What on Earth is Little Lamb (EX)?

Let's rewind time a bit to when I first arrived at the Hunter Management Agency—or Hunter Agency for short. Nom nom...

Sorry! I just wanted to say that line once. Nothing special happened. I said goodbye to the bus driver when I got off, hopped down with a bounce, and tro-trotted my way into the Hunter Agency. No delinquent F-rank awakener picking a fight with me out of nowhere? No evil hands targeting super-duper cute me? No sudden S-rank gate bursting open with monsters pouring out? As if! This city's one of the top five in the whole country for having tons of top-ranked people. Of course the public safety's rock-solid too. Sure, gates can pop up out of nowhere for real, but the hunters handle all that.

...Anyway, I smoothly pulled a number ticket without any fuss, plopped down in a chair, and swung my legs back and forth while waiting. Ten minutes later, it was my turn. I told the staff sister at the counter, "I awakened, yang!" and she kindly guided me to the room with the blue orb. I placed my hand ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠on that blue orb artifact there—the official name's Heavenly Mirror Jade—and then the paper the staff sister brought...

Nom nom. Oh, by the way, I've already finished registering as an awakener and stepped out for food. Today's meal is... ham burger!! Not a set, just a single. So don't even think about asking for a bite. I'm... seriously turning into a total comedian... Hiiing.

...But right now, there's something more important than that. This is actually my first time eating at a restaurant like this. You can guess why, right? I'm super shy around people. Normally, I'd stuff myself full with breakfast and lunch at My Home ahead of time, then slip into the Hunter Agency around 2 or 3 PM when it's emptiest. I'd flash my hunter registration card, the counter sister would go, "The usual spot, right?" I'd nod nod, grab my gate permit, and off to goblin-hunting. Took forever to get to that point. At first, since I had no energy, couldn't talk, and my card said black magician, they'd think I was turning myself in or something. I never did anything bad—why turn myself in? So mean. But except for days when I was in too much pain to move, rain or snow or shine, pretty or not, every single day year-round, I kept going. Eventually, they'd just process it zip zip zip with one look at the card. Sincerity pays off, huh!

Today I had to register as an awakener first, so I came early. I was a little nervous this time too, but I'd already hit the convenience store yesterday and conquered that evil espresso at the cafe, so less shaky. Used to be total trembles, now just a bit jittery? Wait, can't call that less trembly. Jittery trembles, then. Anyway, skipping lunch 'cause I'm scared means I won't fight well in the gate later. My body's smaller now, so I eat less—fight like usual and I'll run out of energy fast. Then eek! Collapse. Nom nom. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Oh, just to clarify, it's not like this is my first ham burger ever? I live in a rural one-room, but delivery comes everywhere these days?? Or did you think rural backwaters only get healthy veggie deliveries? That's rural discrimination. Delivery food's all the same wherever. Pizza red, chicken yellow, ham burger yellow, pork cutlet yellow, black bean noodles black...

...Imagining it now, three yellows is a weird combo. Sometimes pig feet brown or pork belly gray show up too. ...Huh? What was I talking about? Oh, right—so first time eating at a restaurant. Didn't know this, but at the ham burger place, you don't ring a bell for the auntie to come ask what you want. It's this huge white phone-thing with the menu splatted on it—you tap what you want, card beep!, and it auto-orders. But I'm short, so I couldn't reach the one I wanted. Convenience stores too—why so many kid-unfriendly zones? Not no-kids zone! Yes-kids zone!! Short for Yes-Kid-Zone!!! ...Or does it mean [kid] height respected? Too mean. But the nice auntie behind me tapped it for me. Probably 'cause I'm a pretty kidrespected baby lamb.

"Meeeh~"

Nom nom. Anyway, first restaurant meal in my life: total success! Am I a genius or what?? Riding this momentum, gobble up, dash back to the Hunter Agency for hunter rank evaluation, hit the gate, make money!

...But first.

Hmm, gotta double-check, right? The inspection results and my status window are way off. The reason for the differences is obvious: Little Lamb (EX). If it was a hidden skill effect, I'd have seen a notification and felt my mana drain when it activated. Even if I didn't know the effect or name so no alert popped, mana should've drained. But no such feeling.

Hidden job? Jobs do have passive effects, sure... Like warriors swing swords better, archers hit arrows truer, black magicians cast evil spells easier. That level. No way a job has a passive that straight-up alters or deletes status window contents from artifacts. Jobs have other big factors, but irrelevant here.

...Calmly comparing one by one, the inspection isn't totally wrong. Name's still "Mijeong" except suddenly I'm Kim clan. The trait Beast Transformation: Sheep (C) is probably Little Lamb (EX) morphed. Skill slot shows Transaction (A) matching mine. Problems: traits and skills have Hell Summoning (S) and ■■■(■) fully deleted. Job was mysterious 6-letter ■■■■■■, now just "Warrior."

So, considering Little Lamb (EX)'s effect: [You are always a little lamb. Everyone thinks so. Everyone feels so.] Every bit of the inspection sheet changed because of this. Right? In other words! All changes boil down to whether it's "little lamb-like" or not!!!

...Problem is, I don't really know what "little lamb-like" means. Like, Transaction (A) stayed 'cause it's lamb-like? Then name? "Mijeong" not lamby, but "Kim Mijeong" is? ...Oh, one undeniably lamb-like thing pops up.

[Height 129]

"But -nom nom- that's a lie, yang."

I knew I was pretty small... but under 130cm? No way, right? Yeah. Absolutely not.

...Absolutely not, but I'm absolutely not measuring my height for a while. Yeah. Weight was listed too, but that's top secret. Anyway, all this because of super fluffy fluffy hair. Soon as I get home, chop it off, and every day until it won't regrow anymore. For real.

And one thing absolutely not lamb-like: Hell Summoning (S). Zero percent lamby. Know why it got deleted. Yeah. So conclusion! Don't know exact cause, but it doesn't swap to total nonsense. Lamb-like → stays. Eye-catching un-lamby → morphs. Unnoticeable un-lamby → deletes. Something like that? Could be wrong. Just speculation.

Ha... If it'd been total nonsense from the start, I'd have tossed it without checking: "Into the trash you go, yang, recycle yourself. You're bad paper, yang." But this is half-right half-wrong, like acing all the 1-point questions but bombing the 4-pointers for a 50-ish score.

...Got the rough morph rules, so check the bottom too.

... ... .

Nothing else but stats to check. Health indicators and X marks? No clues. Stats don't show in my window, but I feel 'em roughly.

Nom nom.

[Stats: Stamina D Mana E Athletics E Senses E Charm B]

Obviously some wrong here too. Maybe... all bull—er, lamb—crap. 'Cause Little Lamb. Guaranteed wrong!!! My charm!! My head has two super-duper cool horns rivaling my treasure [Hellfire Demon Dragon], but charm only B? And why's mana down? Not just height stolen?? Back in black magician days, mana was top-tier A.

...Only usable skill was non-activating Transaction (A), so kinda useless... Athletics same E as before, but weirder now. Even same rank has variance, but Partner feels too heavy. Senses... no big change felt. Rank same. Only believable: stamina? First day in this body, ran home barefoot on soft squishy feet, stepped on rocks and twigs, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ouch ouch stinging, but home check—no blood. Hurt, but no wounds.

...Means high defense or super regen. Nice! So here too, some plausible, some wtf. How many right? If differs from my real stats, reason's "not lamb-like." Back to: what stats are lamb-like?

Can't guess without knowing. "...Thirsty, yang."

Comparing to status wore me out—finally finished burger. Mouth shrunk from super to small bun size, took forever to eat. ...Burger only, no drink, throat all dry-sticky. But single item, no set, so if thirsty, cough cough groan... end up hiiing and drinking my tears. Boss saw, gave free drink as service. Service?! First time in my life. One thing sure: my charm can't be mere B!

... ... .

Slurp slurp—stuffed full, heading back to Hunter Agency. Sipping free orange juice. Thought agency artifact would reveal stuff, but more questions now.

...At least no need guardian call like old days. Lucky.

"Head's all spinny, yang."

This EX-rank trait's true face? To me, owner, just hides text. But others peeking or using artifacts? Wrong info or straight deletes?!?

...What to do? Insanely overpowered ultimate ability, sure.

"Too many downsides, yang."

Height shrunk, info controlled, hair super heavy, speech weird. Even that between-legs thing—mere 5 days, already forgot the feel. Worse: hair regrew in a day post-cut. Little Lamb (EX) probably stops height growth too. I'm "little" lamb now. Hate it.

...Devil-granted powers all upsides? Would be funny. It did grant the wish! Huh? Then other two powers huge upsides with huge downsides too? Ugh, don't wanna imagine. Just focus on hunter rank eval. Partner, do your best again! -Yes, I am!

—???

Afternoon 2 PM. Quiet time, few people. Back from soloing a B-rank gate for personal training. There, at the counter: a super fluffy kid with big horns on her head, talking to staff.

...Teary voice.

"Hiiing... so I can't get rank eval today, yang?"

"Sorry. Awakeners surging lately, more ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wanna be hunters, so evals are reservation-only now."

"Hic... if no hunter today, no gate... then no food, then..."

"Uh... but other hunters all booked..."

Hm. Get the situation.

"What's the commotion?"

"Sis so sorry— Ah! Yumina Hunter! You're back."

"Hic... sob!... Ung?"

"Hello. Your name?"

"M-Me... Mijeong, yang..."

"Good. Mijeong kiddo. I'm A-rank hunter Yumina from Hunter Management Agency. Want rank eval? I'll help."

"R-Really, yang?"

The kid turned, face so pure and cute.

...Made me wanna protect her.

"Of course. But stop crying first. Deal?"

"Sniff... yes... I can, yang."

Staff eyed if okay, I nodded. Evaluating a fresh awakener kid? Not hard.

...No plans to pass her anyway.