Chapter 18: Rating Test (3)
The testing method for the rear-line was very simple.
It was all about shooting and hitting the sphere-shaped targets floating in the air.
“Hmm.”
On the TV placed in a corner of the waiting room, Jeong Min-woo’s current test was being broadcast live.
And as soon as the targets he had set appeared on the screen, various reactions mixed with astonishment erupted from the surroundings.
“Hey, did he really set it up to do that?”
“At that level, he shouldn’t be taking an F-grade test, he should go for a C-grade test right now…”
It was natural for such comments to come out, as the targets that guy had summoned were less than 1cm in size.
It meant he had to shoot and hit them from hundreds of meters away.
But despite such reactions, Jeong Min-woo calmly raised his rifle without changing his expression.
Then, every time he pulled the trigger with precise breathing, the targets exploded one by one like clockwork.
The accuracy and speed were at a level where the mouths of those watching nearby dropped wider and wider as the shooting continued.
‘He’s still a cut above the rest.’
Apart from his rotten personality, that guy was also one of the main characters.
Not only was his starting line different from ordinary people, but his growth rate was also on a distant level.
At least in shooting alone, he had clearly achieved an overwhelming accomplishment compared to his peers.
“Mr. Kim Gyu-sik? Where are you?!”
And as I was thinking that, Seo Ah-in burst into the waiting room like a storm.
Without caring about the startled people around her, she looked around with flickering eyes and soon strode towards me.
Then she flinched upon discovering something.
“…Huh? What’s that necklace? I haven’t seen it before?”
“...”
She asked, looking at the accessory around my neck.
The necklace, with a blue-glowing creature’s root embedded in the center, was emitting a mysterious light that made her question it.
No.
But what is she talking about all of a sudden as soon as she sees my face?
“Got it new. Did you come here to talk about that?”
“Ah, right. That’s not it.”
After a few coughs, she opened her mouth again.
“Are you in your right mind?”
“…”
I answered with a sigh.
“What now?”
“Why are you volunteering to take the rear-line test? You could pass the front-line test with ease!”
“To me, it’s all the same.”
An expression that said ‘what kind of crazy talk is that’ appeared on the faces of everyone within earshot.
I guess.
If someone said swimming and soccer were similar among Olympic sports, anyone would show a similar reaction.
“I don’t know why you’re saying such nonsense so confidently. That guy, Jeong Min-woo, is an incredible marksman.”
“I can see that.”
Just coming to the Association’s regular test meant he had endured the harsh training process.
And to be evaluated as untouchable among such strong people meant he was a true monster among monsters.
“But, someone who knows that is acting like this? Someone who is obviously a front-liner saying he’ll take a rear-line test…!”
“You know.”
I stood up from my seat, cutting off Seo Ah-in who was spewing words in a fit of righteous indignation.
“Have I ever once said I was a front-liner?”
“…”
As I said that, Seo Ah-in snapped her mouth shut.
Because I really hadn't.
“Uh… uh… but… are you perhaps multi-class…? No, well, that could be possible, but…”
Seo Ah-in flailed her body bizarrely with a bewildered expression.
I seemed to know what she was trying to say.
“With…with that much skill… while achieving that much, there’s no way your rear-line skills could match that guy’s… right?”
If she only thought about the things I had shown her, I ‘of course’ had to be a front-liner.
That was because.
“At your age, with your background… while achieving that much, there’s no way you could have done other things as well… right? You, of course, are a front-liner… right?”
As she rambled on with that sentence, Seo Ah-in’s complexion grew paler and paler.
It was probably because I was just smiling faintly without any answer.
“…No. No. That’s not it, right? No way. There’s no way such a person could exist in the world…!”
“I could have if I worked hard.”
“No, that’s not something that can be explained by working hard or having talent…!”
“I’m going to take the test.”
I said that and walked past Seo Ah-in, who was still wearing a confused expression.
I reviewed what I had to do in my head and walked to the shooter’s position.
I don't know.
I never worked hard at anything, nor was I particularly talented.
But from long ago, I was ridiculously good at one thing: drilling manners into disrespectful punks.
In that respect.
“…Huh? It’s that bug bastard from before?”
If a guy like Jeong Min-woo, who was spouting this kind of crap with a smirk in front of me, was involved.
Nothing else mattered.
***
“Hey. I don’t know what guts you have to come and see me in the next turn, but if you want to be even a little less embarrassed, you’d better change the order quickly…”
“My friend.”
I cut off Jeong Min-woo, who was about to blabber on.
He really had a problem with talking too much.
So.
I also spat out the words I wanted to say without a filter.
“If you can’t shoot for shit, just shut up.”
“…”
Jeong Min-woo’s expression went blank.
His brain had clearly frozen for a moment at words he had never heard in his life.
“Yeah. It’s nice and quiet.”
And as I grinned at him and entered the shooter’s position, I heard a torrent of heated curses erupt towards me from behind.
Seeing the commotion, he was probably having a fit, trying to put a bullet in the back of my head.
“Hello.”
Of course, I just ignored that side.
I greeted the proctor inside with a simple nod and moved to the test console.
[ Please set the number and difficulty of the targets. ]
I already knew the rules.
A total of 3 chances were given.
The configurable target size was a maximum of 50cm and a minimum of 15mm.
The moving speed could be set from 1 to 5.
Up to 50 could be summoned.
‘Jeong Min-woo…’
Over 3 chances, he shot down a total of 30 targets of 30mm.
That’s an unbelievable record by cadet standards.
“…”
Of course, if you were to ask if I couldn't beat this.
Well.
I grabbed the rifle with a smirk.
[ The 1st round of shooting will begin. ]
[ Target Size: 15mm / Speed: 1 / Count: 1 ]
Along with that announcement, the targets I had set appeared before my eyes.
“…What?”
“An input error?”
I heard such murmurs from the surroundings.
Well.
Anyone would say that seeing a few targets floating around slowly.
The size was the minimum limit of 15mm, but the flight speed was almost at a crawling pace.
At this level, anyone who came to take the test at the Association could hit it with their eyes closed.
So, well.
I also easily raised my gun and hit the target.
“…”
I saw the scoring proctor tilt his head and enter the score on the data sheet.
If he had claimed an input error and reset from the beginning, it might have been different, but since I had shot and hit it, that option was gone.
[ The 2nd round of shooting will begin. ]
[ Target Size: 50cm / Speed: 5 / Count: 1 ]
As the second target appeared, the proctor’s expression became even more bizarre.
That was because although the target’s speed was mind-bogglingly fast compared to before, its size was the maximum of 50cm.
At this rate, the score I would receive would be a toss-up compared to before.
“Cadet Kim Gyu-sik. Are you sure you entered the settings correctly?”
“Is there a problem?”
“…System-wise, no.”
The proctor said, looking down at the scoring sheet.
“At this rate, you’ll have to get a very high score in the 3rd attempt. You’d have to break the all-time record for a single attempt just to barely pass…”
“I know.”
I said and pulled the trigger again.
Since the overall difficulty was similar to before, I could easily destroy the targets without much effort.
My score recorded on the scoring sheet was probably at the absolute bottom by now.
“What? What’s with him?”
“Is he crazy? No, if he’s going to do that, why even take the test?”
I heard bewildered murmurs from the surroundings.
-What are you doing?
Seo Ah-in, who was watching from the waiting room with a deeply furrowed expression, also came into view, mouthing those words.
What I had done so far would look like I was throwing the test to anyone.
But, well.
What I had done so far was ultimately to gather information.
I needed data on the gun’s power and the target’s movement.
To make a ‘precise calculation’.
[ The 3rd round of shooting will begin. ]
[ Target Size: 15mm / Speed: 5 / Count: 48 ]
“…What?!”
Along with gasps of shock from the surroundings, dozens of targets literally the size of mosquitoes were summoned before my eyes.
It wasn't just the size; they were all flying around dazzlingly at incredible speeds, giving a similar feeling to real mosquitoes.
Some were overlapping, some were moving up and down, and some were flying around erratically like fighter jets performing evasive maneuvers.
Well.
In terms of difficulty alone, this was a level where even if you brought in a C-grade rear-liner from much higher up, they would laugh in disbelief at what a crazy thing this was.
“C-Cadet Kim Gyu-sik? What in the world is this…?”
Hearing even the proctor say that in shock, I grabbed the rifle with a light movement.
Check the number of rounds left in the magazine, check the targets.
“Well. Please score it properly.”
I said, fiddling with the necklace in my pocket.
It was the item Seo Ah-in had asked about a little while ago.
Well, what this does is simple.
[Do you want to use the unique skill of the item ‘Gnosis's Heart (Incomplete)’? Y/N ]
It’s incomplete now, so I can only use it for a very short time.
But it was a glimpse of the balance-breaking cheat character I would achieve in the future.
[ Arcane Burst ]
Feeling the torrent of mana flowing madly through my entire body, I activated the skill.
[ Bullet Time ]
In an instant.
The world stopped, except for me.
The power was so absurd that even I, who used it, got goosebumps for a moment.
‘…Huh.’
To be able to use a skill like this freely, it would be strange if Seo Ah-in wasn't a cheat in combat-related aspects.
Thinking that, I activated another skill in succession.
[ Observation ]
Taking a deep breath, I carefully brought my eye to the scope.
The ‘path’ was calculated as if time had completely stopped, the ‘guidelines’ for my actions were established, and then the ‘correct answer’ was calculated.
[ Hawkeye ]
[ Double Pulse ]
-!
At the same time as the first shot was fired.
The world began to move again.
-! -!
Bullets were fired continuously without rest.
At a glance, it looked like sporadic shooting without proper aiming or breathing, but.
Every time I pulled the trigger, the targets were shattered to pieces.
The dazzlingly moving targets, and even the targets that seemed impossible to hit in one go because several were overlapping.
They were too easily shattered by the bullets that precisely pierced their pinpoints.
There were even bullets that penetrated several targets at once.
-! -! -!
The shooting range was both noisy and quiet at the same time.
It sounded nonsensical, but it was true.
No one could even think of uttering a word other than the gunshots I was making.
They were all just watching me shoot with their mouths agape and dazed expressions.
-! -! -! -! -!!!
And at the same time as I emptied the last round, all the targets in the shooting range were scattered into powder.
[ Shooting complete. ]
[ Proctor, please end the scoring. ]
I scanned the message that appeared and put down the rifle.
The sound of the gun falling to the floor echoed like thunder in the shooting range, where only a heavy silence hung.
The guys who were blabbering at me a little while ago.
Seo Ah-in, who was watching me from the waiting room.
Even Jeong Min-woo, who had been throwing a fit.
They were all just staring at me blankly, at a loss for words.
In that situation, I opened my mouth with an indifferent voice.
“Excuse me?”
“…”
The proctor who heard me couldn't even think of answering and turned to me with a stiff motion.
“You scored it properly, right?”
As I said that with a grin, the proctor just gaped his mouth a few times instead of answering.
See.
Didn’t I tell you?