Chapter 32: Assessment Error

"So I just touch it?" Kael asked.

"Put your hand on it and let the stone do its work," Marcus answered. "Don’t try to force anything."

Kael nodded as an attendant approached them with a small tablet.

"Name?" the attendant asked.

"Kael," he replied.

The attendant looked up from her tablet. "Full name, please."

Kael gave her his full name, and she entered the information into the system before checking the details.

"All right. Place your right hand on the stone," she instructed.

Kael stepped forward and placed his palm against the cold surface. Several people in the room barely glanced at him because, to them, he was just another newcomer hoping to become a hunter.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then the stone trembled, and a faint light appeared beneath Kael’s hand.

The attendant glanced at her tablet. "Please keep your hand there until the appraisal is complete."

Kael did as she instructed, but the light continued growing brighter. Within seconds, a wave of white light spread across the stone and illuminated the entire room. The faint lines on its surface began to glow, and the air around the pedestal seemed to vibrate.

Someone standing near the door gasped in surprise.

"What the hell is going on?" the person asked.

The attendant stepped back as the light continued to intensify. Kael stared at the stone, unable to understand what was happening or whether he was supposed to remove his hand.

The appraisal equipment began beeping, and numbers flashed across a screen behind the attendant.

One of the people waiting for an assessment looked toward the display and asked, "Is the stone malfunctioning?"

Another person shook his head in disbelief. "No way. I’ve never seen it shine that brightly before."

An older hunter who had been waiting nearby stood up so quickly that his chair fell backward. He stared at the glowing stone before speaking in a tense voice.

"I’ve only seen that once before," the older hunter said.

A clerk turned toward him. "What do you mean?"

The older hunter swallowed before explaining, "The last time that stone shone like that was when a hunter with the potential to surpass S-rank was tested."

The room fell silent as everyone looked toward Kael.

Even Marcus, who had been standing with his arms folded, straightened his back. He looked at Kael’s hand and then at the glowing stone. For the first time since meeting the young man, he showed genuine surprise.

The light continued for several more seconds before suddenly disappearing.

The room returned to normal, and the stone’s surface turned grey again. The numbers on the screen stopped changing, leaving a single letter displayed.

F.

The attendant stared at the screen as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

"F-rank?" she asked in confusion.

Someone near the door let out a nervous laugh. "That’s it? After all that?"

Another person shook his head. "The stone must be broken."

The attendant quickly checked the equipment and its readings before responding. "The system reports no technical error."

"But that glow was ridiculous!" the older hunter protested. "How can someone produce that kind of reaction and still receive an F-rank result?"

The attendant had no answer.

Kael removed his hand from the stone and looked at the displayed result. "Does that mean I’m an F-rank hunter?"

The attendant checked the screen again before answering. "According to the final reading, yes. Your preliminary rank is F."

Kael frowned. He had expected to be weak because he had little combat experience, but the sudden flash of light had given him a little hope that his potential might be better than he thought. Now, he wasn’t sure what to make of the result.

"Could you check it again?" Kael asked.

The attendant nodded and restarted the appraisal. Kael placed his hand on the stone a second time, but nothing happened beyond a faint flicker of light. The result remained the same.

F-rank.

The attendant let out a breath and looked at Kael apologetically. "I’m sorry, but the machine has completed the assessment. I can’t change the result without authorization."

Marcus stepped closer to the pedestal. "Show me the readings."

The attendant immediately handed him the tablet, and Marcus examined the figures in silence. The initial energy reading had spiked far beyond the normal range before dropping sharply. It was unlike anything he had seen during a routine appraisal, yet the final result was unmistakable.

F-rank.

Marcus looked at Kael and began asking questions. "Have you ever awakened before?"

"No," Kael answered.

"Have you received any special training?" Marcus asked next.

"I’ve been exercising at home," Kael replied. "Nothing serious."

Marcus looked at him more closely. "What kind of exercises?"

"Squats, wall push-ups, marching in place, and things like that," Kael explained.

Marcus stared at him for a moment before looking back at the screen. The information made the result even stranger. The stone had reacted as if it had detected something extraordinary, yet the final reading showed the lowest hunter rank.

It was possible that the appraisal equipment had failed to interpret whatever it had sensed, but Marcus wasn’t willing to dismiss the result as a simple malfunction.

He turned toward the attendant. "Record the initial energy spike in his file. Don’t delete it, even if the final rank remains F."

"Understood," the attendant replied as she entered the information.

Marcus handed back the tablet before giving his next instruction. "His combat assessment will be conducted in the training area. I’ll handle it personally."

The attendant nodded.

Kael looked at Marcus and asked, "Does this mean I’m officially registered now?"

"Your preliminary registration is complete," Marcus explained. "Your final rank and license status will be confirmed after the remaining assessments."

"So I’m still an F-rank for now?" Kael asked.

"That’s what the stone says," Marcus replied.

He paused briefly before adding, "But I want to find out why it reacted like that."

Marcus started toward the door and gestured for Kael to follow him.

"Come with me," he instructed.

Kael followed, still thinking about the glowing stone. He had no idea why it had reacted that way, and he didn’t know whether the result would affect his chances of becoming a hunter. For now, he had no choice but to complete the remaining assessment and see what happened.