The B-Rank Civil Servant and the Squishy Emergency Ration Chapter 4

“Officer Tae! What are you saying?! That’s not what I meant!”

“To begin with, you don’t have the authority to make that decision, Chief Park. Please speak directly to the head of the Hunter Education and Training Division and have them issue an official order.”

“Honestly, you have no flexibility at all! Is it really that difficult to do this one little thing?!”

…That bastard…

Park Jeong-min listened to the conversation between the teacher and his father, clenching his fists so hard that they trembled. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go.

If he’s just a low-ranking government employee, shouldn’t he do whatever his superiors tell him?

When a superior at work said something, you were supposed to feel intimidated and bow your head. But this teacher wasn’t just standing his ground. He was practically lecturing Park Jeong-min’s father.

And he was doing it in front of the other trainees, too.

Jeong-min wanted to punch the teacher right in the face, but if someone caught him beating up a government employee outside a Gate, he’d obviously be in trouble. So he held himself back, calming his fists with the thought that he’d teach the bastard a proper lesson once they entered the Gate.

But—

“Ugh… Ngh…”

“Let’s start by giving you a good beating.”

Even after hearing such an arrogant remark about beating up an A-rank, Jeong-min couldn’t talk back. No, he could barely even breathe.

Why does it hurt?

He couldn’t understand it. If there was a difference in rank, shouldn’t he barely feel any pain? Shouldn’t the fist that hit him be the one to break instead?

Then why…?!

At that moment, he sensed a powerful killing intent. Jeong-min instinctively tried to dodge, but a second blow followed.

“Gah…!”

“The other trainees should stay where they are. A-rank Awakened individuals have tough bodies, so he’ll be fine. Just watch.”

This bastard is turning me into a spectacle…!

But the one-sided beating continued for quite a while. Jeong-min could see the man’s attacks, but no matter how hard he tried to dodge, his body simply couldn’t keep up.

The teacher continued beating him with a calm expression as he spoke to the trainees.

“Ordinary electronic devices don’t work inside Gates. What’s more, once a Gate has been cleared, it disappears completely. Because of this, some people exploit Gates to commit crimes.”

Thwack!

“Some people become blinded by the value of Gate materials and attack the Hunters who entered with them. Others hire weak Hunters, exploit their labor, and then kill them.”

Thwack!

“So always stay alert. Especially because you’re weak. Never follow someone blindly unless the employment arrangement is officially recognized by the government. Also, whenever possible, form a team and work with Hunters you can trust.”

“You son of a bitch!!!”

Park Jeong-min threw a punch, desperately trying to counterattack. But his fist missed completely, and his vision spun around.

BANG!

“Ugh… Ngh…”

Before he knew it, he was lying on the ground, his collar gripped tightly as he looked up at the teacher.

The teacher looked down at him with emotionless, grayish-blue eyes and continued speaking.

“And never put blind faith in ranks. Awakening at a high rank doesn’t mean you’ll become powerful like a character in a comic or novel. The human brain places limits on the body to protect it. You have to train to overcome those limits before you can fully use your strength. It’s just like how you couldn’t use one hundred percent of your muscles even before Awakening.”

The teacher’s voice never wavered as he explained. It was as if beating Jeong-min wasn’t even a workout for him.

“If you continue resisting, I’ll have no choice but to knock you unconscious.”

“Y-you…!”

“Trainee Park Jeong-min, are you going to participate in the practical training or not?”

“…”

“If you don’t answer, I’ll take it as a sign that you intend to keep resisting and deal with you accordingly.”

“I-I will! I’ll do it!”

His answer came out like a scream. His face burned with embarrassment because all the other trainees had witnessed him getting beaten up. But whenever the teacher raised his fist, Jeong-min’s body reacted before he could even think.

Tae-geon stared at Trainee Park Jeong-min for a moment, then released his collar. The anger hadn’t completely left the young man’s eyes, but if Tae-geon wasted any more time, the other trainees might lose their chance to learn.

Tae-geon turned to the trainees and asked,

“What should you do first when you enter a Gate?”

One trainee raised a hand and answered.

“First, check the surroundings for any dangers, then check the system window to obtain information about the Gate.”

“Correct. Everyone, check your system windows now.”

After saying that, Tae-geon opened his own system window.

[System Notification]

You have entered a C-rank Gate.

Gate Type: Dungeon-type

Dungeon Saturation: 32% (Stable)

Monster Ranks: F to C+

Current Number of People: 7

After confirming that it was no different from the training Gate he knew, he spoke again.

“Can anyone explain this Gate?”

One trainee immediately shot a hand into the air.

“Me! This is a C-rank dungeon-type Gate. If there are no unexpected variables, we can clear it by defeating the dungeon boss monster.”

Tae-geon nodded to show that the answer was correct, then asked another question.

“How should a team be formed to clear a C-rank dungeon-type Gate?”

“If we don’t have any information about the monsters, we generally need at least ten experienced Hunters of the same rank to clear it safely. If possible, it’s better to form a team with Hunters of higher ranks.”

“Explain the other types of Gates as well.”

“Yes! For labyrinth-type Gates, it’s more important to form a diverse team with Hunters who have different abilities than to focus on their ranks. That’s because we don’t know what kind of labyrinth we’ll encounter.”

“Good. This time, someone else answer.”

After praising the trainee who had answered well, Tae-geon gestured toward another trainee who had been standing there blankly. The trainee hesitated before speaking.

“Uh… Since the goal of a survival-type Gate is to survive for a long time, it’s important to include Hunters with healing or purification skills on the team.”

“Correct. What about time-limit-type Gates? The trainee beside you can answer.”

“Yes! For time-limit-type Gates, it’s important to form a team carefully according to the Gate’s rank and not bring too many people. If the team’s average rank is too high or there are too many members, the Gate’s rank may be adjusted upward.”

“And since we have to defeat the monsters within the time limit, it’s better to bring more Hunters with area-of-effect skills rather than focusing on close-combat Hunters! Of course, we should still include close-combat Hunters in case magic doesn’t work.”

Tae-geon nodded with satisfaction at their quick answers.

“Correct. For dungeon-type Gates, monitor the saturation level. For labyrinth-type Gates, monitor your progress. For survival-type Gates, check the remaining time. And for time-limit-type Gates, keep track of the time remaining until the monsters overflow and the number of monsters left. Dungeon-type and time-limit-type Gates generally allow relatively free entry and exit. However, once you enter a labyrinth-type or survival-type Gate, you often can’t leave until it’s cleared. So prepare thoroughly before entering. Now, check your personal information.”

At his words, the trainees began shouting things like “Status window!” and “Information window!” into the air, one after another. Tae-geon almost chuckled because they only had to think about opening the windows, but he decided not to correct them.

He opened his own information window, too.

[Awakened Information]

Name: Tae Tae-geon

Titles: [Loved by the Stars], [Black Hero], [Pioneer], [Leader] (See More)

Mana Rank: A (Adjusted)

Skills: [☆Super Intuition] (Active), [Empty], [Empty], [Empty]

Contracted Constellation: @■#%■■$!■

Status Ailments: None

As expected, nothing had changed.

The name of his guardian constellation was still corrupted and unreadable. His only skill was [Super Intuition], marked with a star to indicate that it was a skill granted by his guardian constellation.

It was a strange, somewhat special information window. It looked unimpressive for an A-rank, yet there was something unusual about it.

Tae-geon ran his hand over the name of the contracted constellation that had made him special, even though the text was corrupted and impossible to read. Of course, he couldn’t actually touch it, but he felt a deep affection for it. [Super Intuition] had saved not only his life but also the lives of countless colleagues.

He carefully tapped the text for [Super Intuition], and its description appeared.

[Super Intuition]

In emergencies, your senses develop dramatically, allowing you to predict and detect attacks, dangers, and other threats.

This skill activates automatically when certain conditions are met.

This skill cannot be activated at will.

Although the description said “predict and detect,” it was actually closer to seeing the future. In that brief moment, he could clearly see a sequence of images showing what would happen as a result of his actions.

Of course, the skill would be practically useless for someone who wasn’t good at physical movement. There was no point in predicting an attack or danger if you couldn’t move out of the way.

But that was exactly what made the skill even more special to him. Wasn’t it almost as if it were a skill only he could use properly?

Come to think of it, how do I talk to my guardian constellation?

Judging by what Officer Seo had said, other Hunters with contracted constellations seemed to be able to communicate with them quite freely. But in seven years, Tae-geon had never once heard his own guardian constellation’s voice.

Of course, perhaps it communicated through text, like the system window. But even if that were the case, it wouldn’t change the fact that he’d never actually communicated with his constellation.

…Is my guardian constellation really just that quiet?

He wondered if perhaps he was supposed to speak first. Just then, one of the trainees hurried over to him.

“Teacher, my information window only shows my name and mana rank. Everything else says ‘None.’ Is that right?”

“It’s normal for there to be nothing else. Sometimes, Awakened individuals have dormant skills that appear in their windows, but usually, you need to obtain a skill stone before you can use skills.”

“How do we get skill stones?”

“It would be best to obtain one from a Gate, but it’ll probably be difficult to join a clearing team when you’ve only just Awakened. Low-rank skill stones are relatively inexpensive and available on the market. However, you can register only three skills obtained from skill stones, and once registered, they can’t be removed or replaced. So choose carefully. If possible, you should also consider how the skills will work together before registering them.”

The lower the rank of a skill stone, the more specific its description and the clearer its limitations.

For example, even if two skill stones both granted fire-element skills, a C-rank skill stone might say, “Allows you to summon and launch fireballs.”

An S-rank skill stone, on the other hand, might simply say, “Allows you to control fire.”

The vaguer description meant a much wider range of possible uses. Depending on the individual’s abilities, the skill could produce nothing more than a tiny match flame or unleash an inferno capable of burning everything to ashes.

Also, each person could register a maximum of three skills obtained from skill stones. Since they couldn’t be replaced or deleted afterward, Hunters tended to be very careful about which ones they registered.

But Tae-geon himself hadn’t registered a single skill from a skill stone. Part of the reason was that he was overly cautious, but another part was that most skill stones simply didn’t appeal to him.

During his time working with exploration teams, he’d recovered quite a few high-rank skill stones from Gates. However, because he was only B-rank, he’d been forced to give them all to his higher-ranked teammates.

…Looking back, I was a little foolish.

He could have secretly registered a skill without telling anyone. No one would have known.

Still, having a constellation skill was a great comfort. Constellation skills could be considered the pinnacle of all skills.

Even in labyrinths where skills were sealed as a penalty, constellation skills still worked. Researchers believed this was because the skills granted by constellations existed on a higher level than the suppressive effects of Gates.

Just then, the trainee asked another question.

“…What if we don’t have any money?”

“You’ll earn money if you keep working as a Hunter. And whenever possible, train your body instead of relying on skills. Awakened individuals have an advantage when it comes to training, even if their ranks are low compared to those of non-Awakened people.”

“Okaaay…”

The trainee’s shoulders drooped, apparently disappointed by the answer. Then, as if he’d suddenly remembered something, he quickly raised his head and asked,

“But, Teacher, when a Gate overflows, people in the surrounding area can use skills too, right?”

“Correct. We describe that as the Gate and reality becoming synchronized, or entering a state of synchronization.”

“Then wouldn’t it be better to just let the Gates overflow? That way, people could use magic-like skills outside, too. Of course, it’d be dangerous, but couldn’t Hunters just wait nearby and defeat all the monsters as they came out?”

At those words, Tae-geon’s expression hardened before he forced himself to speak as calmly as possible.

“Have you ever watched movies about heroes and villains?”

“Huh? Yes.”

“If the world became synchronized with the Gates and turned into something like a superhero movie, what role do you think you’d play?”

“Uh… Probably something closer to a hero, right? I don’t think I’d do anything bad…”

“No. You’d be an extra.”

“…!?”

Some of the trainees gaped at him as if his answer were too cruel. But Tae-geon continued coldly. He knew how easily human lives could be snuffed out.

“You could get hit by a stray skill while walking down the street and die. You could be crushed beneath the rubble of a collapsing building. You could be blown up by a bomb a villain threw without thinking. You could be torn apart by the teeth of a high-rank monster that suddenly appeared. Or you might lose a leg, only to be expected to thank the hero who rescued you.”

…An extra like that.

“Maybe you’d even end up playing the role of someone who cries after losing their beloved family members and friends in such a disaster.”

“…”

“But if that kept happening over and over, people would eventually get used to it. Human lives would become less valuable than they are now.”

…Just like how he himself had stopped crying when his colleagues died.

“I’m sorry. I guess I hadn’t thought it through.”

Perhaps because his expression had darkened, the trainee apologized nervously. Tae-geon had no intention of blaming him, so he was caught off guard and quickly tried to reassure him.

“I’m not criticizing you, Trainee Yun Seong-hyeon. It’s something anyone might think about at least once. I just wanted you to understand that, in reality, it’s not such a simple matter.”

However, despite his intention to change the mood, the trainees’ expressions only grew gloomier.

Tae-geon firmly took hold of Yun Seong-hyeon’s shoulders and lifted them, trying to sound as bright and energetic as possible.

“If you’re disappointed, then keep training and learn how to use your body. Skills can only be used inside Gates, but you can strengthen your body with mana even outside.”

“Oh, right! But, Teacher, was what you used just now a skill? I mean, when you were teaching Park Jeong-min a lesson.”

“I haven’t used any skills today.”

He couldn’t use any in the first place. His only skill, [Super Intuition], activated automatically when the right conditions were met. It wasn’t something he could use just because he wanted to.

But whatever the trainee took from that answer, his eyes lit up as he asked,

“Then that was all pure physical strength?! How much did you train, Teacher?”

“I started seriously building my physique in high school and trained intensely for about three years. Then the Gates broke out, and for the next four years, I continued training while working as part of a Gate exploration team.”

The trainees immediately crowded around him with questions.

“You trained before the Gates broke out?”

“Teacher, you used to be part of an exploration team?!”

“Didn’t soldiers do that in the early days? Teacher, were you a soldier?”

“Yes.”

“Whoa! I knew it! You have such a different presence!”

“Could you tell us stories from your days on the exploration team?”

“What does your information window say?”

“That’s enough chatting for now.”

Clap, clap! Tae-geon clapped his hands to regain control of the trainees, who had quickly grown excited.

“The Gate has a limited operating period, so it’s time to begin the practical training.”