You've Grown a Bit, Miri Unnie?
I hauled a massive golden retriever of a girl along by the arm and shoved myself through the gate.
Every time I'd watched people step into one of these things, I'd wondered what it would feel like to put your body into that strange, shimmering place. Now that I was actually doing it myself, it wasn't anything special — just the same damp, sticky outdoor air giving way to the cool blast of a room with the AC cranked all the way up.
The farther in we went, the stronger that faint freshness I'd noticed at the entrance became, and the woody scent tickling my nose was genuinely pleasant.
"Good work getting through. You're probably feeling a little queasy. Sit down and rest until the rest of the trainees come in."
"Nngh…."
Once we were fully through the gate, a hunter who'd gone in ahead of us scanned the surroundings and spoke to us in a low voice.
"Rest over there, and please keep your voices down. It's relatively safe, but a large magic beast does pop out every now and then."
"Yes, sir."
"…This is your first time, but you're holding up better than I expected. Most people who cross a gate for the first time end up like that."
I nodded and answered the way I always did, and he started looking me over like he'd just spotted some rare creature. Then he pointed a finger at Ayoon, who was sprawled on all fours on the ground, dry-heaving and barely conscious, and kept talking.
"Even if you've awakened, you never run into mana this dense in everyday life. Plus there's the mental pressure of crossing a gate for the first time."
"I see. I actually feel fresher than usual."
"I'm genuinely jealous. I'm still a little motion-sick myself."
He gave a dry little laugh, checked on Ayoon one more time, then said he'd go secure a wider perimeter and asked me to pass along the safety notes he'd given us to any other trainees who came through. With that, he set off at an easy pace toward the mouth of the forest where the trees grew thick.
"You okay?"
"I feel like I'm gonna die…."
Worried about the way Ayoon was crawling around on the ground, I went over, crouched down with my tail gathered in my arms, and checked on her. The energetic golden retriever from before the gate was gone. Her face had gone paper-white, drool was trailing from her mouth, and she kept dry-heaving without stop. Looking at that miserable state of hers made me feel so sorry for her that I carefully brushed her damp hair back from her face.
"Something cold on your forehead would probably help…."
I stared at the cold sweat beading on her brow, and then my eyes fell on the tail nestled in my arms, swaying gently. My tail was cooler than the rest of me — maybe it would do some good.
After a moment's thought, I carefully lifted the tail from my arms and plopped it right onto her forehead.
"Whoa…. That's so cool…."
"Glad it's working."
Relieved at the slight improvement in Ayoon's color, I smiled faintly and shifted the tail so it rested lightly against the back of her neck.
"Miri, you're definitely a bamboo-wife beastkin…."
"What kind of nonsense is that."
A bamboo wife isn't even a living thing. A bamboo doll, maybe, but still.
"I'm only doing this because you helped me on the bus."
"Miri unnieee…. Live with me this summermmm…."
"Shut up."
Was it really that cool? I liked it well enough to hug it when I slept, but since it was my own body, it never felt that cold to me. Judging by Ayoon's reaction, though, my tail really was cool enough to make her feel better.
Was it because golden retrievers ran hot? Or just because she wasn't me? Next time I ran into Jihoo, I'd have him touch it and check.
"Urgh…!"
"What the hell is this kid doing, making a mess like that!"
After that, the rest of the trainees came through the gate one by one, and once everyone was in, the team leader came through last. True to the attitude he'd been wearing all day — permanently full of complaints — he took one look at a trainee still retching and spat out a string of curses.
"Nothing ever goes right. Why do I have to do this grunt work at my rank instead of some junior…. I need to transfer to a corporate team already. The pay here is garbage…. Ugh."
While the team leader kept grumbling, Ayoon shook her head in pure secondhand embarrassment.
"Wow. Miri unnie. That guy's mindset is completely rotten."
"Tell me about it."
Association hunters did earn less than corporate ones, sure — but complaining about it out loud in front of a bunch of people made my brow crease on its own. From what I'd heard, the government made up the difference with tax breaks and support, and other hunters generally respected Association people for choosing national safety over a bigger paycheck.
Looking at this team leader, though, it was clear not everyone in the Association was in it for the mission. This guy had almost certainly signed up for the tax breaks and benefits. Now that he had some years under his belt and could see corporate hunters of the same rank pulling bigger money, he was stewing in envy.
"He's a real eyesore."
"Right? Right? You think so too, unnie?"
"…I told you not to call me unnie. You look fine now, so get up."
"Aaaah—! My tail!"
The second I tried to pull my tail away from a seemingly recovered Ayoon, she clung to the cool thing like it was her favorite toy and started whining.
"That's my tail!"
I peeled her off without much trouble, hugged my tail protectively to my chest, and stood up.
Haa…. I shouldn't have bothered.
The gate experience training itself wasn't anything special. Under the Association hunters' direction, we walked a set path and got used to the dense mana inside the gate. What we were actually doing was closer to a short hike than anything else — and the early stretch of the Dungeon happened to look like a wide forest, which helped.
"It's weirdly quiet today."
"A high-rank hunter party must've swept through. Wish it was always like this."
We didn't see a single monster the whole way — not even a shadow of one. It felt more and more like a forest bath or a leisurely trek. The air inside the gate was incredibly fresh for me, too.
"Alright. This is the real entrance to the Dungeon. The danger level here is in a completely different league from the forest outside, so do not go in under any circumstances."
The hunter leading the way pointed as he spoke. At the tip of his finger was a pit sinking down into the earth.
"Even after you become official hunters, please refrain from entering without proper preparation. Unprepared, even an A-rank hunter can lose their life in there."
With that, he pressed his lips shut. His silence was enough to remind everyone — me included — that we were standing inside a dangerous gate. The other trainees seemed to feel it too; an awkward quiet settled over the group for a moment.
"…Well, that got heavy. Haha. Alright, everyone take a short rest here, then we'll head back the way we came and exit the gate."
Trying to lighten the mood, the hunter gave an awkward laugh and scratched the back of his head.
"If you're not feeling well, or if you have any questions, feel free to come find me."
He plopped down on the ground first and claimed a spot. Taking their cue, the trainees who'd been hanging back started settling in one by one. We'd been walking mountain trails for a while — everyone looked worn out.
"Whew."
I stretched and let out a long breath. Even after all that walking, I wasn't tired at all. If anything, my body felt lighter, like I'd just finished a warm-up. Separately from that, there was a bit of tightness in my chest — though it wasn't like I was out of breath or anything.
"Hmm…."
"Why are you staring at me like that."
Ayoon had flopped down on the ground beside me and was openly staring while I stretched.
"Miri unnie."
"I'm not your unnie…. Haa. Do whatever you want."
I'd told her not to call me that any number of times, but apparently my title was locked in as "unnie" now.
"Miri unnie. You've grown a bit, haven't you?"
"What…?"
"Yeah. You've definitely gotten bigger. You were around a hundred forty-five at first."
…Was she seriously estimating my exact height from eyeballing me and a few hugs?
I was so floored I almost lost the ability to speak.
"Now you look like you're a little over a hundred fifty. And your size went up a little too. It's a sports bra so it shouldn't hurt, but it might feel a bit tight…."
"Ah? Hey! What are you even saying right now!"
At that even more outrageous follow-up, my face went hot and I cut her off in a panic.
"H-how would you even know something like that!"
"Huh? Well, you can just tell by looking that the size changed. Miri unnie, your pant legs are short now too — I can see your ankles."
"Not that!"
Hearing that my shrunken height seemed to have grown a little was nice, but how on earth did she know I was wearing sports underwear?
"Ah! That just has a distinctive smell."
"You're just a pervert!"
"That's so mean! Unnie, you just called every dog beastkin and wolf beastkin on the planet a pervert!"
"What kind of ridiculous logic is that!"
Knowing by smell was already creepy enough — saying it out loud was a whole different level of problem.
"Even if you know something like that, you're supposed to pretend you don't…."
I was about to scold her as the older one and give her a little sharp talking-to — when a completely unfamiliar sensation hit me, and the words coming out of my mouth stopped on their own.
"…Unnie?"
When I suddenly went quiet and shut my mouth, question marks practically bloomed across Ayoon's face.
— Thud.
From far off, something heavy started walking. Huge footsteps, getting closer and closer in our direction.
"Um…. Association people! Something's coming this way right now!"
I shouted urgently toward the Association hunters sitting nearby in a cluster.
"What are you talking about. It's dead quiet out here."
"…Still, it wouldn't hurt to check, Team Leader."
"Bullshit. What does some freshly awakened brat know. Go sit down."
"I'm telling you, it's really coming!"
— Thud. Thud.
The footsteps drew closer, and the sound of trees snapping and falling multiplied. Whatever it was, it was charging straight at us — and I could hear it this clearly.
"You can't hear that?!"
"Team Leader…."
"Hey. Just ignore her."
Could no one else hear it yet?
"Association President Kang."
"Yes, ma'am."
"I didn't ask for anything difficult, did I."
"I have no excuse, Mrs. Yu."
The reception room of the Association's Bundang branch was cold enough that frost on the windows wouldn't have looked out of place. The Association President had flown in by air taxi the moment he got my report, and Mrs. Yu had rushed over the second she received a text from the young lady in question.
"If this training doesn't end very, very well, you'd better be prepared."
"Of course, ma'am."
And I, Park Seokho, branch manager of the Association's Bundang office, was sitting right next to that razor-edged atmosphere, setting out the high-end tea and refreshments I'd prepared in advance and reading the room for all I was worth.
"Well. At least the branch manager has some sense."
"He's a hardworking junior, if a bit lacking."
…Thank god I'd spent my own money and gone for the expensive stuff.