Metamorphosis
Thump... Thump.
What was I doing again... It was definitely....
“Ah—”
A sharp cracking sound split the air as the silk threads that had wrapped me shattered, and my body finally emerged.
The moment I recalled instinctively activating the Metamorphosis skill, my mind cleared.
What exactly had changed? The question had barely formed before the system window that simply explained everything lifted the burden of checking for myself.
“Let’s see....”
Metamorphosis has been successfully completed.
Understanding of carapace has increased.
Understanding of joints has increased.
Proficiency of Metamorphosis has risen from F to F+.
Acquired skill Carapace Bug (F).
The system messages stacked up endlessly. It felt like I had grown tremendously.
Even after reading them, I still couldn’t tell exactly what had improved….
At least I could clearly see that I had gained one new skill.
“Carapace Bug?”
Carapace Bug (F)
- Can spread a hard carapace over the skin.
- Can fix the carapace into any desired shape.
“...Huh?”
The part about spreading a carapace was easy enough to understand.
Spreading a carapace… Did that mean something like this would grow right over my skin?
Wait, what? It actually appeared.
I stared in shock at the carapace that had formed on the back of my hand.
The smooth black shell looked less like an insect’s carapace and more like part of a turtle’s shell.
It seemed incredibly tough. When I tapped it with my other hand, a clear ringing vibration ran through my fingers.
“Whoa, it’s really hard… But what does ‘fix it in place’ even mean?”
The words about fixing the carapace made my eyes drift toward the first bug I had given birth to—no, summoned.
I felt a little skeptical, but I reached for the bug still wrapped around my wrist like a bracelet and pictured a different form.
If possible… a sword. Something cool and weapon-like would be perfect.
The instant I let go of its wrist, the bug began to wriggle, making me frown again. Yet as its shape gradually transformed, wonder replaced disgust.
The once-round carapace sharpened. The body stretched out straight like a real blade. Could I actually swing this?
I couldn’t resist. I swung the bug.
Shaaak—!
The razor-sharp sound startled me, and I stared at the bug in my hand.
It had really turned into a sword?
The only blade I had ever handled was a kitchen knife, but this definitely didn’t feel like swinging a bug.
“...Wow. But is this actually okay?”
I still wasn’t sure if this counted as proper use.
No matter how you looked at it, was it really fine to treat a bug this roughly?
This wouldn’t violate animal protection laws, right?
Created a non-existent item.
Acquired Crafting (Bug) skill.
Created a skill that did not previously exist. As a special reward, acquired Appraisal skill.
“...Ha?”
The situation was hard to keep up with. I had only fixed the bug’s shape, yet I suddenly gained two new skills?
What exactly was so special about fixing a bug….
It felt a bit awkward, but gaining skills was definitely not a loss, so I examined them.
After all, both Crafting and Appraisal sounded like skills I could guess the purpose of.
Crafting (Bug)
- Can transform bugs into equipment.
- Dominates equipment created from bugs.
Appraisal
- Checks information on the target.
- Information on targets stronger than the user may be restricted.
They were skills I could easily infer, so I wasn’t particularly shocked.
Well, the first skill was a little surprising, but it didn’t feel all that strange.
Had I already adapted to the situation…?
What was interesting was that both skills lacked a grade. I had no idea why, but maybe it was because they were the kind of skills that didn’t need one.
“Speaking of Appraisal… Appraisal?”
???
Grade: ???
A carapace bug born from Bug Queen (Lee Seong-eun).
Has not yet received a name, but has been given the mission to live as a sword.
Hard and sharp.
…….
Reading the bug’s information through Appraisal filled me with guilt.
I hadn’t even given it a name, yet I told it to live as a sword.
Feeling a pang of conscience, I scratched my cheek and tried to think of a name.
But what on earth should I call it? I had never raised a pet before, and I had certainly never imagined raising bugs….
“Still, it is a sword… Sword?”
That was the limit of my naming sense. Yet it seemed pleased; the bug, now fixed in sword form, trembled slightly.
When I first saw it, it looked gross. But the more I looked, the cuter it seemed.
It had a lot of legs, antennae, and made scratching noises when it moved, but….
Aside from that, it really was a cute bug… Wait, what the hell am I thinking?
I was shocked that I had unconsciously thought a bug was cute.
I used to be the type who couldn’t even look at bugs, let alone touch them. And now I was thinking this?
Maybe this was another effect of the awakening.
“Anyway.”
So what was I supposed to do now?
The awakening check was finished, but I had no idea what came next.
Go to work? Looking like this? If I went out in this state with no way to prove my identity, people would definitely mistake me for some crazy woman.
Besides, my appearance was far from ordinary, so going outside was off the table.
In that case….
“There’s no better place than the internet when you need answers.”
If you need an answer, search the internet. I was sure someone had said something like that.
Whether it was a real quote or not, in this era you could find whatever information you wanted by digging around online.
When it came to learning about hunters, that really was the only place.
Current Hunter Gallery.
It was called the Hunter Gallery, but since non-hunters posted there too, people usually just called it the Hunter Gallery for short.
I had never posted myself, but I had browsed it plenty of times when bored.
I knew how to write a post that would actually get helpful responses.
Time to show off my skills after so long….
Hey hunters, actually there is no such thing as a Hambug.
It’s just my bullshit to attract aggro.
Actually it’s not bullshit, it’s a question post.
Among hunters there are people whose outer appearance changed after awakening, right? But if the change is really drastic, how do you prove it’s you?
Thanks to the flood of replies, I now had a clear plan.
Go to the Hunter Association and get certified. After that….
They would probably give me some kind of hunter education. There was no way they would just swap my ID and send me off, right?
With a plan decided, I first checked my clothes.
My body had changed, so I wasn’t sure if anything would fit… Well, as long as nothing fell off, it would be fine.
Time to head out.
*
“Lee Seong-eun confirmed. Here is your new ID card. Please sign here.”
“Uh… Is it really over just like that?”
“Yes. It has already been verified and cross-checked with truth-detection skills.”
“I see. Thank you.”
The inspection ended so anticlimactically that I felt deflated.
I had expected to be locked in some isolated room and interrogated, but it finished right here in this open space….
Ever since hunters appeared, the world really had become more convenient. In the past this kind of thing would have been unimaginable.
Looking at my newly issued ID and hunter license felt strangely surreal.
The ID that had erased every trace of me ever being male… The resident registration number that used to be male—I told them it seemed to be an error because explaining was too much trouble.
They processed it without question. The fact that they handled it so easily made me wonder if that was really okay….
What if I had been a criminal? What then?
Well, they said they checked everything with skills. I just had to trust what I knew.
The hunter license was, of course, F-grade. I had only just awakened, so that was expected.
“Ah, by the way, where can I sell items?”
“Items? You have some?”
“Uh….”
The receptionist’s eyes sparkled at the word “items,” and I immediately felt like I had said something I shouldn’t have.
What was that? Did she have some bad memory involving items?
Or was it weird for a newly awakened person to ask about items?
“I was just wondering what to do if I obtain any.”
“Ah… Well, if you look to the right there’s a workshop. You can sell or buy there. Though obtaining items in the first place isn’t easy.”
“Really?”
“Ah, since you just awakened you probably don’t know yet?”
“Um… Yeah. I never expected to awaken.”
“It’s fine. There are lots of people like you these days. Here, I’ll give you this.”
I accepted the book the receptionist handed me.
The title was Easy Guide to Hunter Life. It looked exactly like the kind of booklet we used to get at school. I glanced at the receptionist.
When she noticed my gaze she quickly looked away. It didn’t seem like she felt great about it.
“Ahem. It only contains basic information, but it’s genuinely helpful for beginners. Give it a read.”
“Well, thank you.”
“No problem. Take care on your way home.”
“Ah, yes. And thanks again for the book.”
Better to have it than not, I thought as I headed home with the book in hand.
Wow… Today had been really hard to keep up with.
I awakened, used Metamorphosis, and my entire identity changed in a single day.
…… When things go too smoothly it feels oddly unsettling.
Still, good is good. There was no need to think negatively.
What could possibly go wrong?
In that case… maybe I should visit the Tower tomorrow? But where exactly?
It looked like I had a lot more things to research.