Codename Bunny Girl (5): The Pure White Lantern
The rank of a Hunter isn't set high from the start. Most begin at F-rank. No matter how promising the talent, E-rank is the limit at first.
Of course, things were different in the early days. Promising individuals with high-grade skills were often assigned A or even S ranks back then. Why that culture changed can be summed up in one phrase: all safety rules are written in blood.
After the Hunter Management Department revised its policies, the rate at which Hunters died in the line of duty actually dropped slightly. Lower ranks gave them time to objectively measure their real ability.
In other words, anything below D-rank is basically an internship period.
Cheon Gang-heon, Director of the Subjugation Support Division at the Hunter Management Department, took a sip of his scalding coffee. His eyes rested on a neatly organized stack of documents.
Codename "Bunny Girl" Hunter Activity Record
The memory of that day was still vivid in Gang-heon’s mind. Overseeing an Ignition Ceremony for a promising new Hunter was something he had done many times before. Industry veterans would even ask their juniors, “Who did you see at the Ignition Ceremony?”
Simply meeting Cheon Gang-heon from the start was as good as a guarantee of success. In other words, he had always expected Lee Hasol to show exceptional performance.
But that lantern she had produced… The beautifully pure white lantern had been enough to shock even him. Someone who didn’t know better might have called it plain and ordinary. Cheon Gang-heon’s thoughts were very different.
Absolutely not. That lantern didn’t come from any workshop.
The lantern used in the Ignition Ceremony was actually a type of anomaly—a collaborative creation between a human-friendly entity and the Anomaly Management Bureau’s sorcery.
When a Hunter shed blood, a small but powerful contract was formed, and the result was shaped into a lantern. Therefore, the finished lantern revealed the person exactly as they were.
Every human loses their light as they live. The pure heart of childhood isn’t called “childlike innocence” for nothing. Harsh reality eventually bends people to fit its mold. The lanterns of those worn down by life are cloudy and dull. Broken people are covered in cracks. Those who harbor poison in their hearts develop rough, jagged surfaces.
But Lee Hasol’s lantern?
Can a person… really be like this?
No matter how closely he looked, he could find no flaws. The surface was as smooth and flawless as if crafted in a workshop. That spotless pure white was almost miraculous. Lee Hasol had never been broken. Society’s poison had never seeped into her heart; instead, she had preserved a pure white nobility.
Some might call it excessive praise. Yet a person’s true nature is revealed through actions, not words. Cheon Gang-heon reviewed Lee Hasol’s activity log once more.
- Resolved B-rank anomaly “Possessed Video”
- Rescued eight civilians from a fire at the Juan National Industrial Complex in Incheon
- Rescued two civilians during the riot in Ganseok-dong, Incheon
- Deployed as regular patroller for E-rank anomaly “No Jaywalking.” Rescued three civilians
Like everyone else, Hunters have desires. Those desires show themselves most clearly right after awakening. A person who has gained supernatural power cannot help but feel exhilarated.
Awakened individuals at this stage rarely hide their true nature. Therefore, early activity records reveal a Hunter’s fundamental disposition.
In Gang-heon’s eyes, Lee Hasol’s disposition was crystal clear.
“The majority are lifesaving operations. Even when she had a choice, she preferred rescue missions.”
Typical behavior for a self-sacrificing Hunter. The type that values other people’s lives above money or personal risk. The most necessary personality in the world—and the rarest.
What stood out even more was that she responded to ordinary fire scenes. Awakened individuals have no obligation to participate in incidents unrelated to anomalies. The compensation was low, so she had volunteered purely by choice.
If Hasol had never become a Hunter, she probably would have chosen a career as a firefighter, nurse, or doctor. In fact, she had graduated from nursing school and passed the national licensing exam.
Cheon Gang-heon raised the credibility of his assessment another level and examined the records in greater detail.
ANOMALY:No Jaywalking
THREAT LEVEL:E-rank
ID:BPA-PHE-II-127
Phenomenon in which individuals jaywalking are kidnapped with low probability. Victims arrive at a non-existent intersection. The scale of the intersection varies but frequently reaches unrealistic sizes—thirty-two lanes or more. Vehicles race down the roads at over 380 km/h with no traffic signals. Escape is possible by passing through a blue door on the opposite side. The Bureau conducts regular patrols and rescues survivors.
Three people jaywalking with a friend were abducted. One attempted to cross when the road appeared empty, and the second followed. Both were struck by an anomalous vehicle and died instantly. The remaining survivor escaped after seven hours by attempting to cross.
Fight broke out among survivors inside the intersection. Subject ■■■ escaped with multiple fractures. Correlation between pain/injury and escape requires further study.
Two death-row inmates used as test subjects. Subject 1 underwent painless incision under anesthesia. Subject 2 was subjected to respiratory distress. Confirmed that sufficient pain enables escape. Added to rescue manual. Anomaly threat level downgraded to E-rank.
E-rank Hunter Lee Hasol deployed as regular patroller. Four survivors located. Attempted direct collision with vehicles to rescue without injury. High-speed vehicle completely destroyed, but additional vehicles charged. Chain-reaction collisions risked harming requesters, so alternative method sought.
(Confirmed via multiple interviews that human-vehicle collision resulted in total vehicle destruction.)
(Lee Hasol and all survivors consistently affirmed this.)
(No external injuries found on Lee Hasol’s body.)
Decision made to use pain-based escape method. After obtaining survivor consent, Lee Hasol acquired new skill and created a whip capable of inflicting pain without injury. She personally whipped the survivors on the buttocks. All escaped without trauma.
(Some survivors exhibited sexual arousal and masochistic tendencies.)
(Detailed examination found no signs of mental corruption. Lee Hasol was advised to refrain from using the skill on others. Request accepted.)
Love's Whip
Rank: E
Effect: Summons a very, very safe whip.
Penalty: Struck individuals may become aroused.
There are all kinds of tastes in this world. The greatest Bunny Girl should be able to satisfy them all, right? This whip will never injure the buttocks it strikes! Don’t worry about the intensity. It hurts… just enough to feel good.
“……Bunny Girl’s whip?”
The wording was a little strange, but the record still gave him another reason to rate Lee Hasol highly. Physical reinforcement was an extremely useful skill category.
The Hunter Management Department and various guilds treated anything above the first or second stage as equal to other major skills.
He had never heard of an A+ rating for physical reinforcement before, yet her body seemed completely unscathed by what would have been a devastating traffic accident. And the fact that the skill created exactly what she needed!
Just that alone made Lee Hasol a talent they could not afford to lose. Yet in every single operation log, she had moved to reduce loss of life even slightly.
Talented people are rare. If that talented person is also good-hearted, their value is immeasurable.
Overwhelming physical specs for an awakened individual. An appearance that could win favor from anyone. And a personality that made the Director of the Hunter Management Department smile like a proud father! To Cheon Gang-heon, Lee Hasol looked like a gift from the gods.
Her ability did have a somewhat erotic flavor… but no one in the world was perfect. An awakened person’s ability usually reflected their personal inclinations. She probably had a strong sex drive. Most people would see that as a flaw, but Gang-heon didn’t mind. As long as she didn’t cross the line, it was fine.
In fact, having such a clear outlet for her desires was reassuring. If she had truly been as flawless as a picture, he might have suspected she was an anomaly herself.
I’d be a fool to let a treasure like this slip away. I’m not that incompetent.
Gang-heon began drafting a plan to nurture Hasol step by step. There was no need to contact her immediately. If he did, the hyenas would swarm.
For now, secretly supporting her growth and acting as a reliable backer would be enough. The most important thing was preventing her from getting dragged into dangerous urban legends.
Hunters of this type tended to underestimate their own value. Because they didn’t fear sacrifice, their survival rate was lower than their ability warranted. A person who could one day save tens of thousands must not be allowed to die in some nameless corner.
The moment his decision was made, Cheon Gang-heon reached for the phone. Or rather, he tried to. The phone rang before his hand even touched it.
“What is it?”
“Director, regarding the Hunter Lee Hasol you mentioned earlier…”
“Yes. You were to report if it looked like she would be assigned a dangerous mission.”
“She’s gone missing.”
Yeah… I’m completely fucked.