006. Hunter Association (1)
When putting items into subspace, I don’t need to climb back inside every time.
I just have to touch the item I want and think about it.
I placed the random junk I’d gathered into subspace one by one.
Soon the room looked even emptier than before.
Navi spoke up cheerfully.
— Well done, Master! You’ve collected all the resources needed to install the Energy Repository. Now you just need to wait about 20 hours!
It really was similar to those strategy mobile games where construction took time.
‘So I don’t have anything else to do now?’
— Nope! Now why not rest well and mentally prepare yourself for tomorrow’s hunter rank re-evaluation?
That was useful advice.
‘Hey, Navi. Are we going to need a lot of real-world materials like this in the future too?’
Navi answered.
— Correct. Even if “Factory” is an S-rank ability, it can’t create something out of nothing. If possible, it’s best to acquire large amounts of metal from scrap dealers and such. But for now, you don’t have money, right?
‘Ugh…’
That hit where it hurt.
This thing knows my real-life circumstances far too well.
Then again, just one look at this gloomy little room would make it obvious I’m far from wealthy.
Navi, as if realizing it had been a bit harsh, spoke in a sweeter voice.
— Don’t worry! Once you start living as a hunter, money will pile up quickly—so much that you won’t know what to do with it. And the fact that you secured this many Ether Crystals in such a short time is truly outstanding.
Human hearts are fickle things. Hearing nice words like that made my chest warm again.
— Oh, right. I forgot to mention one thing.
‘Huh? What is it?’
— You’re a hunter, after all, so you need to know how to fight.
‘Well… yeah, that’s true.’
I like to think I’ve got decent stamina, but I’ve never lived a life involving real combat.
The only training I ever had was some elementary school taekwondo (red belt), and cramming pistol shooting practice just before the hunter exam.
Navi chattered brightly.
— Later on, once lots of weapons are built, you’ll rarely have to fight directly. But until then, you must be able to protect yourself. “Auto” will defend you, but you should always be prepared just in case.
‘Hmm. Should I practice fighting a bit? Maybe join an MMA gym or something.’
— Ahaha. No need. I already have years’ worth of martial arts, firearms, and combat experience data. Starting tonight, I’ll download it directly into your brain while you sleep.
I was at a loss for words.
‘Wha… that’s possible?’
— Yes. Since I’m already interfaced with your brain, I can. Though your dreams may get a little muddled—please endure that.
It reminded me of that scene from The Matrix, where the protagonist downloads combat skills and suddenly pulls off kung fu.
Now, I could do that too.
My heart pounded with thrilled excitement.
Even if my dreams get weird, that’s a small price to pay. Compared to spending years of time, money, and injury risk for real training, this was a hundred times better.
‘Wait, Navi. Aren’t you just a newborn AI? How do you already have all this combat data?’
— Ufufu. That’s a secret. I’ll explain more later. Today is only our first day together, after all.
‘…’
For an AI, it sure had a lot of secrets.
The next morning.
Though Navi had warned me about my dreams, I couldn’t remember them at all when I woke up.
In fact, I felt lighter and more refreshed than usual.
‘Navi, what happened?’
— Normally humans dream 5–6 times a night. I used the first two dreams for training. Since people usually only remember their final dream, you won’t recall anything.
Navi added that it was better not to remember combat-training dreams anyway—since they bordered on nightmares.
Instead, it had adjusted my neurotransmitter balance to improve my sleep quality, so even after sleep-learning, my condition would remain excellent.
‘So does that mean I can fight now?’
— Not yet. Better than yesterday, sure, but to download all my data will still take about two months of nightly sessions.
‘Ah, I see.’
Satisfied enough, I opened my laptop to check hunter-related news.
I was worried I might see headlines about A-rank hunter “Specter” Go Ho-min being missing, or his phone being found.
But surprisingly, there was nothing about him.
The only news was that S-rank hunter “Berserker” Maeng Jin-yong and his guild had swiftly subdued a B-rank gate near Kuryong Elementary.
So when I ran into him at the Berserker Guild headquarters elevator yesterday, he must have been on his way to that raid.
‘Hm? What’s this.’
I clicked on a headline that caught my eye.
〈World-Famous Prophet Declares: “The Strongest Awakened Will Soon Appear”〉
The recent prophecy of Ásta Sigurðardóttir, Iceland’s renowned A-rank awakened “Oracle,” known for her world-class clairvoyance, is drawing global attention.
In an interview with local media Northern Lights Daily, she revealed:
“Before next spring, the strongest awakened in human history will appear.”
(Excerpt from the interview)
Q. What kind of ability will this strongest awakened have?
A. As you know, my visions are symbolic and dreamlike. What I saw was the inside of a massive factory, filled with glittering production lines. Thus, the ‘strongest’ ability will likely be related to large-scale production.
Q. Do you know which country this person will appear in?
A. I only saw their back. One certain detail: their hair was black. But since black hair can appear in many races, I cannot specify their nationality.
Q. If your prophecy is true, what impact will this have?
A. It will greatly benefit humanity. I revealed this because I felt it could give hope to many. He is a hero with a good heart.
“…”
…Isn’t that about me?
The “factory” concept matches perfectly, and so does the black hair.
Navi said the Factory ability had the potential to make me the strongest in the world—this prophecy seemed to confirm it.
Whether I could become a “hero with a good heart,” though—that part I wasn’t so sure about.
The rest of the article explained that Oracle Ásta’s predictions had a nearly 90% accuracy rate, and that countless lives had been saved thanks to her visions.
‘This… I’d better hide my ability as much as possible.’
If word got out that my power was “Factory,” someone would definitely link it to this prophecy.
Then I’d become the center of worldwide media attention—and life would get very exhausting.
As I was thinking that, my phone buzzed.
It was a message from the Hunter Association.
[◆ Announcement from the Hunter Association ◆]
[Hello. The re-evaluation of the national-certified hunter (non-awakened) Ji Woo-jun has been scheduled. Please visit the Seoul Awakener Center, 2nd floor, Window 1, with your ID by 2:00 PM today (October 18).]
[* Please reply to confirm receipt.]
Below was the address of the Awakener Center near my area.
2 PM.
If I ate brunch and got ready, I’d make it right on time.
Soon after, I got texts from Gwan Ah-hyung and Jang Seul-bi.
Both of them said they’d be attending my rank re-evaluation.
‘Ugh… that’s a bit of pressure.’
It was embarrassing enough to publicly reveal my power in front of them. But worse, what if I got a lower rank than expected?
Seul-bi had boasted I was stronger than A-rank “Shielder” Min Kyung-wook—if my results were poor, I might ruin her trust.
But Navi seemed utterly unconcerned.
— Master, you’re overestimating the rank evaluation. With “Auto,” A-rank is guaranteed.
‘You say that so easily? A-rank hunters are only 51 in the whole country…’
Well, 52, but with Go Ho-min dead, one fewer now.
— Fufufu! Just wait. The stubborn fools at the Hunter Association are going to be utterly shocked.
‘…’
Did this AI have some kind of grudge against the Association?
A little later, 1:50 PM.
I arrived comfortably 10 minutes early, stepping through the glass revolving doors of the building marked Seoul Awakener Center.
As I headed for the second floor, someone waved vigorously.
“Ji Woo-jun!”
“Oh, Seul-bi. Hello, Deputy Director.”
I waved back at Seul-bi, then noticed Gwan Ah-hyung standing beside her and greeted him.
He wore a casual suit similar to yesterday’s and grinned broadly.
“Mr. Ji Woo-jun, you came a bit early?”
“Yes, were you waiting for me?”
“Haha, I was too excited to see your ability to wait. I got here 30 minutes early.”
“And you, Seul-bi?”
“Me? I was dragged along. This guy made such a fuss.”
She tried to look uninterested, but clearly, she was curious about my re-evaluation too.
Then Gwan Ah-hyung spoke to someone nearby.
“President, this is the young man I mentioned.”
‘P-President?!’
Startled, I turned to see who he meant.
A short, middle-aged man I hadn’t noticed before smiled warmly at me.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Yang Young-hoon, president of the Hunter Association.”
Oh, crap. The real deal.
This was none other than the A-rank hunter nicknamed “President,” Yang Young-hoon.
He extended his hand, and in a daze, I shook it.
“Th-thank you. I’m Ji Woo-jun.”
My voice trembled with nerves.
Though he might not match S-rank hunters in combat ability, his unparalleled charisma and political skill made him universally respected among awakeners.
People even called him the “Hunter President,” or simply Hunterong.
Even while being courteous and friendly, his inner charisma radiated so strongly it was overwhelming.
I imagined this must be what meeting Liu Bei from Romance of the Three Kingdoms would feel like in real life.
Yang Young-hoon looked me in the eyes and spoke gently.
“No need to be so tense. Gwan said it’s been a while since he’s seen someone so promising, so I came to watch. I look forward to your performance.”
“Ah, y-yes, sir.”
“Da-ha, come greet him too.”
“Yes.”
A melodious voice answered beside him.
I swallowed hard and lifted my head.
Another familiar name.
“Siren” Im Da-ha.
The strongest buffer in the country.
