Chapter 24

It’s no exaggeration to say that almost all hunters in this world are registered with the Hunter Association.

Unless they’re criminals, most hunters belong to the Hunter Association.

However, there are several reasons why these sensitive and independent-minded hunters affiliate themselves with the association.

The two biggest factors are compulsion and benefits.

“Compulsion refers to the legal requirement for hunters to join, while benefits include things like tax breaks, convenient facilities for missions, and the like.”

Anyway, what mattered here was the benefits. Han Arin knew that if she utilized these benefits well, it would greatly help Hae-un going forward. That’s why she proposed joining the association to Hae-un.

“Of course, if Hae-un doesn’t want to, we won’t do it.”

What mattered most was Hae-un’s decision. If she showed even a hint of reluctance, Han Arin planned to cancel the idea immediately and look for another way.

“Nya~!”

But Hae-un seemed eager to join the Hunter Association. She wagged her tail furiously and sparkled her eyes.

Han Arin smiled as she watched Hae-un’s excited expression and nodded.

“Is that so? Then let’s go take the Hunter Exam tomorrow, okay?”

At the mention of the Hunter Exam, Hae-un froze for a moment, fidgeting with her fingers as she spoke to herself.

“… I’m not good at fighting.”

“Fighting? Ah.”

Apparently, Hae-un had mistaken the Hunter Exam for a combat test. To clear up the misunderstanding, Han Arin picked her up and explained the different types of exams.

“Hunters focused on combat have to take a combat test, but support types can pass without one.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, really. In your case, showing your healing abilities and the Kamangis Chae-a summons should be enough.”

Actually, just her healing ability alone would probably get her through easily, but since that might make Chae-a’s role unclear, Han Arin decided it’d be better for them to take the exam together.

“Hunter…”

Hae-un looked thrilled, her tail wagging adorably.

Just then, Chae-a tugged on her clothes, proudly showing something.

“It’s my treasure!”

She must’ve found the golden bottle cap she’d hidden while playing earlier. Grateful that she liked it, Han Arin smiled. Chae-a stretched out her arms, seemingly asking for something.

“Does she want a hug?”

Finding her adorable, Han Arin instinctively picked her up. Chae-a giggled and began wiggling side to side.

“So cute…”

Thinking about how their laughter wouldn’t stop, Han Arin resolved to find the Elixir for these children no matter what.

***

That evening,

I curled up my tail and got lost in thought, trying to calm my nerves.

“Han Arin said I don’t need to prepare much for the Hunter Exam, but…”

Still, I couldn’t shake off the uneasiness. Determined to prepare in my own way, I stood up and tried practicing something—but I wasn’t sure what.

“What should I practice?”

Rationally speaking, I should train my ‘healing ability,’ but since it only activates when there’s an injury, I couldn’t practice it.

So I needed to try something else… While pondering this, a good idea popped into my head.

“Physical training!”

I vaguely remembered reading somewhere that physical fitness is fundamental for hunters. Thinking that strengthening my body would be beneficial, I stretched my arms wide.

“The key is running fast enough to feel a little tired.”

As I jogged around the room energetically, Chae-a started laughing and chasing after me.

“Haeuni!”

She seemed to enjoy running with me. Listening to her laughter behind me, I realized this was something we did every day.

“… Oh.”

Although it wasn’t entirely meaningless, I understood that focusing on less effective activities with the exam approaching wasn’t rational. So I stopped, feeling restless, and decided to try another kind of training.

“What else…?”

Lost in thought, I closed my eyes tightly. Suddenly, another good idea came to mind.

“Strength training!”

Reflecting on past incidents, I realized my lack of strength had been problematic many times. Knowing that someday I’d have to handle things on my own, I decided to focus on strength training. Looking around for something like dumbbells, I settled on using a pillow instead.

“It’s heavy enough and the right size. Lifting and putting it down repeatedly should help build muscle.”

Though it would be tough, I committed to doing my best. Clenching my teeth, I lifted the pillow over my head with great effort.

“Mmm?”

The nearby Kamangis watched me curiously, tilting their heads. Then they started mimicking me, enthusiastically lifting toys and snacks with their heads while making sounds.

“Do they think I’m playing?”

Maybe. As I put the pillow down again, they laughed and imitated my actions exactly.

Seeing them try to help made me happy. Feeling more motivated, I repeated the pillow-lifting exercise all night long.

*

When I woke up in the morning, I felt stronger. Raising my arm above my head, I noticed a slight trembling and soreness.

It must be from overexerting myself last night. Feeling proud despite the ache, I was interrupted by a counselor teacher who entered the room.

“Oh, Hae-un, you’re already awake?”

Happy to see the teacher back from a trip, I ran up to her eagerly. She picked me up gently, cradling me and rubbing my face affectionately.

“Hae-un doesn’t contain any preservatives, does she? Too much hard work isn’t good. Aww, it’s so soothing.”

What are ‘preservatives’? Maybe MSG? Though I didn’t know, I figured it didn’t matter as long as the counselor teacher was happy. She handed me a small puppy plushie as a gift.

“Look at this.”

While admiring it, the teacher playfully placed it on top of my head.

“Ta-da! Cuteness on top of cuteness.”

“…”

Not fully understanding, I carefully balanced it so it wouldn’t fall. The teacher poked my cheeks and continued.

“You’ll do great today at the Hunter Exam, right?”

“Nya~!”

“That’s right. Our lovely Hae-un can definitely do it.”

Trying to show my confidence, I flexed my muscles that I trained hard last night. But the teacher just smiled and rubbed my cheeks even more.

***

In the middle of chatting with the counselor teacher, Seorin peeked into the room and called me.

“Did our Hae-un sleep well?”

Apparently, Seorin would also observe during the Hunter Exam. Instead of Han Arin, Seorin was smiling brightly as she came to pick me up.

Waving at her, I blinked to signal my determination for the day. Seorin took me from the counselor teacher, hugging me warmly.

“I’ll be back soon, teacher.”

“Okay, come back safely.”

“Yes. Hae-un should say goodbye to the teacher too.”

I bowed deeply, pointing at the still-sleeping Chae-a.

“Chae-a has to go too.”

“Oh.”

Seorin had momentarily forgotten about Chae-a. Laughing awkwardly, she quickly picked up Chae-a with her other arm.

“Alright, shall we go?”

“Unh.”

I wiped the drool dripping from Chae-a’s mouth as we headed toward the Hunter Exam venue.

*

To summarize the Hunter Exam site: “Everything you could imagine is here.” Since each hunter has unique abilities and characteristics, various devices were prepared accordingly. I was crouched near a healing device, chatting with Chae-a.

“Woah, there are so many people here.”

“Right?”

“Yep! The Kamangis love crowds!”

Chae-a was clearly excited by the large number of people, giggling and sharing her thoughts with me. I nodded, agreeing with everything she said.

“Does Hae-un like it too?”

“Unh.”

“How much? For reference, Chae-a likes it more than thirty things!”

Thirty? I wasn’t sure exactly how big that number was, but it seemed like 30 was the largest number Chae-a knew, so she used it. Understanding this, I nodded in agreement.

“I like it thirty-thousand times too.”

“Thousand?”

Oops, I mispronounced it. Next time, I’ll be more careful with my words. While observing a small plastic piece rolling nearby, a Spirit Master approached us with a warm smile.

“Oh, our little ones waiting for the exam?”

At his question, Chae-a and I both looked up and nodded.

“In that case, let’s get ready. It’s Hae-un and Chae-a’s turn now.”

Standing up, I tried to demonstrate my newly strengthened muscles by picking up Chae-a.

“Is sister taking care of everything? Having a younger sibling like Hae-un must be nice.”

My efforts went completely unnoticed, leaving me a little deflated.

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