Off to the Hunter Management Officeyang! Ding Ding Ding~ Good Morning~
I gotta go to the Hunter Management Officeyang! Ding ding ding~ Good morning~ Ting ting ting. Bap bap bap! Bap bap!! Bap bap bap bap!!! Good mo-ting! I woke up turning off the noisy alarm.
"Uwwwng~"
This alarm makes me wanna lose my mind every time I hear it, like I seriously need to smash it to bits—it's the most super annoying thing ever. But when I have important stuff to do and need to wake up early, nothing beats it for real. Oh, just in case there's any misunderstanding, I've never actually been a bread shuttle! Why? 'Cause I never went to school! ...Anyway, I double-checked the time just to be sure, and it was 9 a.m. Nailed the wake-up!
"Meeeee~"
Stretching on the bed~ Hmm, after giving up once, now the meee sound is totally stuck in my mouth. Whatever! I'm a little lamb nowyang! ... .
Weeeing~~ I head to the bathroom, check the mirror like always, brush my teeth super quick, shower, come out, and start blow-drying my hair.
Something I've felt nonstop for the past five days: drying my hair takes way too long. Blowing for over 30 minutes just on hair is so boring. I seriously need to find a better way.
"Sigh, this is trickyyang."
Weeeing~~ Can't do anything else while drying anyway, so let's review today's schedule again. First up! Head to the Hunter Management Office—short for Hunter Office—and declare, "I awakenedyang!" and register. ...But why's the place managing awakeners called the Hunter Management Office instead of Awakener Management Office? Not every awakener becomes a hunter. Hmm... No no no. I said I'd review the schedule, so why am I getting sidetracked? Focus!
Awakener registration is no big deal. Doesn't take long. Just go to the Hunter Office, pull a number ticket, wait, enter a room with some blue artifact, put your hand on it, wait a bit, and ding! Then the staff sister outside says, "You can come out now~." She brings a paper—not boring, but long and fancy-schmancy—with your job, traits, skills, and even detailed stats you can't normally see. She shows it to you, explains what this job does, how that skill's useful, and if there's anything bad for your body you've never heard of, she says get treatment. Health indicators show up on it too, so awakeners don't need regular checkups every two years like normals. Awesome, right? Then back to the first floor, wait in that area with tons of chairs where you got the ticket, they call you again, "Here's your awakener registration card." That's it for registration.
Huh? Didn't they say guardians have to come too? Well... I looked it up again, and guardians aren't usually required for awakener registration. Kids normally go with parents, but it's not mandatory. What I misunderstood... um, my original job, Black Magician, is pretty dangerous. So three years ago when I went to register, they said since I'm a Black Magician and a minor, a guardian must come for extra education on dangerous jobs. So... back then, and legally even now, my guardian is my dad's younger sister. My aunt. I had no choice but to call her.
-Black Magician? Figures. No way a mere awakener registration needs a guardian.
-Fitting job for that ugly mug of yours.
-Fine, you're an awakener now, so you can fend for yourself. No more allowance, got it?Smack-!
-Turn your head!!! Don't you dare show that ugly face in my sight!!
-Hah... Just looking at that revolting thing makes me want to curse. How dare you pollute my eyes?
-Filth like you shouldn't show your face to anyone. How old are you, and you still don't get it?
-Of course not. A mute freak wouldn't know manners.
-Hmph! My poor brother, cursed with trash like you from some lowly bitch.
-...Oh? Loosen your grip. Blood's dripping from your fist, nephew. Or... planning to hit me?
-Yes. That's right. A cursed thing that can't even cry since birth... at least know your place.
-Don't forget. The only reason you're still breathing that wretched life is because I allow it.
-So, my dear nephew. You monster. Keep living like a dead rat from now on.
"......"
I turned off the hair dryer. It's fine, no problem. Just some bad memory soured my mood a bit. No problem. ...The shaking in my hands and feet is just tremors, nothing more. No problem. No problem.
"Snnif~ Fwew."
Deep breath. It's all in the past. I'm not that Ryu Migun anymore; I'm Little Lamb Mijeong. I'm up early to start a new life at the Hunter Office. And now I have a voice. If I see that woman again, I won't just take it. I'll tell her straight: Don't call my mom lowly.
Don't call my mom lowly.
I head out to the bus stop for the bus to the Hunter Office. Right in front of the cafe. Our eyes meet through the glass with the cafe owner, so I bow in greeting.
This area's bus is just one route, one every 30 minutes or so, but I've lived here 8 years, so I know when it comes. Less than 2 minutes wait, and it arrives. Wave to the cafe owner and board.
Current time: noon... Yeah, bad memory flashback made me rest a bit longer at home, so a little late. From My Home to the Hwaseong Hunter Management Office in Hwaseong New City downtown takes about 30 minutes. Arrive around 12:30? If it were somewhere else, lunch hour means long waits, but the Hunter Office has no lunch break and works weekends! Total black-hearted sweatshop. Oh, not a company. Anyway, register as awakener right away, then while staff keep working, I eat lunch leisurely, come back for hunter registration.
What's the difference? Awakener reg is just hand on artifact and done. Hunter reg evaluates combat ability for rank, takes longer. But post-lunch, starts around 2 p.m., get hunter rank eval, apply for gate raid, hit the usual E-rank gate on Hwaseong outskirts, kill some goblins, and I can scrape by today and tomorrow. ...Wonder what rank I'll get.
"So excitingyang."
Sitting on the bus seat, swinging my legs that don't reach the floor. Special job and powers came with the voice. I wished for no extras, but hey, already got 'em? Super curious what job and skills now. Remember that blue artifact? Every regional Hunter Office has one—mass-produced from an ancient national treasure/power-level artifact. Weaker than original, but it reveals everything about the toucher: detailed stats not in most status windows, curses, blessings, job levels. So maybe it'll show my hidden new job and skills. ...Even the real effect of glitched Little Lamb (EX).
Hmm, but honestly... the reality-warping stuff of Little Lamb worries me a bit. Like this.
[You are always a little lamb. Everyone thinks so. Everyone feels so.]
Even reading it again, it's creepy, right? Forced on everyone, even probably me. Sure, my skill Deal (A) makes trades better, like hypnosis or charm, but it's toggleable, only one person at a time, probabilistic, momentary, mana-cost, fails if low mana—lots of limits. Still A-rank, pretty great. But Little Lamb is a trait. Always on, everyone, infinite duration, no mana. Eeeek.... What if they call someone over for this dangerous trait? Then....
-Reality alteration? A kid with such a dangerous trait. Bring your parents!
-Save meyang!! No mom or dad yang!!
-Then bring another guardian.
-Nooo. Please forgive me.
My hands and feet start shaking a little. "Hnn... Hnng...." Sorry, Mom. Truth is, I don't wanna see that person again. But I don't know other adults. Still, if I'm too scared to register, no gates, no jobs, starve to death. Finally got my wish, but die broke? No way. So... forward march. I'm Mijeong. Cute little lambyang. If things go wrong... charm 'em with cuteness, okay? ... .
"Okay, little Mijeong. Here's your exam sheet. Wanna look with sis?"
"...Uwing?"
"Oh dear, what's wrong?"
I hurriedly open my status window and compare it to the sheet in front of me.
???? What the heck? My status window's the same as always. So what's this on the exam sheet?
"......"
"Um... Mijeong? Need the bathroom? Sis can go with you?"
The staff sister kept talking to me, but I could barely hear. What? Even a downgraded national-power artifact should be local-power level, no way the info differs this much. ...Then Little Lamb (EX) flashes in my mind again.
[You are always a little lamb. Everyone thinks so. Everyone feels so.]
No way... "Everyone" includes inanimate stuff like artifacts...? ...This is for realyang?