Chapter 177

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Chapter 177: World Ranker (1)

He found Han Siah.

Her complexion was much brighter than before, as if she had taken an elixir.

It must have been because she had regained the talent that Lucas had taken away.

“Ms. Han Siah. Are you feeling alright?”

“I feel much better than before. I’m not even coughing.”

He saw her answer with a bright smile. The members of the Griff family had hurriedly left Korea after the duel. With Lucas gone, she must be tasting true freedom.

That was that.

It was time to get to the main point.

“What do you think about becoming a Priest?”

After pondering for a moment, she nodded. She had learned that she had an aptitude for being a Priest not too long ago.

Through the Prayer of Hope, she had blessed Kim Minwoo while he was fighting Jonas.

And what she realized was that praying and blessing others for their sake was more enjoyable than she thought.

“I think it would be good. Although my job is a mage…”

“Then I have something for you.”

“For me?”

“Yes. Please take it.”

Han Siah looked at what he gave her with wide eyes.

“A job change Coupon?”

“It’s the same one Ms. Seo Yerim used.”

“Ah, so that’s why she became an archer…”

“Yes. Would you like to change your job this time, Ms. Han Siah?”

She stared at the change Coupon and said.

“Are you sure it’s okay?”

“What do you mean?”

“It seems like a very precious item…”

The description alone said so.

In the first place, although jobs were chosen, how many people would want to change their jobs?

Seeing the phrase that skills and titles would also be changed to match the job, this was not an item that could be valued simply with money.

“What matters is not whether it’s precious or not. It’s whether you want to change your job or not.”

Han Siah stared blankly at the job change Coupon in her hand.

The job of a mage was a symbol of trauma and humiliation for her.

The past days when she was deprived of her talent by her father and had to be subjected to painful experiments flashed through her mind like a revolving lantern.

Did she want to change her job?

She wanted to.

She had wanted to in the past, and she still wanted to now that she had regained her talent.

“I want to change.”

“Then use it. A lot will change.”

“Can I be a Priest…?”

“Of course.”

Awesome.

Versatile blessings and healing abilities.

And even light attribute attacks.

Priest was a pretty good main job. And with Han Siah’s aptitude, there would be no need to say more.

After all, hadn’t she created an S-rank skill with only 20% of her talent?

“Ah, right.”

“…?”

“When you get there, you’ll probably meet an examiner. If possible, look for an examiner named Popo.”

“Popo…?”

“Yes. He looks like a teddy bear, and if you mention my name, he’ll help you a lot.”

This was just in case.

Last time, when Seo Yerim used the change Coupon, they went to the Trial Grounds together, but there was no guarantee that it would be the same this time.

This was a precaution in case Han Siah had to go alone and met a different examiner instead of Popo.

“I will. Is there anything I need to prepare?”

“Not really.”

“…Then can I use it now?”

“Of course.”

Han Siah nodded at his words.

[Using the Job Change Coupon!]

[Please state your desired job name!]

She thought of the mage class one last time. She decided to let go of all the pain, sadness, and regrets of the past.

Things would be different from now on.

Taking a deep breath, she said.

“Priest.”

[Target ‘Han Siah’s’ job is changed from Mage to Priest!]

[All titles and skills will be transformed!]

[‘Re-examination’ begins!]

[Entering the Trial Grounds.]

Flash!

Her vision changed.

It was a completely white space.

As she looked around, something caught her eye.

It was a small teddy bear.

‘Is that it?’

The teddy bear, making eye contact, walked towards her.

—Ahem! I am Popo, the re-examination examiner! You must be the candidate who used the job change Coupon?

“Ye-yes. Do you happen to know Kim Minwoo?”

—You mean Mr. Kim Minwoo? Of course, I do. I know him very well!

The teddy bear blinked and spoke in a lively manner.

—Are you perhaps a guild member?

“Yes, I am.”

—Oh my, a very precious person has come. It seems you’re here for the Priest re-examination…

Flip.

Popo, flipping through a paper booklet, tilted his head.

—Huh? This is a first…

“What’s wrong?”

—The re-examination topic is a bit unusual. It’s not usually this large-scale…

“…?”

[Translator – Prøks]

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—Are you familiar with war, by any chance?

“War…?”

Seeing Han Siah’s unsure demeanor, Popo nodded.

—Don’t worry. You’ll have plenty of time to practice before the actual test. Let’s start with a simulation. Oh, and one more thing!

Popo looked around and whispered in her ear.

—This isn’t normally allowed, you know?

“Is that so?”

—Yes. I’m helping you in advance. It’s a kind of privilege. Hehe… you know what I mean?

Nod.

—So… later, when the examination is over, please put in a good word for me. To Guild Master Kim. That’s all I need… you know?

She seemed to understand why Kim Minwoo had told her to look for Popo.

Han Siah, who roughly understood what he meant, nodded once again.

[The simulation begins!]

[You have entered an unknown ancient battlefield!]

[You are a ‘Third Class Priest’!]

[Perform your role!]

Soon after, her surroundings changed once again.

Into a battlefield splattered with blood and flesh.

* * *

The impact of the duel was also affecting the American company, Phobos.

June was the most important month for Phobos. It was the month when they determined the rankings of Awakeners based on all the data they had compiled up to that point.

Of course, there were changes in the rankings outside of June, but it was clear that June was the month of the biggest changes.

Therefore, a heated discussion was taking place at Phobos.

“So, he has to be included in the world rankings. I mean, it was a done deal the moment he beat Lucas.”

“Of course, I acknowledge Kim Minwoo’s skills. However, his contribution to gate clearing is also something that needs to be considered. His score in that area is excessively low.”

“To be precise, that’s the only part that’s low. Recognition? He already has over 100 million subscribers on NewTube. His skills are obviously strong. His growth potential is off the charts.”

“I know. I know all that. But this is the first time this has happened. A world ranker in one shot. Even Isabella started at 1,000th place. Promoting him to a ranker so hastily…”

“Isabella didn’t beat a world ranker in half a year after awakening, now did she?”

“Don’t be sarcastic. Let’s look at this objectively. Objectively. We only have three days left until the ranking announcement, when are we going to collect and analyze the data?”

“What do you mean three days? We have three whole days left. We can just fly to Korea and ask for the data.”

“I heard there isn’t much data on the duel either. It’s all hearsay. There’s no objective analysis video.”

“Oh, you’re so frustrating.”

“I’m more frustrated…”

“Enough!”

Thump! Thump!

Marco, the head of the Phobos judging panel, slammed his hand on the table.

At his words, the judges, who had been engaged in a heated discussion, or rather a fight, fell silent.

“Let’s sort this out. So, the opposing side is citing a lack of data, a lack of analysis time, and the ranking rising too quickly. Those are the reasons, right?”

The judge who opposed the inclusion in the world rankings nodded.

“The side in favor is saying that we should include him because he already beat a world ranker, regardless of all that.”

“That’s right.”

Marco stroked his chin.

“Then let’s take out all that and look at it from a sales perspective. Will our sales increase or not if we include Kim Minwoo?”

“…They’ll definitely increase. Definitely.”

“Right?”

Everyone nodded.

World ranker.

Integrated ranking within the top 200.

The ranking that receives the most attention and the greatest honor.

It was only natural.

Top 200 out of 10 billion people?

The top 0.0000002%. It was an insane number when viewed as a percentage.

As such, it was also a section where there wasn’t much change.

The Awakeners who had already reached this section were talents who had gone stale.

Even if there were changes…

It was usually just minor changes, like the 201st place becoming 200th.

But this time was different.

It was a case of an Awakener who wasn’t even in the ranking range suddenly entering the top 200. Moreover, he already had overflowing recognition.

If Kim Minwoo was selected as a world ranker?

Whether it was much higher than 200th or near 200th, attention would be poured onto Phobos, the company in charge of the rankings. It was all about sales.

Moreover, this wasn’t even a one-time sale.

Just because June had the biggest changes didn’t mean there were no changes in other months.

The number of subscribers who would buy the magazine every month out of curiosity about Kim Minwoo’s ranking would increase.

“There’s already a lot of talk among subscribers about how it’s a party of old-timers, always seeing the same names. Don’t we need a renewal?”

The judges nodded at Marco’s words as he shrugged.

“And it’s not really unreasonable. Of course, his gate-related score is low. But he already beat a ranker, right? If he doesn’t make it into the rankings, there will be talk about that too. Definitely.”

“…Well, that’s true.”

“The information that has been revealed… let’s see.”

Marco picked up the document and started reading the contents.

[Kim Minwoo]

[Level: Estimated to be at least 251 or higher, judging by the Dullahan summoning and equipment.]

[Skills: Merhen, Cedric summoning. Various basic necromancer summoning skills (9+ enhancements). Considering the large amount of materials purchased, it is presumed that he possesses various other skills as well.]

[Gate Clearing Contribution: 1,011 points (within the top 7%).]

[Future Growth Potential: Cannot be estimated.]

[Recognition: Over 100 million NewTube subscribers. Highest.]

[Special Notes: SS-rank achievement Awakener, 1-level gate record holder, 3-person guild war victory, Super Rookie Selection 1st place, victory in a duel with Lucas, possesses a large amount of assets.]

[TL/N: Tournament → Selection (it will be called as selection unless mentioned otherwise)]

“There’s certainly not much information.”

“It’s because there was too little time to analyze. And since he wasn’t expected to be ranked this year… the analysis was pushed back.”

Marco nodded.

Even his level was very unclear. What did it mean to be 251 or higher? Even this was just an estimate based on the Dullahan summoning and Kim Minwoo’s words.

The lack of information like this was a penalty in ranking.

Phobos was a large magazine company that demanded fairness, and rankings were essentially based on objective information.

“Everyone gather around. We don’t have much time, so we need to act quickly. Let’s go. To Korea.”

“What? We’re all busy…”

“Is that important right now? Analyzing a new world ranker is important! Postpone everything else. There won’t be much change in the rankings of the old-timers anyway. Everyone, come out. We’re going to the airport.”

Marco’s eyes gleamed.

If there wasn’t much information…

It would be solved by meeting Kim Minwoo.

Phobos’ analysis team began to move.

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]