I can freely manipulate incredibly heavy molten iron.
I can easily lift a greatsword the size of a grown man.
I am…
"Um… are you okay?"
"I… am not a scrub."
"Y-yeah…! Of course you aren't! That lady was lying. I'll give her a piece of my mind later!"
Such trivial comfort did nothing to mend my wounded pride.
So what if the test says otherwise?
My body was a masterpiece, forged by my own hands.
Everything I created had to be the absolute best.
Perfection wasn't just a goal—it was the baseline.
If even a single thing fell short…
…wouldn't it mean all those years in the forge were entirely for nothing?
Flush with humiliation, I shook my head violently to cool my burning face.
That was when a smooth black sphere caught my eye.
It's the equipment appraisal orb…
Leaving Soha, who didn't know what to do, I marched back to the round table.
The black orb rested at just the right height.
"Tch…"
There was no way I was weak.
It was simply impossible.
Without hesitation, I slammed my palm against the smooth surface.
"Wait, that's for appraising equip—"
BEEEEEP!!!
A piercing noise far louder than before echoed through the room.
"Ugh…!"
A muffled groan came from the side, but my focus was stolen by a sudden surge against my palm—an unknown energy rushing straight into my veins.
Then came the sensation of smooth glass dissolving grain by grain.
Fsshh.
Instead of shattering into flying shards, the crystal orb disintegrated, slipping through my fingers like a pile of dry, fine sand.
It was a bizarre sight.
"…What happened?!"
Silence fell over the room…
Until someone kicked the door open.
"Wait! You can't just—!"
Soha shouted at the man who had just entered the room.
Ignoring her, the man looked straight to the far corner of the room.
A round camera was crackling and spitting blue sparks.
"The monitors and all the electronics are fried…"
"It's under control, so please step outside!"
Watching Soha struggle to manage the situation, I gave a small, quiet nod.
Panic filled the room, plain on every face.
Except mine.
Now that's more like it. This is how things ought to be.
It was the exact sight I'd pictured.
With only three of us left in the room, Soha slowly approached me.
"…Should we do a little more testing?"
"Hm?"
"Just a tiny bit more."
I'd acted on pure impulse, without a second thought to the consequences.
So I was fully expecting a scolding—not an invitation to keep going.
* * *
"Sigh…"
I couldn't help but let out a sigh as I walked out of the Hunter Association.
She called that "a tiny bit"?
The pitch-black scenery outside was long gone, replaced by the bright morning sun and streets bustling with people.
Still, at least I confirmed that nothing was wrong with my body.
"Did it shatter because a beastkin was exposed to an equipment appraisal orb for the first time…?"
Best of all, I hadn't been dragged into anything troublesome.
Shaking my head, I glanced back and forth between the two items in my hands: an official discharge document authorizing my return to society, and an ID card proving my brand-new identity.
"Hmm."
Apparently, the Association offered temporary housing for beastkin newly freed from the Tower, but I'd turned it down without a second thought.
I have money and can live on my own. Why bother?
I absolutely refused to be locked up somewhere again.
Wasn't it about time I just did as I pleased?
"…"
The only problem was that I hadn't decided what to do with my life yet.
Back when I was first trapped in that forge, I had made a whole bucket list of "things to do once I get out," but I couldn't remember them very well.
Well… I can figure that out as I go.
Pushing those thoughts aside, I decided to first find a place to stay with the money I had earned.
Ideally, a place to call home that could double as a forge.
Why not just buy a small plot of land and build a house from scratch?
Following the visible magnetic field, I headed toward the spot where I'd buried my stash.
Northeast…
Without much trouble, I arrived back at the ridge near the Tower.
Scraping the dirt with the tip of my foot, I dug up the buried cash.
With this much, I should be able to buy at least a small plot of land.
Since I hadn't spent any of the 500,000 won I had set aside, I had exactly 15 million won in cash.
I couldn't recall the usual price of land very well, but I figured I had enough.
How expensive could it really be?
Brushing off the dirt, I stuffed the money into my bag, then came down the mountain and looked around.
What do you need to do to buy land again…?
My pondering didn't last long.
Right ahead of me was a sign reading 'Real Estate Agency.'
Real estate. Agency. Obviously, this is the place.
Without hesitation, I strode over and pushed the door open.
Ring, ring!
With a clear chime, a gust of warm air blew past me.
"Wel…come?"
An elderly agent behind the desk stopped fiddling with his smartphone, squinting at me in surprise.
Ah, right. A phone.
Adding one to my mental shopping list, I approached the desk with full confidence.
"Hm… what brings you here, kiddo?"
"I came to buy land."
I handed him the shiny new ID card I'd just been issued.
[Dan (鍛) | Age: 20]
When Soha had asked my age, I had replied that I couldn't remember, so she tried to mark me down as ten.
My current legal age of twenty was the hard-won result of desperate, relentless protest.
"…This isn't a fake, is it?"
The insulting question made me scowl instantly.
Thump, thump.
My tail lashed against the floor in agitation.
"U-uh… Okay, I get it. But buying land requires a lot of money…"
Don't worry, I have plenty.
"How much?!"
"Let's see…"
He leaned toward his monitor, clicking away at his mouse.
I watched him with a smirk.
How dare he slight me. He will pay dearly for—
"The cheapest plot around here goes for about 1.532 billion won."
"Hic—?!"
A pathetic, high-pitched noise slipped past my lips before I could stop it.
I slowly looked down at the bag resting by my feet.
The money I had was 15 million won.
And the price of the land was over 1.5 billion won.
"Uh…"
It was roughly a hundred times more than what I had.
"I-I'll come back later…"
Avoiding the agent's gaze, I quickly left the place.
Swish… swish…
A faint sound followed me with every step.
My tail had betrayed me, drooping limply and dragging along the ground regardless of my will.
* * *
"Finally done…"
The Association technician slumped back and wiped the sweat from his forehead, letting out a heavy sigh after hours of fixing the system crash.
The monitor screen flickered softly before displaying the finalized report.
Special Detailed Examination Report for Tower-Affiliated Mutant
Management ID: Tower-Species-2032-0224
Name: Dan (鍛)
Classification: Unregistered Tower-Affiliated Person (Beastkin Mutant)
Measurements: 127–151 cm (including ears) / 28 kg
Characteristics: Light brown tail and beast ears.
Detailed Examination Results
Mana Conductivity Measurement: Failed
Biological Causality Analysis: Failed
Physical Examination Results
Muscle Density & Grip Strength: Within normal parameters for human peers of the same age group.
Mana Reaction: No anomalies detected beyond trace residual mana.
Overall Verdict
The precise cause of the appraisal orb's destruction upon subject contact remains undetermined.
However, subsequent manual physical evaluations revealed no dangerous levels of physical destructive capacity or mana reserves.
Based on the test results, the error with the appraisal orb is presumed to be a simple computational system failure.
Therefore, it is tentatively concluded as simple 'Tower Ecosystem Contagion,' and the subject's return to daily life as a civilian beastkin is approved.
[Inspector Opinion — Soha Han, Head of Species Management Department]
- The subject possesses zero common knowledge of or ties to modern society, with no indication in their speech or behavior that they have ever experienced civilization outside the Tower.
- That said, considering their ability to understand language, it is suspected that a unique translation trait manifested during their departure from the Tower.
- As a harmless native whose residual mana fails to meet the threshold of even a low-rank Awakened, administrative quarantine or dedicated surveillance is deemed unnecessary.
- Accordingly, for smooth social adaptation and protection within South Korea, the subject is specially registered as a civilian beastkin and discharged. Additional protective measures were canceled due to the subject's fierce rejection.
- Periodic observation regarding social adaptation is advised.
"So that's what happened."
He'd heard rumors about a new beastkin turning up, but he hadn't realized that kid was behind the total blackout.
Just as the employee smacked his lips and prepared to leave his seat—
Whirrr.
The computer fan suddenly screeched, spinning at maximum speed.
"Not again! What's wrong now…?!"
As he watched nervously, a sheet of paper slid out of the printer nearby.
Equipment Examination Results
§ א ב ג ד Π Γ γ π ℧ §
STATUS: █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █
VALUE: ERR_NUMERIC_OVERFLOW
Unlike the polished administrative report from before, this sheet was smothered in corrupted code and bizarre, unreadable glyphs.
"What's this?"
The rest of the page was no different, filled with indescribable characters and nonsensical parameters.
"Tch, just a print glitch."
Writing it off as an error, the technician paid it no further thought.
He snatched the paper, crumpled it into a tight ball with both hands, and tossed it into the trash can.
"Ohhh! It's Sangcheol Kim! He shoots… AND HE SCORES! GOAL!!!"
In the quiet Hunter Association office, before anyone else had clocked in, only his goofy laughter echoed through the room.
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