Silent Ascension

The air inside the Hunter Association office was cool and sterile, the faint hum of activity all around Jeff as he handed over his identification. His hands were clammy, and his heart pounded in his chest. He had been here countless times before, but this time felt different. Today was the day he would officially register as a hunter — something he had long dreamed of, but now, faced with the reality of it, felt more like a formality.

"Jeff White, right?" The receptionist glanced up from her terminal, eyes scanning the details on her screen. "F-rank. Your paperwork is in order. Please step through to the back."

Jeff nodded, a lump forming in his throat. He forced himself to walk toward the back door, trying not to think about his father's face on the posters lining the walls. His dad had been a legend, an S-rank hunter with a reputation that preceded him everywhere. Jeff, however, was nothing. The only thing that separated him from the lowliest of the low was that he still had the sliver of a chance, a faint hope that one day, his ability to awaken would finally materialize.

Once he passed through the door, he was ushered into a small room. The walls were lined with various monitors and tools. A tall woman in an official uniform greeted him with a smile, but her eyes were trained and clinical, as though she had seen thousands of hunters come and go.

"Please take a seat, Jeff," she said, motioning toward a chair in front of a large, intimidating machine. "This is the final step in your registration process. We'll be performing a basic evaluation of your abilities."

Jeff sat down, a cold feeling creeping into his stomach. This wasn't the same as the dungeons he had visited, or even the trials he'd seen on HunterNet. This was something official. Something that would confirm his future — or crush it completely.

"Don't worry, this is a standard procedure," the woman said, tapping something on her screen. "We'll check your base stats and confirm if there are any abilities or skills you have that might not have been detected yet."

The machine before him whirred to life, and a translucent panel slid into place, scanning over him. He felt a brief prickling sensation across his skin, as though something was reaching into him, sifting through his very essence.

"How long have you been awakened?" she asked, her voice a bit softer now.

Jeff didn't need to ask what she meant. In a world where most people awakened by the age of 18, and those who hadn't were considered abnormal, his late awakening had always been a source of embarrassment. "I... I've just awakened recently," he muttered, unsure of how to explain the strange, chaotic surge of power that had come over him in the dungeon.

The woman nodded, her expression neutral. "That's unusual, but not unheard of. We'll make sure everything is in order."

After a few minutes, the machine beeped and a list of stats and abilities appeared on the screen. The woman frowned slightly, her eyes narrowing as she read over the information.

"Jeff," she began, slowly, "it seems your status window has more than just the usual basic stats."

Jeff's heart skipped a beat. He had been so focused on staying calm, on keeping his expectations low, that he hadn't even considered the possibility of what she might be saying. He leaned forward, suddenly more alert.

"What do you mean? Are there... any other skills?"

The woman paused for a moment, looking at him as if she were trying to gauge something — or perhaps trying to decide how best to phrase her next words. Finally, she spoke.

"You have a unique skill: Ascendant Growth," she said, her voice low. "That's a rare and highly specialized skill. From what I can see here, it allows you to grow stronger based on challenges you face — particularly life-threatening ones."

Jeff's breath caught in his throat. He had only recently discovered the true power of this skill, and hearing it confirmed by an official source was both terrifying and exhilarating. But there was something else she hadn't mentioned yet.

"But that's not all, is it?" Jeff asked, his voice quieter now, almost afraid of the answer.

The woman hesitated again before answering. "There is also a skill here called Shadow Step, but it's locked. This suggests that it is tied to a specific condition or event that you have not yet triggered."

Shadow Step... The name sent a shiver down Jeff's spine. He had no idea what it could be or how he could activate it. What did this mean for him? And why hadn't he awakened sooner? Was it something tied to his past, to his family? Or was it simply a quirk of fate?

The woman stood up and walked over to a nearby terminal. After a few moments, she returned, looking somewhat concerned. "Jeff, it seems that the Ascendant Growth skill is indeed unique. But there is something else here that is... troubling."

Jeff's stomach twisted. "Troubling?"

She nodded. "Based on the readings, it seems your awakening is... incomplete. In many cases, skills manifest early in the awakening process, but yours did not seem to fully manifest until recently. There's a risk that your powers could be unstable, especially when faced with highly dangerous situations."

He was silent for a long moment, trying to absorb her words. He had always felt like an outsider, and now it seemed that the world considered him incomplete — a hunter with an unfinished awakening. A latecomer.

"You mean..." Jeff trailed off, trying to find the right words. "I'm not fully awakened?"

The woman shook her head. "Not yet. You may need more experience or perhaps a specific event to unlock the full potential of your skills. Until then, you will likely remain in the lower ranks, at least in terms of raw power. However, this is not something that cannot be improved over time, especially with the right challenges."

Jeff let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. This wasn't the confirmation he had been hoping for. But it was still better than nothing. If anything, it gave him a goal. A reason to push himself beyond his limits.

"Thank you," he said quietly, standing up as the woman handed him a small card, his official Hunter license. "I'll… I'll make sure to get stronger."

The woman gave him a short nod. "We'll be monitoring your progress. Don't waste this opportunity."

As Jeff left the room, the weight of his words lingered in his mind. His journey wasn't over. It had only just begun.