A Chat with Noa-ang
p Early bird!
p I had been studying hard and taking notes, and before I knew it the sun was already up. The rest of the class could wait until later. I only had a week, after all. No need to rush. The Association apparently gave penalties if I didn’t finish all the lectures within the week. Kinda like school detention points?
p [The Early Bird Newbie Appears]
p Author: HunterChowayo
p I finished up to Lecture 6 of the Beginner Awakening Education Course and took notes seriously. Heehee.
p Comments
p CheonhwaSeong: Just memorize that. You’ll need it when you raise your grade later. That’s why I dropped a level right when I was about to reach A.
p HunterChowayo: Ah, I saw that somewhere on the Gallery.
p CheonhwaSeong: Yeah, the Association’s picky.
p Noa-ang(G): Good job.
p Whoa, Noa’s awake now. Hunters tend to wake up early, and the newbies’ posts were already higher in the morning than at dawn. Among them were some that sounded like completely normal office workers.
p [Consultation] I don’t wanna go to work~! (sniff)
p Author: Byeolgona
p I’m not really helping anyone anyway. For a day, or maybe forever, it wouldn’t matter? I’m just here because of the headcount. If I turn into a ghost hunter it’d probably be fine, right? It’s like I’m just eating the company’s food or something.
p Comments
p Noa-ang(G): Is there bullying inside the guild?
p Byeolgona: No, not that. Just suddenly felt like I’m useless.
p Noa-ang(G): Doesn’t seem like you’re helping?
p Byeolgona: Yeah… I don’t really know. At guild gate raids I’m just the one sitting in the back laughing.
p Because it was the consultation tab, Noa was actively steering the conversation in the replies. She’d been doing this since morning. Looking at the other posts in the consultation tab, most seemed to be just the armband listening to the author’s story, with a few linking to personal chats for the armband owners.
p Awakened people also had their share of troubles. Maybe not being able to figure out what to do, or like me, people suddenly hit with power and wandering. There seemed to be quite a few.
p I somehow built connections with the armbands and got a backer, but there were probably way more people who didn’t. Those stuck at D or E grades for a while, quietly feeling left out until they could contribute as a one-person unit. And people like me who had skills that actually had drawbacks in use.
p But no single individual, even if they’re an awakened, can solve someone’s problem in one go. Noa herself said she couldn’t solve my anxiety at the root. People’s hearts are really complicated.
p In that sense, Noa and Kawaranade are amazing people. They couldn’t solve the problem, but at least they wanted to endure it together. Pain isn’t halved by sharing—it becomes two and is distributed equally to the listener. Like a flatworm.
p After I refreshed the post by Gonic “Byeolgona”, Noa was still giving advice in the replies.
p Noa-ang(G): It’s good to have that mindset, but don’t say you’re quitting. Think about growing until you can pay back the guild.
p Byeolgona: I know that in my head, but there’s no one to cheer me on and no bullying. That’s why I want to quit.
p ...
p Noa-ang(G): How it’ll sound is I don’t know, but you joined because of the headcount. So I wasn’t really expecting much from you.
p Noa-ang(G): Roughly speaking, from the guild’s perspective you’re still a sprout that hasn’t sprouted yet. So we take care of you. Don’t think “why can’t I grow into a fruit?” That’s wrong. How do you make a sprout grow fruit? Guilds rarely kick out someone who joined for the headcount, even if they’re all awakened.
p Byeolgona: Umm… Then I should just keep leveling and take the promotion exam?
p Noa-ang: Don’t let it get eaten up by self-consciousness and expand your role too much. You might feel left out, but the day you fulfill your role, they’ll welcome you warmly. All awakened people are good people. That’s how it is.
p ... Wait, when talking to me she said even a serial killer could awaken? A tiny spark of rebellion, but in the end this was probably the best. I couldn’t just tell them to have fun. If I quit the guild on a whim the Association would come looking for me, like the lecture just taught.
p Looking at the replies, the author seemed to agree with Noa’s words and went to get ready for work. No more consultation posts after that, so maybe I should check the personal chat.
p HunterChowayo: Noa hi hi
p Noa-ang: Hello
p HunterChowayo: You woke up early.
p Noa-ang: I wake up at 6 every day. Last night I stayed up talking to Sora, but I don’t usually sleep that late.
p HunterChowayo: I have a question.
p Noa-ang: Mhm?
p HunterChowayo: Do you have anything for me? Pa-ttak told me.
p The reply didn’t come as sharply as expected. Probably Pa-ttak shouldn’t have told me that info.
p Noa-ang: ... Did he say what it was?
p HunterChowayo: No, that’s not it.
p Noa-ang: Ah, I won’t drag it out. Kawaranade and I are sub-managers of the Hunter Gallery.
p “... Wait, sub-manager?”
p Suddenly I got drafted.
p ...
p Noa-ang: Being sub-manager isn’t that big a deal. There won’t be any weird memes or anything.
p HunterChowayo: Ah, that’s what Pa-ttak told me.
p Noa-ang: Oh, really? And even if you accept, there are conditions, and this one’s good for you.
p HunterChowayo: What is it?
p Noa-ang: First, don’t join any guild and don’t do any dangerous things like gate raids unless it’s absolutely necessary. Of course you won’t get as much resources, but I’ll send you money every month equal to the average B-grade hunter income.
p HunterChowayo: Paid? Really?
p Noa-ang: Yeah. Your skill is great, but it has too many drawbacks for real use. Plus your passive is useful for one of the Gallery’s goals—counseling. It’s a kind of trade. Kawaranade gets paid too.
p Umm... I could fully agree without Noa using any language skill. If I could avoid dangerous places like gates, that would be best. And the average B-grade hunter income... that’s enough to live on.
p It was way too good! Does that mean my passive is that useful? Or is Noa rich enough that it wouldn’t burden her? And there was one decisive reason to accept.
p HunterChowayo: Ah, I learned something new about my skill.
p Noa-ang: Eh? Problem?
p HunterChowayo: No. My passive restores mental energy and gets experience proportional to how much it restores. That’s why I’m Level 2 now.
p Noa-ang: Huh. A hidden passive like that? Then I have to make you sub-manager even more.
p HunterChowayo: Ah yeah! I’ll do it. I’m interested too.
p Becoming sub-manager meant I could talk 1-on-1 with interested awakened people. Well, since I don’t know much yet I’d have to study hard, but this counseling system seemed perfect for my growth.
p I could use my passive fully, level up, get paid a lot, and get pampered and spoiled by Noa! It sounded like the best job. Why would I refuse?
p Noa-ang: So you’re in?
p HunterChowayo: Yeah, I’ll be sub-manager.
p Noa-ang: You still need to learn a lot about the Gallery atmosphere and awakened people. I’ll officially give you the blue badge in about ten days. Sound good?
p HunterChowayo: Yeah, got it.
p Two days ago someone who first joined suddenly became sub-manager would be confused. I needed some kind of probation period too. This Gallery sub-manager wasn’t just deleting weird memes and suppressing trolls; it was probably even easier than other Galleries’.
p Noa-ang: Ah, Kawaranade will explain directly what counts as against the rules and what needs mediation.
p HunterChowayo: Ah, directly? Thanks.
p Noa-ang: The rest... most won’t lead to big mistakes if you just listen to the basic Association lectures well. The most important part is when a worried person comes, what you say.
p HunterChowayo: Umm... it feels a bit heavy.
p Noa-ang: With your passive you only have to listen; half is done. Just chatting restores mental energy.
p That’s true. In the end it was closer to a counselor position than sub-manager. Even if lectures and notes were good, without real hunter social experience it might not help... I could just give advice and empathy as I felt.
p Noa-ang: Have you seen me commenting in the consultation tab?
p HunterChowayo: Yeah, saw today’s.
p Noa-ang: Do that kind of thing in personal chats too. We don’t have actual counseling certificates, so no pressure for perfect answers.
p Noa-ang: Just make sure they don’t get lost on the path and don’t fall into muddy puddles.
p Noa-ang: Ah, once you’ve gathered some hunter knowledge, commenting in the consultation tab isn’t a bad idea!
p HunterChowayo: Ooh, good. I’ll try it.
p Noa-ang: Good good.
p I knew what I had to do. Become a compass for others!
p Speaking of which, my second skill was called “Guidance”. Guiding people who’ve taken the wrong path. That seemed to be the path I, as an awakened, should take.
p Then I’d have to study as a trainee sub-manager! Ah, but I studied way too much today. Just until afternoon, okay? Can I watch Shorts? I’m not getting that headache again, right?
p Sigh. I lay in bed to take a short break, but the headache didn’t come. It was just a mild one that sometimes showed up.