Translator Ramblings: You guys did it!
This chapter is a little shorter. Once you read you will see this is a building up chapter. Next few chapters are pretty good IMO.
Next two three are already half-done (Need to be rechecked once… or thrice) and their length are back to normal.
!!Important! Important notice!
I saw there was some difference between the number of views in the first part of the chapters and the second. The page link are indeed kinda hidden with the footnotes and all, so I moved it up to the end of the first part. If you aren’t sure you have been reading both pages go re-read the chapters. Sorry for the trouble.
Thanks you all for reading. But an extra High-Five for everyone who donated!
Coincidence, Destiny
(1)
Reputation was a very big intangible asset, Maria’s was big enough to cause those at the Hunter industry to bow their heads on sight. It was probable even her face had become known nowadays.
What Maria had to attempt was very simple. Just ask at the Temple office if there was any promising candidate, saying if any good kid was present she would bring them to accompany her for a few years.
Although simple, it is impact would be fairly big.
Because if one was able to follow Paladin Maria, a S Rank Knight, the experience and skills one would pick up would certainly be invaluable.
Invaluable, that was how much value Maria’s reputation had.
Fortunately, the senior Knights and director Maria used to have conflict with at her time were already replaced, and no unnecessary conflict would arise.
To these Temple officials Maria was like a great senior. All she had to do was ask them to keep it a secret for the moment.
With that pretense Maria was able to secure a genuine ranking list. It was a very simple task. However, if they weren’t together with her it would have certainly turned in a very troublesome matter. Maria returned the hotel leaving behind words of how she would think it through after looking at the list.
With a single small lie, the information the Temple deliberately concealed was unveiled.
“So fast?”
“Who am I?”
Kang-Joon smiled at Maria.
“You worked hard.”
“Sigh, all matters aside, I don’t feel good deceiving others.”
“Don’t say that yet, if there is no promising kids we will have to think of something again.”
Maria pouted her lips hearing those words.
“if you could persuade them and brought some to accompany you would probably be followed by 20-30 people… That is almost like cheating.”
“At least use some common sense.”
Getting their hands on the genuine ranking list wasn’t exactly an illegal act, however enticing Knights with Maria as a bait would be the same as swindling. Above all, it would become a huge disgrace to Maria and, as her best friend, Kang-Joon didn’t even consider doing such.
Maria’s task had come to an end, now it was Kang-Joon and Seol Yeong’s turn.
“Kang Ju-Yeon is still ranked first in the integrated list.”
It wasn’t easy to find such overwhelming grades, ranked first at the Knight ranking Kang Ju-Yeon was also first with the Templars applicants combined.
The aspirant Knights totalled 737 people while aspirants Templars amounted to 152, this time 889 people would be finishing the Knight course. Templar Knights acted like a sort of subdivision where people affiliated themselves with the UN before being dispatched to the world. It was no different from a type of volunteering.
Unlike other Hunters, who were treated like a bundle of money-hungry bastards and slaughter machines, Templars were respected wherever they go. It was strongly recognized as a very honorable occupation.
“In the top 30 the 2nd, 15th, 19th, and 24th were replaced.”
If one is inside the top 30 the down-payment they would receive at upfront would be, of course, enormous, and the calculation of their share would also definitely be good.
The first one checked was, naturally, the 2nd place. The profile was of a black-haired young girl with short hairstyle and a very cold impression. Most of all, the look in her eyes was so sharp it could be felt through the picture.
Name: Seo Aran[1]
Body Reinforcement A+, Weapon Proficiency A+, Teamwork F (Fail), Willpower P, Potential A, Stability P
“What is this, was there such classification? What does P stand for?”
Looking at it together, Maria examined the P present at the Will and Stability sections before tilting her head.
“Shouldn’t it be P from Perfect?”
“That should be it. Otherwise having completely failed in Teamwork with an F it wouldn’t be possible to become 2nd in the combined rankings.”
“Alas, whatever it is, this child is an item worth collecting. She certainly has stands out among those ‘perfect students’.”
Translations notes:
Seo Aran: Her name is 서아란 , romanized as ‘Seo A-Ran’. I will be honest with you guys, Aran doesn’t sound girly at all (IMHO). This site said otherwise, so maybe that is just my opinion.
although teamwork was low, it was worth noticing that will and stability categories were on the highest level after all. Besides, being placed in the 2nd place, even after receiving a failing mark, meant a ‘perfect grade’ had a very big weight on the gradings.
And, despite searching through the information book Kang-Joon didn’t see another P score.
Despite examining others different top ranked Templars, Maria placed her hand on Seo Aran without hesitation as if something had caught her eyes.
“I recommend this child, unconditionally. 2nd place Seo Aran.”
“Why?”
“You should be able to understand it at a glance.”
Maria laughed.
“This child is a damned freak.”
“…”
At that words Seol Yeong was slightly stunned, Kang-Joon let out a light laugh as if he understood why Maria thought like that.
“You, what are you are getting at is how the individual who scored 2 perfects failed totally on Teamwork.”
“Yup.”
More than the Perfects, Maria considered that the 2nd place scoring F on Teamwork was, in fact, more note-worthy.
“Could you explain the reason you recommend her?”
“This kid is the real deal.”
“What?”
“If she really received a Fail on teamwork that means this kid is different from those bums who are reluctant to perform their task, worrying about their grades. This kid trained sincerely. It was with that sincerity the 2nd place was secured, is that not great? Isn’t this 2nd place more deserving of being the 1st than the current number 1?”
Somehow that sounded like sophistry, Kang-Joon stepped in commenting. Maria spent a long while like that, pointing at the picture adamantly explaining reasons to scout Seo Aran.
“Also, take a look at the look in this child’s eyes.”
“Her eyes?”
“In the past, yours were exactly the same.”
Though Seo Aran’s eyes weren’t glaring, her gaze was filled with coldness. Hearing those words Seol Yeong studied Seo Aran picture closely.
“Mr. Kang-Joon had this sort of look in his eyes?”
“Well… It was probably something similar.”
Now Kang-Joon had an indistinct impression, one fairly gentle yet one that displayed its sharpness upon closer inspection. Its aspects more suave than intense. Therefore, it looked like the direct opposite from Seo Aran’s. Kang-Joon released a well concealed sigh looking at Seo Aran picture.
“This sort of type is a little… difficult.”
“With you being of similar types what would be difficult?”
“Originally it was said people dislike the same kind.”
“Err… Should we really scout her?”
“We must give it a try. I am certain this child is on a different level than that ‘perfect student’ placed 1st.”
Maria maintened a steadfast gaze as if to assure Seol Yeong. Teamwork was a very important value, and having an F there implied including an enormous flaw rivaling the strong points she possessed. Kang-Joon looked at Seo Aran’s profile picture one more time. Maria knew what that look in one’s eyes meant, and so did Kang-Joon.
That look filled with fierceness was that of someone who loathed monsters.
It wasn’t necessary to put up with risks on purpose. Seo Aran received a fail in Teamwork, however, hunting was usually done in teams. Teamwork was important during mere exercises, needless to say its importance in a battlefield where one’s life is at stake.
Yet, Maria recommended Seo Aran vigorously,
and like Kang-Joon, whose senses were a determining factor in surviving until now, Maria’s senses were equally outstanding.
“Since it is like that, with you requesting like this, we should give it a try once. ”
“Are you sure you will not you regret it?”
Seol suddenly realized these two were leaving out a very important issue.
“In that case, how will we draw out an aspirant Templar as if she was a Knight?”
At that words Maria pointed to Kang-Joon, and Kang-Joon spoke with an unconcerned expression,
“We can start thinking about that now.”
In other words, they had absolutely no plans.