The measurement room was located at the very end of the left corridor on the 3rd floor. Since there were cases where S-rank or A-rank attack-type heroes caused large-scale explosions or noise, the room was newly constructed in the corner.

The room had a dim light source, barely illuminating faces, and in the center, the rank measurement machine flaunted its grandeur. The employee pointed at the platform right in front of the machine.

“Please stand on this.”

The forcibly raised corners of his mouth tingled. The employee tightly gripped the bundle of documents in his hand.

‘What on earth was that just now?’

As soon as he opened the door to the measurement room, his mouth corners returned to their original place as if nothing had happened. It seemed like that hero’s doing, but there was no proof.

‘Telling me to smile…?’

However, an ability to control people through words had not been discovered yet. …And there was even less likelihood of someone with such an ability being E-rank.

“You’ve probably measured before, but the laser emitted from that machine measures overall physical strength, mana, and so on. Typically, heroes’ powers are composed similarly to the energy flowing out from gates. We conveniently call that energy mana, and ranks are measured based on that mana.”

“Wow, that’s interesting.”

Upon hearing the employee’s explanation, Hwa-shin was convinced inwardly.

Then there would be no change in rank going forward either.

In the first place, Decrees through karma were not a power granted or borrowed by someone. Moreover, there was no need to separately utilize mana within the body. That’s why I could use magic more easily than other mages.

Actually, there were divided opinions even among mages on whether what he used could be defined as magic.

• No, there’s no basis. No basis. How is something that goes poof, bam! and gets created considered magic? Magic, I tell you, is traditionally supposed to be composed of formulas, magic circles, that beautiful sequence of calculations!
• Hey, then if this isn’t magic, what is it? If that Elric guy tells you to dance right now, you’d dance right away, wouldn’t you?
• That’s hypnosis, isn’t it! Hypnosis!
• Then are you saying hypnosis isn’t magic? There are families that have lived for generations as hypnotists! Are you picking a fight with us?

…Ugh. Just imagining it is noisy.

Then what about the karma that appears here?

What is this karma?

In a word, karma is the actions accumulated or to be accumulated by a living being, and the consequences that follow. All actions give rise to corresponding results, karma.

To put it simply, if you do good deeds, good things happen, and if you do bad deeds, bad things happen. The energy related to those good deeds and bad deeds is the flow of karma.

Elric’s ‘Decree’ was a magic that could manipulate such karma. At a young age, Elric realized that he could see the energy of karma and manipulate it.

Literally, he could manipulate the actions of others and twist their fate.

Then what would be the most effective way to manipulate the fate, the karma of others?

By predetermining the results of the other party oneself.

Not smiling because one is happy, but designating the result that one must smile.

Not bursting because there is a problem with the body, but designating the result that one must burst.

An ability that omits all processes intertwined with thoughts, words, and actions, and solely designates the result.

The Decree through karma made Elric the most powerful mage.

Of course, there were restrictions to the Decree as well. If the Decree was omnipotent, Elric wouldn’t have let Dragon die.

“Measurement complete.”

“Yes, you can come down. Please wait over there.”

While Hwa-shin was contemplating the scope of karma utilization, the rank measurement ended. He hopped off the machine’s platform and sat on the sofa placed in the corner, waiting for the results. It seemed the measurement results were disclosed after saving the data to the device.

The employee, who checked the rank of Hwa-shin sprawled on the chair like seaweed, muttered softly.

…What is this now?

“…This can’t be.”

Hwa-shin, who had been observing the employee’s expression, also began to wonder what kind of result had come out. Could it be that karma was read as the same energy as mana? Well, there’s a possibility of that too.

Since I’m not sure yet how the measurement works here. If it measures the surrounding ambient mana, there might be a chance.

‘Was the previous measurement wrong then?’

The employee hurriedly flipped through the documents he had. He seemed to be examining Yoo Hwa-shin’s past records.

‘No. He had at least 2 tests done.’

Finally, as if resigned to the new result, he approached Hwa-shin with an ashen face.

“Mr. Yoo Hwa-shin, that…”

Hwa-shin’s eyebrows rose. What the employee held out before his words was the measurement result.

The comprehensive stat for basic physical strength was D. That was the same as the previous record. Then was he originally lacking in mana-related abilities? Well, if he lacks combat-related abilities, even with high basic physical strength, it would be ambiguous to deploy him in actual battles. Then for the mana side…

“…Mana is F?”

“You dropped one rank from the last measurement when you were E-rank. In addition, the skill you originally possessed is no longer visible.”

Unlike the man who looked at him pitifully with drooping eyebrows, Hwa-shin took the two sheets of paper the man held out with a bright expression.

“Can I take these records?”

“…Yes, well. I have the original, and what I showed you is a copy.”

The employee, who had been observing this whole situation, was worried about Yoo Hwa-shin, whom he had thought was just a troublesome guy.

What on earth was this man counting on to try to apply for the SH Unit? Was it really my imagination earlier when I felt my mouth rising?

Suddenly, something flashed through his mind.

[ Young heroes taking their own lives in despair over hero ranks, up 20% from the previous year… ]

If he was trying to commit suicide at the SH Unit’s selection test out of despair over his lowered rank…

The suicide of a low-rank hero at a selection test mostly attended by high-rank heroes would certainly become a topic of discussion.

The employee bit his lip hard.

If that was the case, he had deliberately lied earlier about being E-rank. That person couldn’t bring himself to say he was F-rank. He tightly clenched the remaining documents in his hand with a determined resolve.

Slightly lifting the glasses perched on his nose, the employee opened his mouth with a solemn expression.

“…Mr. Yoo Hwa-shin, I’m not usually the type to say this upon first meeting, but…”

“…?”

“If you’re thinking of committing suicide at the SH Unit selection test, I wouldn’t recommend it. Of course, it would become a topic, but that’s all it would amount to.”

“…Pardon?”

“Don’t be too discouraged by the dropped rank. There are many valuable things in the world besides rank.”

What’s with this guy?

Hwa-shin found it amusing that the man was arbitrarily misunderstanding him and calmly trying to persuade him. A person who seemed to be in his early to mid-30s now. Such a person was worrying about him, who was over 200 years old.

‘Suicide out of despair over rank, huh.’

Indeed. The most important measure in hero activities was rank. Even though they were civil servants, the unit in which they earned money differed markedly as their rank rose. After the SH Unit was established, that polarization was expected to intensify further. But who could say anything about giving huge annual salaries to people fighting monsters?

It was no exaggeration to say that a nation could face destruction without them.

Yoo Hwa-shin folded the paper he was holding into a fan shape. Lightly tapping the trembling hands of the employee with the fan, he continued.

“Are you worrying about me now?”

“More than that, the reality is-“

“I’m fine, so please just properly register the application I left at the counter earlier.”

Hwa-shin got up from his seat, gathered the documents as they were, and opened the door to the measurement room. The bright light from the corridor seeped into the dark room. Due to the diffusing backlight, the employee couldn’t read Hwa-shin’s expression.

“If you don’t want me to die, come watch sometime later.”

“Mr. Yoo Hwa-shin, really, the registration-“

“Yes, yes, please do it for sure. Then see you then, Mr. Employee.”

Hwa-shin, who ended the conversation in a somewhat frivolous tone, left the place.

Left alone, the employee blankly stared at his retreating back.

An F-rank applying for the SH Unit.

Beyond worry, it was now absurd.

“This is insane, really.”

…Right. I don’t get it. I have no idea what that man is trying to do.

***

The civil service office was abuzz.

People gathered around Hwa-shin, who was humming a relaxed tune.

“Hm? What is it, am I a total celebrity today?”

The employees looked down at Yoo Hwa-shin, who was grinning brightly. Surrounding him, they secretly whispered a few words among themselves. Of course, it was all audible. It would be strange not to hear it at this distance.

Finally, a boss-like senior among them asked in a worried tone.

“Mr. Hwa-shin, were you really applying for the SH Unit? No, I thought it was just a joke.”

“Did you know that on the list of SH Unit applicants posted on the homepage, you’re the only F-rank, Mr. Hwa-shin?”

“You can see it right away if you just check the homepage! Mr. Hwa-shin is the only F-rank!”

“Really? Wow, I wonder what I’ll do if everyone only looks at me. I’ll become a total celebrity. How embarrassing.”

Hwa-shin, who had been complimented, wriggled his body as if embarrassed.

“No, Mr. Hwa-shin, now’s really not the time for that. Hurry up and cancel it.”

“What? What are you talking about? I’ve been waiting for that day so much.”

“No, do you know how many they’ll select? No matter how many they choose, if you’re F-rank…”

Of course, Hwa-shin already knew how many would be selected.

7 people.

The total number of people the government would select as members of the SH Unit was 7.

Although all 7 were part of the same unit, the SH Unit, composed of a total of 3 units, each had different roles.

Unit 1, which killed monsters that appeared at domestic gates and rescued civilians; Unit 2, which entered and investigated gates; and Unit 3, which was dispatched overseas and focused on international cooperation.

Of course, in the original work, all three units were comprised of S-rank or A-rank heroes.

The place where protagonist Cha Jaeha and his colleagues would join was Unit 1. Amidst the worried faces, Hwa-shin swiveled his newly received shiny employee ID back and forth while rocking the chair’s backrest.

[ Gate Safety Management Department, Gate Civil Service Division, Yoo Hwa-shin, F-rank ]

“Hmm hmm hmm.”

The time to meet Cha Jaeha and his (prospective) colleagues in SH Unit 1 was drawing near.