Kicked Out of the Guild Without Knowing I Was EX-Class

Money. Nothing but money. That damn money.

In my life as Ahn Humin, money had always been the core problem from the moment I was born.

The instant I came into the world, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my parents divorced and abandoned both me and my older sister over money. Because I lived with my grandfather in a decrepit old house, kids my age mocked me relentlessly, calling me a beggar. If there was something I wanted to wear, eat, or own, giving up on it was simply a given. Realizing that money ruled the entire world was something I managed to do by the ripe old age of ten.

So I decided to risk my life. No—I had to risk it.

With nothing learned and nothing possessed, the only way for someone like me to earn an honest living and make more than others was this single path.

Fortunately, I had been born with the awakening factor. Only humans who possessed it could awaken as Hunters by using an Awakening Stone.

That was why I gave up on university, stubbornly persuaded my grandfather and sister, dropped out of high school, and at nineteen years old finally entered the White Dragon Guild as a trainee. While others were still entering training centers, I would climb the Tower right away and earn money that much faster.

Hunting monsters alongside comrades and ascending the Tower would finally drown me in the very money that had tormented my entire life. After all, the Tower was a place that guaranteed wealth and fame as long as you didn’t die.

After a full year of brutal suffering, I finally graduated from the basic training center. Now I would receive my awakening, train for another three months at the specialized center, and then get deployed into the Tower in earnest.

“Trainee 216. Step forward.”

“Yes!”

My gaze dropped.

The Awakening Stone.

All I had to do was place my hand on it and consent to the awakening. Then I, too, would be reborn as a proper Hunter capable of conquering the Tower.

I forced my pounding heart to calm and laid my hand on the Awakening Stone.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

I nodded with a grave expression at the female administrator from the Management Bureau who oversaw trainee awakenings.

“Then we’ll begin.”

The Awakening Stone began to hum, resonating with my soul.

What rank would it be? What class?

Please let it be S-rank. Please, S-rank, S-rank!

I didn’t mind what class it was. Combat styles suited me well, but magic was fine too. I could simply study and train hard. The real issue was the rank. That was not something effort could overcome.

No matter how hard you tried, a fixed rank could never be changed. Naturally, I was aiming for S-rank. Even in South Korea, S-rank Hunters were extremely rare and received the best treatment everywhere they went.

Of course SS-rank and SSS-rank existed above that, but those were practically in the realm of miracles, so I didn’t even dare dream of them.

If not S-rank, then A-rank… At the very least, give me B-rank so I can become a core member of a guild…!

Even B-rank would let me live in a luxury apartment with a Han River view and drive two or three foreign cars without envying anyone. For the current me, that was nothing short of a fantasy.

While I was lost in those various dreams, the Awakening Stone finally began to emit light.

The light from the Awakening Stone was a soft, pale white. The meaning of that color was…

“I’m sorry. You’re E-rank.”

“……”

E-rank.

Not B-rank, not even C or D. E-rank. A failure grade that was utterly useless no matter what class came with it—just slightly better than an ordinary person, incapable of contributing any real combat power. In a way, it was a garbage rare rank as hard to pull as S-rank. That was why the employee had apologized.

The words “E-rank” meant, in other words…

“I regret having to tell you this, Trainee Ahn Humin.”

And just like that, I was expelled from the White Dragon Guild.

I packed my belongings and left the training center in a complete daze. No despair, no regret, no sorrow—nothing. Just emptiness.

I headed to the nearest motel and rented the cheapest room available. In the dark space with the lights off, I lay on the bare floor without even spreading out bedding and stared blankly at the ceiling.

“Why the hell am I like this…”

I thought I had worked hard. I believed I had given it my all. Yet this was the result.

No matter how desperately I risked my life, were luck and the heavens ultimately on the side of those who already had everything? Was there no answer for a pathetic bug like me except to be thrown away and die?

“Haha…”

A dry laugh slipped out. It felt absurd that I actually felt relieved even in this situation.

When others rested, I trained to become even a little stronger. When others slept, I secretly trained to pull even a little ahead. Holidays? I never even dreamed of them. I told myself that once I earned a fortune and started living well, I could catch up on all the rest I had missed. I had whipped myself with that promise.

I never imagined the rest I had postponed to the future would arrive this soon…

Suddenly the ceiling blurred. I covered my face with both hands, trying to pull myself together, but the more I tried, the harder the disobedient tears poured down.

“Aaaaaaaaagh…!!”

In the end, I cried until the burning lump inside me subsided and my heart finally grew calm.

How much time had passed?

The world outside the window was pitch black; I must have cried myself to sleep. My heart had steadied, and the tears had stopped. Instead, the miserable reality of my situation now pressed down on me like a heavy weight.

“What am I supposed to tell Grandfather and my sister when I go back?”

Fuck. E-rank… If it had been D-rank at least, I could have forced my way into a small or medium guild somehow. If that failed, I could have applied for an entry-level field position ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at the Management Bureau.

Now that I think about it, I was so out of it I didn’t even check my status.

It probably wouldn’t mean much, but I was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠still curious what class I had received. Since it was E-rank anyway, whatever I got wouldn’t matter, but it was still my first and last awakening.

“Status window.”

“……”

Was I still half-asleep? I rubbed my eyes and headed to the bathroom. After a cold shower, I checked the status window again with a clear mind, but…

“No, I didn’t see it wrong…”

What was this? Why? How was this possible? It said E-rank, right? I clearly saw the Awakening Stone glow white. That was unmistakably E-rank.

What I couldn’t believe was the number of traits.

Ranks E through A had no traits. S-rank received one, SS-rank received two, and SSS-rank could have up to three. Yet I had six. Six!

An E-rank nobody possessed six traits when even SSS-rank could only have three. On top of that, each trait was cheat-level powerful. It made me seriously doubt whether this was truly E-rank.

“By the way, what kind of class is Apprentice Priest of Nyx?”

I searched for “Nyx” on my phone.

Daughter of primordial Chaos, goddess of night and rest. She had given birth to countless gods, including those of light and day. The names in my traits belonged to the children she had borne.

So I’ve become the apprentice priest of this incredible goddess?

Why?

Awakening was resonance with the soul. The Awakening Stone resonated with a person’s soul and granted the class that best matched it. Somehow, this was what I had received.

I didn’t know the reason, but this was clearly not ordinary. If nothing else, I could easily deduce that I was absolutely not a normal E-rank.

“Skill card check.”

I immediately examined the skill cards. Skill cards were the power-growth system given to Hunters like skill points upon leveling up. Each level granted five randomly selectable skill cards; you chose one and discarded the rest. This rule was the same for every Awakened from E-rank to SSS-rank.

But it seemed the rules were different for me.

In the early stages, a stable summoning tree would be best. It has Death and Undead tags, so Thanatos’s Baptism should apply as well.

I selected the Minion of the Underworld skill card, but the moment I did—

The chosen card slid aside, and an entirely new set of five skill cards appeared before my eyes.

So that’s how it works.

I still had a refresh left, so I clicked it. The five cards refreshed, revealing a new set.

The first card I chose—Minion of the Underworld—did not reappear. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠It seemed once a skill card was selected, it would not show up again. But that didn’t really matter.

Normally, you could only choose one skill card per level. Thanks to my trait, however, I could choose two. On top of that, the refresh trait that no one else had increased my chances of drawing the skills I needed or wanted. That meant I could grow even stronger.

I already took a summon skill, so I should go with the Intellect passive here.

Since Minion of the Underworld scaled with intellect and my class appeared to be magic-oriented, investing heavily in intellect early on made sense. The reason Hunters could hunt giant monsters, fly over buildings, and display superhuman strength was largely due to these stat-related passive skills.

Of course, the growth difference between ranks was enormous even with the same passive. Still, passive skills were just as important as the active skills tied to your class.

No reason to hesitate, then. Let’s head straight to the Tower.

I quickly packed my things and left the motel. If it seemed too dangerous after testing the waters a little, I could just run. That was possible on the first floor, which was basically the beginner zone.

I tried to calm my excited heart and headed for the Tower.