<Next Rune Holder> is a growth-type hunter story.

Naturally, the protagonist, Park Jin-woo, is weak in the beginning.

His speed is decent, but his physical and magical strength is pathetic.

Even his rune level is quite low compared to other main characters.

As a result, he was often ignored in the early stages.

But there was one turning point that changed everything.

‘Effort of the Seeker….’

[Effort of the Seeker].

An epic rune that maximizes the growth of a holder.

It triples the rate of rune level growth and slightly increases attributes proportionate to training time.

A straightforward rune that rewards effort with results.

For Park Jin-woo, who was obsessed with training, it was a rune that suited him better than anyone else.

If Kang Juyeon is a genius in the realm of talent, then Park Jin-woo can be considered a genius of effort.

“Jae-hyun, over here.”

Kim Chae-eun was already there in the practice field.

She smiled and waved her hand at me.

I approached and sat next to her.

“Did you do well on the test?”

“No, I got placed in the lower class.”

“…That’s a shame. I thought you would make it to the intermediate class since you trained so hard.”

“Some areas can’t be improved through training alone. It can’t be helped.”

As we chatted for a while, the practice field gradually filled up with applicants.

In the center, the same stern supervisor from earlier took the microphone.

“Congratulations to all of you for being accepted into Seoul Holder Academy. We will now proceed with the final test of the entrance exam, which is the practical duel. The practical duel will be conducted among the temporarily assigned classes, and it is an important test that affects your class promotion and academic performance at the academy, so please approach it with caution.”

The practical duel is a test to evaluate the entrance performance.

Professors and supervisors from various fields observe the duel and make comprehensive assessments based on both existing abilities and practical skills.

Occasionally, promotions are made based on the duel results.

When practical skills far exceed measured abilities, promotions are based on the evaluated current abilities rather than potential.

Moreover, it is an important test with various honors and benefits such as being ranked first or second, as well as academic scholarships.

“But why do they specifically conduct duels? They could just capture monsters.”

Kim Chae-eun asked quietly next to me.

…Did I pretend to know too much in front of her?

I feel like she asks me questions even if there’s a slight hint of something she doesn’t know.

I sighed lightly and answered.

“We used to have monster tests before.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. But they were too risky to handle for entrance exams, and if the monsters were too weak, the distinction between upper-level classes disappeared. So, they were eventually abolished. Besides, the professors can roughly assess the level just by watching the movements during the duel.”

Monsters, the main tasks, and goals of holders. With their various ranks, they are ambiguous as practice dummies.

Monsters that appear in the city are quickly exterminated, and it is complicated to go through the process and procedures to enter dungeons.

Artificially capturing monsters for entrance exams is even more complicated.

It is not cost-effective, and those monsters are usually of low level, resulting in a loss of distinction among the top ranks.

For various reasons, there was a brief history of conducting ‘monster tests’ and quickly discontinuing them.

“First, we will proceed with the practical duel for the temporary upper-level class. Kang Juyeon, the holder.”

“Yes.”

Kang Juyeon replied briefly and stepped forward.

Black hair with a slight hint of red.

And the flickering aura of fire around her.

Even from a distance, I could instantly recognize her.

The owner of [Unquenchable Flame].

Kang Juyeon is a holder with genius-level talent.‘Wow, it’s Kang Juyeon….’

I exclaimed inwardly multiple times.

A character that I have known through the novel.

The heroine I could only imagine through illustrations.

That Kang Juyeon was actually in the same space as me.

Whether it was when she debunked the absurdity among the academy students.

Or when she caught a sudden monster with overwhelming skills.

Or when she went on dungeon explorations with the protagonist, Park Jin-woo.

I vividly replayed those scenes in my mind and had been watching every moment together.

And now, I was within viewing distance of her.

Although the practice field was so vast that I couldn’t see clearly, Park Jin-woo was surely nearby.

As someone who was the most enthusiastic reader of <Next Rune Holder>, I couldn’t easily hide my amazement and overwhelming emotions.

“Please nominate your opponent for the duel. If there is no nomination, the opponent will be randomly selected.”

The practical duel in the entrance exam is conducted in a nomination format.

The names and measured abilities of each class member are not confidential.

Therefore, one can carefully observe the applicants and make nominations.

It didn’t always guarantee good results to choose weak applicants.

Although there were bonus points for victories, but the process was more important.

Overwhelmingly overpowering an applicant with a significant difference in skill could lead to low scores from the professors.

Finding applicants of similar skill levels and competing against them, bringing out the maximum that can be shown, and achieving the best performance.

That was the evaluation criteria required for this practical duel.

“I have no one to nominate.”

But Kang Juyeon firmly replied.

An attitude that didn’t care who her opponent was.

How should I put it…

It was a very Kang Juyeon-like response.

And with her unremarkable words, the surrounding applicants became even more enthusiastic.

“As expected, it’s Kang Juyeon.”

“Yeah, is that it? I don’t feel like I have any rivals in the upper class…”

“Don’t expect too much. The professors are probably only interested in Kang Juyeon.”

“She’s enviable… It must be hereditary, right? Her dad is S-class.”

Kang Juyeon was already a famous figure even before entering the academy.

She was one of the five known S-class holders in Korea.

The illegitimate daughter of Kang Woo-hyun and the owner of an epic rune.

Her trademark rune, [Eternal Flame], had already been featured in articles multiple times and was considered the top rune among holders.

She was regarded as the prominent successor of the massive clan, <Judgment of Fire>, led by Kang Woo-hyun.

That was Kang Juyeon.

“Well then, we will start the duel through random matching. The opponent for Holder Kang Juyeon is Holder Seo Jina.”

“Ah…”

A woman who was in a corner responded to the supervisor’s call.

Judging by the long spear she held, she seemed to be a holder of a [Spear] rune.

‘Poor thing.’

To have a real combat with Kang Juyeon right from the start…

I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her misfortune.

She sighed as her name was called, probably predicting her miserable future…

Through the supervisor’s signal, the first real duel of the entrance exam began.

Clang-

Swish-

“Duel over. Holder Kang Juyeon is the winner.”

And it didn’t last long.

The duel ended in less than three minutes with Kang Juyeon’s victory.I had expected it to some extent, but the overwhelming difference was far beyond being in the same upper class.

“This is unbelievable… It ended so quickly?”

“Are we holders in the same league as her?”

“How did she dodge the first attack? She’s a magician, but her speed stat is that high…?”

The surroundings became lively as Kang Juyeon’s first duel drew attention.

I, too, watched the scene with a blank expression.

It stopped my thought process because it ended too quickly.

‘Is it a magic barrier?’

In a confrontation between a mage and a warrior, the mage is usually at a disadvantage.

They allow attacks even before using magic.

But Kang Juyeon easily overcame that disadvantage.

She directly dodged and blocked the first strike from Seo Jina.

It was a semi-transparent barrier composed of red magic.

It undoubtedly looked like [Magic Barrier], one of the representative defensive skills of a mage.

‘It’s an unbelievable talent…’

[Magic Barrier] was derived from the [Magic Control] rune.

To derive a skill from a rune, you have to raise that rune to a considerable level.

In other words, I could tell that Kang Juyeon not only possessed the [Magic Control] rune but also had a high level in that rune.

It was truly an overwhelming talent.

It was understandable why there was such a commotion around her duel.

“Next duel.”

After Kang Juyeon’s turbulent duel was over.

The duel for the upper class proceeded in an orderly manner.

At first, I watched with interest, but as I continued watching, there weren’t many talented individuals who caught my attention.

At best, they were Lee Taejoon and Moon Ga-eun, the main characters in the story.

Even they were still incomplete.

Many holders hid their strength in the early stages, and there was a lack of spectacle as many gave up easily when there was a slight skill gap.

“Jae-hyun, I’ll be right back!”

Kim Chae-eun stood up and graced me with a bright voice.

By this time, the duel in the middle class had already been tested.

Kim Chae-eun easily won her duel.

Her opponent was a holder who used a [Water] rune.

It was a perfect match for Kim Chae-eun, who possessed a [Freezing] rune.

Although the match ended somewhat anticlimactic, it seemed that Kim Chae-eun didn’t mind as long as she won.

With an excited face, she approached me, and somehow, she resembled a puppy seeking praise.

“The duel in the middle class has ended. Finally, we will proceed with the duel for the lower class. Holder Do Jae-hyun.”

“Yes!”

Finally, it was my turn.

After the duel in the upper and middle classes ended, it was time for the duel in the lower class.

It seemed that the selection was random.

I wasn’t the first choice in terms of my name or my abilities in the lower class, yet I was ranked first.

From my perspective as someone who had predetermined the opponent, it was a pleasant surprise.

“Please choose the opponent for the combat. If there is no designated target, it will be randomly selected.”

“I…”

In response to the supervisor’s words, I glanced around.

Holders from the lower class were scattered, forming their groups in different places.

And…

In one corner, a man who had placed his sword against the wall was engrossed in image training.

The protagonist of <Next Rune Holder>.

It was Park Jin-woo.

“I choose Holder Park Jin-woo.”

And he was the holder I needed the most at the moment.

The owner of [Effort of the Seeker].

He was also the opponent for my first rune hunt.