Your Ability Isn't That Simple (2)
Of course, counting the number of screws on a pillar and suddenly hearing something like that was a bit... what can I say? My brain was screaming, What the hell? in the most desperate way possible.
And it made sense, because the woman who'd approached me looked... well, let's just say unconventional. Even with her hat pulled low, purple hair stuck out everywhere, roughly tied up into a ponytail that reached down to her butt. Her eyes, peeking from under the brim—a subtle mix of purple and red—paired with a crop top exposing her abs, a jacket, and baggy cargo pants. That alone screamed "not your typical government employee."
And as the finishing touch, she had three bizarre swords of indiscernible origin strapped to her waist. Anyone could see she was screaming, "I'm a melee specialist." For a ranged meta guy like me, getting advice from her felt kinda nonsensical on multiple levels.
But I wasn't some socially inept noob who'd blurt that out loud. Plus, anyone dressing like that in a place like this was probably A-rank at minimum—hell, even higher odds for something more. So first, I decided to ask who this purple-ponytail hunter woman was who'd popped up out of nowhere with that cryptic line, while sorting my thoughts.
My question, straight from my mental rundown, got this response from the purple-haired hunter.
"Oh? Right, you said you've been a hunter for less than a month, yeah?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
"Makes sense you wouldn't know. Nice to meet you—I'm Kim Aran, deputy director of the Hunter Management Bureau's First Division. Call me Director Kim Aran, casually."
"Ah."
Even back when I was a normie, I'd heard of her—one of Korea's scant hundred S-rank hunters. While I was smashing the Hard mode 12th-floor record, she'd been holding first place ahead of me at times. Top-tier among S-ranks, and a bureau deputy director to boot. Suddenly, it clicked: someone at that level could give solid advice regardless of melee or ranged.
With that in mind, I straightened up politely and rephrased my burning "So what the fuck are you talking about?" into the most courteous version possible...
At my reaction, Director Kim Aran just shrugged like it was no big deal. Then she tapped the hilts of her katana, ring sword, and Chinese dao(?) with her fingers, shifting to a far more serious tone as she replied.
So what was she getting at? Director Kim Aran explained.
"I read the report on your trait, by the way—and no worries, as exam proctor, I accessed it legitimately."
"Uh? Oh, sure."
"Reading through it while watching your tests, I got this feeling about your trait. No matter how I look at it, 'mounting' doesn't seem limited to just weapons."
"...?"
She drops this slightly off-the-wall bombshell.
Naturally, drawing from my 1st-floor 20mm pickup, I reacted with, Doesn't seem like it, though?
But Director Kim Aran just shook her head.
"Witness statements say you demolished the turret and armored vehicle before absorbing the autocannon."
"Yeah, that's right."
"An armored vehicle made of military-grade plating crumpling under a person's footsteps? That's gotta qualify as '70%+ damaged equipment' from your trait description, no?"
"...Yeah... probably?"
"So you couldn't absorb the vehicle then. But once the turret detached whole and only the autocannon remained, its damage rating dropped paradoxically low."
"...Huh?"
She zeroed in on the part I'd glossed over with an "Oh well," pointing out that if the armored vehicle had been intact, I could've absorbed the whole damn thing—not just the gun.
Sure, it made sense, but the fixed weapons on that vehicle? Aside from the 20mm I use all the time, nothing else. So to me, it was like, Who cares either way?
But ignoring my vibe, Director Kim Aran sighed deeply and dove even deeper.
"Here's the point: I don't know jack about military gear myself. But what if you absorbed an armored vehicle or tank loaded with all sorts of weapons? What then?"
"Hm? Uh...?"
"Your trait says you 'mount' equipment. Not specifically 'weapons.'"
"Huh, yeah, when you put it that way."
The more she talked, the more this itchy, exciting idea bubbled up in my head.
Everything I'd absorbed so far had been weapons, so I'd been blasting away with autocannons and RPGs like a madman. But...
"Plus, per your response, aside from the luck-based level-ups and mounting slots, your trait hasn't grown much?"
"Yeah."
"So maybe those slots are meant for mounting and using multiple pieces of equipment from the start."
"Hmm, hmmm."
If she was right, picture this: I find a tank—even on the 1st floor or elsewhere in the Tower—with less than 70% damage. Mount it, and boom—I get full access to all its weapons via my slots.
At that moment, it hit me why my supposed EX-rank trait felt underwhelming beyond fast Tower clears. A shiver ran through my whole body.
Of course, after hyping it up like this, if it turned out my trait only absorbed mechanical weapon-type gear after all, it'd be a massive overreaction. Recalling the wisdom(?) that "expectation breeds betrayal," I tried calming my dopamine-flooded brain and respond rationally.
But this was an S-rank hunter straight-up saying, "This seems off." From the bureau's perspective, that carried huge weight. So the rest of my tests got boldly skipped on Director Kim Aran's orders.
Next stop: deep in the Busan Hunter Management Bureau branch, the "S-rank Hunter Testing Facility"—one of only two in Korea, the other in Seoul.
Once there, wondering what the hell this was about—
-Whirrr! Thud!
"Ah, you're here."
"Hey, Aran. What brings you down here?"
"This guy's trait—depending on how far he pushes it—could jump him straight from A-rank to S."
"...Huh?"
"No way?"
I watched her greet the dwarf-like hunter uncle already in the underground testing area, dropping that bombshell. Suddenly, everything spun—what was happening? Me and the dwarf uncle just stood there, jaws dropped.
Unlike clueless me with my brain freeze, Director Kim Aran gestured, and the dwarf uncle checked her tablet. His eyes lit up like crazy.
"If this theory holds, the bureau won't be the only ones interested—the government'll roll up with every weapon in their arsenal."
"Right? Better verify before it blows up."
"Makes sense."
As the dwarf uncle—now sporting mad-scientist sparkle-eyes like mine earlier—nodded, a chill crept up my spine. What the hell were they planning to do here? I could feel my back tingling.