Chapter 3
Chapter 3: The Empty Skill Book
[You have obtained the 'Empty Skill Book'.]
[Your skill book has been linked with the 'Empty Skill Book'.]
[Checking the detailed information of the 'Empty Skill Book'.]
The limit on the number of skill book pages disappears.
The limit on skill book genres disappears. Skills can be acquired regardless of their affinity or type.
A tutorial is granted. The number of pages in the skill book increases according to the progress of the tutorial.
When defeating a monster, you can acquire the skills engraved in the monster's skill book.
All skills obtained through this growth-type skill book cannot be identified using Appraisal.
[Tutorial: Enroll in the National Seoul Hunter Academy]
[Reward: One blank page]
"What in the..."
Looking at the absurd description, the corners of my mouth twitched upward entirely on their own.
Even Lee Sung-hyun had only managed to secure two measly pages from the [Empty Skill Book], and that wasn't until his sixth regression. Yet, the text floating right before my eyes was casually stating that the limitation on my skill book pages had completely vanished.
'How did this happen?'
The [Empty Skill Book] grants abilities based on the personal narrative built by the individual. But I wasn't a regressor, nor was I the protagonist. I hadn't dreamed in a million years that my utterly insignificant narrative would harbor such a ridiculous ability.
'Was it because my desire to climb to the top was that intense?'
Whatever the reason, I did it!
Of course, it wasn't like Lee Sung-hyun’s [Myth of Ashter], which granted immediate, overwhelming power. However, having a skill book that could expand its pages indefinitely was a completely broken, nonsensical ability in the world of The Academy’s Sovereign Hunter (Awaken Hunter).
In this world, the limits of your skill book equated to your limits as a hunter.
A hunter with a 1-page skill book could never perform the tasks required of an E-rank hunter. An ordinary human with a 3-page skill book could never achieve the feats expected of a B-rank hunter. In a world bound by such rigid rules, an expanding skill book meant that the limits of my talent—the limits of my ceiling as a hunter—had ceased to exist.
'On top of that, it's a blank page.'
A 'blank page' meant an empty canvas where nothing was written yet. It was the absurd power to write down literally any skill I wanted. While everyone else was forced to walk down a pre-determined path, I was given the power to draw my own path. And with unlimited page refills, to boot!
"This is perfect."
I lay there, desperately trying to suppress my unstoppable grin, as the surrounding dungeon scenery slowly began to dissolve.
Originally, up until the fifth regression, Lee Sung-hyun would grab the [Myth of Ashter] and immediately escape the gate. Afterward, the Inferno Clan would subjugate the boss, the Black Dragon, and close the gate. That was the established plot of Awaken Hunter.
However, the reason the gate was dissolving right now was because I had slain another hidden boss—the hidden boss of the [Tomb of Myths], the 'Statue'.
'I’ve accidentally pulled forward a plot development from the sixth regression.'
In the distance, I could see the hunters from the Inferno Clan rushing toward my position.
"Wow, showing up right after everything’s already finished."
Hunters and police always arrived late. That was an absolute truth across all creative works, spanning all eras and countries.
'I guess I can take a little break now.'
"Situation concluded! Situation concluded! Confirmed the elimination of codename: Anomalous Gate Black Dragon. All monsters that breached the perimeter have been cleared."
"We found a casualty inside. Presumed to have been inside the gate."
"I'll cast a recovery skill first!"
"Please do."
"Uh, Captain! The casualty's condition is..."
The boy was smiling like a complete lunatic.
"Oh dear, looking at how he keeps grinning, his nerves must have been damaged. Let's move him to the hospital immediately."
—At around 3 AM today, an Anomalous Gate manifested in a residential area in Seoul. Thanks to the swift response of the police and the Inferno Clan, the situation was resolved with only about ten minor casualties...
Bleep— Bleep— Bleep— Bleep—
When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a white hospital room illuminated by bright fluorescent lights. Outside the window, the sun was rising, and the faint sound of a radio mixed with the chatter of nurses drifted in.
"Did you hear that patient only has a single page in his skill book, yet he actually went inside the gate?"
"I know, right? I heard the only skill he has is pretty pathetic, too."
"Is he just stupid, or is he recklessly brave?"
A single-page skill book. In the Korea of Awaken Hunter, that was practically treated as a socio-economic disability. It was natural that I looked reckless to them.
But still, that's a bit harsh. The damage was minimized because of me, you know. I worked my butt off in there; they could at least pamper me a little bit, couldn't they?
Well, they had no way of knowing, so I couldn't blame them.
'Judging by the surroundings, I’m definitely in a hospital.'
As I rolled my eyes around to scan the room, the nurse who was swapping out my IV bottle noticed and spoke up in surprise.
"Ah! Patient Kim Si-woo seems to have regained consciousness!"
"Your body isn't in perfect shape, but none of your injuries are life-threatening. For now, just rest, and we'll discharge you in two days."
The doctor delivered the clinical assessment in a dry, professional tone before stepping out of the room.
It seemed the [Inferno] Clan had found me right after I collapsed and rushed me straight here.
But two days from now? That was a problem.
The practical portion of the National Seoul Hunter Academy's entrance exam was only four days away. Even if I were in peak condition, passing with my original skill book would have been like reaching for the stars. Trying to take the exam in this battered state was practically suicide.
'This is going to be tough.'
The very first tutorial of the [Empty Skill Book] was to enroll in the Hunter Academy. Even if I now possessed the ability to acquire skills, it meant absolutely nothing if I still only had one page to engrave them on. In other words, I wouldn't be able to leverage the true power of the [Empty Skill Book] until after I passed the admission exam.
I clenched my fist.
"I still have to pull it off."
I had barely survived a brush with death to obtain this [Empty Skill Book]. I had to get into the academy by any means necessary and milk this ability for everything it was worth.
It was right at that moment, as I opened my skill book, that a sound rang out.
Charing—
[There is unverified information. Would you like to check it?]
[YES / NO]
"Unverified information?"
The text popped up like a system notification the moment the book opened. When I pressed YES, sentences began to print themselves out in mid-air.
[You have cleared the first tutorial: Obtain the 'Empty Skill Book'.]
[Reward: Your skill book pages increase by 1.]
[Reward: A skill is recorded based on your narrative.]
[You have obtained the skill: 'Blackout'.]
[Skill Details]
Skill Name: Blackout (암막)
Rank: D-rank
Skill Effect: Generates a dense, black smoke that envelops the user's surroundings.
Was it really okay for things to go this smoothly? I had literally just obtained the [Empty Skill Book], and it was already handing me a free skill. Talk about a generous system!
Owner: Kim Si-woo
Genre: Essay (수필)
Owned Pages: Two pages
Retained Skills:
Pathetic Strike — Lv. 2 (E-rank)
Blackout — Lv. 1 (D-rank)
The actual skill book materialized only after I had finished reading all the information. The new skill, [Blackout], had been successfully added to its pages.
"Blackout, huh..."
It was a skill that simply scattered black smoke in all directions. In the original novel, it was treated as a garbage-tier pull because no matter how much you trained it, all it ever did was spew smoke.
'Actually, this is perfect for me.'
The effect was simple and straightforward. It didn't require any special training to use, and its utility was incredibly high. More importantly, it was something I could immediately weaponize for the upcoming entrance exam.
To be honest, heading into the practical exam relying solely on [Pathetic Strike] was a massive gamble. But adding a smoke screen to my arsenal completely changed my tactical options. With this, passing wasn't entirely out of the question.
"But why 'Blackout'?"
According to the system text, [Blackout] was a skill manifested from my own narrative. Was it connected to the fact that the praying stone statue I destroyed had been blind?
'Or maybe it gave it to me because I spent the entire time running away?'
As if telling me to hide myself better next time. Honestly, that explanation felt a lot more convincing.
Knock, knock—
While I was lost in these idle thoughts, someone knocked on the hospital door.
The door clicked open, and a man dressed in a sharp black suit stepped inside. Adjusting his glasses, he spoke.
"Mr. Kim Si-woo. Have you recovered a bit?"
"Yes, thank you. But who might you be?"
As I eyed him with blatant suspicion, the man reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out a sleek business card, and handed it to me.
Ah, I see.
[Clan Inferno]
Since a massive gate had suddenly vanished into thin air, I fully expected them to come sniffing around to investigate.
The man smiled politely.
"My apologies for the late introduction. I am Kim Do-hoon, a hunter belonging to the Inferno Clan. Inferno is currently conducting an investigation under the commission of the Korean Hunters Association. Would you mind cooperating with us for a brief moment?"
Here it comes. The exact opportunity I couldn't afford to miss had just walked through the door.
The actual questioning didn't amount to much.
He asked standard, formal questions: why I was alone in that area, the environmental characteristics of the gate, the appearance of the monsters, and so on. The CCTV cameras around the area had apparently malfunctioned the moment the gate manifested.
Because of that, I played my part perfectly, adopting the stance of an innocent, helpless civilian who had accidentally gotten swept up in a gate disaster.
Naturally, I smoothly sidestepped or altered anything that could disadvantage me. The best lies are always neatly tucked behind truths, after all.
I also completely hid the fact that I had obtained the [Empty Skill Book]. There was no physical evidence anyway, and even if I claimed to have cleared the gate myself, no one would believe a word of it.
'Besides, if anyone finds out about an ability that completely removes the limits on skill book pages, there's no telling what kind of mess I'll get dragged into.'
Of course, I didn't forget to subtly slip them a few breadcrumbs regarding Lee Sung-hyun's actions.
Once the questioning wrapped up, the man who introduced himself as Kim Do-hoon gave a polite bow.
"Thank you for your cooperation. Once you are discharged, would it be possible for you to visit the Inferno headquarters as a reference for our investigation?"
There it was. That was likely the main event. Knowing Chairman Kang Young-ho's personality, he was undoubtedly suspicious of the situation. Summoning me to headquarters was definitely the Chairman's directive.
"Of course, we will provide compensation for your travel expenses and a consultation fee for your time."
A consultation fee?
My eyes lit up instantly.
"How much are we talking about?"
"Pardon? Ah, the fee? I can't give you the exact figure right now, but it will be a substantial amount."
"A substantial amount..."
My impression of the Inferno Clan was suddenly skyrocketing. As expected of Inferno! South Korea's number one clan! A global superpower expanding across the world!
I nodded with a bright smile.
"Understood. I'll head straight to the Inferno headquarters as soon as I'm discharged."
"Thank you. Once you arrive at headquarters, just give them your name at the front desk, and our staff will guide you."
Ah, financial compensation. What a beautiful ring to those words.
"Then, I shall take my leave now. I wish you a speedy recovery."
"Thank you very much."
Thanks to Chairman Kang Young-ho, it looked like my path to entering the academy was going to be a whole lot smoother. I bit the inside of my cheek, desperately holding back the massive grin threatening to split my face until the man finally left the room.