Chapter 122
Even though the basic Identity Card has limited capabilities, it's enough for Castorice to create fragments of her past that only appear in the Remembrance of ordinary people, and these fragments are sufficient.
In her own mind, she is an international student from Country Y, and in everyone's eyes, she is a very aloof person who does not contact or interact with anyone. She is completely invisible except when she is in class or out of class.
With this worry-free identity, Castorice went directly to the Hunter Association branch, found the receptionist, handed over the university student ID card produced by her Identity Card, and was then arranged to take a level test.
Every day, many people line up here, and amidst the conversations of those around her, Castorice quickly gathers information about this world.
About a decade or so ago, portals and powerful beings suddenly appeared in this world. Monsters would appear a week after the portals opened, and if you didn't want the monsters to break out of the portals, you had to deal with them before they came out.
Human firearms, even rocket launchers, cannot harm the monster in the slightest. To truly injure or even kill the monster, only humans with power can fight it.
These people are called hunters.
After being caught off guard at first, humanity quickly regrouped and launched a counterattack. They realized they couldn't wait until the portal opened to fight; they had to end the battle before the monsters appeared. The humans who entered the portal discovered Magic Crystals inside, which sparked a hunting craze.
Because Magic Crystals can not only be used to forge weapons to fight the Demon Beast in the portals, but can also replace oil and electricity to become a new universal energy source.
The world behind the portal is called the dungeon. The dungeon will disappear when the city lord, or BOSS, disappears. Therefore, if you want to maximize your benefits, you need to bring some porters who are specifically responsible for transporting Magic Crystals when you enter the battle.
This ecosystem has continued for ten years.
The hunter ranking system is different from that in the normal world. In this world, the hunter ranking is fixed. Once you awaken your hunter ability, your strength will remain at that level forever. Apart from a second awakening, you can only improve it through skills and equipment.
As she looked at the hunters coming and going, Castorice frowned slightly.
In this situation, rather than saying that they can never improve, it's more accurate to say that they inexplicably and instantly ascend to the top upon awakening, as if some force had forcibly filled a container that could no longer hold it.
She was sizing up the other people, and many people were sizing her up too.
Although Castorice changed into casual clothes to avoid attracting too much attention, her striking white and purple hair and aloof demeanor still drew many people's secret glances.
Among the many gazes, one in a school uniform with a hood stood out, and Castorice followed the gaze.
She was a girl who looked about sixteen or seventeen years old, with short hair and a straight gaze that made her look like a little lion.
The short-haired girl had been observing Castorice for a long time; in fact, she had been observing Castorice ever since she entered the room.
The white t-shirt and wide-leg jeans, along with sneakers, looked good on the girl with white and purple hair, but the outfit didn't seem like something such a pretty girl would put together; it was too monotonous.
They looked to be about my age, but it was a weekday and they weren't wearing a school uniform, so they must be a college student, right?
His clothes don't suggest he's wealthy, and he looks rather dull... maybe he'll work out.
Thinking this, Han Songyi had the idea of inviting him, and was just wondering how to bring it up when she saw the other person look back at her.
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Since she had already been discovered, she decided not to hide anymore. She got up from her seat and walked straight over.
Please don't get too close to me.
However, when they were only five steps away, the other party suddenly spoke.
People were coming and going around her, and there were plenty of people who were closer to her than she was, but she was the one who said those words to her.
Han Songyi didn't have the low emotional intelligence to think that the other party was targeting her. After thinking about it carefully, she understood that although there were many people closer to her than herself, she was the only one who was clearly walking towards her.
However, even though this reluctance to get close to people is understandable, it still feels somewhat cold and inhumane.
"You're here for the rating too, right?"
Han Songyi did not approach further, but instead asked a question.
"Yes."
Castorice didn't know why she had come to see her. After looking at her school uniform, she said, "Sir... don't you have to go to school?"
"Your Excellency? Ah..."
Han Songyi was taken aback by this unfamiliar form of address, but noticing that the other person clearly did not have the appearance of someone from Country H, she nodded understandingly. Perhaps they were not very familiar with the Country H language, but that was not a big problem as long as they could communicate. "I skipped class to come here."
She casually admitted to skipping class, then continued, "The rankings are coming up soon, should we form a team?"
Want to team up?
Castorice tilted her head.
Becoming a hunter doesn't automatically grant access to dungeons. The Hunter Association requires a minimum of seven people to enter a dungeon; only teams of more than seven are permitted entry, otherwise it's illegal.
"I'm the only one in the team right now... but if you join, there will be two of us, which will make it much easier for us to find another team, right?"
Han Songyi felt a little uneasy, but she remained calm on the surface.
Previously, Castorice refused to join the guild mainly because she wanted to learn about this world first. Now that she has a fairly good understanding of the world, although she has no reason to agree, she also has few reasons to refuse.
After thinking for a moment, Castorice said, "May I ask your hunter level?"
"... E-Class."
This question made Han Songyi's expression turn slightly embarrassed, "However, even E-Class can become a hunter!"
She knew that as an E-Class, she would easily be humiliated and ridiculed if she wanted to find someone to team up with. In the past few days, she had been discriminated against more than once when looking for a team, which was why she approached the girl in front of her.
They're good-looking, don't look rich, and seem a bit dull. Although they haven't been rated yet, it doesn't matter if they're both E-Class or D-Class; the two of them together will definitely find it easier to find a team.
If the test shows a high level, it's worth striking up a conversation beforehand. What if the other person is kind-hearted and willing to take you along? A student would definitely be easier to talk to than those seasoned adults, right?
"I don't plan to find a permanent team right now. If you don't mind me leaving the team at any time, we can be teammates for the time being."
Castorice did not refuse outright. A minor E-Class being mixed in with this crowd and going to the perilous dungeon must have her own difficulties.
It's fine if she doesn't appear in front of me. Castorice since she does, I don't mind helping her as long as it doesn't affect me. Anyway, I'm going to enter the dungeon, so it's not difficult to bring one more person along.
However, I need to go into the dungeon first to check it out. If I'm not confident, it's better not to bring other people with me.
As soon as she finished speaking, a staff member walked out from the rating room not far away. "Number 172!"
It's my own number.
After nodding goodbye to the hooded girl, Castorice went into the room.
Chapter 4, S-Class.
The testing room didn't have anything particularly high-tech. Besides the observers who collected the data, there was only a huge sphere in one corner of the room.
"Just put your hand on it and wait a moment."
The woman in the suit who was in charge of recording the data was very familiar with the process. After giving a reminder, she looked at the screen in front of her.
Castorice was initially a little confused as to why it was okay to just place her hand on it, but after thinking that everyone in this world was born at the maximum level and had a very rudimentary understanding of Magic Resistance, she stopped worrying about it. After all, magic had only existed in this world for ten years.
The only thing I'm curious about is where they got this stone used to test magic power.
The observer placed their palm on the surface of the black sphere, and a moment later, it began to shimmer with a purple light. While checking the data, the observer watched the results, but...
"Data error?"
The unprecedented situation puzzled the observers. Could the machine have malfunctioned?
Thinking of this, she had no choice but to say, "Please wait a moment, the machine seems to be malfunctioning, I'll contact the director."
"OK."
Castorice understood what was going on.
Although this sphere can detect magic, it can't actually withstand a high level of magic. Castorice even somewhat glad that she hadn't actively transferred any magic, otherwise it wouldn't have been as simple as a data error. Given how sensitive this black sphere Magic Resistance, it might have exploded directly.
The observer picked up the walkie-talkie beside him. "Director, there's a problem here. The machine is malfunctioning and can't display data."
"How could that be? It was just inspected recently... Wait a moment, I'll be right there."
The voice on the other end sounded surprised, but without saying anything more, it hung up the phone.
Less than a minute later, the door to the room was pushed open by a man in a suit. After glancing at Castorice, he went straight to the machine. "What's wrong with it?"
"Look."
The observer didn't waste any words and immediately gave up his spot.
The director pulled up the data from earlier, frowned after finding that it was indeed incorrect, and immediately checked the data that the observer had just calibrated. However, the result was... no abnormalities.
"This... this is..."
If there are no abnormalities... that is to say, the... tenth one?
The director immediately put on a smile and walked towards Castorice: "I'm sorry, miss, this machine is a bit old for you. It has a limited detection threshold. If you want a more accurate determination of the level, you'll have to go to headquarters."
"So... about the license?"
"Hmm... While we can issue you A-Class license first, if you're quick, you can go to headquarters that same day and get an S-Class license immediately."
The director scratched the back of his head. "If we approve it as A-Class first, then if we need to make changes later, you might have to wait an extra day."
"I see."
Castorice nodded. "Then, I'll take my leave now."
After saying that, she walked straight out of the room.
Upon seeing her figure emerge, Han Songyi's eyes lit up, but then she became somewhat nervous.
Although she wanted to find support and perhaps even latch onto someone powerful, the humiliation she had suffered for several days was still vivid in her mind. If the other person was similar to her, it would be fine, but if they were far inferior and treated her poorly... social humiliation was a minor issue compared to the blow to her confidence...
But we've already lost face, so one more time won't make a difference.
After mustering her courage, Han Songyi walked over. "Um..."
"Please wait a moment, Castorice!"
Before she could finish speaking, a loud voice came from not far away, accompanied by the sound of a door opening. The director walked up to Castorice with a business card in his hand.
His actions drew everyone's attention.
"Your Mightiness?"
Once again in the spotlight, Castorice looked at the man who had called out to her with a puzzled expression.
"Oh, well, if Castorice wants to join the guild, you can give me my name."
As the director spoke, he bent down and handed his business card to Castorice. It didn't look like the style of Country H, but rather like that of Country R.
However, in response to his action, Castorice suddenly took a step back.
"Huh?"
The director was a little embarrassed by Castorice's strong reaction. "Ah, it's alright. Even without mentioning my name, Miss Castorice can easily join the guild."
He just wanted to act as a middleman to win over Castorice and the future guild. It was a pity that he was rejected, but it was more than just a pity that he left a bad impression on Castorice, who was a sure thing to become an S.
"..."
Castorice knew the other party had misunderstood, but she didn't reply. Instead, she turned around and walked straight out.
Han Songyi hadn't expected Castorice to be so resistant to close contact with others. But judging from what that man had just said, Castorice seemed to have unexpected talent? Would she still be willing to team up with him?
Just as I was thinking this, I saw Castorice turn around. "Want to come together?"
Her gaze wasn't on him. If it weren't for the fact that her head was facing him and their previous agreement to team up, Han Songyi probably wouldn't have realized that the other person was talking to him.
However, after a brief moment of confusion, a strong sense of joy followed.
I never expected that even after she's become so successful, she would still be willing to play along with me. I've really met a kind-hearted goddess!
"I am coming!"
Afraid that the other person would forget about her, Han Songyi ran to Castorice's side in two steps. Knowing that the other person cared about distance, she kept about three steps away.
Did I really manage to latch onto a powerful figure? Was it B-rank? No, A-Class?
Han Songyi's eyes grew brighter and brighter, but then she suddenly remembered something.
"Um... Sister Castorice, the license...?"
Seeing that Castorice showed no intention of getting her license and instead kept walking out, Han Songyi couldn't help but wonder, "If you don't get your license first, you can't enter the dungeon, right?"
"The instrument we just used for testing malfunctioned."
Castorice said, "The director recommended that I go to headquarters for a calculation."
"I see?"
Han Songyi hadn't expected this accident, but she found it strange. If there was a problem, wouldn't it be easier to retest or test with a different machine? Why did she have to go to headquarters? Besides, that director clearly thought Castorice future, and his fawning was practically overflowing.
High school girls can't keep things to themselves, so Han Songyi simply asked her question directly.
"The Director said that the machines here cannot detect my magic."