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“I’ve been studying at the Clock Tower even before my Awakening! Anyone who wants to join me, head over to the Fox Monster side!”

“Those who walk the path of martial arts don’t need petty tricks! Let’s head to the Tiger Monster side with me!”

“Shouldn’t we Koreans stick together? Come over here!”

Foxes, goblins, and even tigers.

As soon as the monsters were revealed, the participants who had secured the front lines started calling out to others to join their side.

Only 50 people would pass.

The more people gathered, the more competitors there would be, but regardless, it was a mission where you had to clear it to even have a chance to compete for a spot.

Lionel Medeiros, a mage from the Clock Tower.

Hwang Bo-seung, from the prestigious Hwangbo family in the Chinese martial world.

Cha Seo-rin, an Awakened One trying to rally Koreans.

Participants quickly gathered around these three who had stepped forward first.

“A mage from the Clock Tower, and even a pre-Awakening mage? That means they were already impressive before Awakening. Clearing this should be a breeze.”

The Medeiros family is one of the influential families in England’s Clock Tower.

Think of them as similar to the Hazel family.

Those who knew about the prestigious magical families that make up the Clock Tower all flocked to that side.

Some followed the crowd due to herd mentality, while others joined because they were convinced of his skills after he revealed his past as a pre-Awakening mage.

Thanks to this, around 150 participants gathered in front of the Fox Monster.

With this many Awakened Ones, clearing any scenario shouldn’t be a problem.

Lionel, having gathered half of the participants in an instant, looked around with a triumphant expression.

Hwang Bo-seung, from the Hwangbo family, also had a considerable number of people gathered around him.

About 100 or so.

Mostly Awakened Ones from China or those from other countries who had trained in martial arts.

This side also seemed to have no trouble clearing the mission.

The problem was the third team.

Perhaps it was due to the hasty decision to gather only Koreans in a global program.

Even though the ratio of Koreans was slightly higher, there were still many foreigners like Lionel and Hwang Bo-seung. Unlike them, who had PR about their backgrounds, Cha Seo-rin hadn’t revealed any information, so it was only natural.

In fact, it was surprising that 50 people had gathered.

Cha Seo-rin looked at the 50 people and chuckled.

“Don’t worry. I’m stronger than you think.”

About 10 minutes had passed since Geum Yu-na’s starting signal.

The participants had quickly divided, and no one was left without a team.

“That was faster than I thought.”

“Right. I thought it would take 30 to 40 minutes.”

“See that girl at the front of the Goblin Team?”

Kim Yu-shin asked Jeong Gyeoul and Park Seol-hwa while looking at Cha Seo-rin.

“Yeah. Why? Is she the spoiler you were talking about earlier?”

She was a beautiful woman in a hanbok, but nothing particularly special stood out.

Jeong Gyeoul asked, puzzled.

“A Taoist. Isn’t that unique?”

“A Taoist? You mean like a mage? That’s just another name for a mage. It’s rare for Koreans to Awaken in the Magic Category, but it’s not unheard of. What’s so special about it?”

“No, not a mage. A Taoist, like those who use talismans and perform rituals. Think of it like Jeon Woo-chi.”

A Taoist or a ritualist.

This ability, using rituals, had never appeared before.

It was a unique case, ambiguous whether to classify it as Magic Category or not.

Considering that even Serena, who had Awakened with prophetic abilities, was classified under the Magic Category, the Taoist would likely be classified there too.

“A Taoist… That’s interesting. But why didn’t she register with the Association? Is she from the Villains?”

“That’s the funny part… She was a real Taoist training in the mountains. She couldn’t even think of coming down to the secular world under her strict master. But after Awakening, she became strong enough to defeat her master and finally came down. She happened to see the recruitment notice.”

“So, as soon as she gained power, she ditched her master and came out to play, huh?”

Jeong Gyeoul summed it up in one sentence.

A rebellious disciple who abandoned her master.

“Isn’t there a possibility that she came down after reaching an amicable agreement with her master?”

“Isn’t it more plausible that she knocked her master out and ran away after being constantly held back?”

“Not everyone is like you…”

“What about me! Why!”

“It looks like the team selection is over.”

“Why are you changing the subject! What’s wrong with me!”

Jeong Gyeoul kept pestering Kim Yu-shin, but he refused to answer.

He knew that one wrong word could lead to months of nagging.

Just as Geum Yu-na announced that team selection would end if there were no further movements, he naturally kept his mouth shut.

***

“By the way… does anyone know what the prepared scenario is?”

“Now that you mention it, I haven’t heard anything about the scenario. Gyeoul, do you know?”

“I don’t know either. PD Choi is being his usual evil self today.”

“Can you, who’s called Choi Yong-seok’s daughter, really talk about PD Choi like that?”

“I’ve never had such a father. Let’s just continue with what we were talking about.”

My answer was firm.

I don’t know when or where that nickname came from.

First, it was Park Seol-hwa’s attachment figure, and now Choi Yong-seok’s daughter.

It must have been coined by my anti-fans.

“Anyway, we’re just here to observe the participants. Is there a reason to keep it a secret from us too?”

“Maybe they’re trying to get our reactions? Since we’re not broadcasters, our reactions when we encounter something unknown might be more lively.”

“Well, someone like PD Choi wouldn’t just forget to explain, so Seol-hwa, your opinion is probably right. Anyway, that aside. Which team do you all want to judge?”

“I think I’d prefer the Blood Fox side. I don’t think I’d understand the Physical Category well.”

Park Seol-hwa, being a mage, naturally chose the Fox Team.

The reason was clear.

She wouldn’t understand the martial arts system.

She could tell who had more magic power or who performed better, but she wouldn’t know the details like how strong their martial arts were or their potential.

Those in the Physical Category who joined the mage side seemed more like Jeong Ha-yul.

They fought with the formula that magic power equals strength.

“Then I’ll take the Tiger Team.”

The Tiger Team.

The participants in front of the Shadow Tiger.

It was the team gathered by Hwang Bo-seung from the martial world.

He was the only one who directed his magic power towards me when pressuring the participants, so I remembered his name.

Hwang Bo-seung, the ambitious martial artist.

He’s said to be from the Hwangbo family, like in martial arts novels.

If it were a real fight, his actions would have shortened his lifespan by provoking me…

But, since it’s a broadcast, maybe he just wanted to try his luck.

I automatically got the Goblin Team with the Taoist Girl.

With only 50 people, it seemed a bit easier, but the Taoist Girl’s abilities might be a headache.

Still… the difference between 150 and 50 is overwhelming enough to overcome.

“I guess I’ll take the Goblin Team.”

I’m the one who has seen, experienced, and even used the most unique abilities from around the world.

A Taoist Girl is nothing.

I left the judges’ seat and headed to each team.

“Hello. It seems I’ll be judging the Goblin Team.”

“Nice to meet you!”

“There aren’t many of us, so please be generous with the scores.”

“If you do well, I’ll naturally be generous.”

Are they already trying to bribe me?

Or do they think I’m an easy target?

If this were the Seoul/Gyeonggi area, they would have been disqualified within 5 seconds of the judging starting.

I wasn’t happy with whoever passed them, but they’ll be filtered out in the second round, so I decided not to worry about it.

Up close, she’s even prettier.

“I heard you use Taoist arts, is that correct?”

“I also use talismans and various rituals, but… since they all fall under Taoist arts, you can just call it Taoist arts.”

The Taoist Girl answered with a refreshing smile.

Her magic power was the strongest in the Goblin Team.

Even comparable to that mage guy.

I just hoped she excelled in other areas as well.

This program isn’t about finding the strongest person.

It’s about finding the person who best fits the name “Hero.”

That’s why it’s called “The Birth of a Hero.”

Compared to the menacing Hwang Bo-seung or that mage guy who looks like a parasite, the Taoist Girl is more to my taste.

Imagine someone saving you.

Wouldn’t you prefer a pretty girl over a menacing wild boar-like man or a weak-looking guy who seems even weaker than you?

“Each team will now move to their designated locations.”

Geum Yu-na’s steady hosting continued.

Each team moved to their designated spots.

“Seriously?”

“We have to protect the goblin?”

“What kind of test is this?”

The Goblin Team’s second-round scenario.

It was to protect the goblin from the Association’s heroes for a limited time.

‘Like protecting citizens from villains, right?’

Since they couldn’t use real citizens, they replaced them with goblins.

In terms of not knowing what panicked citizens might do, goblins aren’t much different.

 

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