Chapter 99: Threat and Intimidation
The evaluator leaned forward and lowered his voice, dropping the bureaucratic tone. "Look, kid, I am telling you this for your own good. You really should not get on the Bureau’s bad side. There are severe consequences for this kind of blatant disrespect. They hold the legal authority to completely revoke your license, freeze your assets, and permanently blacklist your name across every registered guild in the world. If they do that, you will not be able to accept a single official commission. You will be completely locked out of the system."
"Let them try," Solomon replied, completely unfazed.
The evaluator tapped his fingers against the desk. "The entire purpose of the Bureau is to maintain global order. They ensure everyone follows the necessary rules, regulations, and safety protocols so the dungeon economy does not collapse into pure anarchy."
"If they care so much about order and safety, why does the Association charge an exorbitant license renewal fee every single year?" Solomon countered. "Why do they demand a mandatory twenty percent tax cut on all salvaged monster loot? Why do independent adventurers have to pay a toll just to cross the threshold of a government-regulated dungeons?"
"Because maintaining that level of global infrastructure requires massive funding," the evaluator defended. "The Bureau and the Association are not running a free public service. The magical barriers, the appraisal boards, the emergency broadcast networks, they all of that costs money to operate."
"Even the live streaming academy needs that the most because of the live streaming service. You pay them fees. You don’t have a problem with them, do you? Isn’t that a bit hypocritical?" the evaluator asked.
"At least, the academy has its own benefits and returns. And they give something of a valve." Solomon stopped leaning back in his chair. He planted his feet firmly on the floor and stared directly at the evaluator.
Solomon allowed a fraction of his aura to bleed into the room. The air inside the evaluation chamber instantly grew heavy. The floating magical instruments completely halted their movements, caught in the sudden density of his oppressive aura.
The evaluator stiffened in his seat as the invisible pressure pressed against his chest.
"You charge us for safety," Solomon said, his voice dropping to a dangerously quiet pitch. "You claim you withhold licenses because people do not know how to use their powers, and you want to protect them. So tell me, when an entire party of registered adventurers gets ambushed by an unrecorded boss monster, why does the Bureau never deploy a rescue squad?"
The evaluator opened his mouth to respond, but the heavy pressure in the room choked the words in his throat.
"When those adventurers activate their emergency flares and beg the network for help while their limbs are being torn off, why does the Bureau refuse to send reinforcements?" Solomon asked, his eyes entirely devoid of warmth. "Where exactly is this protective organization during those critical moments? What exactly is the Bureau doing while the people paying their exorbitant fees bleed to death on the dungeon floor?"
Solomon looked at the trembling evaluator, but his mind briefly drifted away from the glowing room.
The memory surfaced with sharp clarity. He recalled standing in the doorway of his home five years ago. Two Association representatives stood on the welcome mat holding a shattered spear and a blood-stained bronze tag.
They recited a completely rehearsed script about a structural collapse in a low-tier dungeon. His older brother, Jacob, had survived the initial cave-in alongside his party. They had transmitted a continuous distress signal for eighteen straight hours.
The Bureau received the call, evaluated the financial cost of a deep-floor extraction, and simply marked the rescue as a low priority.
Jacob bled out in the dark, waiting for the exact help he had paid for.
Solomon stopped holding back. He released his grip on his intent and let a heavier, suffocating wave of aura flood the chamber.
The floating magical instruments immediately dropped like stones, clattering loudly against the metal floorboards. The glowing runic arrays on the walls flickered and dimmed under the sheer density of his aura.
Solomon stood up from the inspection chair and stepped forward until he towered directly over the desk.
’How can a mere first year who just started his journey exert this much aura?!’ The evaluator panicked.
"I will never apologize," Solomon said, his voice entirely devoid of warmth. "I do not give a shit what anyone in your organization thinks about me."
[User12]: holy... the stream is literally shaking from his aura.
[LazyCat]: bro is about to destroy the evaluation room.
[BloodKnight]: The Association relies on fear to maintain control. He is showing them he possesses none.
Solomon pulled the F-rank tag from his pocket and tossed it onto the desk.
"Keep your D-rank upgrade," Solomon told him. "I will earn the ranks myself. I am not doing any of this to get your acknowledgement or impress a group of cowards sitting comfortably behind desks."
The evaluator gritted his teeth, his face flushing a deep, angry red. He wanted to scream at the student for the blatant disrespect, but the crushing weight pressing against his lungs made drawing a full breath entirely impossible.
"Go ahead and blacklist me," Solomon challenged, leaning closer. "Revoke the license. Mobilize your enforcement division and do whatever the fuck you think you can do. I really do not care. I will do exactly what I want in this world, and no one in your entire Bureau can stop me. You hold no authority on academy grounds."
The evaluator gripped the edges of his terminal. His mechanical eye whirred frantically, trying to process the overwhelming energy output radiating from the unawakened teenager. Anger burned in his one good eye, yet he remained completely powerless against the oppressive force pinning him to his chair.
The air in the room grew completely stagnant. The evaluator began to hyperventilate. Unable to withstand the terrifying environment for another second, the man snatched his digital tablet, scrambled awkwardly out from behind his desk, and fled his own evaluation chamber without saying another word.
Solomon watched the reinforced steel door slam shut behind the fleeing official. He picked his F-rank tag back up from the desk, slipped it into his pocket, and turned to leave.
