Hunter Registration (2)

I was sitting in the waiting area when the number 7 lit up on the electronic board.

Following a staff member's guidance, I stepped into the hunter registration office.

Identity verification and fingerprint registration wrapped up in no time. I signed a few forms and filled out the date of my awakening along with some basic personal details.

The level measurement turned out simpler than I'd expected. I just stood in front of a machine for a moment, and it finished instantly—like getting an X-ray.

The staff member flipped through the tablet and said,

"All that's left is registering your awakening ability."

Here it comes. I swallowed hard.

"It's not mandatory, but registering your ability unlocks a number of benefits. Fee reductions at the hunter shops, equipment support, and selection for tailored training programs are the main ones."

After checking my age, the staff continued,

"You're still only twenty-two, Mr. Yoon Jiseong. If you'd like, you can also apply for special admission into the Hunter Department at Korea University as an awakened individual."

Of course, that only applied if I registered the ability, the staff added.

"Even if you register, the information isn't made public. Only the Administration holds it, so you can rest easy."

My primary goal was the Hunter Department at Korea University anyway.

Tuition support was a given, and it would open major doors later—whether into the Administration itself or one of the big guilds.

Just having that on your record counted as a career in its own right.

Though the real prize is the connections.

I nodded.

"Yes. I'll register."

"Excellent choice. I'll escort you to the ability measurement room, then."

The staff member tidied the tablet and rose from the seat.

We moved deeper inside along the corridor. A red light reading "In Progress" glowed above the measurement room door.

"Please wait a moment."

I sat in the chair as instructed. After a few minutes the red light went out and the door opened.

A man emerged looking thoroughly dejected.

Did he get a low rank?

Hunter ranks could be raised later through training or leveling, but innate factors still mattered a great deal.

Talent with mana and any special awakening abilities played major roles in the ranking.

A berserker got better treatment than a plain swordsman; a mage with some fancy modifier attached ranked higher than an ordinary one.

I once saw a hunter on the community boards who'd awakened an ability called "Sparkle." All it did was make his body glow. His mana wasn't bad, yet he'd still been slapped with a straight F-rank.

If I told them my real ability, I'd probably start at the maximum initial rank of C. But that would definitely bring a mountain of trouble.

Besides, there was no way to prove it.

Start talking about bonds or worlds inside manga and I'd end up in a psych evaluation instead of an ability test.

I stepped into the measurement room.

A man in a black shirt pushed his glasses up and spoke.

"Hello. I'm Hong Seokmin, head of the Measurement Department, in charge of awakening ability assessments."

"Yes. Hello."

"What is your ability, Mr. Yoon Jiseong?"

"Thief. Skills are Stealth and Dagger Arts."

"Two skills right from the start? Excellent. We'll move straight to the demonstration phase, then."

Seokmin stood and casually clasped his hands behind his back.

"Attack me."

"……Excuse me?"

I froze, staring at him.

I'd always heard ability demonstrations used dummies.

"Ah, I should explain. Since I took over measurements, the procedure has changed a little. This method is more accurate."

His expression never shifted as he continued.

"I am an A-class hunter. There's no chance of me being injured by a low-level awakener, so feel free to show off your ability to your heart's content. Even if you kill me right here, Mr. Yoon Jiseong, it will cause you absolutely no trouble. If you can manage it, that is."

……I could kill him?

The delivery was flat, yet the words sent a chill down my spine.

"You awakened today, so you're level 1, correct?"

"No. Level 5."

"……My apologies. I did receive the information, but I only glanced at it……."

He lowered his head and tapped the tablet a few times.

"It's been quite a while since I've seen a combat-type awakener raise their level without hunting monsters. That sort of thing is usually limited to crafting types."

He shrugged and looked back at me.

"Reaching level 5 in a single day is impressive speed, but it won't interfere with the demonstration. You may begin whenever you're ready."

Seokmin clasped his hands behind his back again and simply watched me.

Even without revealing my true ability, I had no intention of settling for a low rank.

An urge rose to wipe that smug, leisurely look off his face and replace it with surprise.

If I can just leave a single scratch…… Wait. I don't have a weapon.

I'd completely forgotten. Seeing Hikaru following the original route had made me rush.

Embarrassing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠as it was, this was the only option left.

"……I, uh, didn't bring a dagger. Would it be possible to borrow one?"

The Administration had to keep spare weapons around.

A guy who'd registered Dagger Arts showing up empty-handed for a demonstration deserved a scolding, but Seokmin simply nodded without complaint.

"Of course."

He extended a hand, and the shape of a dagger gradually formed.

Once it solidified, he gave it a few experimental swings, then walked over and handed it to me with surprising courtesy.

"Here you are. No need to return it. Once I reclaim the mana, it will simply vanish."

"……Thank you."

Watching him casually create a dagger made something click.

This man already lived in a completely different world from mine.

Leaving a wound was out of the question—I doubted I could even land a clean hit.

Still, looking at Seokmin, I felt a small pulse in my chest. A quiet hunger.

I want to live in a world like that too.

The dagger's grip felt perfect. I'd never held a weapon in my life, yet instinct told me exactly how to swing it.

I took a deep breath. Tension drained away, leaving only focus on the present moment.

"Then… I'll begin."

The instant I bowed my head and spoke—

I vanished.

The window of invisibility lasted only seven seconds. I sprinted diagonally straight at him.

Seokmin's expression remained unchanged.

Why so calm? Had he already sensed my position? Then I should change the angle of attack—

"You're overthinking it."

"……!"

Just ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠as I tried to circle behind him, Seokmin suddenly turned and looked straight at me.

I swung the dagger on pure reflex, but his collar moved like a living thing and deflected the blade.

I managed to keep the dagger from flying out of my hand, yet my arm rang with a sharp jolt and trembled violently.

"I'm not here to evaluate your experience, Mr. Yoon Jiseong. Someone who was an ordinary civilian until yesterday can't suddenly become a skilled fighter."

The stiffened collar softened again. He brushed dust from his clothes with one hand.

"What I want to measure is the awakening ability itself."

I forced strength back into my shaking hand. Seokmin smiled quietly at the sight.

"This time, don't think. Trust the ability."

I adjusted my grip on the dagger.

Seokmin marveled inwardly.

Stealth itself was rare enough, but completely erasing presence as well as appearance through the skill alone—that was a first in his experience.

The gulf between him and Jiseong was vast. Even so, for that brief moment he had needed to consciously focus his senses just to locate the young man.

This can be rated quite highly. Once the skill levels further, even hunters with sharp senses won't detect him easily.

But he would share that assessment only after the full demonstration.

Stealth is confirmed. Next is Dagger Arts.

In that case, using a dagger himself would draw out the ability more effectively.

What kind of movement would someone who had never swung a dagger before display after suddenly acquiring the skill?

Kang! Kaaang!

Daggers of identical material clashed in rapid succession.

Jiseong used only basic thrusts and slashes. His footwork was clumsy, yet the trajectory of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his blade tip was clean—no wasted motion.

Roughly the level of someone who had trained exclusively with daggers for several months.

About the right level, then.

It would become useful once he gained a few more levels, but daggers were inherently better against people than monsters.

Once he realized they didn't work well on monsters, he might branch into something else.

Worth putting on the observation list, at least.

The thought had barely formed when—

"……!"

Jiseong's dagger grazed his cheek. A hot sting snapped him fully alert.

What?

The distance should have been safe.

He had deliberately suppressed his physical stats to match Jiseong's for the measurement, but his combat instincts and reflexes remained intact.

Even with an unfamiliar weapon, allowing a hit from a mere level-5 hunter made no sense.

Yet Jiseong's dagger coiled like a snake again and shot toward him.

"Kh."

Kaaang!

For the first time, Seokmin stepped back. He recovered his balance instantly, but Jiseong's assault never paused.

Thump-thump.

Had his heart ever raced like this while conducting a measurement?

Good.

The corner of Seokmin's mouth curled upward.

He lifted his gaze and found Jiseong fully immersed in the fight, breathing hard.

At this level, even if the skill itself was limited, he could ease the physical restrictions a little more.

Show me what else you're hiding.

Raw gemstone, or just a lucky rookie?

He would know the limits in a few more minutes.