Copying Runes to Become the World's Strongest - Chapter 21

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 21
Practical Exam Waiting Room.
The waiting room, taut with tension, suddenly erupted into noise.
“What is that?”
“They… they cleared every single target?”
The cause was the Ranking that had just been updated on the electronic board.
Ko* Jun, newly sitting at the top spot.
Beside his name, the number 50 was written with cold indifference.
“That’s impossible…”
“Was that even possible?”
The examinees could not hide their astonishment at the remarkable record he had set.
The practical exam was a pass with just twenty eliminations.
Most of them were worried they wouldn’t even reach that.
Given that, fifty was a figure that defied belief even when seen with one’s own eyes.
“W-was the practical exam supposed to be this easy?”
“The guy who got a perfect score on the written part earlier seems insane too, but this is on another level…”
“Could it be the same person?”
“Even if it’s only the E-Rank Hunter Exam, that’s incredible.”
“If I could just pass with half of that, I’d be happy…”
The commotion in the waiting room soon subsided.
It was an impressive record, but in the end it was someone else’s business.
For the examinees, the weight of the practical exam still waiting in front of them far outweighed anything else.
“Mr. Ko Hyeonjun?”
Meanwhile, a man stepped into Hyeonjun’s path just as he came out of the practical exam arena.
Before Hyeonjun could even ask who he was, the man introduced himself first.
“I’m from the Low-Rank Hunter Management Department of the Awakening Management Bureau. Congratulations on taking first place. We’d like to hand over your prize right away. Do you have a moment?”
The E-Rank Hunter Exam was still in progress, but with a perfect 100 on both the written and practical sections, he had all but secured first place.
Realizing as much, Hyeonjun nodded.
“You got here fast. I only just finished the practical.”
“We’ve been monitoring the whole time. Honestly, I didn’t pay much attention at first, but as time went on, I found myself watching more and more.”
The other staff in the monitoring room, apparently, had also watched Hyeonjun’s test with great focus.
They said the reason the door was opened so late at the end was that the staff member had been deeply shaken by the exam results.
“Do you know what it was like the moment you broke the fiftieth one? Everyone went dead silent, as if they’d been struck by something.”
“Ha… haha…”
“And the clear time was so fast, too…”
Being praised so openly left Hyeonjun feeling oddly sheepish.
The staff member kept chattering excitedly for a while before leading Hyeonjun to another room.
It was a staff lounge with a table and an assortment of snacks laid out.
“Please bear with us. I’ve worked here for five years, and a first-place finisher in the middle of an exam is rare, so we weren’t really prepared.”
“It’s fine.”
The staff member deftly set out coffee and an assortment of snacks in front of Hyeonjun.
“Is there a particular type of rune you’d like? By policy it’s a random distribution, but under the circumstances, if we have stock, I can bring you the one you want.”
“Oh, thank you.”
The physical runes he currently had were two: the Rune of Strength he had newly purchased, and the Magic Arrow Skill Rune.
He hadn’t yet decided which Stat to raise after Strength.
‘It’s either Stamina or Mana.’
After some deliberation, Hyeonjun chose the Rune of Magic Power, the more expensive of the two.
The staff member said to wait a moment and stepped outside.
‘Just for placing first in an E-Rank exam, they’re treating me like a distinguished guest.’
Hyeonjun enjoyed his coffee and snacks while he waited for the staff member to return.
Before long, the door opened again.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
The staff member returned carrying a small box and an assortment of documents.
First, they held the box out to Hyeonjun.
“This is the E-Rank Rune of Magic Power. It was the only one left, so I brought it along.”
Hyeonjun opened the box and checked the contents.
[There is a target that can be Discerned.]
‘So I can use it on items too?’
Until now, he had checked things one by one with the Copy Skill, but now there was no need for that.
It was a new application of the Discernment Skill.
<E-Rank Rune of Magic Power>
It’s a Rune of Magic Power that can be equipped in an E-Rank Soul Circuit.
A short, concise description.
It was a Rune of Magic Power certified by the System, the real thing.
“I’ll put it to good use.”
“Yes. And could you take a look at this one too?”
The staffer slid a document across the table with practiced ease.
Hyeonjun read only the first few sentences before he recognized what it was.
‘A Management Bureau Hunter contract, huh.’
The Awakening Management Bureau keeps Hunters on its roster, much like any ordinary guild.
They mostly handle problems involving Anomalous Spaces in the city, but since they’re treated as civil servants, the pay isn’t great, and few people want the job.
‘Sure, there’s hazard pay and performance bonuses, and you can collect a pension after retiring, but it’s still better to just be a regular Hunter.’
Even if a Bureau Hunter works themselves to the bone to squeeze out the maximum income, they still come up short of independent Hunters.
Unless they’re allowed to hold a second job, that is.
Bureau Hunters belong to the 5-Minute Standby Squad, so they aren’t even granted permission for side work.
‘Who in their right mind would sign up for that?’
It isn’t that there are no perks, but for most Hunters, the drawbacks far outweigh them.
That’s why the Bureau is said to be chronically short on manpower.
‘So they try dangling bait in front of low-rank Hunters like these.’
Hyeonjun didn’t give it a second thought and pushed the contract back.
“I’ll pass.”
“Ah, I thought you’d say that.”
The staffer took the contract back, as if this had been expected.
“They told me to make the pitch, but honestly, it feels like I’m fleecing people who don’t know any better, so I’m reluctant.”
“Does anyone actually sign up when you do sales like this?”
“Now and then. Quite a few people come in without knowing what they’re getting into and then leave.”
“Still, it’s surprising the place keeps running.”
“Well, eighty percent of it is thanks to mandatory service.”
The obligation of military service that every male in South Korea faces.
Become a Bureau Hunter, and you can serve in place of the military, in a way that’s like public service work.
‘Oh, right, I’d forgotten about that.’
Since Hyeonjun hadn’t enlisted yet, he wavered for a moment, but he quickly snapped out of it.
It’d be better to go after turning thirty, if it came to that. No matter how he looked at it, joining the Bureau right now was out of the question.
“Then I’ll be going.”
“Yes, take care, sir!”
Hyeonjun stepped out of the break room and got into the elevator.
He messaged Baek Jejung, and just as he was leaving the Bureau building, a reply came in.
-Come on over this way!
Along with the message was the address of a restaurant.
Checking the reviews, it was extremely upscale.
It was the kind of place where, if someone shoved Hyeonjun at the entrance, he’d fall outside rather than stumble in.
‘Didn’t think my life would take me somewhere like this.’
Told you. Good deeds always come back around.
.
.
.
The restaurant wasn’t far.
From the entrance on, the atmosphere was nothing like an ordinary eatery, refined and luxurious.
Hyeonjun stepped inside with awkward steps.
“Welcome. Do you have a reservation?”
A staffer in a suit greeted him.
When he gave Baek Jejung’s name, another staffer standing nearby personally led him inside.
‘Wow, they’re all private rooms.’
Strangely, there wasn’t a general dining hall at all. The whole restaurant was made up of private rooms.
It was a type of restaurant he had never once encountered in his life.
Hyeonjun followed the staffer, his eyes darting around in wonder.
“Here we are.”
Soon the staffer came to a stop.
Hyeonjun pushed open the closed door and went in.
“Hyeonjun!”
Baek Jejung, who had been waiting ahead of him, jumped up from his chair to greet him warmly.
Hyeonjun’s tension eased a little at his bright, cheerful greeting.
“Sorry I’m late.”
“I was just early. Please, sit down!”
Hyeonjun took the seat across from Baek Jejung.
Baek Jejung slid over the menu that had been sitting at one corner of the table.
“I booked the most popular course, but is there anything you’d like to add?”
“Hmm…”
He had no intention of ordering anything extra while someone else was paying. Shameless wouldn’t begin to describe it.
He was only curious about the prices.
Hyeonjun opened the menu, then quietly set it back down.
“This is more than enough.”
The prices were several times higher than he’d imagined. Just looking at them was enough to kill his appetite.
“Did you do well on today’s exam?”
In response to Baek Jejung’s question, Hyeonjun took out the box he’d received from a Management Bureau staff member and showed it to him.
“What’s that?”
“A rune given to top scorers.”
Baek Jejung’s eyes went wide.
Only after a moment did he notice the Management Bureau’s emblem printed on the box’s surface, and then he couldn’t hide his shock.
“H-how did you… how did you get that…?”
They had taken the exam on the same day, so Baek Jejung roughly knew what score it would take to finish first in this round.
That was exactly why he was so stunned.
“W-wait, has the Hunter Certification Exam already ended?”
“Not a chance. It’ll go on until evening.”
Baek Jejung sat there with his mouth hanging open, at a loss for words.
The E-Rank Hunter Exam still had a long way to go before it was over.
And yet he was holding a reward given only to the top of the exam rankings.
It meant Hyeonjun had scored a perfect mark on both the written and practical sections, and for this exam, no one could ever surpass that record.
‘No way.’
The E-Rank Hunter Exam was not a particularly difficult test.
But scoring high on it was considered hard.
And getting a perfect score was, as a rule, nearly impossible.
It wasn’t quite beyond the realm of possibility, but it was far, far past any ordinary standard.
‘Seriously amazing…’
Buzz-buzz.
Just as Baek Jejung was feeling deep respect for Hyeonjun, something started vibrating.
The phone he’d tucked in his pocket was buzzing.
The moment he checked the screen, Baek Jejung’s brow creased.
‘Why is he calling all of a sudden?’
As Baek Jejung glared at the screen, Hyeonjun asked, “Who is it?”
“My eldest brother.”
“Then why aren’t you picking up?”
“He nags too much…”
“Ah…”
“If I don’t answer, he’ll just nag more, so would it be okay if I take it real quick?”
“Of course.”
When Baek Jejung started to stand up, Hyeonjun stopped him.
“You can take it right here.”
“Thank you.”
Baek Jejung answered the call.
Hyeonjun had no intention of eavesdropping, but perhaps because his senses were sharp, the voice on the other end drifted into his ears.
“Finished with the exam?”
“Ages ago. I passed.”
“Oh, congrats. What about the thing I asked you about last time?”
“I’m eating right now, actually. I’ll let you know later.”
“What? Now? Where are you?”
Baek Jejung hung up with an annoyed look on his face.
When the phone buzzed again, he simply powered it off altogether.
“Is that really okay?”
“It’s fine.”
“It’s fine. But, hyung—how long are you going to keep speaking so formally? I told you already, you can drop the honorifics…”
“Ah, it just feels a little awkward.”
“If you keep up the formal speech, I’ll just go Dutch.”
“Ahaha, you’re really something. Alright, alright.”
Going Dutch at a place this upscale. Just the thought made Hyeonjun’s skin crawl.
Knock, knock.
Soon, a staff member pushed a serving cart inside.
With a brief introduction to each dish, the appetizers were laid out on the table.
“Enjoy your meal.”
“Thanks, I will.”
Hyeonjun picked up a piece from the plate and popped it into his mouth.
A soft, delicate flavor spread gently across his tongue.
“Wow, this is so good…”
Just as Hyeonjun was about to let out an exclamation of delight—
Bang!
A tremendous roar of explosion rang out.
A violent tremor followed, rolling through the floor.
In that instant, Hyeonjun’s world slowed to a crawl, like a flash of memories passing before his eyes.
The collapsing ceiling was the first thing to enter his field of vision.
Something was pouring down right over Baek Jejung’s head.
‘His head?’
Baek Jejung’s Soul Circuit had probably been dropped to E-Grade as well.
But even so, could he possibly survive being struck on the head by a chunk of concrete falling from that height?
The moment that thought reached him, Hyeonjun grabbed the edge of the round table and threw his body forward.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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