Chapter 118
“Ah, uh….”
“What do we do….”
Almost everyone there was thrown into a panic. Even Ophilia squeezed her eyes shut. But the only one whose arm had been smashed, Chairman Grandpa, merely nodded calmly.
“As expected, an astounding level of skill.”
“H-heh heh…. I do apologize.”
“It is quite all right.”
Chairman Cheon Tae-seong stretched his broken arm out to the side, and the suited agents behind him came over and began treating it. There was a series of crack-crack sounds, and the arm that had somehow gained an extra joint was quickly restored to its original state.
“Hooeek!”
“Th-thank goodness….”
Sujeong unnie also let out a sigh of relief and rubbed her chest. Wait, since Sujeong unnie was in the same association, shouldn’t she have known? Looking closely, Chaerin unnie was surprised too, but she didn’t seem to think it was a major problem.
“That was a splendid strike. I am glad I could experience it firsthand.”
“Ngh…. Is that really all right?”
“Indeed. Please do not worry.”
Chairman Cheon Tae-seong nodded and gently rubbed his arm. His forearm had been broken, but his clothes were perfectly fine. I couldn’t even imagine how expensive the material was. Maybe it was something like stab-resistant clothing.
“I have heard the general details. Miss Eve, is that correct? Korea can breathe a little easier now that another treasure has appeared.”
“Eh, me? Ehehe…. I-I’m not quite that….”
“We will provide you with every convenience within the association’s capabilities. You said you needed an identity? I would like to speak with you at greater length.”
After saying that, Chairman Cheon Tae-seong glanced at Ophilia. He had probably heard that Ophilia was handling office work too. Nova had already asked the association to create an identity for Ophilia, after all.
“Understood.”
“Hunter Galahad, I sincerely welcome you to Korea. Miss Eve, I look forward to seeing what you accomplish.”
“Oh, yes!!”
“Thank you.”
* * * * *
Ophilia went inside to speak with Chairman Grandpa, so what was I doing in the meantime?
“Now this is something.”
“Right?! Ahem~”
ㅡKiiit….
“But I made you….”
ㅡKiiit
There were an incredible number of people at the association building who handled hunter-related affairs. Thanks to Chairman Grandpa’s influence, I even got to meet the people who had written the questions for the Emergency Summon Mount License exam.
Apparently, these people had made both the practical and written tests. The written test was practically the same as a driver’s license exam, but it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that these people had created nearly all the standards for the practical test.
They rubbed their chins as they looked Suri over from every angle, repeatedly muttering, “Now this is something,” and expressing their amazement. Suri was a top-notch mount-type summon recognized by the Hunter Association.
And then? Naturally, I took the written test too. I’d practiced a ton.
“Ah, um…. Uh~”
“Sob, sob, this can’t be.”
You needed a score of 70 to pass the written exam, and judging by the test writers’ reactions, it seemed like I hadn’t made it. They kept looking at the test paper and going, “Hmm, uh, ah.”
“All right, Eve. The mister will give you one question.”
“W-what is it..?”
“For a flying summon to be recognized as a legal emergency summon, what is the minimum hovering altitude?”
“M-minimum flight altitude…. Uh, um….”
“Y-you have to fly this high! That height! How many meters..?”
“W-wait a second! Th-that…!”
My brain began spinning faster than it ever had in my life. Ophelia had definitely told me this….
“F-forty meters! Forty meters!”
“That’s right! You got this question wrong by such a narrow margin! We’ll count it as correct, okay?”
“R-really!?”
“Y-yes! Let’s do one more! An emergency summon’s braking ability has to meet this standard. At the current speed in kilometers per hour, it must be able to come to a complete stop after traveling a number of meters equal to what percentage of that speed? What percentage is it?”
“Uh, er, um….”
Suddenly, a flood of impossibly difficult words burst into my head, and it felt like my brain was going to explode. My vision went dark in an instant, and my head started spinning….
ㅡBeep, beep-beep….
“Huh..?”
ㅡBeep-beep-beep..!
“E-eighty percent..?”
“Correct!! You got this one right too! Eve, you passed!!”
“W-whatttt!! I passed!!!”
Daengdaeng gave me a tiny hint from the side, but I actually knew the answer too, okay? Daengdaeng only gave me the tiniest, ant-poop-sized hint.
“All right, then here’s a simple question. Suppose Eve was riding Suri at 100 kilometers per hour. If Eve ordered Suri to stop, within how many meters would Suri have to stop for her to pass?”
“Th-that would be… 80 meters!”
“That’s right! Eve is smart! Very good!”
“Yay~~”
It did feel a little like someone had scooped up food with a spoon and fed it to me, but how hard had I studied?! They had to let me pass on something this easy, right? As expected, I was a total genius.
“Good. Eve, you’ve passed the written exam. You still need to take the practical test, though. You haven’t actually ridden Suri properly before, have you?”
“Ah, yes! Isn’t that illegal?”
“Well, after going through the proper procedures, you can take a test ride below an altitude of 40 meters if there are no other people nearby, even before the written test. Plenty of people go above 40 meters too, but we can’t catch every single one of them.”
“I see….”
Then I should have tried riding her sometime before. Anyway, since I’d passed the written test—the biggest problem—all that remained was the practical test, which Suri would handle for me.
I was left alone because I had to take the test, with only Suri and Daengdaeng accompanying me. Grandpa Galahad, who had been itching for a fight, had gone off to teach the other hunters who had come here, which apparently meant beating them all up. Ophilia was in a meeting with Chairman Grandpa, and Chaerin unnie had gone to handle various Nova affairs.
“Suri, you can do this, right?!”
ㅡKiiit
“Of course! I believe in you, Suri!”
“Ah, but doesn’t Suri need a saddle and handles or something? We need those.”
“A saddle? Handles? Hmm…. Suri, can you make those for me?”
ㅡKiiit
Suri nodded vigorously at my words. A moment later, Suri stomped one foot, and blue magical light burst from behind it as reins and a saddle appeared.
“Hoo, amazing. Let me check for a moment, okay? We have to safety-test things like this too.”
“Okay.”
The inspector wiggled the saddle this way and that, pressed down on it, fiddled with the reins, and even checked to make sure everything was properly connected.
“Amazing. This is really good.”
“Really? Unhihi.”
“It might be better to practice a little more before taking the practical test. Eve could get hurt.”
“Hmmmm….”
I wondered how it would go. I wasn’t sure. Suri was definitely the one doing the driving, but I would still be the one riding on top of it. If Suri suddenly did a backflip, I might get flung off and slam straight into the ground.
“Suri, should I practice a bit before taking the test later?”
ㅡKiiit..?
“No, no, you seem like you’ll do fine. I’m just worried about what happens if I let go of the handles.”
ㅡKiiit….
“You’re telling me not to worry? You’re not really going to toss me onto the ground, right?”
Suri looked offended, as if to say it couldn’t even do that much. Of course I trusted Suri. What I didn’t trust was my grip strength. If Suri was running at 500 million kilometers per hour and I simply let go of the handles, I’d be done for.
Like Tom and Jerry, Suri might go shooting off first while I went “wheee” in midair before plummeting straight down.
But Suri told me not to worry about that.
“So you’re saying you’ll do it? I’ll get goggles and a helmet ready first, so could you wait a moment?”
“Okaaay.’
ㅡKiiit.
“You don’t need goggles? But if the wind hits my eyes, I won’t be able to open them.”
ㅡKiiit….
“Hmm…. All right, then!”
Actually, none of the laws concerning emergency summon licenses said anything about helmets. Naturally, they were written with hunters in mind, and if you were going to fall from more than 40 meters without any protection, a helmet wouldn’t be of much use anyway.
They were hunters, so depending on their level, they would either survive a fall or get injured.
But I was a somewhat special case….
“If the speed is too high, Eve could fall backward. Are you sure you’re okay with that?”
“Yes. Suri says it’ll take care of it.”
“I-is that so..? Then let’s start by having it run at around 30 kilometers per hour. You won’t have a feel for the speed yet, but the misters will tell you to slow down or speed up, so don’t worry.”
“Understood!”
And so began the practical test for the Emergency Summon Mount License… though it was a rather slapdash test. Chairman Grandpa’s instruction to “provide every convenience” hadn’t been given for no reason.
“H-huff…. I’m nervous..!”
ㅡKiiit
“Got it! I’m counting on you!”
ㅡBeep!
ㅡKiiit
“Daengdaeng, they say you might drop me?”
ㅡBeep-beep-beep..!?!!
“Mha-hang.”
* * * * *
The practical test was held at a nearby entry-type Gate. Entry-type Gates really are convenient, huh? They create an enormous open space right nearby.
Inside was a spacious, peaceful natural environment with plenty of empty land and no flying monsters.
There were obstacles shaped somewhat like rings, rising high like lighthouses, as well as patches of ground with an H drawn inside a circle, as if telling us where to land. Since the circles were very small, they seemed to be testing precise landing ability too.
“All right! I’ll give it a try ㅡ !”
“Yeah~! Be careful~! Just move exactly as the misters tell you~! Got it~!!”
“Yeeeeeess ㅡ !!!!!”
Unfortunately, Daengdaeng couldn’t ride with me. I also had a wireless earpiece inserted into my right ear, so we could communicate in real time.
ㅡKiiit
“Yeah, let’s go. Suri, sortie!”
As Suri nodded, its body began to move slowly. Its hind legs, shaped like horse hooves, clopped along, while its forelegs swished through the grass as it slowly moved forward.
ㅡZzzzt
[Eve, can you hear me clearly?]
“Yes, I can hear you!”
[Okay, good. Now let’s slowly increase your walking speed.]
“Suri! Walk a little faster!”
ㅡKiiit….
Suri increased its walking speed in accordance with my command.
[Good, good. Now let’s make a slight turn to the side. To the left~]
“Suri, left!”
[Good, good. Now to the right~]
“Right!”
Even as an emergency summon, Suri needed to be able to move reasonably well on the ground too. In narrow passages, it couldn’t flap its wings and would have to travel by walking.
But our Suri? It was incredibly fast at walking and running too.
“The breeze feels so nice, Suri!”
ㅡKiiit..!
[Very goo~d~ Now let’s stop gently~]
“Suri, stop!”
Now it was time to properly test its flight ability.
[All right, we’ll try flying without changing direction. Let’s see how much runway you need to take off. Ready, takeoff!]
“Suri! Take off!”
ㅡFlap..!
Without even taking more than a few steps forward, Suri immediately began beating its wings, pressing the surrounding air down toward the ground. In an instant, its enormous body lifted into the air and shot upward.
“A-amazing!!”
[Wow~ Very good, very good~ Suri can take off from a standstill~]
“Right?! Unhihi.”
[Now we’ll slowly move forward~ All right~ Advance!]
“Suri! Move forward slowly!”
ㅡKiiit!
Suri lowered its head slightly and changed the angle of its wings, slowly beginning to accelerate forward. It was much more fun moving through the air up here. To be honest, I couldn’t see much below us because Suri’s body was so thick.
But if I tilted my head slightly to the side, I could see ahead, and if I lifted my chin, I could see the clear sky with a few clouds drifting through it.
“This is the best!!”
[That’s right, it’s the best~]
“What do I do now?!”
[All right, now we’ll move from side to side~ When I say left or right, Suri will make a fast right-angle turn without letting you fall. This time… right!]
Suri changed direction with incredible skill in response to my command. Normally, if Suri turned quickly, I might go boing~ and get flung off, but Suri tilted its entire body, allowing my body to tilt and turn in the same direction.
After measuring all sorts of things for a while, the result was…
[Wow, that’s a perfect score.]
“Really?! Did you hear that, Suri?! He says it’s a perfect score!!”
ㅡKiiit….
“Huh? Really? Mister, Suri says it hasn’t even shown you half-half-half-half of what it can do??”
[Ahaha…. Well, maybe Suri can show you a little more once you’ve grown a bit?]
“I guess I’m still too young. I do want to see it at least once, though….”
Suri’s full-power flight? Was I supposed to withstand that supercharged Bird Strike with my own body? To be honest, half of me wanted to see it, while the other half thought my neck might snap.
I quietly whispered to Suri.
“S-Suri..! Then should we increase the speed just a little..!?”
ㅡKiiit..!
As if it had been waiting for me to say that, Suri began accelerating faster and faster.
[W-whoa…. This isn’t good.]
“She’s so fast!!!”
But how should I put it? It felt as though there were an invisible barrier in front of us blocking the wind. I could feel a pleasant breeze, but there was no pressure beyond that. It was only enough to make my hair flutter.
ㅡKiiit..!
I didn’t even have to close my eyes. It seemed Suri’s wind magic was protecting my eyes.
As Suri flew, it whipped its head around to look at its surroundings, then began charging toward a tall rocky cliff nearby.
“W-whoa..?! Suri?! Surisuri ㅡ ?!!?!”
ㅡKiiit..!
[W-what’s wrong with it..! Stop!!]
Suri charged forward at tremendous speed. When it reached the area near the towering cliff, it instantly rolled its body onto its side, spun halfway around, and struck the rocky cliff with a hind leg ending in a sturdy hoof.
ㅡKWA-AA-AANG!!!
Spiderweb-like cracks spread across the massive cliff, and chunks of rock began breaking off and tumbling down in an instant. Naturally, Suri used the recoil from smashing the rock face to dart and weave between the rapidly falling rocks with a whoosh and swish.
“Hooeek..!!!”
For some reason, I didn’t feel any impact at all.
Afterward, Suri shook its head as if it had had a fun time, flew back to the misters, and landed gently. The inspectors’ legs gave out, and they collapsed onto the ground.
ㅡKiiit
“Mha-hang.”
“Ah…. That was the test course for gliding-type flying summons….”
“Oh.”
Sorry, misters.