[6] Oppa, Shall We Go to a Gate Together?

After spending such a romantic morning together, we went to the local community service center and restored Sia's deleted identity to its original state.

I had wondered whether it would even be possible to recover an identity that had already been processed as deceased, but Korea's administrative system was more meticulous than we had imagined.

“Oppa. They call this a resurrection application. Isn't that hilarious?”

“Yeah. I'd heard that something like this existed before, and I thought it was just a joke. I never imagined something like this would actually be necessary.”

I'd heard that there were occasional cases of missing people returning alive, which was why such an application existed.

But who would have thought our Sia would actually be the one filling out a resurrection application?

After completing the paperwork, we headed straight to the Hunter Administration's affiliated rank assessment center.

“They say that anyone who used to be a Hunter has to renew their rank immediately after their resurrection application is approved. What kind of law is that?”

“Right? Why are there so many strange laws in the world?”

I vaguely remembered hearing about some ridiculous law in one state in the United States where, if students rode horses to school, the principal was obligated to take care of those horses for an entire day.

This law seemed just as pointless and strange.

Anyway.

Although it was incredibly bothersome that we had to go to the rank assessment center immediately after Sia's resurrection application was approved, it was fortunate that Sia could use Teleport.

We Teleported to the rank assessment center, and as soon as we arrived, Sia immediately began filling out the paperwork.

“Ma'am. When I get my rank assessed, do I have to go in alone?”

Sia asked the receptionist while filling out the forms.

However, the receptionist responded diligently, as though that wasn't the case.

“If you want, you can enter together with your companion. The law was recently changed.”

“Really? That's a relief.”

Even while talking with the receptionist, Sia naturally pressed herself against my arm.

Then she put down her pen and asked me,

“Oppa. Since you're here anyway, do you want to get your rank reassessed too?”

“Me too?”

“Yeah. You have to renew your rank once every two years anyway. How long has it been since you last renewed yours?”

I hadn't even thought about it.

I'd spent a year living like a shut-in, forgetting everything related to Hunters.

When was the last time I'd had my rank measured?

“It's been... one year and ten months.”

“Then it's about time for you to get tested! Perfect. Since we're here, let's get yours done too.”

Sia received another form from the receptionist and handed it to me.

She wasn't wrong, so I decided to follow Sia's suggestion and get reassessed as well.

After filling out all the paperwork, we headed to the rank assessment room for our reassessment.

'What rank will I get?'

As for me, unless something unexpected happened, I would probably get the same D rank as before. If I was unlucky, I might even get an E rank, but I'd heard that ranks rarely went down.

My awakening category obviously wouldn't change either.

What I was really curious about wasn't my rank, but Sia's.

Sia's rank had been the same as mine: D rank.

But that was no longer the case.

Back when she was human, Sia had been nothing more than a D-rank Hunter.

But now, as a Dragon who had lived for 2,500 years, she was an existence completely beyond conventional standards.

She possessed a mysterious power called Dragon Language that I'd never even heard of, and the fact that she could casually use high-level magic like Teleport without any incantation alone proved that her power was truly unprecedented.

And on top of that, if my guess was correct, the powers Sia had shown so far were nothing more than a drop in the ocean compared to her true strength.

Considering all that...

'Could it come back as Unmeasurable?'

Normally, an 'Unmeasurable rank' was given only when someone's power was so weak that measuring it was meaningless.

But there was another case that most people didn't know about, one that existed only in theory. If someone was so overwhelmingly powerful that their strength couldn't possibly be defined within the current ranking system, they could also theoretically receive an Unmeasurable rank.

However, such a case existed only in theory. There had never been a single reported instance of it.

'It wouldn't just cause a commotion in Korea. The whole world would go crazy.'

At the very least, this would be world news.

Filled with anticipation, I looked at Sia.

But.

Unlike me, who was practically bursting with anticipation, Sia didn't seem particularly interested in her rank.

Instead, she kept staring at me as we walked.

“Sia, is there something on my face?”

“No. It's just amazing that I'm here with Oppa. It makes me happy, but it also feels a little strange.”

“Hmm. Now that you mention it, I feel the same way.”

Since there was no need to bring someone else along for a rank assessment, I'd always come alone.

Hearing Sia say that made me feel a little strange too.

Anyway, as soon as we arrived at the examination room, an employee called out both our names.

“Mr. Yoon Minjun, Ms. Jeong Sia.”

“Yes!”

“You two came together. Which of you would like to be tested first?”

“Sia, do you want to go first?”

“No, Oppa, you go first. I'm fine.”

Thanks to Sia's offer, I was able to have my rank reassessed before her.

“The reassessment procedure is the same as when you first had your rank measured, so please make yourself comfortable.”

I went inside the examination room, while Sia waved at me from the waiting area.

A short while later, my rank reassessment began.

Well, I didn't expect any dramatic changes for me, so I wasn't particularly nervous.

The employee's voice came through the speaker in the examination room.

—Infuse the ring we provided with mana, and when you receive the signal, strike the training dummy.

Following the examiner's instructions, I flowed mana into the ring used for rank assessment and gripped the wooden sword.

A moment later, the signal came.

As soon as I received it, I sprinted toward the training dummy on the opposite side.

Then, just as I closed the distance—

Whoosh!

I swung the sword with all my strength.

Clang! Clang!

Because I'd lost some of my combat instincts, the first strike didn't feel like it had landed properly.

But.

'Not bad.'

With the strikes that followed, I could feel the combat instincts I'd gradually forgotten returning to me.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The strange metallic sound coming from the rank-assessment dummy was something I could rarely hear except during an actual rank assessment.

It wasn't exactly a pleasant sound, but I ignored it and swung my sword with everything I had until the time limit expired.

For that brief moment, it really felt as though I'd returned to a year ago.

—The measurement is complete! Please wait a moment.

Following the employee's instructions, I sat down beside Sia in the waiting area.

“Good job, Oppa! You did great! You haven't gotten rusty at all!”

“R-Really?”

“Yeah. I was worried that you might not be able to show your true ability. But except for the first minute or so, you looked just like the Oppa I know.”

I'd felt the same way, but hearing Sia say it gave me even more confidence in the test results.

The results didn't take long to come out.

[ Yoon Minjun / D / Examination

Strength: 28

Vitality: 24

Agility: 24

Mana: 16

Average: 23

Special Skill: X (+0)

Final Average: 23 ]

The employee opened the door and entered.

“Your rank and category remain unchanged. Good work.”

“Thank you. Whew, this isn't bad.”

Aside from my Mana stat dropping by one, there weren't any significant changes.

Considering I'd spent the past year away from active combat, it was an especially decent result.

Perhaps Sia understood how I felt, because she patted me on the back and told me I'd done well.

“Next is Ms. Jeong Sia. Hmm, just a moment.”

However, as the employee carefully examined Sia's paperwork, she suddenly recoiled as though she'd seen a ghost.

“Ms. Sia... this is a rank reassessment due to an awakened person's resurrection application?”

“Yes.”

“Oh my goodness. Then... you're a Returnee? Wow! I've never seen a Returnee before!”

Until just moments ago, the employee had maintained a calm tone.

But the moment she confirmed that Sia was a Returnee, she suddenly became incredibly talkative.

The dull, lifeless eyes commonly seen in office workers had somehow transformed into the curious eyes of an excited young girl.

“I've only heard about Returnees occasionally on the news. This is my first time actually seeing one! Wow... how did you feel when you returned—”

However, the employee, who had briefly forgotten herself as a professional, noticed the way Sia and I were looking at her and stopped herself, clearing her throat.

“Ahem. I'm sorry. That was rude of me...”

“No, it's fine. I probably would've reacted the same way. Returnees aren't exactly common.”

“Thank you for understanding. The rank reassessment for Returnees like you takes a little longer to prepare, so I ask for your patience.”

The employee, having returned to her professional demeanor, began preparing Sia's rank assessment.

During the brief preparation time, I was already beginning to imagine the scene in my head, even though the results hadn't come out yet.

An Unmeasurable result appearing on the system, the examiner panicking, and an absurd set of figures appearing after the reassessment...

The higher-ups from the Hunter Administration would come personally to interview her, and some prestigious guild would offer Sia a blank check and launch an all-out recruitment battle...

'I'm proud of you, our Sia.'

If that happened, how should I celebrate with her?

Should I pretend not to care at first, then properly congratulate her when Sia became flustered?

While I was lost in my fantasies,

Sia's rank assessment began.

If it were Sia, she could probably play with that rank-assessment training dummy like a toy.

The dummy had originally been designed for rank assessment, and thanks to its special material, it was sturdy enough that it would hardly receive even a scratch under normal circumstances.

But there was no way the person who made it had designed it while taking into account the strength of an existence beyond conventional standards like a Dragon.

I wondered just how spectacularly that dummy was going to get destroyed.

With that expectation, I watched Sia's rank reassessment.

But then.

“......?”

Where had the overwhelming power she'd shown when we reunited gone?

Sia was attacking the dummy with ordinary magic, like an ordinary mage.

Her appearance was just like Sia before her reincarnation.

Like an ordinary D-rank mage.

'Why...?'

Why was she hiding her power?

As I watched Sia's puzzling rank test, wondering what she was planning,

her results came out soon afterward.

“...Huh?”

The employee who checked the results first tilted her head in confusion as she looked at the test sheet.

“That's strange. There are no changes in your stats?”

[ Jeong Sia / D / Mage

Strength: 15

Vitality: 21

Agility: 23

Mana: 29

Average: 22

Special Skill: X (+0)

Final Average: 22 ]

The estimated stats the examination room employee showed us were almost identical to Sia's stats from when she had been human.

The employee scratched her head in confusion, but Sia merely smiled brightly as though nothing was wrong.

“It's not a common case, but Returnees like Ms. Sia generally come back stronger than before. Their stats may increase slightly, or they may awaken a Special Skill. But Ms. Sia... there don't seem to be any changes from before.”

The examiner looked at her with an expression of disappointment on her behalf.

[ Jeong Sia / D / Mage

Strength: 15

Vitality: 21

Agility: 23

Mana: 29

Average: 22

Special Skill: X (+0)

Final Average: 22 ]

“Am I an unusual case, then?”

Unlike me, who was still confused, Sia asked the employee while pretending she knew nothing.

“Yes. Normally, Returnees experience some degree of improvement, whether their stats increase or they awaken another power... Just to be sure, we'll measure you one more time.”

The examiner measured her rank again.

But this time, the result was exactly the same.

[ Jeong Sia / D / Mage

Strength: 15

Vitality: 21

Agility: 23

Mana: 29

Average: 22

Special Skill: X (+0)

Final Average: 22 ]

Faced with these results, the examiner tilted her head in confusion before eventually handing Sia the paperwork for the reissuance of her Hunter ID.

“That must be disappointing. Someone from our office will contact you separately later, but if anything happens before then, please contact us immediately.”

“Yes! Let's go, Oppa!”

At those words, Sia grabbed my hand and took the lead, as though she had absolutely no lingering attachment to the rank she'd received.

“............”

After handing the paperwork over at the counter and having Sia's Hunter ID reissued, we left the building.

Unable to contain my curiosity, I asked Sia,

“Sia, why did you deliberately get a lower rank?”

After checking whether there were any people around and confirming that no one was nearby, I whispered quietly.

“Was it because of me?”

“That's right. Just as Oppa thought.”

Sia didn't deny it.

Could she really have adjusted her rank because I was a D-rank Hunter and she wanted to protect my pride?

Perhaps she noticed my expression darkening, because, just like yesterday, Sia cast Silence magic around us before continuing.

“What are you thinking, Oppa! It's because if our rank difference is too large, we can't enter Gates together!”

“......What?”

It wasn't explicitly mandated by law, but among Hunters there was an unwritten rule that, except during a Gate Break or other special circumstances, Hunters whose ranks differed by more than two levels did not undertake Gates together.

“...You really are something.”

So that's why she'd hidden her rank.

Such a cute reason.

When I turned toward Sia, she was smiling sheepishly as though it were nothing important.

Even so, wouldn't it have been a shame?

If she'd shown her true strength, she could have rewritten the history of the Hunter world.

Wasn't she disappointed about giving that up?

—That was what I thought.

But then it suddenly occurred to me.

For Sia, a Dragon, how important could such a superficial title and reputation really be?

If those things mattered to her, she could have simply stayed in that other world.

Yet she'd crossed dimensions and come here just for me.

Anyway, filled with gratitude that she'd done this for my sake, I suddenly kissed Sia on the cheek.

“Thank you.”

“Hehe.”

Perhaps she was embarrassed, because Sia squirmed shyly.

Then—

“Oppa. Since we're talking about it, why don't we go to a Gate right now?”

“A Gate...?”

Not a date?

“Yeah. Since we're already talking about it, I thought it might be nice to reminisce about the old days. We used to go to Gates together back when we were at Hunter Academy too. Is that okay?”

Instead of going on an ordinary date, she wanted to go to a Gate.

It was a little strange, but...

'If Sia wants to go, then I should go.'

The only problem was that I'd spent the entire year without Sia, and I'd had a year-long gap in my combat experience...

Regardless of the rank reassessment results, I might not be able to pull my own weight in an actual battle.

Perhaps the psychological problems that had once held me back might tighten their grip on me again.

Of course, with Sia, a Dragon, by my side, that wouldn't be a major problem...

'But when it comes to Sia, I don't want to show her a disappointing side of myself.'

I knew it.

In front of an existence as transcendent as Sia, no matter how hard I struggled, there was no way I could avoid looking inadequate.

Still, if I showed her that I was giving it my all, I didn't think I'd have anything to be ashamed of in front of Sia.

So, without overthinking it, let's go.

After all, Sia's true feelings had already been made perfectly clear the moment she'd crossed dimensions and returned to Earth.

Rather than worrying about what Sia might think of me, I should do my best so that I could be proud of myself in front of her.

“There's no reason not to. Let's go now.”