Hunter License (4)

People and hunters are nothing alike. The difference shows even if you look at nothing but the body. The average adult man runs a hundred meters in about fifteen seconds, and the world record stands at 9.58. The average hunter covers that same hundred meters in about six. That single dash is enough to show how overwhelming a hunter's physique is, and set beside anything else, a hunter is still overwhelming.

It is true that a hunter overwhelms an ordinary person. But what if the comparison isn't a person at all — a monster, say? A skilled hunter can put up a fight against a monster on raw physical ability alone. There is simply no reason to fight that way.

When someone undergoes an Awakening, they receive a class of their own and, along with it, a transcendent power called an Ability. The ability differs from class to class, but an ability is precisely what makes a hunter special. That doesn't mean the body can be ignored. As the example shows, physical ability alone lets a hunter put up a fight against a monster; add a hunter's ability on top of that body, and the result is an overwhelming victory.

Read it the other way, and a hunter who cannot use their ability is worth less as a hunter. Even if that hunter holds a Special Class.

"...Haah."

He hung up the last call, and what came out of him was a deep sigh. He had mobilized every connection and acquaintance he had, and there was not a single case of a hunter being unable to use their own ability. In other words, he still couldn't find out why the hunter in his charge was unable to use his.

"Why do you look so crushed?"

"...Ah. Senior. It's... because of this hunter."

A coworker, and his senior at the office.

"Ah... Was that the last call?"

"...Yes."

He hadn't been searching for cases of unusable abilities on his own. Everyone currently in the department was looking, and the call just now had been the last one.

"We've been digging since yesterday and there's nothing to show for it. This is rough. Really rough."

His senior's bitterness was easy enough to understand.

I arrived at the Hunter Association right on time for the appointment.

"Hello."

"Ah. Mr. Kim Haseong, hello. I'm sorry to greet you with bad news the moment you walk in, but we couldn't determine why you're unable to use your ability."

It really was bad news. I'd spent yesterday at home trying to use my ability, and gotten nothing for it. Even so, it was the Hunter Association. I'd held on to the hope that they would turn something up, and those words knocked that hope ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠straight down.

"...Then what do we do now?"

"First, let's go downstairs."

I simply nodded and went down with him.

"Then, would you try using your ability one more time?"

"Ah, yes."

Nothing had happened yesterday, and nothing had happened when I checked again after waking up this morning.

"Creation."

Nothing happened this time, either.

"...As expected. Nothing."

"Yes..."

"First, if you're all right with it, Mr. Kim Haseong, I'd like to ask a Cleric-class hunter to examine your condition."

"A Cleric-class hunter?"

"Yes. People go to a doctor for something like this. For a hunter, having a Cleric or a Spirit Mage take a look seems like the best we can do right now."

"Ah. Then please, I'd appreciate it."

"Understood. It'll take a little while, so go ahead and rest."

"Yes."

At the instructor's direction I sat down at a table off to one side. He told me I was free to use anything here, then headed upstairs.

"...Haah."

From the moment I'd watched that video yesterday, I'd wanted to become a hunter. I already was one. And of all things, I'd become a hunter who couldn't even use his ability. The Association was doing everything it could to get to the bottom of the situation — one look at the instructor, who clearly hadn't slept, and I understood that at a glance.

"...Will I be able to use it?"

I'd been worried already. Since yesterday, to be exact. If I went on like this, unable to use my ability, the hunter license was as good as gone. And if I couldn't even get a hunter license? Enlistment, obviously.

"...Ah."

Damn it.

Even so, maybe a Cleric who actually worked as a hunter could turn up some kind of answer. I held on to a sliver of hope.

I was steadying ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠myself and waiting when I heard an elevator come to a stop.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. This is—"

"I'll introduce myself. Good to meet you. I'm Kim Hyeondae, with the Hunter Association. Class is Cleric."

Hear the word Cleric and you usually picture a woman. Not even close. The hunter in front of me was bigger than I was, muscle standing out plain on his frame. Look at him and you'd never guess Cleric.

"Ah, hello. I'm Kim Haseong."

"Right. I already heard the gist, so let's not waste time. We'll get to it. First, use your ability."

"Ah, yes. Creation."

The pace wasn't bad. Not that my ability showed itself anyway.

"Just like I was told. All right — take my hand and try using it."

I nodded, took the hand he held out, and used my ability.

"Not a buff-type ability either? Just in case, I'll try healing you. That's fine?"

"Ah... yes."

"Then — Heal."

Was this a hunter's ability?

"How is it?"

"I feel... full of strength?"

"Good. Then try your ability again."

I nodded and used it the same way as before.

"Nothing...?"

"I've seen people use an ability so much they couldn't use it anymore. A case like this, though — first time I've ever seen one. Real problem."

It was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a real problem for me, too. Even with a hunter's help, nothing to show for it. I looked at the instructor, and he only shook his head.

While all of us were at a loss, the sound of the elevator stopping came again.

"Muo! Found something good."

"Senior? What kind of information?"

Just from the exchange, it was the instructor's coworker from the office.

"Take a look at this."

While the instructor checked whatever it was, the hunter beside me and I exchanged greetings with the man he'd called Senior. We were waiting there awkwardly when the instructor suddenly raised his voice.

"...This is—!"

"Well? Email that just came in."

"Thank you!"

What on earth was in it, to get a reaction like that? Still, I figured it had to be about me. The proof was the instructor coming over to my side.

"This might not be the answer, but it seems that using a hunter ability requires something concrete."

At those words, the real hunter beside me looked doubtful. The instructor began explaining what was on the paper to me and to him.

Boiled down, what I heard came to roughly this. To use an ability, a hunter apparently needed an image. Hunter Kim Hyeondae questioned that part — he himself didn't know of any concrete image. The instructor went on. See the image even once, he said, and it was imprinted in your head; after that, you reproduced it without thinking whenever you used the ability.

"And you, Hunter Kim Hyeondae — you already knew about hunter abilities before you awakened, didn't you?"

"Now that I think about it, yeah. I'd seen them in videos before I awakened."

"Yes. That's why people who awaken as hunters can use their abilities right away. And Mr. Kim Haseong's case is the same as the early days — back when hunters first appeared in the world, and a great many of them couldn't use their abilities. At the time, there was no concrete image attached to those abilities."

"Ah."

I understood exactly what he meant. As an Immortal, I had no image for the Creation ability, and that was why I couldn't use it.

"Then, for me to use my ability..."

"Yes. Form a concrete image, and you should be able to use it. According to the records, in the early days hunters of the same class banded together and researched their abilities, but you, Mr. Kim Haseong..."

"...Ah. I'm alone."

"Yes. Since there doesn't seem to be another hunter of your class... it looks like you'll have to obtain the image on your own..."

"...Yes."

I had no idea how I was even supposed to make an image.

"We've got a way forward, so I'll head back."

"Ah, yes. Thank you for coming."

"Thank you."

"Right. And hang in there."

"Yes."

With that, Hunter Kim Hyeondae left. There wasn't much of an age gap between us, and yet the way he talked had been truly peculiar. No — that wasn't what mattered right now.

"...So, about making a concrete image. Is there any hint, or anything I could use for reference?"

"...Hmm. Yes. It would help to look at cases where someone managed it, but the reply that arrived in that email was apparently something they barely managed to send, after a person who knew how things were back then explained it to them."

"...You mean there's nothing from back then I can even refer to?"

"That's... how it looks. Hunters didn't receive any attention at all in those days, so I doubt there's any useful information out there... Ah, but I'll gather whatever I can and let you know."

"...Thank you."

What followed was, of course, going home. There was no information yet on how to build an image for my ability, so there was nothing else to be done. The one small mercy was that the Hunter Association had said they would help me build that image however they could.

Making an image for an ability. Search the internet for something like that, and of course nothing came up.

"This is way too vague."

There's a saying. Creating something from nothing is impossible unless you're a god. There are plenty of cases of someone creating something out of a true nothing — though whether those count as the right kind of case, I couldn't say. Anyway, I wasn't at the level of truly creating something from nothing. Cases already existed, so at the very least this was creating something from something.

"Then again, Creation... That's exactly the word you use when you're making something out of nothing, isn't it?"

Thinking about it that way, I couldn't see the difference between Immortal and Creation. What even was a class called Immortal in the first place? Immortal — an undying being? Did it mean you never died, forever? But what did never dying have to do with creation?

"...Wait."

Live forever, and somewhere in that life you create something new... Wasn't that completely the domain of a god?

"I'm a god? ...I don't think so."

Until not long ago I'd been an ordinary guy, and then I'd awakened as a hunter — and now it turned ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠out I wasn't a hunter but a god? Did that ridiculous notion make any sense? Of course not. This wasn't some novel.

"...I should at least try to think."

Enough stray thoughts. Now I really had to find a way to turn Creation — the ability an Immortal used — into an image.