The proctors for the Hunter exam were either retired Hunters or those still on active duty. They were hired by the government to supervise and observe the examinees. Everything that happened in the field was reported to the control room. Nothing that occurred at the testing grounds could escape the proctors' eyes.

  Antonio was the chief proctor for this exam. He was a former Special-rank Hunter who had been retired for many years. With over two hundred exam sessions of experience as a proctor, his black hair was streaked with white. He was a middle-aged man who watched over the seedlings who would carry the new era. Though aged, his eyes remained sharp.

  Antonio had received orders to observe with special attention. Though he didn't know the reason, those above had particular expectations for the geniuses in this exam. While reviewing the list of names requiring special attention, he stumbled upon one particular surname.

  [Jinyo Southerncross]

  Antonio's eyes widened as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. The familiar surname made the old man's stern expression soften.

  "Her son, is it? Nari..."

  Antonio thought of the most beautiful woman he had ever known. She remained in his memory even after so many years had passed. How tragic. Because of the tragedies and repeated misfortunes that befell them, the Southerncross family had fallen to rock bottom, leaving only two final heirs. He hoped Jinyo wouldn't bring shame to his mother.

  Luciria's name was called. The young girl walked into the Artificial Cave amid countless watching eyes. Her face was emotionless, devoid of any excitement. Everyone was surprised—especially those watching the livestream.

  ????: How can a kid this young take the Hunter exam? Is this even legal?

  ShadowSword99: Anyone twelve years or older has the right to take the license exam. You just need guardian permission if you want to do missions or accept jobs. You don't have to wait until you're fifteen to take the Hunter exam—it's just that there aren't many twelve-year-old examinees!

  RandomGuy404: But why can twelve-year-olds take it? Doesn't this count as child labor?

  AngryBread: Apparently after the First Collapse, too many people died, so they amended the law to allow youths to become Hunters to compensate for the labor shortage. That law still hasn't been revised, and it doesn't need to be. Because the younger you pass the license exam, the more social prestige you gain. You just get the license—you don't have to actually work as a Hunter.

  Having children obtain Hunter licenses at a young age was a boast for the older generation. The young generation elevated their social status; the older generation gained face. But most children were willing because everyone wanted to be a Hunter anyway. The sooner you became one, the more your future was paved with rose petals.

  Luciria was a twelve-year-old carrying the hopes of the Halfrin family. Her indifference made her seem like a lifeless doll—especially since she was treated as if she weren't human but merely a tool to display the adults' status at the manor. It only made her more depressed and hopeless. She watched the Magic Essence flow through the ventilation holes.

  All she could do was prove her value by using cultivation techniques to absorb it.

  "Luciria Halfrin... No matter what, I must become her teacher!"

  Joden watched the girl in the Artificial Cave. His gaze was so intense it seemed he wanted to devour Luciria whole. If he became the teacher of a genius with a limitless future, he couldn't imagine how much fame and social prestige he would gain.

  His school would be known for training the Sword Queen. Who wouldn't want to send their children to study there? Even politicians and great families would have to send students to him.

  'My only competitor...'

  Joden looked at the young woman standing at the very front. She too was watching Luciria—a diamond waiting to be cut. A ready-made gem that only needed a little polishing to prove its value.

  Nephrin had passed the teaching license exam with the highest score and was also a woman. She was the number one candidate to be hired as Luciria's teacher. But no matter what, he had to steal this student from her—for Joden's own future.

  Luciria exited the Artificial Cave, and her results were announced.

  [64%]

  "Whoa! 64%!"

  "Such amazing talent. I only have 16%."

  "Idiot. How can someone like you compare to a gifted child?"

  "She's still so young. I can't imagine how skilled she'll be in ten years. She might even reach S-rank."

  Everyone seemed excited. In this region, no child with talent on Luciria's level had appeared in decades. The cultivation rate wasn't the main reason—everyone still remembered how she had easily defeated multiple opponents three to four years older without breaking a sweat.

  High cultivation rate and quick to learn combat techniques. Both innate talent and acquired skill. Wasn't this the dream student?

  Nephrin smiled at the girl walking down but said nothing. They passed each other, but Luciria didn't even glance at the woman who might become her future teacher. Nephrin didn't mind. She walked into the Artificial Cave and began her test. The Magic Essence was absorbed at a remarkably high rate.

  [59%]

  Nephrin walked out of the Artificial Cave with a smile. A confident smile adorned her beautiful face. Everyone exclaimed in awe. The livestream chat filled with heart emojis and marriage proposals. Though her cultivation rate wasn't as overwhelming as Luciria's, 59% was still excellent talent!

  One mustn't forget she had ranked first in the teaching exam. Blessed with looks, intelligence, and talent. Several parents quietly noted her name. When she opened a school, they would send their children to study with her.

  "Damn it."

  The pressure Nephrin had created made Joden feel like he could barely breathe. It was suffocating that she'd scored so high.

  "Don't overthink it. The cultivation exam doesn't really show anything anyway. It's just about innate talent you're born with."

  Noktis patted his shoulder to keep Joden from worrying too much. His new friend always looked stressed, and he didn't understand why Joden had to be so serious. If Joden knew what he was thinking, he'd probably say: My future is hanging by a thread—how can you not be stressed!?

  Joden knew his own cultivation rate well. It was 46%. Higher than average, but compared to Nephrin, he was no different from an ordinary person.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  While waiting for his name to be called, he turned to observe Jinyo standing still, reading a book. He seemed to be completely ignoring the cultivation exam.

  'That arrogant bastard! I'll wait and see what your cultivation rate is.'

  Joden waited to mock and destroy Jinyo's pride. Just then, a man in shabby clothes bumped into Jinyo.

  "Sorry, sorry."

  The man apologized profusely. Jinyo turned to look and found the other party was a young man around his age. But his clothes looked like pieces of cloth stitched together with thread, with black stains that reeked. His body was grimy with dirt and sand. He didn't look like someone here to take an exam. He looked more like a street beggar or homeless person.

  The man's expression was weary with dark circles under his eyes. Jinyo felt concerned.

  "Are you alright? Should I call an official for you?"

  This man could barely walk.

  "Oh, no need! I'm just a little tired. Man, traveling in the outside world is really hard. I got lost so many times before getting here. Luckily a kind auntie gave me a ride. Otherwise I'd have been in real trouble. Ha ha ha."

  The man laughed as if it were a joke. Jinyo looked at the examinee badge pinned to his chest. His name was [Theo].

  "The outside world... Did you seclude yourself training on a mountain?"

  "Yeah, yeah! That old geezer took me to train on the mountain since I was a kid. Now the old geezer's dead. Before he died, he told me to take the Hunter exam and find a wife. Sigh. Living in the outside world is really hard. When I was on the mountain, I never needed money. By the way, you smell like the forest too. Did you live on a mountain like me? Great to meet someone the same!"

  Theo came over and patted Jinyo's shoulder. Jinyo smiled awkwardly at being liked by this strange person. He didn't know why he'd caught the other's fancy.

  Rina watched Theo getting friendly with Jinyo with a deadpan expression. The way she looked at Theo was no different from looking at a worm. Gretel had questions, but when he looked up at his mother, he found her current gaze terrifying!

  Why? Why was his mother so angry?

  [Rina Erindel, your concubine, is displeased. -5 Affection]

  ????

  What now!

  After that, Jinyo was dragged into one-sided conversation by Theo. Theo didn't seem like someone who'd secluded himself on a mountain at all. He was talkative and knowledgeable about wild animals and herbs. When Jinyo heard about herbs, he put his book in his bag. Jinyo asked Theo about vegetables in the deep forest, herbs, or strange plants he'd seen.

  The awkwardness disappeared once they found common ground.

  "I knew it—you must be a child of the forest and mountains like me! Let's swear brotherhood right now. I'll be the older brother and you'll be the younger brother. What do you say?"

  "Ha... ha ha. L-let's wait on that."

  Jinyo felt awkward again. Even though he and Theo got along well, accepting a stranger he'd known less than a day as a sworn brother was too fast.

  "Theo Kalip!"

  An official called Theo's name.

  "Excuse me, little brother. This sworn big brother will show you something amazing."

  Theo patted Jinyo's shoulder and ran toward the official. The force of Theo's pat shook Jinyo's entire body.

  Theo walked past both Noktis and Joden. Their exam results weren't great but weren't bad either.

  "Lowly uneducated scum. Fitting that he'd roll around with incompetent trash."

  Joden didn't hide the hatred in his eyes. Shabby clothes, dirty grimy body. What he hated more than incompetent people were the uneducated. The homeless and society's trash who didn't work. In Joden's eyes, Theo checked every box.

  If it were him, he would never lower himself to talk to Theo. He didn't think a beggar could produce any noteworthy results.

  "Oh! This thing is like a soap bubble machine, right? I saw one in a museum when I was four! I have great memory—I can't be wrong."

  Theo kept focusing on the Artificial Cave. The officials looked annoyed. What hick had never seen an Artificial Cave? They helped drag Theo inside and inserted Magic Stones into the extractor. When the machine activated, like all examinees, Magic Essence flowed into the Artificial Cave.

  "AHHHHH! I'm being smoked to death! I'm being tortured! Help!!"

  Theo's screams came from inside the Artificial Cave. Laughter erupted across the testing grounds.

  "Ha ha! This big brother is so funny!"

  "Did this guy not watch how others took the test?"

  Both the people at the grounds and online were amused by the beggar brother's reaction. Even Jinyo laughed along.

  After a while, the Artificial Cave Theo had entered went silent. The Magic Essence had been inhaled until it was thin. They could see with their naked eyes that Theo was sitting in meditation amid the blue mist.

  "Cultivation rate... This is insane!"

  The official controlling the Artificial Cave stared at the number on the computer screen.

  "How much? How much did he get!"

  Another official shouted.

  "79%!"

  "79%!!!"

  What kind of crazy number was that! His talent exceeded even young Lady Luciria. Just 1% more and he'd be classified as a genius.

  "Impossible. That beggar? 79%?"

  Joden broke into a cold sweat. Who could compete with that! A 79% cultivation rate meant Theo would save enormous resources on cultivation compared to others. While others needed to spend one million, Theo would only need one to two hundred thousand for the same results. In the same amount of time. It was demonic talent! No one could stop someone with a 79% cultivation rate from growing stronger.

  Fortunately, Theo wasn't a teacher. Theo was in a different profession. So they weren't competitors. Otherwise, Joden would feel immense pressure if there was such a formidable rival as a business competitor in a nearby city.

  Theo jumped out of the Artificial Cave for everyone to see his face and figure again.

  "W-well, looking at him again, he's actually pretty handsome."

  "Even if he's a beggar, he's a quality beggar!"

  "I could like a beggar man too."

  Some women had lost their minds. Many men were speechless. Earlier they'd heard these women gossiping about how dirty and filthy Theo was. But now they'd done a complete 360. Whether it was because Theo had revealed his talent or his beggar image had made him overlooked until no one noticed, now Theo was drawing attention. Agents from multiple companies noted his name. No matter what, they had to recruit this genius.

  "That... that uneducated beggar."

  Joden was both envious and jealous. Camera flashes recorded that boastful smile. It should have been his! If Joden were Theo, he would use this opportunity to promote his school and himself. It would bring enormous benefits from the attention. For an uneducated person to take the spotlight was such a waste!

  Other examinees rushed over to introduce themselves to Theo. Where before everyone had avoided him for being dirty and looking like a beggar, now everyone suddenly felt charitable toward the beggar. They invited him to eat, offered him lodging, and recommended jobs. Everyone tried desperately to attract the genius's attention. If Theo just remembered them, they'd have something to brag about in the future. If they could become friends, even better—they could ride Theo's coattails in their careers.

  Jinyo smiled dryly. He already knew Theo had abilities. [Bloodline Deduction] didn't lie. Never be fooled by appearances. What was interesting was that despite having a 79% cultivation rate, Theo's Planar level was only at [Knight]. At his age, having trained in the mountain wilderness his whole life, his Planar level should be at General like Rina, or higher.

  But when Jinyo looked at Theo's skills, he wasn't surprised anymore.

  Theo had two sword techniques at Grandmaster-level proficiency. Just a little more and he could reach King level.

  'Definitely a monster.'

  A person had limits on learning. If you wanted two degrees, you had to work twice as hard as others. And if you wanted two master's degrees? The difficulty increased exponentially. Grandmaster-level sword techniques were like master's degrees. It was possible to have two master's degrees. But having two master's degrees at this age was extremely difficult.

  "Jinyo Southerncross!"

  Jinyo's name was announced loudly. Suddenly, the testing grounds went dead silent. Everyone gave their attention to the young man in white walking up to the Artificial Cave. Luciria's eyes looked up at the benefactor she wanted as her teacher. She didn't care about anyone else. She wanted only Jinyo.

  "Southerncross? Is that the family?"

  "Yes. The family of the Flora Sage."

  "I heard the family collapsed. There are still heirs?"

  Everyone was surprised. Southerncross had once been very famous. Not just nationally, but inscribed in history. Southerncross had been involved in merchant circles, the royal court, education, and the martial world. Even now, when filming period dramas, the Southerncross family was referenced indirectly.

  Sometimes there were Southerncross characters as heroines or villains in many stories. Before the First Collapse, Southerncross was one of the most famous great families in the Southern Lands. But when the First Collapse of humanity came, Southerncross declined and regressed greatly along with other great families.

  Southerncross was a family name that had lived in people's hearts for ages. But today, no one valued it anymore. Because the last person who could have restored the family's reputation was the previous family head who had died over ten years ago. And now, the Southerncross name was appearing in public again for the first time in decades.

  "Mom, Bro Yo is about to take the test."

  Gretel tugged lightly at his mother's skirt. He was excited to see his father show off his prowess. Gretel wanted his father to be a man who stood above all others. The more skilled Jinyo was, the more he as a bloodline successor could stand tall.

  "Don't be too narrow-minded, Gretel."

  Rina watched Jinyo step into the Artificial Cave. Jinyo's expression was very calm. He showed almost no excitement or expectation—which seemed very strange to the officials. He removed his shirt, revealing layers of muscle and fair skin.

  There were many well-built men in the exam, but none radiated an aura that drew eyes as much as he did. Jinyo, slightly flushed with bashfulness without realizing it, had inadvertently increased his destructive power.

  "KYAAAAAH!!!"

  "Oh my, my heart can't take it!"

  "Worthy of being a Southerncross! Don't know about his skills, but he's truly worthy of being a Southerncross!"

  The women at the venue shrieked wildly. Upon closer observation, Jinyo really was a handsome man with an attractive aura. He was like a flower inviting little bees to collect nectar. Those gazes were terrifying for Jinyo.

  Having Charm raised to Grade D was truly frightening. He hadn't intended to take off his clothes to attract attention. Meanwhile, hundreds of photos of Jinyo had already been taken in just a few minutes.

  "Mom."

  Gretel turned to look at his mother. He wondered why the other women were so excited. It was just a man taking off his shirt, wasn't it? But when he looked up at his mother's expression, the boy quickly snapped his gaze back to Jinyo as the door closed tight. He saw nothing! He didn't even know if that was really his birth mother's expression. But it was utterly terrifying. He'd never seen his mother make that face before!

  Magic Stones were extracted into Magic Essence. The Artificial Cave did its job. Jinyo sat cross-legged and simply let time pass.

  The Magic Essence showed no sign of thinning at all.

  Everyone anticipated what level of talent the last man of the Southerncross family possessed. Whether he had the potential to restore the family.

  The official monitoring the readings twitched. He didn't know what to do.

  "Is the machine broken?"

  "What happened?"

  Another official asked.

  "It's strange. It shouldn't be like this."

  Five minutes passed. The officials watching the Artificial Cave felt dread in their hearts. They thought the machine must be broken. Finally, the number displayed for everyone to see.

  Jinyo Southerncross — Cultivation Rate: 0.01%

  "What the hell is that? 0.01%? The dog at my house could do better than that."

  "Is the machine broken? It has to be broken."

  Commotion erupted. When Jinyo stepped out of the Artificial Cave, all eyes fixed on him again. Not admiration for his looks or interest in his lineage—but pity, sympathy, and mockery.

  "Sir, we think the machine might be broken. Could you please test again?"

  "That's not necessary, sir. The machine isn't broken."

  "You mean..."

  Jinyo nodded, answering the official without needing words. He knew well that his body couldn't cultivate Magic Essence. Other cultivation techniques didn't work either. He was a cripple destined to be trash in the industry.

  No Hunter in history had ever passed the Hunter exam with a cultivation rate below 1%.

  If Jinyo succeeded, his name would be inscribed for the first time in the Federation's records.