Chapter 7

< Hunter Association (1) >

Before going to find Park Yerim, I headed to the Hunter Association to register as an Awakened and buy the contract item. The Korean Hunter Association started as an Awakened registration office established by the government, and with the addition of the power of the three major guilds, it became an association. Hunter associations in other countries were also formed through a similar process. Currently, it is a government agency with 51% government shares, 30% shares from the three major guilds, and 19% shares from other guilds. However, in five years, the guilds' power will grow, and they will take over most of the shares.

Specifically, the Hyeon Guild will take over.

The more I think about it, the more I realize that Yoo Hyun wasn't in his right mind even before the regression. It's incomprehensible that the owner of such a prestigious guild would risk his life to save a useless brother.

Still, thanks to him, I got to save my life, regress, and obtain two L-grade titles, so I guess I have to tolerate Yoo Hyun's crazy actions, no matter what.

There were quite a few people in the Awakened registration waiting room of the Hunter Association, probably because it was the weekend. Most of the Awakened had both their skills and stats at F, known as "Double F," making it impossible for them to do Hunter work, but they still came to register. This was because the government provided subsidies to encourage Awakened registration. With a 1 million won subsidy just for registering, people came to the association unless they were extremely wealthy.

I drew a waiting number and sat down. Looking at the number, it seemed like it would take some time.

"Hey, isn't that A-grade Hunter Kim Sung-han?"

"Really? I didn't notice."

People in the waiting room started whispering as they recognized Kim Sung-han, who had come in with me. While A-grade Hunters are less famous than S-grade Hunters, Kim Sung-han was well-known for his face and name. Half of his fame was due to Yoo Hyun's influence, and the other half was because of his outstanding performance during the A-grade dungeon break at Dongdaegu Station.

A dungeon break occurs when the number of monsters in a dungeon increases excessively, causing them to spill out into the outside world, a highly dangerous situation. However, with the current well-managed system, it rarely happens. Known dungeons never break, and it only occurs occasionally when new dungeons are discovered late.

"Why is he just standing there?"

"He came in with that person earlier."

People's gazes then turned to me, who was sitting next to Kim Sung-han.

"He's standing while the other person is sitting. Is he important?"

"Looks like he's guarding him. Maybe he's here as a bodyguard?"

"He's holding a waiting number, so he must be here to register as an Awakened. If an A-grade Hunter is accompanying him, he must be something special. Isn't a new S-grade Hunter from Hyeon Guild supposed to appear today?"

No, I'm planning to be an F-grade. I said quietly, looking up at Kim Sung-han.

"Please sit down."

"It's fine."

"Can't you just sit down?"

"Standing is better for responding to emergencies."

What could possibly happen here, inside the Hunter Association? Besides, there are only beginners here to register as Awakened.

'I might as well check if there are any promising new Awakened.'

I checked the man who had been making a fuss since I arrived.

[Awakened ? Shin Min-ho

Current Stat Grade: F

Awakened Possible Stat Grade: F~E

Optimized Initial Skill

Failed to Obtain Quick Step (E)

Obtained Jump (E)

Obtained Throw (F)]

His awakened stats dropped by one grade, and he didn't obtain all the optimized initial skills. Still, with an E-grade skill, he should qualify as a Hunter.

'Ugh.'

After checking two more F-grade Awakened, a brief pain throbbed in my head and then disappeared. It was a signal that I had used half of my mana.

'The skill to check the status of promising new Awakened is limited to six uses.'

With a mana value of 2, it makes sense.

Health and mana are not displayed on the status screen. If they were shown as red and blue bars like in a game, it would be much more convenient, but since they aren't, I had to gauge my condition by how my body felt.

I could roughly tell if someone was fine, half-dead, or on the brink of death just by looking, but the problem was with mana. There was no way to check the remaining mana, even five years later. However, if you used half of your mana, you would feel a brief headache, and if it dropped below 10%, you would lose consciousness.

Fortunately, passive skills like poison resistance don't usually consume mana.

'The optimized awakening or my kid will consume more mana than the status check skill.'

My kid is an L-grade, so it will consume a lot of mana. It was fine for Yoo Hyun because it was a passive skill due to the first title effect, but if I used it now, I might fail the skill and pass out.

'I need to level up a bit more.'

To do that, I need to enter a dungeon, but Yoo Hyun would freak out if he found out. Should I sneak in?

"Numbers 56 to 65, please come in."

The people who arrived earlier stood up and followed the association staff. After another group went in, it was finally my turn.

Inside, there were desks with partitions. The staff distributed a sheet of paper to each person. The Awakened registration application form included personal information, as well as spaces to write down stats and skills. After filling it out, you had to confirm that there were no lies, and then your Awakened grade would be determined.

I picked up the pen on the desk and started filling in the blanks. I only wrote down my stats and basic skills, leaving out the title. Stats are measured immediately, but skills and titles can't be detected without specific techniques, so they can be hidden.

'Of course, there are people who exaggerate, but almost no one underestimates their stats.'

Unless you're a special case like me, why would you want to lower your grade? The treatment changes drastically with each grade, and there are many benefits for C-grade and above.

"Is that person the new S-grade?"

"Is that the new S-grade from Hyeon Guild that A-grade Kim Sung-han brought?"

No, it's not. How long has it been that a simple guess has already become a fact? You there, why are you making a hurried phone call? Oh, that staff member coming over looks like a high-ranking official. Surely, he's not here for me.

"Hello, I am Seok Gi-myeong, the head of the Awakened registration department at the Hunter Association."

He bowed slightly to me. Damn, no, it's not true. Don't greet me.

"May I see your application form if it's not too much trouble?"

"......Here."

I started feeling embarrassed but handed over the application form. Seok Gi-myeong's eyebrows slightly furrowed when he saw the single-digit stats and E-grade skills. Hey, I have five L-grade skills, you know?

"......Hmm. Well, good job."

He immediately dropped the formal tone after checking the application form. The polite attitude vanished. It's disgusting, really. I've experienced this a lot before the regression, but it's still disgusting.

"What, he's not an S-grade?"

"From his attitude, he's not."

"But why did he pretend to be an S-grade?"

I didn't pretend, you idiots! You made a wrong guess, and now you're accusing me of pretending!

'Those damn journalists who wrote novels about Yoo Hyun and me come to mind.'

Ugh... thinking about it makes my stomach hurt. My inferiority complex explosion was partly due to those damn journalists. In every article praising Yoo Hyun, there was always a comparison to his incompetent brother.

I submitted the application form under the intense gaze and headed to the lower ability measurement room.

"Do you have any items on you?"

The staff member asked in a businesslike tone.

"No."

"Please stand on the measurement device."

I stepped onto the circular measurement device as instructed. The device, made from dungeon materials, emitted a faint light and then displayed the results.

"Your stats are: Strength 6, Dexterity 4, Agility 5, Spirit 4, Mana 2."

That's accurate.

"Is it correct that you have the E-grade Spirit Boost and E-grade Agility Boost skills?"

"Yes."

"Please use your skills on the assistant."

The assistant stepped forward for the buff skill check. I was worried about running out of mana, but fortunately, I didn't pass out while using the skills. I need to buy a few mana potions.

After confirming my abilities, I went into the photo booth to take a picture. The photo information, including a full-body shot from the front and back, was immediately stored in the association's database. I waited for a moment and then approached the certification issuance counter when called.

"Ms. Han Yujin, you are an F-grade Awakened and meet the conditions to become a Hunter. You can receive a Hunter certification and enter dungeons after completing the basic training program for new Hunters. Would you like to apply for the program?"

"I will apply for the completion using a Hyeon Guild guarantee."

New Hunters who have already joined or are planning to join a guild can skip the basic training program with a guild guarantee, as the guild's training is of higher quality.

I handed the Hyeon Guild guarantee to the staff member, who quickly typed on the keyboard after checking it.

"Please provide the account number for the subsidy. It must be in your name."

"Baekil Bank 995-04-109982."

A million won in extra money. Hooray for the association.

Because I had a guild guarantee, I immediately received my Hunter certification. The certification was the size of a resident registration card, with a photo, serial number, grade, and name. After receiving it, I asked the staff member.

"Is there a direct way to the Hunter Mall from here?"

If I go outside, a supervisor will follow me, which is annoying. There's no need for them to follow me inside the association.

"You can use the elevator at the end of the right corridor."

"Thank you."

Following the staff member's instructions, I took the elevator and found a side door leading directly to the mall. An ATM machine was visible near the door.

'Should I check how much Yoo Hyun gave me?'

I took a card from my wallet and approached the ATM. The Hunter Mall gift card. When I said I needed money to buy a contract, he said he had put some in the card. It's a bit embarrassing to receive pocket money from my younger brother, but Hunter items are all expensive, and my poor wallet can't handle it.

'A-grade contracts cost about 400,000 won, so he must have put in about 10 million won.'

I'd like to buy an S-grade contract if possible, but I don't know how much it costs. It must be at least twice as expensive as an A-grade contract. I need mana potions, so I'll buy an A-grade contract for now.

I inserted the card into the machine and checked the balance. The number appeared on the screen.

[Balance: 1,000,000,000 won]

...How many zeros are there?

'Yoo Hyun, you crazy guy?'

< Hunter Association (1) > End

ⓒ Geunseo

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