Dropout. Heading to a Modern Weapon Shop
Dropout. Heading to a Modern Weapon Shop
The matter at the Seoul Central Neuropsychiatric Clinic was simple.
No, to say it was simple would be inaccurate—the doctor's expression contorted several times—but in the end, a single diagnosis came out: "Temporary state of confusion due to Gate Sequelae."
Suyeon kept chiming in from the side, "She hit her head really hard inside the Gate," and the doctor asked no further questions.
Gray took the two pills the doctor handed her and stared at them blankly, then when Suyeon motioned with her eyes to swallow them, she complied obediently.
They weren't poison. Probably.
They stepped outside the building. The sun was already setting.
The sky was turning orange, and the glowing signs on the streets were beginning to light up one by one.
"So, where do we go now?"
Gray asked. Suyeon opened her mouth without stopping her stride, then closed it. Opened it, then closed it again.
"Um..."
"Uh..."
Hesitation. She seemed to be repeatedly picking up words in her mind, then setting them down again.
What Suyeon finally blurted out was something entirely different.
"Let's just walk for now."
Gray's eyebrow twitched.
Informal speech. The woman who had been using formal language just a moment ago had casually dropped the honorifics.
Whether her attitude had changed after getting the diagnosis from the mental hospital, or if this was her true personality all along.
Gray accepted it soon enough.
After all, Gray hadn't bothered with honorifics from the start either, so it was fair.
They walked.
People passed by on the streets, metal beasts ran in rows, and the glowing panels on the buildings alternately showed unknown pictures and letters.
Gray kept her gaze moving as she walked.
Everything was unfamiliar, but she no longer gasped in shock.
It wasn't that her senses had gone numb—she had decided to conserve the energy she'd waste on being surprised.
"Earlier."
Suyeon spoke first.
"That story. Was it real?"
"What part?"
"All of it. The Empire, adventurers, being 28 years old."
"Yeah."
It was a short answer. Suyeon took a few more steps.
After two footfalls echoed, she muttered.
"...Reincarnation into another world?"
Gray turned around.
Suyeon rested her chin on her hand and said,
"That explains it. You called an orc a hobgoblin, and goblins something else. I thought it was strange."
Gray's eyes narrowed. It stung.
"I've killed dozens of hobgoblins. That green mass is a hobgoblin wherever you see it. How can you be so sure when you've never even seen an actual orc?"
"In this world, that's common sense. Orcs are orcs, goblins are goblins."
Suyeon said firmly.
Then she paused for a beat, tilted her head, and added,
"But I guess your classification system is completely different, huh? Feels like entirely separate categories."
Gray kept her mouth shut.
She didn't want to admit it, but she was the one who didn't know the common sense of this world.
And she was also the one who needed to learn.
"...Teach me the common sense of this place."
Suyeon's eyes widened slightly, then she nodded.
"Where do I start? First, Hunters. People who enter Gates and defeat monsters are collectively called Hunters. It's probably similar to adventurers in your world."
"Ranks?"
"From E to S. E is the lowest, S is the highest. I'm C-rank."
"What about supernatural abilities?"
"The paranormal powers that Awakened possess. Using fire, healing, enhancing the body. It varies by person. Awakening is literally the moment those powers surface. Sometimes it happens suddenly one day, sometimes it awakens inside a Gate."
"And Gates are those blue rifts."
"Right. When a Gate opens, an unknown space forms inside, and monsters come out. If you don't clear it by defeating the boss within a set time, the monsters pour out into the outside world. That's why Hunters are needed."
Gray listened silently.
She organized everything in her head, comparing it point by point with the Empire's system. The structure was similar.
Mana spreads from a central dungeon, monsters appear here and there, and there are those who deal with them.
In this world too, the state managed it. As a guild, as an association—just like the Empire.
"You mentioned villains earlier. What's that?"
Suyeon's expression hardened slightly.
"Awakened who haven't registered with the Association. Criminals. If you have supernatural abilities, you have to register. If you don't, you get arrested."
"...Sensible."
"Sensible? That's not usually the reaction I get."
"If those with power aren't controlled, order collapses. The Empire was similar."
Suyeon looked at Gray with a strange expression.
It wasn't the kind of thing you'd expect from someone who just got a mental hospital diagnosis.
Gray's mind was racing.
Awakened. One day, a single ability suddenly awakens. A different system from mages.
The Empire's mages spent decades mastering spells across multiple disciplines.
Fire, ice, enhancement, detection.
Even if depth varied by aptitude, never had she heard of someone being able to use only one.
Even she herself, though lacking talent, could handle basic spells of fire, ice, and expulsion magic, couldn't she?
The Awakened here were granted only a single ability.
And without any choice.
Limited. But if they specialized in that one, it could be threatening.
More importantly.
C-rank.
E, D, C, B, A, S. Six levels. Converted to the Empire's ranking system, C-rank was lower to middle. Ungraded, Tin, Bronze, Copper, Iron, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Mithril, Orichalcum.
Equivalent to herself at Iron rank, or at best, entry-level Copper.
...Same level as me?
The woman who had been surrounded by three goblins in that dungeon, cowering on the ground?
No. Hasty judgment was dangerous.
There was no guarantee that this world's rank criteria matched the Empire's. And above all—
"What's your ability?"
Suyeon slowed her steps and answered.
"Afterimage Vision."
"Afterimage Vision?"
"When activated, I can see the movements of people who were in that location within the last two to three minutes. As afterimages. Where they went, what path they took, everything."
Suyeon drew a line in the air with her finger as she explained.
"It's good for chasing, and good for avoiding danger. I can tell if there was an ambush or who passed through first."
Gray tilted her head.
Indeed. It was an ability suited for scouting.
If you could visually track the trajectory of predecessors, it would be useful for reconnaissance and search.
However.
The Empire's thieves—rogue-type adventurers—relied on mana detection.
They read the residual traces of magic itself, not afterimages, with a range of dozens of paces, going back hours.
Add to that stealth, presence concealment, trap detection.
A composite of dozens of techniques, not a single ability.
Compared to that, it was lacking.
The Hunters here seemed quite behind.
Reliant on a single ability, and their fundamental skills like basic physical techniques or mana operation—at least judging from this woman—appeared largely absent.
Suyeon getting surrounded by goblins was probably due to a lack of combat means beyond her ability.
"Then if we go to the Association, you'll get your Hunter license. We already finished the procedures earlier."
Suyeon said. Then she looked Gray up and down.
Tattered leather clothes. Greaves caked with blood and dirt.
Suyeon paused for a moment, then the corners of her mouth twitched as if she was holding back a laugh.
"But before that."
"What."
"Clothes..."
Suyeon cleared her throat. She looked Gray over once more.
The leather greaves and leather armor she'd worn out of the Gate were practically rags, and passersby were starting to glance at her.
Too shabby to be a cosplay, too clean-faced to be a homeless person.
"No, shouldn't we go get some 'equipment'?"
Suyeon emphasized the word 'equipment.'
Her lips trembled. She was holding back laughter.
Gray's eyes narrowed.
"...What's so funny?"
"Nothing. Nothing's funny."
Suyeon turned her head. Her shoulders were shaking slightly.
Gray looked down at her own attire.
Bloodstains. Dirt. Torn sleeves. In the Empire, it would have been the ordinary appearance of an adventurer returning after battle.
But on this street, it was clearly out of place.
"Fine. Let's go."
The building Suyeon took her to.
She said it was a department store.
The building Suyeon pointed to was two blocks away from the Hunter Association Seoul Branch.
Above the entrance hung an exaggeratedly large sign.
Two crossed swords above an anvil. A blazing flame emblem.
Below the English lettering 'Forged Armory' was written in Hangeul.
It was clearly imitating a blacksmith's forge.
But once inside, the atmosphere was the complete opposite.
Under soft lighting, glass display cases lined up, and on black velvet, weapons and armor were placed one by one.
Elegant and orderly, like a jewelry store's display.
The floor was marble. A faint scent hung in the air.
No smell of charcoal or molten metal from a forge anywhere.
"I usually buy online."
Suyeon said, looking around.
"Most Hunter supplies come by delivery, so I've never had a reason to come here."
She glanced at Gray.
"But I thought you'd prefer to see and choose things in person like this."
An accurate judgment. You had to hold a weapon to know it.
Weight, balance, the flow of mana. Those things couldn't be known by sight alone.
"Consider it a thank-you for saving my life. I'll get you new 'equipment' within the limits my wallet allows."
Gray was already walking between the display cases. Half-listening.
There were swords. Axes. Spears, bows, shields.
Every single one gleamed with dazzling polish. Each blade reflected a brilliant silver light, and the handles were engraved with intricate patterns.
An artisan of the Empire would have drooled and heaped praise—guardian swords, holy swords—on their appearance.
She stopped in front of a straight sword.
The description on the display stand.
'Enhanced-type Mana Straight Sword ─ Recommended for C-rank.'
She couldn't understand anything except the letter C.
The price was written below, but to Gray, it was just meaningless numbers.
She opened the glass lid and took out the sword. A staff member approached.
"Ah, customer! That product is a popular item from our 'Silver Edge' series, with a 15% improvement in mana conductivity compared to conventional—"
Gray lifted the sword. With one hand. She gauged its weight.
Light. Too light. The blade was beautiful.
Light flowed over its impeccably finished edge, and the leather wrapping on the hilt was flawless.
But.
She couldn't feel the flow of mana.
To be precise, it was there. A faint mana was embedded inside the blade.
Barely enough to be called a magical tool.
Even a novice blacksmith's first practice piece from the Empire would have had more mana infused.
The staff member was still talking. Something about mana conductivity, special alloys.
Gray took a step back, sword in hand.
Once she had enough space, she swung it down with full force toward the air.
Hwiik—
Taeng—!!
The blade detached from the hilt.
No, to be precise, the middle of the blade snapped. The joint couldn't withstand the impact.
The half-blade fell onto the marble floor with a sharp metallic ring.
It spun around and stopped.
The store fell silent.
The staff member's mouth hung open, unclosing.
"U-um—"
Suyeon rushed over. Her face had gone pale.
"I'm sorry! I'm really sorry, I'll pay for this, just a moment—"
Suyeon kept bowing her waist as she clung to the staff member.
Gray looked down at the broken sword. She examined the cross-section.
The internal structure was visible. The outside was shiny, but the inside was hollow.
No core to hold mana, no carving to guide its flow.
A flashy but useless piece of junk.
She turned her gaze and scanned the armor display.
Chest pieces, light armor, arm guards. Every one of them gleamed, and every one gave off the same smell.
The smell of decorations—flashy on the outside, but hollow inside.
At this rate.
Gray looked down at her own tattered leather armor.
Though torn and dirty, the lingering trace of mana embedded between the leather was deeper than any item in this store.
Leather personally tanned by a craftsman in the Imperial capital.
If properly repaired, it wouldn't even be worth comparing to this place's 'enhanced-type' armor.
Better to just repair this.
Gray turned around. Suyeon was still bowing and apologizing to the staff member.
Her hand holding the credit card was trembling.
"Suyeon."
"Just a second! I'm a little busy right now—"
"There's nothing to buy here."
Suyeon slowly turned her head. Her eyes widened.
"...What?"
"Let's find a place to repair this armor. That would be bett...?"
Just as she was about to turn away.
Gray's feet stopped.
Her eyes narrowed. Her pupils fixed on one spot.
Across the dazzling display cases. In the corner of the store.
In a place where even the light didn't properly reach, a few dust-covered wooden boxes were shoved away.
Junk.
A graveyard of discarded things that no one gave a second glance.
But Gray saw it differently.
Faintly, but clearly. The residual trace of mana leaking from the gaps in the boxes.
Deeper, older, and richer than any 'new product' in this store.
The corner of her mouth lifted.
"...Suyeon."
"What, did you break something else?"
"Over there."
Gray gestured with her chin toward the corner.
"What's that?"