Chapter 3
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: I'm Impotent?!
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The revolving door spun ceaselessly with a constant whir.
The first-floor lobby of the Hunter Association's Gangnam Branch.
This place was no different from the inside of a massive blender.
Sweat, the metallic tang of blood.
And voices rising nearly to shouts, all mingling to cloud the air.
Damn hunters... There were just too many rough ones, and that was the problem.
'When I first started working here, I really struggled.'
I glanced sideways at the clock in the corner of my monitor.
2:14 p.m.
The cursed hour when the caffeine had drained from my veins and my blood sugar was hitting rock bottom.
I dropped my gaze and shuffled through the papers.
"So what I'm saying is! Why the hell is the by-product settlement ratio such garbage?!"
Spit flew beyond the reinforced glass.
A C-Rank hunter with a thick jawbeard was slamming his fist on the desk.
Bam! The monitor trembled with the thud.
I instinctively pushed up my glasses with my index finger.
My eyes remained fixed on the regulations manual without a flicker.
"Hunter, per Article 4, Clause 2 of Association rules, if there's no distribution agreement among party members, contributions are calculated via the automated system. If you feel wronged, bring your party leader or file a civil suit."
"What? A lawsuit? Did this woman just say all that?"
"And you've just damaged the desk. You'll be charged for property destruction. 240,000 won."
"......"
"Planning to make more of a scene? Accumulating penalty points won't do you any favors."
The man's mouth snapped shut.
So many hunters smashed desks that I'd memorized the price.
With a businesslike smile, I pulled up the invoice on my terminal.
My finger pressing enter carried only a brief, professional buffer lag.
"I need to handle the next person. Please leave."
The man huffed as he backed off.
I cracked open the drawer under my desk.
The hidden bag of bear-shaped gummies came into view.
I reached in, popped one into my mouth.
Chew chew.
As the soft gummy melted on my tongue, my frayed nerves eased just a fraction.
'I wanna go home......'
I inwardly chanted the phrase I'd screamed a thousand times before, one more time.
This damn Association was a warzone every single day.
Hot-blooded hunters thought volume solved everything.
Dealing with them made my humanity evaporate in real time.
What guardians of Earth? What knights?
Most were just dead-end lives who hunted monsters.
Ding-dong.
A clear chime rang from the ceiling speaker.
[Customer number 402, please proceed to window 3.]
I straightened in my seat.
Checked the waiting info on my monitor.
'New registration and info update.'
Relatively simple work.
Thank goodness.
A bit of time passed—
"Customer 402?"
My voice echoed through the lobby via the mic.
But the space in front of my window was empty.
I scanned the crowded waiting area.
No one stirred.
'Bathroom break?'
Common enough.
People grabbed their number tickets then stepped out for smokes or urgent calls.
I waited three seconds more, then hit the call button again.
Ding-dong.
"Customer 402, are you here?"
Still no response.
Or more precisely, no visible response.
"......Um, hello?"
Not from the speaker—from right beyond the reinforced glass, a tiny voice.
Frail and fragile, like a mosquito's wingbeat.
I tilted my head.
The nape of my neck prickled.
'What the?'
Stealth skill?
Sometimes mischievous thief-type hunters pulled invisibility pranks.
It always made my heart drop.
"Where are you?"
I craned my neck, peering left and right.
Still nothing.
The desk was high, built for burly hunters.
'To avoid eye-level equality that might make them look down on us. Establish hierarchy through spatial height.'
Men should at least show chest-up.
Women, a head peeking over.
But my view held only empty air.
'A really short hunter?'
Then.
Suddenly.
Something rose from below the marble desk.
A hand, pale to the point of whiteness.
Slender, long fingers waved hello-like. Whoosh whoosh.
The fingertips trembled faintly.
"Here...... I'm here."
A squeezed voice came through the glass again.
I shot up from my seat on reflex.
My chair scraped back with a drag.
I leaned over, peering beyond the desk.
"......!"
My breath caught.
'So small...!'
My heart began pounding wildly on its own.
'Cute!!!!!!'
There was a living being there.
Too small to call human,
Yet too vibrant for a doll.
First to catch my eye: silver.
Silver hair like threads spun from molten moonlight cascaded from her crown past her hips.
Beneath it, baggy black hoodie.
So oversized it looked like the clothes had devoured her.
The face peeking from the hood's shadow was unreal.
Skin white as dusted flour.
Golden eyes embedded above, staring up at me in fear.
'Insane.'
Something inside me snapped.
I gaped blankly, staring at the creature.
Businesslike reason? Manuals?
Those had run away from my brain cells long ago.
'Wanna hug her......'
It struck dead-center in my tastes with nuke-level force.
To think a creature cuter than my limited-edition bear doll 'Bebe' at home actually existed.
Look at those tiny fingers poking from the hoodie sleeves.
Having to raise her hand high because of her height—it was adorably pathetic.
As I spaced out staring, the girl rolled her eyes anxiously.
"Um......? Are you listening?"
"......Huh? Oh, yes!"
I snapped to.
Cleared my throat hastily, shoved up my glasses.
Professional.
I was a senior admin officer at the Gangnam Branch.
I couldn't lose composure over this.
'Get it together, Jin Su-bin.'
But I couldn't calm down.
Even sitting back, my eyes flicked to the girl.
What was she, really?
Didn't look like someone who'd come to the Hunter Association.
Our usual customers were musclebound brutes or sharp-eyed elites.
'Lost kid? Or looking for her hunter dad?'
That seemed logical.
I pitched my voice as kindly as possible.
Kindergarten teacher soothing a child mode.
"Little miss, what brings you here? Lost your parents?"
The girl's brows twitched.
A flash of bafflement—or absurdity?—crossed her golden eyes.
Silent, she rummaged in her pocket and held something out.
Thud.
Plastic card on the desk.
I picked it up.
[Hunter License]
[Name: Han Seo-ah]
[Rank: F]
"......Huh?"
A dumb sound leaked from my mouth.
It was real.
Anti-forgery hologram glittered under the ceiling lights.
Photo matched the girl before me perfectly.
No, the real thing was a million times cuter.
"You're...... the holder?"
"Yes."
Hunter Han Seo-ah replied in a creeping whisper.
She bowed her head; the hood slipped, half-hiding her face.
She looked like a rain-soaked kitten.
I pinched my thigh to suppress the urge to stuff a gummy from under the desk into her mouth.
"Ah, sorry. You look so young, I misspoke."
A hunter license meant at least 19.
I swiftly switched gears.
Hands on keyboard, back to work mode.
But my tone stayed two octaves higher than usual.
"What can I assist with, Hunter?"
Hunter Han Seo-ah hesitated, then spoke.
Lips pressing then parting, utterly cautious.
"Um...... I want to check what my ability is."
"Pardon?"
"I forgot."
"......Pardon?"
I stopped typing.
Forgot her ability?
Rarer than forgetting your own address.
Abilities engrave into your brain instinctively upon awakening.
Association tests confirmed it.
Maybe awakening aftereffects—memory loss?
Rare cases among F-Rank hunters.
Mana circuits overloading the brain, causing temporary cognitive issues.
'Poor thing......'
Pity stung my chest.
Such a small, fragile girl, tossed into the harsh hunter world without even her memories.
The world was unfair.
"I'll check for you. One moment."
I entered her resident number and hit query.
Loading bar spun, then info appeared.
[Name: Han Seo-ah]
[Rank: F]
[Skills: Disclosure Requested (Undisclosed)]
"Um...... Hunter?"
"Y-yes?"
She flinched at my call, shoulders hunching.
Each reaction assaulted my heart.
I angled the monitor toward her and explained.
"Records show 'Undisclosed.' You opted out of public info at initial registration."
"Ah......"
A sigh escaped Hunter Han Seo-ah.
Golden eyes wavered, lost.
She tapped the desk edge with her fingernail.
"So...... no one knows?"
"Not per current records. You set it private yourself, so we lack access."
"Haa......"
Deep sigh.
Face like the world had crumbled.
Slumped shoulders so tiny—I wanted to hug her right then.
Sending her off like this, I'd never sleep tonight.
That slumped back would haunt my dreams for sure.
I proposed brightly, feigning cheer.
"It's not impossible!"
"......?"
Her head snapped up.
Golden eyes fixed on me.
That gaze sent a shiver down my spine.
What was this pressure?
Like a top predator scouting prey—eerie.
But it was fleeting; her eyes softened to puppy-like again.
"Just retest. Head to the measurement room for a mana resonance scan—you'll learn your current skills and traits."
"Oh, really?"
"Yes! Though......"
I trailed off.
Why did saying this feel so apologetic?
"There's a fee. Retest costs 50,000 won."
"......50,000 won."
Hunter Han Seo-ah's face hardened.
She dug in her pocket, fumbling.
Counting? Hesitating?
Lips bitten tight—dead serious.
'Broke?'
I eyed her outfit again.
Clean but no-brand imports.
Plus, F-Rank meant no gate clears.
Even if able, her tiny frame had no demand.
'Porter impossible too.'
50,000 won.
A meal for some, a week's groceries for others.
I nearly offered to pay myself.
But public servants covering civilian fees? Rule violation.
Audit bait.
After long deliberation, she nodded with grim resolve.
Like a general marching to war.
"I'll do it. Please process."
"Got it. I'll handle registration."
I zipped through the paperwork.
Card reader beeped, spat a receipt.
I pretended not to notice her hand's faint tremble taking it.
"Measurement room's B2. Take the elevator and......"
I stopped mid-guide.
Verbal directions in this huge building? She'd get lost for sure.
What if she wandered among rough hunters and got trampled with that tiny body?
I signaled my colleague, Assistant Park next door.
He shook his head with an 'here we go again' look, placed my sign.
[Away Briefly]
I slipped out the side door behind the desk.
Click-clack.
Heels echoing into the lobby, Hunter Han Seo-ah looked up.
Even closer, tinier.
Only to my chest.
"I'll escort you personally. Follow me."
I naturally extended my hand.
Something I'd never do for a civilian.
But now it felt utterly right.
Like handling a child needing protection.
Hunter Han Seo-ah startled, eyes flicking between my hand and face.
Clearly wary.
But soon, cautiously—oh so cautiously—she placed her hand in my palm.
Warm.
And soft.
Like kneaded fresh sunlight.
That warm, plush sensation against my palm melted my brain.
'Wow......'
I barely swallowed a squeal.
Pouring every effort into expression control, I gently gripped her hand.
Couldn't squeeze hard—might break her.
"This way, Hunter."
I led her toward the elevators.
Her tiny footsteps synced oddly with my heartbeat.
All today's stress washed away by this one small hand's touch.
This was healing.
Elevator doors opened; we stepped in.
Our reflection in the mirror looked less hunter-and-admin, more sisters—or aunt and niece.
Though I'd never admit to aunt.
"Don't be nervous. It doesn't hurt or anything."
She nodded at my words.
Golden eyes sparkled from the hood.
My finger on the B2 button carried a pleasant rhythm.
Doors closed, blocking the world's noise.
In the tight space, faint freesia scent lingered.
From her.
I had no inkling then that this encounter would upend my peaceful civil servant life entirely.