After Mark calmed down his excitement, he went back to his serious mode.
"For more accurate results, we would need to redo the same test but with you using Prana. We would also need to measure your Prana capacity too. But those tests have been--"
He looked at his file, "Yeah. The tests will not take place."
His expression crumpled slightly but he simply sighed and went back to his expressionless attitude. In the end, this test was rather optional and reserved for those who, during the exam, wished to make a better showing of their abilities and impress the guilds or corporations who came watching.
In the same way, scions of powerful families always skipped this test as they did not need to reveal their full capacity before the actual fight.
This was understandable. It was easy to bring the best of your capacity when you were just taking a small test. But only during a fight could one have a true understanding of their powers and abilities.
"Very well. Before continuing, I would like to ask you something. Do you know about the ranking assigned for different hunters?"
Adam shook his head in denial. Cecilia had not very been interested in the ranking itself and didn't want to give him false information in case they were changed in recent times. She had been inactive for a long time, after all, it was easily understandable that the ranking criteria could have gone through some changes in the meantime.
"Very well. Hunters aren't just ranked on their power level, but also on accomplishments and achievements. The lowest level is called White. They were simply called Unranked in the past but some people decided that it was too insulting for low-level hunters to not even give them a rank so here we are."
He shrugged with a slight grin, "Either way, after white ranked hunter we go to Iron, then Bronze, and finally Silver."
He patted his chest, "The Silver rank is the highest rank that can be obtained with power alone. Anything higher needs recognition through achievements and a high psychological score from the guild to pass the threshold."
All hunters received advantages. But from the Gold level onwards, it wouldn't be a mistake to say that they would be treated like princes by most governments. For those reasons, only people who were deemed to be worthy of that rank were allowed to get this pass.
This was perhaps the only rank that no amount of Nepotism could go past through as all Gold Hunters were entered into the World Rankings. If one didn't have the credentials necessary for this pass and cheated their way in, the highest consequences would be losing their hunter's license for good and being banned by all the guilds of the world. It was a really serious matter.
"Once you pass the level, the next rank is Gold then finally the Executor rank."
If Gold rank was hard to get, the prerequisite for being an Executor was evidently even higher than that. As the name said, they had the right to execute anyone they deemed dangerous on the spot without waiting for permission from the higher authorities. They could not be arrested without committing extreme felonies either.
Executors could also receive official Titles and if they were lucky or from a powerful family, obtain a Divine class weapon for themselves. This was a very rare incident though. After all, Divine weapons weren't cabbages that could be found just about anywhere.
"Hmm... What about the Director and Zodiac ranks that I have recently heard of?"
"Heh, you have some big dreams. I like that attitude, to be honest. A Director in itself isn't a rank but a position given to an Executor who is affiliated with the Hunter association. Of course, only the strongest Executors can obtain that rank or those with the best relationship with the association."
He gave a bitter laugh, "As for the Zodiac..."
Star seemed to twinkle in his eyes as he explained about that position with almost a zealous fervor, "The only way to become a Zodiac in any country is to beat one of the Previous Zodiacs."
The Zodiacs were always the 12 strongest beings in any country and the only way to become one was to beat one and take their place. Furthermore, to avoid any conspiracies, this had to be done in front of at least 200 hunters from the association and independent guilds.
"Thanks for the explanation. I have a better understanding of the structural hierarchy of the association now. So, who or what should I face first? Do I need to kill a supernatural creature for the test?"
Mark cringed slightly inwardly as he took out his notebook and began to scribble on it.
"In the past, our tests were rather barbaric as we did indeed use incarcerated supernatural creatures for tests. But fifteen years ago, there was a new law which forbade such practices."
He pushed a button and another door opened, "Nowadays we simply use a virtual reality system. It's 99% accurate and has the data of basically all prior hunters who accepted to have their data recorded. You will just have to enter the virtual reality pod which will connect you to the Tower of Fantasy. There you will face progressively more powerful hunters, and the floor you reach before being expelled will determine your rank."
"This is..."
Adam was genuinely impressed by this ranking system, but at the same time very worried about it too.
He didn't know how much of him was still human nor how precise the machine truly was. But it might be problematic if they could pinpoint his exact data.
'Should I opt out and simply ask for a normal ID?'
It wasn't as if the Hunter license was a must-have item anyways. Losing a few privileges was alright if it allowed him to not reveal his true identity.
"There will be no need for him to enter the tower."
It was when Adam was about to reject the proposal and ask to walk out of the testing procedures when...
"I have the perfect sparring partner for him."
The voice of a woman came from the speakers and filled the stadium.
"Director!?"
Mark looked up in surprise as he recognized the voice of the female in question.
'So it's my aunt?'
Adam looks up as well. He couldn't see her face but he remembered seeing her briefly when he went to the hospital.
"This is highly inappropriate, even you cannot make someone pass the test without going through this step."
Mark did not even hesitate before rebuking Theresa. His rebuttal only caused her to chuckle, however...
"Do not worry. My assistant will be the one to test him. I believe this should satisfy you right? She is officially a Gold rank and will soon pass the exam to be recognized as an Executor." [1]
"This..."
Mark closed his mouth and mused in his mind. This was once again an unprecedented situation. He had seen Makoto train and he knew that she was vastly more powerful than him in every possible way.
"Wouldn't this be a little unfair to the candidate?"
Now he was starting to worry about Adam. He didn't want to see the young man have his pride crushed by a girl that was even younger than him.
"Well, the choice is up to him. What will you choose, Adam?"
'Her assistant, is she talking about the girl from back then?'
From what he remembered and what his mom told him, that girl had been the one to push the vampire to go berserk. Something the old him had been unable to do so.
Could he beat her?
He wasn't sure. The probability was close to none in his honest opinion.
But it sure would be an interesting fight.
"I accept."
No sooner had he finished speaking those words the door toward the virtual reality room closed and a new one opened.
Out of it stepped a young woman who could only be described with the word 'Fairy' such was her ethereal beauty.
Adam remembered her very clearly. She had been the first human on whom he used the Eyes of Truth that he had newly obtained back then.
She was the girl who had inherited the title of his biological mother.
She was a powerful fighter who had fought and bested a vampire he had been completely helpless against.
She was --
� Name: Makoto Kaminari
Affiliation: Kaminari Family
Alias: Lightning Blade
Race: Human
Age: 18
Emotions: Respect (Mid) �
� Stats:
Strength: E
Speed: D+
Dexterity: D
Endurance: F
Prana: A+
Charm: C
Willpower: B+
Luck: C
Weakness: Unable to gleam due to low proficiency in the skill
Acquired Power: Unable to gleam due to low proficiency in the skill
Innate Authority: N/A
Unique Skill: Unable to gleam due to low proficiency in the skill
Skills: Unable to gleam due to low proficiency in the skill
Overall Combat Capacity: A+ (~ S)
Remark: Well, as long as she doesn't use her sword, you won't lose too badly, I guess? �
-- Someone he wished to face off and go all out against.
------
On the other side of the room, looking as Makoto was about to engage and fight Adam, Cecilia, who had been observing everything from the waiting room couldn't help but form a bitter smile on her face, representing the emotions that were raging in her heart.
'You are as twisted as always.'
Her sister had a quite bad taste when it came to moments like this. She understood that this was an indirect challenge. Whether the one she raised was better than the one her sister raised.
Though this time it helped them greatly as Cecilia had not anticipated this virtual test. A lapsus caused by her lack of interest in the hunter world during the last two decades.
'You must be thinking your protege will humiliate him, right?'
She had seen the skills of the girl and without a doubt, Adam was indeed less skilled than her.
But --
'You are underestimating my son too much.'
Even when she was active, Cecilia had always been more skilled than her. But this had never stopped her from, quite literally, whooping the ass of her sister.
'Show them all what you can do, my dear son.'
She also wished to witness just how strong her son had truly become.
[1]: Richard thought that she was a titled Executor. Technically he isn't wrong. But obviously the reason why she is only gold ranked officially will be explained in the story though I think it's already pretty clear why.
(AN: Affection was changed to Emotion for now. So here we are, Adam vs Makoto. Time to see how much our mc has grown while sleeping. Heh.)
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