Creator’s Favoritism

“Well, the wait is over. The entrance ceremony and ability evaluation for the Korean Academy for Gifted Talents will begin shortly. I’m announcer Kim Sang-woo.”

“And I’m Hunter No Sang-mi.”

After the commentators’ introductions, the ability evaluation kicked off with some light banter.

I secretly took out my phone and tuned in to the portal site’s live broadcast. I was curious to see how this scene would be captured on camera.

With each refresh, the viewer count jumped by tens of thousands. Excited comments popped up in real-time below.

[lov* | Finally finally finally finally finally
you*** | Stop yapping and start the game already
myz*** | Yeo Wook! Fighting!, son of Busan!]

Soon, the school gate, guarded by conscripted policemen, opened, and a 20-ton truck rolled in slowly.

A woman in hunter combat gear leaped down from the high driver’s seat. Her entire body was wrapped in a blue energy that shimmered like a heat haze. Recognizing her, the announcer exclaimed:

“As we speak, C-rank Hunter Hwang Hee-yoon is entering.”

“Hunter Hwang Hee-yoon’s Anesthesia skill is incredibly useful, isn’t it? She can instantly paralyze D-rank and lower monsters.”

“For F-rank monsters, it’s beyond paralysis—more like complete anesthesia. Hunter Hwang Hee-yoon is working hard today, as usual.”

Despite the commentators’ praise, Hwang Hee-yoon’s face bore the weary shadow typical of an overworked office employee.

She opened the truck’s cargo hold.

Peeking inside, I felt something was off. There should’ve been six boxes containing monsters for the six entrants, but there were only five nailed-shut crates.

‘Is another truck coming?’

Soon, Hwang Hee-yoon activated her ability while pulling a cube-shaped crate tied down with transport ropes. The box, containing nearly unconscious monsters, thudded heavily onto the ground.

Effortlessly, she pushed the crate into the cage, exchanged a nod with the hunter who opened the door, then returned to the truck’s cargo area.

“Today’s ability test will proceed in order of the entrants’ innate skill ranks: S-rank Hunter Kang Chagyeong, A-rank Hunters Lee Chan-yu and Yeo Wook, D-rank Hunters Hong Ji-sang and…”

The announcer paused, shuffling the papers in front of him. Don’t tell me you forgot So-ra’s name.

“Hunter Hyun So-ra.”

The hunter co-commentator quickly chimed in, keeping the audio flowing and covering the announcer’s mistake.

But the announcer’s sheepish grin, after awkwardly meeting her eyes, gave it all away.

I stared at him pointedly. The announcer, now making direct eye contact with me, suddenly remembered his next line.

“Ah! And lastly, F-rank Hunter Maeng Sun-woo will take the evaluation.”

[tot* | Ah, just get through the others and start the F-rank fight already
kmj*** | Lolololol Maeng Sun-woo, ready for deployment
jin*** | Isn’t this the real battle of the century?]

As soon as the announcer mentioned my name, the chat lit up.

The atmosphere felt more like a casual game than a serious evaluation. I took a deep breath, trying to find my center.

The evaluation began.

Reluctantly, Kang Chagyeong approached the cage door. The box containing the monster rattled ominously, as if the anesthesia was wearing off.

Kang Chagyeong stepped into the cage, his anxious eyes fixed on the box. The door shut with a heavy clang.

“Hunter Kang Chagyeong awakened just a week ago. He’s also Korea’s youngest S-rank hunter. Is he the first S-rank to enter the Academy as a student?”

“Yes, and as you can see, he didn’t bring any weapons. It seems he’s confident his bare hands are enough.”

The entire field fell silent, everyone focused on the cage.

The sound of splintering wood and camera flashes filled the air as the monster broke free.

Keeek-!

The monster growled, its throat vibrating with a low rumble.

Clang!

However, instead of the sound of a fist smashing the monster’s head, there was a metallic thud as Kang Chagyeong’s back hit the cage. His face was deathly pale, and he stumbled backward.

‘What’s wrong with him?’

I wasn’t the only one thinking this; confusion and bewilderment were evident on everyone’s faces.

“Tito draws Kang Chagyeong’s completely frozen face, then writes in her inner thoughts: ‘I can’t kill it.'”

‘Oh, dear.’

Keeheeek!!

The monster leaped high, shrieking at Kang Chagyeong, who couldn’t take a single step forward. I squeezed my eyes shut.

Bang.

The sound of a cut being drawn exploded.

When I opened my eyes slightly, I saw Kang Chagyeong standing in the same spot, panting, while the monster’s corpse lay sprawled out, its head turned to mush.

“To effectively emphasize that he unconsciously wrapped energy around himself for self-defense, Tito tries adding various effects.”

Only after checking the narration box could I grasp what had just happened.

It was a transfer phenomenon. Often, just touching the energy of S-rank hunters was enough to destroy the bodies of F-rank weakling monsters.

Since S-ranks rarely dealt with F-ranks directly, this was a very uncommon occurrence.

‘But if the monster were even D-rank, you couldn’t win without attacking directly.’

This time it worked out, but I was worried about Kang Chagyeong’s future.

I furrowed my brow, but then I remembered my own F-rank status and stopped worrying.

Leaving behind the monster’s corpse, with its head split into four, Kang Chagyeong hurriedly ran out of the cage as if fleeing.

“…Ah, Hunter Kang Chagyeong’s evaluation is over. You should be able to see him now, and he hasn’t broken a sweat.”

“He didn’t use his skill at all. At any rate, his destructive power has been proven once again.”

After a brief silence, the commentators exchanged short impressions. Their expressions betrayed their embarrassment as they tried to put the best spin on it.

A gate waste collection truck entered and quickly loaded the monster’s corpse. Meanwhile, the broadcast camera focused solely on Kang Chagyeong’s profile.

When I belatedly checked the broadcast comments, they were in an uproar.

[488*** | Scared of an F-rank??? For real?
wat*** | Was he a non-violent hunter?
xho*** | Maybe he wasn’t feeling well… It’s completely different from his awakening video.]

As the bewildered reactions to Kang Chagyeong continued, Yeo Wook’s turn came as soon as the cage was roughly cleaned up. Hwang Hee-yoon pushed a similarly sized box to the opposite end of the cage door.

As soon as her hand left the box, the faint blue energy surrounding it dissipated.

“I’m curious if Hunter Yeo Wook will also refrain from using his skill. At least he brought a weapon.”

“Well… I think he’ll probably use his skill. In my opinion.”

Crack, crack.

No sooner had the commentator finished speaking than the top of the wooden box was torn off.

Standing up wobbly was a humanoid monster about 3 meters tall. To be precise, it looked like a thoroughly rotten human.

Grr… grrk.

A viscous liquid dripped from the monster’s broken jaw as it made a strange sound. The monster immediately recognized Yeo Wook standing before it.

Thump, thump.

The monster charged at Yeo Wook with its arms spread wide. Yeo Wook didn’t move a single step, staying in place.

He simply raised his harpoon gun and aimed, closing his left eye, waiting for the monster to come right up close.

Ping-!

The harpoon extended rapidly from the muzzle, wrapped in a greenish aura that sparkled as it flew.

The moment the sharp harpoon pierced the monster’s swollen ankle, comments from those watching the broadcast updated at an explosive rate.

[smi*** | Whoa, it’s really little Baek Tak-young ㄷㄷ
gus*** | Just Baek Tak-young?
hun*** | Little Baek Tak-young!
suz*** | Lord Baek… How come you’re at the entrance ceremony?]

“Hunter Yeo Wook used his unique skill. It looks very similar to S-rank Hunter Baek Tak-young’s.”

“Yes, that’s right. Even the fact that his most responsive weapon is a harpoon gun is exactly the same as Hunter Baek Tak-young. However, compared to Baek Tak-young’s , which can hit targets precisely, Hunter Yeo Wook’s is… slightly less accurate.”

The announcer and the commentator chatted together. But for some reason, as soon as Baek Tak-young was mentioned, Yeo Wook’s expression noticeably darkened.

“Above all, Hunter Yeo Wook doesn’t have the skill yet. As you know, Hunter Baek Tak-young manifests his harpoon gun with energy, so there’s no limit to his range.”

At the following explanation, Yeo Wook tightly pressed his lips and mercilessly yanked the rope connected to the harpoon.

The monster’s body was easily bound by the harpoon, crashing against the cage.

“Oh. Hunter Yeo Wook is strong.”

It didn’t take long for the monster to breathe its last.

Next, Lee Chan-yu’s ability evaluation began as he waited right in front of the cage.

A-rank Lee Chan-yu’s ability evaluation, like the two high-rankers before him, ended in one strike.

Above all, since Lee Chan-yu’s weapon of choice was a long whip, it was a sight to behold.

Whoosh.

As Lee Chan-yu swung the whip horizontally and then vertically, a blue light remained in that shape.

The sound of air being cut was sharp. Just that shockwave was enough to shatter the F-rank monster’s skull.

The bluish light cluster, reminiscent of a cross, slowly dispersed as the monster fell.

Lee Chan-yu’s face was expressionless as he wound the whip cord around the handle. I looked at him with eyes mixed with envy and admiration.

The commentator, who had also been admiring, immediately announced the next contestant.

“This entrance ceremony and ability evaluation has already passed the halfway point. Next, Hunter Hong Ji-sang will take the evaluation.”

Following Hong Ji-sang, who had played baseball in middle school and handled the monster competently with a baseball bat, Hyun So-ra’s ability evaluation began.

Watching them bring out the fifth box made me anxious.

That must surely be the last one. I couldn’t see where my box was.

Meanwhile, Hyun So-ra’s ability evaluation proceeded largely as expected. After hesitating briefly, she managed to take down the monster but only after receiving a small wound on her palm.

“Tito, having roughly shown the unique skills of ‘Hong Ji-sang’ and ‘Hyun So-ra,’ hurriedly wraps up the battle scene.”

It took Hyun So-ra about five minutes longer than Hong Ji-sang to take down the monster, making it the longest time among the entrants who had undergone the ability evaluation so far.

People didn’t seem very interested in Hyun So-ra’s battle, but as an F-rank, I thought that if my ability was just that good, I could manage.

Just wait a little, Sora. The weakest is coming.

As I warmed up, steeling my resolve:

“Hunter Maeng Sun-woo? Please go in ahead.”

At Hwang Hee-yoon’s words that broke my train of thought, I sighed softly and entered the cage. The announcer’s voice flowed from the speaker installed inside.

“It’s already the last one. Hunter Maeng Sun-woo, who awakened recently along with Hunter Kang Chagyeong, is entering the cage.”

Screech…

The cage door opened with a spine-chilling sound.

The moment I saw the monster that appeared with Hwang Hee-yoon, I felt the blood in my veins turn cold.