Return to Being a Magpie~
"Hmm. What do you think, Jong-wu?"
Grandfather Kang Yong-su asked, staring at the shredded piece of Myriad Year Cold Iron. He seemed quite shocked, as he had even uncrossed his arms.
"...I believe moderate hunter activity will be of great help to Shiro."
It seemed the majesty that Jeolmi and I had displayed together far exceeded what the two of them had expected. Even Se-eun Unni and Yeon-hwa Unni looked as if they couldn't believe this was reality.
"I think so too. It would be a waste to let such power rot away. You know as well as I do, the longer a hunter stops their activities, the weaker they become."
"Really?"
"Shiro, this is something you wouldn't know. All hunters have a characteristic called Activity."
"What's that?"
"It's a trait where your abilities grow stronger while you are active as a hunter, but they slowly weaken the moment you stop."
"Oh..."
"There are many cases where that period becomes too long, and they lose their awakening abilities entirely. The Association doesn't explicitly expose this to the media, so it's information you wouldn't know unless you're a hunter working in the field."
"Gasp."
If I don't use my abilities for a long time, they just disappear? I didn't know about such an important detail...?
"B-but then, can't I just use my abilities every day...?"
"Hunter activity doesn't just mean simply using your abilities. It's known that the System only recognizes activities that provide direct stimulation for growth, such as clearing the Tower of Awakening, dealing with gate bosses, or breaking through labyrinths."
What happens to me... if my awakening abilities disappear? My body changed as a recoil from the awakening, so if I lose my abilities, do I go back to my original body?
"But... if I lose my abilities, what happens to my changed hair color or eye color?"
"I understand that they slowly return to their original state. They say it takes about three years to fully return to how you were before."
"......!"
Return to my original body. And it's not like I just *poof* back into my original form, but it happens slowly over three years...?
Then does that mean I... have to slowly go through the process of a young girl turning back into a healthy adult male...? I shuddered at the chill running down my spine.
"G-Grandfather! I can go to the labyrinth, right? You're coming with me, right?!"
I desperately grabbed the hem of Grandfather's pants and begged. I knew that only a stable hunter life could save me.
"Yes, you showed us such a good performance, it would be a shame to stop you, Shiro. Hoho, and it will be safe if your grandfather is with you."
"That's right! Hehe, are you going too, Se-eun Unni?"
"Me? Obviously."
"Ugh..."
Se-eun Unni shot a look at Yeon-hwa Unni as if to say she had to keep an eye on her. Of course, Yeon-hwa seemed to hate it, thinking of it as an interference, but Jeolmi and I found their war of nerves fun, so it was all good.
"Then, are we going to Cheorwon?"
"Uh-huh... that's right. Can I call you 'kid'?"
"No!!!"
"Why, why...?"
Yeon-hwa Unni didn't seem to have as reckless a personality as her appearance or behavior suggested. Even now, she was flustered and at a loss because I had shrieked at her.
Or maybe it's because Grandfather Kang Yong-su is next to her. Seeing her keep glancing at him, that seems to be the case.
"I am... not a kid. I'm a future SSS-rank hunter, so you can't call me a kid."
"Then I'll just call you 'Snow Kid'."
"I have a name, Shiro, right there, so why on earth?"
"It's my choice."
Yeah... I'll let it slide since it's not 'kid'. When I become the world's best, state-power SSS-rank hunter later, I'm going to call her 'Tree Lady'.
"Then, when would be a good time to depart? What is the level of mana the labyrinth is emitting?"
The damage caused by a Gate was intuitive. It just summoned monsters and made them destroy everything around them.
In contrast, the Tower of Awakening didn't really cause damage to humans. There was the issue of hunters whose minds had collapsed becoming villains or madmen, but that was largely the fault of the hunters themselves.
The labyrinth was a subtle middle ground between the two. It didn't cause immediate damage the moment it appeared, but the problem was that if left alone, the mana contained within the labyrinth would leak out and change the surrounding environment.
I heard that a labyrinth once appeared in the American breadbasket, and the damage suffered then still hasn't been fully restored.
"It's not top-tier. When measured with machines, it was at a mid-grade level... and when I went in alone, I didn't feel any particular threat. It's best to think of it as a level where a solo breakthrough is difficult."
"Still, the sooner we clear a labyrinth, the better, so let's plan to depart tomorrow."
"T-that's good."
Yeon-hwa Unni's mouth wouldn't stop curling up the moment Grandfather Kang Yong-su's participation was confirmed. Is she really that happy?
Se-eun Unni signaled to me with her eyes not to grow up like that. Don't worry, Unni, I don't think I'll feel any attraction even if I see a handsome man, let alone Grandfather...
While Shiro was happy about the decision to go to the labyrinth, the Awakened Associations around the world were in an uproar.
Especially the United States, which held the world's number one spot for the level of awakened, was even worse.
Because someone had surpassed the record of their own S-rank hunter, the world's number one, Agnis, and set an SSS+ rank breakthrough record.
"Shiro? Who on earth is this?"
The Tower's Hall of Fame only revealed the name and no other information. Thanks to this, the association staff had to find the identity of the awakened using only the name.
"We are inferring that it is a Japanese hunter. We found information that the Japanese word for white is 'Shiro'."
"Hurry and review the list of awakened registered with the Japanese Association and find them! Even if naturalization is difficult, you never know what kind of benefits we might get from building a connection in advance!"
The US Awakened Association President, William, called his staff in the middle of the night and shouted at the top of his lungs.
Awakened are heroes, heroes who block the invasion of the other world called Gates. At the same time, they are modern indicators that become symbols of national power, and symbols that earn national interest in themselves.
Having many high-ranking hunters was proof that they could have an edge in world affairs. In fact, thanks to possessing Agnis, the US had become the number one country in the world for the level of awakened, which no other nation could look down upon.
"To think it's Japan of all places!"
It's uncertain what the reality is, but a hunter who set an unprecedented record of SSS+. That means it's not just a hunter who reclaimed the number one spot.
Besides, Japan was a country with a very high ranking, holding the 5th place in the level of awakened.
What if the Japanese Association decides to foster Shiro? To put it lightly, it wouldn't be impossible for them to really take away the world's number one spot.
'Hurry. We must find them...!'
Unexpectedly, the country that was moving as busily as the US was North Korea.
North Korea's regime had completely changed due to a coup, and it was a time of a turning point as the long dictatorship ended and a new government took office.
Han Hong-seul, who was serving as both a State Affairs Commission member and the Vice-Chair of the North Korean Awakened Department, brushed the brim of her military cap with her hand.
"It just so happens to be a person from the island nation next door."
She was the protagonist of the coup and North Korea's number one ranked awakened hunter. A living legend whose name was listed at 9th in the world rankings. It was no exaggeration to say that the coup succeeded solely due to her martial prowess.
However, just because the old government and the long dictatorship had disappeared didn't mean the new government was on the side of justice. There was only one reason the coup happened: the former State Affairs Commission Chair had offended Han Hong-seul, who possessed the strongest power.
So, that means...
"What do you all think?"
"If we bring them into the bosom of Comrade Leader Han Hong-seul, who bestows grace like the vast sea, that hunter comrade will surely serve the motherland with loyalty with a joyful heart!"
"Yes, that's how it should be. What are you doing? Why aren't you moving?"
"""Loyalty!"""
It meant the emergence of a new dictator.
"Set Shiro's database to top-secret security, and secure and manipulate the CCTV in her activity radius. Request cooperation from the National Intelligence Service as well; it's that important."
And, while their eyes were turned toward Japan, the man who moved a step faster was Association President Lee Jong-wu.
He was evaluated as the most capable and honest person among all past association presidents. The moment Shiro and her party left the association, he immediately called all of his direct subordinates.
He didn't think that even if they hid it, they could hide it forever. Because an extraordinary hunter had the power of fate leading them to be revealed to the surface one way or another.
However, delaying that timing was entirely possible.
'We must protect her as much as possible... and ensure she is only revealed after Shiro has grown.'
Because the hunter named Shiro had the potential to naturally rise to world number one if she just grew up safely. The future where she would reign not just as a simple number one, but as an overwhelming absolute ruler who would remain in history, was clearly visible.
"We must protect her...!"
And... he didn't want to make the child, who felt like a niece, get caught up in the dirty world situation.
At that time, Shiro was...
"Turn back into a magpie!"
― Kyak! Kyak-kyak-kyak!
"Why isn't it working?!"
I am struggling to turn Jeolmi, who became a snowy owl, back into a magpie. Because he was much cuter when he was a magpie! He's too big now!
"Everything else clearly worked, so why won't the command to return to a magpie work!"
― Kyak! Kyak-kyak! Kyak-kyak-kyak! Kyak! Kyak-kyak-kyak-kyak! Kyak! Kyak-kyak-kyak!
"What do you mean?! You can't change what has already been imprinted as the identity of your existence...?"
What does that mean? Does it mean you can't change the elements they've engraved in their minds themselves—that they are a certain kind of being?
"A-ah, then why did Bombe get smaller?"
― Kkiung, kki-uung. Kkiung.
"Since the fact that you're a bear is the same, is a change in age okay?"
Come to think of it, Jeolmi gave a similar explanation when I made Bombe smaller. Back then, he told me to keep the identity the same and just reduce the size.
Then... can I not change their gender now either? I didn't have any intention of changing it, of course... it's just that. No, the master's gender changed in an instant, so what's wrong with the familiar changing too?
...Let's stop, what's the point of doing that.
"Ughhhhh!"
But something doesn't sit right with me. After Jeolmi kept growing into a snowy owl, he started acting all cool. I thought he was smart, but before, he had a kind of comedy duo vibe with me.
― Kyak kyak-kyak?
"What? Are you asking if Shiro is afraid of Jeolmi's growth?"
― Kyak!
"H-he laughed at me! Jeolmi laughed at me!"
"Hohoho... Jeolmi is really smart."
I complained to Grandfather out of frustration, but it didn't have much effect. It seems he just thinks it's cute because his granddaughter is playing well with animals.
"U-Unni, Jeolmi is rebelling, what do I do!"
"What? Jeolmi, come here!"
― Kyak, kyak-kyak-kyak-kyak!
Se-eun Unni grabbed Jeolmi's wings and put him in an armbar. Now I feel a bit relieved. It feels like snow is falling inside my chest.
Unni is the best!