The Naming Sense of a Grandfather
"Hey, you… what's wrong with your eyes?"
"M-my eyes?"
I immediately turned on my phone camera to check. Inside my blue irises, something was sparkling as if it were snowing. It wasn't exactly strange, but it felt like I was wearing cosplay contact lenses.
"I think it's because I gained a new skill…."
"You gained another skill? What's the name? What's the rank?"
"The rank is C-class…."
I wrote the Chinese characters on the floor with my foot again. I couldn't understand why these characters had so many strokes; they were so hard to write. Seolan. Once I finished writing it, Yeon-hwa Unni seemed to recognize it immediately.
"Snow Eye? Eye of Snow?"
"Eye-of-snow?"
"No, that… this is 'snow' seol, and this is 'eye' an."
"Eye-eye?"
"The first one is the snow falling from the sky, the second is the physical eye."
"Ah~"
I understood perfectly.
"When you cleared the first floor, you got quite a few rewards…."
"They say the rich get richer. Hey, kid. That's a huge reward!"
"Really?"
Did Yeon-hwa Unni know what kind of skill this was? I shifted my gaze from the status window to her.
"Snow-type skills are extremely rare and hard to get. Unless you're born with them…. And they're usually passive, so they don't consume extra mana. Other hunters can't get them even if they want to."
"Whoa…!"
Hearing her explain it like that, I felt like I'd really gained something. I hadn't felt any practical difference yet, but I felt good for no reason. One question remained: I still didn't know what the effect was. Other than my pupils becoming a bit more sparkly and pretty, there were no other changes.
'What is it… huh?'
— Bwong?
I turned my head to look at Jeolmi and Bombe. Bombe had returned to her small form and was sleeping the moment we left the tower. Then, something strange caught my eye. A flow of blue particles was overlaid on top of Jeolmi and Bombe. Furthermore, the cold air and the flow of chill they were emitting were visible like white smoke. On top of that, it felt like I could control them if I just reached out my hand.
"Huh? What are you doing?"
"So-something…."
I immediately spread my palm and reached it out toward them. Then, the blue particles and the cold air moved freely according to my will.
— Bwong?!
— Kkiung…?
Flap, flap-flap!
As I moved the blue particles, changes appeared in Jeolmi's body. His wings suddenly spread, or his legs moved in a ridiculous way. Mana, this is an ability that intuitively shows me the flow of mana and cold air that I can handle…!
— Bwong! Bwong!
To think I could move Jeolmi around like a puppet. It was fun, so I played with them like a prank for a while before letting them go.
— Bwo, bwong….
Jeolmi, confused about his own autonomy, shook his pupils left and right. Hehe. You'd better listen to me better in the future.
It wasn't an ability that made the uncontrollable controllable. The cold air and mana were things I could move with my own ability anyway. But if I had moved them with an unknown sense I'd awakened after becoming a hunter before, now it felt like I was moving them while looking at the specific flow visible to my eyes?
The latter felt overwhelmingly more precise and easier to handle as I wanted. It was also easier to imagine the process of how to move the power.
"What did you do?"
"Umm… I can see the mana and the cold energy!"
"So it's a sensory-type eye. I'm so jealous."
"Why?"
"There are quite a few hunters with eyes that can see mana. They're all famous for having insane mana-handling efficiency. Not only does their control become more precise, of course."
"Whoa…! That's right!"
I always feel this, but Yeon-hwa Unni was much more knowledgeable than I thought. If only her personality were a bit better, she would have been very popular.
Thump!
As I sent that thought her way, Yeon-hwa Unni flicked my forehead. No, how on earth did she notice?!
"You were thinking of something rude, weren't you?"
"Ho-how did you know? Ah… no, I wasn't."
"Unni knows everything. Want to get scolded?"
"Hehe… I'm sleepy. I'm going."
I turned my head away and put my hands behind my back. I wanted to whistle, but only empty air kept coming out.
"Geez. Get in the car."
"Okay!"
I ran over quickly.
While I was resting at home, Grandfather and Se-eun Unni returned from work. Yeon-hwa Unni had been staying with me under the pretext of protection….
'Da-dangerous person.'
She giggled like a high school girl, saying that Grandfather's traces were left here and there. There were actually more of Se-eun Unni's traces, but I didn't bother to correct her. I didn't want to pour cold water on her happy mood….
Anyway, I told Grandfather and Se-eun Unni about what happened in the tower and the new skill I'd gained.
"You've gained a truly excellent skill."
Grandfather laughed hoho and stroked my hair. At the same time, he had a thoughtful expression. I asked him why, but he said he would tell me if I showed him my Arts at the Association the next day.
So, the next day. The moment I arrived with Grandfather, Mr. Jong-wu came running out of the building. Was he welcoming me this much? I wondered.
"Shiro! You've arrived."
"Yes? Yes… I'm here."
"Congratulations on clearing the second floor. You've set a very outstanding record again this time."
Mr. Jong-wu offered his congratulations, but I was a little depressed. I had dropped from SSS+ to S+. If I had received S+ from the beginning, it would be one thing. But it felt like my grades had dropped, so I didn't feel very good.
"Hahaha, it seems Shiro is not satisfied with her own grades."
"Hoho, I wonder how much more our Shiro intends to grow to be this greedy."
"No, it's not like that."
Are they all like this because they're hunters? Why are their senses so good that they can read other people's feelings? As the two of them laughed hoho, I felt a little embarrassed.
"Ah, I created an Art!"
"I heard the story. That you've created a wonderful Art."
It seemed he had already heard the brief explanation I gave Grandfather. I put my hands on my waist, straightened my back, and nodded.
— Bwong.
Jeolmi took the same stance as me.
"That's right! It's a really cool and amazing Art!"
"Haha, I'll look forward to it. Let's go straight to the training room."
"Good. Let's go."
Mr. Jong-wu nodded with a benevolent smile. I felt good, so I smiled and followed him, taking little steps. Every time I entered the Association's ability testing room or training room, it was fascinating because it smelled like what you'd expect a science lab to smell like! I didn't mean it was unpleasant. It just had a metallic smell, a cleanly scrubbed smell… anyway, that kind of thing.
"Do you need time to prepare, Shiro?"
"Ah, no! I'm fine!"
"Very well. We'll also examine the eye-related ability together."
I had experienced the effect of Snow Eye once, but Mr. Jong-wu decided to take a look at it once more. It's better to be sure. I took a deep breath to steady myself and moved toward the giant steel plate. The Myriad Year Cold Iron that had been tattered after being attacked by Jeolmi before.
'Art, Art, Art….'
I closed my eyes and turned one hand palm up toward the sky. I instinctively felt that if I took a different hand shape, the Art wouldn't activate. It wasn't fixed in the status window, but there were things that remained in my senses. Things like specific hand gestures or the flow of mana. Arts. It wasn't something a hunter could simply create freely. It felt like the unknown power only acknowledged it if I conceived it with contemplation and intent. Perhaps it was the System.
"Hya-yab!"
Mana flowed out along my arms. Thanks to the power of Snow Eye, that flow was visible to my eyes in every detail. Thanks to that, I could identify the so-called 'lost mana'—the mana that flew into the air during the process of moving it. By intentionally grabbing and handling even that mana, the loss of mana during the transformation process was reduced to near zero.
Cr-crack-!
As a result, a blue ice greatsword, harder and larger than before, appeared in the air. Its size was almost twice my body.
"Hoho… this is truly amazing."
"Indeed. The density of the technique is too high to say it's not an Art. You couldn't have made it long ago…."
I shot the greatsword toward the steel plate immediately.
Kuaaaaang-!
A thick snow mist spread, and as it subsided, the steel plate with a hole in the middle was revealed. Was it because I didn't have Jeolmi's support? It felt like the speed was a bit slower than when I used it in the tower…. Instead, thanks to the effect of Snow Eye, the trajectory flew exactly as I wanted.
Clap, clap, clap-!
Grandfather, Mr. Jong-wu, and Jeolmi applauded. Oh, how embarrassing.
"It's amazing, Shiro. It was at a level that wouldn't lose out even if compared to the Arts of an A-class Striker hunter."
"Hehe… thank you."
"Unfortunately, the effect of Snow Eye didn't show much in my ability, but… I think Shiro's guess about the ability is correct."
This was a bit disappointing. It couldn't be helped; the amount of information obtained from Mr. Jong-wu's appraisal was random every time it was activated.
"Then, Shiro is now…."
"Yes. That's correct."
Mr. Jong-wu took a small card out from inside his suit and handed it to me. An A-class hunter license. The license, which had just been made and looked brand new, came into my hands.
"Aja! I'm A-class now!"
"Congratulations."
As I jumped for joy, Mr. Jong-wu applauded silently and congratulated me. But come to think of it, the person who issues this is that man. To think he issued it himself and then congratulated me. It was a bit mysterious, but since I was happy, everything was okay.
"Then, can I go to NOVA?"
"That is correct. Originally, the list of students to go to NOVA is decided by the academy's dean, but… if I put in a word, it's not impossible to include you, Shiro."
"Huk."
Of course, I'm strong? I'm a future SSS+ class hunter? But hearing that made me feel like I was becoming a parachute hire.
"You don't have to worry. From the dean's perspective, there's no reason not to include you on the list. On the contrary, if he didn't include you, we'd really have to suspect corruption then."
"Why?"
"That's because it's extremely rare for a teenage hunter to reach A-class."
As I tilted my head as if curious, Grandfather Yong-su answered. Come to think of it, hunter ranks were determined by actual performance ability, not by the rank of jobs or skills. It must be a very difficult thing to obtain A-class qualification without having grown up. Besides, he said there was a tendency to give teenagers one rank lower than their actual ability.
"When the list is finalized in four days, you will receive joint training with the students who will go to NOVA together."
"Huk… really?"
Joint training. Meeting other students was a bit burdensome, but the romance of the four words 'joint training' wasn't bad.
"You'll be able to get along well. You don't have to worry."
"Hehe, I understand."
It'll be fine, right…. It would be hard if there were several people like Park Do-hoon, whom I met at the hunter academy. Come to think of it, I wonder how the people at the academy are doing. While I was reviving memories, Grandfather, who was watching for a chance to cut in between me and Mr. Jong-wu, opened his mouth. Seeing his serious expression, it was clearly about the matter he said he would tell me if I showed him my Arts earlier. What kind of story could it be? I'm a little nervous.
"The name of the Art… you haven't decided it yet, have you?"
"…? Ah, that's right, I haven't decided yet."
"Then, would you like this grandfather to name it for you?"
Grandfather looked at me with sparkling eyes. Ah, no, was he watching for a chance to say this?
"Se-eun refused all the names I suggested, saying she didn't like them… I really wanted to name my daughter's Art…."
Aha… Se-eun Unni was the bad one here.
"Okay, please name it."
"Really…! Then…."
Gulp- Grandfather swallowed.
"How about Invincible Ice Dragon Heaven-Breaking Sword?"
"What did you say…?"
"Supreme Snow Wind Slaughter Demon Sword would also be fine."
Cancel that. Se-eun Unni wasn't the bad one.
"Divine Invincible Snow Emperor Sword is also okay-"
"How about Skadi?"
As I hesitated with a bewildered look, Mr. Jong-wu suggested a different name.
"Skadi?"
"She is a goddess from Norse mythology. They say she is the goddess of winter and hunting who lives in the snowfields shooting bows."
"Wow! I think that's good!"
Even if it's a sword, it's a form that shoots out. I thought it would be fine to have a name related to a bow. After hearing Grandfather's naming sense, this one looked like a fairy in comparison.
"…Shi, Shiro. Grandfather was going to name it-"
"I'll go with Skadi!"
Grandfather. Sorry.