A day when the summer sun beat down intensely.
Cynthia, who had become somewhat accustomed to the Hunter Management Bureau's mandatory education, secretly looked at her phone in a cool corner of the training hall.
[Kyle, did you have lunch?]
And she sent a message to Kyle Smith.
[Yeah, did you?]
A reply came quickly.
[I have lunch in an hour.]
Cynthia felt a strange sense of wonder.
Even though she had adapted to some extent, the mandatory education was still difficult, and being separated from Kyle was mentally exhausting.
[What's on the menu for lunch at the Bureau today?]
But every time she exchanged messages with him, she felt a strange excitement and affection.
[Dried radish greens and soybean paste soup with white rice, cubed radish kimchi, spicy pork, sausage, and leafy vegetables, and...]
She also felt a subtle thrill from avoiding the eyes of the Bureau staff.
For Cynthia, who had lived a righteous life for twenty years, it was truly a different experience.
'Kyle, I miss you already...'
It hadn't even been three days since she had last seen Kyle's face, but it felt like weeks.
Was it because she had been seeing him every day?
His absence felt particularly large, and she was able to be a little more honest about her feelings.
[What are you doing? Are you busy?]
When he didn't reply, Cynthia sent another message.
'Oh, what if I look like a clingy girl?'
She looked every bit like a woman in love.
'No, I'm Kyle's guardian too!'
Just then, the smartphone screen flickered slightly.
[I was working. What about you? I heard the Bureau is really strict, are you allowed to use your phone during training?]
[In principle, no, but if you do well on the practical and written exams, they turn a blind eye a little. I heard it from a new friend I made here at the Bureau.]
[Looks like you did well on the exam. As expected of the class president.]
[I'm embarrassed. But I did work hard!]
[But who's that friend? Is it a guy?]
[It's a girl.]
[A girl? Is she pretty?]
[I don't know. I'm not telling you.]
As they exchanged silly conversations, time passed quickly.
[Then at least tell me what color underwear you're wearing today, Cynthia.]
[Are you crazy? Absolutely not!]
In an instant, Cynthia's face turned bright red as she quickly touched her smartphone.
[Is it because the top and bottom don't match? I don't mind.]
[That's not it! Stop saying weird things!]
[Send me a picture later. I'll be waiting.]
[No way! Wait forever. You idiot.]
She put her phone away and sighed lightly.
'Kyle Smith, you pervert...'
The problem was that she didn't dislike the pervert.
Even as she scolded him inwardly, the corners of her lips were slightly raised.
In fact, she liked and enjoyed even having such conversations with Kyle.
'It's strangely fun.'
It was something she couldn't even imagine with the old Kyle.
'What am I going to do?'
She was unfamiliar and embarrassed by the fact that she was seriously considering whether to send the picture or not.
'I think I'm falling for him more and more...'
But surprisingly, she didn't feel any resistance.
She thought of her kiss with Kyle and smiled, touching her lips.
And some time later.
"Is that your boyfriend?"
Asked the person who was eating with Cynthia.
It was Sophie Beaumont, the friend she had mentioned earlier.
Sophie, who had her hair in a ponytail, was a woman with a cute, round face, despite her blunt impression.
"Huh? No, he's not my boyfriend..."
Cynthia looked momentarily embarrassed.
"He's not your boyfriend, but you've been smiling like that since a while ago?"
"Huh? Was I smiling?"
"Since the training room. You looked like you were about to die of happiness?"
"Ugh, is it that obvious?"
"Yeah, very obvious."
Cynthia covered her cheeks with both hands, as if to hide her flushed face.
"Anyway, he's not my boyfriend..."
"Oh, really?"
"Not yet..."
Sophie chuckled at Cynthia's answer.
"Sorry to interrupt you while you're in the middle of a budding romance, but you know you have to be really focused for the afternoon training, right?"
Then she gave a warning.
Sophie, like Cynthia, was a student in the general advancement class.
She was a case where she had suddenly awakened while in school and had to give up her vacation, like Cynthia.
The only difference was that she came from a small academy, not Stella Academy.
"Even though they're fake holograms, you still have to be nervous because it's a mock battle with monsters. I heard the evaluation score is heavily weighted."
The reason why Sophie had such special information was because both of her parents were former Hunters.
"Yeah, thanks for telling me, Sophie."
Cynthia nodded.
"Oh, are you going to the party hosted by the Bureau next weekend, Cynthia?"
"Party? The one after the graduation ceremony?"
"People from various guilds are coming. They're people who want to look at the rookies who have completed their mandatory education and contact those who show promise in advance."
"Huh? Pre-contact is illegal, isn't it?"
"These are people who are above the Hunter Law. If it's someone with Cynthia's abilities, they'll probably be popular?"
"No, I'm not going. It seems uncomfortable."
"The four major guilds of Korea will be there too?"
"Actually, I don't really feel it yet. The fact that I'm an Awakened... it feels like a story from a completely different world than me."
Sophie gave an interesting expression at Cynthia's awkward smile.
'There are cases where they drop out to a support position because they hate danger, or live as ordinary people under the Bureau's management.'
Every Hunter in this world is an Awakened.
But conversely, not every Awakened walks the path of a Hunter.
"Still, it's such a waste of Cynthia's abilities... no, am I being too nosy?"
"Ahaha..."
"Well, you'll have to see your boyfriend on the weekend, right?"
"Well, I told you he's not my boyfriend."
Cynthia complained with a pouty face, but her lips were still smiling.
While going about my day, I suddenly smiled as I looked at my smartphone.
Buzz!
It was because Cynthia had sent a picture.
[You pervert! You're the only one who can see it!]
The tsundere-like message was a bonus.
'I only said it half-jokingly.'
While Cynthia's character was somewhat shaken, I couldn't hide my joy as I carefully examined her picture.
She was falling faster than I expected.
Good, good.
'It's a little disappointing that she only sent the bra.'
Cynthia had lifted her top slightly and taken a picture to show her light blue sports bra.
The range was just enough to show the bottom of her breasts.
'Next time, I should ask her to send panties too.'
And then, if she gradually sent nude photos and masturbation videos, it would be perfect.
At that time, Cynthia would be completely unrelated to the 'purity' of innocence.
"I want to eat quickly, no, I want to see you. Cynthia~."
As I was smiling and reading Cynthia's picture several times, an old man approached and said.
"Break time is over. Let's move on."
He was a day laborer commonly called Mr. Sean.
Moving thick boxes with him and a few other old men was my new routine.
I was a little short on living expenses due to the expenses at the urology clinic, but it wasn't because I was desperate for money, but because it helped with awakening.
'I wish I could enter the gate as soon as possible.'
While moving the eco-friendly dream energy resource called Magic Stone, I exchanged silly words with the people at the employment agency.
"Kyle, please carry mine for me too. I only have one box left until my quota, but my back hurts so much today."
"My back hurts too, Mr. Stone."
"What do you mean it hurts? You're still young. At your age, it gets better when you wake up."
"I have to be more careful because I'm young. Unlike you, I still have a lot of use for my back."
It hadn't been even a few days since I started working with them, but we had become close enough to exchange light jokes.
"What, you punk?! Don't you know about respecting your elders, Kyle? Do you have no parents?!"
"I have three moms? Oh, one of them passed away though."
"Wh, what...?"
"My father looks a lot like me, so he's quite handsome. He's remarried twice, so I guess it's because of his looks."
"Are you lying...?"
It's the truth.
When I shrugged and showed an indifferent look, most of the old men took it as a joke.
"Hey, stop bothering the young man and come and carry the rest, Mr. Stone!"
Soon after, the head of the manpower agency, who was subcontracted by the Bureau, took the lead on the site and spurred on the transportation.
When the work at the gate area was finished, it was 3 or 4 pm.
"Good work today, Kyle."
Michael Yu, the head of the manpower agency, handed me an envelope containing my daily wage.
"You'll be out tomorrow too, right?"
"If there's work to move Magic Stones."
"No. There are many other jobs, but why are you so obsessed with carrying Magic Stones? It's not an easy job either?"
"It's rewarding. It's because I'm moving the world's main energy source with my own hands."
"You're a strange one."
"Speaking of which, can I enter the gate tomorrow? I heard that the daily wage is much higher if you dig it out directly from the inside."
I asked casually.
"You said it was rewarding, but in the end, it's money. Anyway, ordinary people can't go in. It's dangerous."
Michael clicked his tongue lightly and explained.
"What's dangerous? Aren't the monsters already all eliminated?"
"The concentration of magic inside the gate is too high. It's dangerous just to breathe. Besides, it's dangerous for ordinary people to dig up Magic Stones directly."
"Is that so?"
I kept asking as if I didn't know anything.
"There's a strange rumor among ordinary people that you can awaken if you go into the tower or gate, but that's complete nonsense. Nine out of ten people die from magic power runaway."
Michael, an Awakened, added a kind explanation.
"The point is that the human body needs time to adapt to magic power."
"Still, if nine out of ten die, one person survives and awakens, right? Why is that?"
"Scholars say that each person has a different vessel, a vessel that can hold magic power, but it hasn't been proven for sure."
Honestly, there was some information I was hearing for the first time.
The information I learned through the original game was ultimately all fragmentary and comprehensive.
It wasn't that detailed.
"In my opinion, it's just a difference in luck and talent."
"Luck is one thing, but talent?"
"Vessel or not, to put it simply, if you're a material to become at least an A-class or S-class Hunter, you'll be safe even if you run into the gate head-on, right?"
"I see."
I nodded.
It was a simple thought, but I agreed as well.
"Anyway, Kyle, are you that short on money?"
"Yeah, well..."
"Then should I introduce you to a junior I know? He's the guild leader of a small, five-person Hunter guild. They mainly do Magic Stone mining and excavation."
"Really?"
"Lower-ranked gates are relatively safe, so they might take you and use you. Besides, you're strong and diligent, Kyle."
"Thank you, boss!"
I bowed my head and smiled.
It was according to plan.
"I'll be waiting for your call!"
I, who had intentionally frequented this employment agency, moved with an extremely refreshing feeling.
'My shoulders hurt, so I should do some legs today.'
The place I headed to after leaving the site was none other than the gym.
Since I had to work on the site in the morning, I had no choice but to move my workout time to the afternoon.
"Hoo."
When I came out after destroying my legs, the sky was covered in twilight.
Against the backdrop of the fading sunset, I turned my head at the sound of a woman's voice as I was about to go home.
"Huh? Kyle?"
'That woman is...'
She was Hannah Owo, a so-called school bully.