Cameraman Never Dies

Without waiting for any further talks, Judge handed over his identification documents to the receptionist as soon as she held her hands out and started to say "Identifi..."

Yeah, I know the ropes around here. He thought inwardly, but quickly suppressed those thoughts to not jinx himself.

The receptionist with green hair adjusted her glasses and sized him up again... twice, before punching the keys and scanning through the document he gave. A short while passed and she made two copies of his documents as well as took an application sheet from on top of a nearby pile.

She stood up, went near the telegram transceiver, put the paper into a compartment, and again started punching the keys. This time, the duration was pretty long, but after she got a confirmation that the identification documents were not fake, she printed details into the application document and gave him his original document.

The sound of punching keys continued on for a while, after that, she looked at Judge and motioned him towards a door on the side, "You seem to know the ropes, you know what to do."

I jinxed it, didn't I?

It was the first thought that he had. He only knew about the document part, even the test part was new to him.

"Not so experienced are you?" The woman said in a mocking tone after seeing no reaction from Judge, clearly frustrated by his earlier over-smart behavior.

There were some eyes on Judge, even a blockhead could sense that they were mocking him, or could they? I dunno I am not an idiot. But this was something he was looking forward to. He just looked at the woman and smiled, "You'll see."

Under normal circumstances, the people around him would hardly notice someone who just came in. Though the tests were news to him, this did not hold him back from going through with the plan. It was simple, place as much attention as he can on him, one way or another, but without letting the other party know that he was trying to garner attention.

In the original plan, the next step was to clear a pretty difficult, but not overly dangerous job and make others have a feeling that he was not a total newbie. This would let many mercs to place attention on him and he could widen his mercenary social circles. His current plan was even more simple, proving that he was not a total rookie in the tests.

This would allow him to take appropriate commissions and spread the word of an unknown mercenary who was clearly past the rookie stage, or in other words... super rookie.

The receptionist sighed, Hey sighing is a part of MY persona, you can't do that! Judge quipped inwards. "Next step in the procedure is tests," She was back to her normal tone, which was not much of a development, but at this stage, it was more comfortable. "There are several tests available, all for different people with various skills, you can choose which one to take as per your expertise. The results will be valued on your performance of that part."

"What all tests are there?"

"As I said, there are really a great deal of tests, just tell me what you are good at."

Judge stood straight and thought for a while, He had only been using swords for a while, but in his previous life, although he used swords, there was a side of him that nobody knew. It was a side that he had only told his partner... former partner in crime about.

He was a master marksman!

He leaned back, "I am experienced in the domain of sword, but I am more adept at using a gun."

"Well if you are more adept at using a gun, then I suggest you go for the marksmanship test, of course, if you can pass tests for both, then that would be recorded. But let me warn you, there is a time frame between tests, you cannot attempt two tests at once or back to back. This is because there are several people trying to take tests.

"There are also fees for tests, marksmanship test costs 5 sten, but you can also prove your worth via a commission were you would be accompanied by someone who would take the commission fees for themselves. This is an option if you do not have money."

Wow! They sure are pros in the field, Judge contemplated for a few seconds, he had the money but killing monsters outdoors had a better feel to it when compared to shooting mannequins indoors, Tch! Lame! He clicked his tongue, but it was not audible.

"What are the differences other than price?"

The woman looked at him with pity, as if he were a beggar. He wanted to refute her silent judgment, to insist that he could afford the test, but something held him back.

"Well, for starters, you cannot take any commission. The guild will allow you to choose from a few that they take. It would be to hunt for a monster, mostly for materials. And even if the commission was high, you would not get a nen. But rest assured, any treatment fees would be borne by the guild, as long as it does not exceed half of the commission.

The indoors is relatively safer since the test will be held along with many other test takers and on the watch of two or more high-ranking mercs. There have never been any injuries since it only requires you to shoot moving and stationary targets. Many pay for the test since it is safer and the end result for both is your acceptance as a marksman-type mercenary."

Judge thought for a bit more time, "I have the money, but I like the idea of going out more. Can I hire someone as a guard so I can take on a more dangerous mission?"@@novelbin@@

The receptionist's face went from doubting his "I have money" to a more stern expression. "Unfortunately that is not included in our test rules. So, what would you like, indoor or outdoor."

Judge pondered for a brief moment, indoor selection would end quicker and would be relatively safe, he could then head out to hunt. But even though outdoor hunting seemed full of negative consequences, it was not with its own advantage.

Firstly, he could spread his name quicker if he took the outdoor path. Thinking about it, if he took a test that only proved his accuracy and also with other contestants who could also do the same, he doubted if he could get as much attention from hunting a monster without help and with someone possibly of a good circle watching.

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"I take the outdoors, I like to hunt monsters rather than being stuck inside a shooting hall, I am past those days." He toned it in such a way that the receptionist would think he was just trying to mask his inability to pay.

And as he expected, it came, "Just be open about it if you have no money. Nobody is going to..."

That was enough, he took out his purse and slammed a ten sten note on the desk. "Don't talk to me about money, take this as a tip." While this may seem unnecessary, this was a crucial part of his plan that he just made up.

This would enable him to be noticed by someone with a high standing and have a slight curiosity about how he obtained that money, and about his background, It would increase the possibility of a person with a good social circle coming to watch over his 'test', letting him enter the circle more easily.

And as expected, he could feel many gazes on him, but there were a handful that felt powerful, and one that felt like it was another Melina.

"When would it begin?" He asked the flustered woman.

"I-I will get it right away," She was more polite, but it was still not on the level of a normal receptionist.

Minutes later, he saw the green-haired woman come in with a handful of flyers, all of them had pictures of various monsters in the front. "These are the commissions that you can choose from."

Her hands are trembling a bit, and she seems a bit flustered, but she is good at composing herself. Judge took note, A high-ranking worker would have intervened in selection. The four rectangular sheets were laid out in front of him. All four were mid-predatory level monsters, but all of them had different advantages.

One monster was the illusory fiend, it was a monster that was like a ghost but with a physical body. It was a monster that could be shot down, but it could create a huge load of illusions, making it a pain to fight.

The second monster was the Veilcrawler, it was a monster with the appearance of a blob. It had a mist-like skin and multiple glowing eyes. The hard part about the monster was that it could constantly cloak itself in a thick mist that distorts vision. The fog is unnaturally dense, and the creature can shift its form within it, making it near-impossible to aim at.

The third one... Judge smiled, it was the hardest.