 20 years old at the moment.

“Hey, how did you do on the test?”

“How did I do? History was really hard this time, how am I supposed to know about those things?”

“Do you think you’ll be able to pass the first round? Last year’s cut was a little close.”

“Oh, I don’t know〜. Should I really be aiming to get a higher mark in the second half?”

I could hear the chatter of the upstart hunters around me. Being a ‘Hunter’ is now one of the most promising careers. It’s a dangerous job, but it’s easier to draw attention due to its glamorous exterior.

Being revered like a celebrity, saving others and being thanked for it, and earning huge amounts of money at a young age– These are the things that make up the glamorous exterior of a hunter which lure these people in. The average age of aspirants is fixed at late teens to early 20s. As a third-generation hunter, the ideal career path is to start gaining experience as a hunter in your early 20s.

What that means is that… I’m surrounded by people my own age. My physical age, to be exact. Living at the Gate and being in the hospital for over a month, I had forgotten that… My social skills were still at rock bottom. It was less noticeable because I was surrounded by Hunters, but when I was mixed in with the rest of my peers, it was obvious.

‘I think it’s more a matter of age than social skills.’

For example,

“But I heard he’s going to take the exam this time, too.”

“Oh, him?”

“Uh-huh. I heard he’s a big deal in the Blue Serpent’s Guild. He’s literally their young master.”

“Hah, I’m jealous. I wonder how he feels? He just needs to pass this and he’ll be able to sign up for the Blue Serpent Guild.”

“Anyway, you should be born with a good pair of ‘Silver Spoons‘1 in your mouth. Unique skill Silver Spoon.”

There’s something about the way these people talk that I can’t just keep up with. Although, I did hear an interesting story from these people’s conversations.

Apparently, a promising candidate from the Blue Serpent Guild had made his first appearance.

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‘Blue Serpent huh.’

This guild is literally a rival of Red Flames. It’s also a giant guild that always contends for the first spot with it. Its name was called “Blue Serpent” and, true to its snake-like image, it is a closed organization which was a complete opposite of Red Flames. Whereas the Red Flames is a tight-knit, hierarchical organization, the Blue Serpent seeks for a freer atmosphere… Is free the right word? I thought for a while to find the right adjective. It was more like the feeling that there was no hierarchy, and that everyone was dissing each other with a smiling face….

These people are laughing and talking, and they’re all smiling so brightly that I’m dumbfounded at what I just heard. An up-and-comer from ‘That‘ guild, I don’t really know how to feel about this. Even before the regression, I didn’t get along with anyone in the Blue Serpent Guild, which made me feel even more reluctant.

❖

“Ta-Da! Congratulations on passing the Written Hunter Exam!”

When I arrived home, Hye-won and Jo Yeon-Ho were holding a cake, and had my room decorated with balloons…

Bang, Bang, Bang!

The party poppers burst into my face, and it was such a surprise… I blew out the candles on the cake while I was at it.

“Waaaah!”

“Unnie… The exam results will come out next week.”

“There’s no way our Seo-Ha could have failed, of course you’ll pass!”

‘Of course I’ll pass.’

Hye-won was so happy as if she was me, and her bright smile made me feel pleasant. With the compensation money I received from the government and the support I was originally receiving, I was able to rent a new studio apartment. I figured I didn’t need much since I was living alone anyway. Once the whole Holy Grail issue is over, I’ll probably receive a large sum of money from the Red Flames to buy a share of the Holy Grail, but… Well, I didn’t intend to sell it.

Since Jo Yeon-Ho and Hyewon-Unnie visit me everyday, the three of us became even closer.

Living outside the gate with Hyewon-Unnie was like a dream. I’m glad she’s alive. For her and most definitely for me.

“There was a time when I took the Hunter test too〜. What did I do then… I think I was very annoyed. The written exam was the hardest for me! Why is the Hunter’s history so long? As far as I know it’s only been going for three generations at most, so why was there so much stuff to remember…”

“I prefer practical skills to writing… It took me a while to get used to eating monster meat, but after a week of picking at my skin, I finally ate it because I thought I was going to die. I still remember, I had to eat something that wasn’t even properly cooked in order to live.”

They told me about their own exams. Then gave me advice on how to be careful when taking it and joked about ditching your colleagues and living by yourself in case of an emergency. Hye-won wasn’t kidding, though.

“After all, we’ve seen how good you are inside the gate, so who can anyone be your opponent?”

“Come to think of it, I suddenly remembered something I heard during the day.”

“I heard that all the promising candidates from Blue Serpent are taking the exam this time.”

“Oh, right, I heard that too.”

Hye-won frowned slightly.

‘Hmm. I understand. It’s quite a… thing to run into someone from the Blue Serpent.’

“That’s a bit……”

“Ominous.”

The two of them smirked.

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