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HEL SCANS
[Translator – Prøks]
[Proofreader – Prøks]
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Chapter 64: The Trial Grounds (1)
“I can’t let this go unreported. Someone else might feel the same discomfort I did.”
“P-please don’t! I won’t ever ignore someone again, I promise!”
“Do you want me not to report this?”
He asked, with a hint of menace in his voice.
“Please…”
“PoPo, you wronged me, didn’t you?”
“Y-yes, I did.”
“So if someone spits on another person and then just says sorry, is that enough? Apologies need to be more than just words.”
“What should I do then?”
Demanding things directly was for amateurs.
A true pro…
“Think about what you can do to make it right.”
PoPo’s ears perked up as he trembled.
“I’m just a lowly examiner. I—I don’t have anything of value to offer someone like you.”
“There’s nothing you can offer? Perhaps someone else might have something to make amends. Why don’t you ask them?”
“Well… I suppose I could talk to someone.”
“Forget it. I’m wasting my time. Hey! Is there anyone else around here?”
“W-wait!”
PoPo said, tears forming in his eyes as he grabbed my hands with his tiny bear paws.
“I’ll talk to my senior! He’s a good friend; he’ll listen!”
“Sure, but remember, I’m not doing this for the reward. You understand that, right?”
He said, keeping up the act.
“Of course! I know you’re just trying to teach me a lesson. I’ll go get him.”
Let him think what he wanted.
This was about survival, not compassion.
“Uh, Ms. Seo Yerim?”
PoPo turned to her, trying to be polite.
“Yes?”
“Would you mind waiting for a bit? I need to fetch my senior.”
“Go ahead…”
“You’re a bit ruthless, aren’t you?”
“What are you talking about? I just saved this poor bear from getting fired.”
“That’s why you’re ruthless.”
“I’m just doing my part to protect Earth. I need to get stronger to clear the gates and defend our world.”
“Oh, I see.”
“Exactly.”
It was a win-win situation.
PoPo didn’t get fired, and he might get some unexpected bonus from this.
There was no reason to feel bad about it.
* * *
PoPo stood nervously at the door.
Inside was someone he could hardly even dare to look at: Jiphael, the angel.
Angels were a high-ranking existence that everyone aspired to become.
It took centuries of hard work and recognition to reach their level.
Jiphael wasn’t just an ordinary angel either—she was a middle-rank angel.
For PoPo, who had only recently become a full-fledged examiner, talking to Jiphael was intimidating.
Yet, he gathered the courage to seek her out because they had worked together a millennium ago.
Back then, he was a trainee, and she was a top examiner.
PoPo was fortunate enough to be in her group for training, and his adorable appearance had earned him a lot of affection from Jiphael.
She often hugged him tightly, treating him like a precious teddy bear.
‘I’m not just any teddy bear, though…’
He was a sentient member of the great Teddy Bear clan, not an ordinary doll.
Regardless, his connection with Jiphael was what might save him from this crisis.
‘I’ve got to convince her’
“Who’s there?”
“It’s PoPo. Can I come in?”
The door burst open, and Jiphael immediately hugged him with a bright smile.
“PoPo! This is the first time you’ve come to see me!”
“Gah! C-can’t breathe!”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I got a bit excited.”.
Jiphael was puzzled by PoPo’s sad expression.
“What’s wrong, PoPo? Did someone in the examiner ranks bully you? You want me to scold them?”
“No, no! It’s not that.”
“Then what is it? Tell me.”
PoPo explained the situation in his halting way.
Jiphael listened, then playfully flicked his nose with her finger.
“PoPo, you’re just too naive.”
“Huh?”
“Think about it. If this human was really that impressive, wouldn’t they have taken some kind of ‘trial’ by now?”
“Y-yeah, I guess.”
“So, what did you see?”
“Well, I—I didn’t see any sign that he’d taken a trial. That’s why I thought it was nothing and, um, I… might have been rude to him.”
“Isn’t that strange?”
“It is strange… Now that you mention it.”
If this person was as impressive as they claimed, why hadn’t they taken a trial?
It made no sense.
Was it possible they couldn’t take it?
‘Could it be that he’s not as impressive as he seems?’
PoPo’s eyes widened in realization.
“Curious, isn’t it? He didn’t take the trial, but he came with someone who did, and he sponsored the job change coupon.”
“Yes, he definitely said he sponsored it.”
“Hand me the paperwork.”
“Here it is.”
[Re-examination Candidate]
[Seo Yerim]
[Race: Human]
[Observation Dimension: Zone 10/Earth]
[Level: 411]
“…Zone 10? Isn’t that where all the lower-tier dimensions are?”
“Yes, that’s right. I thought it was strange because there aren’t many ways to earn achievement points in Zone 10… So I thought he must be a pretty amazing person to sponsor a job change coupon.”
Jiphael pondered over PoPo’s explanation.
‘Is that other man from a higher dimension?’
Humans lived across various dimensions.
In upper dimensions, achievement points were easier to come by.
It wasn’t out of the question for someone from a higher dimension to sponsor valuable items like a job change coupon.
Still, something didn’t quite add up.
If he was someone who could move between dimensions and give away valuable items, why hadn’t he taken any trials?
Surely, someone with such resources would have gone through trials, right?
‘Could he be from ‘that’ place?’
Jiphael mused to herself, her curiosity piqued.
“So, you’re asking for my help?”
“Uh, well, I was thinking maybe it wasn’t necessary anymore… He doesn’t seem as amazing as I thought…”
Jiphael chuckled.
“No, it’s okay. Even if he’s not that great, if he causes trouble, it could make things difficult for you. Let’s go together.”
“O-okay!”
“Give me your paw.”
PoPo instinctively extended his paw, and Jiphael grasped it.
In a blink, they vanished.
* * *
Suddenly, a female angel holding the teddy bear’s paw appeared before him.
It was quite a sight.
She was undoubtedly an angel, radiating a presence that made it clear she’d seen and done a lot.
It seemed like PoPo had found a powerful mentor.
Jiphael looked at him with keen interest, while PoPo, waving his other paw, pointed at him.
“You! You tricked the teddy bear clan! You’re not even that amazing!”
“What did I trick you about?”
“Uh… I don’t know… What did you trick me about?”
Jiphael, who had been squinting at him, suddenly smiled brightly and introduced herself.
“Hello, I’m Jiphael. I’m PoPo’s senior.”
“I’m Kim Minwoo. Are you really an angel?”
“Yes. Are you from the same planet as her?”
“Yes.”
“What’s your level?”
“151.”
“Interesting. I’ve heard my subordinate offended you. As his senior, I apologize.”
“Is that it? Just words?”
“Would you like to take a trial?”
“A trial? What do I gain from that?”
“You’d receive rewards depending on the difficulty level.”
“Is it life-threatening?”
“No, you won’t die, and there’s no lasting effects. However, if you fail, you can’t try again. It’s a one-shot deal.”
“If I succeed, can I keep trying?”
“If you want to.”
“Let’s do it.”
If there was no risk of dying or lasting harm, it seemed like a no-brainer.
It might be best to level up before taking on tougher trials, but who knows if he would ever get another chance like this?
Just then, PoPo interrupted.
“W-wait! How are you going to assign a trial to someone without a proper certificate?”
“It’s fine. I have an extra.”
“But that’s incredibly rare—”
“Shh. What did I tell you to do when I’m working?”
“Keep my mouth shut.”
Jiphael patted his head.
“Good, good. Now, go do your work.”
He nodded vigorously, relieved.
“Shall we go? To the Trial Grounds.”
He nodded, and in an instant, they both vanished.
* * *
The remaining teddy bear and Seo Yerim stood there, staring at each other.
And then…
―Shall I proceed with the re-examination?
“Sure, go ahead.”
* * *
[Entering the Trial Grounds.]
Once again, a completely white, empty space appeared.
Jiphael handed him a diamond-shaped badge.
[Diamond Sponsorship Certificate]
[Rank: Special]
[A sponsorship certificate that seems to grant special qualifications.]
[Effect 1: Allows you to take a trial in the Trial Grounds.]
[Effect 2: Trials can be taken up to the ‘Diamond’ level.]
He read the description and tilted his head.
“What are the different Ranks?”
“Diamond, Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze. That’s the classification.”
“So, this is a good one?”
“It’s quite expensive.”
Expensive but given to someone who had pushed her junior around?
At first, he thought it might be a punishment, but it seemed too valuable for that.
Even PoPo had mentioned how rare and precious it was.
“Did you fall for me or something?”
“What?”
Jiphael asked, surprised.
Then she smiled softly.
“You’re funny. Do you want to know why I’m giving you this?”
“Yes.”
“Consider it a reservation.”
“Reservation?”
Jiphael smiled.
“In simple terms, I think you have a lot of potential.”
“What do you see that makes you think that?”
“Oh, a variety of things. Just remember this: Jiphael gave you significant support.”
“That’s all I need to remember?”
“Yes. I’m not asking for anything else. Just speak well of me in the future.”
“To whom?”
“Oh, you don’t know yet?”
Jiphael chuckled.
“You’ll find out when the time is right. I’m not at liberty to say. Good luck with the trial.”
With a wave of her hand, Jiphael vanished.
‘What’s that about?’
It sounded like someone was watching me—someone Jiphael wasn’t comfortable talking about.
An entity even a high-ranking angel would hesitate to mention?
It couldn’t be ordinary celestial politics.
Perhaps another angel of higher rank?
‘Maybe someone wants to keep an eye on me.’
If that meant getting extra perks, he wasn’t going to complain.
Who would turn down extra benefits?
“How does this activate?”
Suddenly, a message appeared.
[Verifying credentials…]
[Diamond Sponsorship Certificate detected.]
[Current Level: 151.]
[Between Level 100 and 200.]
[No prior record of trials.]
[Starting with the Initiate-level trial.]
[Please choose your difficulty level.]
[1st Level, Bronze]
[2nd Level, Silver]
[3rd Level, Gold]
[4th Level, Platinum]
[5th Level, Diamond]
[Tip 1: The first difficulty you choose becomes your maximum difficulty level.]
[Tip 2: If you fail the chosen difficulty, you won’t be able to attempt it again.]
[Tip 3: Once you choose a difficulty, you keep taking trials at that level until you fail.]
He read the instructions carefully.
‘So that’s why the Diamond level is valuable.’
If he failed, he would be locked out of the higher difficulties, but if he succeeded, he would stay on the Diamond path.
It was a ticket to the top.
Choosing the difficulty level was a no-brainer.
He picked Diamond.
[Starting the ‘Initiate, Diamond’ trial!]
[Good luck!]
As soon as he made his choice, the landscape in front of him started to change.
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HEL SCANS
[Translator – Prøks]
[Proofreader – Prøks]
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