"...Seriously?"
Shit, did I fall for it?
But judging by her reaction, she definitely looked like she cried because she was genuinely scared.
Well, I went too far with my prank earlier, so I guess I owe her this much.
"The one with lots of fruit...."
"Didn't you say you liked sweet stuff?"
"Too many snacks make you fat."
Thankfully, Hayoung quickly pulled herself together, but maybe because she was so startled, her legs were still trembling like crazy.
I let out a small sigh and this time, very lightly, gently lifted her just a bit.
"Where do I need to go?"
"Eh, I can walk....."
"Saying that with legs shaking like that isn't very convincing, you know?"
Unable to deny it, Hayoung just laughed awkwardly and said, "It's that way," starting to guide me towards the test room.
'These stares are pissing me off.'
I felt like telling off the people staring, but I just shook my head and pushed the thought away.
The Association building is always crowded with people here for Hunter-related official business.
Seeing an Association employee floating along via telekinesis among them must be quite the rare spectacle.
"C-Could you put me down now, please?"
"Alright, down you go."
Seems like Hayoung wasn't keen on being a public display either. The moment her feet touched the ground, she let out a "Phew," looking relieved.
If it were me, I'd just enjoy the free ride, even if I became a spectacle.
"It's here."
Looked like she asked to be put down because we'd arrived.
The sight of several test-takers waiting in front of the firmly shut door, fully geared up...
It screamed that this was the ranking evaluation test room.
"Could you wait just a moment? As soon as the person currently testing comes out, I'll make sure you can go right in."
"....? You don't really need to do that."
"But you're an S-rank Hunter! We can definitely offer you that much courtesy. Please wait just a moment."
Well, if they let me go early, that's great for me.
I nodded, crossed my arms, and stood by the door, waiting.
Until Hayoung came back to let me into the test room.
"Ah, damn it!"
Just then, the door burst open, and a man appeared, looking extremely angry.
No, maybe not angry, more like utterly frustrated with himself.
Did the test not go well?
Whatever, none of my business.
"Sorry, but this person will be going in first! Thank you all for your understanding!"
After a short wait, the staff member in charge rushed over and started asking everyone for their cooperation.
But for those already crushed under the pressure of a rank promotion or a new Awakening evaluation, this wasn't exactly welcome news.
Just as protests were about to erupt, a loud *CRASH* echoed. An empty bench in the middle of the hallway leading to the test room was now embedded there, crumpled in half.
"I'm S-rank. You guys can cut me some slack for this, right?"
I was the one who slammed it there.
I get that you guys are in a hurry and having a tough time, but circumstances dictate I gotta cut in.
Apologizing inwardly as I said that, all signs of protest in the hall completely vanished.
Thanks to that, I could enter the test room without any further interruptions.
"Hunter-nim, you're really amazing."
"About what?"
"When Hunters start protesting, it's usually a mess, but you shut them down in one go."
"Well, I've done this kinda thing a lot....."
When I gave that reply to a curious Hayoung, she looked like she had a question mark floating over her head, but...
I didn't elaborate further.
Ignoring Hayoung as she asked again, "Done it a lot?", I closed my eyes for a moment to do some mental prep.
"You know the test rules, right? Just survive against the monster spawned here for the designated time."
"Yeah."
"Alright, good luck!"
Even if I told her, it's not like she'd believe me anyway.
Sensing I wasn't going to explain, she didn't ask anymore and left the test room after offering her own form of encouragement.
Then, I heard, "[ Starting Virtualization Device activation. ]", and as I opened my eyes at "[ Beginning the test. ]", everything around me had changed.
'A ruined factory type of test site, huh?'
Maybe because the virtualization test device, manifested through mana, had raised the surrounding mana density to nearly match a high-tier A-rank Gate, the air started feeling heavy, pressing down on me.
A real Awakened would probably feel no different than in a normal environment.
But since I'm just a normal person with no mana sensitivity, I couldn't help it.
'The time I have to survive is 20 minutes, I think.'
But this wasn't a test I planned on dragging out.
I'd seen test footage of other S-rank Hunters registered with the Association before.
Steel-Framed Ghost.
A magical beast whose body, except for a head covered in something like ghostly rags, was made of steel frames resembling insect legs.
Despite looking like a total pushover, its four steel legs were incredibly strong, enough to kill even an A-rank Hunter in one hit if they got caught wrong.
And being that strong, its speed was insane; unless you clashed with the Steel-Framed Ghost the moment it charged, you couldn't possibly keep up.
Its head could unleash all sorts of explosions with what seemed like practically infinite mana, making it one of the trickier magical beasts to take down.
And could you just cut off its steel legs to immobilize it? Nope, not really.
They called it steel frame, but its durability was ridiculous.
It was so tough that even an S-rank magic-type Hunter had to focus all their firepower on a single point just to barely sever one while the damn thing was standing still.
....And that was the publicly known information.
'But not for me.'
Though it wasn't known, I'd actually soloed this thing once before.
When was that again?
Right, because of money, I had to quickly smash a Gate that wasn't even known to the Association before someone else snatched it.
I think I ran into that chopstick bastard there.
"Hoo."
I let out a small breath to lure it towards me.
Dungeons where this thing appeared were officially recorded three times.
Unofficially, including the one I cleared, four times.
Naturally, its weakness wasn't properly known, but I knew exactly how to beat it.
Of course, it was a method only I could use.
'The first strike always comes from behind...!'
Pushing myself upwards with telekinesis, just as I saw the Steel-Framed Ghost slam its leg down right where I'd been standing a second ago.
I immediately unleashed my telekinetic power, grabbing the damn thing tight so it couldn't move, and started lifting it into the air.
"Kieek! Kkieeeeeek!"
An ear-splitting shriek erupted from its head.
Proof that it was bound tightly, unable to move.
A testament to how strongly I was manifesting my telekinesis; the swirling power affected all the surrounding terrain, causing it to crack, crumble, and start weathering away.
At the same time, the flow of air around me had already shifted.
But this still wasn't enough.
As long as its legs were intact, it would still try to tear through my telekinesis with its explosive strength.
So, like folding chopsticks, I started bending its legs with overwhelming telekinetic force.
"Hnghhh...!"
"Kkieeeeeeeeeek!"
Cold sweat trickled down my temples and forehead.
It ran down my nose and cheeks, dripping onto my shoulders and chest.
It got to the point where I honestly thought it might be easier to support and lift a collapsing building.
"Kiaaaaaaaak!"
Trying to break through my telekinesis, the thing started wildly releasing mana from its head, causing explosions everywhere.
The moment I felt vibrations from the test room floor, which absolutely shouldn't have been shaking...
Clenching my teeth, I momentarily surged my power and heard a loud *CRACK*.
As its hideously bent legs went limp, the strain on my telekinesis decreased dramatically, finally giving me some breathing room.
"Kiek! Kkieeeek!"
The thing started screeching even more violently than before, making my ears ring, but...
From here on out, it was a real race against time.
Would I make it exhaust all the mana in its head before it could regenerate its legs?
Or would it regenerate, tear through my telekinesis, and seriously injure me?
[ Time limit, 5 minutes remaining. ]
A message announcing the remaining time echoed through the area.
But there was no way that kind of message was getting through to me right now. Exploiting the monster's trait of using mana from its head to regenerate...
I started using its head like a giant club, smashing it against every part of the terrain.
'Die, damn you, die!'
Honestly, if it were any other magical beast, whether biological or mechanical, this test would've been over long ago.
But ghost-type magical beasts like this, by their very nature, only truly die once they've exhausted every last bit of their mana.
The Steel-Framed Ghost was one of them, so I had to make it use up all its mana trying to regenerate.
"Kieeee...."
Without losing focus, I poured all my concentration into finishing it off.
The moment the thing stopped screeching, I could finally stop exerting my telekinetic power.
[ Magical Beast, Steel-Framed Ghost, has been defeated. Test concluded. ]
As its legs turned to smoke and vanished, the rag-like covering, which seemed to have been filled with something, dropped to the floor like a deflated balloon.
The message signaling the end of the test echoed within the test room.
The instant I raised the back of my hand to wipe away the cold sweat, the virtualization device shut down.
Soon, the familiar test room reappeared.
Looking like it had been heavily affected by my telekinesis.
Damaged all over the place.
"Uh....."
The testing area was silent.
Everyone probably expected me to last the 20 minutes, but...
Did they not expect me to actually *defeat* that Steel-Framed Ghost thing?
[ H-Hunter-nim? ]
"Yeah."
[ D-Did you just... defeat that insane magical beast? ]
Hayoung's astonished voice echoed through the speakers into the test room.
I scratched the back of my head and answered, maybe a bit sheepishly without realizing it.
"Looks like it. Didn't know if I could actually do it in time, but hey, it worked...."
[ Could you come out now, please? ]
"Sure."
But the door didn't open.
It was supposed to open automatically when I approached, but judging by how warped it looked, it seemed my telekinesis had done quite a number on it.
Can't be helped, I guess.
"You even opened the door yourself....."
As I shoved my hands in my pockets and forced the door open, Hayoung had a look on her face like she was completely fed up, but...
My gaze went past her.
Not only were all the people waiting for their tests looking utterly shocked, but Kang Tae-woo and the woman with him also had looks of pure disbelief.
And seeing their expressions, I had a gut feeling.
Looks like I might have just caused a rather huge incident.