The test room wasn't packed with any particularly high-tech equipment. Apart from an observer monitoring the data, the only notable object was a massive sphere sitting in one corner.
"Just place your hand on it and wait a moment."
The woman in charge of recording the data, dressed in a formal suit, was thoroughly familiar with the procedure.
After offering the standard reminder, she turned her attention to the screen in front of her.
Castorice was initially puzzled about why simply placing a hand was sufficient. But then she remembered that people in this world were essentially "max level from birth," possessing a very rudimentary understanding of mana.
After all, mana had only appeared in this world a decade ago. She stopped overthinking it.
The only thing that piqued her curiosity was where they had obtained this mana-detecting stone in the first place.
She pressed her palm against the surface of the black sphere.
The next instant, it shimmered with a violet light. The observer cross-referenced the data while monitoring the results, but...
"Data error?"
This unprecedented situation left the observer confused. Could the machine be malfunctioning?
Thinking this, she had no choice but to say, "Please wait a moment. The machine seems to have a problem. I'll contact the department head."
"Alright."
Castorice, however, understood exactly what was going on.
While this sphere could detect mana, its capacity to withstand mana intensity wasn't actually very high.
She even felt a twinge of relief that she hadn't actively channeled any mana into it.
Otherwise, a simple "data error" would have been the least of their worries. Given the black sphere's sensitivity, it would probably have just exploded outright.
The observer picked up a nearby walkie-talkie.
"Chief, we have a problem here. The machine is malfunctioning; it can't display the data."
"How is that possible? It was just serviced not long ago... Hold on, I'll be right there."
The voice on the other end was full of surprise but didn't waste words, hanging up immediately.
In less than a minute, the room's door was pushed open by a man in a business suit. He glanced at Castorice before walking straight to the machine. "What's the malfunction?"
"See for yourself."
The observer didn't waste time either, simply moving aside.
The chief pulled up the recent data. Seeing the confirmed 'data error,' he frowned and immediately began checking the data the observer had just verified. But the result of his check was... no anomalies.
"This... this is..."
If there were no anomalies... that meant... the... the tenth one?
The chief immediately plastered on a broad smile and approached Castorice.
"My apologies, Miss. This machine is a bit outdated for someone of your caliber. The detectable threshold is limited. For a more accurate level assessment, you would need to go to the headquarters."
"What about the license, then?"
"Well... while we could issue you an A-rank license here, if you move quickly, you could go to headquarters today and have an S-rank license issued directly."
The chief scratched the back of his head. "If we issue an A-rank first, changing it later might actually require you to wait an extra day."
"I see."
Castorice nodded. "In that case, I'll take my leave."
With that, she walked straight out of the room.
Seeing her emerge, Han Song-Yi's eyes instantly lit up, but a wave of nervousness quickly followed.
Although she wanted to team up for mutual support and hoped to latch onto a powerful ally, the humiliations she'd suffered over the past several days were still vivid in her mind.
It would be fine if the other person was similar to her, but if there was a huge gap and their attitude was terrible... public embarrassment would be the least of her worries; the blow to her confidence would be...
But she'd already lost face so many times; one more time wouldn't make much difference.
Summoning her courage, Han Song-Yi approached. "Um..."
"Please wait a moment, Castorice-ssi!"
Her words were cut short as a booming voice accompanied by the sound of a door opening came from nearby.
The department chief, holding a business card, hurried over to Castorice's side.
His actions drew the gaze of everyone present.
"Sir?"
Once again the center of attention, Castorice looked questioningly at the man who had stopped her.
"Ah, well, if Castorice-ssi plans to join a guild, you could mention my name."
The chief spoke while bending slightly to offer the card in his hand to Castorice. His manner seemed less typical of Korean etiquette and more reminiscent of Japanese customs.
However, in response to his gesture, Castorice abruptly took a large step backward.
"Huh?"
The chief hadn't expected such a strong reaction from Castorice and was momentarily embarrassed.
"Ah, it's alright. Even without mentioning my name, someone of Castorice-ssi's standing could join any guild easily."
He had merely wanted to act as an intermediary, currying favor with both Castorice and her future guild.
While being rejected was a pity, leaving a bad impression on Castorice—a nailed-on future S-rank—would be more than just regrettable.
"..."
Castorice knew he had misunderstood, but she didn't offer any explanation. Instead, she turned and walked straight towards the exit.
Han Song-Yi also hadn't expected Castorice to be so averse to close contact with others.
But based on what the man had just implied, Castorice seemed to possess unexpectedly high talent? Would she still be willing to team up with someone like her then?
Just as she was thinking this, she saw Castorice glance back. "Coming?"
Her gaze wasn't fixed on Han Song-Yi.
If her head weren't pointed in her direction and they hadn't previously agreed to team up, Han Song-Yi might not have realized Castorice was even speaking to her.
But after a brief moment of stunned confusion, a wave of intense joy washed over her.
To think that even after hitting the jackpot, she was still willing to let her tag along. Had she really encountered a goddess with a soft heart?
"I'm coming!"
Afraid Castorice might forget about her, Han Song-Yi jogged the two steps to catch up.
Remembering Castorice's apparent concern about personal space, she maintained a distance of about three paces.
Had she really latched onto a powerful ally? Maybe B-rank? No, A-rank?
Han Song-Yi's eyes grew brighter and brighter, but she soon thought of something else.
"Um... Castorice, unnie, the license...?"
Seeing that Castorice showed no intention of collecting her license and was instead heading straight for the exit, Han Song-Yi couldn't help but feel confused.
"If you don't get the license first, you won't be able to enter the dungeons."
"The instrument used for testing just now malfunctioned."
Castorice explained. "The chief recommended I go to headquarters for an assessment."
"Is that so?"
Han Song-Yi hadn't expected this kind of mishap, but she found it strange.
If there was a problem, why not just retest or use a different machine?
Why insist on going to headquarters? And that chief had looked at Castorice as if she had a brilliant future ahead—the flattery on his face was practically dripping off.
A high school girl couldn't easily hide her thoughts. Han Song-Yi simply voiced her confusion directly.
"The chief said the machine here can't measure my mana."
Castorice saw no reason to hide it. "So I need to go to headquarters and use a machine that can withstand higher mana levels."
"...Huh?"
Even though Han Song-Yi was new to the hunter scene, she understood what it meant for mana to exceed the detection limit.
She didn't know the exact threshold, but she had personally seen A-rank hunters emerge from this very room.
But... if an A-rank's upper limit wasn't enough to gauge Castorice-unnie's mana...
Han Song-Yi's eyes grew wider and wider.
"Castorice-unnie, could you be... an S-rank?"
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.