Early Bird Alert!
After finishing training and emerging from the void, the next morning dawned.
“Chirp chirp! (Early bird alert!)”
Being a bird’s instinct to rise early, I suppose.
Ever since I turned into this crow tit, my body has been waking me at dawn with a flutter of feathers.
Originally I was the type who loved to sleep in.
That was why I used to envy the morning people—only dragging myself out of bed when lunch rolled around.
Now that I’m a morning-type bird, though… it’s a bit awkward to say.
I do get up early, and that’s nice. It lets me spend the whole day more meaningfully… but.
Ah… I still want to sleep in longer.
I’d rather keep dreaming until the sun was fully up.
Some unique comfort must come with that late-sleep feeling.
But now that it’s gone, it’s one of my small complaints.
And if there’s another downside, this is it.
“Chirp chirp chirp. (So what am I supposed to do now?)”
Even after waking, there was nothing to do.
It was still the twilight hour between night and sunrise—when the sun hadn’t even peeked over the horizon yet.
In this window, the crow tit’s options were painfully limited.
Well, maybe I could venture out and hunt something for breakfast.
Out of boredom I had actually considered it seriously for a moment.
Of course, I never actually left the nest.
“Chirp chirp chirp. (This is awkward.)”
I couldn’t wake my master to demand food at this hour.
Other animals, I heard, would wake their owners at dawn demanding breakfast.
At least I’m still a human inside—how could I do something so crude?
“Chirp chirp chirp. (Fine, humans need sleep.)”
I glanced at Han Ga-eun asleep beside me and said.
She must have been exhausted from yesterday’s day, because she was sleeping soundly.
*Knock knock*
I poked her cheek with my beak, but she didn’t stir.
No snoring either, so she had to be really tired.
Ga-eun woke up exactly at 8 a.m.
I saw her coming out of the bedroom, hair tousled and still half-asleep.
“[Have you woken up, my disciple?]”
“Yawn. Yes, I’m awake.”
I answered casually from the kitchen table where I was sprawled.
This spot caught the warm morning sunlight and a gentle breeze—perfect.
“[You were tired yesterday? You slept like the dead.]”
“Yeah. A little, yawn, I guess.”
“[I see. You still look it.]”
“Do I?”
Ga-eun’s face was already heavy with fatigue.
“Eat something and take a shower and you’ll feel better.”
“[Is that true?]”
“I think so.”
“[Exactly.]”
“Right.”
She was acting strange.
The moment she woke up tired, something felt off.
Like she’d been pushed past the point of no return.
“Ugh, fine, give me my sunflower seeds.”
“You mean sunflower seeds, right?”
“[Yes. They’re delicious.]”
“Of course, just a moment.”
Those had been the culprits behind the earlier outburst.
Gradually, I’d grown to like the taste more than I expected.
Plus my body was small, so I didn’t eat that much anyway.
That naturally led to sunflower seeds being my constant meal.
“Then what about the one from back then…?”
“[Shh, quiet. Who are you speaking to your heavenly master like that?]”
“……”
“[What?]”
“…Nothing at all.”
Ga-eun shot me a glance that was almost wicked, but I easily suppressed it.
I told you I didn’t know it would taste this good, didn’t I?
If I had, I would have eaten it gratefully.
p>Since I didn’t, there was nothing I could do about it.
Yeah, yeah, so it’s my fault—nothing to complain about.
I ran full speed through my internal circuits and finished the self-justification.
Of course the verdict was in my favor.
*Thump thump.* Case closed. No appeal.
“Sigh……”
“[Hey, what was that just now?]”
“Nothing at all.”
“[Tch, that sigh sounded pretty pissed.]”
“I’ll go wash first.”
Ga-eun placed the sunflower-seed bowl on the table and headed straight for the bathroom.
Hey, you little disciple.
“[No respect for your master?]”
I muttered to myself while staring at the closed bathroom door.
Heat beyond the warmth of dawn now baked the skin.
High humidity made everything stick to you, and simply standing around brought sweat.
On days like this, the smart move was to stay inside and enjoy the AC instead of going out.
Yeah, that was right… but.
“[Ah, it’s so hot……]”
“Just hold on a little longer. We’re almost there.”
Why was I outside right now?
Ah, I wanted to be at home.
I wanted to luxuriate in modern conveniences.
Was it even wise to step outside on a day this stifling?
I didn’t think so. So let’s head back home.
I flopped onto Ga-eun’s shoulder.
Warning: no fur to cushion, so the ride was pretty bumpy.
“[Crow tit is dying……]”
“That’s exaggeration.”
“[No, really. Try living as a crow tit and you’d feel the same.]”
“Is it that bad?”
“[Absolutely. I can swear to it.]”
Humans can just change into something cooler when it’s hot.
A crow tit can’t.
The feathered body of a bird is the opposite of a summer day.
“[Is there any delicious smell somewhere? Like crow-tit chijjim?]”
“No, there isn’t.”
“[Aaaaah……]”
“Don’t worry. We’ll be there in just a few minutes.”
I wonder if you’ve been saying that since earlier?
I even heard it ten minutes ago.
I glared at Ga-eun, who had been calmly repeating the same phrase since we left.
“[This time it’s for real. See that big building up ahead?]”
“[That huge building?]”
“[Yes. Once you go inside, you’ll feel cool.]”
“[What kind of building is that?]”
“[The Hunter Association building.]”
Ah, so that’s the Hunter Association Building?
I’d heard the name a lot, but I never knew it looked like that.
First impression: *Wow, it’s massive.*
You had to crane your neck all the way back to see the top.
It dwarfed every other building nearby.
“[But why are we here?]”
“[Oh, did I forget to mention?]”
“[You did.]”
“[I guess that’s why you’ve been complaining about the heat.]”
“[Ah, well…]”
Probably not.
“[Anyway, why are we here on such a hot day?]”
“[Not for that. Remember the gate incident last time? We’re here because of the investigation.]”
“[Huh? That was when we went to the hospital. Isn’t it already over?]”
The moment we got dragged into the gate and collapsed, I ended up in the hospital.
A woman in a sharp black suit came to Ga-eun’s room.
She only asked a few simple questions about the gate’s layout and monster placement.
Even though Ga-eun was an S-class hunter, as a C-class rookie summoner with unknown abilities, she was treated almost like an ordinary victim.
“[That was the informal version. We’ll have to do it properly this time.]”
“[Oh well, no choice.]”
Yeah, the Association was calling us here—there was no way I could skip.
We had to go.
But there was something strange about the whole thing.
“[Now?]”
“[Isn’t that how administrative procedures usually work?]”
“[Well, I suppose.]”
I nodded along, agreeing with Ga-eun.
The logic seemed sound, yet it was full of contradictions.
But that’s how administration worked.
*Nod.*
It was enough to make me think maybe there was a method to the madness.
At the very top floor of the Hunter Association Building, a man was always present.
Time had turned his hair snow-white and carved deep wrinkles into his face.
His skill level had dropped far below what it had been in his prime.
Yet he remained the Association President for a reason.
“[President, here is the second report on the sudden gate incident at the university.]”
“[Mm. Good work, son.]”
“[Then I’ll take my leave.]”
“[Yes. Rest well.]”
An overwhelming aura.
Despite the years, the president’s presence had completely escaped the wear of time.
“[Mm…… Han Ga-eun hunter.]”
The president’s office took up the entire floor and was enormous.
Yet one man dominated the space.
He sat at the desk, having just received the report from his secretary, and began to read.
“[A promising young friend.]”
His eyes burned with the passion that had never truly died.