NOVEL NEXT
Chapter 16
[Translator – Pr?ks]
[Proofreader – Pr?ks]
Chapter 16: Super Rookie
Setting a new world record.
Of course, it wasn’t an easy feat.
Of course, it wasn’t an easy task. Many super rookies had attempted the challenge before, but 99 out of 100 had failed. After all, the previous record holders were also super rookies.
The likelihood of failure was very high.
Even Kim Minwoo didn’t boast a modest record renewal like other super rookies.
Solo clear at level 1.
Even Isabella had only managed to achieve that after reaching level 49. And he was trying to do it at level 1?
It was madness.
France, which possessed Isabella, was the first to laugh coldly.
Followed by Japan’s sneering.
China mocked.
The United States took a jab.
At best, they thought he would clear halfway and then escape with his tail between his legs.
It was common sense.
It was bound to fail anyway.
Naturally, apart from his home country of Korea, there wasn’t much attention. Expectations must be met for there to be interest.
Why would anyone waste their energy on something that was bound to fail?
Only a few foreign reporters had visited Korea.
Why?
To write an article bashing Korea the moment he failed.
World record? Japan’s little brother, Korea, was still far behind!
Foolish challenge! Go home and drink some more milk!
Such things.
But…
“Holy shit…!”
“What the, this is crazy!”
It’s unbelievable.
Such an unbelievable thing was happening right before their eyes.
In Korea, a country with a weak awakening, this was happening!
Naturally, foreign reporters’ phones started ringing off the hook.
Thousands of text bombs were unleashed. From affiliated broadcasters, family, relatives, to even people in the neighborhood.
The gist of the questions was the same.
Is this real?
‘Are you telling me this is a hidden camera prank?!’
While foreign reporters were gaping, Korean reporters in the waiting room rushed to Kim Minwoo.
“Mr. Kim Minwoo! Mr. Kim Minwoo! Can we ask you some questions?”
“Hey, move it! Get out of the way!”
“You move!”
Every reporter was bloodthirsty to snatch even a single interview. Right now, Kim Minwoo’s value was skyrocketing to the point of piercing through the universe. Probably by tomorrow morning, chaos would erupt worldwide.
“Please ask your questions slowly. I’ll answer.”
Kim Minwoo smiled wryly.
“You’ve set a world record. What are your impressions?”
“I’m a bit taken aback, but also happy. Luck was on my side. I managed to clear it easier than expected by finding hidden elements.”
“Were there such things in this tomb?”
“Think about what my occupation is.”
“Ah…”
The reporters nodded in understanding. It wasn’t strange if he had found a hidden route in the tomb, assuming he possessed a high-rank achievement.
“I’m curious if the achievement rank is really S!”
“Yes, that’s true.”
The reporters’ eyes gleamed with excitement.
A person with an S-rank achievement awakening was called a super rookie.
It was officially confirmed that Kim Minwoo was indeed a super rookie.
Indeed…
If it had been an A or B level, setting a world record would have been impossible. The gap between S and the rest was that significant.
At that moment…
One of the foreign reporters raised his hand and asked,
“Um… This is Tanaka from Japan. So, you’re saying that setting the record ultimately came down to luck?”
Though his pronunciation was a bit unclear, the meaning was obvious. The surrounding reporters glared at the Japanese reporter.
As the atmosphere grew tense.
With a smirk, Minwoo spoke.
“Well, then. Does that mean Isabella had less skill than just a lucky level 1 guy?”
Suddenly, the Japanese reporter started to sweat and replied.
“Um… I-I can’t understand Korean well. I’ll, I’ll end the question.”
Seeing the Japanese reporter quietly sinking, the Korean reporters chuckled as if to say they found it satisfying.
“You must be very curious. What kind of achievement skill made it easy to progress through the game?”
Naturally.
However, the reason for not boldly asking questions was because Kim Minwoo’s status had drastically changed.
Previously, revealing skills was just for showmanship.
Now, it could be a problem if it was leaked without his consent.
Exceptional awakeners were treated as national strategic assets.
“Let me clear up that curiosity a bit today.”
As he snapped his fingers…
[300 Skeletons are summoned!]
A large group of skeletons appeared on stage.
Murmurs arose.
“H-how many are there?”
“It looks like there are around three hundred…”
“But wasn’t it supposed to be around a hundred and fifty, as Kim Minwoo said?!”
Furthermore, the skeletons were equipped with gear from the ring.
The armed skeletons stood in formation, ready for battle.
“Is the summoning of so many skeletons related to an S-rank skill?”
“It’s similar.”
The reporters nodded in understanding. While skeletons may be weaker than adult men individually, when equipped and in large numbers, it was a different story.
This wealthy young master had poured over 200 million in costs just to arm a single skeleton soldier.
In addition, Kim Min-woo was a swordsman recognized by the Sword Saint.
Many skeleton soldiers.
A hidden route found in the tomb, exceptional swordsmanship.
Combined with the support of the Ilsung, he was able to set a world record.
Only then could they understand how he managed to clear the gate at level 1. If he had defeated the first horde, his level would have increased rapidly.
Nevertheless, it was still impressive. Obtaining an S-rank skill book alone was already proof of his skill.
Click!
Cameras started clicking frantically, capturing the solemnly arranged skeleton soldiers.
* * *
Glug glug, glug glug!
Thud!
The beer can slammed down onto the table.
“Ah, dammit.”
Seo Yerim roughly tore into the squid legs, dissecting them.
Chew, chew.
She popped salted almonds into her mouth.
Crunch, crunch.
She crunched the almonds thoroughly as if she was chewing on her frustrations.
“That son of a… How good can he possibly be with a sword!”
Humans have desires.
But they also possess the restraint to control those desires for a greater goal.
Instead of delicious food, tough chicken breast.
Instead of enjoyable entertainment, a sparring session.
Instead of comfortable rest, a review of training.
Seo Yerim had sacrificed a lot for her swordsmanship.
She poured more than half of her life into it, earning the alias “Sword of Justice.”
So…
This alias was her life, her everything.
And it was all denied.
And by that damn bastard of all people.
It was natural that a string of curses would come out.
She was kicked out of the live broadcast.
She was thoroughly humiliated.
Perhaps by tomorrow morning, there would be hundreds of articles mocking her.
But that was fine.
She could just avoid the media.
But what really, really pissed her off was…
Her inability to outright deny Kim Minwoo’s words.
He really was damn good with a sword.
It was a kind of direct hit backlash.
So…
That brat? That brat? That brat? That brat? That brat? That brat? That brat?
His voice echoed endlessly like a recording tape.
In a moment of catastrophic stress, all of her restraint collapsed.
Binge-eating, another binge-eating session.
Then…
“Wow, this is insane!”
“He really did it!”
“He did it! He really did it!”
Cheers erupted from the instructors’ quarters. What were they so excited about on this ambitious morning?
It was obvious.
One disgusting face swiftly passed by.
‘This damn…’
Under the overwhelming power of an A-rank awakener, the beer can crumpled in an instant.
Splat!
Beer sprayed out like a firework, raining down over her head.
“Argh!”
Nothing ever goes right!
With her head slightly cooled by the beer baptism, Yerim’s gaze turned to her smartphone.
In this unrestrained situation, with her head slightly cooled by the beer baptism, suppressing the urge of curiosity was impossible.
‘He really did it? That?’
It wasn’t a simple assumption based on mere appearances. It was impossible because it was truly impossible.
…But how did he do it?
“…I’m just… going to check a little.”
How did awakens endure this? Muttering excuses to herself, she opened the news app on her smartphone.
[(Breaking News!) Kim Minwoo Shines for Korea! Sets a New World Record!]
[(Breaking News!) 40 hours 23 minutes 32 seconds! The world’s greatest necromancer is born!]
.
.
“….This can’t be real.”
40 hours.
That was nearly 8 hours faster than Isabella, who was at level 49.
What about public opinion, beyond just the news?
She hastily switched to YouTube.
Videos filled with nationalistic fervor were already surpassing 1 million views within 5 minutes.
[K-Awakener Kim Minwoo Makes Waves! Why Did Isabella, Kneel Before the Majesty of the Necromancer, and Why Did France Fall Silent?”]
[Is Korea Escaping its Weak Awakener Status? Kim Minwoo’s Record-Breaking Achievement! Awakening from All Around the World Astonished by His Talent!]
[Kim Minwoo, Korea’s Star and Hope! Why Foreign Media Are Astonished by His Heroic Feats! Real-time Video Attached!]
Channels she subscribed to, often featuring content related to her grandfather.
Typically, videos saturated with nationalistic fervor had mixed reactions.
There were clearly exaggerated parts that even viewers found too much.
Even her own grandfather, the Sword Saint , received about an 80% approval and 20% disapproval ratio.
But now…
Likes: 999,832
Dislikes: 1,773
Korea was boiling with excitement.
The comment section echoed the same sentiment.
-Is this for real? LOL Seriously? Admin! Give us a dose of Korean nationalism here too!
-The admin won’t be considered a workaholic even if he dies today LOL
-He spent 40 hours LOL France must be sinking after all the boasting they did LOL
-Isabella’s bubble burst LOL Understandable, she’s French LOL Is that the best they can do, being the top Awakener in the country? LOL
-Did you see how he shut down the Japanese reporter with one comment? LOL
-This is the spicy taste of Korea LOL
Public enthusiasm was palpable.
Even in the Awakener community, on GateNet.
[Is Kim Minwoo overhyped?]
[Recommends: 123,423]
Yerim furrowed her brow as she quickly clicked on the popular post.
-These Unbelievable Guys LOL
-Yeah LOL Everyone who criticized Kim Minwoo is stunned LOL
-Didn’t anyone doubt Kim Minwoo? LOL
Seeing these comments, Yerim’s expression darkened.
It was undeniable that setting a new world record was impressive.
It wasn’t surprising for there to be a fervent response.
But even so.
It was Kim Minwoo.
Could he really be this popular?
Tap, tap.
Her fingers tapped on the smartphone screen.
[Why is public opinion like this now?]
[Nick: ??]
(An orangutan scratching its head in a drawing)
-Kim Minwoo is impressive, but is this really necessary? Are we forgetting he’s a troublemaker? Even the Sword Saint didn’t get this kind of reaction?
-He’s already shown everything he’s capable of, and Kim Minwoo is just a rookie. Why compare them? LOL
-Seriously LOL. This author doesn’t understand the point. The last time Korea had a Super Rookie was 7 years ago LOL
-…So what? LOL
-It’s common in Korea for a good Awakener to be usurped and criticized all the time LOL. Kim Minwoo emerged from such circumstances LOL
-But he’s still a troublemaker, right? Wasn’t everyone against him?
-No, they weren’t? Just because he committed a minor crime? Violated some red lines? No big deal LOL
-Seriously LOL. This author always seems to pick fights on good days, huh? Like an intelligent anti-fan LOL
Instantly, the post was bombarded with downvotes.
[Dislikes: 3,733]
The post quickly climbed to the 8th worst-ranked post. Yerim looked at the worst-ranked posts.
[1. It’s laughable how they’re jumping around like this LOL. As expected he is at the level of a weak Awakener LOL]
[Dislikes: 101,231]
[2. A Super Rookie is celebrated as if they’re the Awakener Kingdom LOL]
[Dislikes: 78,745]
.
.
[8. Why is public opinion like this now?]
[Dislikes: 3,842]
.
.
“….”
The dislikes had increased by nearly 100 in that short time. She felt like she was being ostracized by the world.
Feeling increasingly irritated by the rising dislikes, Yerim exited GateNet. The fervor only seemed to intensify in the meantime.
[Translator – Pr?ks]
[Proofreader – Pr?ks]