RKP 1-10

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Episode 1

The discovery of fire. The discovery of electricity. The advancement of science. The history of Earth is filled with countless discoveries and advancements.

But if you were to pick one event throughout history that changed humanity's life...

Everyone would undoubtedly choose the discovery of the 'Abyss' first.

Another dimension and monsters that only existed in imagination.

People awakened new powers, and those who explored the Abyss were called 'Players.'

'Damn it... If only I had awakened...'

Taehyun moved his feet tirelessly, hiding behind the pillar in front of him.

Even at this moment.

The screams of Players engaging with Asmodeus never ceased.

There were many S-rank Players and even a few SS-rank Players.

Except for support positions like himself, the attack team and supporters were all the best elites of the 'Hanbit Guild.'

Even so, they were no match for Asmodeus.

Before the SSS-rank monster who reigned as the ruler of the area.

Whether S-rank or SS-rank, it was all meaningless.

He had no choice but to hide behind the pillar and watch the scene of slaughter.

Taehyun hugged his arms tightly to calm his trembling body.

'Damn awakening.'

'Damn loser.'

'Kim Taehyun, you damn fool.'

He cursed himself for not being able to do anything in this situation.

Taehyun squeezed his eyes shut.

The potential rank he received at birth was 'Unknown.'

The word 'Unknown' implied many things, and Taehyun's parents were both anxious and happy.

In this day and age, just achieving A-rank would mean a life of the upper class.

If he were to awaken an S-rank ability, he could sit on a pile of money that could save his shattered family.

In the end.

Taehyun's parents did not see his awakening until the moment they died in a traffic accident.

Taehyun, who was a middle school student, moved from relative's house to relative's house before becoming independent, and then got a job at a company that specialized in dispatching Abyss porters.

Believing that he would one day awaken his ability.

He wanted to keep a close eye on the skills and activities of the Players as much as possible.

What was the problem?

Once again, in the end.

Taehyun had not awakened even now that he was thirty-five years old.

[You're the only one left.]

It was a voice that sounded like scraping metal.

An unknown voice echoed in his head.

Asmodeus, who had already dealt with all the Players, approached with glowing red eyes.

The ominous magic power that emanated from his body made it hard to breathe.

If he had known that this was Asmodeus' territory, he would not have participated in this exploration.

But it was already too late.

"Damn it!!"

Taehyun instinctively threw himself.

The 15 years of strength he had built up as a porter were useless, and one of his legs was blown off.

"Kuh...uh..."

A moan escaped as he swallowed his scream.

His vision blurred from the bleeding.

'Damn it... Am I going to die like this... without even awakening?'

Was it because of the pain?

Or was it because of the injustice?

He couldn't tell.

No, maybe it was both.

Tears flowed from his eyes.

"SHIIIIBAL!!!"

The moment he shouted roughly.

A miracle happened.

Ting.

The status window that only awakened people could see appeared before his eyes.

[Name: Kim Taehyun]

[Age: 35 years old]

[Rank: ?]

[Skill: Gate Creation - Can open a gate to reach the King (1/1)]

"Ha...haha..."

A hollow laugh came out.

It was the moment he had been waiting for so much.

But why now of all times?

Is the condition for awakening the moment of death?

'This damn awakening... It's useless until the end...'

Moreover, even though he awakened.

The only skill he could use was the unhelpful Gate Creation.

And it was a consumable skill that could only be used once in a lifetime.

Crack!!!

Asmodeus blew off his remaining leg just by reaching out his hand.

"You bastard!! Did you really have to go this far!!!"

Taehyun shouted, half out of his mind.

Asmodeus smiled slyly as if playing with a toy.

Taehyun burst into wild laughter.

He realized that he wouldn't be able to get out of here alive.

If so, shouldn't he at least try using the ability he had worked so hard to awaken once before he died?

He had seen how to use skills countless times.

The same was true for the Gate skill.

He reached out one hand towards Asmodeus.

And without hesitation, he used the skill.

"Gate Creation!!"

Kwaaaaaaa.

The strength drained from his body.

Asmodeus and Taehyun.

The space between them rippled.

The rippling space slowly took shape.

It was a gate that was slightly different from what Taehyun knew.

---

A little later.

"Where is this again?"

A man walked out of the gate.

He had a human form, but with red magic power and red eyes that flickered like a mirage.

It was a strange outfit that he had never seen anywhere.

"Oh, that guy is Asmodeus, isn't he?"

The red-haired man looked back and forth between Taehyun and Asmodeus.

Meanwhile, there was no movement from Asmodeus.

Time had stopped, except for the man and Taehyun.

"Ha...haha... What is this..."

He stopped an SSS-rank monster.

Taehyun recalled the description next to the skill.

[Skill: Gate Creation - Can open a gate to reach the King (1/1)]

'Can open a gate to reach the King?!'

Then.

The man who had finished figuring out the situation spoke again.

"I see. Are you also one of those so-called Players?"

"Yes... I called you."

Taehyun struggled to answer, trying to guess the man's identity.

"Geez... There are all kinds of abilities these days. Is this also his intention?"

The man was thinking about something, but Taehyun couldn't just wait.

Time was stopped, but the bleeding hadn't stopped.

He felt like he was about to lose consciousness any moment.

He had to resolve this situation before that happened.

"Hey. Are you... the King?"

"King... Yeah. Some guys call me that. Think of it as you like."

"What can you do for me?"

Taehyun guessed that his skill was summon-type.

Gate creation is mostly support-type, but it is rarely linked to summon-type.

"Why? Should I deal with Asmodeus or something?"

The man asked back as if it were nothing.

Gulp.

He swallowed saliva mixed with blood without realizing it.

An existence that said he would easily deal with Asmodeus, who was designated as SSS-rank.

Who is this man?

"That's too boring, isn't it?"

"What?"

"Looks like you're not in a good condition."

The man's red eyes met the dying Taehyun's eyes.

His head throbbed for a moment.

He could tell that the man was reading his memories.

It was no surprise that he was using mental skills when time was stopped.

"It's already a ruined life. I have no regrets."

"Hmm... It seems like what you say and what you think are different. I mourn for your past where you have lived diligently."

"What do you know..."

Taehyun, who was taken aback, tried to shout.

But the man raised his hand to stop him.

"Okay. If this is also fate, then it is. I will use the King's authority on you."

"What...? The King's authority?!"

At that moment, the magic power that came out of the man's body wrapped around Taehyun.

Magic power mixed with red, blue, white, and black. No, it was a flame.

It was not surprising that the bleeding had stopped.

"Don't think that such a miracle will happen again. But well, if you survive until we meet again, it might be helpful. You little Player."

With those words, the man disappeared.

The gate had also disappeared.

'Hey. Explain it so I can understand!'

The man who disappeared after saying what he wanted to say.

The moment he tried to pour out his dissatisfaction to him.

The stopped time moved again.

Even though he had used the awakened skill, nothing had changed.

Asmodeus' magic power covered Taehyun.

"Jenziaaaaaa...!!!"

It was overwhelming magic power.

Taehyun couldn't even scream properly.

And consciousness.

Was cut off.

…….

---

Dizzy and weak.

And it was dark.

"Hey, this bastard is sleeping?"

"Hehe... It's like he's escaping reality? Then we have to wake him up ourselves."

He heard the voices of young men.

'What is this...?'

Thud.

Before he could even figure out the situation.

His eyes were opened with the pain he felt in his side.

"Ugh...?"

His eyes moved busily to focus on the suddenly brightened environment.

"Are you awake now? You loser."

"I told you to come up to the roof, but you're sleeping? You're out of your mind."

What came into his fully adapted eyes.

It was two men wearing familiar backgrounds and familiar clothes.

"Oh... what is this..."

Taehyun made a dumbfounded expression on his unforgettable environment and faces.

They were his high school nemeses Jo Taeshik and Goo Bummo.

Taehyun lowered his head and looked at his body.

He saw a familiar school uniform on his skinny body.

"Is this... a dream?"

"This bastard still hasn't come to his senses?"

Slap.

Jo Taeshik, who came up with a sly smile, slapped him on the cheek.

His flimsy head turned, and he came to his senses.

He came up with a way to check the current situation.

'Status window open.'

[Name: Kim Taehyun]

[Age: 19 years old]

[Rank: E]

[Skill: Predation (捕食) - 0%]

It was the status window before he was attacked by Asmodeus.

Taehyun, who was reading down the status window, laughed in vain.

"Ha...haha... I'm going crazy, really..."

There is not much information that can be seen as the basic form.

That's why even more.

The difference was clearly visible.

His age had changed from 35 to 19, an Awakener rank was given, and he had a skill.

'Did I really return to the past...?!'

An impossible thing happened.

He put the fact out of his mouth.

"No way......"

"Look at this bastard?"

"Bummo. This bastard. His eyes are completely gone?"

Jo Taeshik, who grabbed Taehyun by the collar, said with a smirk.

Taehyun opened his mouth.

"Hey. Shut up."

Twitch.

"What?"

"This bastard?"

Jo Taeshik, who couldn't stand the reply, raised his hand.

'Slow.'

That's because while he was working as a porter.

He graduated from this kind of clumsy attack a long time ago.

Puck.

Taehyun's two fingers accurately stabbed Jo Taeshik's two eyes.

"Kaaaaaak!! My eyes!!!"

"You loser trying to die!!"

Looking at Jo Taeshik, who was grabbing his eyes and falling away, an excited Goo Bummo belatedly pulled up his magic power.

Skill: Fireball.

A fist-sized ball of fire was created in front of him.

"What a joke."

These teenagers have not received a Player license.

The ability was not refined and even clumsy.

'I'm really ashamed that I was scared of such a trashy skill in the past.'

He sighed and took a step towards Goo Bummo.

A new skill called Predation.

He will have to find out what that ability is.

'There's no need to use skills to deal with these gang trash.'

Most of the trained muscles were gone, but his body was light because his physical age was younger.

He was not a Player.

Taehyun has 15 years of experience in the Abyss.

So.

"Hey. This is self-defense?"

While loosening his wrist joint.

Taehyun smiled evilly.

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Episode 2

I stared at the flame in Gu Beom-mo's hand.

An elemental skill, Fireball.

Even though it was just a 1st class skill, the temperature in the classroom soared.

The kids around who were watching the situation buzzed, but Tae-hyun didn't care.

He knew that none of them would intervene in the fight anyway.

Tae-hyun stopped walking five steps away from the Fireball.

Gu Beom-mo, who thought he was scared, chuckled and shouted harshly.

"Are you finally figuring out the situation? You loser. Even now...."

"Shut up. You can't even maintain it for long anyway, can you?"

Pause.

"This bastard really wants to die...!!"

Gu Beom-mo trembled at the light provocation.

"Go ahead. You idiot."

Tae-hyun smirked.

The awakening of abilities has individual differences, but it usually happens in childhood.

However, they cannot freely use their powers until they acquire player status as adults.

Unless in special cases, the use of power is subject to state sanctions.

Of course, a children's fight is unlikely to fall into a special case, so if Gu Beom-mo injures someone with his skill here, it constitutes a criminal act.

'Usually, they would cancel the skill here, but…'

Tae-hyun didn't think Gu Beom-mo had that much awareness.

He didn't know what he was like in the past.

3 seconds.

It's a time that can be said to be fleeting for ordinary people, but in the Abyss, it's a time when lives are at stake.

Tae-hyun, who approached in an instant, slapped Gu Beom-mo's cheek.

Slap!

It was a slap that wasn't special because he had lost all the muscles he had trained in his previous life.

It was an ordinary slap with the strength of his peers, but.

Gu Beom-mo's legs gave way and he collapsed powerlessly.

"Eek…!!"

Perhaps because he himself was aware of this absurd situation.

He tried to get up quickly, but it was a futile struggle.

The use of untrained magic and successive shocks.

The initial symptoms of reversal caused the strength to drain from his whole body.

Smiling bitterly, Tae-hyun looked at him.

'Looking at it like this, he's really just a kid.'

In his previous life, he was called a 'loser' because he couldn't awaken his skills.

It was a bonus to be caught up in numerous troubles.

The bullies picked fights with their insignificant skills, and Tae-hyun rushed at them without any skills.

Jo Tae-shik and Gu Beom-mo were the worst of them.

They were typical thugs who were strong against the weak and bowed to the strong.

It seems that more than five people transferred schools because of these guys.

'Usually, I would let it go, but…'

15 years of porter life.

Tae-hyun knew painfully that a shallow kindness sometimes comes back as a dagger.

Thump.

Tae-hyun straddled Gu Beom-mo's body.

And.

Slap.

As he swung his hand, Gu Beom-mo's face turned again.

"Mr. Gu Beom-mo, the proud bully. How does it feel?"

"Th… Th…!!"

Slap, slap.

"You son of a…!!"

Tae-hyun's hands, moving without a break, prevented him from finishing his words.

Slap, slap. Slap, slap.

"Hey. Say it again."

The hand that was slapping him was now clenched into a fist.

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

Crack. Crack. Crack.

"Ugh… Ugh… Stop…."

Had about 30 seconds of unilateral beating passed?

Gu Beom-mo, who was full of blood, began to sob.

"Oh? Hey, why are you crying?"

Even as he said that, Tae-hyun didn't stop his hand.

"St… Stop it, you bastard! You're going to kill someone!!"

Jo Tae-shik, who had regained his sight, shouted with bloodshot eyes.

He shouted, but he couldn't easily rush in because he was intimidated.

"You know from getting hit, people don't die that easily. And you're not done yet either."

Wham.

"Come here."

Tae-hyun slammed Gu Beom-mo's head on the floor and got up.

Looking at Gu Beom-mo, who didn't even groan, Jo Tae-shik began to slowly back away.

"D… Don't come…!!"

"Hey. Don't be so upset with your friend, come here?"

Just as Tae-hyun was about to grab Jo Tae-shik's collar, having accumulated a lot of anger.

"Kim Tae-hyun, stop!"

A woman walked out from among the students who had been watching.

'Huh?'

"Are you going to kill him? You've returned it enough."

A woman who didn't look like she would get her hands dirty with water stared at him.

She was over 170cm tall, her hair was neatly tied up, and she wore the same uniform as everyone else.

Nevertheless, he felt an unknown dignity.

'The seeds were sown from this time.'

Lim Ah-young.

In the past, he just thought of her as a woman who was born into a wealthy family, received a good education, and awakened top-class skills.

He thought she was a naive hypocrite.

But she will play an active role as an SS-class player in the future and achieve many achievements.

The words that always follow her are noblesse oblige.

Tae-hyun, who was stamped with the label of loser and lived a life of struggle.

Naturally, that image didn't look good.

'In the past, Lim Ah-young stepped up like this too. The perpetrator and victim have changed, though.'

For a moment, he smiled at the familiar face, but then the corner of Tae-hyun's mouth went up again.

"I was being hit, but you were just standing there. Now that I'm trying to realize justice, you're interfering?"

"......"

He knew that she hadn't been in the classroom for long.

Tae-hyun didn't care.

From the first day he returned to the past, he had no intention of being played by a hypocrite.

Tae-hyun grabbed Jo Tae-shik's collar, who was frozen in place.

"L… Let go…!"

"Shut up. Clench your teeth. They'll break."

Slap, slap. Slap, slap.

Tae-hyun repeated what he had done to Gu Beom-mo.

"Ugh… Sk… Skill… Ice… Ack…!!"

When Jo Tae-shik tried to use his skill as a last resort, Tae-hyun poked him in the eyes again.

Due to the side effects of the forced cancellation, the skill was strangely activated.

Crack, crack, crack.

Jo Tae-shik's Ice Hand is an E-grade skill that strengthens his hands with ice.

But looking at the state of his hands, it seemed like he would suffer from frostbite rather than strengthening.

If he didn't take action quickly, he might have to cut them off.

Tae-hyun lightly pushed Jo Tae-shik, who was holding his frozen hands and screaming.

He rolled straight to the floor.

"Kim Tae-hyun, you…."

Lim Ah-young frowned at the unexpected situation.

"Class president. Do you have anything else to say?"

Tae-hyun asked, feeling refreshed as if he had finished cleaning.

"Now that it's come to this… I have no choice but to report it to the teacher."

"Do whatever you want. That's what you're there for, right?"

"......"

Just in time, the bell rang, signaling the next class time.

'Good timing.'

Tae-hyun shrugged his shoulders and left the classroom.

He didn't go to college in the past either. What's the point of class now that he's regressed?

They were just buzzing.

No one blocked his way.

---

He left the classroom and arrived at the rooftop.

It was quiet without a single person, perhaps because class had started.

A secluded place even on the rooftop.

He stopped walking in a place where cigarette butts were scattered carelessly.

It was called the smoking zone.

It was a blind spot that wasn't monitored by CCTV, one of the few in the school.

Tae-hyun brought up the status window.

[Name: Kim Tae-hyun]

[Age: 19 years old]

[Grade: E]

[Skill: Predation (捕食) - 0%]

The basic status window before the official upgrade.

'There are definitely limits to the information I can know, but…'

It was clear that he had awakened, and that fact aroused a strange sense of elation.

"Did I return to the past because of… Wang… that guy's power…."

Asmodeus and Wang's faces were still vivid.

In fact, all of this happened in less than an hour.

He had seen and heard about countless skills, but.

'Regression' and 'time manipulation'.

There was no information about such skills at all.

"But why is it E-grade? It would have been better if it was S-grade or SS-grade if possible."

Perhaps because he had lived for over 20 years with an unknown potential grade.

He seemed to have been expecting at least an S grade without realizing it.

Then something displayed behind the skill caught his eye.

'0%? Wait a minute. Is this perhaps… a growth-type skill?'

Even after rubbing his eyes again, 0% was clearly visible.

"Oh my god."

An incomparable smile spread across Tae-hyun's lips.

Usually, the grade of a skill is fixed at the same time as awakening.

Only re-awakening could raise the awakening grade and skill grade.

However, according to the Player Association's statistics, there were less than 10,000 re-awakeners in the world.

And.

Growth-type awakeners were even rarer than re-awakeners.

'If this is really a growth-type skill…'

The stigma of being a loser.

The life of a player that he only dreamed of in the past.

Because he had no power and no money.

He remembered his past life where he had to wander the bottom.

But.

He had the confidence that this life would be different.

"Jackpot."

He thought that the day he would awaken would come someday.

That's why.

He had studied anything related to players without missing anything.

Was that all?

He also focused on weight training to take on the porter position as a non-awakener and didn't neglect physical fitness management.

The things he studied remained in his head, and he also knew the training methods to improve his physical abilities.

Besides, the red-haired man who was called Wang, who had regressed him.

'It seemed like he meant to see me again.'

The power he left behind didn't seem like a simple skill that just grows.

He looked at the status window again.

There was no explanation for the skill or the Youma power displayed, so he had no choice but to try using it first.

"Predation… Does it mean to devour something?"

He had seen absorption-related skills several times in his previous life.

They absorbed magic power, objects, and creatures.

If the grade was high, they would store the absorbed things in a subspace and discharge them.

'But Predation is…'

It was a skill that Tae-hyun, who knew countless players and skills, didn't know.

"Shall I check it out once."

He looked around, but he couldn't see any objects to use the skill on.

Tae-hyun reached out to the wall right next to him.

'Skill use. Predation.'

Ting.

[This is not a target for skill use. Searching for targets within range.]

A message appeared, and his body lost strength.

It was the aftereffect of the magic power being drained.

"Does it even have an automatic search function? This is no joke…?"

It was when he was making various assumptions and speculations.

Wham!!

The rooftop door opened roughly and a man appeared.

Thump, thump, thump.

The man immediately approached the smoking zone.

"Wow~ Our GeonGuk High School's ace, Kim Tae-hyun, is here."

"Bae Hyuk-soo?"

Tae-hyun frowned at the unwelcome face.

At that time.

Ting.

[A target for skill use has been identified. Skill use is possible.]

The frowning face that followed the message spread with pleasure.

"Wow, nice to see you. Hyuk-soo."

Bae Hyuk-soo, a huge man.

Tae-hyun greeted him brightly.

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Episode 3

Taehyun looked up at the huge man in front of him.

Taehyun was around 170cm tall.

But facing someone over 10cm taller, he felt like a child.

He was Bae Hyuksoo, the leader of the disciplinary squad.

'He was the guy under Lee Jungjae who managed the bullies at Geonuk High School.'

It was unsightly how a thug with a C-rank skill was acting as a henchman for Lee Jungjae, a third-generation chaebol.

'Right now, he's just a simple thug kid...'

But after graduating high school, he would show the potential to join a malicious guild.

As a mere foot soldier, of course.

"Nice to see you? Kim Taehyun. You loser. What did you eat wrong today?"

Bae Hyuksoo growled with a dumbfounded expression.

In the past, Taehyun had suffered a lot because of the difference in ability.

'There was an insurmountable wall between a non-awakened person and a C-rank awakened one.'

Just hearing his name made Taehyun shudder.

But now it was different.

He came to show Taehyun his skill, so why wouldn't he be happy?

Plus, the smoking zone was a CCTV blind spot.

A lot happened there.

"What brings you here?"

"Ha. Jo Taeshik and Gu Bummo. I came because these idiots got beat up, but you're doing better than I thought?"

Crack. Crack.

Bae Hyuksoo lightly turned his neck, making a chilling sound.

In his past life, Taehyun would have been intimidated when he threatened, but not now.

Even though the objective power was inferior.

It was because of the courage he gained while rolling around in the Abyss for over a decade.

"You're still foul-mouthed as ever."

His skill was Stone Skin.

A perfect ability for the simple and headstrong Bae Hyuksoo.

"You loser. You still haven't come to your senses, have you?"

When Taehyun didn't react much, Bae Hyuksoo strode forward and swung his fist.

Woosh.

Roughly 190cm and over 100kg.

A cool breeze followed Bae Hyuksoo's swing.

An average teenager would have been terrified, but...

'He's simple.'

Taehyun dodged his fist simply by bending one knee.

A movement that would seem accidental to Bae Hyuksoo.

"Oh?"

Woosh. Woosh. Woosh. Woosh. Woosh.

He swung five more times in a row, but it was the same.

Taehyun lightly stepped back.

He beckoned to Bae Hyuksoo, who had a bewildered expression.

This level of provocation would be enough to make him explode and use Stone Skin.

That's what he judged.

As expected, Bae Hyuksoo's body began to glow red.

"You son of a bitch..."

He took a step forward, caressing his fist.

"Ha... what skill did you get to be so crazy?"

"Curious?"

At Taehyun's nonchalant expression.

Bae Hyuksoo finally exploded.

"Yeah, I'm curious, you son of a bitch! I was just going to watch, but did you get too cocky? Should I break your back so you can come to your senses?"

His murderous aura was so thick and fierce that it made Taehyun's skin tingle.

'Tsk tsk. How can a high school kid have such a murderous aura?'

Taehyun clicked his tongue for a moment.

"I'll grind you to dust!"

Crack crack crack.

Thick, gray stones sprouted from Bae Hyuksoo's body.

'He calls it stone.'

It was so hard that an ordinary person couldn't even make a scratch with their fist.

"I'll make sure you never look at me with those eyes again. You loser."

Bae Hyuksoo, with sharp rocks protruding from his face, growled.

"We'll see what happens."

Taehyun used Predation without hesitation.

Ding.

A message window popped up with a cheerful sound.

[Unique Skill Predation has been used. The target will be determined according to the user's recognition.]

Whoosh.

A dark red light emanated from Taehyun's body.

He felt strength draining from his entire body.

Magic power was being consumed.

'What happens now?'

Taehyun, having confirmed that there were no changes to his body, looked at Bae Hyuksoo.

Sure enough, a huge circle was drawn under his feet.

More precisely, it was Taehyun's magic power spreading out in a round shadow.

"This bastard, did he really awaken?"

Bae Hyuksoo frowned, looking at the magic power cast under his feet.

Taehyun reached out towards Bae Hyuksoo.

[Please select the part to Predate.]

Another message popped up.

The corners of Taehyun's lips lifted.

Bae Hyuksoo's huge body, hidden by his school uniform, was showing up red by body part.

'Where should I Predate?'

He could feel the magic power under his fingertips connecting to the magic power under Bae Hyuksoo's feet.

Although it was growth-type, Taehyun's magic power was E-rank.

On the other hand, Bae Hyuksoo was a C-rank awakener.

In a normal case, it was impossible to overcome the difference in power unless he awakened a top-tier skill.

But for some reason, he didn't feel like he would lose.

"You bastard!"

Thump thump thump.

An excited Bae Hyuksoo charged forward with his even bigger body.

Wham!!

He just bumped into him.

With just that, the structure where Taehyun was standing was shattered.

Taehyun narrowly avoided it and marveled slightly.

'Still, a C-rank is a C-rank.'

He was relieved that Bae Hyuksoo wasn't a speed-oriented awakener.

Taehyun moved his feet busily.

"All you can do is run away like a rat!"

While easily avoiding his attacks, Taehyun didn't stop provoking him.

It wasn't even a psychological warfare, but Bae Hyuksoo easily responded.

"You son of a bitch! All I have to do is kill the caster!"

The pressure of his attacks missing.

Bae Hyuksoo shouted and charged, getting impatient.

But.

Woosh. Woosh. Woosh.

Even if he was a C-rank awakener, he was just a 19-year-old kid.

He lost the muscles he had as a porter, but he didn't lose his eyes to see movements.

From Taehyun's perspective, it was a level that he could easily avoid.

Meanwhile.

The dark red magic power stubbornly followed under Bae Hyuksoo's feet.

As if the magic power itself had a will.

'Is this how you attack?'

Squeeze.

Taehyun clenched one fist tightly.

Focusing his gaze on Bae Hyuksoo's right leg, which was showing up red.

Then.

[The target has been selected. Starting Predation.]

Crack.

"Aaaargh!"

Bae Hyuksoo, who had been on the offensive, screamed.

One of his knees buckled.

Crack. Crack. Crack.

Bae Hyuksoo looked at the magic power that was devouring his leg with a surprised face.

Meanwhile.

Taehyun's magic power didn't stop biting at Bae Hyuksoo's leg like a beast devouring its prey.

'It's chewing on that rock?'

Even Taehyun was dumbfounded by the unexpected power, when a message window popped up again.

[Magic power is insufficient. The skill will be deactivated in 5 seconds. 5... 4...]

There wasn't much time left, but it didn't matter.

Bae Hyuksoo had lost his will to fight with a single blow.

Bae Hyuksoo screamed in pain as his leg was being Predated.

Crack. Crack crack crack.

Before he knew it, 'Stone Skin' was completely destroyed.

The dark red magic power was chewing on the bone.

The sound of bones shattering was never welcome.

Especially if it was his own leg?

Bae Hyuksoo screamed as if the rooftop would collapse.

The skill was stopped after filling the full 5 seconds.

Thud.

Bae Hyuksoo, having lost his balance as the magic power disappeared, collapsed.

There didn't seem to be any special external wounds on his leg.

But unlike the other parts that were shaking, his right leg didn't move at all.

Ding.

[Predation is complete. A new skill has been registered.]

"What?"

Taehyun opened the status window again at the unexpected message.

How many times had he been this surprised in his past life?

He wouldn't have been this surprised even when the first SS-rank awakener was born.

But this time, Taehyun couldn't help but be surprised.

Because.

Bae Hyuksoo's skill, 'Stone Skin', was clearly registered in the status window.

[Name: Kim Taehyun]

[Age: 19 years old]

[Rank: E]

[Skills: Predation - 1% Stone Skin]

The percentage of 'Predation', which was 0, had increased to 1%.

He had never even heard of a growth-type awakener absorbing the opponent's skills.

Moreover, he chewed up the skill of a C-rank awakener despite his magic power being E-rank.

'If this growth continues?'

An SSS-rank player that no one had ever been able to become.

Wasn't it possible with this skill?

Was that all?

'Now I can monopolize everything.'

The many lucky encounters and top-tier armaments discovered by famous players.

The information on those that hadn't been discovered yet.

It was all remained in Taehyun's head.

He had awakened a skill with tremendous potential and didn't lag behind in information.

'I can change it with this.'

The past life where he was called a loser.

The top-tier player that was an unattainable dream.

Even though he tried countless times.

The failed life that ended with running away from Asmodeus.

He would be able to prove it with this ability.

Taehyun looked down at Bae Hyuksoo, who was lying on the ground.

The huge man, who had been exuding a sense of intimidation just a moment ago, was pathetically trembling.

He overlapped with his past self, who was groaning from injuries.

But.

It would be different this life.

Smirk.

'Thank you, Hyuksoo.'

Taehyun slung him over his shoulder and went down the stairs.

Sweat dripped from the use of the skill and his insufficient physical abilities, but his mouth was smiling without him even realizing it.

---

"Are you okay?"

A woman asked, letting out a sigh of relief when Bae Hyuksoo's breathing returned to normal.

It was Choi Nayoung, the school nurse at Geonuk High School.

"I'm fine. I just brought the guy who 'fell down the stairs' here, what's the big deal?"

Taehyun said nonchalantly and got up from his seat.

He confirmed that there was nothing wrong with Bae Hyuksoo's body.

So he was done here.

'I don't need to go back to class, do I?'

He was thinking of going home and learning about the skill instead.

But Choi Nayoung seemed to have a different idea.

"Come here. I'll give you some simple healing just in case."

'She doesn't believe me. She's still the same, Nayoung noona.'

Taehyun smiled at her with a worried look.

Choi Nayoung was twenty-six years old.

She was much younger than Taehyun, who had lived to thirty-five in the past.

A talented person with an A-rank healing skill.

It wouldn't be strange if she received scout offers from the Player Association or large guilds right away.

Geonuk High School was prestigious, but.

The fact that an A-rank awakener was working as a school nurse was a question for many people.

'You wouldn't know unless you knew the reason.'

Taehyun was the only student who knew Choi Nayoung's pain.

Because she looked like her.

He had heard the tragic story of her younger sibling losing their life to a monster.

Was that why?

Whenever he got caught up in a fight and came to the nurse's office, she genuinely worried about him.

He was able to graduate from high school safely thanks to her healing, so she was one of the few benefactors in Taehyun's life.

'I cried a lot when I heard the news that noona had died.'

A sigh came out as he recalled the past where she had died at the scene of a great disaster.

Something flashed in his mind for a moment.

"Teacher. What day is it today?"

"Today? It's April 1st."

"April... 1st?"

Several events began to be listed in his head.

April 4th.

A-rank gate break and many casualties.

And the expensive magic stone that comes out after dealing with the monsters.

'Predation' which steals the opponent's skills, and money that an ordinary high school student couldn't touch.

When he finished the calculation, his heart began to pound.

'If I do this right...'

Taehyun gave Choi Nayoung, who didn't know what was going on, a friendly smile.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Episode 4

After saying goodbye to Choi Nayoung, Taehyun left the school.

Without a high school diploma, you can't do anything in society.

He used to endure, believing only in this saying, but not anymore.

Skill: 'Devour.'

He needed to learn more about this ability first.

'Devour, huh... does this skill have anything to do with the King?'

The red-haired man who didn't lose his composure even in front of the SSS-rank monster Asmodeus.

He called himself a king and left ominous words that he would meet Taehyun again.

His name, skill, and existence are all a mystery, but...

Taehyun shook his head.

Taking care of what's right in front of him was the priority.

'Gate Break in three days. I need to get in shape by then.'

The event that would happen on April 4th was an A-rank Gate Break.

Bae Hyuksoo was just a rookie, not even a player, so he could be subdued easily.

'But the monsters of the Abyss are different.'

Without decent combat skills, even dealing with the lowest-level monsters was difficult.

Upgrading the status window was essential for his future plans.

Unlike the normal status window, which only showed rank and skills,

upgrading would allow him to see quantified physical abilities and magic power.

Abilities just like a player in a game.

'The license test is in two months?'

Getting a player license from the Association would make upgrades free, but he couldn't wait that long.

'I need to figure out my powers quickly. I also need to keep in mind getting involved with the Majin.'

Majin (魔人).

Those who use the power of the Awakened for malicious purposes.

Before Taehyun regressed, many Majin were active, and numerous players and ordinary people lost their lives at their hands.

Not just in New Korea (新韓國).

To humanity (人類人), monsters and Majin were common enemies.

That would be the same even in this timeline.

"Getting attention is for after I get stronger."

Recalling the many rookies who had lost their lives in vain, Taehyun stopped walking.

He saw the house in front of him, filled with past memories.

"It's the same here too."

The place he had lived from the third year of middle school to the third year of high school.

His youngest aunt's house.

After entering the password, he went inside, greeting without much meaning.

"I'm home from school."

The air was stale, as if it hadn't been properly ventilated.

"She must have left in a hurry again today."

His aunt worked late at a restaurant, and his uncle worked at a construction site.

Despite their difficult circumstances, they were a loving couple who took Taehyun in and raised him.

But sadly,

they cherished Taehyun, who never awakened, like their own child, but this poverty was never resolved until just before his death.

'Aunt. Uncle. I'll repay all the favors I received this time.'

This life would be different not only for himself but also for those around him who had dedicated themselves to him, Taehyun vowed.

"Aunt and uncle will be back late... I wonder if Jae-young will even come home today?"

He passed through the familiar place and opened his own room.

He saw cluttered items and posters of star players plastered on the wall.

"There was a time when I was so into this too."

He believed he would awaken someday and studied many skills and tactics.

People around him mocked it as a useless act, but he didn't give up for ten years.

His persistence was recognized, and he was able to work as a porter even though he was unawakened, so it wasn't a completely useless act.

"Just wait a little. I'll catch up soon."

Taehyun clenched his fist as he looked at the S-rank players in the posters.

Currently, his rank was E.

He had easily defeated the C-rank Awakened Bae Hyuksoo, so his actual combat power should be considered around that of a B-rank Awakened.

"An E-rank with combat power similar to a B-rank. I might be the strongest E-rank Awakened."

He chuckled and turned on his outdated laptop.

Even though he regressed, he couldn't recall all the information.

He planned to recall his past memories based on articles for now.

Then.

Beep.

The sound of the front door opening rang.

'Did Aunt come back already?'

The sound of the creaking floorboards and footsteps headed toward the bedroom.

Taehyun got up from his seat and followed out of the room.

"Aunt, you're home ear—"

"Ah, you scared me! You startled me, you fucker!!"

Taehyun frowned at the unexpected cursing.

There was only one person in this house who would speak to him like that.

Hwang Jaeyoung.

The only immature son of his aunt and uncle, and his cousin.

And an enemy.

"What are you doing?"

Taehyun sighed, looking at Jaeyoung, who was hiding something behind him.

He remembered.

He remembered the time the house was turned upside down because this guy ran away with his aunt's secret savings.

'That was probably around April 1st?'

It was an unforgettable memory because that money had been saved up for Taehyun's college tuition.

"Hey, mind your own business, okay?"

"Sigh..."

Taehyun sighed once again.

He didn't plan to go to college now anyway.

In that sense, the money wasn't necessary for Taehyun.

But.

He wasn't calm enough to tolerate it, knowing what would happen in the future.

'He used to be such a cute kid. This is why you need to make good friends.'

Taehyun clicked his tongue inwardly, ignoring the guy's words and going into his room.

Jaeyoung wasn't always like this from the beginning.

He was timid but used to follow Taehyun around, calling him 'hyung.'

It was just that his aunt and uncle became neglectful due to work at the restaurant, and Taehyun got caught up in various incidents, which led them to go astray.

'Eventually, I even got into a fistfight with him a few times.'

Taehyun sighed once again, recalling the bad memories of the past. He shook his head involuntarily.

Jaeyoung shouted at the sight.

"Hey. Didn't you hear me tell you to get lost?"

"Haa... Jaeyoung-ah, you doing this..."

It was the moment Taehyun was about to say something.

Someone's voice was heard from outside.

"Hey! Hwang Jaeyoung!! Aren't you done yet?!!"

"How long do we have to wait?"

"The hyungs are getting tired of waiting~"

The deep voices didn't seem to belong to Jaeyoung's peers.

"Aish!"

Startled by the sound of them calling him, Jaeyoung quickly ran out.

Taehyun followed him.

There were three men of Taehyun's age wearing leather jackets there.

They hadn't expected anyone else to be home, and their faces hardened when they made eye contact with Taehyun.

"Hey. You said no one was home."

"Who is he?"

"Ah, you don't have to worry about him, hyungs. He's just a cousin living at our house."

"Ah~ that loser who couldn't even awaken?"

Those who had learned Taehyun's identity started to giggle as if they had never been hardened.

Unawakened.

For that reason alone, they had lowered their guard against Taehyun.

"Did you bring the money?"

The man who seemed to be the leader among them asked Jaeyoung, holding out his hand.

"Here it is. It should be enough for the entrance fee and three months' membership fee."

Jaeyoung handed over the envelope he had been holding.

"Ooh~ Hwang Jaeyoung. Congratulations on joining the circle."

"With this, you're also a member of our 'Backcross.'"

The other two guys patted Jaeyoung's shoulder proudly.

Taehyun, who had been watching the scene, let out a hollow laugh.

"This is ridiculous."

"What?"

"Hey. Did we just hear something wrong?"

Unlike the other two guys, who frowned, the leader, who had been counting the money, smirked.

"Hey. Jaeyoung's cousin hyung.nim. What did you just say?"

The guy mixed honorifics and casual speech, and his age was at most in his early twenties.

Even his sly expression was unpleasant.

"Tsk."

He didn't feel it was worth answering.

Taehyun lightly clicked his tongue and scanned the three thugs he had judged.

Looking at their skinny bodies, it didn't seem like they had done any physical training.

"Hey, Kim Taehyun! Are you crazy?"

Unlike the relaxed Taehyun, the flustered Jaeyoung shouted.

But Taehyun walked toward the thugs without hesitation.

"Hey. Playing the bully is fun, right? It must feel like the world is easy, making money by having a kid steal."

"This bastard..."

"Is that unawakened bastard crazy!"

Loser. Unawakened.

In the past, he had ignored the things around him because he hated hearing those tiresome words.

He thought he should just endure until he awakened. He should just curl up until he gained power.

But that was not it.

Once he started curling up, he became accustomed to that position, and that attitude didn't change until he died.

He wanted this life to be different.

"Hwang Jaeyoung. Are you dipping into the money your aunt worked hard to earn to play this bully game?"

"Shut up. You loser!"

Jaeyoung shouted, but Taehyun lightly brushed it off.

The answer had already been decided.

And it seemed the same for the so-called Backcross thugs.

"Listening quietly, our old man is saying harsh things?"

"Is that Geonuk High School uniform? Ha... I heard there are only bookworms there, so they don't manage their kids properly."

The thugs snickered among themselves as they said that.

The leader, who had put the envelope in his inner pocket, asked Jaeyoung.

"Hey Hwang Jaeyoung. Choose. Are you joining the circle or not?"

Jaeyoung's body flinched at the cold gaze.

"O-of course, I have to join."

"Really?"

He smirked.

"So it's okay to beat this bastard up?"

"No... that's..."

Another guy's actions were faster than Jaeyoung's words.

[Skill usage detected. You have been affected by Bind (D). Resisting with mysterious power. Resistance successful.]

Taehyun whistled inwardly, seeing the message window that popped up.

Skill Bind.

Although there were differences depending on the rank, it was a versatile ability that was included in the ranking of skills that were abused every year.

'D rank. He's good enough to do thug stuff, I guess.'

More important was Taehyun's condition, which was resisting the skill.

Two more messages popped up in succession.

[Skill usage detected. You have been affected by Poison (D). Resisting with mysterious power. Resistance successful.]

[Skill usage detected. You have been affected by Bleeding (C). Resisting with mysterious power. Resistance successful.]

He would have to find out if this was also related to the Devour skill, but

for now, the education of the guys in front of him was the priority.

Bind. Poison. Bleeding.

All curse-type skills without clear forms.

'Good.'

It would be a good opportunity to see if Devour could even absorb curse-type skills.

But the plan faced an obstacle from an unexpected place.

[Unable to use Devour skill due to lack of stamina. Cooldown time: 50 hours, 58 minutes, 55 seconds.]

'What? Why is the cooldown so long?'

There was no time to question it.

The thugs also had similar questions.

"Hey. Did the skill activate properly?"

"Just wait a little. It's been a while since I used it."

Taehyun ignored their words and activated another skill, Stone Skin.

[Skill Stone Skin has been activated. The skill will last for 10 minutes.]

10 minutes.

Even though it was the same E-rank skill, the amount of magic power it consumed was vastly different.

It was clear how difficult Devour was to handle.

'Interesting.'

If he were to handle it easily, there would be a greater risk of collapsing easily.

In that case, it wasn't bad to learn slowly from the bottom up.

Just like Taehyun right now.

It wasn't as visible as it was with Bae Hyuksoo, but he could feel his body hardening like stone.

"What? That guy doesn't seem to be affected? Did the skill even work?"

"Hey. There's never been anyone who wasn't affected by our curses before."

Unlike the other two followers, the leader, who had noticed something was wrong, frowned.

"Ah... This guy is bluffing, bluffing. He'll collapse even if we just touch hi—"

Pow!! Kuung.

It was instantaneous.

The guy who had been approaching mockingly was punched by Taehyun and collapsed.

He had fainted with just one punch.

"......"

Taehyun was just as surprised by the unexpected power.

Even though it had dropped to E-rank to match his magic power, it was this powerful.

'Seriously. This is amazing.'

Taehyun's lips curled up at the stone-hardened fist.

Until he upgraded the status window,

it didn't seem like it would take much time.

------------------------------------------------------

Episode 5

"This bastard!!"

As his comrade fell,

another guy, not knowing his place, raised his fist.

He thought Taehyun's attack was a fluke.

"Stop!!"

The leader stopped him.

The skill didn't work.

Certain, he frowned and asked.

"Hey. You're an Awakened, right?"

Three curse-type skills were stacked.

If the skill had worked, Taehyun should have been on the floor.

'He's a C-rank Awakened, he has good instincts.'

He was different from the guy who didn't even grasp the opponent's strength after his comrade fell.

"N-no way..."

"I-is it true...?"

At the leader's words, Jaeyoung stammered in disbelief.

Taehyun didn't feel like answering.

"Too much talk."

Unlike the guy who was nervous at the word Awakened, his fist knew no mercy.

A fist enhanced with Stone Skin struck his face again.

Thud.

The sound of a nose collapsing was a bonus.

The second thug passed out without even screaming.

A body with no weight training at all. And even though he was downgraded to E-rank, this was the extent of his power.

'Stone Skin. It's a better ability than I thought.'

Skills varied greatly in power depending on the Awakened's rank, proficiency, and physical stats.

Perhaps if Bae Hyuksoo had been a little smarter,

If he hadn't looked down on Taehyun as a non-Awakened,

he wouldn't have been able to win so easily.

The same was true for the guys in front of him.

"H-hyung..."

"Jaeyoung, let's talk later."

Taehyun's gaze turned to the leader, who was left alone.

Two of his companions had fallen.

Yet, his expression was more relaxed than expected.

The C-rank Awakened's skill was the curse-type 'Bleeding'.

Even though he confirmed that the skill didn't work, he was maintaining a poker face.

'Does he have something to rely on?'

That was the only way to explain his attitude.

Suddenly, the leader whistled and clapped.

"Amazing. Even though you look weak, you took down two guys in one hit. You must have awakened a useful skill, huh?"

"Find out."

There was still plenty of duration left, but there was no point in talking for too long.

When Taehyun acted uncompromising, the leader's face twitched.

"Hey. Do you know what this is?"

He held up a ring on his finger.

Three golden skulls glittered on his hand.

Taehyun's expression subtly changed as he recognized the ring's design.

The Malignant Guild.

A notorious guild with many fiends affiliated with it.

The ring in front of him was a symbolic item representing a member of the Malignant Guild.

'Come to think of it, the Malignant Guild guys were even targeting minors.'

The Player Association was too busy dealing with monsters.

Their role was significant in the association's collaboration with the police and military to maintain public order.

But the opponent was not a player, but a back alley thug.

'For a guy like that to have that...'

"Looks like you know what this is. That's right. Our Baek Cross is affiliated with the Malignant Guild."

Taehyun frowned at his words.

He thought they were just local thugs, but if the Malignant Guild was involved, it was a different story.

His plan to get some money and end it was falling apart.

Taehyun's mind raced.

"Heh heh. Don't be scared. Did you really think we'd do this without that kind of backing?"

The leader, thinking Taehyun was scared by his lack of reaction, regained his arrogance.

"We're fearless wolves. If we wanted to, taking care of your whole family would be nothing."

That wasn't wrong.

They were quiet now, before they began their full-fledged activities, but it happened frequently in the future.

'Getting involved with them will disrupt my plans.'

More than anything, Taehyun's aunt's family could be in danger.

The guys working in the Malignant Guild were at least C-rank players.

Especially the fiends were often considered skilled within their ranks.

'I don't have that kind of power yet.'

Taehyun made up his mind.

The leader beckoned him to come over.

Taehyun willingly walked towards him.

And then.

Pow.

A fist enhanced with Stone Skin struck the leader's face.

'Beat him down so he won't come to his senses for at least a few months.'

The leader, having done some training, had better durability than the other guys.

It was a completely useless ability in this moment.

He had to endure Taehyun's one-sided beating while fully conscious.

Thwack. Thwack. Thwack. Pow. Crack. Crunch.

Stomp, break, destroy.

'He's got great durability. You'd think he was a tank.'

Taehyun admired the leader, who hadn't passed out even after 30 seconds of beating.

But it was coming to an end.

"H-hey... let's, let's... talk... Is this... what you... want...?"

Several teeth were already broken.

He forced open his mouth, which wouldn't open properly, and held up the envelope he received from Jaeyoung.

Taehyun snatched the envelope and threw it at Jaeyoung.

And then.

He stomped again.

Thwack. Thwack. Thwack. CRUNCH.

'I want to crush his vocal cords if I could...'

Doing so would attract even more attention.

There was a need for a clear line. Taehyun left the unconscious leader and headed towards the other two.

Injuries that would require at least 10 weeks of recovery were engraved on their bodies.

[Skill has been解除됩니다.]

The skill was解除됩니다. at the same time as Taehyun finished his work.

He felt dizzy from the excessive use of magic.

"Hoo... I guess this is enough?"

Looking at the three men collapsed in a miserable state,

Taehyun smiled contentedly.

Of course, he didn't forget to take the ring from the leader's hand.

He turned the glittering ring around, examining it.

'Bingo.'

It was definitely genuine.

The ring itself had no special ability, but

it was an item coveted by many just for being a symbol of a Malignant Guild member.

If he sold it privately at auction, he could get at least twenty million won.

As Taehyun was satisfied with the unexpected income, Jaeyoung began to back away.

This was a poor area with no CCTV.

The only one who witnessed everything was his cousin, Jaeyoung.

Mouth control was essential for a perfect crime.

"Jaeyoung, where are you going? We have to clean up these guys."

"H-hyung..."

Feeling a sense of dread, Jaeyoung trembled involuntarily.

"What you saw today. It's a secret from Aunt and Uncle, okay?"

Taehyun put the ring in his pocket as he spoke.

"O-okay..."

"And."

Taehyun put his hand on Jaeyoung's shoulder.

"You and I are going to work together."

It was the moment when Jaeyoung's life, which was about to go down the wrong path, changed.

---

Dinner started after 9 p.m.

Because Aunt and Uncle came home late from work.

The table wasn't big and the side dishes were modest.

It had been a while since the four of them had eaten together, so there was an awkward atmosphere.

"You left school early?"

Aunt, who put kimchi stew on the table, asked with a worried expression.

"Yes. I wasn't feeling well."

"Is something wrong?"

"No. I think I overdid it these past few days doing assignments."

"Still..."

"Oh, he said he's okay. Give him more rice instead of worrying."

Uncle, who had been watching quietly, put a fried egg on Taehyun's rice.

"You have to eat a lot when you're your age to get better quickly."

"Yes. I'll enjoy it."

Taehyun smiled and bit into the fried egg.

He had already called the school in advance.

When he said he wasn't feeling well and would be taking a few days off, the homeroom teacher sighed and allowed it.

He had fought three students in one day.

He thought Taehyun's body must be in bad shape.

"Okay. Rest well for three days before going back."

Aunt reluctantly said, her expression still worried.

He wouldn't need to go to school for the time being after three days, but Taehyun said he would.

"And Jaeyoung, you."

Unlike Taehyun, Aunt looked at Jaeyoung with piercing eyes.

"H-huh? No, yes?"

"How nice is it to have dinner together like this after so long? Try to come home early from now on."

"Y-yes, I will..."

Jaeyoung, feeling guilty, replied in a barely audible voice.

Taehyun looked at him with a satisfied smile and took a big spoonful of rice.

It was a long-awaited harmonious dinner.

---

In a small room.

"Huff... huff..."

Sweat poured incessantly from Taehyun's body as he did push-ups.

"Eigh... ty..."

Thud.

Taehyun sighed, not even reaching half of his target number.

"Ha... my stamina is really terrible."

He started weight training in earnest when he turned twenty.

Around that time, he had accepted that he was a non-Awakened and decided to do what he could.

"I won't waste any more time."

Recalling the past, Taehyun stood up, renewing his determination.

He was about to do squats when someone knocked on the door.

"Hyung... it's me..."

Taehyun stopped squatting and opened the door.

Jaeyoung stood there with an awkward expression.

"What?"

"U-um... are we going to be okay...?"

Seeing Jaeyoung, who couldn't even make eye contact, Taehyun chuckled.

"Nothing will happen if you keep your mouth shut."

The three guys who were bragging about being Baek Cross members were dumped in a nearby alley, and an ambulance was called.

They were probably getting treatment by now, so their lives weren't in danger.

'Of course, they'll be unconscious for a while.'

"B-but..."

Seeing Jaeyoung, who was much more nervous than him, Taehyun patted him on the shoulder again.

"Hwang Jaeyoung. Don't worry and just think about what I told you."

"O-okay..."

"If you have time, do some physical training."

With those words, Taehyun closed the door.

'I should get a gym membership after selling the ring.'

It was a whopping twenty million won.

A smile spread across his face as he looked at the ring on the desk.

It used to make him feel sad, but the Gate Break made him feel excited like a child about to go on a picnic.

---

Time passed quickly.

April 4th.

Taehyun was drinking coffee at a cafe near GeonGuk High School.

He wasn't going to school, so he was wearing plain clothes with jeans and a hoodie.

Slurp.

Taehyun, who was drinking coffee, brought up the status window.

Name: Kim Taehyun

Age: 19

Rank: E

Strength: 3 Stamina: 6 Speed: 5 Magic: 10

Fatigue: 10%

Remaining Magic: 10/10

[Skills]

Devour (1%) - Can devour the desired target. Consumes magic: 5

Stone Skin (E) - Can strengthen the body. Consumes magic: 1

He sold the skull ring at auction and earned twenty million won.

He kept ten million won as an emergency fund, and upgraded the status window with the remaining ten million won.

It was more detailed than the previous normal status window.

It was possible to change it into other forms if he spent money.

For now, he was most satisfied with this form.

More than anything, he could check his physical abilities.

Taehyun's magic stat was 10.

As you can see in the status window,

it was almost twice as high as the average stat of an E-rank Awakened.

'At this rate, I could be considered a D-rank magic-type Awakened.'

Just as he was wondering if magic-type skills could also be absorbed,

Rumble.

The cafe began to shake.

"I-it's an earthquake!!"

"Everyone, get out!!"

"The elderly and children first!!"

The cafe and the surrounding area were instantly in chaos.

It wasn't an earthquake, but an A-rank Gate Break, but ordinary people couldn't know such things.

'It's finally starting.'

Taehyun, who had emptied the coffee in his cup, stood up from his seat.

It was the start of a busy day.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Episode 6

Seoul, Gwangjin-gu.

In front of the gate, the epicenter of the earthquake, three Association players were using their skills.

A translucent barrier surrounded the red-hot gate.

It was the B-rank skill 'Barrier'.

A skill that could confine a C-rank monster all day long if only magic power was replenished.

But the user, Lee Jae-joon, did not look pleased.

"There are too many of them..."

He gritted his teeth and focused on the barrier, which was starting to shake.

He had been dispatched as soon as the report came in.

However, quite a few monsters had already emerged from the gate.

The wide-ranging barrier was in a precarious state due to the monsters' attacks.

It could have been broken a long time ago if his subordinate hadn't been buffing him.

At that moment, another subordinate who had finished scouting shouted.

"Team Leader! Gate measurement complete!!"

"Rank?"

Lee Jae-joon asked urgently at the subordinate's shout.

Hoping it wouldn't be an A-rank.

If it was A-rank, there was nothing he could do with his own power.

"It's B-rank!!"

"Damn it! But why are there so many monsters!!"

He could see dozens of monsters with his own eyes.

Even if he filled his magic power with potions, it would only last about an hour.

'Why a gate break all of a sudden after 10 years of silence?'

Gate break.

Unlike monsters pouring out from an already created dungeon.

It was a phenomenon where a gate connected to the Abyss opened directly.

If this gate break was not stopped in time, a Dungeon would be formed with the monsters' unique abilities.

There were already dozens of dungeons in New Korea, but the last gate break was about 10 years ago.

It was only natural that Lee Jae-joon, a 5-year Association player, would curse.

"What about the headquarters support troops?"

"Well... I've been trying to contact them since earlier, but the communication is not good due to signal interference..."

Once things start going wrong, there's no end to it.

Lee Jae-joon sighed softly.

"I'll block them with the Barrier skill, so go and request an A-rank player right away!!"

"Are there any A-rank players on standby right now? They're all in the Abyss..."

"Just figure it out!! If there aren't any, ask the surrounding guilds for help!!"

He was only a year into his job.

Lee Jae-joon's scolding was natural given his subordinate's bewildered appearance.

Even so.

The subordinate's gaze, as if nailed in place, was directed behind Lee Jae-joon.

"Hey!! Didn't you hear me tell you to go quick—"

Lee Jae-joon turned his head towards the gate at the eerie feeling.

And.

"Good heavens."

He was proud of himself for not being surprised by much as an Association player.

But his mouth opened wide.

The gate was emitting an ominous energy beyond the barrier.

It was due to the massive figure that was just starting to emerge from the gate.

"A... a Giant Ogre?"

Its physique was easily over 5 meters tall.

The club it was holding was at least 2 meters long.

While Lee Jae-joon was overwhelmed by its size, it completely emerged from the gate.

Whooosh.

With a fierce gust of wind, the club was swung.

Kwaang!!

Crack.

The skill, which had withstood countless attacks from monsters until now, began to crack.

"T-Team Leader..."

The subordinate who was casting buffs next to him looked desperate.

Lee Jae-joon was the same.

A-rank monster, Giant Ogre.

The moment its club was swung down again.

Kwajik!!!

The barrier was broken helplessly.

Monsters poured out in all directions.

"Oh, no..."

As the Giant Ogre swung its club over the head of the despairing Lee Jae-joon.

---

Tae-hyun stopped walking.

It was because he had arrived at the spot he had marked in advance.

It was a narrow alley about twenty minutes away from Geon-guk High School.

There was a sign at the entrance saying it was under construction, so Tae-hyun was the only person there.

Even so, the screams echoing around him were vividly heard.

'It's about time it came.'

The gate break that occurred near the Gwangjin-gu Office in the past.

The initial measured magic power was B-rank.

However, it was a rare case where it was upgraded to A-rank due to the appearance of a monster called Giant Ogre.

A gate break occurring after 10 years, and even an increase in rank.

The rare cases overlapped twice, and in his previous life, countless casualties occurred before they could prevent it from turning into a dungeon.

'It was A-rank player Ahn Hyun-soo who prevented it from becoming a dungeon back then.'

While Tae-hyun was thinking about this and that, his cell phone rang.

It was Jae-young.

[Hey, Jae-young. Did you meet?]

[Yeah... I just met... but really... is it okay to use the skill?]

[I told you. Doing so is saving that person's life.]

[But……….]

[Jae-young. Do you trust me?]

[U... uh…….]

[Okay. Then do it well without making any mistakes. That person is so skinny, so it shouldn't be too hard to move them.]

[Ah, I understand... I'll try.]

[Okay. Fighting.]

With those words, Tae-hyun hung up the phone.

'He's so worried for a guy who hung out with a lackey of a malicious guild.'

What Jae-young was afraid of was using his skill on a civilian.

Even though he looked clumsy, Jae-young's skill was D-rank Somnambulism (夢遊).

It allowed him to put the person he touched to sleep for a short time.

'Well, kidnapping is better than death.'

The target of the skill, which could potentially cause illegal activity, was Choi Na-young.

It was her fate to die while helping people.

'I'll just change fate.'

Tae-hyun was someone who didn't want to lose the people around him in this life.

'It's about time it came.'

As the saying goes, speak of the devil, or in this case, the orc.

"Shriek, shriek... this way... shriek... human smell...."

A familiar sound came from the end of the alley.

E-rank monster, Orc.

With low intelligence, it not only imitated human language.

Each individual's combat power was weak, but they were characterized by moving in groups.

As expected.

Two more appeared after the first one.

"Welcome. Orc gentlemen."

Tae-hyun welcomed the drooling Orcs.

It was the first time in his entire life that he had felt so happy to see a monster.

'Let's save some magic power for now.'

He hadn't completely grasped the cooldown time of the skill Devour yet.

He couldn't afford to waste it on these small fry and miss out on a 'big fish'.

Kwaddeudeudeuk.

'Stone Skin' was used, and Tae-hyun's body hardened.

His body would be a little slower, but.

He should be able to withstand a few attacks from the Orcs.

"Shriek, shriiiek!! Human! Kill!!"

At that moment, one of the Orcs, who had approached right in front of him, swung a club that wasn't even 1 meter long.

Whoong.

He leaned back and easily dodged it.

Then he slammed his fist into its jaw.

Kwajik.

The Orc's jaw was shattered with a single attack.

'The skill is good after all.'

Even if Tae-hyun, who hadn't awakened in his previous life, had trained his body, it would have been impossible for him to face three E-rank monsters at the same time.

Even though they were E-rank monsters.

They had a ferocity that was no less than that of a wild beast.

It was crazy to fight without a skill to protect your body or an overwhelming attack skill.

But.

Ppeok.

"Sh...riek?"

An Orc, who took the opportunity to strike Tae-hyun's back, tilted its head.

As if asking why he wasn't falling down.

'It still hurts a little.'

Kwajik!

Tae-hyun grabbed the second Orc's head and slammed it against the wall.

The second Orc died with its skull crushed.

The third Orc, startled by the fall of its comrades, began to run away.

It was pitiful to see it scurrying away on its short legs.

But he had no intention of letting it go.

'Compassion for monsters is a luxury.'

Tae-hyun picked up the Orc's club.

Then he threw it with all his might.

The third Orc, whose waist was shattered with an eerie sound, breathed its last.

Only then did Tae-hyun use the skill Devour.

[Unique skill Devour has been used. The target's life activity has stopped, so no magic power is consumed.]

It was a message he had never seen before.

Dark red magic power enveloped the Orcs' corpses.

And.

Woodeuk. Woodeuk. Wooddeudeuk. Wooddeudeudeuk.

A small amount of magic power was drained, and the three Orcs disappeared without a trace.

[Successful complete devour of a living organism. Recovering insufficient magic power.]

The corners of Tae-hyun's lips turned up at the rising message.

"Status window check."

Name: Kim Tae-hyun

Age: 19

Rank: E

Strength: 3 Stamina: 6 Speed: 5 Magic Power: 10

Fatigue: 15%

Remaining Magic Power: 10/10

[Skills]

Devour (5%) - Can devour the desired target. Required magic power: 5

Stone Skin (E) - Can strengthen the body. Required magic power: 1

"Bingo."

If he devoured a dead organism, there was no need for a separate cooldown time or magic power.

Rather, not only did the experience of the Devour skill increase, but even the magic power used in Stone Skin was recovered.

He had spent ten million won to upgrade it, but it was a part that was not revealed in the status window.

"I'll have to revise the plan."

Tae-hyun had planned to catch only one or two high-level monsters here and leave, considering the risks of Devour.

But if he could replenish his magic power like this, his thinking would change.

Just as Tae-hyun was about to call Jae-young again.

"Keureureureu."

A 2-meter-tall white wolf strolled into the alleyway where only Tae-hyun remained.

It was a D-rank monster 'Silver Fang'.

Tae-hyun put away the smartphone he had half-taken out.

There wouldn't be a big problem even if the contact was a little late.

First of all.

Hehe.

'Bon appétit.'

Tae-hyun's skill was activated again.

---

"Whew. C-rank is tough."

Tae-hyun said, recalling the C-rank monster Ogre he had just knocked down.

It was a considerable fight, to the extent that he would have had to use Devour if the monster behind it had appeared just a little sooner.

Even so, the reason he didn't use Devour was because the reward was too sweet to leave like this.

[Successful complete devour of a living organism. Recovering insufficient magic power.]

The message didn't stop there.

The automatic notification function he had upgraded kept ringing non-stop.

[Condition met. The rank will be readjusted.]

'Finally.'

When he last checked, the experience of Devour was 70%.

He hadn't been able to check it because of the constantly swarming monsters, but it was enough to fill the remaining experience.

After a while.

[Rank adjustment complete.]

The moment to confirm the long-awaited growth-type skill. The truth.

Tae-hyun brought up the status window.

Name: Kim Tae-hyun

Age: 19

Rank: D

Strength: 13 Stamina: 16 Speed: 15 Magic Power: 20

Fatigue: 55%

Remaining Magic Power: 20/20

[Skills]

Devour (0%) - Can devour the desired target. Required magic power: 10

Stone Skin (D) - Can strengthen the body. Required magic power: 3

"As expected!!"

Tae-hyun clenched his fist, checking the status window.

His rank as an Awakened person grows with Devour.

It was the moment when his hypothesis became certain.

His physical stats were also readjusted to match his rank.

Even though Stone Skin was deactivated, he felt strength surging through his body.

'Shall we go to Jae-young's side?'

About an hour had passed since the gate break occurred.

It was the timing when A-rank players would have started hunting monsters by now.

At that time.

Koo-oong. Koo-oong. Koo-oong.

With the sound of something collapsing, the screams grew louder.

His body was shaking as if there was an earthquake.

No. It wasn't an earthquake.

"Kuaaaaaa!!!"

The A-rank monster Giant Ogre revealed its presence, wielding its massive club.

A body over 5 meters tall with arm muscles built up with muscle.

A single eye symbolizing a mutation.

That eye was exactly.

It was facing Tae-hyun.

---------------------------------------

Okay, here's the English translation of the text you provided:

Episode 7

'Why is that guy here...?'

The Giant Ogre, who could be called the boss of this gate break.

In my past life, he headed west, the opposite direction from here, and was subdued by A-rank player Ahn Hyun-soo.

'But why.'

Taehyun tilted his head.

Even at this moment.

The Giant Ogre was approaching, destroying everything in its path.

The problem was that its single eye was fixed directly on Taehyun.

'That can't be.'

By now, numerous players should be dealing with the monsters.

It must be a coincidence that the Giant Ogre, a boss-level monster, found me.

Thinking that, he left the alley and started running.

"Kuaaaa!!!"

As if responding to Taehyun's movements.

The Giant Ogre started running forward.

As befitting an A-rank, it moved quickly despite its size.

Each time it lifted its foot, the sound of something breaking followed.

'Stone Skin won't work on this guy.'

Taehyun's Stone Skin is D-rank.

He wasn't pushed back in close combat with an Ogre, a C-rank monster.

But its limit is, at best, B-rank.

If he's hit by the club that the Giant Ogre wields, even Stone Skin won't hold up.

On one hand, he wanted to see if D-rank-grown Predation would work on an A-rank monster, but.

'There's a better place to use Predation.'

It was best to avoid the situation for now.

Just then, someone stood in front of the rampaging Giant Ogre.

"You!! Stop this destruction!!"

It was a man wearing armor that looked to be at least normal grade or higher.

He shouted in a childish tone.

"You filthy beast!! I'll cut you to pieces!!"

The man, frustrated with the current situation, activated a skill.

'Ahn Hyun-soo. He's finally arrived.'

Ahn Hyun-soo, the Light Sword (光劍) A-rank player affiliated with the association.

The childish nickname was due to his skill.

"Haaap!!"

Ahn Hyun-soo let out a shout.

A bright sword formed in his hand.

It was the A-rank skill 'Light Sword (光劍),' evaluated as an evolved form of the D-rank skill 'Weapon Enhancement.'

As the Light Sword gradually increased in length to about 2 meters, he used it to cut off one of the Giant Ogre's arms.

Thud.

The club the monster was holding fell with the arm.

The ground shook once more.

'That's a good skill, after all.'

Taehyun licked his lips as he looked at the Light Sword.

The basic effect of Light Sword has the characteristic of ignoring physical defense.

In other words, no matter how good the opponent's armor is, it's impossible to defend unless they have a corresponding skill or trait.

The reason why Ahn Hyun-soo grows into a star player in the future, despite being A-rank, is thanks to that skill effect.

But.

The Giant Ogre wasn't just taking it.

It let out a shriek, and the arm that had been cut off began to regenerate.

As if not allowing any more attacks, it threw whatever it could grab at Ahn Hyun-soo.

Crash!

Avoiding a car that fell right in front of him.

Taehyun quickly retreated.

In the meantime, Ahn Hyun-soo, having closed the distance, cut off one of the monster's legs.

Movement so quick it was admirable.

Thud!!

Above the Giant Ogre, who lost its balance and knelt on one knee.

Ahn Hyun-soo quickly climbed on.

And once again cut off the arm that was regenerating.

"Kuaaaaack!!"

The Giant Ogre let out a painful scream.

It swung its hand and knocked Ahn Hyun-soo off.

Ahn Hyun-soo moved in a zig-zag pattern and quickly retreated.

Taehyun watched the scene closely, not missing a thing.

'I can see it.'

Movements that would be hard for ordinary people to follow were clearly visible.

The movement of the upper and lower body muscles, even the next move to be made.

The physical stats that had increased with the growth to D-rank.

Were keeping up with the movements of an A-rank player.

That absurd fact made Taehyun excited.

By the time they reach B-rank, players' physical abilities increase to a level that is completely different from ordinary people.

Because of that, even though he had seen many players' battles, there were limitations to his observation.

But it was different now.

The first time he truly witnesses a battle between an A-rank player and a monster.

Although the player's level is much higher, making it a one-sided battle.

Just watching was a good experience for Taehyun.

'Am I going to get movements like that soon too?'

If he consumes skills related to increasing strength or speed.

Or if his rank rises and his physical stats increase.

He would gain the same movements as Ahn Hyun-soo now.

But Taehyun was a physical type who had challenged his limits with effort.

He would consume buff-type skills if he had the chance later, but considering the cooldown, there were skills he needed to prioritize.

Currently, Taehyun's skills are 'Predation' and 'Stone Skin.'

Since his unique skill, Predation, is growing along with his rank, even if it's only C-rank, he will have tremendous physical stats.

For now, that was enough.

'Should I go now?'

If he could, he'd like to bring some popcorn and watch.

If it weren't for the other things he had to do.

He hadn't been able to call because of the flood of monsters, so he could clearly picture Jaeyoung's personality and how restless he must be right now.

"In place of the souls who died because of you!! I will judge you!!"

Leaving Ahn Hyun-soo, who was engrossed in battle while uttering childish lines, Taehyun was about to move his feet.

When he felt an unfamiliar energy nearby.

A message popped up belatedly.

[Skill usage has been detected.]

He upgraded the status window to be able to detect minor skills or killing intent directed at him.

All of this was inspiration he gained from dealing with the White Cross thugs last time.

Taehyun instinctively threw his body to the side.

Something passed by in the meantime.

And.

Thwack.

"Ugh!!"

Ahn Hyun-soo, who had been engrossed in battle with the Giant Ogre, clutched his leg and slumped down.

The Giant Ogre's palm came down in succession.

Ahn Hyun-soo rolled his body to avoid the attack.

"Who is it!!"

Ahn Hyun-soo shouted, looking around.

To find the being who had injured him.

His eyes briefly lingered on Taehyun.

But soon turned his head elsewhere.

It was where Taehyun's gaze was directed.

In that gap, an unfamiliar energy rushed towards Ahn Hyun-soo once more.

Swish!!

The sound of something being cut by the swung Light Sword was heard.

"Reveal yourself!!"

Once again.

Ahn Hyun-soo swung the Light Sword.

Swish.

Something was cut, but the sound was shallower than before.

But it was enough to cancel the skill with successive impacts.

"Tch... he's not an easy guy after all."

Ssssh.

A man appeared from a place where there was nothing.

It was a gloomy middle-aged man dressed in all black.

His entire body was covered in blood that he didn't know who it belonged to.

Taehyun's eyes changed as he observed the man.

Because he found a ring sparkling on his hand.

Three golden skulls.

'He's finally shown himself.'

A minion affiliated with a malignant guild.

When the gate break occurred in his past life.

Civilian casualties far exceeded the initially expected figures.

It was because of some of the minions who were mixed in with the civilians and committed massacres.

"You!! You're a minion!!"

Ahn Hyun-soo shouted angrily, belatedly realizing that the man was a minion.

Unlike his momentum, the situation was not good.

Because he couldn't move rashly due to the fist of the Giant Ogre, who had already recognized him as a dangerous target.

"As expected of the association's rookie. I should have aimed for the neck during the first surprise attack."

The man, watching the scene, clicked his tongue as if regretting it.

Blood was flowing from his shoulder, where his dagger had been cut by the Light Sword.

Smack.

He licked the blood flowing down his shoulder and smiled sinisterly.

"You bug-like guy!! Wait there!! After I deal with this guy, you're next..."

Before he could finish speaking.

Ahn Hyun-soo dodged the falling fist of the Giant Ogre.

The man scoffed at the sight.

"Woah woah. Even for me, it would be impossible to face you in your fully prepared state."

Swish.

His gaze turned to Taehyun, who was getting up.

"I'm more interested in that one over there, though?"

Scanning Taehyun's body.

The man took out a new dagger.

"Boy!! Run away!!"

Ahn Hyun-soo shouted towards Taehyun, who had become the man's target.

It was because he realized that since his leg was cut, he couldn't shake off the Giant Ogre, nor could he chase the man.

In other words, Taehyun had to escape from the minion on his own.

Taehyun, having finished assessing the situation, silently sprinted away.

"Heh...hehehe. You stay here and play with that monster. Righteous hero-nim."

Laughing at Ahn Hyun-soo, who was struggling to face the Giant Ogre.

The man chased after Taehyun.

He had already cut down a considerable number of civilians on the way.

His skill was stealth.

The little brat running away with all his might in front of him would also become his prey.

But.

The man didn't know that the corners of Taehyun's mouth were turned up as he ran.

---

The underground shopping district near the Gwangjin-gu Office.

"Seriously. Not answering the phone..."

Jaeyoung bit his fingernails, restless.

It had already been 10 minutes since he was supposed to meet Taehyun.

The person who was supposed to call back beforehand hadn't contacted him, and he couldn't be reached.

"The signal is there, though..."

He turned off the phone, belatedly realizing that it was only going through.

A woman caught Jaeyoung's eye.

Choi Nayoung, the school nurse from Konkuk High School whom he had 'kidnapped' on Taehyun's orders.

She was sleeping soundly on the sofa, oblivious to the world.

'The players will be dispatched to the district office first if something happens. Wait here.'

'I wonder where he got the key?'

Taehyun's face as he nonchalantly handed him the key to this place came to mind.

'How did hyung know that a gate break would occur?'

Gate breaks hadn't occurred in nearly 10 years, and even if the association tried to predict them, there was no way, and they were just stamping their feet anxiously.

Moreover, this break was unusual in its scale.

If he hadn't been told in advance, he would have run to a shelter instead of following orders, as the outside was in complete chaos.

'Should I run away now?'

The woman and the cell phone on the sofa.

Jaeyoung, looking back and forth between the two, fell into 고민.

The 고민 didn't last long.

Kim Taehyun.

Just a week ago, he was his loser cousin who he had ignored, saying he couldn't even awaken.

But overnight, he had become a different person.

Gulp.

He remembered what had happened to the three awakeners of White Cross.

A chill ran down his spine.

"Ah... so please come quickly... hyung-nim..."

The monsters rampaging outside right now were scary, but Jaeyoung's fear of Taehyun was greater.

---

Meanwhile.

The place where Taehyun, whom Jaeyoung was so desperately looking for, had arrived was an empty building near the Gwangjin-gu Office.

It didn't feel like anyone was there, as if monsters had swept through.

"Little kid. Did everyone run away? You run pretty fast."

Ssssh.

Seeing that Taehyun had stopped.

The man belatedly canceled his skill.

There was no one inside the building, and there were no CCTV cameras either.

There was no need to maintain a skill that consumed magic power against a teenage brat.

"Hehe... beg me to save you."

The man said with a sinister smile.

Desire welled up.

He wanted to see the little kid in front of him crying and begging for his life.

But the reaction was different from what he had expected.

"Hmm. Does the skill also apply to the items you're holding?"

Taehyun said, scanning the man.

"What?"

"B-rank minion. Han Sang-do. I've been waiting for a guy like you."

Saying it as if it was no big deal.

Taehyun loosened up his body.

"You. Are you a player?"

The man.

B-rank minion Han Sang-do emitted killing intent.

It was intense killing intent that would make even an ordinary B-rank player flinch.

But Taehyun was still unconcerned, simply finishing his stretches.

"See for yourself."

Crack.

Along with the nonchalant words.

Stone Skin was activated.

-------------------------

Episode 8

Thwack!

A fist using Stone Skin hit empty air.

A dull sound rang out.

"Ugh..."

With a groan, Han Sang-do, his skill dispelled, revealed himself.

Even so, he aimed Tae-hyun's neck with the dagger in his hand.

Crack!

A sound unbelievable for a throat being cut.

Han Sang-do's face contorted.

'Damn brat!'

Already 5 minutes had passed since the start of the fight.

Han Sang-do no longer thought of the kid in front of him as an ordinary punk.

However, he wasn't of Named caliber either.

The kid's skill was at least a C-grade player. B-grade at best.

On the other hand, Han Sang-do was a Named Mine who had hunted even B-grade players.

Excluding Ahn Hyun-soo in the vicinity, no one could stand against him.

But.

Thwack.

Tae-hyun stopped Han Sang-do, who was about to use a skill, with a body slam.

Han Sang-do, his skill canceled, was thrown backward.

"You little bastard!!"

Han Sang-do, cursing, clutched his throbbing arm.

His strength stat was close to 30.

Yet, the pain in his guarded arm was considerable.

'Damn it. Of all things, he knows how to use body enhancement skills.'

Han Sang-do's stats were mainly focused on speed.

A hit-and-run tactic using stealth skills.

Despite being B-grade.

It was the source of his confidence to take on A-grade players.

Of course, Ahn Hyun-soo's perception was better than expected, so he failed.

But succeeding in the first surprise attack showed he was superior to ordinary B-grade players.

However.

The guy in front of him, with no special skills, maintained a poker face throughout, enduring his attacks.

'He's not particularly fast.'

Only the timing of his attacks at crucial moments was annoying.

Han Sang-do, having gotten behind Tae-hyun, stabbed with his dagger.

Clang!!

Tae-hyun, with his back turned, swung his arm wide.

Whoosh.

Han Sang-do, dodging a beat faster, aimed his dagger at his back once more.

Thwack.

"......!!"

He didn't manage to stab deeply, but he felt something at his fingertips.

Swish.

Han Sang-do pulled out the knife, stepping back.

Tae-hyun, frowning, brought his hand to his back.

It wasn't a deep wound, but blood was flowing.

"Heh heh. I see the weakness of that crappy skill. It can't block the same spot twice, can it?"

"......"

Han Sang-do, thinking he had the upper hand, licked the blood off his dagger.

Until now, he had struggled with the skill's compatibility and the kid's resistance, giving flesh to cut bone...

'That luck ends here.'

Having belatedly discovered the solution, Han Sang-do took out another dagger.

Tae-hyun's face, who had been relying on Stone Skin and engaging in close combat, changed subtly.

"Heh heh. Kid, how shall I cook you?"

Han Sang-do rushed forward, cutting Tae-hyun's side 'twice' as he passed.

Seeing the blood flowing, Tae-hyun clicked his tongue slightly.

'Who would have thought Stone Skin had such a weakness.'

He hadn't found any weaknesses worth mentioning while fighting C-grade monsters.

That's why he confidently tried close combat against Han Sang-do.

He was curious about how much stronger he had become after growing to D-grade.

'Named are different after all.'

Watching the grinning Han Sang-do, Tae-hyun smirked.

B-grade Mine Han Sang-do.

Infamous for belonging to a malicious guild.

A guy notorious for hunting players and civilians.

The reason he wasn't caught was largely due to his skill, Stealth.

The stealth he had honed to the extreme by killing countless people was so troublesome that ordinary players found it difficult to detect.

'Plus, the effect is doubled when used as a surprise attack.'

He watched how Ahn Hyun-soo's mobility was reduced with the first surprise attack.

Tae-hyun's eyes sparkled.

Unexpectedly.

He had gained a skill he wanted.

"Kid. Are you so surprised you've forgotten how to talk?"

As if mocking Han Sang-do's relaxed attitude, Tae-hyun's lips curled up.

Finding out about Stone Skin's weakness was a good thing.

If it had been discovered in a future battle, it could have led to a major injury.

'Time to wrap things up.'

Tae-hyun recalled the two things he wanted to obtain through this gate break.

The first was the experience points gained from catching monsters. He had achieved this by growing to D-grade.

The second was absorbing the skills of the Mines rampaging in the midst of the break.

Each one was a notorious individual.

Therefore, the skills they possessed were likely to be high-grade.

By dealing with them, he would also obtain the rings of the malicious guild, which could be sold for a high price.

'Shall I use it?'

From the start, he hadn't planned to face him with Stone Skin alone.

He simply wanted to know to what extent his physical strength would work against a B-grade Mine.

He had collected enough data.

At that moment.

Han Sang-do, using stealth skill again, disappeared from sight.

Tae-hyun no longer had any attachment to close combat.

He used Skill Devour.

Ding.

A cheerful sound rang out with a message.

[Unique skill Devour has been used. The target will be determined according to the user's perception.]

Whoosh.

Light emanated from Tae-hyun's body.

Dark red mana settled beneath Han Sang-do, who was using stealth.

Knowing that Devour also had a detection function, it was not surprising.

"What is this... you don't mean you have multiple skills..."

As if flustered by Tae-hyun's new skill.

Han Sang-do moved around trying to shake off the mana beneath his feet.

But Tae-hyun had no intention of waiting.

[Please select the part to devour.]

Just like with Bae Hyuk-soo, Han Sang-do's body was marked in red by body part.

'I need to leave the ring behind.'

All parts except the hand wearing the ring were designated as targets.

[The target has been selected. Devouring will begin.]

Crunch.

First, his feet were swallowed.

Then, mana spread to his waist, chest, arms, and neck.

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

Han Sang-do, having lost his mobility, screamed and rolled on the floor.

Tae-hyun stared at the scene indifferently.

Unlike Bae Hyuk-soo, this guy had already killed countless civilians.

He was not someone to show unnecessary pity to.

He had confirmed through monsters that he could devour the opponent's body depending on his perception.

Humans would be no different.

Crunch.

Han Sang-do's screams stopped only after his head was swallowed.

[Devouring is complete. The skill is released.]

Thud.

At the spot where the devouring ended.

Only one arm holding the sword remained.

"Hoo~ That tenacious guy."

Tae-hyun took the skull ring from his hand and put it in his pocket.

[A new skill has been registered.]

'Good.'

His fists clenched at the message he had been waiting for.

He checked the status window again.

Name: Kim Tae-hyun

Age: 19

Grade: D

Strength: 13 Stamina: 16 Speed: 15 Mana: 20

Fatigue: 71%

Remaining Mana: 5/20

[Skills]

Devour (5%) - Can devour the desired target. Consumes Mana: 10

Stone Skin (D) - Can strengthen the body. Consumes Mana: 3

Stealth (D) - Can conceal the body. Consumes Mana: 5

Even after devouring a B-grade Awakened, his experience didn't increase much.

'Is it because my grade went up? Or is it because the target wasn't dead to begin with…'

He couldn't be sure because all the mysteries weren't solved.

He felt that it was a really capricious skill.

Even so.

He didn't feel regretful thanks to the newly added skill 'Stealth.'

[Fatigue has exceeded 70%. Devour skill cannot be used. Reuse time 28 minutes 49 seconds.]

Another change after upgrading the status window.

That was that the vague messages in the status window had become a little more detailed.

He had consumed a lot of stamina while fighting Han Sang-do.

As a result, his fatigue was high.

'This is enough.'

He had achieved everything he wanted through this gate break.

Now it was time to move to where Jae-young was.

At that moment.

Bang!!!

Something flew towards Tae-hyun's location and crashed.

It didn't take long to realize that that something had been human until just now.

"Damn it!! That monster bastard!!"

"Aaaak!! My arm!!!"

"Don't block, dodge!"

Cries rang out in succession.

Tae-hyun peeked his head out of the collapsed building.

"Krrr... human... hiding..."

"An ogre is talking...?"

"That guy is a Half Ogre!!"

"We have to run! We can't handle it!!"

Tae-hyun tilted his head watching the players scattering in panic.

'A Half Ogre showed up too?'

A-grade monster Half Ogre.

A monster treated as an evolved form of the C-grade Ogre along with the Giant Ogre.

A guy with considerable speed as well as strength.

With high intelligence, its danger level was among the top of A-grade monsters.

'There were definitely no articles about Half Ogres.'

Crackle.

In the meantime, another player had his back broken and died.

It seemed obvious that the remaining two would also lose their lives if things continued like this.

'Should I help a little?'

He had just gained a useful skill for the current situation.

The moment Tae-hyun made up his mind.

Another player's skull was shattered.

[Skill Stealth has been activated. Skill will last for 5 minutes.]

Swish.

Tae-hyun's body merged as if it had become one with the space.

---

"Sh*t!!"

B-grade player affiliated with the Association.

Curses burst from Lee Jae-joon's mouth.

A-grade monster Giant Ogre.

He had barely survived it, and now there was an A-grade monster Half Ogre.

Ahn Hyun-soo, an A-grade player, was currently fighting the Giant Ogre who broke the barrier.

Thanks to that, he was concentrating on sweeping up the scattered monsters and Mines in cooperation with the dispatched players.

With this much additional force.

He thought they could stop the gate break within an hour.

That's what he thought.

But.

Crash.

The barrier he had set up was broken helplessly.

Lee Jae-joon cursed once more.

B-grade Awakened.

B-grade player who had passed the difficult Association exam.

The weight of the two titles was not light.

Another Association player screamed in front of his eyes.

It broke the hastily guarded arm and shattered the skull.

It was a futile death for a B-grade player recognized by the Association.

"Damn it!!!"

The Half Ogre's red eyes turned to Lee Jae-joon.

The moment he blinked.

The guy's fist, which had reached right in front of him, was pulled back with all its might.

'I'm going to die…'

The moment Lee Jae-joon gave up on everything.

Pfft.

Blood splattered from the Half Ogre's shoulder.

The guy began to look around at the sudden injury.

Lee Jae-joon, who was out of his mind, was the same.

'What… what is it?'

While the Half Ogre and Lee Jae-joon were unable to grasp the situation.

Thwack.

Something sharp was embedded in the Half Ogre's neck.

The moment the screaming guy twisted his body.

Lee Jae-joon could clearly see it.

Someone's dagger stained with red blood.

-------------------------

Episode 9

"Kuwah!"

With a bizarre scream, the half-ogre swung its arm.

Something invisible to Lee Jaejoon flew away from the ogre's immense power.

'Ah, no. I can't inflict a fatal wound unless it's a rare-grade weapon.'

Watching the ogre pull out a dagger, it was unclear to whom it belonged.

Lee Jaejoon trembled.

Taking advantage of the element of surprise, he had forcibly shoved the dagger in, but it didn't seem to have caused as much damage as he'd hoped.

Even that small amount of damage was being quickly regenerated by the half-ogre.

"Krrr."

"Th-There! Are you alright?!"

Lee Jaejoon, belatedly regaining his senses, shouted as he distanced himself from the half-ogre.

Stealth was a B-grade skill.

But a B-grade skill couldn't handle that monster.

"Get away! Normal attacks don't work on that thing... Kuh!"

Was it because its prey had escaped?

The half-ogre threw the dagger it was holding at Lee Jaejoon.

Thwack.

He hurriedly deployed a barrier, but the skill had been canceled several times and its power was weakened.

The dagger pierced through the barrier and lodged in his shoulder.

As Lee Jaejoon groaned and raised his head.

The ogre, already close, raised its hand high.

Thud.

Someone grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him away.

Wham!!

'I, I'm alive...'

Before he could feel the joy of survival.

The half-ogre, having slammed into the ground, roared and charged at Lee Jaejoon.

Crack!

The pain of bones breaking and internal organs twisting followed.

"Cough... Cough..."

Lee Jaejoon coughed up blood as he was thrown away.

'Sh...it...'

He cursed in his fading consciousness.

He hadn't been careless.

It was just that the half-ogre's physical abilities were on a different level from his, a B-grade magic user.

'Is this... how I die...'

Blood from his torn head soaked his eyes.

His body wouldn't move and his vision was blurred.

This was really the end.

Then.

"Excuse me."

With those words, someone started rummaging through his pockets.

"Cough... Run... away..."

Lee Jaejoon squeezed out his last strength to speak with unseen eyes.

But as if his words didn't matter.

The hand rummaging through his body only grew faster.

A moment later.

Swoosh.

A man appeared next to Lee Jaejoon.

It was Taehyun, his Stealth skill deactivated.

"Ah, here it is."

Taehyun sighed in relief, finally finding what he wanted.

Lee Jaejoon, already unconscious, couldn't see the sight.

---

"Krrr... Human... Kill..."

The half-ogre, spotting Taehyun, strode closer.

Mindful of the attack from moments ago, it maintained its distance and showed a cautious attitude.

Proof that it recognized Taehyun as a threat.

Taehyun, however, didn't seem to care about the half-ogre's attitude, as he was already emptying his second potion.

"Hoo... Good. A potion is great for relieving fatigue."

Confirming that his fatigue and mana had recovered, Taehyun used his skill once again.

'Stone Skin' and 'Stealth.'

As he used the two skills in overlapping succession.

Mana began to drain at a rapid rate.

'It's dangerous if I don't do at least this much.'

Even though he had been using Stone Skin, he felt as if the arm he had guarded with had been broken.

It was no wonder B-grade players were falling in one hit.

Normally, he would have run away, but.

High risk, high return.

Taehyun wasn't about to let go of the prey before him.

'What kind of reward will I get if I catch you?'

That thought made him activate his third skill.

[Unique Skill 'Devour' has been used.]

"Human... Kill!!"

The half-ogre exuded murderous intent as it saw the mana forming beneath its feet.

However.

There was no way Taehyun, who had used Stealth, would reveal himself.

"Devour them all."

Crack. Crack.

A chilling sound, never heard before, echoed around.

---

[Rookie of the Association. Ahn Hyunsoo, the Swordsman of Light. Single-handedly stops A-grade monster Giant Ogre.]

[Gate Break after 10 years. Is Earth okay like this?]

[Players who died in the line of duty. Held in a joint funeral. Later to be moved to the National Cemetery.]

[Horrific Gwangjin District. Inhuman massacre by fiends taking advantage of the chaos. Witness accounts of Named Fiends continue.]

[Testimony from students of nearby Geonguk High School. Teacher kidnapped by a fiend.]

[Survivor interview. There was not one, but two A-grade monsters. The other monster they witnessed.]

[Rising hope of the Association, Lee Jaejoon. His skill is 'Barrier'.]

[Lee Jaejoon's shocking confession. He is not a hero, but a survivor. The person who saved him with a healing potion is someone else.]

[Public anxiety soars due to the government's slow response. President's approval rating at an all-time low.]

[The question of the A-grade monster Half-Ogre. Where is the body?]

[The New Korea Player Association. Expresses intent to focus on securing talent due to this incident. Certification exams to be moved forward.]

[Age limit for player certification exam. Will it be lowered to high school students? Human rights groups continue to protest.]

Articles from numerous news outlets.

Taehyun, who had been skimming through them all, shut down the internet.

Whether it was real-time search terms, news, or newspapers.

Everyone was talking about the same thing.

The Gate Break, which occurred for the first time in 10 years, had created numerous casualties and heroes at the same time.

Of course, Taehyun's name was not among them.

"Well, I guess it worked out."

Taehyun, rising from his chair, flopped down on the bed.

A-grade Gate Break.

In his past life, it was a scarring event with only Choi Nayoung's death, but.

This time, it was different.

Not only had he prevented her death, but he had also reaped more rewards than he had expected.

Taehyun brought up his status window.

Name: Kim Taehyun

Age: 19

Grade: D

Strength: 15 Stamina: 20 Speed: 15 Mana: 40

Fatigue: 5%

Remaining Mana: 40/40

[Skills]

Devour (50%) - Can devour a desired target. Requires Mana: 10

Stone Skin (D) - Can enhance the body. Requires Mana: 3

Stealth (D) - Can conceal the body. Requires Mana: 5

Was it worth it to use Stone Skin and engage in close combat?

After taking a sufficient rest, his Strength and Stamina stats had increased.

Above all else.

'The increase in Mana is big.'

It was much more comfortable than before, but with three skills, Mana still seemed insufficient.

Others struggled to use even one skill, but Taehyun already had three.

'Either a potion or a Mana recovery skill. One of the two is essential.'

Taehyun shook his head, recalling the battle with the half-ogre.

Association players and large guild members always carried potions with them when carrying out missions.

Fatigue recovery potions and Mana recovery potions to reduce skill usage delay, and healing potions.

These three types of potions were essential for exploring the Abyss.

If he hadn't had the help of potions at that time.

No matter how skilled Taehyun was, he wouldn't have been able to catch the half-ogre.

'Well, I took everything into account when I jumped in. More than that, the skills are too erratic.'

Monsters only get their corpses eaten, and humans only get their skills eaten?

There were many suspicious aspects to that way of thinking.

Clearly, the user was Taehyun himself, but every time he used it, he even had the illusion that the skill had a will of its own.

'Surely the skill isn't alive, is it?'

As he was having such ridiculous thoughts.

Knock knock knock.

"Hyung. It's me."

Jaeyoung's voice could be heard from outside the door.

"Come in."

Taehyun, turning off the status window, saw Jaeyoung standing awkwardly.

"What's wrong?"

"Uh... well, I was just wondering what you were up to..."

Jaeyoung trailed off shyly, avoiding Taehyun's gaze.

'He's cute.'

The Jaeyoung he saw now was a typical teenager.

In his past life, the atmosphere at home had been a mess because he had gone astray, but recently, the atmosphere had returned to the way it used to be.

"So?"

"No... I'm not going to school either... so I was wondering if there was anything else I could help with."

Due to the Gate Break incident, schools in the Gwangjin District were temporarily closed.

A significant number of students and faculty members were among the victims.

Unlike Taehyun, who was unfazed because it had happened in his past life as well, Gwangjin District was currently in a state of panic.

"Help with..."

Taehyun trailed off, looking at Jaeyoung's face.

Eyes that seemed to be full of anticipation. A sense of satisfaction that he was useful somewhere. The feeling he got when someone needed him.

All of those things were mixed together on his face.

Just like he had been in his past life.

Knowing better than anyone else what that feeling was like, he didn't want to leave Jaeyoung unattended.

"Just rest for now. Don't hang out with any weird people."

"Ah, okay. I'll be home, so tell me whenever you need anything."

With those words, Taehyun sent Jaeyoung out.

'I need to move out quickly.'

Taehyun's goal was to become a player and reach the top.

There was no way there wouldn't be any threats in the process.

So, before he left this place.

He wanted to create an environment where his aunt and uncle and Jaeyoung could live safely and comfortably.

The fastest way to do that was.

'Dungeon raids, I guess.'

But in order to explore dungeons and the Abyss, you needed a player license.

To the outside world, Taehyun was just a high school student who hadn't even revealed his awakening, let alone a license.

Even so.

Taehyun, who had memories of his past life, had no problem.

---

The New Korea Player Association, located in Yeouido, Seoul.

Association President Ji Jinhee puffed out cigarette smoke in his office.

His desk was filled with documents awaiting approval.

An A-grade Gate Break had occurred in New Korea for the first time in 10 years.

Fortunately, they had prevented it from becoming a dungeon, but the damage was significant.

"It's exhausting."

As Ji Jinhee sucked on his cigarette once more.

The intercom rang.

"Mr. President. The Night Walker Guild Master has arrived."

"Show her in."

A moment later, a woman in a sky blue dress and sunglasses entered the room.

"It's been a while, Mr. President."

"Ah-young. I'm sorry for calling you when you're busy. Please, sit down."

Ji Jinhee, putting out his cigarette, looked at the woman sitting across from him.

She had such a youthful face that it was hard to believe she was in her early 30s.

But Ji Jinhee, knowing her identity, wasn't fooled by her appearance.

The "Big 4 Guilds" that supported New Korea along with the Association.

'Magicians', made up of magic-type skill awakeners.

'Night Walkers', whose main business was information gathering.

'Onsaemiros', made up of combat-type skill awakeners.

'Alchemists', made up of potion makers and special skill awakeners.

The woman before him, Yoo Ah-young.

Was the leader of the Night Walkers.

"It's a pity that this happened when we were all away. I'm sorry."

Yoo Ah-young mentioned the recent Gate Break.

"Hoo. It's alright. It's already in the past anyway. More than that, the reason I called you is for another reason."

"The Malignant Guild. Their movements are unsettling, aren't they?"

"As expected of an information guild, you even know what I'm thinking."

"We'd have to close up shop if we couldn't do even this."

Yoo Ah-young replied confidently, handing over the documents she had brought.

It was top-notch information that recorded not only the recent trends of the Malignant Guild, but also the players they were targeting.

"Is there anything else you need?"

"I'm planning to expand the number of players this time."

"Issuing licenses to unskilled awakeners isn't your style, Mr. President... I guess you're thinking of lowering the applicant age."

As Ji Jinhee made a gesture as if he had thrown up his hands, Yoo Ah-young continued.

"You're asking us to select promising children from our side so that human rights groups don't say anything unnecessary, right?"

"That's right. Do you happen to have any children you'd like to recommend?"

Ji Jinhee, already well aware of Yoo Ah-young's eye for talent, subtly probed under the guise of recommending talent.

'Recommendation.'

Two high school students came to Yoo Ah-young's mind.

-------------------------

Episode 10

"You trash."

"You're a potential B-rank? Don't lie."

Five students in school uniforms surround one student, spewing insults.

"Oppa. But, what if he actually awakens if we keep doing this?"

"Hehe. What awakening. Do you think it's easy for trash to awaken?"

"Guys like him will just live as trash their whole lives. Isn't that right?"

"You cowardly bastards. If I just awaken... Keuk!"

One of those surrounding him kicked the "trash" student in the stomach.

At the same time, the surrounding students started kicking him, giggling.

As if they didn't care about the trampled student's screams.

'Annoying.'

Taehyun, who was reading a book on a secluded bench, frowned.

He had deliberately come to a deep spot hidden from people's eyes, but he never expected to witness such a scene.

Kids fighting.

The event unfolding before Taehyun's eyes could be defined in that one phrase.

Nevertheless.

His emotions wavered because until recently, Taehyun had been in a similar position.

"You sons of bitches. What's so great about awakening some skill!!"

The student, struggling to shake off the kicks, rose and shouted, swinging his fist.

"So what, you loser!!"

"Kaak~ Too!!"

He hadn't awakened a skill, nor had he trained his body.

It was impossible for such an ordinary body to beat the surrounding students.

The beating started again.

One even pulled down his pants and started urinating on him.

'This is too much.'

Taehyun clicked his tongue and closed his book.

They weren't using skills, but their actions were excessive.

Taehyun picked up five stones from his feet.

He was already using his stealth skill to improve his skill proficiency anyway.

Whoosh. Whoosh.

The stones flew with the sound of the wind and struck the five students.

Accurately on their knees.

"Agh!!"

"My knee!!"

"Shibal!! What!!"

"Kyaa! Oppa!!"

"B, broken!!"

Five thugs screaming in pain and a student standing in the middle, blankly watching the scene.

Taehyun watched the scene with satisfaction and slung the large backpack next to him.

The sun was setting, so it was about time to move.

'I never thought I'd come here.'

Taehyun saw the eyesore of Ttukseom Park, the 'Nameless Station'.

Three years ago from now.

A politician forcibly pushed ahead with the construction of a light rail line, but was dismissed for violating election laws.

After that, construction was halted, leaving only the shabby exterior of the nameless station.

The entrance was blocked and abandoned, so the interior was becoming a dungeon, but that fact was information that no one knew at this point.

'The place that becomes known to the world only after the dungeon break in a year.'

Taehyun lightly jumped over the 'No Trespassing' sign and entered the station.

'Spell Ogre, huh... Ogre hunting is frequent these days.'

Taehyun smiled, recalling the recent break.

One year from now.

The Spell Ogre, with fully prepared forces, will cause a break, leading its forces.

Because it was an undiscovered dungeon, there were no association employees monitoring it, and no guild players attacking it.

As a result, countless casualties were inevitable.

The phenomenon of connecting to the Abyss with a sudden spatial rift is called a gate break.

The established theory is that if such a gate break is not stopped in time, the leaked magic power will cause a dungeon.

'But sometimes these unknown dungeons are spontaneously generated.'

In the future, more than 15 years from now, undiscovered dungeons are commonly found, but at least not now.

At that moment, a message appeared in front of Taehyun's eyes.

[Skill usage detected. Affected by Illusion (B). Resisting with mysterious power. Resistance successful.]

[Skill usage detected. Affected by Oblivion (B). Resisting with mysterious power. Resistance successful.]

"I came to the right place."

These skills were probably hiding the existence of the dungeon.

Cracks were visible to Taehyun's eyes, who had resisted the Illusion and Oblivion skills.

Not as big as a gate, but enough space for one person to enter.

Kwaaaaaa.

An ominous magic power leaked from the gap.

But.

Taehyun moved forward without hesitation.

---

Crack!

An ogre died by Taehyun's fist.

"Hoo~ More intense than I thought."

Taehyun, who hadn't released Stone Skin, reached out to one of the many corpses lying around.

[Unique skill Devour is used. The target's life activity has stopped, so magic power is not consumed.]

Dark red magic power engulfed the ogre's corpse.

And.

Crack. Crackle.

With a chilling sound, the ogre disappeared without a trace.

[Successfully devoured the entire organism. Restoring insufficient magic power.]

Two hours into the dungeon.

Taehyun was able to constantly fight and endure because of the power of Devour.

And.

Thud.

Taehyun went to another monster he had defeated and shoved his hand into where the heart would be.

Crackle.

The hand, strengthened by Stone Skin, pulled out the monster's magic stone.

Drip. Drip.

Green blood dripped from the magic stone in his hand, but Taehyun didn't care and put it in the backpack he was carrying.

The large-capacity backpack was full of the hearts and magic stones of the monsters he had extracted so far.

"This should be enough."

Taehyun smiled with satisfaction and devoured all the remaining corpses.

At that time.

[Skill usage detected. Affected by Blind (B). Resisting with mysterious power. Resistance successful.]

[Skill usage detected. Affected by Bleeding (B). Resisting with mysterious power. Resistance successful.]

Messages constantly appeared in front of him, and the dungeon's boss revealed itself.

"Krrreureu."

The size was similar to that of a normal ogre, but the attire was a bit peculiar.

It had something dangling from its neck and hands, so it was immediately apparent that it was magic-related.

A message appeared at the same time as the ogre gestured.

[Skill usage detected. Affected by Obedience (B). Resisting with mysterious power. Resistance successful.]

"Unfortunately, it seems your abilities don't work on me?"

"Keureuk?!!"

Taehyun scanned the ogre with eyes full of desire.

[Unique skill Devour is used.]

Once again.

A chilling sound echoed through the dungeon.

---

Alchemist Guild Seoul Branch.

"Hey, Assistant Manager Ahn. How many magic stones came in today?"

Chief Choi Changshik of the Purchasing Department casually asked his subordinate.

"One A-rank, five B-ranks, fifteen C-ranks, thirty-one D-ranks, and forty E-ranks."

The man, who was typing on the keyboard and working on Excel, immediately answered.

"Damn it. Is that all? Our name as one of the Four Great Guilds will be ruined."

Chief Choi Changshik sighed at the decreasing purchase volume.

Alchemist was called one of the Four Great Guilds, but it was a place where many non-combat awakened people belonged.

As such, the main source of income was producing and selling special items such as potions, and special materials such as magic stones were essential for that.

But there was a limit to the supply of magic stones from monsters.

Alchemist, whose own attack force was weak, was recently being pushed back in price competition with the other Four Great Guilds.

"Hoo... It's because the Sales Department guys aren't doing their job properly that our department..."

Just as Chief Choi Changshik was about to blame the Sales Department.

A new employee from the Purchasing Department rushed in.

"Ch...Chief. A customer just came to sell a B-rank magic stone..."

"Came, so what? Just buy it at the market price."

Chief Choi Changshik glared as if asking why he was being reported such things.

"Th...That's... He said he wants to register as a VIP... and wants to meet the Purchasing Manager."

"What? What's the party size?"

Choi Changshik's eyes lit up at the word VIP.

But the disappointment at his subordinate's next words was also quick.

"No. He's alone. And he wants a private account."

"Hoo... What a strange guy..."

Private accounts were one of the means to trade without a special ID.

There was a risk of illegal transactions, but it was also a method that was tacitly practiced by the guild, which had to generate profits, even if security was thoroughly enforced.

Chief Choi Changshik grumbled but grabbed the jacket hanging on his chair.

Six years to rise from a new employee to the position of Chief.

The key to being promoted faster than his peers was the mindset that he would treat even a murderer as a customer for the benefit of the guild.

A little later.

He sat in front of a man.

"Hello. I am Choi Changshik, the person in charge here. I heard you want to register as a VIP?"

Choi Changshik looked at the man wearing a hood with a friendly smile.

'He looks young.'

He couldn't see his face in detail because he was wearing a hood, but that's what his gut feeling told him.

"Yes. Is the minimum transaction for VIP registration 300 million won? Is that correct?"

A youthful voice flowed from under the hood.

Choi Changshik responded with an attitude as if he didn't care.

"You know exactly. But if you're a new customer, one B-rank magic stone is..."

Choi Changshik trailed off.

The market price for a B-rank magic stone was 200 million.

In other words, it meant that it would be difficult to register as a VIP if he didn't have more prepared.

"It's not an ordinary magic stone. Please appraise it once."

At the man's words, Choi Changshik used the skill 'Search'.

Item: Spell Ogre's Magic Stone

Rank: B++

Magic Power Value: 120

"……!!"

It was definitely a B-rank magic stone.

Moreover, it was the freshest top-quality product, as if it were from a recently captured monster.

This was enough for 400 million on the market.

"Excellent. I will buy it immediately. Hey, Assistant Manager Ahn. Bring the contract."

Choi Changshik hurriedly gave instructions.

He didn't know where he got such a thing.

'I can't miss this kind of deal.'

Especially when competition is fierce like recently.

Choi Changshik, who had completed the transaction in an instant, handed over the VIP contract with a satisfied expression.

"If you trade with VIP status in the future, you will receive benefits such as tax reduction when selling and buying. In addition to that..."

As Choi Changshik was about to continue his explanation, the man raised his hand.

"How much should the transaction amount be for VVIP status?"

"Ah... that's..."

Choi Changshik trailed off at the man's unexpected question.

Unlike VIP, there were no special selection criteria for VVIP.

The VVIP grade was created for those among the VIP customers who were trading with Alchemist and wanted to receive a little more special treatment.

In other words, it was not a grade that anyone could become just because the transaction amount was high.

Among the general public, at least the chairman of a well-known large company had to be on the Alchemist's VVIP candidate list. Need I say more.

'Or a player who can exclusively supply top-quality magic stones.'

However, no matter how skilled a player is, they cannot take possession of the by-products from the dungeon alone.

In other words, it was close to impossible for an individual to become a VVIP grade unless they were a top-tier named player.

Choi Changshik carefully conveyed that fact so that his new customer wouldn't feel too bad.

"I see. Well, I thought it wouldn't be easy."

The man, who accepted it more readily than expected, placed the large backpack that had been placed next to him on the desk.

"Well, then please dispose of this as well."

"This is...?"

At the man's confident attitude, Choi Changshik opened the zipper himself.

And.

"……!!"

"Ch, Chief... this is...!!"

The faces of Choi Changshik and the employees who checked the magic stones full in the bag were dyed with shock.

Taehyun watched the scene with a satisfied smile.

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