Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: The Long-Awaited Awakening
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Two years after the procedure—no, thirteen years since the gates opened and his parents passed away—he had longed for this awakening like nothing else.
The first reaction Jeong-hyeon showed upon facing the awakening notification and trait guide was neither a shout of joy nor tears of emotion.
A face that seemed somehow empty, dazed.
"It's done... it's done..."
From his slightly parted lips came only short, fragmented words that revealed he still couldn't fully accept the reality handed to him.
The lingering stench of the monster corpses that wouldn't fade,
The feel of the worn single blanket in his hand,
The ticking second hand of the clock echoing tick-tock.
All his senses told Jeong-hyeon that this was reality.
Except for the system floating up in an unreal way, like augmented reality.
Jeong-hyeon had awakened.
Memories of the past flooded his mind.
A life that had been enviable until it was shattered by the gates, followed by a childhood bouncing between orphanages and schools.
The time when he couldn't even dream of college after receiving meager government aid and blindly sought out workshops.
Days when he vomited his guts several times a day from the stench he could never get used to, yet wielded slaughter knives and hammers.
The time when he scraped together money and took on debt for the mana injection procedure, swollen with anticipation.
The recent two years that had been a hell of waiting, day after day.
It was true that awakening was the reward for all that.
But the hardships Jeong-hyeon had endured were too grueling to simply rejoice in that reward.
"Ahaha, ahahahaha..."
As the situation settled somewhat, laughter leaked from Jeong-hyeon's mouth.
Not manic joy, but a hollow laugh accompanied by tears.
Jeong-hyeon collapsed as he was, buried his face in the pillow, and laughed while crying.
"Finally... finally succeeded... Mom, Dad..."
One year after the mana injection procedure: zero awakeners.
Jeong-hyeon had become living proof that shattered that ironclad rule.
And just before his spirit was about to break.
At the fact that he had finally taken one step closer to the dream he'd harbored since time immemorial, Jeong-hyeon poured out the opposing reactions of tears and laughter simultaneously.
It was a bit more time before Jeong-hyeon raised his body again.
"Traits... let's check the traits."
He focused once more on the status window 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, determining which path he would take.
There were two measures for a hunter's power.
The seven ranks from F to S that judged the trait's quality and potential.
And the level, starting from 1, representing the trait's proficiency and actual combat ability.
If it ended up low-rank, not only would the trait's absolute level be low, but the level cap—the growth limit—would also be lower.
The currently known level cap was 7, but it wasn't permitted to everyone.
Only S-Rank could reach level 7.
A-Rank to B-Rank reached 6, though the proportions varied.
C, D, E-Rank reached 5.
Finally, F-Rank reached 4.
Even at the same level, the effort needed to level up varied wildly by rank.
To the extreme, the effort for an S-Rank level 4 versus an F-Rank level 4 was worlds apart—insufficient to describe.
In the 10 years since gates opened, countless F-Rank hunters roamed gates without reaching level 4.
Whereas S-Ranks had precedents of hitting level 4 in mere months.
Thus, low-rank hunters became so-called "day-laborer hunters," stuck circling low-level gates.
Most gates restricted entry by level, leaving no choice.
Even if levels matched, as ranks dropped, joining parties grew harder.
Higher levels meant higher proportions of high-ranks—who'd bother including low-ranks?
In the end, even leveled-up low-rank hunters remained pitiful.
On the flip side, true high-ranks from B-Rank up saw their lives transform.
Scout requests poured in from famous guilds, and even without joining one, ways to rake in massive profits abounded.
There were extremely rare cases of re-awakeners gaining higher-rank traits than before, but Jeong-hyeon couldn't pin hopes on such slim odds again.
And when he read the name of the trait given to him in the brief initial system,
"Huh?"
Jeong-hyeon could only tilt his head.
[Your trait is 「Trait Shop」(EX, Lv.1).]
Even Jeong-hyeon, who had meticulously researched in preparation for becoming a hunter, had never heard of this trait—or this rank.
***
In this world, if you had abilities, ways to make money were plentiful.
For hunters who shot to hero status after gates appeared, it went without saying.
"Um, when I first awakened? I was dazed. It came so unexpectedly, you could say."
On the video streaming site 'MyTV', millions of hunter-related videos were uploaded daily.
Gossip and rumors about famous hunters, interview footage, trait demonstration videos, even variety show content featuring them.
Jeong-hyeon had been one of the most diligent viewers seeking out hunter videos.
The hunters appearing in those videos all said the same.
"Traits are a hunter's entire fortune. They're like another self. You can't gain extras or swap them out if you don't like them."
Of course, re-awakening was an ultra-rare exception, but let's skip that.
That was the common notion.
The common sense.
As solid a fact as traits being ranked from S to F.
Yet the trait floating before Jeong-hyeon's eyes shattered both notions effortlessly.
"Trait Shop? Don't tell me... And what's EX-Rank?"
Jeong-hyeon hurriedly closed the initial system and opened his status window.
To properly view trait descriptions, he needed the status window.
[Han Jeong-hyeon
Traits
-「Trait Shop」(EX, Lv.1)]
A status window sparse to the extreme.
In truth, after awakening, the only ways to grow power were through real combat know-how and actual training for level-ups, so the status window was useless except for checking trait effects.
'Except when leveling up, no need to check it.'
One hunter on MyTV said even level-ups were just for the thrill of seeing numbers rise—no new info to learn.
'「Trait Shop」 info check.'
At Jeong-hyeon's call, the trait description scrolled up.
He'd heard it wasn't too complex, but the text wasn't short.
[「Trait Shop」(EX, Lv.1)
- Use a shop to purchase traits and related privileges with coins.
-Coins obtained randomly from hunting monsters; probability rises with monster rank.
-Hunting the same type of monster repeatedly lowers coin drop probability from that monster.
-Shop list has 5 traits; refresh with coins if desired.
-「Trait Shop」 proficiency level rises cumulatively from total coins spent on refreshes and purchases.
-Collect 3 of the same trait to upgrade its rank.
-Certain effects activate based on equipped trait combinations.]
Reading down the description, Jeong-hyeon spat curses with every line.
"Fuck... this isn't a dream, right?"
He should've noticed from the unheard-of EX-Rank.
And what?
Not only buy traits, but collect duplicates to upgrade ranks?
Even if the world had gamified, this felt like an actual game.
It felt less real than the awakening itself.
Jeong-hyeon raised his right hand and slapped his right cheek hard.
Smack!
"Fuck, it hurts, so not a dream..."
Only after the stinging impact spread across his cheek did Jeong-hyeon accept reality.
"Life reversal, fuck yeah!"
His entire life had changed at the root.
Unable to contain his excitement, Jeong-hyeon shouted.
"Trait Shop!"
No need to voice trait activations aloud, but now wasn't the time for subtlety.
Even Jeong-hyeon, calmer than most, couldn't keep his wits—his trait was that explosive.
"Ah, quiet down at this late hour! Cut the gaming already!"
A grumpy voice came from next door.
In this shoddy studio with no soundproofing—gates had taken priority—late-night noise wasn't welcome.
They'd understand if they knew he'd awakened, but that was unimaginable.
Sudden awakening in this shabby alley studio?
Jeong-hyeon didn't even reply, but the neighbor was probably somewhat satisfied.
Gawking at the trait shop before his eyes, Jeong-hyeon made no sound, mouth agape.
[「Trait Shop」(EX, Lv.1)
Coins needed for next level: 10
Equippable Traits / Storage Slots: 3 / 8
Trait Probabilities: F 70%, E 25%, D 3%, C 1.5%, B 0.5%, A 0%, S 0%]
He'd roughly grasped from the description, but seeing it firsthand was different.
More info to memorize than expected.
"Let's see, equippable traits, storage traits... usable ones and ones I can buy, right?"
Jeong-hyeon's brows furrowed briefly at the probabilities.
Predictable, but high-rank probabilities were near zero.
Even C-Rank was just 1.5%.
But griping would earn mob lynching from other hunters.
"Sheesh, Han Jeong-hyeon, you're set. Whining about this."
So what if probabilities were low?
His guess: trait levels up would naturally improve odds.
As his gaze reached the end, the system prompted.
[View current purchasable trait list?]
Jeong-hyeon nodded, and the list unfurled.
[Shop List (Refresh cost: 2 coins)
「Faint Combat Sense」(F, Lv1), 1C
「Somewhat Agile Movement」(F, Lv1), 1C
「Decent Swordsmanship」(F, Lv.1), 1C
「Decent Fistfighting」(F, Lv1), 1C
「Faint Mana Sensitivity」(F, Lv.1), 1C
Current coins: 2]
Five traits he could buy anytime with coins.
All F-Rank, but even that was gravy.
Thirteen years he'd floundered without a single F-Rank, and such people still littered the world.
Having two coins meant he could buy two right now—proving his trait's fearsome potential even at the start.
'Let's see, lots of "faint" series and "decent" series.'
F-Rank traits screamed mediocrity from their names.
Modifiers that killed any ownership pride.
Like the current list's "faint," "somewhat," "decent."
'And I have two coins...'
Jeong-hyeon glanced at the shop bottom.
The "1C" after traits meant 1 coin, surely.
With 2 coins, buy two traits.
Or refresh once for higher ranks—but that turned coins to waste.
'Coins from random monster drops...'
Jeong-hyeon carefully weighed his few options.
Not many, but decide: save or spend?
Soon, he steeled himself.
'Probabilities mean profit scales with hunts.'
He'd spend both coins on purchases.
Saving one made him no better than average F-Rank; might as well burn all for better hunt efficiency.
Plus, he had a hunch.
"Skip mana sensitivity for now."
Mana sensitivity was key for mage trees.
Enabled basic versatile spells and gate detection.
But F-Rank effects were negligible.
Other traits were all physical; poor synergy.
Jeong-hyeon tapped twice quickly.
[You purchased 「Faint Combat Sense」(F, Lv1).]
[You purchased 「Somewhat Agile Movement」(F, Lv.1).]
[No equippable slots available; auto-equipping.]
Faint Combat Sense and Somewhat Agile Movement were middling F-Ranks but well-reviewed.
For low-rank hunters, priority one was survival over money.
Agility traits specialized in just that.
'And they might synergize well.'
As if confirming, system lines appended.
[Trait Synergy 「Best Defense is Evasion」(F) applied.
「Faint Combat Sense」 better predicts enemy attack paths.
「Somewhat Agile Movement」 bonus speed increased.]
"It came!"
The combo effect from trait description.
Similar traits made it half-gamble, but it paid off.
Low-rank meant modest effects, of course.
"As expected, this trait... it's something!"
Senses sharpened incomparably pre-trait.
Even clenching/unclenching fists let him feel each muscle contract/relax.
However,
"Argh, how can this monster stink get worse?"
The stench, clearly wafting from somewhere on his body, intensified.
And as the clincher, system message.
[Beginning physical reinforcement for trait application.]
The infamous adaptation pain hunters dreaded—the agony of body strengthening that made veterans shake their heads—began.
"Uwaaaaaagh!"
Bones throughout his body felt misaligned.
Surrounding muscles tore.
But amid the onslaught, writhing sideways on the bed, Jeong-hyeon laughed maniacally.
"Uahaha!"
Each sharp pain proved it.
He was truly a hunter now!
Of course,
"Ah, quiet down, I said!"
The neighbor's peaceful midnight was mercilessly disturbed.