Chapter 6: Evaluation
The next day—the day of his Awakening evaluation—Takuya was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling.
He had been in the same position for nearly an hour.
He still couldn’t believe what had happened.
He had spent two months in the Digital World...
Yet only a single week had passed in reality.
Still, that unexpected difference had given him something valuable.
Time.
Time to think.
Time to process everything that had happened.
At the very least, the turmoil inside his mind had begun to settle.
The overwhelming feeling of suddenly waking up in another world was slowly fading away.
Even the unfamiliar face reflected in the mirror no longer felt completely foreign.
Little by little, it was becoming his face.
He wasn’t fully used to it yet.
But he no longer panicked every time he looked at himself.
"...I guess I’m adapting."
There was also one thing he couldn’t complain about.
He hadn’t spent long in this world without any means of protecting himself.
Whatever had brought him here...
It had clearly intended to give him power from the very beginning.
"...I don’t even have a partner."
He frowned.
"I’m the Digimon in question."
He scratched his head.
"I’m not one of the Chosen Children either... at least, it doesn’t look that way."
"I don’t have a mission."
"No one has told me to save the Digital World."
He paused before shrugging.
"So... am I more like a Tamer?"
"...Except I don’t have a partner."
"I guess I’m my own Tamer."
"...Whatever."
That wasn’t the real issue.
The real issue was something far more terrifying.
"Digimon exist."
Just saying those words made him sigh.
That meant one thing.
Antares...
The strongest monach in the verse...
Probably wasn’t actually the strongest being anymore.
Takuya could think of dozens of Digimon capable of crushing him without much effort.
That was simply how absurd Digimon became at higher evolutionary levels.
"If I’m being honest..."
"I’d rather fight Antares than Lucemon Satan Mode."
"...And that’s saying something."
He rubbed his temples.
"So..."
"I just hope this is only a system meant to help me."
"And not a sign that Digimon are going to start invading the real world."
Unfortunately...
Takuya wasn’t naïve enough to truly believe that.
If anything, experience had already taught him that whenever he wished for the easiest outcome...
Reality tended to choose the exact opposite.
Just like when he had hoped not to end up inside a fantasy world.
There was another question that kept bothering him.
Who had brought him here?
Yggdrasil?
Homeostasis?
Homeros?
Some powerful Digimon?
Or someone else entirely?
Just as Jinwoo had been chosen by the Architect...
It was hard to believe that his own situation was simply an accident.
Someone—or something—had almost certainly brought him into this world.
And judging by how quickly his powers had awakened...
He didn’t have much time to waste, mostly given how slow the grind was compared to Jinwoo.
Lost in his thoughts, Takuya was brought back to reality by a knock on his bedroom door.
"Takuya, it’s time to go."
It was his uncle.
"...Coming."
Today was the day of his Awakening evaluation.
Unless someone was particularly important or had connections, there was no need to schedule an appointment in advance. Newly Awakened individuals could simply show up at the Hunter Bureau and be evaluated the same day.
That was how valuable Hunters were.
And, more importantly...
How dangerous they could become if left unregistered.
Takuya climbed into his uncle’s car.
It was an ordinary sedan.
Nothing flashy.
That suited Ikki perfectly. He had never liked expensive or ostentatious cars, preferring practical ones instead.
The drive through Seoul was quiet.
Neither of them spoke much.
When they finally arrived at the Hunter Bureau, the building was bustling with people. Not everyone was there for an evaluation, of course. Hunters, guild employees, civilians, and applicants constantly came and went, making the place busy throughout the day.
The registration process was surprisingly simple.
Name.
National ID number.
A few signatures.
That was all.
Afterward, Takuya received a waiting number and took a seat beside his uncle.
As the minutes slowly passed, he noticed Ikki growing increasingly restless.
He kept checking the evaluation room every few seconds.
Takuya wanted to reassure him.
Unfortunately...
There wasn’t much he could say.
It wasn’t as though he could simply promise not to become a Hunter anymore.
His own thoughts drifted elsewhere.
Truthfully, becoming a Hunter had never been his dream.
He wasn’t particularly fond of the profession.
But realistically...
He didn’t have much of a choice.
Power meant survival.
Especially now that he knew Digimon existed somewhere beyond the Digital World.
The more he thought about it, the less this felt like a decision.
It felt like a necessity.
Eventually, his number was called.
The evaluation room was surprisingly plain.
There was only a single object in the center.
A giant crystal sphere.
The evaluator, a woman wearing the Bureau’s uniform, gestured toward it.
"That is a magical instrument used to measure an individual’s mana."
"When you place your hand on it, simply channel your mana into the sphere. The device will analyze it and send the results to our system."
"It doesn’t matter whether you’re a mage or a close-combat fighter. Your mana capacity determines your rank. The difference lies only in how each person uses that mana."
Takuya nodded.
More or less, he already knew how the process worked.
Still...
There was one problem.
If he wanted the most accurate evaluation, he would probably need to transform.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t be drawing out his full power.
"..."
Without saying a word, he activated Flamon’s Partial Transformation.
Crimson Data wrapped around his body.
His hair instantly turned bright red.
A small tail appeared behind him.
Metallic armor covered his shoulders, forearms, and waist.
The evaluator’s eyes widened.
"Oh..."
"A transformation-type Awakening?"
"Those are quite rare."
She had seen transformation-type Hunters before.
However...
An armor-based transformation like this was something entirely new.
Takuya simply nodded before placing his hand against the crystal.
Now came another issue.
He knew how to use his skills.
He knew how to manipulate Data.
But...
Mana?
Was Data the same thing?
Or were they different energies altogether?
He didn’t overthink it.
Instead, he focused on the same sensation he used whenever he activated his abilities.
Rather than releasing Fire Toss or Noble Heart...
He simply gathered that energy in his hand.
He poured everything he could into the sphere.
Whatever energy flowed through his body...
Mana.
Data.
Or perhaps both.
The room’s temperature rose slightly.
Not enough to become uncomfortable.
Just enough for everyone present to notice.
The crystal immediately reacted.
A few seconds later, the machine finished its analysis.
The evaluator looked at the screen before smiling politely.
"Congratulations."
"You have been evaluated as..."
"C-Rank."
"Your Hunter License will be ready in less than an hour. Please collect it at reception."
"From this point onward, you may register with a guild or participate in freelance raids."
She typed a few more things into her computer.
"Now, we need to classify your combat type."
"Mage?"
"Warrior?"
"Monk?"
"This designation will appear on your Hunter License, so it’s important that it accurately reflects your fighting style."
Takuya barely had to think.
"In that case..."
"Monk-Warrior."
The woman nodded and entered the information.
"Very well."
"Everything is complete."
After finishing the paperwork, Takuya stepped back into the waiting area.
His uncle immediately stood up.
"So..."
"How did it go?"
Takuya scratched the back of his neck.
"Well..."
"I’m C-Rank."
Ikki closed his eyes for a moment before letting out a long sigh.
"So..."
"You still plan on becoming a Hunter?"
"You know money isn’t an issue, right?"
Takuya nodded.
"I know."
"But next year is my final year of high school."
"After graduation..."
"I never really had any plans."
"We’ve talked about this before."
"I was going to start working eventually anyway."
"And honestly..."
"There was never a career that really interested me."
He looked at his uncle with a calm expression.
"Now this opportunity appeared."
"I think it’s worth trying."
Ikki still wasn’t convinced.
But he also knew forcing his opinion on Takuya wouldn’t solve anything.
"...Just be careful."
His voice was almost a whisper.
Takuya smiled reassuringly.
"Of course."
"It’s not like I’m going to jump into an A-Rank dungeon."
"I’ll only enter gates below my level."
"Honestly, I plan to start with D-Rank Gates."
"I’d rather gain experience first."
"There isn’t any reason to risk my life."
A faint smile finally appeared on Ikki’s face.
"At least you still have some common sense."
He folded his arms before giving Takuya a suspicious look.
"So..."
"When are you planning to start?"
"Knowing you and your impulsive personality..."
"You’ve already looked for a raid, haven’t you?"
Takuya froze for half a second.
His uncle had guessed correctly.
Earlier that morning, he had already been browsing Hunter websites.
There were several D-Rank Gates looking for additional vanguard fighters with at least C-Rank qualifications.
He had been seriously considering signing up...
Until Ikki interrupted him.
Then...
Another thought crossed his mind.
Wait.
Why does my uncle know me this well?
Technically...
He wasn’t the original Takuya.
He was someone else.
So why did Ikki’s description fit him perfectly?
The answer came almost immediately.
The memories.
He really was being influenced by this world’s Takuya.
His habits.
His instincts.
His personality.
For a moment, he compared them to those from his previous life.
Then he blinked.
"...No."
He had always been like this.
Even before reincarnating.
Impulsive.
Curious.
The original Takuya simply happened to share almost the exact same personality.
"...Maybe that’s why I’m here."
The words slipped out before he realized it.
Maybe compatibility had been the reason.
He had been placed into a body that matched him almost perfectly.
He hadn’t needed to fake his behavior.
The memories blended naturally because, at their core...
The two Takuyas weren’t that different.
Then he shifted his attention back to his uncle
"I was thinking of joining a raid sometime this week."
"A D-Rank team."
"Something below my current rank, something" easy""
"That way I can gain experience without taking unnecessary risks."
At least the kid had some common sense, tought his, uncle.
The rest of the week Takuya spend his time training and polishing his movements and also went back to class