Awakened Managent Bureau.
An agency under the Disaster Managent Office, it typically handles awakened registration, administers hunter exams, and issues and renews licenses. Oddly enough, it was more frequently referred to as the “Association.”
This was likely due to the influence of web novels. It was in the sa context as how terms most widely used in light novels – hunter, guild, dungeon, monster – were easily adopted. Apparently, there were ongoing discussions about officially changing the agency’s na because of this.
“Welco. You can get a waiting number on the right.”
The place they visited was the Seoul Eastern Branch of the Association. As soon as they entered, a uniford employee gestured to show the location of the ticket machine. It felt like visiting a bank.
The interior design and layout also reminded one of a community center or post office. The sight of civil servants sitting at desks in a row, attending to awakened ones, added to this impression.
“Why so little? This is an A-grade magic stone!”
“Due to the recent increase in fees…”
“But still…!”
Many of the visitors seed to be experienced hunters. Freelance hunters not affiliated with the state or guilds often use the state’s brokerage service when disposing of dungeon by-products.
“This way.”
Ryu Seo-ha followed Choi Gang-hu towards the VIP-only passage. The glances seed to have increased several tis more than usual. Perhaps because a face seen on TV had appeared.
“Oh my! You ca earlier than expected.”
A man in his 50s ca running out of the passage, panting, and greeted Choi Gang-hu. His na tag indicated he was the branch director.
“We should have gone out to greet you. Please, co inside.”
Beads of sweat ford on the branch director’s wide forehead as he kept bowing. His attitude was consistently subservient, almost pitifully so.
“But who is this…?”
Only after moving to the VIP waiting room did the branch director cautiously express his curiosity about Ryu Seo-ha. And that too, to Choi Gang-hu rather than to Seo-ha himself.
“He’ll be getting his grade asured with .”
“Ah, I see. Let’s start with filling out the application form.”
At the branch director’s nod, a waiting employee quickly spread out application forms on the table. Na, resident registration number, family relations, place of origin and school… Below the common fields, there was a section for filling in awakened abilities.
Type:___
Trait:___
Skill:___
Below the blanks, a long series of multiple-choice questions related to the content followed. For traits that don’t overlap with anyone else’s, there was a series of blank spaces.
“As you know, you don’t need to fill in the details about your abilities.”
The branch director added a friendly explanation with a smiling face. Of course, this only applied to VIPs. Ordinary awakened ones are subtly pressured to fill in as much detail as possible.
This was why they were made to fill out forms at the counter, taking more ti, instead of preparing docunts in advance. The plush sofa suddenly felt uncomfortable. As did the welco drink placed in front.
“Could you show
your ID, please?”
The employee asked with a very friendly smile. The ID that Seo-ha handed over without protest was inserted into a portable device that looked like a card reader. He could imdiately anticipate the next scene.
Beep beep, a short warning sound, and a red light lit up on the machine the employee was holding. The atmosphere in the room changed instantly. The employee’s expression hardened, and he looked back at the branch director with bewildered eyes.
“Uh, um… a Chinatown survivor?”
The branch director muttered, looking back and forth between Ryu Seo-ha and Choi Gang-hu. Faced with an unexpected situation, he wiped his forehead several tis with a handkerchief, as if his sweat glands had exploded.
Choi Gang-hu tilted his head askew, as if asking what the problem was, exerting silent pressure. The employee could be seen discreetly taking out his phone and sending a ssage sowhere.
“Um, this person will need to be asured separately.”
“Why.”
The branch director, who had finally spoken up, showed a very troubled expression at Choi Gang-hu’s brief retort.
“As you well know, Chinatown survivors need separate managent… There are many additional tests we need to conduct.”
“Even though he’s with ?”
“I’m sorry, but that’s how the law is set… I’m sorry.”
The branch director apologized several tis, sweating profusely. Of course, to Choi Gang-hu, not to Ryu Seo-ha. It seed that no matter how much he needed to consider the chaebol, as a civil servant, he couldn’t directly violate the law.
“I’ll guide you to the precision asurent room.”
The employee approached Ryu Seo-ha with a tense expression and announced in a stiff tone. He seed ready to call the guards outside if Seo-ha didn’t comply imdiately. This treatnt was so familiar that Seo-ha felt nothing in particular. As he nodded and was about to stand up,
“Then I’ll go together.”
Choi Gang-hu, who had stood up before him, stepped diagonally. As if trying to block the employee’s impure gaze on Seo-ha’s behalf.
“Uh, we have a separate VIP asurent room prepared for the guild leader…”
The branch director, who was trying to dissuade him while waving his hands, closed his mouth with a “hap” after receiving an icy cold gaze. It was due to Gang-hu’s unique intimidating presence that made one’s nape shiver without even needing to crudely exude magical power.
“Ah, I’ll guide you.”
In the end, the branch director hastily backed down. As they left the VIP waiting room and moved through the staff passage,
“Was it often like this?”
Choi Gang-hu, who had been walking silently following the guiding employee, suddenly asked. The startled employee looked back, but Gang-hu’s gaze was focused solely on Ryu Seo-ha.
“You seem used to this kind of treatnt.”
Ryu Seo-ha, walking beside him, answered with a faint smile instead. It had always been like this when using public institutions. Even in other situations where identity verification was needed, he always had to go through similar experiences.
Chinatown survivor.
It was a term referring to those who survived until the end inside the barrier that sealed off several neighborhoods in Jung-gu, Incheon for 5 years. A kind of derogatory term coined because it included many Chinese or ethnic Chinese individuals.
Public perception wasn’t good, as several awakened ones had committed illegal acts or joined criminal organizations while unregistered after the seal was lifted. The state had also classified them as persons of interest.
“If you want, I’ll look into it. A way for you not to receive additional asurents.”
Choi Gang-hu whispered softly. His black eyes held a light resembling the depths of winter. As if he would overturn the situation right away if Ryu Seo-ha just nodded.
“It’s okay.”
Ryu Seo-ha imdiately shook his head. He knew better than anyone that that thod would not be peaceful at all. He had no desire to ignite sothing he couldn’t handle himself.
Just revealing that he was a healing-type awakened one would change their treatnt as quickly as flipping a hand. Yet, the reason he silently intended to receive the precise asurent was simple. He wondered if he could obtain any potentially helpful information. There was also an intention to create a sense of indebtedness from the state agency. So that they couldn’t make unnecessary demands even if his healing abilities were revealed.
“We’ll start with a belongings check.”
Upon arriving at the precision asurent room, Ryu Seo-ha was only allowed inside after a strict body search. Choi Gang-hu stood by, watching quietly with his arms folded and a completely expressionless face.
He underwent a series of physical examinations, blood tests, and brain wave tests. Amidst suffocating silence and unspoken urging. And then he was pushed to stand in front of the mana asuring device.
It was a machine that determined the quality of one’s mana. While all awakened ones start at the sa level and stats, having the sa type or similar traits or skills doesn’t an they produce the sa output.
The intensity varies greatly depending on the quality of mana. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that one’s social status as a hunter, from F-rank to S-rank, is determined by this asurent result.
“Place your hand on it.”
As he placed his hand on the transparent mana asuring device that looked like a witch’s crystal ball from a fairy tale, he felt sothing like a thin snake brushing through his body and then leaving. His brows furrowed involuntarily at the unfamiliar and unpleasant sensation.
The color of the orb began to change, centered where his white hand touched. The color that rose quickly, as if filled with smoke, was a lustrous purple. A very clear and pure athyst color.
“…S-rank!”
Soone among the watching officials exclaid with a voice that seed drawn from the pit of their stomach. Then, with a “huck” sound, they seed to be hurriedly contacting sowhere. Wary gazes pierced from all directions.
The murmuring noise also stabbed at his ears. Shouldn’t we detain him for now? By what right? It’s too dangerous. Well, we don’t know what he might have done there and co back. All sorts of voices could be heard.
“You said you’re twenty years old now, right?”
Ignoring the whispering voices, as soon as Seo-ha sat in the designated chair, a man in a white gown asked while fixing his gaze on the monitor.
“Yes.”
“Then you were just ten years old during the great upheaval. How on earth did you survive?”
A pressuring gaze pierced his face, as if demanding he confess all the criminal acts he had committed so far. Ryu Seo-ha glanced at the embroidery on the other’s white gown that read ‘Psychiatry’ and let out a small sigh.
“You need to answer sincerely for your own sake.”
The blatant stares of people in white gowns who had gathered from sowhere, looking at him as if observing a monkey in a zoo, were palpable. A conflict arose, wondering if he should reveal his type now.
“I’m good at learning.”
“What do you an?”
“I an I learned skills by watching others and volunteered for roles needed by the group.”
The most threatening existence in the sealed area centered around Chinatown wasn’t the S-rank monster that caused the closure. That creature remained deeply asleep until hunters entered to hunt it five years later.
The monsters that poured out imdiately after the great upheaval were manageable enough. Thanks to his surprisingly improved mory. The monster encyclopedia he had read in his previous life contained detailed illustrations, characteristics, and weaknesses.
The scariest were people. Those who ford groups around their ager powers, monopolizing all sorts of goods and trying to arbitrarily control others. The sealed area where they ran rampant was a complete lawless zone dominated by violence.
“Roles like hitting people and stealing things?”
“Roles like butchering monster carcasses and voluntarily taking on tasks others were reluctant to do.”
The doctor with furrowed brows scribbled sothing on paper.
“Have you ever killed soone?”
“No.”
“Everyone denies it like that. Have you felt any urge to kill recently?”
“No.”
“Be honest. Really none?”
“Yes.”
It was almost like an interrogation. Aren’t psychiatrists usually supposed to make the other person comfortable while drawing out answers?
“From now on, tell
every detail of your status window without omission…”
“That’s enough.”
Unable to stand by any longer, Choi Gang-hu stepped in and expressed his discomfort. His mana, like angry waves, began to subtly pressure the surroundings. The mont his spreading mana touched the transparent mana asuring device.
Wooong─!
The quietly placed mana asuring device shook violently.
“Contain your ma─”
It happened before anyone could stop it. The sound of onlookers being flustered at the unprecedented phenonon could be heard. In contrast, Choi Gang-hu watched the situation with a strange light in his eyes.
Keeeng─!
In an instant, cracks appeared on the glass orb with a sharp noise. Cha-cha-chang─! The fragnts of the mana asuring device, which exploded from the inside, shot in all directions.
“Aagh!”
The doctor who was directly hit by the fragnts scread, clutching his bloodied face. Ryu Seo-ha’s eyes widened. He had seen the fragnts flying towards him stop in mid-air and then fall straight down.
As he turned his head, he saw Choi Gang-hu’s handso face with one corner of his mouth curled up. Before he could react, sothing like a black fabric began to stretch out from where the mana asuring device had exploded. At an incredible speed.
“Kyaak!”
“W-what is this!”
After that thing, which covered the surroundings like a blanket, passed by, the scene before his eyes had completely changed. From an indoor space resembling a hospital examination room to a gloomy ruin with a forest of rusted buildings.
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