Seong Ha-yun's Frozen Test
Seong Ha-yun watched Seo Han-gyeol's footsteps as he wandered the beer aisle this time, her gaze sharp and unwavering. A confident smile crept across her face. Ordinary people don't walk quietly. More precisely, they don't even think about it. But Seo Han-gyeol? Not a single sound from his feet touching the floor.
Definitely that guy.
—Swoosh... Even though he was clearly walking, only the whisper of wind. It meant he'd reduced the friction coefficient with the ground to nearly zero percent.
He's using ki concealment instinctively. Not conscious control—it's ingrained in his instincts.
Having seen all sorts of sights in Atlas's strategic division, Seong Ha-yun had encountered a few of this type before. The posers desperately flaunt their mana because they can't hide it, but the real deal goes out of their way to conceal it. Rookies show gaps even when deploying learned techniques, but the pros never waste a single ordinary motion.
By that measure, Seo Han-gyeol was unmistakably the real deal.
In truth, he was using it purely on instinct. It was just that today was the first time he'd properly activated [Organization], so he hadn't quite figured out the on/off switch. Thanks to that, it was like a half-turned faucet dripping water nonstop—Seo Han-gyeol was unconsciously scattering the effects of [Organization] all around him.
Blissfully ignorant of the truth, Seong Ha-yun could only infer instinctive ki concealment. Regardless, she berated herself for mistaking him for a civilian at first glance when they'd met. No mana had registered at all.
The day after first spotting Seo Han-gyeol, while working at Atlas, it suddenly hit her.
Something's off.
No matter how civilian he was,
Is it even possible for mana to converge to absolute zero...?
Only after her personal investigation did Seong Ha-yun gain certainty.
Absolutely impossible.
Unless the person themselves was actively hiding their mana, that is.
Civilian my ass—the stray dogs are laughing. Even asked that crazy bald badass, and he confirmed it.
The crazy bald guy. Or "Mibak" for short. Seong Ha-yun's colleague Mibak had said that no matter how confident you were in mana manipulation, reducing external detection to zero was damn near impossible. If someone could pull that off...
'Gray Agent.'
The vanguard of the Punishment Enforcement Bureau. After the gates opened, they'd slipped into the cracks between arrogant Red Hunters and corrupt corporations, shoving knives into wounds to finish the job. PEB's war banners, an insane special forces unit where every member was at least a 3rd-rank hunter.
Nothing less would make sense. Even the best assassin I've ever seen couldn't conceal themselves that perfectly.
That was when it happened.
"Check, please."
Seo Han-gyeol approached like a breeze, setting fried chicken and a few cans of beer on the counter. Seong Ha-yun's eyes widened at the sight.
When the hell did he get here?
And she'd been watching the whole time! Even she, a 3rd-rank hunter, had lost track of his presence for a moment. Mobility bordering on teleportation!
Of course, it was merely because his still-active [Organization] had half-stabilized the surrounding air, letting him move with eerie silence. Unaware of that, Seong Ha-yun swallowed hard in tension but slipped into her cool part-timer facade on the surface.
"Right away~. [Spicy-Sweet Fried Chicken], XX Beer 4-can set, and—"
Beep beep. She mechanically scanned the barcodes. But inwardly, she was half-convinced Seo Han-gyeol was a Gray Agent.
Still, a sliver of doubt remained, so she decided to test his reaction one last time.
Let's see how he responds.
"Oh, we're out of plastic bags. Hang on, I'll grab some from the back."
"No need. I'll carry it like this."
Finally able to drop his psycho act, a relaxed Seo Han-gyeol responded indifferently.
Nice.
Seong Ha-yun, who'd been waiting for exactly that, smirked inwardly.
"Here you go~."
Freeze.
—Shhh...
Smiling, she handed over the beer infused with her ability. If a normal hunter touched it without countermeasures, it'd freeze solid. Toward that beer came Seo Han-gyeol's large hand, slowly approaching.
"Thank you."
Staring at the large hand with veins bulging, Seong Ha-yun reflexively thought,
...Tch. Kinda hot.
A Gray Agent in hiding, buying convenience store beer and fried chicken. The blend of the extraordinary and mundane was a perfect strike for Seong Ha-yun's mischievous nature. She quickly shook off the thought, though. It was hard to suppress her rising curiosity.
No, no. Focus on the reaction first.
In a world slowed by extreme focus, Seo Han-gyeol finally gripped the beer!
Got it.
And...!
Now what?!
"Thanks. I'll be back."
Ding.
"......Uh, sure."
??? Nothing happened.
She, a hunter with the epithet [Ice Wall], had cooled the beer—not full power, but enough to mess someone up badly—and he'd just... taken it casually and left.
What the hell just happened...?
Seong Ha-yun could only stare blankly at Seo Han-gyeol's retreating back, his steps light and carefree.
When a firmly held law shatters, people often deny reality. But Seong Ha-yun didn't stop at denial. Having brushed death countless times in high-rank gates, she had the courage to face even the unbelievable.
Confusion swiftly turned to shock. Realizing what had just occurred, her mouth fell open.
Even a high-rank hunter should have flinched, damn it.
But not even a twitch?!
Nothing had happened. Or rather, it looked like nothing had happened. But she'd definitely used her ability to chill the beer. So there was only one answer.
He'd perfectly nullified her ability.
And not in some crude way, either. There were two ways to neutralize someone else's ability:
Shatter it, or control it.
Overpower it with brute force to smash the ability's core and halt its effect, or analyze exactly how it warped reality and block it. The latter was overwhelmingly harder.
From where his hand touched, a thin layer of ability spread over the entire can.
Like wrapping trash in a plastic bag... The chill that could turn boiling lava to ice was trapped behind that single, thin membrane. And she'd been right in front of it, yet hadn't even noticed at the time.
Refined. Elegant.
Techniques honed to the extreme sometimes moved people to awe. Like a ramen master's flame control after a lifetime, or a fishmonger's knife work feeding a family. For the first time, Seong Ha-yun found another hunter's skill beautiful.
A strange glint entered her dazed eyes. She recalled the Nebula employee card that had peeked from his wallet during checkout.
Is a Gray Agent infiltrating Nebula? Or did he switch after retiring?
Either way, it was thrilling enough to drive her mad. Whether PEB raided Nebula, or the [Vault Keeper] had lured a former Gray Agent. It was plenty to excite Seong Ha-yun.
The clincher was his eyes.
All a mask.
Seong Ha-yun had accidentally nailed the answer on a 500-choice multiple-choice question.
Weaklings flaunt power needlessly, but not him. The eyes of someone who finds everything a hassle but has no choice but to live.
Bonus points on top. Finally, she arrived at a hypothesis. Her superhuman intuition screamed yes.
He sees the world as toys or parts. That's the only difference between us. I play with toys for fun; he assembles parts efficiently.
...She'd nailed the answer and nearly snagged the bonus.
Lacking crucial info, Seong Ha-yun never dreamed of the true answer: a possessed guy with a heaven-dropped [Organization] ability. Instead, she scribbled an essay answer on a near-perfect multiple-choice.
Everything he's doing is a disguise. Whether for fun like me, or some other reason, he's a high-rank hunter hiding his identity to drink convenience store beer. Or maybe the [Vault Keeper]'s pet?
Zero points.
Whatever. Seong Ha-yun savored the dopamine rush hitting her brain, flashing a charming smile toward the direction Seo Han-gyeol had vanished.
Getting more curious by the minute. Alright, next time, something more stimulating.
No matter what Seong Ha-yun schemed, the gift recipient was sure to hate it.
The next day. My first golden Saturday since joining Nebula. I didn't drag myself out of bed until evening.
Bingeing backlog anime and webtoons all day had left my eyes dry and gritty.
"Ugh, starving."
Was it because I'd watched the episode where Magical Girl Mikaru finally reached the demon king's castle? Gripped with tension, I'd forgotten my hunger entirely.
Gotta hit the convenience store.
I'd checked the discount calendar when buying beer yesterday. Chicken skewers were on sale today.
Whistling, I threw on some clothes and headed to my usual spot. It was close to home and on the way to work—perfect access.
At the store, I grabbed chicken skewers and odds and ends, then checked out. The same girl from yesterday smiled as she rang me up.
Wow, working weekends too?
Hard worker.
I lacked the guts to say it to her face—this ethereal blue-haired, blue-eyed beauty who seemed straight out of an alien fantasy. So it stayed in my head.
UwU... Pretty girls scare me.
Plus, maybe because I'd been around Chairman Seol Hwi lately? Being near her just felt chilling.
Shiver.
Like the air around me dropping a few degrees. After paying, I sat at the table right outside the store, skewering hot-off-the-fryer chicken with a
Pop!
"Kyaah!"
PepX Zero.
Common misconception: convenience stores aren't regular eateries.
Drinking here is against the rules.
Couldn't add to the burden of a weekend part-timer. Lost in devouring the skewers,
"Nom!"
"?"
The part-timer who'd been inside zipped out and snatched a piece of chicken.
Eh? In my shock at the absurdity, my mind jumped to the worst-case scenario.
Gorgeous part-timer → shares chicken → police report → life ruined.
Aaaargh!
I despaired internally. No other possibilities crossed my mind. What else would a beauty like her want from me besides hush money?
I'd rot in a cold cell, regretting that uneaten chicken chunk. You're late..., police. Keep this up, and I'll cry? Gonna make a grown man ugly-cry right outside your store?
Clueless to my inner meltdown, the part-timer flashed a smile so fresh it brightened anyone who saw it.
Twirl. She spun lightly, long straight hair lagging a beat behind.
"Tasty! You've got a knack for picking food, mister!"
Eh. Not as bad as I thought?
"...Thanks for the compliment."
My chicken skewers...
I mumbled glumly, and the pretty part-timer grinned mischievously.
"Hehe. Don't be like that. New 1+1 deal tomorrow—I'll snag some for you. As thanks for the chicken skewer!"
Jackpot. Tomorrow's item? [Gumaguma Sweet Potato Castella]. My fave snack since high school.
I had to fight to keep my lips from curling up. Smiling at something like this would look pathetic...
"Noted. That's a promise."
"Of course! But next time, buy me a beer, okay?"
? Why me?
I flapped my mouth uselessly, and she beamed, pointing to her name tag.
"Seong! Ha! Yun!"
"?"
"From now on, no more 'hey you' or 'part-timer.' Call me Seong Ha-yun!"
"......"
Aaah... This is what an extrovert looks like. Us mega-introverts could never bridge that gap in a million years.
