001 - Awakening!

If you ask what the easiest way to turn your life around is.

Most would answer "Hunter Awakening."

Well, obviously. We live in an era where even just becoming a B-rank Hunter easily surpasses a typical office worker's salary.

If you're lucky enough to have that little bit of luck called Awakening, anyone can gain money and fame.

Of course, Awakening is entirely a matter of luck.

Some guys just aren't meant for it, no matter what.

Like me.

Name: Yoo Eun-hyeok.

Age: 23.

Occupation: Just got fired from my convenience store part-time job, so now I'm unemployed.

Eun-hyeok-ah, I'm sorry. Sales have been so bad lately...

It was the place I'd been working at ever since I became independent from the orphanage.

I didn't know I'd get fired so suddenly.

Because of that, my job hunt has come to a complete stop.

Looks like I'll have to spend my time finding a new part-time job for a while.

'Sigh... I want to awaken.'

Honestly, I don't even want to awaken as some A-rank Hunter.

I don't have the courage to fight strong monsters anyway.

C-rank, no, even a D-rank Hunter would be fine.

I just want to escape this impoverished life.

I sighed and turned on my phone.

I accessed the Hunter Gallery out of habit.

Hunter ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Gallery. Hunter Gallery, or 'Hungal' for short, is a community where countless awakened individuals from all over the country gather.

You don't need any special verification, so even non-awakened people like me can use it.

Though, I don't really do anything other than lurk.

[Title: Nobody posts consistent threads these days]

[Author: Aga Jeonbung]

Did all those kids begging for awakening give up?

- OO: Time to wake up and get a job.

- Magic Marksman: The kids who write those posts never awaken.

- Awakening Newbie: lol, is this hard?

There used to be a culture where non-awakened people posted consistent threads praying for awakening.

But since awakened people kept mocking them in the comments, nobody posts them anymore.

Or maybe they just got sick of it.

Spending every day hoping for a probability that you can't even see if it'll happen or not.

Since 'flex' posts and awakening verification posts are uploaded to the Hunter Gallery every day.

If you keep looking at that stuff, you're bound to get exhausted.

I know that well because I'm the same.

Why can't I do it?

What on earth is different between me and them?

I don't think I'm entitled to compensation just because I had an unhappy childhood.

But I've lived with all my might.

I can proudly say I've done as much as I could.

I just want to live a little bit more comfortably than I do now.

But the opportunity for awakening never came to me.

That was all.

Gurgle—

Suddenly, my stomach started screaming for food.

I hadn't eaten anything since the morning because of the shock of getting fired.

Checking the time, lunch hour had long passed.

"Let's just eat."

Being depressed won't make me awaken anyway.

Let's eat, cheer up, and find a new part-time job.

I turned off my phone and opened the fridge to have a late lunch.

"...Nothing. There's nothing."

But all I saw inside was some over-fermented kimchi.

Not even a common egg, no side dishes, nothing.

I had been careless because my childhood friend always brought me side dishes.

Grocery shopping is a hassle, delivery is expensive, what do I do?

"Is there anything to eat?"

I rummaged through the drawers desperately, like a drowning man clutching at straws.

Come to think of it, I remember buying ramen for times like this.

But all I saw inside was dust.

"That's strange. It should be here."

Did I put it in the storage closet?

I don't usually eat ramen, so that's plausible.

Since the room is so small, the only place to put things is the small storage closet on the ceiling.

With that thought, I opened the tightly shut storage door.

"Ah, here it is."

Fortunately, there was a pack of ramen inside that I'd bought when it was on sale.

And.

Thud— Something fell with a sound.

Clang—!

I felt a dull impact.

My vision spun, and I fell backward.

At the edge of my fading vision, a hammer lay rolling on the floor.

That was the last thing I saw.

That night.

"Mmm-nyaaa..."

I wiped the drool from my mouth and opened my eyes.

Not on a soft bed, but on the hard floor.

My back hurt because of it.

Why on earth did I sleep here?

As I pondered, I suddenly saw the hammer that had fallen next to me.

...A hammer?

That's when I snapped awake.

I hurriedly touched the spot where I'd been hit earlier.

Fortunately, I didn't feel any wounds.

"Still, just in case..."

A cute and adorable girl's voice came from somewhere.

"Hm? Huh?"

Something felt weird, so I spoke again, and realized the sound had come from my own mouth.

Furthermore, my hands had changed to be small and cute.

My body also ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠felt lighter than usual.

"W-what on earth is going on?"

My mind went blank at the sudden anomaly.

I rushed to the mirror.

"Wow..."

What was reflected in the mirror wasn't me, but an adorable ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠silver-haired girl.

Even the clothes I was wearing had changed.

I was definitely wearing normal shorts.

They had changed into dolphin shorts that only girls would wear.

Is this a dream?

Squish.

Even when I pulled on my soft cheeks, it just hurt.

Then, could it be?

At that moment, one possibility crossed my mind.

There's only one thing that could cause such an absurd phenomenon.

Awakening.

The thing I had wanted so desperately.

"Status Window!"

Then, as if responding to my voice, a blue window floated in the air.

[Name: Yoo Eunha]

[Gender: Female]

[Occupation: Creator]

[Skill: {EX: Hand of God (LV.0)}, {Beloved One}, {Observation}]

"I really... awakened!"

I was so happy that I jumped around, unlike myself.

I turned into a girl, but who cares?

From now on, my life will only be ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a path of flowers.

"Yoo Eunha?"

However, the name on the status window was unfamiliar.

Yoo Eunha, not Yoo Eun-hyeok.

Just in case, I checked the ID in my wallet.

The information on the ID had also changed to match the status window.

It seems my identity changed along with becoming a girl.

If that's a relief, then it's a relief.

I can't go around explaining that I suddenly turned into a girl because I awakened.

By the way.

Usually, Hunter ranks are divided based on skill rank.

EX-rank, that's a rank I've never heard of in my life.

Usually, S-rank is considered the strongest and rarest rank.

It looks cooler than that, so it must be good, right?

"What is a 'Creator'?"

I've seen countless occupations while browsing the Hunter Gallery.

Creator was an occupation name I'd never seen before.

In the first place, there's a separate occupation called Blacksmith for equipment production.

They are rare and few in number, and except for cursed items dropped in gates, all equipment is handmade by blacksmiths.

They seem to be highly valued, enough for famous guilds to try and scout them.

"Is it like a derivative occupation of a Blacksmith?"

I read the skill to find out more.

[EX: Hand of God (LV.0)]

Coin: 0

Cooldown: (Information unavailable due to low level.)

(Favorability required for next level: 5)

Looking at the only visible section, it seems the Creator is similar in nature to a Blacksmith.

Since I can just whip up equipment if I have coins. I even wonder if it's a superior version.

It's a shame that it's random, but I should be grateful for this much.

Even if I make stuff roughly and sell it, it won't be a problem to make a living.

Then, what's left is favorability and level.

There were many things I couldn't know just from Hand of God alone.

In the first place, where do I get the coins needed for production?

I immediately read the next skill.

[Beloved One]

Your body and mind are forcibly adjusted to be lovable.

If the favorability of a target you encounter for the first time is below 50, it is fixed at 50.

'Hand of God' levels up based on the favorability that increases afterward.

"So this is what turned me into a girl."

It seems it changed various parts of me to make it easier to gain favorability.

It's a bit annoying that it changed not just my body but my mind too.

I can't really feel it, so I don't know.

Isn't it the same as before?

Anyway, the skill itself looked good as it supports 'Hand of God'.

Of course, the problem is that I have to increase favorability.

I think I'll have to try it myself to know what it feels like.

And the long-awaited final skill.

[Observation]

Check the information of the target you are looking at.

It was a simple and clear skill.

A skill that literally allows you to check information.

Good. I understand the mechanism.

In other words, check the information of the target person with Observation.

Somehow increase favorability to level up 'Hand of God' and create equipment.

Then, the question is how to increase favorability.

"Should I try streaming?"

I can't make equipment because I don't have coins.

And all I have is this cute body.

Streaming was the only thing I could think of.

If I just endure it and act cute to the viewers, like "Eun-ha-nyang is here, nya~", wouldn't my favorability go up?

At that moment, a blue window appeared before my eyes.

TIP. Favorability only increases when you encounter the target in person.

"Damn."

It seems I have to meet them in person to increase favorability.

This is annoying.

The only people I know are the convenience store manager and my childhood friend.

How am I supposed to make contact with other people?

Ding-dong!

Just in time, the doorbell rang.

Speak of the devil.

Looking at the intercom, there was a familiar face on the screen.

"Eunha, I brought some side dishes. You haven't eaten dinner yet, right? Let's eat together."

She is my childhood friend and the master of the Shinwol Guild.

A-rank Hunter, Lee Jia.

She's a kind girl who always brings me side dishes.

Gurgle—

Come to think of it, I had been starving the whole time.

Food comes first.

I decided to think about what to do next after eating first.