First of all, the view around him had somewhat changed.
The closest thing Choi Yu Seong felt something had changed was the peace on the faces of the housekeeper’s ladies, who were half anxious about his mood swings.
The women, who had been forced to endure and smile due to their high salaries, now treated Choi Yu Seong with heartfelt smiles.
Far away, the Awakeners who visited Choi Yu Seong’s house made word of mouth.
The good-for-nothing Choi Yu Seong had changed.
The foolish Choi Yu Seong spent his money well.
Anyway, he was handsome.
It seems he got better, so it didn’t seem like a crime for a rich person to spend his money well.
Various kinds of stories had spread quite a lot.
Among them was a story about Kim Do Jin, the (still) super rookie who visited Choi Yu Seong’s house.
The evaluation of Choi Yu Seong rose once again, with rumors circulating out of nowhere – that the two were close enough to be brothers.
No matter what anyone says, Kim Do Jin was the rookie everyone paid attention to in South Korea.
As a result, to Choi Yu Seong, who tried to attract attention by sneakily making rumors confirming his awakening through news articles to raise the level of his Star Quality skill, it was like being a fish in troubled waters and killing two birds with one stone.
That was because the leveling speed that could be achieved with Star Quality skill had risen from 30% to 50% in a month.
In other words, the skill’s proficiency had increased.
And, it was a very rapid development considering the diagnosis point that the higher the value, the harder it was to grow like the usual case of stats.
If this was a somewhat external change, the second change was a more personal part of Choi Yu Seong.
Choi Yu Seong’s goal was not simply to be a rich conglomerate Awakener.
‘It is to be able to ensure my survival in the future.’
First of all, he needed to have the ability to survive so that he could find happiness by sucking honey.
Therefore, it was not difficult to revive the present somewhat.
Choi Yu Seong was quite familiar with making efforts to survive from the beginning.
‘Even so, I thought I was really dying for the past month.’
He had lived his life so far for the purpose of practice, reducing sleeping time more than when he was working at a game company full of overtime on Earth.
He gained an ability through awakening.
If you could be strong with just that, then all Awakeners with the same grade of skills should be at the same level.
However, there was a clear gap even within the same rank.
In addition to the number of skills, compatibility, and fundamental strength of the skills themselves, there were countless variables such as individual proficiency and experience.
And this gap gets worse as you get higher rank.
Choi Yu Seong thought that one of the really important points in creating the gap was the foundation.
‘The skills that have been steadily used and strengthened since the majority of the rank are low will become the abilities that represent the Awakener in the future.’
Such statistics were not there for no reason.
It was the first skill you had learned, so you should not ignore it because it looks low and weak right now.
Anyway, skills would naturally rise as Awakener’s rank and invisible proficiency rise.
So what’s important was to clearly and fully understand your skills, and skillfully use them without any preparation or thoughts.
In the last month, Choi Yu Seong rented a whole Awakener training gymnasium to master this process and stamped his daily attendance with Jin Do Yun.
The result was quite satisfactory.
Choi Yu Seong, who laid down on the floor of the gymnasium and roughly threw off his sweat-soaked uniform1, roughly breathed out his breath endlessly but a smile flowed from his mouth.
“How’d I do? Not bad, right?”
“…To say that it’s not bad is an understatement.”
Right in front of Choi Yu Seong, Jin Do Yun’s expression was weird as he answered without sweating a drop.
His gaze was on the end of his uniform’s arm sleeves.
Surprisingly, the end of it was burning black, breaking and fluttering into the air.
It was nothing to make fun of even though it was just the hem.
Jin Do Yun was a physical type Awakener at rank B level 70.
It was normal that E-rank all-rounder type Awakeners could not even touch his collar with just a slight movement.
However, today, when Choi Yu Seong filled the promised month, that ridiculous thing happened.
‘The talent is different.’
As Choi Wu Jae said, it’s the blood of the Choi family.
Had the bloodline’s special ability finally manifested?
It’s just the beginning, but it wasn’t hard to see Choi Yu Seong side by side with himself in Jin Do Yun’s mind.
‘I should try harder.’
From the perspective of Jin Do Yun, who vowed to live his entire life protecting Choi Yu Seong, it was a moment when he was joyful and greatly motivated to self-grow at the same time in his heart.
But he could put it back a little longer.
Under the current situation, Jin Do Yun wanted to somehow express the joy of Choi Yu Seong’s growth.
“At least, among the E-ranks I know, Young Master is the best.”
“The only E-rank you know is me.”
“Of course currently…”
“Enough. You don’t have to lie to me like that.”
He was Choi Yoo Sung who finished reading the original.
Choi Yu Seong got up thinking there was no way that he would have known if Jin Do Yun had other relationships, checked his cell phone’s calendar.
Finally, the day he was looking forward to was just a day away.
A breath of excitement that could not be hidden flowed under his nose.
From Choi Yu Seong’s perspective, it was not an exaggeration to say that he had actually lived the past month for tomorrow.
“Maybe everyone will be surprised.”
“I’ve to make it like that.”
Choi Yu Seong was also hoping.
***
How do Awakeners grow?
There were many, but the very first of them was increasing rank through level-up which the majority would pick as their first choice.
As long as you became an Awakener, your level went up just by using your skills consistently.
However, the speed was too slow.
Based on Choi Yu Seong’s standard, he did not even rise to level 1 on the day he used Duplicate Eye all day. And he had used his skills constantly over the past month while training, but he had risen only 8 levels.
This was only possible because of the effect of Star Quality skill was added, but if it was a general standard, level 5 to 6 would have been the limit.
It was still difficult to level up even though he was still low in rank and level.
After all, the fastest way to level up was to hunt monsters through dungeon exploration, no matter who said it.
However, exploring dungeons was not something any Awakener could do.
Because there were many non-combatants Awakener, the country also set a standard point with the aim of not killing their lives recklessly.
To enter a dungeon, you must become a licensed Dungeon Hunter.2
The hunter exam could be officially taken three times a month, with the schedule on the 10th, 20th, and the last day of each month.
Choi Yu Seong took the test date on November 20 among them.
Because the past month’s training was for this day from the beginning, Choi Yu Seong’s expression toward the Korean Awakener Association was mixed with excitement and tension.
The faces of Jin Do Yun and Jin Yu Ri in the driver’s and passenger seats were not much different.
When Choi Yu Seong first declared that he would become a Hunter, Jin Do Yun wanted to dissuade him more than anyone else.
There were many benefits in being a Hunter, but there was also a clear risk that you would have to carry on your own.
Death.
Dungeon Hunters must always be prepared for death as they fight monsters.
From the standpoint of wanting the Young Master he served to be safe, there was no choice but to be worried.
But he couldn’t refute Choi Yu Seong’s statement – that it was better than getting hit here and there helplessly before eventually dying by the pestering of his family members.
As Choi Min Seok did, the members of Choi’s family did not feel much at odds with taking lives even though they were siblings.
Jin Yu Ri did not even oppose it as if she had guessed it from the beginning.
From the perspective of Choi Yu Seong, with Choi’s family and Kim Do Jin in mind, he had no choice but to work harder and finally confirm the results today.
Perhaps because of the mixed emotions, the unusually quiet vehicle crossed the Gangbyeon Expressway in Seoul, reached Yeouido, and entered the entrance of the Korean Awakener Association building in no time.
When Choi Yu Seong arrived, the entrance to the association building was already quite crowded.
Because it was dangerous, Hunters received the most attention and respect among all Awakeners.
It was inevitable that the public’s attention was pouring in as it was the day to take the exam to become a Hunter.
There was no reason not to be crowded, including wannabes who prepared for today like Choi Yu Seong, scouts from each guild who came to recruit those who stood out in advance, in addition to reporters who were crazy about issues.
“Did we call reporters, too?”
Jin Yu Ri nodded at Choi Yu Seong’s question.
“For now, I’ve mobilized a little network I know.”
For some reason, Choi Yu Seong was very hungry for attention these days.
Although Jin Yu Ri did not know why, she followed his intentions and gathered reporters without any questions.
“Is that them? It’s not a little. There are a lot more than I thought, right?”
At the main entrance of the association leading to the examination center.
Choi Yu Seong asked with his eyes wide open to a group of reporters who suddenly stood out over the window of the car.
“No, the people I called said they were waiting at the parking lot entrance.”
“So who are they taking pictures of?”
The answer to Choi Yu Seong’s question was answered by a familiar face that appeared smiling among the reporters.
“Choi Min Seok…?
The faces of Choi Yu Seong and Jin siblings were distorted at the same time when an unexpected figure appeared.
***
In the quite chilly weather, the face of reporter Park Jin Hwan of the Minguk Daily, who gathered a group of reporters to shoot Choi Yu Seong at Jin Yu Ri’s call, was irritated.
“Why is Choi Min Seok here all of a sudden?”
The question of a fellow reporter standing next to him was the same as Park Jin Hwan’s question.
“I don’t know too.”
If he knew, he wouldn’t have made this situation.
‘I didn’t think there could be a bigger issue than Choi Yu Seong…’
Today’s big issue was Choi Yu Seong.
He definitely thought so, so he responded to Jin Yu Ri’s call, but more reporters appeared than they did and Choi Min Seok appeared.
‘I wish it was just eye-catching…’
However, it was hard to keep like he didn’t care. So he knew from listening around, that it was not at the level of ordinary public attention.
“It said the appearance of a new Irregular?”
“Lee Jin Wook?”
It was news to him and there was a name he hadn’t heard of.
The gazes of the reporters, who gathered together at the call of Park Jin Hwan, were both flustered and shaken at the same time.
Irregulars would achieve tremendous growth if they survive.
There were a total of 12 people designated as Irregular in the whole of South Korea.
Eight of them were Hunters who ventured into dungeons.
Of course, no one had a light name.
In other words, the emergence of a new Irregular was as much, no, perhaps even a more spectacular story than the ninth son of the Hyesung Group, Choi Yu Seong, taking the Hunter exam.
“Reporter Park. I don’t think Choi Yu Seong will be the biggest issue today?”
“So what, are we supposed to turn the camera around?
Park Jin Hwan let out a nervous voice at the words of his close colleague reporter and glanced at a man in his mid-20s who was coming up next to Choi Min Seok.
‘That guy is Lee Jin Wook? He’s young.’
Irregular, add to that he’s young.
The fellow reporter, who had first asked the question about the teeth grinding situation, once again spoke.
“No. I mean, why don’t we shoot both?”
Of course, he would shoot both.
However, the focus of the article was a separate matter.
There were already some reporters around who sneaked out of their seats.
Park Jin Hwan thought they were stupid.
“It’s late over there anyway.”
Before there were any defectors, there were many reporters who took pictures with their cameras and put them into their media mail and held their phones.
He would just be a latecomer if he took pictures now after wasting time arguing.
For that reason, it was better to take pictures of Choi Yu Seong, who was like an issue even if he stays still.
Of course, the number of views would not be better than shooting a new Irregular that appeared with Choi Min Seok, a member of Choi’s family like Choi Yu Seong, but what should they do?
‘It’s already spilled milk.’
As Park Jin Hwan sighed inwardly and turned his eyes, the door of the elevator that came up from the underground parking lot opened.
“It’s Choi Yu Seong!”
Someone shouted.
“Are you really here to take the Hunter exam?”
It was intentional yelling and questioning.
Choi Yu Seong, who appeared while absorbing the pouring sunlight as if it was his own light, showed a smile.
Park Jin Hwan, who looked at him, instinctively put his hand on the shutter quickly and thought.
‘Bastard, he looks like he came from a painting. He’s even better than most actors.’
A fellow reporter standing next to Park Jin Hwan opened his mouth and expressed admiration.
“Wow, reporter Park. If I just pick the best picture, won’t the view count be amazing? I think the picture is 10 times better than over there.”
“Reporter Kim. You don’t have eyes. What do you mean by 10 times…”
Park Jin Hwan shook his head from side to side with a smirk.
“It’s 1000 times better.”
“Agreed. Kekek.”
As always, being handsome was useful in many ways.
First of all, the view around him had somewhat changed.
The closest thing Choi Yu Seong felt something had changed was the peace on the faces of the housekeeper’s ladies, who were half anxious about his mood swings.
The women, who had been forced to endure and smile due to their high salaries, now treated Choi Yu Seong with heartfelt smiles.
Far away, the Awakeners who visited Choi Yu Seong’s house made word of mouth.
The good-for-nothing Choi Yu Seong had changed.
The foolish Choi Yu Seong spent his money well.
Anyway, he was handsome.
It seems he got better, so it didn’t seem like a crime for a rich person to spend his money well.
Various kinds of stories had spread quite a lot.
Among them was a story about Kim Do Jin, the (still) super rookie who visited Choi Yu Seong’s house.
The evaluation of Choi Yu Seong rose once again, with rumors circulating out of nowhere – that the two were close enough to be brothers.
No matter what anyone says, Kim Do Jin was the rookie everyone paid attention to in South Korea.
As a result, to Choi Yu Seong, who tried to attract attention by sneakily making rumors confirming his awakening through news articles to raise the level of his Star Quality skill, it was like being a fish in troubled waters and killing two birds with one stone.
That was because the leveling speed that could be achieved with Star Quality skill had risen from 30% to 50% in a month.
In other words, the skill’s proficiency had increased.
And, it was a very rapid development considering the diagnosis point that the higher the value, the harder it was to grow like the usual case of stats.
If this was a somewhat external change, the second change was a more personal part of Choi Yu Seong.
Choi Yu Seong’s goal was not simply to be a rich conglomerate Awakener.
‘It is to be able to ensure my survival in the future.’
First of all, he needed to have the ability to survive so that he could find happiness by sucking honey.
Therefore, it was not difficult to revive the present somewhat.
Choi Yu Seong was quite familiar with making efforts to survive from the beginning.
‘Even so, I thought I was really dying for the past month.’
He had lived his life so far for the purpose of practice, reducing sleeping time more than when he was working at a game company full of overtime on Earth.
He gained an ability through awakening.
If you could be strong with just that, then all Awakeners with the same grade of skills should be at the same level.
However, there was a clear gap even within the same rank.
In addition to the number of skills, compatibility, and fundamental strength of the skills themselves, there were countless variables such as individual proficiency and experience.
And this gap gets worse as you get higher rank.
Choi Yu Seong thought that one of the really important points in creating the gap was the foundation.
‘The skills that have been steadily used and strengthened since the majority of the rank are low will become the abilities that represent the Awakener in the future.’
Such statistics were not there for no reason.
It was the first skill you had learned, so you should not ignore it because it looks low and weak right now.
Anyway, skills would naturally rise as Awakener’s rank and invisible proficiency rise.
So what’s important was to clearly and fully understand your skills, and skillfully use them without any preparation or thoughts.
In the last month, Choi Yu Seong rented a whole Awakener training gymnasium to master this process and stamped his daily attendance with Jin Do Yun.
The result was quite satisfactory.
Choi Yu Seong, who laid down on the floor of the gymnasium and roughly threw off his sweat-soaked uniform1, roughly breathed out his breath endlessly but a smile flowed from his mouth.
“How’d I do? Not bad, right?”
“…To say that it’s not bad is an understatement.”
Right in front of Choi Yu Seong, Jin Do Yun’s expression was weird as he answered without sweating a drop.
His gaze was on the end of his uniform’s arm sleeves.
Surprisingly, the end of it was burning black, breaking and fluttering into the air.
It was nothing to make fun of even though it was just the hem.
Jin Do Yun was a physical type Awakener at rank B level 70.
It was normal that E-rank all-rounder type Awakeners could not even touch his collar with just a slight movement.
However, today, when Choi Yu Seong filled the promised month, that ridiculous thing happened.
‘The talent is different.’
As Choi Wu Jae said, it’s the blood of the Choi family.
Had the bloodline’s special ability finally manifested?
It’s just the beginning, but it wasn’t hard to see Choi Yu Seong side by side with himself in Jin Do Yun’s mind.
‘I should try harder.’
From the perspective of Jin Do Yun, who vowed to live his entire life protecting Choi Yu Seong, it was a moment when he was joyful and greatly motivated to self-grow at the same time in his heart.
But he could put it back a little longer.
Under the current situation, Jin Do Yun wanted to somehow express the joy of Choi Yu Seong’s growth.
“At least, among the E-ranks I know, Young Master is the best.”
“The only E-rank you know is me.”
“Of course currently…”
“Enough. You don’t have to lie to me like that.”
He was Choi Yoo Sung who finished reading the original.
Choi Yu Seong got up thinking there was no way that he would have known if Jin Do Yun had other relationships, checked his cell phone’s calendar.
Finally, the day he was looking forward to was just a day away.
A breath of excitement that could not be hidden flowed under his nose.
From Choi Yu Seong’s perspective, it was not an exaggeration to say that he had actually lived the past month for tomorrow.
“Maybe everyone will be surprised.”
“I’ve to make it like that.”
Choi Yu Seong was also hoping.
***
How do Awakeners grow?
There were many, but the very first of them was increasing rank through level-up which the majority would pick as their first choice.
As long as you became an Awakener, your level went up just by using your skills consistently.
However, the speed was too slow.
Based on Choi Yu Seong’s standard, he did not even rise to level 1 on the day he used Duplicate Eye all day. And he had used his skills constantly over the past month while training, but he had risen only 8 levels.
This was only possible because of the effect of Star Quality skill was added, but if it was a general standard, level 5 to 6 would have been the limit.
It was still difficult to level up even though he was still low in rank and level.
After all, the fastest way to level up was to hunt monsters through dungeon exploration, no matter who said it.
However, exploring dungeons was not something any Awakener could do.
Because there were many non-combatants Awakener, the country also set a standard point with the aim of not killing their lives recklessly.
To enter a dungeon, you must become a licensed Dungeon Hunter.2
The hunter exam could be officially taken three times a month, with the schedule on the 10th, 20th, and the last day of each month.
Choi Yu Seong took the test date on November 20 among them.
Because the past month’s training was for this day from the beginning, Choi Yu Seong’s expression toward the Korean Awakener Association was mixed with excitement and tension.
The faces of Jin Do Yun and Jin Yu Ri in the driver’s and passenger seats were not much different.
When Choi Yu Seong first declared that he would become a Hunter, Jin Do Yun wanted to dissuade him more than anyone else.
There were many benefits in being a Hunter, but there was also a clear risk that you would have to carry on your own.
Death.
Dungeon Hunters must always be prepared for death as they fight monsters.
From the standpoint of wanting the Young Master he served to be safe, there was no choice but to be worried.
But he couldn’t refute Choi Yu Seong’s statement – that it was better than getting hit here and there helplessly before eventually dying by the pestering of his family members.
As Choi Min Seok did, the members of Choi’s family did not feel much at odds with taking lives even though they were siblings.
Jin Yu Ri did not even oppose it as if she had guessed it from the beginning.
From the perspective of Choi Yu Seong, with Choi’s family and Kim Do Jin in mind, he had no choice but to work harder and finally confirm the results today.
Perhaps because of the mixed emotions, the unusually quiet vehicle crossed the Gangbyeon Expressway in Seoul, reached Yeouido, and entered the entrance of the Korean Awakener Association building in no time.
When Choi Yu Seong arrived, the entrance to the association building was already quite crowded.
Because it was dangerous, Hunters received the most attention and respect among all Awakeners.
It was inevitable that the public’s attention was pouring in as it was the day to take the exam to become a Hunter.
There was no reason not to be crowded, including wannabes who prepared for today like Choi Yu Seong, scouts from each guild who came to recruit those who stood out in advance, in addition to reporters who were crazy about issues.
“Did we call reporters, too?”
Jin Yu Ri nodded at Choi Yu Seong’s question.
“For now, I’ve mobilized a little network I know.”
For some reason, Choi Yu Seong was very hungry for attention these days.
Although Jin Yu Ri did not know why, she followed his intentions and gathered reporters without any questions.
“Is that them? It’s not a little. There are a lot more than I thought, right?”
At the main entrance of the association leading to the examination center.
Choi Yu Seong asked with his eyes wide open to a group of reporters who suddenly stood out over the window of the car.
“No, the people I called said they were waiting at the parking lot entrance.”
“So who are they taking pictures of?”
The answer to Choi Yu Seong’s question was answered by a familiar face that appeared smiling among the reporters.
“Choi Min Seok…?
The faces of Choi Yu Seong and Jin siblings were distorted at the same time when an unexpected figure appeared.
***
In the quite chilly weather, the face of reporter Park Jin Hwan of the Minguk Daily, who gathered a group of reporters to shoot Choi Yu Seong at Jin Yu Ri’s call, was irritated.
“Why is Choi Min Seok here all of a sudden?”
The question of a fellow reporter standing next to him was the same as Park Jin Hwan’s question.
“I don’t know too.”
If he knew, he wouldn’t have made this situation.
‘I didn’t think there could be a bigger issue than Choi Yu Seong…’
Today’s big issue was Choi Yu Seong.
He definitely thought so, so he responded to Jin Yu Ri’s call, but more reporters appeared than they did and Choi Min Seok appeared.
‘I wish it was just eye-catching…’
However, it was hard to keep like he didn’t care. So he knew from listening around, that it was not at the level of ordinary public attention.
“It said the appearance of a new Irregular?”
“Lee Jin Wook?”
It was news to him and there was a name he hadn’t heard of.
The gazes of the reporters, who gathered together at the call of Park Jin Hwan, were both flustered and shaken at the same time.
Irregulars would achieve tremendous growth if they survive.
There were a total of 12 people designated as Irregular in the whole of South Korea.
Eight of them were Hunters who ventured into dungeons.
Of course, no one had a light name.
In other words, the emergence of a new Irregular was as much, no, perhaps even a more spectacular story than the ninth son of the Hyesung Group, Choi Yu Seong, taking the Hunter exam.
“Reporter Park. I don’t think Choi Yu Seong will be the biggest issue today?”
“So what, are we supposed to turn the camera around?
Park Jin Hwan let out a nervous voice at the words of his close colleague reporter and glanced at a man in his mid-20s who was coming up next to Choi Min Seok.
‘That guy is Lee Jin Wook? He’s young.’
Irregular, add to that he’s young.
The fellow reporter, who had first asked the question about the teeth grinding situation, once again spoke.
“No. I mean, why don’t we shoot both?”
Of course, he would shoot both.
However, the focus of the article was a separate matter.
There were already some reporters around who sneaked out of their seats.
Park Jin Hwan thought they were stupid.
“It’s late over there anyway.”
Before there were any defectors, there were many reporters who took pictures with their cameras and put them into their media mail and held their phones.
He would just be a latecomer if he took pictures now after wasting time arguing.
For that reason, it was better to take pictures of Choi Yu Seong, who was like an issue even if he stays still.
Of course, the number of views would not be better than shooting a new Irregular that appeared with Choi Min Seok, a member of Choi’s family like Choi Yu Seong, but what should they do?
‘It’s already spilled milk.’
As Park Jin Hwan sighed inwardly and turned his eyes, the door of the elevator that came up from the underground parking lot opened.
“It’s Choi Yu Seong!”
Someone shouted.
“Are you really here to take the Hunter exam?”
It was intentional yelling and questioning.
Choi Yu Seong, who appeared while absorbing the pouring sunlight as if it was his own light, showed a smile.
Park Jin Hwan, who looked at him, instinctively put his hand on the shutter quickly and thought.
‘Bastard, he looks like he came from a painting. He’s even better than most actors.’
A fellow reporter standing next to Park Jin Hwan opened his mouth and expressed admiration.
“Wow, reporter Park. If I just pick the best picture, won’t the view count be amazing? I think the picture is 10 times better than over there.”
“Reporter Kim. You don’t have eyes. What do you mean by 10 times…”
Park Jin Hwan shook his head from side to side with a smirk.
“It’s 1000 times better.”
“Agreed. Kekek.”
As always, being handsome was useful in many ways.
