The Special Ability of Seong Yohan
The phone call that came out of nowhere that morning was from the Hunter Management Department.
Hunter Management Department… commonly known as the Hunter Bureau. A government agency. Most people only knew it as the office that issued hunter licenses, but in reality, its true purpose was to collect vast amounts of data on hunters—their personal information, ability rankings, commonly used formulas, weaknesses, and more—then use that information to “manage” these superhuman beings. And if any of the hunters under their supervision committed crimes or deviated from the rules, they would dispatch specially trained agents optimized for combat to apprehend them.
‘…Just like what happened with Calathea.’
Anyway, unless it was time to renew a license, it was a department whose name you normally never wanted to hear. So why on earth were they contacting me?
[Hello. Am I speaking with Guild Master Seong Yohan of Trinity?]
“Yes, that’s me. And who am I speaking to…?”
[This is the Hunter Bureau. We’re calling regarding official business.]
I chewed on my lip, doubting my own ears.
Theoretically, the government did hold authority over managing the subjugation of Gates, which were national disasters. But since it was impossible for the government to personally allocate every single Gate that appeared across the country, they had long ago transferred those duties to the Hunter Association to guarantee hunters’ autonomy.
And yet here they were, shoving that authority right in my face.
[As you know, the Prisoner Corps has no right to refuse.]
They even threw in the final nail with perfect politeness.
“First, let me ask a few questions. Are you really from the Hunter Bureau? May I have your name and position?”
[I’m afraid I cannot disclose that. Given the special nature of our agents, I believe you already understand, Mr. Seong Yohan. If you’re truly suspicious, you may hang up and contact the official Hunter Bureau number to verify.]
“…There’s no need for that.”
I’d rather it had been a phishing scam than a direct call from the Hunter Bureau.
“Then let me ask one more thing. An A-rank Gate subjugation doesn’t require the manpower of our Prisoner Corps, does it? Why would you bypass the Association entirely and specifically request the Prisoner Corps for a job that other guilds would be dying to bid on?”
[Haha, bypass? Not at all. We at the Hunter Bureau simply wish to establish more efficient communication with the Prisoner Corps.]
The words flowed like water, but his true intention—to use the Bureau to keep the Association in check—was painfully obvious. At least when it came to our Prisoner Corps.
They’d been in bed together for years. Why rock the boat now? There had to be something I wasn’t aware of…
[And the reason we’re specifically requesting the Prisoner Corps is that our superiors want results.]
“Results… already?”
The man answered in a perfectly calm voice.
[Of course. Hasn’t it already been several weeks since the Prisoner Corps was established? It’s about time you showed us some tangible results so we can rest easy.]
“I suppose so… yes…”
[Just to be sure—there isn’t any reason you cannot proceed with the subjugation, is there?]
“Ah, no. Of course not.”
The subtle tone that said you’d better not was unmistakable. If I got on the Hunter Bureau’s bad side now, they could easily replace Calathea and Audrey—who had finally started listening to me—with other prisoners. Or worse, they might hand the management of the Prisoner Corps over to someone else.
Of course, I’d love nothing more than to throw this damn job away, but…
…Why does this feel so fucking awful?
When I imagined another man taking my place and living under the same roof with Calathea and Audrey, a powerful wave of rejection washed over me. Maybe it was because we’d been living together, eating together, sleeping under the same roof for so long that I’d grown attached despite myself.
Yeah… that had to be it.
[I’m glad there are no issues. We will send the official documents regarding the subjugation to your secretary separately. The deadline is one week from today, so please do your best.]
The call ended.
“Manager, what was that phone call about? I’ve never heard you sound so serious before.”
I stared blankly at the phone in my hand for a moment, then said,
“…Call Audrey and get ready to go out. We’re heading straight to the training room.”
“Wait, we’re not even eating? Manager…!”
I quickly stood up and began preparing to move to the training room.
We only have one week before we’re all completely fucked…
I had to get the two of them ready to enter the field somehow. I needed to finish preparations within five days at the latest.
Around noon that same day, in the center’s communal training room.
“Hey, Manager. How long do we have to keep doing this ‘getting the feel back’ crap? Can’t we just go take care of that request from the Hunter Bureau real quick?”
“I agree. For people like us, an A-rank Gate should be more than enough.”
The two of them, who had been repeatedly practicing formula deployment on targets, turned to look at me and began to complain.
…If it were that simple, do you think I’d be making you do this kind of training?
I knew that meditating while facing a wall to refine existing formulas or endlessly beating up training dummies wasn’t fun. But right now, it was a necessary process for us.
Of course, there had been visible results.
On the first day, Audrey had struggled with timing even when freezing and shattering a single target. Now she could rapidly hit and destroy five targets in a row with mana bullets. And Calathea…
“Plus you won’t even let me blow anything up! How long do I have to keep beating these things with a baseball bat?!”
She was currently turning a training dummy into pulp with a mana-reinforced baseball bat, just like always. She’d seemed to enjoy smashing dummies with the bat at first, but after repeating it so many times, she was clearly getting sick of it.
Still, this process was necessary not just for them, but for me as well.
Specifically, for my Special Ability.
“Alright, I guess it’s time I explained. The real reason I was put in charge of the Prisoner Corps.”
“…What are you suddenly talking about, Manager?”
Both Calathea and Audrey tilted their heads in confusion. That confusion quickly turned into shock.
“W-what the…?”
“Right now… ugh, is the Manager doing this…?”
“It’s nothing weird, so just stay still.”
With my hand stretched toward them, I focused all my attention on the threads of mana I was sending into their bodies. From the back of their necks, I slowly pushed in invisible threads of mana, connecting them, then gently and evenly poured my own mana along the ‘mana circuits’ that spread through a hunter’s body like capillaries.
The mana that flowed in wrapped around Calathea and Audrey’s mana circuits like a coating, covering every inch from the center to the extremities without missing a single spot.
After what felt both short and long,
“Hoo… It’s been a while. This is pretty tiring.”
I had successfully overlaid my mana over all the mana circuits inside both of their bodies. For a brief moment, I felt as if my body had become three separate entities before the sensation slowly faded.
“…Listen carefully. I’m a hunter who possesses a Special Ability. It lets me read a hunter’s mana flow in real time and support their formula deployment with my own mana.”
“The Manager has a Special Ability…? You’re joking, right?”
“I was told such abilities are extremely rare. Almost—”
“It’s closer to a superpower.”
Of course, even normal hunter abilities would have been called superpowers in the world before Gates appeared. But even in today’s world where such things were taken for granted, there were abilities that defied understanding. Those were the Special Abilities.
They were mysterious powers that even humans who wielded mana—an energy capable of twisting natural laws—could not intentionally replicate. Even the user themselves could not fully comprehend the underlying principles and simply performed them on an instinctive level.
“But no matter how special the ability is… is it really possible to assist someone else’s formula deployment?”
I nodded at Audrey.
“You know that your abilities manifest through the mana that moves according to your imaging. I simply track those movements in real time and help the flow with my own mana.”
“Hmm, so to summarize the Manager’s complicated explanation?”
“To summarize…”
Depending on the level of synchronization with the target, I could amplify the deployment speed of formulas by up to double. I could also increase the maximum amount of usable mana by using my own as a reserve battery.
In short, it meant I could elevate Calathea and Audrey to beyond S-rank.
“…A cheat ability like that can actually exist?”
“It’s standing right here.”
I pointed at myself and shrugged.
“Of course, since I’m unilaterally following your mana flow, I need to know exactly how you usually move your mana… and our breathing has to be perfectly in sync so I can respond even to impromptu movements.”
The reason I had been watching them use their abilities nonstop wasn’t just to help them regain the feel they’d lost during their imprisonment. The bigger reason was to observe them.
I needed to learn every little habit, every preferred method of formula deployment.
“Hey, what happens if our breathing doesn’t match and it fails halfway?”
“If you try to reject my mana, or if I can’t keep up with the tempo… the two different streams of mana will run wild inside your bodies, and the backlash will hit me. If that happens in the middle of combat, it would be extremely dangerous.”
“Hmmm… I see.”
Calathea still looked half-doubtful about my ability. Meanwhile, Audrey had been quietly thinking about something before she raised her hand slightly and asked,
“If what the Manager says is true, it really is an unbelievable ability. To be able to read someone else’s formula and assist its flow… But if the Manager has an ability like this, why are you working alone like this?”
“Yeah, exactly! With an ability like what you described, shouldn’t other guilds be trying to snatch you up?”
“That’s because… my ability got a bad reputation among hunters as the power to control other hunters.”
I smiled faintly as I answered.
“Think about it. A hunter who can control your body at will… Even if they weren’t a hunter, no one would want someone like that near them, right? So I usually worked alone or joined other guilds’ raids as a mercenary.”
That was why I was so grateful to Baek Soyun, who silently stayed by my side. I could fully understand why she always proudly declared that the president only had me.
“But the Manager I know wouldn’t do anything so unethical.”
“Yeah, that’s true. He’s such a pure guy that he doesn’t even know what to do after just a kiss—”
“I did it.”
A brief silence fell. Calathea and Audrey blinked at me.
“…Huh? What did you say?”
“I said I’ve done the controlling before.”
Suddenly, a memory flooded my mind. A memory drenched in blood… one I wanted to forget but never could. The fading breath. The heartbeat growing slower and slower. The pain and sorrow flowing through the mana circuits… And my sister’s faint smile.
“Manager…?”
“…Let’s stop talking about this. I’m never going to do anything like that again anyway.”
Calathea and Audrey exchanged glances, silently communicating with their eyes, then nodded.
“Yeah, well. If that’s what the Manager says, then that’s how it is.”
“I’ll believe you too.”
Maybe it was because the two of them were psychopaths who only cared about their own emotions and paid no attention to others’, but they didn’t press me further even though it was obvious something had happened. They simply nodded readily.
At times like this, should I be grateful they were psychopaths, or should I feel disappointed?
I don’t particularly feel disappointed, though.
I smiled in relief and shrugged.
“Anyway, I’ve told you everything I can. Now it’s your turn to show me. Prove that you can do it.”
“Alright, I’ll have to make the Manager fall for me all over again♪”
“I’ll show you my beautiful form.”
“…Enough with the nonsense. Just get ready already.”
This time, instead of dummies, a large three-meter-tall monster model stood before Calathea and Audrey. Calathea held her baseball bat, Audrey her handgun. The way they stared at the target gave me a good feeling.
Maybe this time it would work?
“The goal is the complete destruction of the target’s right foot and left shoulder. After that, sever the tail and crush the head. You have to do all of this within ten seconds. Can you do it?”
“Just leave it to me!”
“I will succeed perfectly.”
The Prisoner Corps’ breathing synchronization training began with Calathea’s cheerful charge as she flashed me a V-sign and a bright smile.
And a short while later…
“Manager, who do you think caused the failure this time? It was Madness, right? Right?”
“It wasn’t my fault. It must be because of Calathea, whose movements have absolutely no aesthetic value whatsoever. …Right, Manager?”
I stood there, caught between Calathea—whose crop top shoulder had been frozen and torn by a graze from Audrey’s mana bullet—and Audrey, who had received a retaliatory punch and was now sulking heavily. I let out a deep sigh that felt like it could sink the ground beneath me.
I had to synchronize these walking disasters with each other, and then synchronize myself with them, all within a week.
Was that even possible…?