My Skillbook, My Way — Episode 33
Episode 33
When we got out of the dungeon and returned to the bus, there was no one but us. I asked Jeongyeon, and she said the other Hunters were still taking their exams in the dungeon.
“Then shall we catch some sleep until the exams end?”
The middle-aged man said that and soon dozed off, starting to snore.
“I’m a bit sleepy too,” Hyeri said, yawning. “Since we ran dungeons twice in a row.”
I was sleepy too. It was partly because I was nervous about the exam.
‘The next exam was surviving in a 7-star dungeon, wasn’t it…….’
I gazed out the window, lost in thought.
Following the 5-star dungeon time attack and 6-star dungeon clear, the final task of the S-rank Hunter exam was surviving in a 7-star dungeon.
“In a 7-star dungeon, elite-grade monsters from 6-star dungeons appear as normal monsters. Naturally, the elites in a 7-star dungeon are even stronger. Even S-rank Hunters can lose their lives if they make a single mistake. That’s why the final exam is about survival, not clearing.”
The Vice Guild Leader said that.
The rules were simple. Survive for one hour in the 7-star dungeon used as the testing grounds, by any means necessary, and you passed. They seemed to hand out Return Stones in advance so you could exit after one hour—or give up and leave at any time. The Vice Guild Leader said that because the final task was excessively dangerous, the proctors would not follow.
After explaining the final task, he added at the end:
“Honestly, it’s an experience I never want to have again.”
A task that could make even a tanker of the Vice Guild Leader’s caliber say such things, I thought.
Recalling the Vice Guild Leader’s words, I suddenly looked to the side and saw that Hyeri had fallen asleep at some point.
‘Should I get some sleep too?’
Sleep was the best way to recover HP and MP without spending money.
Just then, someone boarded the bus. He was an extremely handsome man who looked to be in his mid-twenties. He walked over to where we were sitting and spoke to me, the only one awake.
“You’re the party that passed the first and second exams the fastest, right?”
A man who looked to be around my age was suddenly speaking to me informally, causing me to frown.
“We are, but who might you be?”
This time, the other party frowned.
“You don’t know me?”
‘No, who the hell are you?’
I was wondering if he was some celebrity or something, when Hyeri let out a groan and opened her eyes, seemingly awakened by the voices. Hyeri looked at the unpleasant man standing beside her with a dazed expression, then suddenly her face turned surprised.
“Ah, you’re from the Paewang Guild——!”
“Who is this person?”
When I asked that, Hyeri looked flustered.
“Hwajin, you don’t know him? It’s Hajiho from the Paewang Guild.”
No matter how much I racked my brain, I had never heard of him.
“Is he famous?”
The moment I asked that, the expressions of both Hyeri and the man called Hajiho changed simultaneously.
“Damn, did you crawl out from some countryside……. Anyway, I came because I have something to say to you.”
Hajiho looked at me and Hyeri and said.
“You guys, come to the Paewang Guild after this exam.”
Hyeri gasped.
“T-to the Paewang Guild? U-us?”
“Yeah.”
Hajiho smirked, lifting one corner of his mouth.
I was a bit surprised at the offer to join the Paewang Guild. Because even if I didn’t know who Hajiho was, I had heard of the Paewang Guild.
Korea’s No. 1 Guild.
That was the Paewang Guild’s nickname. A super-guild with branches not only in Korea but in countries all around the world. They were said to possess nearly 70 S-rank Hunters in Korea alone.
As we were rendered speechless, Hajiho grinned triumphantly, as if our reaction was only natural.
“Among the guys taking the exam this time, you’re the most usable ones. How about it? Getting an offer to join our guild isn’t exactly a common opportunity, is it?”
“Huuuh……. Why’s it so noisy?”
The middle-aged man seemed to have woken up at the voices too, yawning and looking this way.
“Huh!? Isn’t that Hajiho!?”
It seemed the middle-aged man knew this guy too.
“Why is the Paewang Guild’s super all-rounder at an S-rank exam site?”
The corners of Hajiho’s mouth rose. He seemed pleased that more people were recognizing him.
“You were here.”
Just then, Jeongyeon boarded the bus.
“Proctors who have finished the exam, please wait over there. The results report and tallying…….”
“Already done.”
Hajiho shrugged his shoulders and let out a deep sigh.
“The group I was in charge of reported that they were wiped out in the boss room. Pathetic bastards. Guys who can’t even manage a tanker’s HP think they can take an S-rank exam.”
“Is this person also a proctor like you?”
I asked, looking at Jeongyeon.
“Ah, yes. During S-rank exams, we don’t have enough proctors, so we request external support. Mr. Hajiho is one of the S-rank Hunters we invited.”
“You should be precise with your words.”
Hajiho spoke, unable to hide his displeasure.
“I’m practically not an S-rank Hunter, but an SS-rank. Once the paperwork passes this month, I’ll be promoted.”
“Really!? Ah…….”
Hyeri raised her voice then covered her mouth.
‘But that means he’s still an S-rank for now.’
“So. You aren’t going to refuse my offer to join the Paewang Guild, right?”
“Huh? Huh? What’s going on?”
The middle-aged man looked back and forth between me and Hyeri with a surprised expression. He didn’t seem to have grasped the situation yet. Once Hyeri explained, the middle-aged man finally calmed down.
“Mr. Hajiho. Scouting them before the exam is even over is…….”
Jeongyeon spoke with a troubled expression, but Hajiho only smirked.
“So what? Anyway, all the dispatched proctors here came to scout promising pre-S-rank Hunters for their own guilds. Shouldn’t you be praising my honesty instead?”
‘Wow. What a really unpleasant guy.’
I studied the faces of the middle-aged man and Hyeri. Both of them wore troubled expressions.
“Um, we’re sorry but…….”
Hyeri opened her mouth.
“We already belong to a guild…….”
At that, Hajiho twitched his eyebrows.
“Which guild?”
“It’s Atlas Guild…….”
Before Hyeri could even finish, Hajiho scoffed.
“Are you really that clueless?”
“Excuse me?”
“Atlas is that place run by the old geezer tanker on death’s door. Are you saying you can’t join our guild because you’re attached to some small-time guild like that? Are you crazy?”
“That’s a bit harsh.”
Unable to hold back, I spoke, and Hajiho looked at me.
“What did you just say?”
I met Hajiho’s gaze.
“I said your words are harsh. You said you’re an SS-rank Hunter, so your sense stats must be high. Did you lose your hearing to a monster or something?”
“This bastard.”
Hajiho glared at me as if he wanted to kill me.
“Mr. Hajiho.”
Then Jeongyeon opened her mouth.
“You said the team you were in charge of was eliminated, so you may return now. The compensation for today’s dispatch…….”
“No. I’ve changed my mind.”
Hajiho said, still glaring at me.
“You were in charge of these bastards’ team, right? From now on, I’m the proctor for this team.”
Hajiho raised the corners of his mouth.
“Let’s see just how great you are that you’d dare talk back to me.”
Hajiho said that and got off the bus.
“W-wait! Mr. Hajiho! You can’t suddenly change proctors like that……! Ah, seriously!”
Jeongyeon gave us a glance then hurriedly followed Hajiho off the bus.
“……I’m sorry.”
I apologized to the two of them. If that man became our proctor, even if we passed the task, it might become difficult to pass the exam.
“No, you did well.”
The middle-aged man was smiling.
“If Hwajin hadn’t stepped up, I would have.”
Seeing the middle-aged man’s hand going toward his inventory, I let out a bitter smile.
“Were you going to pull out an axe or something?”
“The best defense is a good offense. Hwajin, your hand was going toward your inventory too.”
“You two are both so hot-blooded. If you had really fought, it could have escalated into a war between guilds.”
Though she said that, Hyeri was smiling too.
“Well, it’s not like there’s only one exam anyway. Let’s just say we stepped in poop today. By the way, I didn’t know Hajiho had that kind of personality. He’s handsome and strong, so he has quite a few fans.”
“Were you perhaps also a fan, Hyeri?”
“……I’m not.”
‘She was a fan.’
I muttered inwardly.
The people heading to the third exam site numbered nine, including us. Out of nearly 50 people who came, only three teams remained. The final testing site, the 7-star dungeon, was located along the way back to Seoul. The bus that had been driving on the road turned onto a small path midway and stopped in front of some container.
‘Seeing the guard post in front of the container, it seems a dungeon is still a dungeon.’
A civil servant came out in front of us, explained about the exam, then told us the dungeon entry order. Our order was last.
“In the end, Mr. Hajiho has become your proctor.”
Jeongyeon came to me and informed me that Hajiho had taken charge of proctoring the exam, and that Hajiho had insisted that the proctor enter the dungeon as well.
“I’m sorry. I should have stopped this abuse of authority.”
“It’s fine.”
Hajiho was unpleasant, but he was a Hunter belonging to the Paewang Guild. As Korea’s number one guild, even the government couldn’t ignore its influence.
“Ms. Jeongyeon, it’s not much, but may I ask a favor?”
“A favor?”
I whispered into Jeongyeon’s ear. She nodded and went to the headquarters where the proctors were. Jeongyeon returned shortly and gave me the items I had asked for. I put them in my inventory.
While waiting for our turn to enter the dungeon, Hajiho approached with a swaggering gait.
“If you’re going to give up on the exam, now would be a good time? Don’t bother wasting your efforts for nothing.”
Hajiho smiled, lifting the corners of his mouth.
“We won’t know if it’s a waste until we take the exam.”
When I said that in a calm tone, veins bulged on Hajiho’s face.
“Let’s see how long you can run that mouth.”
The moment Hajiho turned around, I threw the stiff paper I was holding at his back. The paper entered his body as if it had turned into a ghost. I immediately took out a book and checked it. I couldn’t stop the corners of my mouth from rising.
“Hajiho.”
“What?”
When I called him, Hajiho turned around with a fiercely scrunched expression.
“Did you bring a Return Stone? You’ll need it.”
Hajiho made an absurd expression.
“What bullshit?”
“As long as you have one.”
Then it was our turn. I took out my staff from my inventory and moved through the portal with the two of them.
Before entering,
“Mister, Hyeri. Wait a moment.”
I gestured for the two to come closer and whispered in their ears. The two smiled.
Ten minutes later.
“Y-you bastards! Where did you disappear to!?”
Seeing Hajiho shouting with veins bulging in his neck, I snickered.
‘Oops.’
I quickly covered my mouth.
‘Can’t let them hear me.’
[Skreeeee!]
Ferocious-looking monsters of all kinds swarmed Hajiho.
“Damn it!”
Hajiho, wielding twin swords, frantically fought off the 7-star dungeon monsters. I watched the spectacle of monsters attacking Hajiho with delight.
“Wow, he could’ve died there.”
“Mister, shush.”
I put a finger to my lips and whispered.
Hyeri was watching Hajiho with a fascinated expression.
Currently, we were observing Hajiho’s battle from a corner of the dome-shaped dungeon.