Chapter 5 – Hunter Registration

Аftеr lеаving thе policе stаtion, Asutо scratсhеd his hеаd vigоrоusly and уawned.

“Рhеw… Finallу оut.”

Наving sаfelу ovеrcomе thе Grау Wolf outbrеak (lаter defined аs thе Second Outbrеаk), Asuto headed strаight tо the police stаtiоn.

He hаd turned himsеlf in fоr рrоperty damаge cаusеd bу combаt in thе сity.

Five уears аgo, immediatelу аfter the First Оutbrеak, thе Hunter Lаw was hastily еstablishеd.

Тhe Hunter Law restrаined thе militаrу pоwer of thе Аwаkened whilе pоsitiоning thеm аs сivilian соmbаt forсеs to help ordinary people.

Naturally, battles with Monsters weren’t confined to inside Gates.

When combat occurred outside, there was always collateral damage.

If Hunters who fought to save civilians were sued for property damage and burdened with massive compensation, no one would want to fight for civilians anymore.

Thus, relief measures were established.

‘Those who fought to save civilians and caused property damage, if they turn themselves in, will not be penalized.’

There were other detailed requirements, but this was roughly how it was implemented.

To subjugate the large number of Gray Wolves, Asuto caused a massive explosion at a closed-down gas station.

As a result, windows of nearby houses were shattered, and the neighboring building suffered significant damage.

So Asuto turned himself in according to the Hunter Law.

(If he hadn’t turned himself in, normal penalties would have awaited.)

“It was my first time using the relief measures, but I never thought it would take this long.”

The interrogation lasted from 6 PM to 6 AM—twelve hours.

It took so long because Asuto hadn’t completed his Hunter Registration yet.

“I want to go home and sleep right now…”

But shaking off his sleepiness, Asuto headed to the Hunter Association.

“What, not going to sleep?”

“I have to register as a Hunter.”

Basically, unregistered Awakened weren’t protected by the law.

This time, since it was during an outbreak—an emergency—he managed to avoid trouble, but there might not be a next time.

It would be too late after something happened, so he should register immediately.

The Hunter Association headquarters was a massive building in a prime location in Shinjuku.

The first floor was the reception area, with arms and item shops occupying floors two through ten. It was like a shopping mall. Everything a Hunter needed was available here.

At the Newly Awakened reception counter, people who appeared to be Awakened were already lined up.

Normally, Newly Awakened rarely appeared. The large number was because it was right after the outbreak.

After finishing at reception, Asuto headed underground as instructed.

Underground, there was a System to determine an Awakened’s abilities.

This System was used to verify whether someone had truly Awakened.

“Such a troublesome law.”

“If we didn’t, civilians who haven’t Awakened might lie to register as Hunters.”

“So what? If someone without power registers, they’ll just get killed by Monsters.”

Asuto sighed at the remark that showed no concern for loss of life.

To this guy, it didn’t matter how many humans died.

“…That’s what we’re preventing. Besides, the Hunter’s License Card is a very powerful identification. What do you think would happen if we let civilians make Hunter’s License Cards and sell them to others?”

“Money.”

“No doubt, but that alone gets zero points. The answer is ‘they could impersonate others.'”

If you become a Hunter, you can receive the benefits of the Hunter Law.

What if an agent from another country obtained a Hunter’s License Card?

They could engage in sabotage while protected by the Hunter Law.

“The human world is such a hassle.”

“Tell me about it.”

Entering the ability assessment room, he waited for his turn.

Most Newly Awakened started with G-Rank registration.

Right after Awakening, everyone was uniformly Level 1.

From there, gaining combat experience and leveling up gradually increased their Rank. It was the same as the Rank display on the Status Screen.

But since the Status Screen couldn’t be shown to others, the Hunter Association measured abilities this way.

The measured Rank was printed on the Hunter’s License Card.

The Association guaranteed the Hunter’s abilities.

There were countless benefits to having a Rank printed, but there were also disadvantages.

With a low Rank, you were often rejected when applying to join Parties.

Weak Hunters had no human rights.

‘Don’t get cocky, you trash!’

‘Don’t apply to our Party recruitment, you piece of junk like you!!’

“—Hey, what’s wrong. Hey.”

“Huh?”

“Not ‘huh.’ What’s wrong? Suddenly making such a scary face.”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Asuto shook his head.

There was no point dwelling on what happened in the past.

The past couldn’t be changed.

His turn for inspection came.

Placing his hand on a large Magic Stone, he underwent the ability check.

The inspection ended without any issues.

With a brand-new Hunter’s License Card printed with ‘F’ in the Rank column tucked in his chest, Asuto left the Hunter Association.

○

“As expected, there are many Newly Awakened, Chief.”

“Yeah. It seems there really is a correlation between Awakened Count and Outbreaks.”

Behind the ability measurement room, Hunter Association researchers were bustling about.

Normally, they’d be lucky to have five Hunters coming for measurements, including Rank updates. But today, they’d already exceeded a hundred new examinees.

It was undoubtedly due to the Outbreak.

“Chief, the Hunters assigned to our room are all new registrants, right?”

“That’s right, but did something happen?”

“Yes. Look at this.”

On the monitor the junior pointed to, an Awakened’s Name and Rank were displayed.

“Yuki Asuto, F-Rank…”

“It’s strange, right? You shouldn’t reach F-Rank unless you’re above Level 11. But Newly Awakened all start at Level 1—”

“He raised his Level by 10 in just one day?”

“That’s what it seems.”

If true, he was an incredible guy.

It was said to take an average of three months for a newly Awakened Hunter to reach F-Rank.

Of course, there were a few Hunters who reached F-Rank within a month.

But reaching F-Rank in just one day was beyond human limits.

“The Monsters that appeared in this Outbreak were Gray Wolves, right?”

“Yeah.”

“About how many would a Level 1 Hunter need to defeat to reach F-Rank?”

“…I don’t know the exact details, but around two to three hundred.”

“In one day?”

“This Outbreak was suppressed before sunset, so effectively it took less than twelve hours.”

“About what’s the maximum number of Monsters a single Hunter can defeat in a day?”

“I think it was around 100, wasn’t it?”

“…”

“…”

The more they calculated, the more impossible it seemed.

A heavy silence filled the control room for a while.

“…Could it be a measurement error?”

“No, there’s no malfunction in the System, so that possibility is low.”

“Then, an Unregistered Hunter!?”

“That possibility exists.”

Normally, those who Awakened had to immediately report to the Hunter Association and complete Hunter Registration.

But for various reasons, there were Hunters who didn’t register.

From an Association member’s perspective, it seemed like a choice with only disadvantages.

However, Unregistered Hunters were harder to track. For denizens of the underworld, that could be the greatest advantage.

“Don’t tell me, a Hunter specializing in crime…”

“Don’t jump to conclusions. There’s also the possibility he raised his Level on his own.”

“Isn’t that possibility low?”

“…A Guild might be involved.”

“Ah, that’s possible.”

A large Guild could train a newcomer to F-Rank in a day.

That was more realistic than reaching F-Rank solo.

“What if he’s a criminal?”

“Reporting this information to the higher-ups should be fine.”

Their job was solely to manage the System and measure Hunters’ abilities.

It wasn’t to uncover Hunters’ backgrounds. That could be left to the higher-ups.

(If that Yuki guy really reached F-Rank in just one day, and on his own at that—)

The Chief leaned back in his chair and sipped his lukewarm coffee.

(—He’d become one of the Strongest Hunters in this country.)