– “Participant Number 75, please enter.” 

It’s finally my turn.

As soon as he heard the announcement calling for him, Seo Jun-ho entered the prep room.

Inside, there was an association employee that started talking to him. 

“We welcome you, participant Seo Jun-ho.”

“Yes.”

“You can select any weapon you want from this room, and once you are ready, you simply have to exit through this door.”

Jun-ho looked around at all the weapons displayed in the room. On top of the Eighteen Arms of Wushu*, bows and pistols, there were even unique weapons like halberds prepared. 

(TN: The 18 main weapons of Chinese martial arts. The actual list of 18 weapons differs depending on the school of martial arts.)

“There’s no limit on how many weapons I can take, right?”

“Yes. Every once in a while, there are people who pick more than 2 weapons.”

“That’s good to know.”

With a face full of excitement, Jun-ho started grabbing weapons left and right. First, he holstered a Glock 17 to his waist, and hung a bow and quiver on his back. Next, he secured 5 throwing knives onto his thigh and a sword to his waist. Finally, he picked up a spear. 

Watching Jun-ho, the employee let out a small sigh before asking, “Participant Seo Jun-ho. Are you planning on bringing in all those weapons?”

“Can I not?”

“Sigh… No, you can.”

The employee shook his head. Because he’s seen many other participants like Jun-ho, he knew it was pointless to advise them against it. Having lost the ability to give a fuck, he handed Jun-ho a pair of gloves. 

“If you’ve finished preparing, please equip these gloves.”

Noticing the blank face on Jun-ho, he started explaining. 

“This is a magical tool that lets you interact with the summoned holographic monsters in the examination room.”

“Oooh, that’s cool.”

Jun-ho put on the gloves, and after a final check on his weapons, he raised his head.

“I’m ready, so am I good to go?”

“Yes, you just have to enter through this door.” 

Jun-ho opened the door, and entered the examination room. The room was much larger than it appeared on screen, and the entire room—wall, floor, and ceiling—was white. 

– “Participant Seo Jun-ho. Are you ready?”

Woosh, swoosh. 

He nodded at the speakers while gently spinning around the spear. 

– “Then the evaluation will commence.”

Immediately after the announcement ended, monsters started spawning all around him.

This is even cooler in person.

The holographic monsters were so vivid, it felt like real monsters were in front of him. While being in awe, Jun-ho already finished analyzing the monsters. 

20 dwarves*, huh. It does seem like a few too many for a beginner.

(TN: It is possible that the monster that the author is referring to is a gnome or some other short mythological creature here.)

This was the reason why the passing rate for the permit evaluation was not even 3%. The average height of a dwarf was 130cm. Compared to a human male adult, they were much smaller, and their physical abilities matched their small physique. As much as the players knew this fact, dwarves were even more self-aware of their weakness. 

Dwarves are smart and cunning.

They were monsters that used their relentlessness and cunning to make up for their lack of physical prowess. So if you underestimated them and recklessly approached them like participant number 1, you will find yourself suddenly knocked over. And if you ever get knocked down, it was game over. 

Their daggers will tear you apart like you’re Julius Caesar.

Jun-ho couldn’t help but chuckle, watching the dwarves who were on their guard against him. 

This is making me nostalgic.

The ugly, drooling dwarves re-awakened his old memories. 

“Things have really gotten better. We didn’t have stuff like this before.”

Permit evaluation? Holographic monsters?

Such luxury.

Long ago, the only way to become a player was to risk your life and enter a gate. If you came back alive, you were issued a permit, and if you failed, you left no traces of your corpse. 

“Back in my day, you had to put in a thing called effort. And I mean a looooot of effort.”

(TN: Oki Boomer.)

Effort to not die and effort to kill the monster. And even after putting in a lot of effort, it was still common for a player to die because they were simply unlucky. After living through such a turbulent time, holographic monsters were funny to Jun-ho. 

They might be really great imitations, but…

They were still ‘fakes’ created by an AI. 

“Will this make them attack me?”

Jun-ho slightly shifted his hips, purposefully creating an ‘opening’. Without any hesitation, dwarves charged at him while hissing. 

1.5 meters.

The spear he was holding was approximately 130cm. Taking his arm length into account, he was able to take complete control over the 1.5m radius around him. Of course, the mobs made of data in front of him wouldn’t know such things. 

– “Krrugh”

– “Kiii-egh!”

Tightly gripping their daggers with both hands, 4 impatient dwarves jumped towards Jun-ho. They planned on swinging at his head with all their might, but the moment their bodies were at the apex of their jump—

Heave ho.

Jun-ho had a small frame, yet the muscles on his arms suddenly ballooned up. 

Pow-pow! 

The spear blew up the heads of the dwarves at lightning speed. Their bodies turned into polygons and disappeared before it could even hit the ground. 

– “Kkirugh?”

– “Hiss!”

The death of their comrades halted their charge and made them disperse. 

Dispersing and surrounding a stronger enemy… They’ve done a good job replicating their behaviour.

Jun-ho planted his spear into the ground.

“But that’s not going to be enough against me.”

* * *

* * *

With his left hand, he pulled out the 5 daggers on his thigh, and with his right hand, he readied his Glock 17.

Start with the guys behind me.

Fwoosh!

Jun-ho threw the 5 daggers behind him. 

Bang, bang, bang, bang!

The Glock 17 spat fire. Five with the daggers, four with the pistol. In a literal blink of an eye, 9 dwarves disappeared before they could even let out a peep.

– “Kii, kkiugh.”

– “Kuu-rrang!”

The massacre dampened the bloodthirst of the 7 remaining dwarves, making them slowly walk backwards, away from Jun-ho.

“Ooh, so they even feel fear?”

 Having read the emotions off their eyes, Jun-ho was entertained.

“Damn, this is pretty sadistic.”

Can you kill a monster that has lost the will to fight? That’s what the test was asking the player.

“Well, I only have one answer for that.”

Jun-ho grabbed the bow that was hanging on his back, immediately drawing an arrow. 

– “Kki, kkiegh!”

Succumbing to fear, the dwarves started running away. Due to their small size and quick speed, they were a beginner archer’s worst nightmare. 

But I have Weapon Mastery (A) and Gilbert taught me archery and gunmanship.

Gilbert Green was one of the Five Heroes. He was a gunman known as the Gray Envoy. 

I can’t smear mud on his face now, can I?

Puuuuuull.

As Jun-ho drew his bow, the dwarves started running faster. Despite being holograms, their desire to survive was even greater than real dwarves. 

“……”

Jun-ho closed one eye and aimed at his moving target. His form was textbook perfect.

Wooooosh!

The arrow was shot without any warning, piercing the dwarf’s back. An amazing feat, as the dwarf has been zig-zagging. However, Jun-ho wasn’t satisfied by this. He quickly grabbed another arrow. 

Woosh, fwip! Wooosh!

Three arrows flew one after another, creating three polygons.  

“Phew.” 

After the last show, he put down his bow and caressed the scabbard of his sword. 

The finale should be this guy.

The sword was the weapon he had been using the longest, so it was also the weapon he was most confident in. 

– “Kkiyaaaack!”

Did they realize that they would die no matter how much they ran? The final 3 dwarves charged back, their eyes bloodshot. 

Brush, brush. 

Even though the dwarves were charging at him, Jun-ho just stood there, stroking his scabbard.

He drew an imaginary line, one meter in front of him. It marked  the maximum reach of his sword, and it was also the ‘Death Line’ for the dwarves.

– “Kkiyaaack.”

– “Kkraaagh!”

The moment the dwarves crossed the ‘Death Line,’ Jun-ho smirked as he gripped his sword. 

“If you cross the line…”

The steel of the sword revealed itself in a flash. 

Swoosh! Slice!

A single, clean cutting sound echoed, and the beheaded bodies of the dwarves dispersed as polygons. 

“You deserve death.”

His display of skill was enough to impress anyone, but Jun-ho looked down in disappointment at his hand wielding the sword.

I really have gotten dull.

It shouldn’t be a surprise, but his current skills couldn’t even hold a candle to him in his prime. That wasn’t the only lament. 

“…It hurts.”

Having pushed his body to its limits, his bones and muscles were screaming in anguish. 

In order to explore the gates, I’ll have to build up my body a little.

While making a face of displeasure, Jun-ho listened to the results of his examination. 

– “Pa-pass… Participant number 75, Seo Jun-ho-nim. Congratulations on passing.”

* * *

“…Incredible. I literally don’t know how to describe it any other way.”

When Jun-ho’s test was over, the observers couldn’t hide their amazement. Normally, they sat in their chairs feigning refinement, so their action of sticking to the glass window with excitement spoke for itself.

“I stand corrected. He isn’t some discount Specter copycat.”

“From the spearmanship that perfectly utilized its range, to the usage of throwing knives, marksmanship, archery, and ending with that powerful but refined swordsmanship… his understanding of weaponry is outstanding.”

“And look at the balance of his body. Just by looking at him, you can tell he lacks muscle mass to the point that it’s almost pathetic… yet he’s able to move like that?”

The observers couldn’t stop complimenting Jun-ho. That’s when the only person other than Shim Deok-gu who has been remaining silent, started speaking. 

“Looking at his profile… his only skill is Weapon Proficiency, and it’s only D-rank.”

“…Huh?” 

“Only D-rank?”

The observers quickly clamored down like they were a fire that got sprayed with water. 

It’s not even his sub-skill, but it’s his only skill that’s D-rank? That doesn’t seem too promising for me to back him.

Hmm, so this is that case. Someone who put all their effort into the one skill they possess…

I wonder. Did he put everything on the line for this evaluation knowing that his own skill is lackluster?

It really won’t be worth it to invest in him.

I almost got tricked.

The observers quickly finished their calculations. If his skill was even at C-rank, they would have scouted him to their guilds. But it’s only D-rank? Of course, if they invest enough, and with a bit of luck, he could become a top-tier player. However, they were scouts of profit-seeking ‘guilds’. 

Winning a gamble tastes sweet… but nothing is more bitter than losing one.

Why should I pick the harder, more dangerous road when there is an easier path.

I do like his sense of combat, but I’m not quite sure about signing him…

Without even realizing it, he was being treated like chicken ribs—not enough meat to feel satisfied, but that didn’t mean you should just let someone else have it. It was a perfect metaphor for a player that they didn’t want to sign on, but they also didn’t want to let another guild have him.

Deok-gu watched them struggle with their dilemma, peacefully taking a sip from his coffee. 

This should be enough pre-tense for me to bring on Jun-ho without ruffling any feathers.

Jun-ho exhibited a perfect result in the evaluation. There was enough of a ‘reason’ for him to fully invest in him, even if the scouts were hesitating to sign him on, deeming him as having little potential…

It almost makes me feel bad for hiding the skills he has from them.

Seo Jun-ho was a top-tier player that could handle not one but two elements. And he also possessed a myriad of skills. Even the Weapon Proficiency (D) skill they think he has is actually Weapon Mastery (A).  

I’ll have to get the windows cleaned once the evaluations are over.

As he put his coffee cup back down, a smile of a winner was faintly visible on Shim Deok-gu’s face.