The Association Hall hadn't recovered when Kang Jinwoo stepped off the evaluation circle.
Cracks spiderwebbed across the stone floor where the measuring array had been.
The examiner swallowed. "E–escort Hunter Kang to the secondary test."
A junior staff member hesitated. "Sir… he's registered as F-rank."
Murmurs returned—sharper now.
"F-rank?"
"Did the system bug out?"
"He felt stronger than my guild leader."
Jinwoo glanced at his status window.
Name: Kang Jinwoo
Level: 1
Rank: F
Evaluation: Insufficient Data
He closed it.
Rank meant visibility.
Visibility meant control by others.
F-rank was perfect.
The secondary test room was small—steel walls, reinforced glass, and a single test dummy rated for B-rank output.
"Standard strength check," the examiner said stiffly. "One strike."
Jinwoo stepped forward.
He didn't draw a weapon.
He exhaled.
Then tapped the dummy.
There was no explosion.
No flash.
Just a sound like metal being folded.
The dummy imploded.
The reinforced glass shattered.
Silence.
A technician screamed, "Cut the feed!"
Jinwoo flexed his fingers, frowning slightly.
"…Too much," he muttered.
The examiner stared at the ruin.
"You're… still F-rank," he said weakly.
Jinwoo nodded. "Good."