Chapter 9

< From Today, Ten Years of Friendship >

The bent man, who looked weathered by the world, had failed to acquire a skill that was no less than SS-rank!

Judging by the name of the skill, it was clearly a special skill related to crafting. For heaven's sake, not a single person with an equipment crafting skill had appeared until five years later. To think I would see it here.

Special skills were already rare, but after the Awakening Center was established, they had almost become extinct. This was because the awakening method at the Awakening Center involved battles in virtual reality. Later, a healing virtual reality was introduced, but that was the end of it.

As a result, 70% of the awakeners from the Awakening Center had combat skills, 29% had healing skills, and the remaining 1% mostly had combat support skills. Special skills appeared only one in a million.

‘Anyway, this is a huge find. A real huge find!’

The problem was that I had to say the damn keyword to help this man, but it would be a waste to give up. I decided to at least introduce myself,

and was about to chase after the man who was walking away in the opposite direction.

Chin

My nape was grabbed. Seonghan pulled me in lightly as if I were a nobody and said in an annoyed voice,

"Where are you going again? Without even saying anything."

Do I have to watch everything? I feel like a five-year-old who went shopping with his mother.

"Um... I just saw someone I know. I was going to say hello."

So let me go. Seonghan told me to speak up and let me go, and in the meantime, the man who failed to acquire the SS skill was already far away. No, wait.

"Hey! Myungwoo!"

I shouted suddenly. Myungwoo, who was about to turn the corner, stopped in his tracks and turned his head.

I approached him with a face that said I was overjoyed to see him.

"Myungwoo, right? Yoon Myungwoo. It's been a long time!"

I pretended to know him, and Myungwoo looked at my face in confusion. Of course, he wouldn't recognize me. We were complete strangers.

"Um... who were you again? I'm sorry, I don't remember..."

It's okay. I don't remember you either.

"Can't you remember? Han Yujin, Yujin."

"Sorry, I really don't remember."

"It's been a long time, so it's understandable. I was also unsure. How have you been? Did you awaken too?"

I lightly patted Myungwoo's shoulder, and he looked embarrassed.

"Yeah. F-rank, though."

"Both stats and skills?"

"The skill is E-rank, but... I can't even enter a dungeon. I just came to get the allowance."

A weak smile passed over Myungwoo's face. It was clear from a glance that he was in a tough situation.

"I'm F/E, too! But we still get a Hunter's license, right? It's much better than FF."

I whispered the last part. Myungwoo's smile brightened a little at my words.

"F/E, huh? You must have applied for the basic program, then?"

He shook his head at my question.

"No. I didn't. The one-week training camp costs money, and the basic program doesn't even give an allowance. With my stats, it would be hard to clear a dungeon, so I should look for a job instead."

I thought of myself before the regression. If I hadn't had debt, I might have given up being a Hunter and entered the job market like a normal person. It was a really stupid move to go into a dungeon with just an E-rank buff skill.

That's why I... sold the guild leader of Hyeon Guild to find party members. It was practically fraud, and my reputation hit rock bottom. Yuhwan cursed a lot for not even helping me, but rather turning me away.

I should reflect. I shouldn't do that again... but I'm already lying through my teeth. It's okay, though! We're doing this for the best of both.

"Still, it's a waste. How about you join our guild's training?"

"Huh? Your guild-."

"Yujin."

Kim Seonghan, who had been standing a bit away, frowned and interrupted. Myungwoo, who noticed him late, shrank his neck like a frightened turtle.

"New Hunter training is only for guild members."

"Can't we make an exception for one person? And this guy has a good personality. He's kind and has excellent craftsmanship."

You don't know, but this guy is a real gem. He's so amazing, I can't even explain it.

"But-."

"Then I'll ask Yuhwan. If he says no, I'll give up."

I immediately took out my phone, and Seonghan was taken aback.

"He's busy!"

"If he doesn't answer, I'll try again later-."

[What's up? Did you finish the Awakener registration?]

Yuhwan answered the phone after just two rings. He's quick.

"Yeah, I'm done. I bought the contract, too. By the way, can my friend join the Hyeon Guild's new Hunter training?"

[Friend? More like Hunter training?]

"Better to have it, just in case."

[Hmm. Alright. I'll let him know. Are you coming back right away?]

"Someone ransacked my house. Where else would I go?"

Yuhwan laughed. Don't laugh, you bastard. If even a cup is broken, I'll charge you... but I've already received ten billion.

"Alright?"

I hung up and looked up at Seonghan. He looked displeased but didn't say anything and stepped back a couple of steps.

"Um, how do you know the guild leader of Hyeon Guild...?"

"He's my brother."

Myungwoo looked at me with admiration and envy. Our Yuhwan is pretty impressive, huh, hehe.

"Completing a guild's new Hunter training makes it much easier to find party members. For F-rank beginners, dungeons are all the same, so experience is the most important. What initial skill did you get?"

"Grindstone. It increases the sharpness of bladed weapons by 2%."

"A weapon buff skill, huh. It's definitely awkward. But you can survive with D-rank equipment. Want to borrow one?"

You can clear E-rank dungeons with just C-rank equipment. I'm F-rank, but I've entered D-rank dungeons. I almost died to Rauchitas, though.

But from C-rank dungeons, it becomes hard to cover with just equipment.

"Here, the equipment...?"

Myungwoo looked surprised. Of course, Hunter equipment, even F-rank, costs hundreds of thousands of won. To get the equipment boost, you need to wear something higher than your rank, which can easily break for hundreds to thousands of won.

I spent a few billion on equipment today.

It's natural for him to be surprised that I'm willing to lend it to him. I smiled as warmly as I could.

"I can't go to dungeons often anyway. It's too valuable to just leave it idle, right? Just borrowing a thing that's not being used, so don't feel bad."

"But... I don't even remember you properly..."

"Don't worry about it! And you're a good guy. A really good guy."

His skill is so amazing, it's double S-rank. If Myungwoo's skill is revealed, the whole world will come running with contracts filled with all sorts of amazing conditions.

"At least I think you deserve this treatment. There's nothing bad about it, right?"

"Really...?"

Myungwoo's eyes crinkled, and then,

Plop

Chicken droppings-like tears fell. Uh, uh?

"Really, I... have value?"

"Y-Yeah, I think so."

"Sniffle-!"

The dam burst, and Myungwoo started to cry. He sobbed and wailed, crying his heart out.

Uh, what should I do? Should I comfort him?

"Looks like you've been holding a lot in."

I awkwardly patted his hunched back, and he made a sobbing sound before hugging me tightly.

Hey, hey. Calm down. This is so embarrassing.

A paper cup fell from the vending machine with a click. Coffee filled the paper cup. I took the coffee and looked at Myungwoo, who was sipping yulmu tea.

His face was a mess.

His eyes were bloodshot, and his face and neck were flushed. His face was covered in tear marks, but his expression looked much clearer.

"Feeling better now?"

He nodded shyly from the bench next to the vending machine. I took a sip of coffee and sat down next to him. Who cares about the type of beans, vending machine milk coffee is the best.

"When I was young, I won a lot of awards."

Myungwoo looked at the people walking on the path behind the association building and spoke. The weather is really nice.

"As you said, my craftsmanship was really good."

"Right, I know. You were the best."

With the talent to get an SS-rank crafting skill, he must have been incredible.

"But it wasn't useful in life. When I was young, they said I was good, but as soon as I grew a bit, they told me to stop playing around and study. I had to do well on tests, go to a good university, and get a good job. There was no room for the talent I was praised for."

His calm voice continued.

"If my family had been well-off, I might have found a way to use my talent. But we didn't have that luxury. I wasn't good at studying, and I graduated from a mediocre university with a lot of debt. University stigma, grade stigma. Once they were stamped, I had nowhere to go."

His sigh made my mouth bitter.

I know that feeling well. Even before Awakeners and Hunters, there were ranks in the world. They weren't openly divided from S to F, but ranks were assigned from birth.

So-called silver spoons and dirt spoons. The starting point was different, just like awakening stats.

Of course, there are people who rise from poverty, but most stay the same. Many stop after a little effort.

'Initial skills are like talent.'

If circumstances don't support it, you can't avoid your talent.

The Awakening Center, like schools that push students into rankings, pushes people into combat and healing and assigns ranks. In the end, even an SS-rank skill like Myungwoo's is buried and forgotten.

F-rank as a Hunter, F-rank in society.

Ah, I want to drink soju~.

"My parents divorced a long time ago, and I was a useless eater. How did I awaken? I tried to commit suicide."

Myungwoo chuckled. It was more serious than I thought.

"I cut my wrist with a knife and awakened. Ah, I'll get a million won. That thought made me feel a bit better."

A million won. It's not a small amount, but it's not a large amount either. Without a decent job, it would be gone in a couple of months.

...What happened to Myungwoo before the regression? After getting a million won and being briefly happy, how long did he last as an F-rank with a support skill that couldn't clear dungeons?

"I used the million won to eat a proper meal for the first time in a long time. And... I didn't really think about what to do after that. I just let things be. But you told me."

He crumpled the empty paper cup and said,

"I have value. Keep living, and I have a path. It's okay to reach out a hand."

...He might cry again. I cleared my throat awkwardly. I just wanted to find a big catch, but now I feel embarrassed.

"I don't say that to just anyone. You're a really good guy."

"Thank you. Really."

Myungwoo wiped his newly formed tears with his fist. The atmosphere is quite good. This might be my only chance.

Alright, let's do it.

"Our lives have hit rock bottom. Mine wasn't smooth either. My parents passed away, and I had to take care of my younger brother, so I dropped out of school. But my brother luckily awakened as S-rank, while I'm F-rank. Honestly, I was very jealous of him."

As I spoke, my true feelings slipped out.

"But you know what? Even if others mock you and say your life is over, we don't have to beat ourselves up. It's hard enough to live confidently in this world, and if you're timid, you'll just wallow in the mud."

If your life is a mess and your mind is a mess, you'll see the bottom of the bottom. If I had just gotten rid of my inferiority complex, my past life would have changed a lot.

"There's no need to break your neck looking up. Just think, 'I'm actually great, people just don't recognize it.' Have some love for yourself. I love the great me!"

It's better to have a mental victory than to dig a meaningless hole. I laughed exaggeratedly and looked at Myungwoo.

"Yoon Myungwoo, I love you, friend!"

He laughed, and I laughed too. A message window appeared.

[Awakener 'Yoon Myungwoo' has been moved by the keyword!]

< From Today, Ten Years of Friendship > End

ⓒ Geunseo

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