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Chapter 12: D-Rank Promotion (1)
I walked out of the portal, carrying the pieces of steel armor that Kang Shia had hurriedly removed.
She knew how to take it off but not how to put it on.
Truly, such a privileged daughter remark.
“I realized something during today’s boss fight,”
Kang Shia said quietly as I was putting the armor into the trunk of her Rolls-Royce Phantom.
“What is it?”
“I just... decided to stop making bets. I got a little cocky after leveling up and ended up making a pointless bet. If that orc had been just a little stronger, one of us might have been in real danger.”
“Well, you were doing pretty well as the vanguard against regular monsters.”
“Regular monsters aren’t the problem. Once we reach D-rank, the bosses we’ve been fighting will start appearing as regular monsters. Acting as the vanguard made me realize it’s inevitable to let one or two monsters slip past. I should just apologize to my friend and hunt together again.”
With that, she pointed her finger at me.
“I can’t afford to fall behind our novice junior, after all.”
“Wait... you knew?”
“You’re quite famous, you know? The fastest person in the 13th generation to be promoted to E-rank. But also the hunter who gave the association headaches by stubbornly sticking to the novice class without choosing a specialization.”
So, not exactly flattering rumors, then.
“Maybe waiting to choose your class at D-rank isn’t such a bad idea. Hunters like you, with great base stats, can easily handle the journey up to level 25.”
“Do you have insider info from your family or something?”
“I’ve only heard rumors that the classes available at D-rank are extraordinary. But the most important thing is whether you can beat your competitors during the level 25 promotion match. I won’t go easy on you, junior.”
The D-rank promotion match was a battle among E-rankers at level 25.
This woman... She was strong as a ranger...
“Just rank up first. Don’t bother trying to fight me.”
“I’d love to do that, but I’m aiming for the September promotion match. Something tells me you’ll be aiming for September as well.”
The promotion matches begin on the 1st of every odd-numbered month.
It was late June now, so if I cleared E-rank dungeons daily and focused on solo play to monopolize the experience points...
September seemed within reach.
“See you then.”
“Yeah, let’s play fair when the time comes. Here, this is the promised reward.”
She handed me a two-handed sword from the trunk.
Finally, I received an incredibly expensive-looking weapon.
“Thank you. Oh, by the way, we got a D-rank mana stone from the orc. Should we split it?”
“Ha. You don’t even mean that, do you? Just keep it. It’s my first time seeing a mana stone like that, though.”
“Thanks! Hehe.”
She didn’t mean “first time seeing it” as in “I want it,” right?
As I quickly pocketed the mana stone, Kang Shia smirked.
“Wow. You just take it without hesitation. Kang Shia gets humiliated by a man. Is this one of those ‘You’re the first guy to slap me’ moments?”
“You want me to slap you?”
“No, thanks. I’m not falling for you anyway.”
“I don’t want to get calls from your butler either.”
“Hey! We agreed not to bring that up! See you at the promotion match. You’re dead, seriously.”
“Haha. Take care.”
“Yeah, see you then.”
Waving her hand, she drove off in the Rolls-Royce Phantom.
The time I spent with her had been very productive.
I checked my level—it was now 12.
Plus, I had gained a powerful two-handed sword.
I hadn’t decided yet whether to use it or sell it, but either way, it was a satisfying deal.
“So this weapon was a gift from Kang Shia? Wow. Not only did you meet a celebrity, but you also got a super-expensive weapon out of it...”
Jinseong and I were running a dungeon together for the first time in a while since it was his day off.
The blade had a dark sheen, and the handle was embedded with fragments of a yellow D-rank mana stone.
The moment I held it, the weapon felt lighter, and a surge of vitality coursed through me.
The sword seemed to have some sort of enchantment.
Its power was astonishing in combat.
This dungeon was filled with clay golems, creatures made of earth.
Though they were quite tough, they were crushed effortlessly when I swung the sword.
The blade remained unscathed.
Having spent so much time casting magic from the rear, I felt exhilarated by the sword’s destructive power as I swung it around.
The golems barely put up a fight before collapsing.
It was surprisingly light, likely due to its innate magic, but considering how heavy it had been for Kang Shia, her strength stats must be terrible.
A pearl before swine, indeed.
“This thing is incredible.”
“Man, I’m so jealous. That’s like winning the lottery. Meanwhile, I’m three hundred million won in debt... I still need to start my Red Hare Project...”
Jinseong, wielding his Green Dragon Crescent Blade, was noticeably less energetic than usual, his eyes brimming with envy as he glanced at me.
Honestly, it did feel like I’d hit the jackpot.
And then...
“Fireball!”
Holding the two-handed sword in one hand, I stretched out my right hand.
A ball of flame flickered into existence on my palm.
The fire grew to the size of a soccer ball, its flames dancing violently.
When I hurled it at a distant clay golem, a massive explosion erupted with a deafening bang!
This was a second-circle spell, Fireball.
It’s probably the most iconic and widely recognized spell when people think of magic.
Despite its common image, its power is undeniable.
The overwhelming force of fire, paired with the secondary damage from the explosion, was devastating.
When I had saved up enough money to learn second-circle magic, this was the spell I chose without hesitation among the ten available options.
“Dude... why are you so strong? You’re hogging all the action.”
“You think I could solo this?”
“Yeah. Feels like I’m just here to leech XP. I’m level 19, getting carried by a level 12... Ridiculous. This is depressing.”
Jinseong gave up, slumping onto a rock to watch me fight.
Perhaps thanks to my skill stat, the two-handed sword felt natural in my hands even though I’d never used one before.
Each swing brought down a clay golem.
Combat suddenly felt too easy.
"Have you ever used a two-handed sword before? You seem to handle it pretty well."
"Does it look that way?"
"Yeah. You handled the sword and shield well before, too. Did you ever take fencing lessons? I don’t recall you learning any martial arts."
"I’ve spent some time training in the association's training room."
"Really? They weren’t very good at teaching how to use the Green Dragon Crescent Blade… but I guess they’re better at teaching sword techniques since there are plenty of instructors for that."
Jinseong nodded to himself in understanding.
I couldn’t exactly tell him about my stats synergy, so I let him continue with his misunderstanding.
Now that I think about it, I might be able to handle a bow as well.
I’ve never shot a bow before, but if my Technique and Agility stats synergize, I feel like I could pick it up quickly.
In the past, I figured magic would suffice for long-range attacks, but in actual combat, my magic turned out to only be effective at mid-range.
Beyond a certain distance, the mana connection would break, and the spell would just dissipate.
If I plan to go solo, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have a long-range option.
I should try learning archery at the association.
"If you start soloing dungeons now, you could probably participate in the September 1st promotion exam."
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"Really?"
"Yeah. You’re level 12, right? If you clear dungeons with a party, it’ll take about two months, but if you go solo, it should take a month to a month and a half. Of course, you’ll have to go almost every day."
"It’s late June now, so if I keep up my current pace, I should make it, right?"
"If you go every day, you might even have some time to spare."
Even as we chatted and hunted monsters, we were relaxed.
I think I can really start playing solo now.
And this two-handed sword... I’ll keep using it.
It’s incredibly powerful.
I’ll sell the sword and shield and buy a cheap bow.
I should also learn another second-circle spell.
"Hey, isn’t the promotion exam being broadcast tomorrow?"
"Is that even possible? You can’t take electronic devices into dungeons."
"Technically, it’s not a dungeon. The elves apparently did something? They’re streaming it on YouTube. Want to watch it tomorrow with some beer?"
"Sure, sounds good. But isn’t your guild watching it as a group?"
"It’s optional, so it’s fine."
"Then it’s a deal."
After parting ways with him, I went to the association and sold my dwarf-made sword and shield for 200 million won.
I’d bought them for 300 million… there goes 100 million…
With 100 million, I bought the cheapest bow and arrows allowed in dungeons and spent the remaining 100 million learning magic from an elf.
The new spell I learned was Heal.
Learning magic from a beautiful blonde elf made the time fly by.
"I heard you’re a novice, but you have remarkable talent."
"Oh, you’ve heard of me?"
"Of course. Among the 13th batch, you’re the hunter we elves are most interested in. Everyone’s curious what class you’ll choose when you reach D-rank."
"What classes can you choose at D-rank?"
"Oh, you didn’t already know?"
The elf gave me a strange look.
Of course, she assumed I had some insider information since I was holding out as a novice until D-rank.
I did have some information, but my future self wasn’t exactly forthcoming.
"If you know anything, could you give me a tip?"
"I don’t know much myself. Cases like yours are rare… But I’ve heard you can choose special classes or dual classes. For example, you could become a magic swordsman or a spirit archer."
"Wow, that sounds amazing."
"They’re incredibly powerful classes. Those who changed their class at D-rank went on to dominate their worlds."
"Then why do most people choose their class at E-rank?"
"You’ll understand if you watch tomorrow’s promotion exam broadcast."
The elf gave a faint smile.
"You have to reach D-rank to change your class, anyway."
The promotion exam aired on YouTube.
It was an overwhelming display of violence and brutality, filling two hours of runtime.
Jinseong and I were so absorbed in the broadcast that we barely touched our mixed beer.
When the rankings were announced, I understood why the elf had spoken that way.
Every single novice was at the very bottom.
I wasn’t the only one trying to hold out as a novice.
But all of them had failed—and were still failing.
Among the novices listed, many were marked as third or fourth-time challengers.
But none had escaped the lowest ranks.
"Hey, when do warriors learn those class skills? I didn’t see you use any."
"Around level 20, I think? That’s when things really begin for them."
The contestants on the broadcast fought with devastating skills.
Only novices were slaughtered, unable to resist with no active skills of their own.
Watching that made me realize just how absurd it was to aim for a D-rank promotion as a novice.
"Yeah, that’s what being a novice is like. You’re the weird exception."
I nodded at Jinseong’s words, thinking about the strategy guide.
How did that guy plan to survive that battlefield?
It seemed nearly impossible to clear as a novice.
Maybe something new would unlock at level 25.
If not, there was no way to survive the promotion exam at this difficulty.
Having two status screens with overlapping growth might make it possible… but it wasn’t something I could count on.
After watching the promotion exam, I steeled my resolve.
I spent every day grinding dungeons, earning money, learning second-circle spells one by one, and training at the association.
Forty days passed like a hamster running on a wheel, and I finally reached level 25.
I also managed to balance all my stats equally.
[Message]
[Name - Kim Jiho
Class - NOVICE
Guardian Deity - Pollux, the God of Gemini
Title - Bat Awakener
Level - 25
Strength - 13, Agility - 13, Magic - 13]
[Name - Kim Jiho
Class - Novice
Guardian Deity - Aurelia, the God of Volcanoes
Title - None
Level - 25
Body - D++, Magic - D++, Technique - D++, Luck - D++
Remaining Points: 1]
In the neutral status screen, stats had also increased through training, leaving me with one remaining point.
If I used it, one stat would reach C, disrupting the balance.
With stats like this, E-rank dungeons became a breeze.
I even started hoping for boss monsters to show up.
Although I’d hit the level cap, I kept grinding dungeons to save money and prepare for the promotion exam.
At the same time, the strategy guide finally updated.
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[Translator - Night]
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