Chapter 5
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Ability Measurement
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"...So, after I gave the golden flame dagger to Hunter Kim Hwa-rin, suddenly a bunch of strangers broke into my house."
"I see. That must have been really scary."
When I came back to my senses, my stomach was stuffed full, and I'd already spilled every bit of information.
I hadn't gone into details about the skills, but I'd confessed everything from awakening and turning into a dragon to selling the weapon to Kim Hwa-rin because I was hungry.
'...This is bad.'
If things kept going like this, my identity would be exposed, and all my scales would be plucked off.
I had to find some way out of this mess. Somehow.
After racking my brains for a while, Jang Hee-yoon stood up from her seat.
"Da-yoon, sis has some urgent business to take care of, so I need to step out for a bit. You can stay here by yourself, right?"
"...Yes."
If my identity was already exposed, it was probably best to act obedient. With no other choice, I nodded.
"I'll be back in ten minutes, so just hang tight."
Jang Hee-yoon left through the door. And so began my solitary anguish.
What if the Management Bureau figured out who I really was? Should I run away?
If I ran, where to? Could I use my skills to escape?
What was the point of giving me those chocolate cookies?
Would it be okay to eat one more chocolate cookie?
What if I ate all the cookies?
"So, you're saying a new S-Rank awakener has appeared?"
In the meeting room thick with tension, Director Joo Deok-hwan posed the question.
"Yes. Presumed to be a creation-type awakener. They produced an A-Rank weapon without any special base materials."
"What...? An A-Rank weapon? Without base materials? Definitely S-Rank!"
At those words, Joo Deok-hwan inwardly cheered. As a former hunter, he knew better than anyone how vital weapons were.
Weapons for hunters were always in short supply. Items from dungeons came cursed by default, and creation-type awakeners' mana had limits.
Even with ample mana, crafting high-grade weapons required 'base materials' infused with mana.
If they truly made an A-Rank weapon without base materials, it could solve Korea's chronic weapon shortage for hunters.
"The problem is the age."
"Age? What about it?"
"Yes. As a 'polymorph-type' awakener, we couldn't confirm an exact age, but based on height, we're estimating around ten years old."
"Hmmm..."
Joo Deok-hwan swallowed a groan at his subordinate's report.
He'd been thrilled at the emergence of a presumed S-Rank, but ten years old? Disappointment was inevitable.
'What's to become of Korea's fate...? Even if they were just an adult in age, that would have been fine.'
The government provided as much support as possible, but countless awakeners still defected overseas.
Especially minors, often pushed by parents to accept foreign offers. Joo Deok-hwan's mind filled with worries.
'Money won't cut it for support. An S-Rank can earn all they want anyway. Need other incentives...'
And even if they didn't lose them, problems remained.
No matter the unrest, they couldn't deploy a ten-year-old in the field. Using mana and skills strained the body. They needed to hold out another decade with current forces.
"...For now, we'll focus on nurturing them as best we can. We absolutely cannot let them go overseas. Young age means higher risk, so manage carefully. Assume up to twenty percent of the Management Bureau budget for support."
The meeting room stayed grim despite the S-Rank news. Then, two staff members entered one after another.
"Additional info on the awakener!"
"I have news about the S-Rank awakener."
Joo Deok-hwan nodded, hoping for good tidings.
"Right. You first, Awakener Jang Hee-yoon."
"Yes. Conducted a brief psych analysis and Q&A on presumed S-Rank awakener Lee Da-yoon. Hunter Kim Hwa-rin's account checks out completely."
"Anything else?"
Jang Hee-yoon paused before continuing.
"And Lee Da-yoon's mental age seems to be at preschool level."
"What...?"
Joo Deok-hwan let out a groan. An S-Rank with a preschooler's mental age? Truly regrettable.
"...I see. What about you?"
With regret, he turned to the other staffer.
"Uh... well..."
The subordinate trailed off oddly.
"We have to hear the bad news too. Out with it."
"Um... Awakener Lee Da-yoon is, uh, apparently an adult male?"
"Pardon?"
A bizarre atmosphere settled over the room. They'd seen photos of a child with horns, wings, and a tail—now an adult male?
And a preschool mental age adult male at that?
Incomprehensible info. Everyone focused on the staffer.
"Agents found no other awakeners inside or outside the house, and government database shows only one non-awakener: a 25-year-old male resident."
"So why conclude that?"
"...And that male's name was 'Lee Da-yoon'."
Silence lingered long after the words ended.
After dozens of seconds, Director Joo Deok-hwan spoke first.
"...So this girl is an adult male who became like this via awakening powers? Awakener Jang Hee-yoon, your thoughts?"
After a moment's fluster, Jang Hee-yoon offered her view.
"Two possibilities. One: Lee Da-yoon was gaslit by the male 'Lee Da-yoon'."
"Meaning a non-awakener brainwashed the girl and hid her perfectly from us? Unlikely. What's the other?"
"...Very rare, but polymorph-types completely losing original form post-awakening have been reported. Like the U.S. salamander case. And extreme infant regression post-awakening is documented, though rare."
"That's... still too improbable."
Both hypotheses strained belief—like a lottery winner surviving a lightning strike.
'But the latter has more credibility.'
After deep deliberation, Joo Deok-hwan decided.
"...For now, just do the rank test and send Awakener Lee Da-yoon home."
"Pardon? But..."
"If surveillance gets caught, the backlash would be huge. We already botched first impressions raiding the house. Want more risk?"
With scant info, the Bureau had to play passive. They'd mistaken it for a kidnapping, ruining their image—but no more mistakes from here.
"Treat them with utmost care, discreetly. Clamp down on media and locals. We've lost awakeners to attention before."
"Yes, sir. Relaying immediately."
"And the agents trashed windows and furniture? Clean the house ASAP if possible."
Behind Lee Da-yoon's back, efforts to win her over quietly began.
"...When the heck is she coming back?"
Jang Hee-yoon, who'd promised ten minutes, hadn't returned even after twenty.
Which led me, unknowingly, to devour a pile of unhealthy snacks.
A few minutes later, Jang Hee-yoon returned to the room.
"Sorry for being late. Must've been boring alone?"
Her gaze soon fell on the cookie crumbs and bags strewn across the desk.
"...You ate all the cookies?"
"I'm sorry..."
I hung my head. These were expensive snacks for kids, and I'd eaten them all— she must be upset. Fair reason to get mad.
"It's fine. We have plenty anyway. More importantly, there's a place I want you to come with me. Can you?"
"Yes."
I couldn't refuse after scarfing all her snacks, whatever the place.
Following Jang Hee-yoon out of the room, we walked the hall. Eyes poured in from all sides, burdensome. Especially not knowing our destination.
"Um, excuse me, where are we going?"
"Yeah, the Management Bureau folks want to check what amazing powers you have, so we're heading to the measurement room."
"Skill registration procedure."
A rite of passage for every Korean awakener: measure skills, assign ranks. Complete it, get officially registered, unlock tons of perks.
'Tax breaks, public job bonuses, vouchers—the works.'
One reason I'd desperately wanted to awaken. Plus, they issued ID proving awakener status—super appealing.
But now, I wasn't sure I'd enjoy any of it.
Instead, visions of imprisonment as a "criminal," scales plucked for weapon factory fodder haunted me.
"We're here."
Soon, I entered the skill measurement room.
"Awakener Lee Da-yoon, correct?"
"Yes."
A few uniformed staff tinkered with machines and typed on computers.
"Please step onto this platform."
The process was simple: stand on the platform, grip both handles. That revealed power rank and name.
"Grip both handles, please."
What reaction would the Management Bureau have upon learning my powers? Turn powerless me into a weapon factory? Or accommodate based on rank?
Half expectant, half anxious, I grasped the handles on either side.