Chapter 6
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Ability Measurement (2)
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A low hum rang out.
A short activation sound echoed, and mana began to flow. After a few seconds, an effect sound chimed, and the results appeared on the large monitor.
The moment the results appeared, the testing room fell into complete silence.
No one could bring themselves to speak easily. The staff member who had guided my hand to the handle was the first to react.
"...It seems there was an error. Let's run the test again."
A low hum rang out. Ding!
Of course, the results didn't change even after rerunning the test.
"...Awakener Lee Da-yoon. Does the information on the screen match your status window?"
"Pardon? Yes. It's exactly the same."
Those words were like the final nail in the coffin. Everyone in the testing room stopped what they were doing and stared blankly at the monitor.
Two entirely new ranks, whose existence hadn't even been known until now, were emblazoned on the screen.
In the stifling silence broken only by breathing, the loudest sound was my own heartbeat.
Thump-thump. Thump-thump.
What happens now? Will they grab me and experiment on me? Turn me into a slave forging weapons? Start dissecting me to copy my abilities? I hear Dragon Heart is an incredible material.
All sorts of wild imaginings flashed through my mind. Anxiety made my tail tap against the floor—tap, tap.
"Um, excuse me..."
The first to break the silence was the staff member who had stood closest to me, the one who'd explained the measurement process.
"Awakener Lee Da-yoon. Please... just wait a moment. I'll go fetch the director."
He fumbled for his phone and hurried out of the testing room.
No one dared approach me, but all eyes were fixed on me.
Less than three minutes later, the door to the testing room flew open, and a middle-aged man rushed inside.
Sweat beaded on his forehead, clearly from sprinting over.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Director Joo Deok-hwan of the Awakener Management Bureau."
He bowed deeply to me the moment he saw me. It was a surreal sight—a middle-aged man over 180cm tall bowing to someone under 140cm like me.
"Uh... hello?"
And then, shocking words came from Director Joo Deok-hwan's mouth.
"First, as director of the Awakener Management Bureau, I want to sincerely apologize for what happened today."
"Huh?"
I blurted out a dumbfounded response in my confusion. It was hard to accept that Korea's top authority figure was bowing and apologizing to me.
"Due to a misunderstanding on our part, agents were hastily dispatched to your residence, causing an unfortunate incident. It may not be enough compensation, but on behalf of the Bureau, we will provide you with the utmost conveniences."
'...Conveniences?'
I couldn't comprehend the director's words. Instead of locking me away, they were offering conveniences? Did they already know my true identity and were just trying to win me over upon seeing SSS-rank?
"The broken furniture, windows, and such will be handled as quickly as possible—no, within the hour. If you wish, we can immediately provide Bureau-owned housing."
"No... is this for real?"
The unbelievable situation left me stunned. But Director Joo Deok-hwan's words didn't end there. He pulled a black smartphone from his pocket.
"And this phone has the direct line of your assigned handler, so feel free to contact them if you need anything."
With that, I finally started to grasp the situation.
'Am I... being treated way better than I thought?'
I'd heard that non-combat awakeners weren't easy to level up and didn't protect people directly like hunters, so their status was lower.
But those three letters—SSS—seemed more than enough to shatter that notion.
Once I realized that, confidence surged. I'd thought of myself as the weak one all this time, but actually, I was the super VIP!
First, I took the phone from Director Joo and decided to negotiate a bit more aggressively.
"About that housing and other needs... can I tell you later?"
"Yes. Feel free to let us know anytime."
Good. Not a now-or-never deal—relief.
"Then... can I go home now?"
"Yes, of course. We'll prepare a dedicated vehicle right away. Ah, and please take this."
He handed me a stiff card that reflected a hologram.
"This is...?"
"Your Awakener registration card. Use it like an ID."
The card had my photo—taken somehow—my name, and an officially assigned Awakener number.
Now that I had the registration card, it finally felt real that I'd become an awakener. And that I wouldn't have to worry about the government plucking my scales.
"Then, can I leave now?"
"Yes. Allow me to escort you."
Director Joo guided me like he was the lowest-ranking staffer. We reached the underground parking lot. Once alone with me, he whispered,
"For any identity issues, call me directly, and I'll handle it however you wish."
That sent a chill down my spine. The top brass knew I was the adult 'Lee Da-yoon.' What a terrifying organization.
'And saying this now... means they won't fully let go of control, huh.'
It sounded like they'd suppress or expose my identity if needed. Better not rely solely on the Bureau's support.
The prepared vehicle pulled up. I climbed into the back seat and glanced at Director Joo. Behind his smile, I could almost see him calculating the gains and losses from me.
"Have a safe trip home. I'll be waiting for your call anytime."
"...Yes."
After exchanging a tense glance with him, I settled into the moving car. Maybe because so much had happened in such a short time, drowsiness hit me the moment I sat down.
Eh, the driver will wake me when we arrive.
Too sleepy to do anything else.
I drifted off to sleep just like that.
...
"...ma'am."
"Hah?!"
A short while later, an unfamiliar voice jolted me awake.
"We've arrived, Awakener Lee Da-yoon."
I soon realized it was the female staffer who'd driven me here.
Sure enough, outside the window was the familiar alley near my studio apartment.
As I reached for the door handle, it opened automatically before I touched it. The driver had already stopped and was offering her hand to escort me.
I took her hand and stepped out.
"Have a great day, Awakener Lee Da-yoon."
She gave a polite bow and drove off.
'Oh yeah, they said the Bureau fixed up the place?'
From the outside, the broken windows looked perfectly fine, but I wasn't sure about inside.
If there's an issue, I can call the Bureau and crash at a hotel while they clean it up. I've got money now, after all.
"Ooh?"
Climbing the stairs with that in mind, I entered my room—and it was astonishingly clean.
No glass shards anywhere, the broken frame replaced, the floor spotless without a speck of dust.
The Bureau really is the Bureau, huh? Maybe they have an awakener specialized in cleaning.
Lost in trivial thoughts, I flopped onto the bed. Things had been too hectic until now, but there was something I'd vowed to do once I awakened.
Instead of the new phone, I picked up my original cracked one from the charger.
And logged in not with the new 'Golden Hand' account, but my familiar old one.
"If you've awakened, this is a must-do."
The thing I'd sworn to accomplish upon awakening was...
[Awakening Success Impressions]
[King of the Unemployed]
Life's done a complete 180 lololololol Right now heading back from Awakener registration
Celebrating with chicken deep-dish pizza giveaway—first come, first served!
Bullshit
Was fun while it lasted. Head on up to the next stage.
This bastard actually awakened???
Consistent poster tracking... wait, not anymore ffs what is this
A few seconds later, comment notifications started flooding my phone.
Disbelievers, cheerleaders, the shocked—all reactions varied, but they had one thing in common.
They were pumping me full of dopamine.
"Heehee... heeheehee...!"