After Euijae began preparing for the Hunter qualification exam, the Hunters, perhaps as a way of showing gratitude for all the hangover soup he had served them, began showering him with support—both materially and emotionally.

Many brought him chocolate and caffeinated drinks, encouraging him to take care of himself while studying. Euijae didn’t turn down these small tokens of appreciation. Usually, the regulars at the hangover soup shop acted like hungry hippos devouring their food, but in times like these, they proved to be surprisingly helpful.

Moreover, thanks to Hunter Yoon Hyejin, an employee of the Rift Management Bureau, Euijae was able to switch his mandatory 30 hours of offline basic Hunter education to online classes. Hyejin, hearing his situation, had immediately pulled a laptop out of her inventory, the Rift Bureau logo sticker visible on the lid, and began filling out the paperwork for him with the skill of a seasoned professional who dealt with documents every day.

As she tapped away on the keyboard with a toothpick in her mouth, she muttered under her breath at lightning speed, “We all know you work all day at the hangover soup shop. There’s no way someone like that can sit through 30 hours of in-person classes at the center.”

“Exactly.”

“They really need to ease up on the required hours.”

“Honestly, the younger generation of Hunters is pretty well-behaved anyway. There’s no need to make the education hours this strict… but they just don’t listen when we suggest that.”

Her complaints quickly transformed into grumbles about the higher-ups. It seemed even someone with her high rank in the Rift Bureau had a lot of pent-up frustration. After all, those with power often carry their own burdens. Moments later, she hit the enter key with a flourish and removed her hands from the laptop.

“All done! By the way, do you have a laptop, part-timer?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Then I’ll just send it straight to the Bureau’s email. With this document, you’ll be able to complete all 60 hours of your training online. Just leave the lectures playing on mute while you work. Good luck!”

“Thank you.”

Showing off her professional side, Hyejin made a grand exit from the hangover soup shop. Was this what they called camaraderie? Euijae felt a warmth spreading in his chest.

With the education issue resolved, it wasn’t long before Baewonwoo dropped off a new laptop and smartphone on the counter. While the “congratulations on Awakening” gift-giving fad had already swept through the hangover soup shop once, the “no gifts” rule was still firmly in place.

As Euijae’s eyes landed on the A4 sheet displaying the no-gifts notice, Baewonwoo jumped in.

“This isn’t a gift from me, Mr. Alba.”

“Then who’s it from?”

“It’s a gift from someone who is very close to you—our Guild Leader.”

Euijae’s face twisted with discomfort. Ever since the elevator incident, where Baewonwoo had unintentionally witnessed a misunderstanding, he had been convinced that Euijae and Lee Sayoung were incredibly close. Clearing up the misunderstanding seemed like a monumental task, especially given how exhausting that day had been.

Baewonwoo continued in a solemn tone. “I bought it at an employee discount, so just take it.”

Euijae had no idea what to say. Sure, he could use a new phone since the screen on his old one had shattered at Incheon Port, but what was he supposed to do with a laptop? He shot Baewonwoo an incredulous look, but Baewonwoo—determined to protect his second workplace, the hangover soup shop—was unfazed.

“I’m just the delivery guy. Think of it like space shuttle delivery or something.”

“...”

“And if you’re going to ban someone, ban Lee Sayoung from entering the shop, not me.”

Essentially, Baewonwoo was pleading for an exception. As Honeybee and the other Hunters watched the scene unfold, they started booing and jeering at Baewonwoo.

“Pathetic, Shield Guy.”

“Don’t call me that!”

While Euijae quietly pushed the box back, Honeybee and Baewonwoo continued to bicker. “I appreciate the gesture, but this is way too expensive for me to accept. I’ll take the sentiment instead.”

“Then just use it while studying and sell it on Tomato Market later. You can sell it as ‘like new.’”

“...”

Euijae’s shoulders twitched slightly at the mention of Tomato Market, where he had unpleasant memories. Baewonwoo, oblivious to the discomfort, proudly swiped his nose with his hand.

“Sayoung suggested it. That guy’s pretty sharp.”

Euijae couldn't help but wonder if Lee Sayoung had recommended that purely to mess with him. Baewonwoo, completely unaware, had filtered out any sarcasm. Twirling a strand of hair around her finger, Honeybee suddenly spoke up.

“Come to think of it, where’s Lee Sayoung been lately? Haven’t seen him around.”

Euijae had been wondering the same thing. Ever since their awkward shoulder-to-shoulder incident in the elevator, Sayoung hadn’t stopped by the shop. Euijae figured Sayoung was busy dealing with the drug cartel and their couriers.

Maybe he did miss seeing Sayoung’s face. Just a little.

Euijae unconsciously leaned in, curious to hear Baewonwoo’s response.

“I don’t know. He’s been crazy busy lately, catching all sorts of weirdos. I haven’t seen him either.”

“Why’s he dealing with weirdos? That’s the Bureau’s job.”

“Exactly.”

“Geez…”

In the end, Euijae accepted the laptop and phone on the condition that he’d return them later. Thus, he spent his days running the hangover soup shop with online lectures on mute in the background, all while memorizing practice test questions.

Thanks to the unwavering support of the shop’s regulars, Euijae managed to memorize three entire test prep books. Since he had never studied for an exam this hard before, he couldn’t even tell if time was moving slowly or quickly.

Finally, the day of the Hunter qualification exam arrived.

Euijae entered the middle school assigned as his test center and took a seat. The classroom was far more high-tech than he remembered from his own school days.

Perhaps because the test-takers were all Awakened, the class size was small. The proctor, a Hunter from the Department of Awakened Affairs, handed out the exam papers. Euijae took a deep breath.

The bell rang, signaling the start of the exam. The proctor, who looked thoroughly uninterested, glanced at the clock and mumbled, “Okay, start the exam.”

As soon as Euijae turned the cover of the exam booklet, his eyes went wide with disbelief. He could hear the near-silent gasps of panic coming from the other test-takers.

‘These questions… They’re completely different from the practice books!’

The practice tests he had studied were mostly about memorizing legal provisions related to the Special Law on Awakened Individuals. It had felt like they were brainwashing you into obeying the law. Euijae half-joked that the exam creators must’ve been haunted by some ghost who had died not knowing the Special Law.

But what was this? Not a single question about the law was on the test. Even from question one, the format was entirely different! Judging by the gasps around him, Euijae wasn’t the only one in shock.

Whoever had written the questions for this month’s exam had completely flipped the script. Euijae gritted his teeth.

‘I memorized all those stupid Special Law cases for nothing.’

All that hard work seemed wasted. But since he was already there, he had to finish the exam. With half his mind already giving up, Euijae began reading through the questions.

And then...

‘Wait… Why is this… so easy?’

To his surprise, the questions flowed smoothly.

While the other test-takers looked like they were dying, resorting to randomly guessing on multiple-choice questions, Euijae’s pen danced across the paper.

The questions were mostly about monster characteristics and behavior patterns—subjects that just so happened to be J’s area of expertise! As a former field veteran, Euijae had a wealth of real-world knowledge that couldn’t be learned from books. He grinned as he breezed through the test, marking answers with his pen.

‘Whoever wrote these questions is just as crazy as me.’

By the time he finished, there were still 30 minutes left. Euijae decided to relax and enjoy some well-earned rest.

A few days later, the usually bustling hangover soup shop was even busier than usual. After all, today was the day Euijae would receive the results of his qualification exam. The regulars glanced at the part-timer as he deftly peeled garlic, whispering among themselves.

“I heard this month’s Hunter exam was ridiculously hard. Do you think he passed?”

“One of our guild’s recruits took it and came back crying. None of the practice questions were on it. It was all stuff about monsters they’d never even seen before.”

“What? How are they supposed to answer monster questions when they’ve never even been inside a dungeon?”

“Exactly. Our recruit knows the Special Law well enough to be a lawyer…”

One of the Hunters pretended to dab at their eyes, dramatically mourning their poor recruit. Someone else piped up.

“Who was the test creator this time?”

“Rank 5. Kyugyu.”

“Wow… That lunatic. How does he write questions when he’s not even in the country half the time?”

“I don’t know. Anyway, we should prepare to console the part-timer.”

It was a strange sight—Euijae’s regulars looking more downtrodden than he did.

Just then, a phone vibrated. The sharp-eared Hunters immediately pinpointed the source: the part-timer’s apron pocket. It seemed the test results had come in! Euijae set down his knife and pulled out his phone, completely absorbed in peeling garlic.

The Hunters tried to act casual, but they were clearly watching him intently.

“...”

A faint, soft smile appeared on Euijae’s usually impassive face. Could it be? Did he really pass the notoriously difficult Hunter exam on the first try? The Hunters exchanged glances. Honeybee, unable to contain herself, blurted out.

“Well? What’s the result, Cha Euijae? Did you pass?”

Euijae scratched his cheek and nodded.

“Yes, I passed.”

“You passed? On the first try?”

The buzz in the shop grew louder.

“Wow… Our part-timer is way too talented for this hangover soup restaurant.”

“Congratulations!”

“Congrats! You’re the pride of the hangover soup restaurant!”

The compliments flew, and for a moment, Euijae’s soft smile twitched.

‘That guy must’ve come up with the line for the banner.’

The Hunters swarmed around him, offering their heartfelt congratulations. Euijae, having passed the exam and identified the banner culprit, smiled and nodded to each of them.

Then, his phone vibrated again. Euijae checked the message.

Sayoung: Congratulations.

It was the first message he’d received from Sayoung in a long while.