"Yes, yes, I've done a lot of research on snack preferences, drink preferences, and all sorts of things, yes."
[Good job, well done. Ah, my lovely pieces of information...]
In Normal Class 307, Jung Yoo-jin was looking at the crystal ball in front of him with a disgusted expression.
It was fine to follow the divine command to investigate the student opening the staircase door. The subject had a decent personality, so there was no problem with the investigation itself.
If there was a problem, it would likely lie with the god he had contracted with.
The Omniscient God, Grimnir.
In this era, she is a universally accepted existence, one of the most recognized among the gods.
She is widely involved in all kinds of rankings and even announces her own unique ranking called 'Star's Name' in her own temple.
If one were to describe her personality in a word, it would be a busybody.
A race that enjoys randomly sprinkling foreshadowing in internet communities.
'But I didn't expect her to take interest in a freshman who just entered the academy.'
It was an unusual event even for Jung Yoo-jin, who was born between parents who were followers of Grimnir and had been a follower of Grimnir since he was young.
"So, should I get along well with Choi Yeon-woo from now on?"
[Yes, please. There's no one else in the academy I can ask but you.]
"Yes, leave it to me."
Well, even with all this, innate faith is innate faith. Although he often feels disgusted by her grotesque remarks, he will probably faithfully follow her commands.
* * *
"Ugh..."
My body refuses to move properly. The full-body muscle pain I had anticipated hit me with an unexpected force.
By the time I felt I could finally move, after lying there numbly like a corpse, it was already noon. Perhaps it was a hangover from the snacks and drinks I had indulged in with Jung Yoo-jin the night before.
Incidentally, Shar's favorite snack was cheddar cheese popcorn. Although we shared the sense of taste, Shar would take care of the nutrients, extracting them as needed. It was like keeping a double-entry book for our diet.
Thankfully, I could still gather mana even if my body was out of service.
However, lying there and just gathering mana was a tiresome task, so I decided to get up and take care of a few things.
The first was to complete the initial mission. While all academies claim to be gateways to becoming a hunter, graduation isn't the only path to that title.
A prime example was my previous life. Despite not even attending an academy and only having a high school diploma, I was technically active as a hunter.
To become an active Hunter, one only needed the bare minimum of practical skills and the resolve to carry out their duties. It was not uncommon for people to try it once and then give up, finding it too challenging.
As a result, a phenomenon occurred where, after 10 years, rankings that were once only for the top-tier now extended to the hundred thousandth place.
As the number of registrants increased, it became necessary to have a minimum safety net for Hunters. This was the purpose of the first mission.
It wasn't that they were given a special assignment. The only difference was that for their first mission, they were required to be accompanied by a senior Hunter selected by the guild or a Hunter they brought themselves.
Shar is still asleep. It's said that she needs to sleep a lot to hatch soon, so she probably won't wake up for a while. Since her essence is inside Yeon-woo's body, all he needs to worry about is his own safety.
* * *
Baek In-hwa was feeling somewhat restless.
Emotional turmoil. When others mentioned it, she had wondered what it was, but now that she was experiencing it himself, she could definitely say her heart was wavering.
"What on earth is he?" The man was on my mind.
The face of the boy who introduced himself as Choi Yeon-woo wouldn't leave my head. Was it because he was handsome? Because he spoke to me first? Coincidentally, it wasn't any of those.
'...He's good at talking.'
He was rude. He was so rude that I wondered if it was okay to be that rude. Although I was grateful that he wasn't afraid of me and spoke to me first, there was no need to say such things.
In order to shake off the uncomfortable feeling, Baek In-hwa headed to the gym, but soon her gaze turned elsewhere. A familiar figure from behind. During the introduction, I thought it was stuck in my eye for some reason, but now I realized that it was a feeling of injustice.
'...After making me feel this way, where are you going with such joy?'
Well, it's a freedom allowed to the students of the academy to go out on weekends.
For some reason, I was annoyed at the sight of him leaving the school gate. If asked why I was annoyed, it would be hard to answer honestly, but anyway, that's how it was.
"The one who angers others is at fault."
So, I should keep an eye on him.
He might get up to no good from the first weekend. Just wait and see.
...With that in mind, the girl's curiosity, which stemmed from a slightly malicious intent, began to follow Choi Yeon-woo.
* * *
What does the Hunter Guild, also known as the Hunter Association, do?
Its basic purpose is to respond to the Gates and to facilitate cooperation among hunters... that's the founding intent.
In modern terms, it's an international service center. Dispatching hunters, who are like day laborers, to the site known as the Gate is the job of the Hunter Association.
Recently, there's an application for hunters, so the need to visit the guild has decreased, but Yeon-woo had a reason he had to visit.
The commission for taking on requests through the application is slightly higher than when visiting in person.
Although he managed to get admitted, the tuition for the academy is not light at all. Far from being light, it's a reality that it's comparable to an ordinary private university, despite being a secondary education institution.
Claire somehow managed to secure the funds for one year's tuition, but the cost of future tuition was by no means to be taken lightly.
In order to repay Claire, who had decided to invest so much for a child who could only stay in the orphanage for two more years, I had to be prepared to earn at least the upcoming tuition fees, if not a scholarship.
In that sense, the easiest option was to become a hunter. Even a hunter who had just started their activities could not be said to have a meager income.
If I consistently worked every weekend, I could just barely cover the tuition by the end of the semester.
Of course, it's true that I couldn't just pay the tuition and be done with it; I had to tighten my belt and reduce my spending somehow.
After all, participating in a hunter guild was essential, whether it was to prevent the decline of the hunter community or to clear the lucrative gates.
No matter how I thought about it, I couldn't give up on being a hunter while enrolled in school.
In the middle of the city of skyscrapers, there stood a building that seemed like it could only exist in a fantasy, with its antique design.
The Association President's hobby, was it? The Hunter Guilds scattered across various regions all bore this kind of appearance. Although, after about seven years, they would be on the front lines, remodeled like fortresses, it was true that the shape was familiar.
Looking at the workplace where he would have to work in his past life, and in the future, Yeon-woo felt his heart racing for some reason.
He knew very well what it felt like for someone without magical power to experience the Hunter Guild.
Then what about someone with magical power? Moreover, what if it was an outstanding magic awakener?
Facing an unknown landscape was an incredibly thrilling event, so Yeon-woo boldly pushed the door open.
