The Otherworldly Magic Swordsman Who Disciplines the Hunter World Chapter 35

More than anything, they said this was the only way because time was short. Even if it was difficult to be certain whether it was harmless to the human body, it was not life-threatening.

Occasionally, in cases where there were monsters not identified by the system, there were times when they were captured alive for measurement. The advanced examination Julian would experience was exactly that case.

“You’ll just be tied up and unable to move, but it’s similar to getting a CT scan.”

“What’s a CT?”

“Like an X-ray… anyway, there is such a thing.”

He glossed over the words as if explaining was a bother. Myeong Haejin stepped in between the two.

“The risk is low, right? As you know, Team Leader, Hunter Julian is quite an important asset to us. It would be a bit difficult for me if he gets hurt or put in danger.”

“It’s not dangerous.”

Once again, the signs of him barely holding back from adding “Probably?” were evident.

He wondered if it was really okay like this, but there was no other particular way. Myeong Haejin seemed to have the same thought, looking uncomfortable yet not actively stopping it.

In the end, Julian had no choice but to move his feet. Since they said it wasn’t life-threatening, he’d have to trust them.

Even so, his gaze instinctively wandered, searching for an escape route. Just in case, there was always the option of running away in the middle of it. The saying “preparedness prevents sorrow” didn’t exist for nothing.

Like that, he passed through two or three more doors following Choi Jae-guk. Around the time he started wondering just how far they were going, they were able to arrive at the destination.

It wasn’t on a scale grand enough to be called an examination room. A simple desk and chair, and a stainless-steel bed in the middle of the room were everything.

Not long after the three arrived, one more person made an appearance.

“We meet again.”

A woman wearing a white gown waved her hand happily. Julian recognized her and brightened up.

“Oh, the stylish tomato from back then?”

It was Jung Mirae, who had helped with Julian’s grade examination when he first came. Approaching with a “ho-ho” laugh, she set down a square box near the bed.

“Have you been well? I heard you were very active in the dungeon this time. Did you know that lately, whenever hunters gather, that’s all they talk about?”

When she opened the box, devices of unknown purpose appeared. She meticulously organized the pads attached to the ends of long wires.

“Shall we proceed now that you’re ready?”

When his eyes met Jung Mirae’s, Choi Jae-guk became noticeably awkward. He cleared his throat “hum-hum” and after fumbling for a while, gave a stiff nod of his head.

“That… cough! Then I’ll leave it to you, Doctor.”

He left the room, taking Myeong Haejin with him. Julian also obediently took off his shirt according to her instructions.

As he lay down on the bed as expected, Jung Mirae’s voice was heard from above his head.

“We’re going to attach these pads to your body to proceed with the precision examination. It might sting a little. It will take about 20 minutes, and if you feel anything strange in the middle of it, please call me immediately.”

Pads were attached one by one to his chest, stomach, back, and forehead. A square box was visible at the end of the long-stretched wires.

What is that? Curiosity arose regarding the mechanical device full of numbers and buttons. It was a button that looked like you’d really just want to press it.

While Julian couldn’t take his eyes off it, Jung Mirae firmly pressed the red button on the box.

“Then I will proceed with the examination.”

No sooner had she finished speaking than a stinging sensation rushed in. It was a feeling that couldn’t be easily explained. A feeling of rummaging through the inside of the muscles? No, rather than that, it was closer to a feeling of nausea in the stomach.

Fortunately, after a little time passed, the strange sensation also disappeared immediately. His muscles tightened into a stretch due to tension. He exhaled slowly at the stiff sensation.

“Does it hurt?”

After agonizing for a moment, he shook his head.

“It doesn’t hurt, it’s just a stinging degree?”

At those words, Jung Mirae pressed the button on the box once more. No particular change was felt.

“Just lie there comfortably as you are until the results come out.”

Is it enough to just be like this for 20 minutes? Unlike when he saw it last time, no device to project something was visible either. It had only stung for a moment; by what method was what kind of examination being done?

For now, he just stared blankly at the ceiling as he was told. As he stayed still without doing anything, sleepiness gradually rushed in.

While he was agonizing over whether to ask if it was okay to sleep, his vision became hazy. A single blurry and opaque window floated up.

[ Accessing information of the contact subject. The status window will close upon disconnection. ]

Name: ■■■

Date of Birth: ■■■. ■. ■■

Grade: F-Class

Title: <The Chosen One>

Trait: Analyzing…

Skill: Analyzing…

∞ ∞ ∞ The system has not completely read the information.

∞ ∞ ∞ Reliability of information for a non-existent subject is not guaranteed.

∞ ∞ ∞ An error has been detected.

It was blurry and mostly filled with black squares, but it was still enough to be understood.

He gazed at the status window before his eyes. So other people had been seeing this kind of thing every time.

Encountering the status window he had only heard about, it was fascinating enough to make his mouth hang open. His gaze turned as if possessed by the letters floating in the air.

“A status window does appear… but hmmm, most of it isn’t being properly verified.”

Jung Mirae began to write something down meticulously. Even after waiting for more than 20 minutes, no further information came out.

Contrary to the expectation that she would wait longer, she peeled off the pads without lingering regret.

“It’s a relief, though. I was worried what to do if the grade couldn’t even be verified like last time.”

She organized the pads step by step and put them into the bag. As soon as he became a free man, he raised his body from the bed. Jung Mirae trailed off as if feeling it was a pity.

“Though the grade came out a bit disappointingly…”

Whether it was deeply regrettable that it was F-Class, her eyes were full of lingering regret. While stopping her organizing of the device, she asked back, “Shall we do it one more time?” Julian shrugged.

“But there’s no problem entering the dungeon, right?”

“Of course. Since the grade came out, the hunter registration card can be issued immediately.”

Since he wasn’t hoping for some incredible grade anyway, that was enough. As soon as his feet touched the ground, his head spun for a moment. He exhaled as he stood, barely leaning on the bed.

He didn’t know what kind of device it was acting as, but the nausea that had disappeared recurred. To think it’s this difficult just to see a status window once. He gave a bitter smile.

Without time to feel regret over the status window that was no longer visible, Choi Jae-guk and Myeong Haejin appeared. The room soon became noisy. Julian swallowed the pain familiarly.

With an unfazed face, he gathered and put on his clothes. Sighs were heard among those huddled together checking Julian’s examination results.

“F-Class?”

“Didn’t any skills or traits come out?”

“This is all of it. But the problem is… as you see here, the reliability guarantee…”

Between the chattering stories, words like “Is it really F-Class?”, “To think it would be F-Class…”, and “Is it really F-Class?” were mixed in.

Julian hadn’t had any particular thoughts about the grade, but because they mentioned “F-Class” three or four times like that, he felt strange for no reason.

“…Are the results that bad? Is it not okay to be F-Class?”

“Huh? No, not at all.”

Myeong Haejin waved his hands frantically. Julian’s eyes narrowed at the face that was trying hard to act bright.

Good grief. Whether it’s F-Class or whatever, isn’t it enough to just enter the dungeon and beat up monsters? His mood was dampened by the ambiguous reaction, enough to create an inferiority complex that hadn’t existed.

“I will have the registration card made for you first.”

Even Choi Jae-guk’s attitude became strangely soft. Even that burly and prickly gentleman looked at Julian with eyes that seemed to say “Hang in there.”

From that point on, rather than just feeling bad, a great sense of unease rushed in.

Are they pitying me? Am I being pitied right now? What’s wrong with F-Class? What’s wrong with it? It’s not like I can’t use magic because of a grade measurement, and it’s not like I can’t swing a sword, so what exactly is the problem?

Less than 10 minutes after checking the grade, a massive inferiority complex had developed. He moved his feet with a “thump-thump” following Choi Jae-guk with a sullen face.

∞ ∞ ∞

“Don’t care too much. Just because you’re F-Class doesn’t mean anything changes. And among F-Class hunters, there are famous… mmm, hmmm… not famous? But doing their own part… probably there are some.”

In a long-winded and grand consolation that said there might probably be hunters who do their part even among F-Class hunters, but in truth he had never seen one, Julian rubbed his brow.

Because he had been tormented by Myeong Haejin’s F-Class talk all throughout the trip, his head was ringing. Besides, the nauseating sensation from the examination earlier still remained.

In the midst of that, listening to things he couldn’t tell were consolation or teasing made his fatigue double.

“I understand well that I’m F-Class, so could you please stop talking about it now?”

Myeong Haejin quickly shut his mouth. Once it became quiet, he felt like he could live at least a little. In the silence, Julian tapped “thump-thump” on his chest area.

“I won’t tell the others about the grade. It would be a bit much if things became uncomfortable because of that.”

That was indeed welcome news. If even the talkative Woo Yujin joined the F-Class pity party, that would be a nightmare.

If nothing else, he had realized through the experience just now to his bones how hunters thought of F-Class.

Like the saying that extremes meet, he finally fully understood the story that Gong Siyoung had been tormented just because he was S-Class. If even F-Class was rare, how much more so for S-Class.

What kind of life has he lived? Attention that exceeded the proper degree became a poison. Wouldn’t getting attention be similar for S-Class or F-Class? Then it would have been better if S-Class had come out if possible.

“Shall we keep it a secret from Hunter Siyoung too?”

Conveniently, the car that reached the destination slowed down. Beyond the car window, the black shadow of the Gate was visible.

Looking back at the people moving busily, Julian nodded his head half-heartedly.

“Don’t tell anyone.”