NOVEL NEXT Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Two years after the treatment, no, 13 years after the Gate opened and my parents died, it’s the Awakening I’ve been hoping for.
Jeonghyeon’s first reaction to the Awakening notification window and trait information was not a cry of joy or tears of emotion.
A somewhat blank and bewildered face.
“It’s done, it’s done……”
Words that revealed he hadn’t yet fully accepted the reality that had been given to him were coming out of his slightly parted lips in short bursts.
The lingering stench of monster carcasses,
The feel of the old, worn-out single sheet in his hand,
The ticking of the clock.
All his senses were telling Jeonghyeon that this was reality.
Except for the sight of the system, which appeared unrealistically like augmented reality.
Jeonghyeon had Awakened.
Past memories flood his mind.
His once enviable life shattered by the Gate, his childhood spent moving between orphanages and schools.
When he couldn’t even dream of college, receiving meager government support and desperately searching for work.
When he vomited several times a day from the stench he couldn’t get used to, yet still wielded butcher knives and hammers.
When he scraped together money and loans to undergo the mana infusion treatment, filled with anticipation.
The last two years, a living hell of waiting.
It was true that Awakening was the reward for all that, but.
Jeonghyeon had endured so much hardship that it was difficult to be completely happy about that reward.
“Ahaha, ahahahaha……”
Once the situation had settled down a bit, laughter escaped Jeonghyeon’s lips.
It wasn’t a cry of ecstatic joy, but a hollow laugh accompanied by tears.
Jeonghyeon collapsed, burying his face in his pillow, crying and laughing at the same time.
“Finally, finally I succeeded…… Mom, Dad……”
No Awakenings after one year of mana infusion treatment.
Jeonghyeon had become living proof that broke that rule.
And just when his spirit was about to break, too.
Jeonghyeon poured out conflicting reactions of tears and laughter at the fact that he had finally taken a step closer to the dream he had held since long ago.
It was only after a little more time had passed that Jeonghyeon sat up again.
“Traits, let’s see the traits.”
Jeonghyeon focused his attention once again on the status window that was still floating there.
If Awakening was the essential gateway to becoming a Hunter, then.
The trait granted upon Awakening was like a fork in the road, dictating the path he would have to take.
There are two measures for calculating a Hunter’s ability.
The 7-stage ranking from F to S, which determines the quality and potential of a trait.
And the level, starting from 1, which represents the proficiency of the trait and actual combat power.
If one ends up with a low rank, not only does the absolute level of the trait fall, but the upper limit of the level, which can be considered the limit of growth, also becomes lower.
The currently known upper limit of the level is 7, but that realm is not permitted to everyone.
A level that only S-ranks can reach, that was 7.
And from A-rank to B-rank, although the ratio differs, it’s 6.
C, D, and E-rank are 5.
And lastly, F-rank is 4.
Even at the same level, the effort required to level up varies greatly depending on the rank.
To put it extremely, the effort required for an S-rank level 4 and an F-rank level 4 is a difference of heaven and earth.
While there are countless F-rank Hunters who haven’t reached level 4 even after 10 years of going through Gates since they opened.
It’s said that there’s a precedent of an S-rank reaching level 4 in just half a year.
That’s why low-rank Hunters become so-called ‘day laborers’, forced to frequent low-level Gates.
Most Gates restrict entry based on level, so there’s no helping it.
Even if the level matches, it becomes difficult to join parties if the rank is low.
As the level increases, the proportion of high ranks also increases, so why would anyone want to include a low rank?
In the end, even if the level goes up, the situation of low-rank Hunters remains pitiful.
On the other hand, if you’re a high rank from B and above, life changes completely.
Not only do you get countless scout requests from famous guilds, but even if you don’t belong to a guild, there are plenty of ways to earn a huge income.
There seems to be a very rare case where a Hunter Re-Awakens, receiving a trait of a higher rank than before, but it was impossible for Jeonghyeon to rely on those slim odds again.
And when he read the name of the trait given to him in the brief initial system,
“Huh?”
Jeonghyeon couldn’t help but tilt his head.
『Your trait is 「Trait Shop」（EX, Lv.1）.』
Even Jeonghyeon, who had meticulously researched in preparation for becoming a Hunter, had never heard of this trait, let alone this rank.
◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈
If you have the ability, there are many ways to make money in the world.
Not to mention the Hunters who became heroes overnight after the appearance of Gates.
━Well, when I first Awakened? I was dumbfounded, you could say it came unexpectedly.
Millions of Hunter-related videos were uploaded to the video streaming site ‘MyTV’ every day.
Not only gossip and rumors about famous Hunters, but also interview videos, trait demonstration videos, and even entertainment content videos featuring them.
Jeonghyeon was someone who diligently searched for videos about Hunters more than anyone else.
The Hunters appearing in the videos all said the same thing.
━Traits are like a Hunter’s entire fortune. They’re practically another self. You can’t get another one, and you can’t change it just because you don’t like it.
Of course, there’s the very rare Re-Awakening, but let’s leave that out.
That was the common belief.
It was the common belief and common sense.
It was as solid a fact as the fact that traits are classified from S to F rank.
But the trait floating before Jeonghyeon’s eyes easily shattered those two common beliefs.
“Trait Shop? Is this perhaps…… And what’s EX rank?”
Jeonghyeon hurriedly closed the initial system window and opened the status window.
To properly view the trait description, he had to open the status window.
『Han Jeonghyeon
Trait
━「Trait Shop」（EX, Lv.1）』
An extremely simple status window.
In reality, the only way to increase strength after Awakening was through know-how gained from actual combat and level-ups through practical training, so the status window was useless except for checking the effects of traits.
‘There’s no need to look at it except when leveling up.’
A Hunter on MyTV said that even when leveling up, you only check because of the thrill of seeing the numbers go up, there’s no new information to learn.
‘「Trait Shop」 Information Check.’
At Jeonghyeon’s call, the description of the trait appeared.
Although he had heard it wasn’t that complicated, the content of the text that appeared wasn’t short.
『「Trait Shop」（EX, Lv.1）
━You can use a shop that allows you to purchase traits and related privileges using coins.
━Coins are randomly acquired when hunting monsters, with the probability increasing based on the monster’s rank.
━The more you hunt the same type of monster, the lower the probability of acquiring coins from that monster.
━The shop list contains 5 traits, and you can refresh it by consuming coins if you wish.
━The proficiency level of 「Trait Shop」 can be increased by accumulating the total amount consumed, including refreshes and purchases.
━When you collect 3 of the same trait, you can increase its rank.
━Depending on the combination of equipped traits, certain additional effects can be triggered.』
Jeonghyeon couldn’t help but curse with every line he read of the description.
“Fuck…… Is this really not a dream?”
He should have known from the moment he saw the unheard-of EX rank.
And what’s more?
Not only can you buy traits, but if you collect the same ones, you can even upgrade their rank?
No matter how much the world has become like a game, isn’t this really a game?
He felt even more detached from reality now than when he Awakened.
Jeonghyeon raised his right hand and slapped his right cheek hard.
Slap!
“It fucking hurts, so it’s not a dream……”
Only after the stinging shock reached his cheek did Jeonghyeon accept reality.
“It’s a reversal of fortune, fuck!”
The fact that his life had been completely turned upside down.
Jeonghyeon couldn’t hide his excitement and shouted.
“Trait Shop!”
Originally, there was no need to shout out loud to use a trait, but this wasn’t the time to be concerned about that.
His trait was so powerful that even Jeonghyeon, who had a calmer personality than others, couldn’t keep his composure.
“Hey, be quiet at this late hour! You should play games in moderation!”
A disgruntled voice came from next door.
With the shoddy studio apartment structure that had abandoned soundproofing to the Gate, the noise late at night was unlikely to be welcomed.
If the neighbor knew that Jeonghyeon had Awakened, they would probably understand, but that was something unimaginable, wasn’t it?
Suddenly Awakening in a shabby alleyway studio apartment like this.
Jeonghyeon didn’t even bother to reply, but the neighbor was probably satisfied anyway.
Jeonghyeon didn’t make a sound, his mouth agape as he examined the Trait Shop that had appeared before his eyes.
『「Trait Shop」（EX, Lv.1）
Coins needed for next level: 10
Assignable Traits / Storable Traits: 3 / 8
Trait Probability: F 70%, E 25%, D 3%, C 1.5%, B 0.5%, A 0%, S 0%』
He had vaguely understood while reading the trait description, but seeing it directly was different.
There was more information to take in than he had expected.
“Let’s see, Assignable Traits, Storable Traits…… This is probably what I can use and what I can buy, right?”
Jeonghyeon’s brow furrowed for a moment as he moved on to the probabilities.
As expected, the probability of high-rank traits was practically non-existent.
Even C-rank was only 1.5%.
But if he complained about this, he wouldn’t have a leg to stand on even if he got lynched by other Hunters.
“Sigh, Han Jeonghyeon, you’ve gotten greedy. Complaining about this.”
So what if the probability is low?
It’s just a guess, but as the trait level increases, the probability will naturally improve.
As Jeonghyeon’s gaze reached the end, the system asked.
『Would you like to check the list of traits currently available for purchase?』
And as Jeonghyeon nodded, the list unfolded.
『Shop List（Refresh Cost: 2 Coins）
「Weak Battle Sense」（F, Lv1）, 1C
「Mediocre Agility」（F, Lv1）, 1C
「Passable Swordsmanship」（F, Lv.1）, 1C
「Passable Fist Fighting」（F, Lv1）, 1C
「Weak Mana Sensitivity」（F, Lv.1）, 1C
Current Coins: 2』
Five traits appeared that he could buy at any time if he had the coins.
Although they were all F-rank for now, he was grateful for this much.
It had been a whopping 13 years since he had been struggling without even that F-rank, and there were still many people like that in the world.
The fact that he could buy two F-rank traits right now proved that Jeonghyeon’s trait was formidable, even by current standards.
‘Let’s see, first of all, let’s skip the Weak series and the Passable series are quite numerous.’
The names of F-rank traits weren’t very appealing, to be honest.
This was because the modifiers attached to them completely killed any desire to possess them.
The most representative examples were ‘Weak’, ‘Mediocre’, and ‘Passable’, which were on the current shop list.
‘And the coins I have now are two……’
Jeonghyeon glanced at the bottom of the shop window and thought.
The ‘1C’ written at the end of the traits probably meant 1 coin.
With the 2 coins Jeonghyeon had, he could buy two traits.
Otherwise, he could refresh once and aim for a higher rank, but that would be like completely resetting his traits to nothing.
‘Coins are random monster drops……’
Jeonghyeon carefully considered the choices he had.
Even though there weren’t many, he had to decide whether to save them or use them all.
But soon, Jeonghyeon made up his mind.
‘If it’s about probability, then it’s all about how much I hunt.’
He decided to use all 2 coins to purchase traits.
If he saved 1 coin, it would be no different from being an ordinary F-rank Hunter, and in that case, it would be better to increase his hunting efficiency even if he used up all his coins.
And he also had something he was secretly counting on.
“First, let’s skip Mana Sensitivity.”
Mana Sensitivity was a representative trait of the mage skill tree.
It enabled a few simple and general magic spells and detection within Gates.
However, with F-rank Sensitivity, the effects he could expect were small.
It wouldn’t be a good combination since the other traits were all physical traits.
Jeonghyeon quickly moved his hands twice.
『You have purchased 「Weak Battle Sense」（F, Lv1）.』
『You have purchased 「Mediocre Agility」（F, Lv.1）.』
『Assignable trait slots are empty, so traits will be automatically assigned.』
Weak Battle Sense and Mediocre Agility were considered decent among F-rank traits, even if they were mediocre.
For low-rank Hunters, the top priority was not money, but survival.
Agility traits were specialized for survival.
‘I think the two traits will go well together.’
As if to confirm Jeonghyeon’s expectations, a few lines were added to the system.
『Trait synergy, 「The Best Defense is Evasion」（F） is applied.
「Weak Battle Sense」 predicts the enemy’s attack path a little more clearly.
「Mediocre Agility」’s correction value becomes faster.』
“Yes!”
The additional effect from the combination, as explained in the trait description window.
It was a gamble he had taken, hoping that the traits with similar intentions would work well together, and it didn’t disappoint.
Of course, the effect wouldn’t be that great since the rank was what it was.
“As expected, this trait, it’s something…… It’s something!”
Certainly, his senses were incomparably sharper than before the trait was applied.
He could feel which muscles were contracting and relaxing just by clenching and opening his hand.
However,
“Ugh, how can this damn smell get any worse?”
The stench of monsters, which was clearly emanating from somewhere around his nose, had also intensified.
And as the finishing touch, a message from the system window popped up.
『Physical enhancement due to trait application will now begin.』
The infamous Adaptation Pain, the pain of physical enhancement that made every Hunter who recalled it shake their head, had begun.
“Uwaaaaaaaagh!”
It felt like the bones in his entire body were being dislocated.
The muscles attached around them felt like they were all being torn apart.
But even as he writhed on the bed in agony, Jeonghyeon laughed like a madman.
“Ehahahaha!”
Every single sharp pain proved it.
That Jeonghyeon was now truly a Hunter!
Of course,
“Hey, I told you to be quiet!”
The peaceful late night of the next-door neighbor was being mercilessly disrupted.