Magical Hunter Girl Decorates the Dungeon! Episode 003
— — —
9%, 15%…….
Watching the numbers continue to climb, Iji realized what was happening.
‘Hunter Awakening?’
She had learned about it at school.
About ten years ago, when spaces called “Dungeons” appeared on Earth, a small number of people gained special powers.
They were called “Hunters.”
While a Hunter’s abilities varied, they all had one thing in common.
‘They said they make good money!’
Iji’s eyes shone with hope.
Suitability test complete.
‘Shin Iji’, Awakened confirmed.
Instinctively knowing how to use the system, Iji waved her hand in the air.
‘Status Window!’
They said not every Hunter lived a glamorous life.
The biggest factor in a Hunter’s life was their “Awakening Rank.”
She had to check the alphabet that, once assigned, could never be changed.
‘Heh, I’ve already mastered the alphabet!’
She would know the moment she saw it whether it was a leading letter or a trailing one!
What soon appeared before Iji’s eyes was…….
[Awakened Information]
Name: Shin Iji
Awakening Rank: EX
Trait:
‘EX……?’
As far as Iji knew, standard Hunter ranks went from F to A.
There was only one alphabet that stood for a special grade: S.
‘EX is……. X?’
Does X mean it’s really bad?
After pondering for a long time, Iji went out to the living room and grabbed her sister’s tablet PC.
‘EX, English abbreviation, meaning…….’
The first result was “Example.”
The second said it meant “Ex-boyfriend, ex-girlfriend,” or a former lover.
‘What is this!’
Iji closed the search window in disgust.
In any case, it didn’t seem to be either of those.
The problem wasn’t just the EX.
The other factor that supposedly dictated a Hunter’s life, the “Trait,” was also strange.
‘Unbloomed…… search.’
It wasn’t a word in the dictionary, but the string of internet posts that popped up made its meaning easy to guess.
Went to the flower festival and everyone is just unbloomed, ugh. If that’s the case, they shouldn’t call it a flower festival!!
Are they still calling a second-year player an unbloomed prospect? If they can’t earn their salary, the front office needs to bench them.
A flower that hasn’t bloomed.
Something lacking, something that can’t be used right away.
‘But flowers bloom eventually, right? Maybe the trait will appear later?’
But no matter how much she searched, there were no posts about a Hunter’s “Unbloomed” state.
‘Why am I the only one like this? ……Is it because I’m young?’
The only post she found made her heart grow even colder.
I’m a civil servant in the Hunter Management Department, and these unawakened idiots are driving me crazy.
So many morons asking if they can re-register as a healing type because they learned a healing skill even though their trait is combat-oriented.
If you stick cow hair on chicken, does it sell as premium beef??
And stop asking if you can raise your rank.
Weren’t you S-rank when you awakened? Then you’ll never be S-rank.
Believe what you see. Why do you try to have dreams and hopes you didn’t even have in elementary school at an age where you’re already sprouting armpit hair?
Her small dreams and hopes shriveled in an instant.
‘And if it were something good, it would have shown up in the search.’
If she deduced the meaning by connecting EX with the word …….
‘I think I really am an Example grade.’
Like a plastic food display in front of a restaurant, just a sample showing, “This is what a status window looks like when you become a Hunter.”
Just as Iji let her shoulders slump, she heard a rustling sound followed by her sister’s voice.
“Iji…… are you still awake?”
Her sister blinked sleepy eyes from the bed and checked the clock.
Is she going to get up? Will she come out to the living room? Will she ask what I was doing? If Iji’s sister found out that she had awakened as a Hunter but was only an Example grade, she might be sad—
Then, her sister said something unexpected.
“Are you too excited to sleep?”
“Huh?”
“You said you were going to the career experience center tomorrow……. I saw it in your school notice.”
Ah.
‘That’s right!’
She had completely forgotten because she was worried about her future.
At any rate, she had a good excuse!
“Yeah, I’m so excited! I was looking up what they have at the center!”
“I see…… it’s late, so you should get some sleep.”
“Okay! I’ll sleep now!”
“Make sure to pack a drink in the morning…….”
Her sister wiggled back under the covers.
‘That was a close one!’
Iji hurriedly typed every job she could think of into the search bar to build her alibi. Teacher, nurse, bandit, doctor, magical girl…… no, that’s not a job. Finally, influencer!
‘This should be enough, right?’
Time to go to sleep.
But now, the excitement had become real.
‘Will there be Hunters at the career experience center?’
Maybe she could learn about Hunters, EX, and being Unbloomed there.
— — —
* * *
The next day, at the Municipal Career Experience Center.
Seeing the banners at the entrance that read “Experience Various Careers!” and “Consult with Future Seniors!” made her heart race.
‘Can I meet a Hunter too?’
If she could, she might learn what EX-rank meant and how to earn money.
Iji wasn’t the only one excited.
“I’m going to be a martial artist! Can I try fighting a real one?”
“Ninja! Ninja!”
“I’m going to be a lawyer. Do we learn how to pass death sentences?”
Their homeroom teacher shouted over the chaos.
“Cham-sae Elementary School, Class 3, Grade 2!”
“W-we’re not first graders!”
“You’re noisier than the first graders! Again, Cham-sae Elementary School, Grade 2!”
“……Chirp chirp!”
“Today, we’re going to do three activities. You don’t get to choose! If you only do what you like, you’ll never know what you’re actually good at.”
“Aww…….”
The kids’ lips pouted. The teacher continued firmly.
“Now, let’s split into three groups. Take turns and have fun!”
Of course, Iji had no intention of just playing.
‘I need to learn seriously!’
If she couldn’t make a living as a Hunter, who knew what she’d end up doing for money?
The first place they entered was the pastry chef experience classroom.
A round-faced instructor shouted brightly.
“Today, we are pastry chefs! Let’s make chocolate cupcakes!”
She diligently mixed the provided ingredients just as the instructor said. No, rather than mixing, she fought them.
‘Gah! The flour is flying everywhere!’
Indeed, having a job wasn’t easy.
“Once it’s all mixed, divide it into the paper cups. We’ll microwave them for two minutes!”
‘Putting the batter in is easy…… no, it’s not! It’s weirder than slime!’
The table was a mess with brown stains, and her hands were sticky.
But just as she was thinking she had no talent for this, the microwave’s *ding!* cut off her thoughts—
‘Wow…… it smells amazing!’
Cupcakes that looked delicious enough to swallow whole, paper cup and all, had been made.
“Finally, decorate them with sprinkles and cookies!”
After the experience ended.
Looking at her cupcake, which was as pretty as a Christmas tree, Iji made a vow.
‘If I can’t be a Hunter, I’ll be a pastry chef!’
It seemed she had a knack for this wonderful profession called “pastry chef.”
Her heart felt a little lighter.
The next experience room they moved to, clutching their handmade cupcakes, was a small basketball court.
“Today, we are basketball players! Everyone, try to make a cool shot! If you get it in, you get a prize!”
‘Basketball…… that’s a sport where you have to be tall.’
Iji, who sat in the front row of the class, felt a little uneasy.
Although the instructor guided the children to hoops that matched their height—
“Wow, look at Junseo!”
“He already made three!”
“So cool…….”
Seeing Junseo, the tallest kid in class, throwing the ball with such ease made her feel even smaller.
They said his dad was a basketball player.
‘Must be nice. Tall, and good at something……. If I’m still in the front row next year, I’ll just worry my sister.’
Iji tried jumping high like Junseo to throw the ball. But nine balls in a row missed.
And the last ball.
“You’ll definitely make it this time, student!”
Feeling a bit shy at the instructor’s encouragement, Iji didn’t force herself to jump as high this time.
‘Hup!’
The ball flew higher than before.
‘Oh…… ah, it’s a little short!’
But the moment she was certain it would hit the rim and bounce off.
Between the hoop and the ball, something like a silver thread shimmered.
As if it had been pulled by a spiderweb, the ball tilted toward the dead center of the hoop in an instant.
*Swish!*
The instructor clapped.
“Wow, well done!”
“…….”
“I knew you’d succeed this time. Here, pick a souvenir—”
“……Teacher.”
She knew it was rude, but Iji interrupted the instructor and asked.
“What did you just do?”
“Pardon?”
“You helped me make the last shot, didn’t you?”
“What do you mean, little one?”
The instructor smiled brightly, pretending not to understand, but the fact that they were lowering their voice showed they were flustered.
They were probably worried about the other kids hearing.
‘It’s certain. They secretly helped me.’
If so, what was that thread she saw earlier?
This time, Iji lowered her voice as well and asked a desperate question.
“Teacher. Are you, by any chance, a Hunter?”
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