CSAAC CH 01

Chapter 1

When the world falls into chaos, scammers always run wild.

Laws about Hunters and Awakened people had only been created a few years ago, so there were plenty of loopholes. Naturally, many con artists tried to take advantage of them.

So I assumed this man was a scammer.

Or insane.

“If you’re scared, just don’t open your eyes.”

I’m not afraid of heights.

But that doesn’t mean I can calmly accept watching someone leap at least nine meters into the air without any help.

Especially when there’s a scorpion monster below us that’s bigger than a truck.

“If you don’t want to eat sand, hold your breath.”

My brain hadn’t even started working yet, but he was smiling with an annoyingly handsome face while scooping up several bloodied people from the ground.

I thought his hair fluttered slightly—

And then suddenly, the scorpion monster’s tail stabbed straight into the spot where we had been standing.

So this is what it’s like inside a dungeon.

“I told you to close your eyes. You shouldn’t damage such pretty eyes.”

The man holding me wasn’t crazy.

He was probably an S-rank Awakened.

He had lied about lowering his Awakening level, so technically he was a scammer after all.

I knew something about him felt strange.

Even now, days later, I still clearly remember the moment I measured his Awakening level.

***

“F-rank.”

“Could you test it again? It must be an error.”

“No.”

I narrowed my eyes at the low-rank Awakened arguing in front of me.

As a civil servant in charge of Awakening assessments, this scene wasn’t unusual.

What was unusual was the flame-like energy flickering around him, as if it might explode at any moment.

“…Test him one more time.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’ll authorize it. Test him again.”

By regulation, the test is done only once. Many people insist something went wrong and beg for a retest, hoping they’ll get a slightly higher result by luck.

But—

He really looked like a high-rank Awakened.

Ignoring the staff member who glanced at me as if wondering whether I’d gone crazy from overwork, I frowned.

“Um… Assistant Manager Kim. He really is F-rank. Is there a problem?”

“Let me see.”

I saw the clear F displayed on the monitor.

Still, I took the printed result sheet and examined it carefully.

Every number confirmed he was low rank.

“Ha. I thought there was an error since you said to test again. I’m already upset, and now you’re double-checking to rub it in.”

He was the one who insisted on a retest, yet now he was complaining.

But as a civil servant dealing with clients, I couldn’t argue.

“I apologize for the inconvenience, sir. Would you like the result printed, or sent to your phone?”

“I don’t need it.”

Watching the strange energy still flickering around him, I wondered if he possessed some kind of item that could hide his true Awakening level.

He didn’t seem to be wearing any accessories. It’s not like I could ask him to strip.

“Is it acceptable for a civil servant to behave like this during work?”

“Pardon?”

“Your name… Assistant Manager Kim Yeoul.”

The man, who had been about to storm out, turned back and checked the name tag on my chest.

Was he about to file a complaint?

“I’ll let it slide because I like your face, Assistant Manager. But don’t ask me out. I’m not interested in dating right now.”

“What?”

“You were staring at me. It’s obvious.”

“What?”

“You think I haven’t received that kind of look before?”

From behind me, I heard staff whispering, “So annoying…”

If I heard it, he probably did too.

He didn’t seem to care.

That somehow made him even more annoying.

“Even if I’m F-rank, I’m still Awakened. I’ll probably get more of those looks. I’ll get used to it. Goodbye.”

He glanced at my stunned expression and walked out.

Rather than worrying about the violent flow of mana shaking the doorway, something only I seemed to see, I found myself wondering whether his comments counted as workplace harassment.

“Unbelievable.”

Maybe it would’ve been better if he had filed a complaint.

Even after he disappeared, the flickering energy seemed to linger in front of me.

Handsome men are popular only when they don’t realize they’re handsome.

“Sigh… Let’s wrap up. Good work, everyone. Turn off the machines and go home.”

Some of us had stayed late because of him.

He had neat black hair and gentle eyes like a model student, but even the staff member known for loving pretty faces looked irritated.

Watching a handsome man isn’t worth more than getting off work on time.

Especially when that handsome man is a nuisance.

“It feels strange… but I should trust the machine over my eyes.”

Only the Awakening assessment machine can measure mana and determine rank.

People have always said I have good intuition, but in the end, I’m not Awakened.

I just have slightly unusual eyes.

The machine produced F twice. Officially, he is F-rank.

Forcing away my unease, I skipped the bus and headed to a nearby park instead.

I had a long, exhausting day. I deserved a reward.

“Bokgil~ Where are you? I brought you a treat!”

Working with Awakened individuals means dealing with more troublesome people than most government jobs.

But today was especially bad.

Only Bokgil’s fluffy fur could comfort me.

Normally, he appears the moment I shake a treat.

Why isn’t he coming out?

He recently had kittens, but he shouldn’t have moved far.

“Is the cat’s name Bokgil?”

“Ah! You scared me.”

Just as I was starting to worry someone might’ve hurt him, a shadow fell over me and a low voice spoke.

I turned around.

It was the same annoyingly handsome man from earlier.

“We meet again, Assistant Manager Kim Yeoul.”

“…Yes, sir.”

Great. He even remembered my name.

“Does he look lucky, so that’s why he’s called Bokgil?”

I glared subtly while he patted the cat’s backside.

Bokgil purred happily.

He wasn’t implying Bokgil was fat, right? It’s just fluff.

“Everyone around here calls him Bokgil. If you don’t know him, you must not be from this area?”

“Yes. Well.”

Well what? Finish your sentence.

Usually, people take Awakening assessments near their residence. Anyone local would know Bokgil.

The shimmering air around him looked even more unstable under the sunset light.

“Please put him down. He’s going to where his kittens are.”

“He has kittens?”

Still suspicious.

That unstable energy looked less like a person and more like the early formation of a dungeon.

Actually, it looked even denser.

“Meow.”

“Alright, alright. Where are the babies?”

Pretending to watch Bokgil, I kept observing the man from the corner of my eye.

Since he insisted on a retest earlier, maybe he had an illegal mana amplification item.

“Assistant Manager, could I have one of those treats? I’d like to feed him, but I don’t have any. I’ll pay.”

I quickly walked away from him, avoiding his attempt to steal my cat treats.

Following Bokgil, who walked proudly with his tail raised straight up, we reached a pile of bushes in the corner of the park.

Tiny kittens crawled out from underneath.

The problem was—

The bushes were flickering.

Just like the man behind me.

“Is that not allowed? I’ll pay… Assistant Manager? Are you listening?”

“Sir, please be quiet.”

“Excuse me?”

“Stop following me and stay there.”

I pushed him back.

His chest was unexpectedly solid under my palm, but this wasn’t the time to notice that.

Because cracks were forming in the sticky, shimmering space ahead.

The air split open, and mana began leaking out.

What a rude dungeon.

Doesn’t it know better than to target cats?