The Snow Girl's First Demonstration
“Witness my power!”
“U-um, well….”
The people in the maintenance room were all looking at me with one heart and one mind. I felt like I was going to be crushed by their gazes and turn into a piece of gum stuck to the floor…. It wasn’t specifically because my appearance had changed into that of a nine-year-old girl. Even when I was a man, I was often told that I lacked confidence. I had never once filed a complaint in my life.
“M-my name is Shiro. I’m nine years old. A-and my hunter rank is A-rank.”
Damn it! I don’t know anymore. I held up my A-rank hunter license and squeezed my eyes shut. Usually, if a hunter’s rank is high, that’s all that matters. However, to my surprise, there was no reaction at all. In the absolute indifference where not a single sound could be heard, I slowly opened my eyes and looked at the people.
“Are you kidding me…!”
“Is that for real?”
“…….”
Out of the 20 people who joined the NOVA national team, everyone except for me and Woo-rin oppa had expressions of pure shock. It felt like they were so bewildered that they couldn’t even react.
“See? You all saw it, right? Don’t think about looking down on her just because she’s young. Among the people here, the only A-rank hunters are Lee Woo-rin, Kim Seong-hyeon, Ha I-hwa, Park Yeo-un, and Shiro.”
The number of 18-year-olds among the total awakened population was very small. I heard that in academia, they say the probability of awakening increases only after the body finishes growing. Awakened individuals themselves were a minority, and minors were even rarer. And among them, those who reached A-rank were even more of a rarity. After all, even among adult hunters, A-rank was a qualification that only a very small number of people could receive.
“I just can’t accept that Shiro is an A-rank hunter, sir.”
“Oh, u-um… I’m fine with that, though….”
Chuck-
About 11 out of the 19 people raised their hands. Well, if I were them, I’d be suspicious too if a little girl suddenly joined the world tournament team as an A-rank hunter.
“Then, we will move directly to the training ground to verify Shiro’s abilities and introduce ourselves. Move to the B-building large training room, execute.”
“U-u-uh….”
It’s burdensome. I hate this kind of attention. Of course, I understand what the coach is thinking. Since I have to be accepted into the team anyway, he’s probably trying to create an environment where I can convince my colleagues. Even if I were the youngest on the team, there was someone who was 16. Nine years old was an absurdly low age. But I wanted to be acknowledged slowly over time…! This is like transferring to a new school and being asked who the boss of the school is…!
“Let’s go, Shiro. I’m curious, too.”
As I was spinning around, going “uh-uh,” Woo-rin oppa approached and spoke to me gently. Should I call him the quintessential student council president type?
“Okay….”
On the way out of the maintenance room to the large training room, the buildings of the Taereung training camp all felt very sleek and new. I thought, They really are investing a lot in the awakened industry.
‘Well, that’s a given….’
As I entered the building, which was the size of a large logistics warehouse, the sight of the wide, modern training ground came into view. Not only was there a place prepared for sparring, but there were also cold-iron statues modeled after several gate bosses. Seeing the traces of impact here and there, it seemed they were used for raid preparation training.
“Stand in four rows.”
Four rows. If I were really nine years old, it would be a difficult instruction to understand, but I immediately joined the line and stood appropriately.
— *Kkiung?*
— *Bwong-bwong?*
But the problem was Jeolmi and Bombe. If I kept them next to me, the spacing with the people next to me was ambiguous, and it was weird to treat them like people and have them stand separately.
“Shiro, come to the front with your familiars.”
“Ah, okay.”
What should I do—as I was hesitating, the coach called me to the front. Since the primary purpose was to test my abilities, it seemed he wanted me to come out first to demonstrate.
‘Phew, I’m nervous.’
Jong-wu ahjussi and I were already very comfortable with each other. Thanks to that, I felt no burden at all using my abilities in front of him. The same went for Grandfather, Se-eun unni, and Yeon-hwa unni. They were people I had become too familiar with to still be shy. I hadn’t known Yeon-hwa unni for long, but I felt a sense of fondness and familiarity from the way she liked my grandfather.
“First, Shiro will briefly explain her abilities and then demonstrate an Art she is confident in. Everyone, applause.”
Clap, clap, clap—
A dry, emotionless sound of applause returned. I knew the coach was doing this for me, but it was so embarrassing….
“Shiro. Can you do it?”
To think he’d bring me all the way here, stand me in front, and only now ask me.
“Yes, of course…!”
But I answered bravely. If I lost my nerve at this level, it would be embarrassing to call myself a future SSS+ rank hunter.
“Good, then demonstrate it once toward that large Ogre statue over there.”
Hoo— ha— hoo— ha— I steadied my breathing.
***
Lee Woo-rin. A figure who had already built a reputation since his middle school days, having graduated from Seoul Hunter Middle School. The catalyst was a genius hunter discovery program that aired when he was young; he gained fame for his handsome appearance that exuded charm from a young age and his ability to handle high-level telekinesis.
As if responding to the public’s evaluation, he received his A-rank hunter qualification upon turning 18 and set foot on a solid path to success. However, after entering the academy, he accumulated his own secret suffering.
‘…Kim Seong-hyeon, Ha I-hwa.’
It was because of Kim Seong-hyeon, who was the same age as him, and Ha I-hwa, who was a year his junior. Kim Seong-hyeon was from Busan Hunter Middle School and wasn’t a famous figure from a young age like Lee Woo-rin, but he had a standing that anyone interested in the youth hunter industry knew about.
After all, he had acquired his A-rank qualification at 17, a year earlier than Lee Woo-rin. Moreover, unlike Lee Woo-rin’s parents, who had elitist tendencies, he grew up in a free-spirited family and had no hesitation in expressing his emotions. Lee Woo-rin admired him, but also felt jealous.
And Ha I-hwa was a direct descendant of the prestigious Ha family, reaching A-rank at the age of 16, even earlier than Kim Seong-hyeon. She had a calm and cool-headed personality, but her outstanding appearance made her personality even more charming. The reason Lee Woo-rin suffered while watching them, and not others, was simple.
‘Talent with no end in sight….’
Objectively, it was true that he was born with talent worthy of being called a prodigy. After all, 80% of all hunters never crossed the threshold of A-rank in their entire lives. However, Lee Woo-rin felt it while watching the two. So that’s what a true genius sent by the heavens looks like.Those are the kind of people who, later on, even attempt to step over A-rank and touch the threshold of S-rank, called world-class superhumans.
Watching his parents, who always wanted the best, and his own talent, which couldn’t reach that, he always suffered, suppressing his envy, jealousy, and inferiority.
‘Now… I think I know how you two must feel.’
And. The two who had instilled inferiority in Lee Woo-rin were now feeling awe and fear while looking at a single girl.
“Fuwawa…!”
A fierce cold air swept through the entire large training room.
Skadi
The girl named Shiro had simply spread her palm and muttered the three syllables, Skadi. Then, a massive ice greatsword imbued with blue light froze in the air with a crack-crack- sound. At the same time, the white owl called Jeolmi spread its wings wide and began to fly a step faster than the greatsword. Jeolmi flew, creating a gust of wind in the trajectory in advance, and the greatsword followed that path, leaving behind a blurry afterimage.
Boom-!
Along with a thick snow mist, a massive shockwave swept over everyone at the scene.
Thud-
Some of the students couldn’t withstand the impact and fell over.
“……What?”
Ha I-hwa hugged her sword to her chest and her eyes trembled. Her shaking pupils were revealing just how bewildered she was right now.
“Is this reality…?”
Kim Seong-hyeon tapped the floor with his spear with a hollow smile. The two lofty geniuses. Excluding the third-years who didn’t join the NOVA national team after turning 19, they were practically the greatest talents in Korea, yet they felt a sense of futility. They had witnessed an overwhelming difference in talent.
“Hehehe… I, I failed to control it a little.”
The person who caused the shocking situation twisted her body and spoke as if she still had plenty of energy left. Even though she could have been a little arrogant with that kind of power, she blushed as if she were embarrassed to have revealed her abilities in front of people.
‘The coach must have known everything. That Shiro is the Shiro who left her name in the Tower’s Hall of Fame.’
“Haa…!!”
The coach was marveling at a sight that completely defied Lee Woo-rin’s expectations. He was so surprised that I couldn’t even guess the extent of it. He had stopped with his mouth wide open, his sunglasses dropped to the floor, staring at Shiro.
‘Huh…?’
The current national team coach, Baek Mu-seong, had been told that Shiro was just a very strong A-rank girl. He had vaguely thought, Since the Association President is insisting so strongly, her talent must be certain. However, the majesty she had just shown was not at a level that could be summarized as simply a genius girl. It was an aura that could easily enter the top tier even among the Arts of active hunters.
‘She’s a treasure…!’
This NOVA. A girl who would shine as the greatest prodigy in history had revealed herself.
“Sh, Shiro! That’s the name of the 1st place in the Tower of Awakening…!”
Along with that, someone appeared who realized her true identity.