Chapter 3
“Great One, are you my Creator…!”
I blinked blankly.
Creator? Did I give birth to her?
Ah, I sculpted her with my blood, so I guess that makes sense.
Anyway, there was absolutely no sign that she intended to harm me.
Rather, I only felt Blind Loyalty from her.
[Phew, what a relief.]
Then again, she was called a retainer, so it wouldn’t make sense for her to suddenly attack me as soon as she came out.
Ahem. I got scared for nothing.
Since the atmosphere wasn’t bad, I had to offer a first greeting, even if it was awkward.
Let’s see.
[Uh, hi? Nice to meet you. I look forward to working with you.]
Saying something like that should do it.
I cleared my throat and opened my mouth.
And spoke, trying to be kind.
“Indeed. Nice to meet you, first retainer. I shall grant you the opportunity to become My Servant specially.”
…Such an incredibly arrogant statement.
[Crazy!]
[My mouth is moving on its own again!]
I was horrified on the inside, but it was already too late.
The [Exalted Dignity] Skill ultimately forced out a rude line right from our first meeting.
Cold sweat trickled down the back of my head.
This was an SSR-rank beautiful girl who, just a moment ago, was exuding an aura that felt like she could fold me in half.
What if she gets pissed off after hearing such arrogant bullshit?
I was completely terrified and subtly took a step back.
However,
“Ah…!”
Her shoulders trembled as she lay prostrate on the floor.
When she finally raised her head, her Blood-red Eyes were not filled with anger, but with hot tears of deep emotion.
“To think you would grant this lowly lump of blood the qualification to become your glorious first Servant the moment I open my eyes!”
She bowed even deeper, her forehead practically touching the floor.
“I shall serve you, Master, until the day this life comes to an end!”
[…Uh, right.]
What the! This fanatic is overbearingly loyal.
It seemed the rude line forced by the Passive Skill had actually hit her tastes perfectly.
[Well, I survived, so that’s a relief.]
Outwardly, I haughtily raised my chin, while inwardly, I breathed a sigh of relief.
Now that I had a Subordinate I could communicate with, I had to sort out what to call her. I couldn’t keep calling her 'hey' or 'you'.
[Judging by her face, she isn’t Asian. She’d probably like it if I gave her a cool Western-style name that you’d see in a fantasy game, right?]
I opened my mouth with a deliberately solemn expression.
“Good. From now on, I shall call you… 'Katarina'.”
“…!!”
Her eyes went wide.
She parted her lips as if speechless at the fact that she had been given a name, then soon cried out, overwhelmed with emotion.
“Your will! Master’s faithful sword and shield, Katarina, shall heed your command!”
Mhm.
I’m glad she seems to like it.
Now that I’ve given her a name.
I tried to figure out the state of my Retainer’s Common Knowledge.
“Katarina, how much do you know about the ways of the World?”
At my question, Katarina immediately corrected her posture and answered clearly.
“Yes. I am fully acquainted with basic knowledge, such as how to operate a Smartphone, Korea’s currency unit, and the ecosystem of humans involving gates and hunters.”
Oh. Fortunately, she understands Modern Civilization and basic common sense well.
I probed a little deeper.
“Then, do you also know what I have experienced in the past?”
It would be troublesome if she knew about the numerous dark histories I’ve experienced in my life.
Especially things like suddenly turning from a 22-year-old man into a little girl…
Katarina bowed her head for a moment at my question, then answered as if she were apologetic.
“How could I, a mere creature, dare to fathom the Abyssal Memories dwelling within the Creator’s Sacred Body.”
That means she doesn’t know.
This is good.
Then, would she know information that I don’t know?
For example, high-level information like the Secrets of the Hunter World.
Since she’s a Retainer summoned by an EX-rank Skill, she might know.
If so, that would be totally Overpowered.
“Do you know things like the Secrets of the Hunter World, the Association’s Classified Information, or locations where hidden items are concealed?”
“I apologize for that as well, but I have no knowledge of it. However, if Master desires such secrets hidden by the bugs of the Human Realm, I will bring them to you immediately, even if I have to slit the Association President’s throat!”
That means she doesn’t know.
What a shame.
By the way, why are you slitting the innocent Association President’s throat, Katarina…?
You’re just saying that, right?
Anyway, after continuing the Q&A a few more times, I nodded inwardly.
[Hmm. So it’s exactly at this level.]
Perhaps because she was made from my blood, Katarina knew only basic common sense at the exact level I did.
She obviously didn’t know what I didn’t know, and even among the things I did know, there were many details she was unaware of.
Now, I’ve finished figuring out my Subordinate’s knowledge level.
It’s time to face a realistic problem.
[I have no money.]
My Bank Balance was hitting rock bottom.
I need money.
I need money to get fresh blood or meat to increase my blood power.
Besides, considering that Sunlight was still trickling in little by little, I had to replace the Blackout Curtains in this Home Base with much thicker and better ones.
I took out my Smartphone to get more information for now.
As I stared at the screen, the Lock Icon shook without fail.
[Face Does Not Match.]
[Ugh, so annoying.]
I can’t stand this crap of having to type in the Password repeatedly every time I look at my Smartphone.
Fuming, I went into the settings, deleted the existing Face Data, and registered new Facial Recognition by turning my new face this way and that in Selfie Mode.
[New Facial Recognition Has Been Set.]
[Done. This damn phone should have recognized me sooner.]
I snorted and typed [Awakener Registration] into the search bar.
In Korea, there is a law that requires you to make a mandatory report to the Hunter Association within a set period once you become an Awakener.
Only then can you receive the Initial Support Fund and the benefits provided by the country.
But no matter if I awaken at the EX-rank, I can’t go outside at all during the day due to a Fatal Penalty.
[Well, I can just go quietly and register after the sun goes down.]
The moment I checked the Hunter Association’s Operating Hours, my thought was contradicted.
[Republic of Korea Hunter Association Awakener Registration Center Operating Information]
Weekdays: 09:00 ~ 18:00
Weekends and Holidays: Closed
Awakener Registration is Not Available Online, and you Must Visit the Center in Person.
[…Are you kidding me?]
In a situation where gates are bursting open and monsters are pouring out day and night, you guys clock out exactly at 6 PM?!
I can’t go out during the day because of the Sunlight, but you close your doors at night?
Are you saying you guys are public officials too?!
At this rate, I was destined to become an Involuntary Illegal Unregistered Awakener.
Well, I’ll think more about this side of things later.
For now, let’s continue worrying about the most urgent money problem.
Even if it’s night, wandering around in this silver-haired little kid’s body is a bit much.
Then… should I make Katarina do it?
[Hmm. Using a proxy or a co-pilot is standard practice in our industry, though.]
The evil instincts of a play-to-earn gamer and a Dark Gamer activated once again.
But in this harsh Awakener Era, how on Earth am I supposed to make money in an Unregistered Status right now?
There was the fastest and most certain means of making money.
I went into the YouTube App.
I typed [Tower of Trials] into the search bar.
“Tower of Trials”.
Unlike gates that appear at random locations and times, the Tower of Trials can be seen as a Personal Exclusive Dungeon that any Awakener can access from anywhere.
It was named the “Tower of Trials” because it was in the form of a tower where one climbed up to the 1st Floor, 2nd Floor, and so on, and it was also simply called the Tower for short.
“My Servant, Katarina. Look at this.”
I played one of the popular videos that popped up at the top and showed it to Katarina.
[From now on, I will try clearing the 1st Floor of the Tower of Trials on all difficulties, from Easy Difficulty to Nightmare Difficulty!]
Easy Difficulty ended anticlimactically with the catching of a few low-grade slimes.
From what I saw on Heon-gael, most Awakeners start at the 1st Floor on Easy and finish after clearing up to Normal.
This level was enough to be recognized as having the potential of a D- to C-rank Hunter.
Normal Difficulty involved barely managing to Subdue a pack of fairly large wolf-type demonic beasts.
The YouTuber in the video also got past Normal relatively easily. In reality, it seemed that cleanly clearing around Normal Difficulty earned you recognition for having the potential of a B-rank Hunter.
Upon reaching Hard Difficulty, the YouTuber was panting and only managed to defeat the boss after chugging a potion.
It was said that just clearing Hard earned you treatment as a considerably skilled person.
And finally, the worst difficulty is Nightmare.
Nightmare is on a different level.
Just clearing it alone can get you recognized as having the makings of an A-rank Hunter, and if you clear it quickly, your name even goes up as an S-rank Candidate.
There is a wall known as the 'Devil’s Minute', and it’s said that there isn’t a single Awakener in the entire World who has cleared it within 1 minute yet.
[Kuaaagh! Everyone! Nightmare is Hell! Never come here…!]
The YouTuber on the screen eventually screamed as he was beaten to a bloody pulp by the Giant Orc Boss.
Seeing as the video was uploaded safely, he probably didn’t die, but he likely had to spend some time in the hospital.
[Ugh.]
I shuddered.
Just looking at the screen makes me want to wet myself.
Even just a graze from that massive club would smash my body to pieces.
That would have been the case even in my original body, let alone this fragile body I have now.
[As expected, Nightmare Difficulty would be impossible.]
I don’t know how strong Katarina is, but it would be best to start with Easy Difficulty and decide gradually.
While I was thinking that.
“Hmm?”
Katarina, who had been sitting quietly next to me and staring intently at the Phone Screen, tilted her head as if puzzled.
“Pardon My Presumption, but may I ask you a question?”
“Speak.”
“Why is Master watching such bugs playing around so carefully? Is it, perhaps, a form of amusement?”
Huh…?