Waking up, the inside of my thighs felt sticky and uncomfortable.

  Would this last a while? I wondered how girls endured it.

  But remembering I had to go out today, I started getting ready and realized I needed to carry more than usual.

  Mom told me to wear dark pants and stuffed several sanitary napkins into my coat and backpack, reminding me to bring enough.

  Though I appreciated her concern, my mind was elsewhere, facing the friend I’d snapped at a few days ago felt like torture.

  A dull ache still pulsed in my lower abdomen. Thinking about it made me gloomier, but I tried to act normal.

  Having once been male, I especially didn’t want him to find out about my period.

  Being treated like a girl would be awful.

  I wanted to stand beside him as just a regular friend.

  As usual, Si-hyun arrived first at our meeting spot. During the short walk over, I agonized over how to start.

  "H-hi!"

  I bit my tongue from nerves, my face flushing instantly, so embarrassing.

  "Morning. Did you rest well yesterday?" Si-hyun smoothly took over.

  "Ah? Yeah. Um... sorry about the other day."

  "I’m the one who should apologize."

  Why did he always apologize? I was the one at fault.

  "Stop apologizing! It was my fault, got it?"

  My tone came out sharper than intended.

  "Okay, understood."

  On the bus, trying to ease the awkwardness, I asked about yesterday’s training.

  "Just learned how not to get lost in a Gate. Cleared Gates have map data, and you can borrow trackers from the Hunter Management Department at the entrance."

  "But going too far still risks getting lost, so there are survival tricks. Like subduing beast-type monsters to guide you, they instinctively move toward the Gate."

  "Or finding humanoid monster settlements. Though most of their food is contaminated or hard to swallow, it’s better than starving or being attacked. Every year, Hunters get lost and die, and only a few get rescued."

  "Expeditions are that scary?"

  "That’s why specialized search and rescue teams exist. The reason we register when entering and exiting Gates is so overdue parties get listed as missing, and families can request searches."

  "You learned that yesterday?" This week’s theory classes hadn’t covered it. Interesting.

  "The problem is private rescue teams charge a lot."

  "Doesn’t the government run any?"

  "They tried, but it requires specific Awakened. Official budgets are tight. Corporate teams are expensive, but they pay rescuers better."

  Cynical, but that’s reality.

  Today was the final training day, with the toughest session. A March cold snap meant outdoor drills, and trainees groaned, me included.

  Multiple shaded trailers sat on-site, surrounded by wire fences and soldiers. Strange noises came from inside. After assembly, a major with a twin-flower cap mounted the platform:

  "Welcome. I’m Major Kim Dae-ryeong, overseeing your final training."

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  The officer on stage explained simply.

  "Have any of you seen a monster with your own eyes? In this era of restored peace, very few have. Though Hunter is now a profession, hardly anyone has truly faced a monster."

  Seen one... My brother might have, but I never had.

  "So people have no idea how terrifying Monsters truly are. They don't understand the scale of past devastation. That's why they underestimate professions like Hunters and soldiers who fight these creatures. Today's training exists to shatter those misconceptions."

  When the soldiers pulled back the blackout curtains covering the trailers, iron bars came into view.

  Mobile containment units. Inside were various Alien Beings. The strange sounds coming from all directions mostly came from Monsters.

  From guttural growls to eerie howls, everything became clearer once the blackout covers were removed. We could even see the Monsters moving.

  "Remain calm and observe carefully. These are the Monsters you'll face in the future!"

  Perhaps triggered by the uncovered cages, some Monsters grew agitated. The trailers housing them shook with their movements.

  Some female trainees collapsed where they stood. Others screamed.

  The male trainees weren't much better. Though a few bravely kept watching the Monsters, most shrank back in fear.

  "You alright?"

  Honestly, my legs had gone so weak I nearly fell. It was Si-hyun who caught me by the waist, preventing my collapse.

  He'd moved behind me without me noticing, steadying me before I could embarrass myself.

  "Uh... thanks."

  Several soldiers approached a containment area with particularly heavy restraints.

  "Let me remind everyone. Stay calm and maintain your composure."

  As Lieutenant Colonel Kim Dae-ryeong spoke, the soldiers fired at the restrained Monster.

  Bang! Bang!

  Two gunshots echoed, followed by an earth-shaking roar.

  Awooooo-!

  Under the deafening cry, even the male trainees who'd been holding their ground began collapsing.

  "Hahaha! How does that feel? This captured Monster is a C-class monster Howling Wolf. Its signature ability is disrupting prey's balance with that terrifying roar."

  I remained standing only because of Si-hyun's support.

  My legs had turned to jelly. My sense of balance seemed paralyzed. I couldn't even tell if my feet were touching the ground properly. My stomach churned violently.

  Chaos reigned among the trainees.

  Most sat paralyzed on the ground. Some, driven by pure terror, tried to flee the area.

  I wanted to run too... but Si-hyun's grip kept me rooted.

  Si-hyun stood completely unfazed.

  After a moment, I gradually recovered. Looking around, I realized we trainees weren't the only ones affected by the Howling Wolf's roar. Some staff and civil servants assisting nearby had also collapsed.

  "What's the meaning of this sudden demonstration, Lieutenant Colonel?"

  A staff member demanded answers.

  "Problem? If you can't handle this much, how can you become Hunters? How will you defend our nation? Trainees, think carefully. That's what you'll be fighting. Having seen it with your own eyes, how do you feel? Scared? Terrified? Do you have the courage to fight? If you perform like this in actual combat, you'll die instantly. Every year, Hunters die crossing the Gate. Most are those who became Hunters with naive expectations."

  The Lieutenant Colonel's words crushed the protesting staff member, who slunk off the platform defeated.

  The Hunters serving as instructors nodded in agreement, some even applauding.

  "I arranged this extra training on my own authority. So? Do you still have the resolve to become Hunters?"

  His words struck the trainees' pride. Some regained their fighting spirit, rising to their feet as their balance returned.

  Though it was irritating to see the lieutenant colonel chuckling like that, I couldn’t argue with the truth of his words.

  The final phase of training continued. This time, we were required to observe the Monsters up close.

  We lined up and took turns approaching the iron bars. Inside were Monsters of all kinds, grotesque in form, restrained and covered in wounds.

  “These Monsters were all captured from the Gates for experimentation,” a soldier explained.

  Under the soldier’s guidance, we observed each one closely.

  The final area held many child-sized Monsters. These were small, humanoid fiends, Goblins.

  Beside the iron cages holding the Goblins stood training Weapons.

  “For the final training exercise, each of you will select a Weapon and kill one Goblin.”

  Their intent was easy to understand.

  They wanted us to kill Monsters that closely resembled humans, especially those that looked like children.

  The first man to step forward had scored over 500 points in the Ability test.

  He took a sword, stepped up, and with one swing, severed the Goblin’s head.

  Then, one by one, people began killing Goblins. Some used methods far more brutal than necessary.

  When my turn came, I chose a spear and stood before the Goblin. Looking at the restrained or already dead Goblins, my feelings grew complicated. But I steadied myself and drove the spear through the Goblin’s chest.

  The slick, sticky sensation as the spear tip pierced flesh, paired with the Goblin’s shrieks, began to wear down my resolve.

  Thinking it best to end it quickly, I put force into my arm. With a sickening crunch, the spear went clean through its chest.

  The Goblin let out a final death rattle and went limp.

  After the training ended, the trainees clearly fell into three groups: those who saw it as natural and felt nothing, those who took pleasure in the killing, and those left shocked and dazed.

  I was no different from those in shock.

  The sensation of piercing the Goblin and its dying cries lingered in my mind.

  I had underestimated what it meant to be a Hunter. It was hard to bear. My body already felt unwell, and now my stomach churned so badly I wanted to rush to the restroom and vomit.

  -

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