CHAPTER 02
Welcome to HunterHunting, Korea’s largest hunter recruitment application! Today, ‘Yeom Ye-ah’s’ profile views reached 12,498, up 147 from yesterday. Total views since posting: 3,946,895 (Day 227) Statistics:
- Guilds viewing profile: 1,341
- Interviews conducted: 107
- Successful placements: 0
- Currently interested guilds: 12 (down 162 from yesterday)
***After yesterday’s incident, even my profile views have dropped. The guild I interviewed with yesterday seemed promisingāthey only recruit hunters through open applications once a year. Now, rumors are spreading through the guild community about a healer who made an interviewer faint. That interviewer was at least A-rank. To think I had enough power to knock him out with a single strike… Afterward, I endured what felt like an interrogation. “I never imagined someone could actually be this tone-deaf,” the interviewer had gasped upon regaining consciousness. “It’s beyond thatāthe moment that song began, there was a sharp ringing followed by nausea. This transcends mere tone-deafness.” His reaction prompted them to test whether my singing inflicted some curse-related debuff. The results, of course, showed nothing unusual. Only after enduring all that did I leave with what they called “small compensation”āthough to someone living in poverty like me, it covered a week’s expenses. “Status window.” They say you can eventually call up the window without speaking aloud. I wonder if I’ll ever reach that level. This area has been confirmed unrelated to Ragnarok. Calling ‘Yeom Ye-ah’ assigned service employee. [Lily: Hello, Ye-ah! What can I help you with today?] I didn’t learn until after awakening that we each get assigned staff. It’s likely connected to the system that appeared in our world. Apparently, like some pet-summoning romance game, you can even command them as familiars if you build enough affinity. It’s all part of the ‘Baldur’ service package. Unable to join a guild for a year, I couldn’t enter dungeons either. My only option was chatting with Lily, my quiet and affectionate staff member who worked tirelessly to comfort this struggling job seeker. “Maybe I should request a different assigned awakened one, Lily… I clearly failed again.” [Lily: Don’t say that, Ye-ah! There are still plenty of guilds to apply to. Yesterday’s incident happened because that hunter didn’t meet your specific skill conditions. “I’ve heard that all year. Isn’t it just because I’m too tone-deaf?” [Lily: No! Objectively speaking, while your tone-deafness is extraordinary by human standardsāenough to make all the panelists fall backward if you appeared on an entertainment showāyesterday’s fainting was definitely your skill’s effect. Before awakening, no one ever fainted from your singing, right?] Her words were simultaneously kind and cutting. What could I say to that? “Yes, that’s right.” [Lily: This is a complex situation. You can’t enter gates without joining a guild, can’t join a guild without resolving your skill issue, and can’t resolve your skill issue without entering gates… [Lily: Oh.] Lily finally grasped the paradox, her text somehow conveying a sigh. Others might laugh it off, but for me, it’s about survival. If only someone would trust me enough to let me into a gate. These days, after incidents with private companies conquering gates through hunters, you must join a registered guild to enter. If my method weren’t music, I’d probably be living an extraordinary life somewhere, receiving elite treatment. [Lily: Don’t lose hope. There might be someone who can handle your condition. Or someone wealthy enough to hire you despite the inevitable regret.] Lily, being non-human, isn’t particularly skilled at comfort. When worried, she tends to ramble, revealing her mood. I smiled bitterly, considering silence might be better. Then my phone lit up with a notification. I almost ignored it, expecting another card payment or loan interest alert, when the icon caught my eye. HunterHunting, you have 1 guild interview request. [Guild ‘Hanttae’ is requesting an interview with ‘Yeom Ye-ah’!] HanttaeāKorea’s top guild, notorious for operating solely on school, blood, and regional connections. Their hiring process remained a complete mystery. Though I knew they were registered as an employer on this site, I never imagined getting an opportunity. They supposedly recruited only through personal connections. I tapped the notification, connecting instantly to a chat with the interviewer. Someone named “.'” entered. Despite the official Hanttae mark, such an anonymous username made me suspicious. [.][Hello]
[Yes, hello.]
[.][I amFrom Guild Hanttae]
[Yes]
They seemed uncomfortable with basic communication. Either they lacked a proper casting department or… [Lily: Ye-ah! Look at the screen! [.]ā£ I am Guild Leader Jung-hwanMs. Yeom Ye-ahI want to hire you]They seemed unfamiliar with typing messages. I blinked slowly. Hanttae’s Guild Leader Jung-hwan. His ambiguous Korean name left people wondering if it was his hunter name or birth name, his age a mystery. Rumors said when he entered the gates, all guild members mobilized to control his entry, and he entered in disguise.
[Thank you! Please let me know the interview location and schedule. I’ll be there promptly. Thank you again!
I couldn’t help being suspicious. While HunterHunting’s hunter-operated systems prevent fraud, identity manipulation might still be possible. But even if this wasn’t Jung-hwan himself, an offer from Hanttae deserved gratitude. [.] [Details will be sent Through app notification Messaging isDifficult for me.
[Yes, I understand! Thank you!
I sensed continuing the conversation would overwhelm me. Only after seeing the read receipt did reality sink in, my hands trembling. I had spent my life sighing over monthly rent, food expenses, rising movie prices, and utility bills. Finally, light seemed to be entering the life of Yeom Ye-ah, who couldn’t change her fate even after awakening as one of the world’s supposedly rare healing class.Ā
