“Hmm.”

By this point, I figured there must be some sort of connection between us, whether it was a fated curse or a fortunate encounter.

It didn’t bother me too much.

Even if it was Choi Jinho, he wasn’t the type to risk everything for personal feelings and stupidly try to interfere with me. Especially since mentoring was part of his strategy to earn points for S-rank.

At worst, I’d be treated like an invisible person.

Next, I checked the profiles of my team members.

Junhyun should be fine. He was a pretty unique guy who followed me quite closely even back in our Bicheon Guild days.

However.

I shifted my gaze to the remaining two photos.

A young man in his early twenties with a ruggedly handsome face.

A girl with ash-gray hair and a teardrop tattoo under one eye.

Kang Gun of Hwarang Guild and Yoo Se-rin of Cheongyeon Guild.

Hwarang, one of the three major guilds, and Cheongyeon, ranked fourth.

These two were the prized super rookies of their respective guilds, already sparking significant buzz across media outlets and online communities as major newsmakers.

Moreover, they were considered highly promising talents, likely to be promoted to A-rank within the next three years.

No wonder comments on Taejun-nim’s post are exploding.

Unlike the pages announcing the other groups, the page revealing the Group 4 contestants’ profiles saw a massive surge in views and comments.

“Look at these comments.”

It’s one thing for comments praising and defending Yoo Se-rin or Kang Gun.

There were quite a few comments crossing the line, openly slandering Junhyun and me.

Manager Mi, who was reading the comments beside me, shot off an angry emoticon.

“It’s fine. What’s the point of getting worked up about every little thing?”

At least the rank wasn’t displayed in my current information section.

Imagine if it had said I was a D-rank Hunter.

The comment section would have been in an uproar, beyond anything comparable to this.

“Yeah. They stream the gameplay live through action cams attached to the candidates’ suits.”

“It’s only possible because it’s an artificially constructed dungeon.”

What the hell has this guy been listening to all this time?

Anyway, because of this, those who perform exceptionally well during the B-rank promotion evaluation…

Experience a rapid surge in public recognition.

Clicking on a comment link, I found that sixteen judging candidate channels had already been created.

There were still three days until the judging process began.

Yet the channels of Yoo Se-rin and Kang Gun were already flooded with waiting viewers.

I’d heard Yoo Se-rin had become nearly as popular as a top idol.

Looking at the absurd number of waiting viewers, it seemed that was indeed the case.

Meanwhile, my streaming channel had zero viewers.

In a way, it was only natural.

But I wasn’t discouraged.

I knew exactly how that zero would change in a few days.

Three days later.

I arrived at the Alliance Headquarters lobby at 8 AM, an hour ahead of schedule.

After changing into my examination suit in the locker room, I emerged to find the waiting area already crowded with candidates.

So everyone managed to arrive on time for the examination.

Within the crowd, two particular groups of candidates stood out, gathered in distinct clumps.

It was obvious who they were without even looking.

Kang Gun and Yoo Se-rin.

Well, at least I don’t have to bump into those guys before it even starts.

As I nonchalantly drifted toward an isolated seat far from them, a hunter huddled in a secluded corner caught my eye.

“Junhyun.”

“Oh.”

Junhyun turned to me with a puzzled expression, his face lighting up when he recognized me.

“Taejun-senpai… Hunter.”

“Just call me sunbae or hyung comfortably.”

“Uh… then would it be okay to call you hyung casually?”

I chuckled and sat down beside him.

“Do as you please. But why are you already so dejected? The judging hasn’t even started yet.”

“Um, well…”

Junhyun’s narrow eyes flickered to one side, toward Yoo Se-rin and Kang Gun, who were surrounded by a bustling crowd.

”…I just don’t know if I’ll be able to do well.”

Even for a guy as big and burly as him, he’s always been too soft-hearted.

The pressure must be crushing him.

It looks like he’s seen the personal attacks and malicious comments about himself too.

So I said, “I don’t know either.”

“Huh?”

“I don’t know if you can do well right now. If you don’t even know yourself, how could I?”

Kim Junhyun bowed his head dejectedly.

Staring at him, I continued, “But if you’re the Kim Junhyun I remember, I’m confident you can do this. The younger brother who’s honest, doesn’t play tricks, and is as devoted to hunting as he is to food—”

“Ah.”

Kim Junhyun’s eyes widened as he looked down at me. He mumbled something incomprehensible.

“Now that I think about it, you’ve always been like that, hyung…”

“Like what?”

“The kind of old-timer who’s subtly exhausting to be around but somehow gives you strength.”

Hmph? Look at the way this kid talks. An old-timer? Lee Taejun, how narrow-minded do you think I am?

“Even when I first struggled to adjust to the guild, you were the first to approach me, hyung.”

Did I…? Frankly, I don’t remember.

Slap!

Kim Junhyun slapped both cheeks once and nodded firmly.

“Understood, hyung. I’ll live up to your expectations!”

“Just don’t try to hog more than your share.”

“I’ll give you my portion too, hyung!”

“No… that’s not necessary.”

As we were having this exchange…

“Ah, ah.”

A voice testing the microphone echoed from the other side of the hall.

Turning around, I saw a raised platform at the front of the waiting area. A man in his mid-thirties stood there.

“First, let me introduce myself. I’m Joo Minsuk, the official in charge of overseeing this quarter’s B-rank promotion assessment.”

After a brief round of applause, he continued.

“Now that all the candidates have gathered, I’ll begin by outlining the new guidelines for this assessment.”

His gaze swept over us before he added in a low voice, “Starting with this quarter’s promotion assessment, we’ll be introducing a new bonus point system in addition to the existing scores from the Automatic Gauge Measurement System.”

“A bonus point system?”

“What? Why introduce something like this so suddenly, right before the assessment?”

A commotion erupted among the candidates. This new system had not been announced beforehand.

Amid the rising murmur, Joo Minsuk continued calmly.

“Starting with this B-rank promotion assessment, ‘Streaming Points’ will be introduced for all candidates.”

Streaming Points.

“The B-rank promotion assessment will be streamed live through the action cam on your current suit. I assume you’ve already checked the broadcasting channels under your names, which were launched on the Management Headquarters website a few days ago.”

A quick glance revealed Yoo Se-rin in the distance, her face radiating confidence.

Not to mention, just this morning, the community had been buzzing about her waiting audience exceeding 10,000.

“Streaming Points are bonus points awarded to one member of each team who maintains the highest average viewership until the dungeon raid is completed. Therefore, one point will be awarded per team, with a maximum of 2 points available.”

A murmur rippled through the ranks of waiting candidates.

Joo Minsuk calmly continued,

“After lengthy deliberations, we’ve concluded that ‘notoriety’ is also a form of skill. For modern Hunters, the ability to etch their presence into the public consciousness is an indispensable quality.”

Thus, the alliance headquarters acknowledged this ability while implementing a bonus point system, ensuring basic Hunter competencies wouldn’t be overlooked.

Two points weren’t a significant enough score to determine advancement, and since the evaluation was absolute rather than relative, no one could be eliminated solely because of those two points.

”…”

Judging by the reactions, I wasn’t the only one with these thoughts.

As soon as Joo Minsuk finished speaking, the murmurs of dissatisfaction quickly subsided.

“We are deeply grateful for your understanding, despite the late notice.”

Joo Minsuk bowed his head slightly again, pointing to the transmission device behind him with a smile.

“Then, let the advancement assessment begin now.”

Whoosh!

The mechanical portal activated, and a blue dimensional gate materialized.

The assessment candidates began moving into the gate in groups.

Junhyun and I rose from our seats.

“Let’s go, Junhyun.”

“Yes, hyung.”

Whoosh!

We stepped straight into the dimensional gate.

For a moment, as if I’d blinked, my vision went dark and then returned.

Thud.

I found myself in a deep, wooded mountain valley.

Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!

Unfamiliar bird calls.

Stepping through ankle-high grass, I looked up and saw them just a short distance away—Yoo Se-rin and Kang Gun, who had arrived earlier, and Choi Jinho, the mentor for Group 4.

“All members of Group 4, please step forward and line up before me quickly.”

Choi Jinho addressed us in a tone that might have been used by a training camp instructor.

I moved to stand before him.

Once all members of Group 4 had gathered, Choi Jinho spoke again.

“Welcome. I’m Choi Jinho from the Bicheon Guild, your mentor for today’s promotion assessment.”

“Hello, Jinhyuk oppa!” Yoo Se-rin greeted him brightly.

The use of “oppa” made Choi Jinho’s lips twitch slightly.

But perhaps sensing my disapproving gaze, he quickly straightened his expression and continued.

“Without further ado, I’ll begin with the briefing. This is an artificial dungeon built by restoring the Demon Sealing Cave in Yeongseong-ri, Yanggu, Gangwon-do. Team 4 will be raiding this dungeon today.”

The Demon Sealing Cave was a Grade 2 dungeon that had been perfectly cleared about five years ago.

Moreover, this was a location I had somewhat anticipated.

After all, there aren’t many restored, split-type dungeons suitable for B-rank assessments.

I subtly glanced at my other teammates.

Yoo Se-rin and Kang Gun also seemed to have been expecting this.

“Before we begin the raid, please take one of these.”

Suddenly, Choi Jinho handed something out.