Chapter 11
Once I decided to think positively about the situation, I started wondering how things had gotten this far in the first place.
Was it because someone peeked at my rank earlier? I expected it to become an issue, but I didn't think this many people would gather...
I'd assumed there would be some noise online at most.
"What's going on?"
"Looks like an article already went up. Judging by the timing, it was right after you filled out the form in the lobby. They're fast."
I knew plenty of reporters waited around on the first floor of the Association, much like reporters camping outside police stations, all in the name of the public's right to know.
Still, for an article to appear this quickly meant that whoever published the first report had immediately become confident about both my skill type and its rank.
If it were simply a matter of sharp eyesight, the reporter might secretly be Awakened.
But if they'd also verified the information with an Association employee, then they probably had connections inside the Association.
Either way, my assumption that things would remain peaceful until I received my license and went home had been completely wrong.
Wait.
I looked at In Yeonhae with suspicion.
I'm fine with becoming famous sooner or later, but...
Yeonwoo Guild's position should have been different.
They were responsible for protecting me, so I would've expected them to avoid any uncontrollable situation.
Hold on.
Don't tell me...?
"...There were quite a few people peeking while I was filling out that tablet earlier, weren't there?"
"Yep."
"...?"
Then why didn't she stop them?
From Yeonwoo Guild's perspective, preventing the leak would've been easier than turning an A-Class guild member into a criminal.
They could have assigned more guards or controlled the area until I was ready.
Had In Yeonhae simply been careless?
Or had she made that decision on her own?
No. That's not it. Just look at that face.
She looked somewhat surprised by the chaos, but she was still smiling.
In Yeonhae seemed to understand exactly what I was thinking.
She silently mouthed several words at me.
Guild Master... Shin... Ha-gyeon?
Shin Ha-gyeon told her to do this?
He told her not to stop people from discovering who I was?
Then a memory suddenly flashed through my mind.
Artist Do, I'd like to give you a small gift when you register as an Awakened.
So this is what he meant!
"Whew."
I let out a breath at the sheer scale of a gift capable of throwing the entire Hunter Association into chaos.
"Guild Master Shin probably didn't mean anything bad by it. He's been in an unusually good mood lately."
Apparently misunderstanding my reaction, In Yeonhae hurriedly defended her guild master.
But I wasn't angry.
I was simply amazed.
I'm seriously going to become famous overnight.
This was probably why they'd assigned an A-Class Hunter like In Yeonhae to protect me today.
If that was the case, Yeonwoo Guild would probably make sure her record remained clean despite using her skill on civilians.
And considering our contract for comprehensive protection, they'd probably deal with any negative public opinion surrounding me too.
I got one fan and I'm already exhausted.
Still, I was grateful for his enthusiasm.
Was there really a more explosive way to announce the appearance of the world's only S-Class production-type Awakened?
Thanks to this one news story, the value of not only the items I produced, but probably my sculptures as well, had just skyrocketed.
Once In Yeonhae confirmed that I wasn't upset, she smiled brightly.
"Shall we go, then?"
"What about them?"
I glanced at the reporters.
Even while moving at a snail's pace, they were still stretching their hands toward me and trying to press their camera shutters.
In Yeonhae answered simply.
"We can release the skill after we get into the car."
And she really did exactly that.
While we handed the Association employee my test results and received my license, the reporters could do nothing but slowly move their eyes and stare at us.
As our sedan pulled away, I saw tiny figures sprinting out of the Association building behind us.
"But doesn't the Association have Hunters of its own? You used a skill inside their building."
"Of course they do!"
"Then just now..."
"Guild Master Shin probably coordinated all of this with the Association in advance."
"Ah."
"No matter how famous an S-Class Hunter is, or how powerful the number-one guild may be, nobody wants to openly antagonize the government."
"..."
"And the Association does consider the first floor an area where press activity is permitted. The reporters probably gathered there while keeping an eye on the Association's reaction."
In other words, both allowing the reporters to run wild inside the building and letting In Yeonhae use her skill without anyone coming to arrest her had happened with the tacit approval of the people above.
The Hunter industry is secretly a complete mess.
No, maybe it wasn't even secret.
An industry where blood and flesh literally flew everywhere probably had no business being orderly in the first place.
"Hah."
My dry laugh gradually turned into a real one.
At the very least, the publicity had been spectacular.
I hoped this level of attention would last until I revealed my next work.
I'll have plenty of viewers.
No matter how they gathered, if I had an audience, I was confident I could capture their eyes and hearts.
In Yeonhae kept talking throughout the drive.
Most of it consisted of small complaints about Shin Ha-gyeon's unilateral decisions and praise for Vice Guild Master Kim Sang-hyeon's diligence.
Not exactly what I'd expected from someone who had just perfectly carried out Shin Ha-gyeon's orders.
Screech!
Ignoring her chatter, I listened to the tires scrape against the asphalt and examined the freshly issued license in my hands.
[Name: Do Hwa-in
Date of Birth: 2X05.12.06
Affiliation: -
Rank: D]
Even with an S-Class awakened skill, my total rank is only D-Class... Is it because my physical stats are low and I don't have any achievements?
The rank made sense.
At the same time, it made me curious about exactly how much weight the Association assigned to each category when calculating a Hunter's rank.
After nearly getting dragged into an impromptu press conference, I assumed commission requests would begin flooding in immediately.
The number of articles I'd glimpsed was already enormous.
Naturally, I expected anyone who read them to try contacting me in one way or another.
I'd also confirmed that Shin Ha-gyeon's decision to expose me to reporters had been a form of promotion.
And what was the purpose of promotion?
To attract people's attention and increase the value of whatever you were selling.
That made me wonder whether Yeonwoo Guild might actively connect me with buyers despite Shin Ha-gyeon's statement that he didn't want me abandoning sculpture because of the item business.
After all, Yeonwoo Guild was already guaranteed three items every year.
And by acting as the intermediary who introduced an S-Class crafter, they could probably create an entirely new business.
Reality turned out to be different.
Just as Shin Ha-gyeon had promised, Yeonwoo Guild seemed determined to quietly wait until I said I was ready.
They didn't bring me a single request.
There were surely countless inquiries pouring into the guild, but they showed no sign of trying to profit from them.
They didn't even ask me to clear my belongings out of Training Room Nine, which had only been lent to me as a temporary workshop.
The closest thing to a demand was Eom Seok-hwan volunteering to become my personal fitness trainer.
What kind of place is Raid Team Two if this guy is their captain...? Is it really okay for their team leader to spend this much time away?
Personally, I was happy not to receive annoying calls.
It also gave me time to raise my physical stats in peace.
I even welcomed Eom Seok-hwan's offer to help.
The problem was...
"Haaah! S-Stop! I'm at my limit! I said this is my limit!"
"If you still have enough energy to talk, then you haven't reached your limit yet. Come on, one more!"
"That 'one more' isn't actually one repetition! It's a whole damn set!"
"Wow, you can still talk really well! All right, start!"
He kept forcing me to exercise until I reached the absolute limit of my stamina.
How was I supposed to start another sculpture like this?!
Every day, I returned to the dormitory, took a shower, and immediately collapsed into bed as though I'd lost consciousness.
Eom Seok-hwan, you liar. You never said it would be this hard. You said it wasn't that bad...
[Your Strength has increased by 1 through repeated muscle training.]
[Your Stamina has increased by 1 after training your body for seven consecutive days.]
"Ugh. I love that my stats are actually increasing, but I also hate it. I'm proud and furious at the same time."
The fact that I was genuinely getting results made it impossible to quit.
I'd heard that lower initial stats were easier to increase in the beginning.
Apparently, that was true.
If I hadn't seen results this quickly, I probably would've changed plans and focused on making wearable stat-enhancing items instead.
But every time I started thinking about giving up, another notification appeared telling me one of my stats had increased.
There were tears in my eyes.
"Oh, did another one go up just now? How far are you from your target?"
"Give me a second."
I casually flopped onto the floor while opening my status window.
My target was 10 in every physical stat, the level Shin Ha-gyeon had said was about the maximum achievable through ordinary training alone.
Eom Seok-hwan had agreed, so it seemed to be a fairly accurate estimate.
[Name: Do Hwa-in
Title: -
Achievements: -
Skill: Pygmalion (S)
Stats:
Stamina: 8
Agility: 4
Strength: 10
Mana: 9
*Aura: 7]
