"Chirp, chirp."

"Huh?"

I snapped out of it, hearing the chirping of birds outside. Looking out the window, I saw the morning sun rising.

‘Is it already this late?’

In front of me was a completed set of equipment and weapons. Archer's equipment, and a bow. I didn't have a clear reason for making it. I just wanted to make it. Naturally, neither Kim Somi nor I were archer classes. I don't even know how to shoot a bow.

‘If I don't know, I can learn.’

I immediately used experience points to acquire a new class.

• Acquired S-rank Archer class.

I didn't have enough experience points to get S-rank skills. But just acquiring this class meant that I had undoubtedly acquired the highest level of archery skill.

Using experience points to acquire the Archer class was an impulsive act. But if I looked for an excuse, there was one.

‘Since I have close-combat skills.’

Having the Swordsman class meant I already possessed skills to fight enemies at close range. With the addition of the S-rank Archer class, I could cover both close and long-range combat. It was as if the hunter world had produced the best hybrid hunter ever.

There might be hunters who can use both swords and bows. But in cases where they possess both skills, one is generally overwhelmingly stronger. And both being S-rank…

‘There's no one else.’

There's no need to even investigate. There's only one of me in the whole world.

"Goodness, you weren't sleeping?"

Kim Kyeongsu, with a haggard face, came out as I was proudly examining the newly made bow.

"You weren't sleeping?"

His face clearly showed he'd been up all night, so I asked the same question.

"Yes, there's a lot of research to do. I'm used to staying up all night. Hehe."

"How are the manaberries? They're not poisonous, right?"

"Yes, that's what I wanted to talk about. Manaberries may look like delicious fruits, but their composition is incredibly precise and dense. Even if someone wanted to create them artificially, it's impossible. It's truly a gift from God. Mana recovery, mana enhancement, and it also seems to accelerate growth. Did you know?"

"Yes."

"Haah… It feels like it's all destiny. I suffered a lot because of my daughter, but even that feels like a short penance for God to lead me to you, Professor."

"That seems a bit of an exaggeration. People tend to have delusions when they don't sleep enough."

"Haha, that's embarrassing. What's that?"

Kim Kyeongsu sat on the diagonal sofa and asked while looking at the things I had made.

"S-rank equipment and weapons."

"A bow? It looks like archer's equipment. Who is this for? Ah! Are you planning to sell it?"

"No, it's mine."

Originally, I was planning to sell what I had left over, but I hadn't made anything for sale yet. Well, it doesn't matter since I'm not in a position to worry about my livelihood right now.

"It's yours, Professor?"

Kim Kyeongsu blinked.

"I was thinking of going outside and trying it out. Would you like to see?"

I decided to try on the equipment later and went outside with the bow. Kim Kyeongsu followed me with a blank look on his face.

In front of the house, three wolves and an eagle were crouching. At our appearance, the wolves perked up their ears, and the eagle opened one sleepy eye.

"Oh my! What is that?"

Kim Kyeongsu was startled by Food Fighter.

"A new awakened creature. Its name is Food Fighter."

"Food Fighter…"

Kim Kyeongsu, whose face was already haggard from lack of sleep, looked as if he were dreaming.

I held the bow and aimed it at the sky. Naturally, this was my first time shooting a bow as a hunter. But I had seen archer class students shoot bows when I was instructing students at the academy. While the bow was a weapon, I didn't need to prepare arrows separately. Hunters with the Archer class could create arrows with mana. It was quite amazing to see it up close. The mana formed into a stream of light, becoming an arrow.

I had only acquired the Archer class a few minutes ago. But it felt natural to shoot the bow, as if I had practiced for years. Kim Kyeongsu watched with a look of wonder as I drew the string of the bow I aimed at the sky. The arrow naturally settled onto the bowstring as I pulled it. The large and brilliant arrow crafted by an S-rank archer was firmly loaded.

Whoosh!!-

With a loud and crisp sound, as if a cannon had been fired, the arrow flew into the sky. It disappeared into the clouds without losing altitude.

"Oh…"

I admired the thrill of shooting mana arrows and looked at the bow I had made with newfound respect. It's my creation, but it's well-made. The only drawback was that since I made it all by myself, it wasn't very aesthetically pleasing. I couldn't do precise crafting at home.

"Wh-what did you just do…?"

Kim Kyeongsu asked with his mouth agape.

"You saw. I shot a bow."

"What?"

Kim Hyunwoo exclaimed in surprise, holding his phone to his ear.

[We've confirmed that Kim Yeonseo is with her father. Professor Han Hyunho is also there. There's a high possibility that Kim Somi, the head of Alpha Academy, is also there.]

"Why are they all gathered there? Where is that place?"

[Sir, I don't know what you're thinking, but please don't even think about going to meet Kim Yeonseo. As I said, Professor Han Hyunho and Kim Somi are there. Han Hyunho was a professor, and Kim Somi, though injured and temporarily retired, may be hiding something. In fact, there are rumors that the recent unfortunate incident at the academy may be related to those two.]

"What?"

Kim Hyunwoo gnawed at his fingernails. He couldn't understand how to take in what he had just heard. However, a few things were certain. He knew where Kim Yeonseo was. And he could meet her if he went there.

[This information was delivered secretly from the chairman. Please. I wish you wouldn't move until we investigate further.]

"Don't worry, Uncle. I won't cause you any trouble. Thank you always."

[You're welcome. Please contact me if you need anything.]

Kim Hyunwoo hung up and scoffed. Knowing where Kim Yeonseo was, there was no need to stay put. He had been feverish with thoughts of her since yesterday. The fact that she disappeared without a word meant that she was ignoring him. He had treated her like a princess in the academy, but there was no longer a need for that.

‘Shall we have some fun?’

He logged into SNS and opened a group chat.

[Gather.]

The male students in his gang, his subordinates in the academy, quickly logged on.

[Hi!]

[What are we doing today?]

[I'm dying of boredom. When will the curfew end?]

Kim Hyunwoo typed a message.

[I know where Yeonseo is. Let's go out today.]

• 1/100 of experience points have been recovered.

I woke up after a long sleep and saw the message. A message saying today's experience points had been recovered.

I opened the system window while still lying down and used those experience points to acquire an S-rank Archer skill.

When I opened the door and went outside, Kim Somi scolded me.

"You woke up almost at sunset?"

"Nothing unusual happened today, right?"

"Except for a house-sized eagle in front of the house. Yeonseo was playing with it, is it really not dangerous?"

"I think so?"

"Speak clearly. That eagle looks like it could swallow Yeonseo whole."

"Yeonseo seems to be talented at handling animals."

"Oh? Maybe she has a double-class talent? Like a Tamer?"

"If she did, we'd have known by now. Forgot? I was her teacher."

"So, you're really not going to take care of Yeonseo? Even I can see that she's talented. It would be a shame to miss the chance."

"She ate manaberries, so she'll be fine. At least her mana pool has increased."

"Oh well, that's Hyunho's business, so I won't interfere. I made you some food because I thought you'd be hungry when you woke up. You're going to eat, right?"

"Oh! Thanks."

After eating, I went outside. Kim Yeonseo was playing with the awakened creatures again. While the wolves were somewhat like dogs, making them alright, the eagle was terrifying, yet she was playing with it well, which was amazing.

‘A Tamer…’

Such hunters weren't nonexistent. But it was a less important ability compared to other class abilities. Because the hunters with the Tamer trait mainly handled monsters that could be tamed. Monsters are monsters. Even if they're tamed, they're creatures that could bite their owner at any time. Therefore, Tamers chose to keep them only for a certain period and then dispose of them instead of getting attached to the monsters they tamed. This wasn't necessarily a psychologically healthy method. The common characteristic of Tamer hunters was that they had gloomy expressions.

However, when it came to handling awakened creatures instead of monsters, the role of a Tamer would change drastically. More than anything, there's no need to kill awakened creatures after keeping them for a certain period. Moreover, assuming they're well-tamed, there's no risk of them attacking their owner. Even without the Tamer trait, if someone is as good with animals as Kim Yeonseo, I thought it wouldn't be a problem to let her take care of a few awakened creatures.

‘It's just a thought, though.’

I still didn't intend to teach her separately.

• ‘Kim Yeonseo’ has recovered lost experience points.
• Her mana pool has significantly increased.
• She has reached her growth spurt.
• We recommend re-registering her as a tutoring target.

‘What?’

I was taken aback by the message that suddenly appeared. Kim Yeonseo, like many of the students I had taught, had been losing experience points. Even though she was laughing and playing with the awakened creatures, I thought her condition wasn't good. But apparently not.

‘This is…’

Judging from the contents of the message, there was only one reason for this happening.

‘Manaberries.’

She had recovered her energy by eating manaberries. Her mana pool had increased, and she had also gained the effect of accelerated growth.

‘With this, it's worth recommending.’

It was only natural that the tutoring system recommended teaching her quickly for rapid growth.