Episode 11
“Huh? Cha Tae-jun is with him too?”
Cha Tae-jun, who was on the same team as Go San, had the classic mercenary vibe.
He was over 2 meters tall with short hair and rugged features that matched his tanned face well.
His heavy, rough aura made him popular in a very different way from Go San. In fact, all five members of Special Team 1 were quite popular.
Morae quickly bowed her head.
It was unlikely, but if Go San so much as acknowledged her, all eyes in the waiting room would be on her. Just imagining it made her break into a cold sweat.
Please don’t say hi. Please don’t say hi…
Unfortunately, Morae’s prayer went unanswered.
Pushing through the crowd, Go San walked up to Morae and Song-i and smiled warmly.
“Song-i, Morae, it’s been a while. How have you been?”
The waiting room fell into a sudden silence.
Who are they?
Why is Go San talking to them?
Never seen them before. Are they high-rankers?
No way a high-ranker would be in the reassessment waiting room.
A flush of red rose up from Morae’s neck. Sensing this, Song-i quickly stood to shield her from view.
“Oh, hello, Hunter Go San. What brings you here?”
“I’m here to pick up Morae.”
Morae finally looked up, surprised by his unexpected answer.
“Me?”
“You’re waiting for your reassessment, right? I’ll take you to the testing room.”
“I’m number 197, though…”
“That’s what friends are for.”
…
Since when are we friends? And is it okay to say that out loud in front of everyone? Also, how do you even know I’m here for a reassessment?
But Morae didn’t ask any of those questions. Her face now beet red, she stood up.
She could hide her face with a cap, but she couldn’t cover her ears. All the whispers around them pierced straight through.
They were all speculating about who she was, wondering how someone like Go San could be personally picking her up. Some even threw out wild guesses that she might be a newly awakened S-rank.
The flood of attention made her whole body prickle. Just escaping the waiting room felt utterly exhausting.
“Morae, it’s okay. I’m here with you,” Song-i said, grabbing her hand. The warmth of her grip was comforting.
Thanks to that, Morae’s anxious heart had calmed a bit by the time they reached the testing room.
“Here we are, Morae. Go on in.”
“Okay… Thank you.”
“While you’re being reassessed, Song-i, let’s hang out. I’ll give you a tour of the Ability Bureau.”
“No, I’ll wait here.”
“Come on, Song-i, go have fun. I’ll be fine.”
“But…”
“If you stay here, I’ll be worried.”
Morae gave Song-i a little push toward Go San.
“Take care of her for me.”
“Of course. Leave her to me,” Go San replied playfully with a wink. Morae gave a small bow and entered the testing room.
The room was more spacious and pleasant than she expected. A single sofa sat in the center beside a complex-looking measuring device.
As she stepped inside, two researchers in white lab coats looked up at her.
One was standing with a tablet in hand, while the other was seated at a desk reviewing some documents.
The one at the desk stood up, holding the papers.
“Hunter Kang Morae, welcome.”
“Ah… yes.”
Without realizing it, Morae looked up at the researcher’s face.
A cold-looking man with silver-rimmed glasses. She was sure she’d never seen him before—but his face seemed oddly familiar.
Did I see him in a strategy video or something?
She tilted her head and looked at the name on his coat. [Research Team 1 Lead — Shin Ji-yool.] Still didn’t ring any bells.
“Please have a seat. You’ll need to remove your cap for the measurement. Is that alright?”
“Oh, I’ll take it off.”
“While we prepare for the scan, I’ll confirm a few personal details. You’re Hunter Kang Morae, 23 years old, E-rank Tamer, correct?”
“Yes…”
Weird. I feel like I’ve heard this exact conversation before…
The other researcher came over and attached a pad to her forehead and a device around her arm. A monitor lit up with graphs and unfamiliar numbers.
“What types of targets do you usually tame?”
“Mostly plants and insects. Sometimes small animals, depending on the request.”
“With insects, I assume you often tame multiple at once?”
Talking eased her tension a bit. Morae answered more naturally now.
“Not necessarily. With insects, if I tame just the leader, the rest often follow.”
“What about when that’s not the case?”
“Then I tame them one by one.”
“What’s the most you’ve ever tamed in a single attempt?”
As they talked, the researcher gently removed her cap and set it on the table. He also placed a glass of fruit juice beside it.
Was it always this accommodating? She had done the original measurement right after awakening, but that was over ten years ago—she barely remembered.
“Hmm… Was it last spring? There was a locust outbreak in Taean. I think that’s when I tamed the most.”
“You don’t remember the exact number?”
“Not really.”
“I see…”
The researcher with the tablet suddenly gasped. Shin Ji-yool turned his head.
“Min, what is it?”
“Well, I looked up the locust outbreak in Taean last spring…”
“And?”
“It says there were about 80,000 locusts.”
“…”
Morae clearly remembered how the vast grape farm had been blackened by the swarm. So that was 80,000.
While Morae remained nonchalant, Shin Ji-yool’s eyes sharpened. After confirming the article, he activated the scanner.
“Hunter Kang Morae, we’ll begin the reassessment. Please refrain from speaking during the scan.”
“Okay.”
After watching the monitor for a while, Shin Ji-yool’s expression turned grim. His eyebrows lifted over his glasses.
“Ungraded?”
The other researcher, Min, widened his eyes and stared at the screen. The sound of frantic typing followed.
“Ah, must be a glitch. Let’s try again.”
Morae quietly spoke up.
“It’s probably not a glitch. My first measurement didn’t show a grade either.”
“…”
The Ability Bureau officially measured ranks from E to SS. All Awakened individuals fell somewhere within that range—with no exceptions.
Unofficially, however, there had been one: Kyeon Soo-ho.
His power was so immense it couldn’t be quantified—no grade could be assigned. All they could determine was that his strength exceeded SS-rank.
Of course, Morae probably wasn’t the same case. If she had power beyond SS, she would’ve noticed.
“Hunter Kang Morae, please wait a moment.”
“Okay.”
Shin Ji-yool pulled up Morae’s original measurement file.
It noted that she had almost no offensive capabilities and wasn’t even suited for support—hence the lowest possible grade. The original examiner had added a comment to that effect.
There were no issues with the report. The rank seemed justified.
But could an E-rank Tamer really tame 80,000 locusts at once?
“Hunter Kang Morae, have you ever participated in a raid?”
“Um… E-ranks aren’t allowed in raids.”
No one kind enough to risk their life in a raid would willingly bring an E-rank Tamer along. Shin Ji-yool felt a bit guilty and quickly changed the topic.
“Have you ever used a tamed creature to attack others?”
“No?”
“How many total beings have you tamed so far?”
“Wait, tamed and made them follow me? No, no. That’s not how I tame.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know how other Tamers do it, but I don’t control or dominate them. I don’t turn them into servants.”
Morae’s taming wasn’t about overpowering with force, but rather persuading through gentle harmony.
“It’s kind of like… becoming best friends.”
If a creature followed her command, it wasn’t out of obligation—but because they wanted to help a friend in need.
There was no coercion or force—just genuine, heartfelt connection.
Shin Ji-yool frowned in confusion.
“Tamers are meant to be offensive types. You probably just haven’t tried it yet, but I’m sure you can order your tamed targets to attack. So—”
Morae interrupted with an awkward smile.
“I don’t want to.”
“May I ask why?”
“You can’t tell your friend to go punch someone for you, can you?”
Sem nota não é igual a zero, as vezes é significa que é tão grande que ele não consegue medir….
Thanks for the update 💜 🇧🇷