With that thought in mind, Castorice immediately dismissed the idea.
After all, the energy surrounding her was clearly something different from Honkai Energy—if she had to describe it, it felt somewhat similar to the magic she'd encountered before.
Yes, it must be magic.
Though it was all magic, the magical energy from the Fateverse and that from the last alternate world did have their differences, even if the similarities outweighed them.
The same logic applied here—this energy could also be considered a kind of magic. In any case, it was very different from Honkai energy.
Having made that judgment, Castorice decided to find a way to observe this world more closely.
The best method, of course, would be to ask someone. But then she remembered—the curse on her body killed any living thing that got too close.
She could control it to a degree, limiting it to her skin's surface, but she still needed to keep her distance.
'If only I'd asked back in the underworld…'
Unaccustomed to a constitution that required such caution around others, Castorice glanced around.
Being a modern society, her dress undoubtedly drew quite a few stares. Combined with her sweet, delicate features, it was easy to attract attention.
Though she was used to being looked at, standing out too much wasn't ideal.
With that in mind, she abandoned the idea of directly asking someone and instead walked while observing her surroundings.
Just as she was thinking of finding a place to change clothes, she spotted an alleyway radiating magical energy—and no one was near it.
Not far into the alley, she saw several men in suits standing together, all facing the same direction with tense expressions.
"What's this…?"
Though the buildings blocked her view of what they were facing, Castorice could sense a massive concentration of magical energy coming from that direction.
Her voice drew the attention of the men ahead.
They paused for a moment upon seeing her, then one of them walked over to shoo her away.
"Are you a Hunter? Did the Hunter Association send you for backup? Where's your team?"
Hunter? Hunter Association? Team?
Castorice—or rather, Amber's memories—held no modern-world associations with those terms.
'It can't be the Deep Sea Hunters, right?'
'Wait, there is one… it's called Hunter x Hunter, isn't it? But I never watched that show… and from what I recall, it wasn't exactly set in a modern era either.'
"I… don't have a team."
Castorice took a few more steps forward and finally saw what they were surrounding: a circular "gate," about three people tall, with magical energy continuously leaking from behind it.
It likely connected to some other world.
She might not know what "Hunters" were, but given the situation, it wasn't hard to guess—they were probably this world's specialists for dealing with these kinds of "gates."
"A Solo Hunter?"
The man in charge scratched his head and looked Castorice over carefully.
The girl across from him was strikingly beautiful, wearing a gentle smile and carrying an air of quiet grace.
Her clothes didn't look particularly protective, but Hunter equipment often defied common sense.
The biggest issue was… he couldn't see any weapon on her.
"Miss, what's your Hunter rank?" he asked after a moment's thought.
"Rank…"
Right, if there was a Hunter Association, Hunters must have a rating system—otherwise, how would they manage and assign missions?
Castorice shook her head. "Sorry, I haven't been rated yet."
"No rating?"
'You call yourself a Hunter without a rating?'
He wanted to say it but held back upon seeing her face, opting for a more polite approach instead.
"Well… miss, without a rating, you can't enter the gate. I'd need to see your Hunter license to let you through."
This was getting troublesome…
Castorice fell silent.
Modern society was comfortable when it came to entertainment and leisure, but without the proper identification, getting anywhere was nearly impossible.
"May I ask, sir, where should I go to get rated?" she continued.
It wasn't that she was in a hurry to enter this particular gate, but since being a Hunter seemed to be the only way to access gates in this world, she'd need the credentials sooner or later.
"Uh…"
The man studied Castorice again, realizing she might not be Korean.
Judging by her age… maybe an exchange student? But even exchange students should know something about the rating system, right?
"It's my first time in this city, so I was hoping to find the nearest location," Castorice added, noticing his puzzled expression.
"Oh."
Right, if she was an exchange student, it made sense she'd only be familiar with the area around her school. Maybe she was here as a tourist?
He couldn't quite figure it out, and he didn't plan to dwell on it—his job was just to guard this gate.
He promptly gave her directions to the nearest Association branch and the best way to get there, then advised, "You should leave this area for now, miss. Even though this gate was just discovered, we don't know how long it's actually been active."
After all, this place was rather remote—not somewhere people usually passed by.
As soon as he finished speaking, seven or eight men and women in various outfits approached. Some wore armor, others were dressed like mages, and a few just wore casual clothes.
Seeing their attire, Castorice blinked.
'So that's why they asked right away if I was a Hunter… Do Hunters just dress however they like?'
"Huh? Why's there a young lady here? Is she one of us?" asked the man in the lead, clad in armor and holding a massive hammer.
"No, she's a civilian who wandered in. She hasn't been rated yet," the suited man explained.
"Members of the Envoy Guild, we're counting on you to handle this gate."
"Just a D-rank gate? Easy peasy," the armored man replied with a shrug and a laugh.
He then turned back to Castorice, his smile growing more enthusiastic. "Did you come here because you're curious about Hunters, miss? Want to come with us and see what it's like?"
"Captain Kim, that's against regulations," the suited man said, frowning.
"Haha, just kidding! After all, even the 'The Weakest Hunter of All Mankind' can go exploring. How could our B-rank team let such a lovely lady get hurt?"
Though he claimed it was a joke, his smile clearly dimmed with disappointment.
He'd never seen such a beautiful girl before and had hoped to strike up a conversation.
Resigned, he extended another invitation instead. "Once you get your rating, miss, why not consider joining the Envoy Guild? We're one of the top guilds in Korea—our benefits are much better than most."
"I'm sorry, I'll have to think about that later," Castorice replied. She still didn't fully understand the situation here, so she wasn't about to commit to anything.
"I see…"
He looked even more disappointed but had no choice. Gathering himself, he called out to the others, and they all stepped through the gate together.
Castorice didn't linger either. After thanking the suited man for the directions, she left the alley.
Then, she opened the group chat.
[Castorice: @Amber, I'm in a modern world. I need an ID card.]
[Castorice: A basic one will do.]
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.