The World's First EX-Rank

Here was something I had never known before awakening:

Dungeons and the Tower? Clearing them was exhilarating enough, but sorting out the aftermath was every bit as thrilling.

Why? Because sifting through fresh loot was an absolute blast.

"Whew... just look at how much all of this is worth."

A single glance into my inventory laid out the entire haul. To think all of this had dropped in one fell swoop. Sure, it was an upper-tier A-rank dungeon, far beyond the reach of an ordinary strike team, but the simple fact remained: I had conquered it. And in just one hour and fifty-four minutes, no less.

"All of this in under two hours? Absolutely insane."

The realization hit me anew every single time. This was why the whole world sang the praises of Awakened hunters day and night. Before awakening, what was Kim Haun's occupation? A part-time convenience store clerk. My hourly wage? Fifteen thousand won. Busting my back for two solid hours yielded thirty thousand won at best... but now?

"How much is this even worth? The mana stones alone are two hundred million won... and factoring in the rest..."

Whew, my head spun just trying to tally it up. Well, it was bound to be an astronomical sum. After all, those materials were harvested straight from the carcass of a high-tier A-rank monster.

It was a scale I couldn't have fathomed in the past. When I had first awakened, scraping together a mere hundred mana stones had felt like an agonizing trial. And now? I was actually growing accustomed to these absurd numbers. While this had been my first A-rank dungeon, I had already run through several B-rank ones.

Just like that: seven hundred and twenty mana stones in thirty-seven minutes. That equated to thirty-six million won. At that rate, wasn't my hourly wage pushing nearly seventy million won?! Of course, that was purely theoretical math rather than cold, hard cash in hand, but the sheer potential was staggering all the same. Wouldn't an earning pace like this place me squarely in the top one percent of earners nationwide?

"Hmm... nah. With my bank account practically hollowed out, I'm nowhere near that kind of league."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Case in point: Kim Haun's current bank balance.

And believe it or not, this was actually an improvement. It had been sitting at 7.5 million won not long ago. After receiving my convenience store wages and covering basic living expenses, what remained was 8.3 million won. That was precisely why I couldn't bring myself to quit my part-time job.

What about other Awakened? Well, word on the street was that most folks tossed their resignations the moment their abilities manifested. In fact, seasoned hunters actively encouraged quitting right away. What was the saying again? That it was only a matter of time—once you got a taste of hunter money, you could never stomach ordinary labor again.

'Sure, but that's because those folks actually sell their mana stones...'

It was only natural. To regular hunters, mana stones served little personal purpose. They were treated essentially like stacks of raw banknotes. Oh, scholars often prattled on about the boundless applications of the energy housed within mana stones, but researching those miracles was the domain of highly educated academics. Frontline combatants simply dumped their hauls at market rates and cashed out.

As for Kim Haun? I hoarded every single one.

"Even if I wanted cash, I wouldn't sell a single stone."

Every last pebble had to be saved for the Arcana Market. Each stone represented divine elixirs, transcendent skills, and legendary artifacts waiting to be purchased—how could I possibly liquidate them for paper currency?

"Ah, wait. I couldn't even sell them if I wanted to."

To legally trade mana stones or monster materials on Earth, one had to be formally registered with the Awakened Management Bureau. Individuals operating outside that system were classified as 'unregistered Awakened'...

Yep. That would be me: unregistered Awakened Kim Haun.

Then again, did I really have any reason to register? Any rare crafting materials could be sold directly to the Arcana Market, and I had zero intention of parting with my mana stones. Unless registering offered some earth-shattering perk, why bother painting a target on my back? Unless an urgent need for massive sums of cash suddenly arose—which was practically impossible anyway.

The spending habits of twenty-three-year-old Kim Haun were modest to a fault. My only major out-of-pocket expenses were monthly rent and utility bills. Most of my meals consisted of expired convenience store bento boxes, supplemented roughly once a month by fried chicken and cold beer. Beyond that, my wallet stayed firmly shut.

So naturally:

"Hoarding them all again."

I had seen posts online about Awakened flaunting their wealth and flexing extravagant purchases. Flexing? What a joke. This was true luxury, true flexing. Just standing in the Arcana ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Market clutching a mountain of mana stones, debating what legendary treasure to purchase—I felt full without even eating. Pure dopamine, firing on all cylinders.

And then there were those transcendent skillbooks I had browsed before:

Just imagining the day I saved enough mana stones to purchase those made my eyes snap wide open in the dead of night. Though who knew when I would ever afford them?

"Forget it. Next time I stop by, I'll just ask for their prices."

Whether they cost supreme-grade magic stones or whatever else, you had to know the price tag before you could even dare to dream. Ah, and before aiming for the stars, I really needed to learn something other than Energy Bolt.

Energy Bolt? Sure, its raw firepower was spectacular, but the realization was slowly creeping in:

"It's just way too simple and brute-force."

Its tactical utility was shockingly narrow. Naturally, a spark of ambition was taking root. Wasn't it about time I picked up a more refined, higher-tier skill? Since the Arcana Market reportedly stocked everything under the heavens, I planned to scour the shelves for something decent.

"Alright, that takes care of the mana stones."

Next up were the materials: the wyvern heart and the twelve sheets of leather. No debate needed there; the Arcana Market would buy them right up. And without charging a single copper of commission fee, to boot.

And lastly...

"The skillbook, Dragon's Breath... What on earth should I do with this?"

I had looked up the skill's profile on hunter forums beforehand. A breath attack? From recorded footage, it looked like a supercharged, oversized flamethrower. Its destructive potency was definitely undeniable—even if it fell leagues short of my own Energy Bolt.

"No reason to bother learning an Earth skill when the Arcana Market is right there..."

Selling it was the obvious choice. But would Cassius even buy it? I would have to ask, though my gut said he would turn his stone nose up at it.

That was what he had declared so proudly. And the monstrous, sun-sized devastation of my Energy Bolt was proof enough. Wait a second. A sudden thought crossed my mind. If Earth's version of Energy Bolt differed so drastically from the Arcana Market's version... would the same hold true for Dragon's Breath?

<Of course it is different. What we handle is not derived from some pitiful wyvern, but an authentic red dragon thousands of years old—crafted with meticulous care by a Dragon Lord himself: the true Breath of Flames.>

Ah, so they actually had it.

"I'm guessing it's crazy expensive?"

<Hardly. A mere one thousand medium mana stones will suffice.>

'Hardly', my foot!

That was astronomical, you crazy golem!

The value of a medium mana stone: out on Earth, a single one was worth hundreds or thousands of times an ordinary stone. In the Arcana Market?

A clean 1,000 to 1 ratio.

Which meant one thousand medium mana stones amounted to...

"One million normal stones... Yeah, I'll pass."

Seriously, what kind of realm did Transcendents live in? Their units of currency were operating on an entirely different dimensional plane!

<As you scale your world's tower, the tier of mana stones you acquire will inevitably shift. You may covet it then.>

Oho... Climbing higher made that much of a difference?

In that case, what about that Luo Qin guy? Word was he had climbed all the way to the 66th floor. He had to be sitting on a gargantuan mountain of high-grade mana stones. Man, I was envious. Couldn't he spare a few stones after I had so generously yielded those divine blessings to him...?

"Fat chance."

As the old saying went: excessive greed invites divine retribution. Alright, let's keep things in check. I could just diligently scale the Tower and farm the stones myself.

For now—

"So, will you buy this skillbook off me?"

<Hmph... I must decline. Miscellaneous raw materials often find demand in artisan workshops, but a substandard skillbook like that is utterly worthless to us.>

Bummer. I had hoped for an effortless payout, but no dice. Well, no big deal. I had learned a skill specifically for situations like this.

A skill that allowed completely anonymous transactions. All I had to do was list it through that feature, and my troubles would be solved.

'It's guaranteed to sell anyway.'

Dragon's Breath was famously renowned—a Tier 1 core skill for fire-attribute Awakened. Naturally, the asking price would easily reach into the billions of won, which was only expected for a drop found exclusively in A-rank or S-rank dungeons.

"Understood for now."

<What? Did you not say you would sell the materials?>

"Ah... I'll sell everything in one go next time I visit."

Selling crafting materials, browsing the wares, doing some window shopping—there was plenty on my to-do list. But for now, heading back took priority.

Why?

Beep, beeeep—!

Because my shift at the convenience store was coming up fast. I needed to hurry back, register the skillbook on the auction house, and clock in... Busy, busy!

"Esse Change 1mg, please."

Beep!

"That'll be 9,000 won."

The greatest perk of working at a convenience store: while on the clock, you could train simultaneously. And the method was absurdly simple.

Fwoosh—!

Just like that. Tempering my physical vessel under the crushing weight of Deep Sea Pressure.

Tap, tap.

To any bystander, I looked like an idle clerk lazily tapping away at his smartphone behind the counter. In reality?

Creak—crunch.

'Aah... this is the stuff.'

Yes. Your entire frame had to scream under the agonizing strain for it to be true Deep Sea Pressure. A workout-obsessed friend of mine had once told me that unless it hurts, it doesn't count as exercise. Was this the kind of feeling he was talking about?

Still, work came first.

Chime—!

"Welcome."

A natural greeting, followed smoothly by prepping the register—service with a smile. Model employee material right here. Courteous, efficient, professional.

Not that customers usually replied. More often than not, they were preoccupied with their own conversations, just like the pair standing by the beverage cooler right now.

"I'm telling you, it makes zero sense! How does a Level 16 clear an A-rank dungeon? I'm on the 34th floor and I wouldn't dare dream of stepping inside one."

"You think ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you're alone? I'm on the 37th floor and I can't even touch B-rank dungeons..."

"To be fair, we're the normal ones."

Oh. Awakened, by the sound of it.

"No, but seriously, EX-jwa is on a completely different planet... How does someone even get that strong?"

"An A-rank guy I know trains every waking hour when he isn't sleeping. Puts in over ten hours of pure physical conditioning every single day. EX-jwa has gotta be an even bigger monster than that, right?"

Hmm... Training?

Well, I am training right now, actually.

Creak—crunch!

Of course, this wasn't a regimen just anyone could endure. A glorious shortcut training method exclusive to yours truly. Senior Mer had assured me that while it couldn't fully match the authentic trial on the 4th floor of the Tower of Transcendence, steady, consistent application would yield massive results over time.

"Maybe his talent is just operating on an entirely different dimensional axis. Feels like no one could catch up to him in ten lifetimes."

"Sigh... God, I'm so damn jealous."

It felt surreal overhearing total strangers discuss me out in public. Not an everyday experience by any stretch. But honestly? It didn't feel bad at all. Scrolling through online forums had made me realize one undeniable truth: deep down, I was a bit of an attention hound. Hearing folks sing my praises out in the wild was downright pleasant.

'Well, it'll probably quiet down for a while though...'

It wasn't like another catastrophic A-rank dungeon was popping up tomorrow, nor was a Special Dungeon on the immediate horizon. My plan was to keep my head down and quietly climb the Tower.

Ding—!

"Wait, dude! Holy crap, did you see this?!"

"What is it now? Stop freaking out."

"The US just made an emergency announcement! They're saying our EX-jwa should officially be recognized as the world's very first EX-Rank Awakened!"

...Huh?

An EX-Rank?