I Became an S-Rank Hunter

Even in July, the dawn air was cool and crisp.

"Ugh… it's cold…."

If I'd known it would be like this, I would have thrown a training jacket over my clothes before heading out. But the place I was going was right nearby, and the thought of turning around felt like too much of a hassle.

Besides, Meonji was already working hard to warm me up, rubbing against my shivering body with all its might. Little by little, the chill began to fade.

Parts of the neighborhood I lived in were undergoing redevelopment, so construction sites dotted the area. I headed for the one closest to home—an empty lot where the demolition had already finished and nothing else remained.

"This should be fine… right?"

The Tower had been another option, but barging in unprepared could mean getting trapped forever. You couldn't leave a floor until you cleared it, which was exactly why people only entered after every possible preparation. With Meonji's power still completely unknown, charging in blindly might turn me into a corpse rather than just a regular civilian casualty.

Meonji seemed to like the open air. It drifted out of my arms and floated around in lazy circles. Even its simple movements let me roughly sense its mood. The two of us really did seem deeply connected through the contract.

"So do I just say the summon skill name in my head?"

Self-Destruct!

Meonji stared blankly at me. Then it drifted closer—dangerously close—and its body began to swell. The once-soft fur stood on end as it puffed up bigger and bigger, until the little fluff that had fit snugly in both my hands grew to the size of my own chest.

And then—

"Huh?"

It was way too close.

—BOOOOM!

My vision flared blindingly bright, then went dark. Scorching heat washed over my face, then vanished. A sound that tore the air itself left my ears ringing, then silent.

But after a moment, my senses slowly returned—as if they had never left at all, functioning normally once more.

Meonji hung there looking waterlogged, its fur drooping and its body slightly shrunk. Yet it wasn't wounded or dead in the slightest. It felt more like it had just finished an intense workout and was completely wiped out. That was the impression flowing into me from Meonji's heart.

The explosion had gone off right in front of my face. And yet my face was still soft and springy.

"I don't get hurt!"

I poked at my still-plump cheek.

"But… I still have no idea how strong it actually is…."

My height was about the same as when I'd been a man—166 cm. An explosion that close to my face, out in an empty lot with nothing around that could have been affected.

"Tsk…. Too bad. Guess I'll have to try again once Meonji recovers."

Still, the two new pieces of information—that Meonji hadn't taken a single scratch, and that neither had I—were already a pretty big harvest.

Cradling the shrunken Meonji carefully in my hands, I headed back to my room. I set it gently beside my pillow and picked up my smartphone, cycling through Shorts, Reels, and the forums in that order. The semi-basement window brightened. I was getting sleepy, so I switched off the light and drifted off.

When I woke, soft fluffy Meonji was back to normal.

"Meonji!"

I felt absurdly happy for no real reason. After nuzzling it vigorously against my cheek, I checked the time on my phone. Nine in the evening. The perfect hour for a refreshing "morning."

I scooped Meonji back into my arms and returned to the empty lot. This time a pile of trash happened to be sitting off to the side.

"It's garbage, so wiping it all out is a good thing, right?"

The perfect target for a power test.

"That's it! Meonji, a little more to the side! Yeah, yeah. There! That's the spot."

Once I had Meonji in position, I prepared to use the skill. Thinking the name silently worked fine, but it felt kind of lacking. If we were going to explode anyway, it might as well look cool, right?

No one was around. I pressed my index and middle fingers together, lightly curling the rest. I'd always wanted to shout something like this at least once.

I drew a deep breath, held it, then released it in a sharp burst as I yelled—

"HAAAH!!!"

While silently calling out Self-Destruct.

—BOOOOOOM!!!

An even bigger light erupted from Meonji than before. Heat blasted outward in every direction, and a tremendous roar tore through the air. The trash shattered into pieces and went flying everywhere. The ground where it had sat was blackened and scorched, acrid smoke rising. What little remained of the garbage crackled and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠burned on the dirt.

"Uh…?"

I hadn't meant to blow it up that thoroughly….

Attracted by the huge noise, I heard people approaching nearby.

"Ack!"

I sprinted to Meonji, scooped the completely limp fluff into my arms, and bolted for home.

"Hah… hah… hah…."

I'd never had much stamina to begin with, but this felt even worse. And I really needed to buy new underwear soon.

"Pretty uncomfortable…."

They weren't that big, but running hard made them keep rubbing against my clothes… and the whole sensation was completely different from when I'd been a man.

"Still… with that kind of power, I could climb the Tower, right?"

The higher you climbed, the stronger the monsters. Defeat them and you got Magic Stones. Even just the ones from the first floor….

"Hehehe…."

I couldn't stop smiling. Gently stroking Meonji, I let my imagination run wild. Then I turned on my phone to look up some basic information first.

"Hmm… you can sell them through the Hunter Association…."

Which meant Hunter registration came first. But it was already eleven at night. Way too long until the branches opened at nine in the morning.

"Guess I'll buy some clothes in the meantime."

My bank account was practically empty.

"……."

Underwear was the highest priority, so I bought only that. The set arriving the next morning was black top and bottom—no real choice involved. After that I kept cycling through the Shorts-Reels-forums routine, set an alarm for the first time in my life, and went to sleep.

Ah… I want to quit….

Kang Sora sat zoning out at the reception desk of the Hunter Association Seoul Mapo Branch. At first it had been fun. Seeing Hunters in person still felt exciting. But the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠endless repetition had slowly drowned her in boredom.

"Um… I have a question…."

Kang Sora instantly switched on a bright expression and turned toward the voice.

"Yes~ How may I help you?"

The moment she saw the woman standing in front of her, Kang Sora's eyes went wide.

Whoa….

She was more beautiful than any Hunter Sora had ever seen. Same gender, yet Sora felt they belonged to completely different species. Idols and actors who had Awakened sometimes visited, but this beauty was on another level entirely—noble and elegant just by existing.

Even the white T-shirt stained with what looked like ramen broth couldn't hide it. The black underwear faintly visible underneath only made ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her elegance more striking.

"…Miss? Excuse me…?"

Realizing she'd been called a beat too late, Kang Sora apologized quickly.

"I'm so sorry. You're just so beautiful…."

Mixing a compliment into an apology was a reliable way to soften someone. The woman's expression eased a little.

"Eh? Ah. Me…? Oh. Yes. Thank you…."

First confusion, then shyness flickered across her face. Then she seemed to remember why she had come.

"I'd like to register as a Hunter…."

"Of course. Right this way."

Kang Sora smoothly guided her to the testing room. Inside sat a small device crafted from high-purity Magic Stones. It transferred an Awakener's abilities into the computer and assigned a rank at the same time.

Many factors went into the ranking, but at its core it was pure strength and talent. There had been pushback at first, yet the Hunters' actual performance proved the ranks right, and eventually everyone accepted the standard.

"Just hold this and breathe comfortably."

Kang Sora explained. The woman took the device with slightly trembling hands.

Hmm…. I wonder what her ability is? She's ridiculously pretty, and she Awakened too… lucky….

Then the monitor displayed her status window.

A Summoner….

The world really was fair after all.

Someone this pretty, and if her class was strong too, that would just be too unfair.

Kang Sora spoke to the woman still holding the device.

"Um… since you're a Summoner, we'll need to examine your summon as well. They have to be registered together. Sorry for the extra trouble…."

"Ah, yes. Understood."

Han Doa focused. A moment later a small black fluffy something appeared in both her hands.

"This is it…. Its name is Meonji…."

She held it out shyly.

"All right. I'll examine it now."

Kang Sora placed Meonji on the device. After a short wait, the status window on the monitor updated.

"Huh?"

While Kang Sora was still processing the violently named skill, Han Doa's rank appeared on the monitor.

"…Huh?"

Kang Sora rubbed her eyes. The letter remained clear and undeniable on the screen. She asked for a moment and sprinted to the branch manager.

"…Excuse me?"

What was I even hearing right now? My brain refused to catch up. The branch manager explaining it to me seemed just as stunned.

"You… have become the eighth S-rank Hunter in South Korea, and the one-hundredth in the world…."

He turned the monitor toward me as he spoke.

"Hm?"

This status window was different from the one I knew.

Status.

A status window with even more information blacked out.

Well… having a title like "Queen" shown to other people would be embarrassing anyway… so maybe this is better.

My eyes drifted to the letter beneath the monitor.

A genuine S-rank Hunter. Me—someone with no real power of my own—had become S-rank. Which meant… Meonji was ridiculously strong.

"Meonji…!"

Overjoyed, I rubbed my cheek furiously against it. Meonji seemed just as happy, nuzzling its fur back against my face with equal enthusiasm.

"Ahem. Well then, if you could leave your ID with us, we'll finish the registration process. After that, you're free ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to begin official Hunter activities."

The branch manager said. I handed over my ID. Ever since becoming a woman, even my resident registration number had flipped completely female. It was a little sad that male Han Doa had vanished from South Korea… but female Han Doa was an S-rank Hunter, so it didn't really matter.

My steps home felt light. I arrived at noon! I whipped up a pack of ramen, scarfed it down, and immediately flopped onto the bed. I slept a full twenty hours without an alarm. When I finally opened my eyes—

The world was buzzing about me.