Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Skill Reinforcement
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Life in the training camp was incredibly grueling.
The instructors worked the trainees mercilessly.
If you didn't listen or failed to complete the training properly, they lashed out with violence at any moment.
Of course, even amid all that, there were those who received special treatment.
They were the ones with exceptional unique skills or who stood out with their superior combat sense.
Even for the same mistakes, the instructors were far more lenient with them.
And that wasn't the end of it.
They were pulled from the dorms where dozens lived together and assigned private rooms.
They could use hot water freely, and daily necessities were plentiful.
Not only that, but the quality of their meals was better too.
Because they got to eat at the instructors' exclusive cafeteria instead of the trainees'.
"I'm so jealous it's killing me."
"Why couldn't I get a good unique skill?"
"Because you lived such an ordinary life on Earth."
The players in the training camp envied those receiving special treatment.
After all, the most infuriating discrimination was in the basic things like eating, sleeping, and washing.
'What's so great about getting a leash put on you from the start?'
But Kang Hyun-soo was different.
Because he had been one of those players who received special treatment before his regression.
He knew not just the visible special benefits they got, but also the invisible special drawbacks.
Those scouted by the kingdom's army or major guilds from the training camp onward had shackles clamped on the moment they joined.
They lost their freedom.
'And in the end, they just became cannon fodder on the battlefield.'
If they truly had an extraordinarily special unique skill and combat sense?
They might rise from cannon fodder to a useful tool.
But no matter how hard they tried, becoming a guild executive was almost impossible.
Hwang So-uk was, in a way, an anomaly.
In just five years.
He hadn't stopped at rising from cannon fodder to a useful tool—he had even become an executive in a major guild.
'And later, he even took over as guild master.'
Hwang So-uk's life was practically a triumph of humanity.
A lowly guild member rising all the way to guild master.
'Not this time.'
Hwang So-uk didn't stick to honorable methods.
For his own success, he used every dirty, underhanded trick in the book.
And one of those sacrificed was Kang Hyun-soo before his regression.
'First, I'll take that unique skill of yours.'
Kang Hyun-soo diligently searched for Hwang So-uk.
And by rummaging through his memories from before the regression, he succeeded.
Hwang So-uk was smiling amiably, chatting with one trainee.
It looked like he was making a scouting offer.
Seeing that made his stomach boil.
'I want to kill him right now.'
Deep down, he wanted to charge in and tear Hwang So-uk's limbs apart.
'Patience.'
Kang Hyun-soo didn't have the power for that yet.
He had cleared all the tutorial achievements and gained great strength.
But killing Hwang So-uk, who had the skills to become a major guild executive, was still tough.
Even if he had the power to kill him, he had to hold back.
A trainee killing an instructor?
Death penalty the moment it was discovered.
'The reason I regressed isn't just for revenge.'
End the war.
Return to Earth and reunite with his family.
That was Kang Hyun-soo's ultimate goal.
'First, the skill. Replica.'
Kang Hyun-soo activated his Replica skill.
[Using unique skill Replica – E-Rank.]
[One stack is consumed.]
[Creating Replica of Swiftness – S-Rank.]
[Replica skill Swiftness – F-Rank has been created.]
[Replica skills possess 20% of the original's stats.]
The first try was, naturally, a failure.
But this was just the beginning.
'Replica, Replica.'
Kang Hyun-soo activated the Replica skill repeatedly.
He hadn't expected to snag Hwang So-uk's unique skill in one go anyway.
'It'll succeed eventually.'
As Replica's rank rose from F to E, the total stacks increased to eight.
The recharge time also shortened by one hour to seven hours.
If he kept trying while in the training camp?
He could definitely acquire Hwang So-uk's unique skill.
Hwang So-uk's seven skills were repeatedly copied and deleted by the Replica skill.
'Already the last one.'
Even though he thought he had time to spare, he felt anxious.
Only one stack remained.
'It's not just today.'
Kang Hyun-soo calmly cast the Replica skill on Hwang So-uk.
[Using unique skill Replica – E-Rank.]
[One stack is consumed.]
[Creating Replica of Skill Reinforcement – S-Rank.]
[Replica skill Skill Reinforcement – F-Rank has been created.]
[Replica skills possess 20% of the original's stats.]
'Success.'
He had finally obtained Hwang So-uk's unique skill, Skill Reinforcement.
A bright smile bloomed on Kang Hyun-soo's lips.
'Let's check it out.'
Kang Hyun-soo hurriedly reviewed the Skill Reinforcement info.
[Skill Reinforcement – F-Rank]
- Active skill
- Replica skill.
- Consumes experience to raise skill rank.
- Cooldown: 30 days
'As expected.'
It was the very skill that had made Hwang So-uk the strongest player.
Raising skill ranks isn't easy.
They rise relatively easily when low, but even reaching C-Rank is no small feat.
Especially for skills with long cooldowns, growth is even harder.
'Before the regression, it was pure hell.'
Replica at E-Rank had a whopping seven-hour stack recharge.
Even raising its rank only shaved off one hour per level.
Because of the long recharge, Kang Hyun-soo had struggled immensely to level up Replica before regressing.
'But with Skill Reinforcement, it's a different story.'
It lets you raise skill ranks by consuming experience.
Simply put.
'Hunting monsters alone raises skill ranks.'
While others exhausted every method and nearly died without progress, just hunting monsters could level up skill ranks?
It was an insanely overpowered skill.
But it had two fatal flaws.
'The cooldown is way too long.'
A full month.
Meaning you could only use Skill Reinforcement once per month.
'Raising its rank won't be easy.'
The cooldown would shorten as the skill rank rose.
But until then, one use meant waiting 30 days.
The second flaw was.
'Consuming experience drops your level.'
If your level drops?
The stats gained from previous level-ups reset.
'Classic high-risk, high-reward skill.'
You have to invest experience into skill rank-ups, slowing your level progression compared to others.
But if given enough time?
Raise essential skills to EX-Rank, then level up.
You'll be far stronger than same-level players.
'Hwang So-uk isn't fully developed yet.'
His Skill Reinforcement still being S-Rank was proof.
'You have to play it safe.'
Hwang So-uk never poured all his experience into Skill Reinforcement.
For example, if he was level 500?
He'd level up to 510 while the cooldown ticked.
Then pour in experience equivalent to about 10 levels.
Naturally, his overall growth was slower than others.
But his skill ranks advanced at overwhelming speed.
'I'll surpass him.'
There was a five-year gap.
But Kang Hyun-soo had the one-of-a-kind job, One-Man Squad.
The One-Man Squad job skill, Squad Composition.
'Squad Composition requires stats.'
During his 30 levels, Kang Hyun-soo had poured all 300 stats from level-ups into the Squad Composition skill.
In simple terms, his level was 30, but his stats were
the same as a level 30 player's.
Without the stats from titles?
Kang Hyun-soo would be no different from a player just starting the first tutorial—utterly insignificant.
'Skill Reinforcement's penalty is basically nothing to me.'
Its biggest drawback is losing stats from level-ups.
But Kang Hyun-soo had already spent all level-up stats on Squad Composition.
Aside from the level drop, there was no loss.
And crucially.
'Dropping levels is actually a gain for me.'
Whose level-up is faster?
A level 0 player's or a level 30 player's?
Obviously, even hunting the same monsters, a level 0 player's level-up is faster.
Whether level 0 becomes 30 or 1000 becomes 1030, the stats gained per level-up are the same.
Skill Reinforcement's penalty.
Squad Composition's penalty.
When these two high-penalty skills merge via Replica.
Their penalties create synergy instead.
'Let's do it.'
[Activating Replica skill Skill Reinforcement – F-Rank.]
[How much experience will you consume?]
'All the experience I have.'
With Kang Hyun-soo's choice, the Skill Reinforcement activated.
[Consuming all held experience to raise Replica – E-Rank's rank.]
[Skill Reinforcement has grown from F-Rank to E-Rank.]
[Unique skill Replica has grown from E-Rank to D-Rank.]
[Level has dropped to 0.]
"Kukukuku."
Laughter burst from Kang Hyun-soo's mouth.
Skill Reinforcement was just an F-Rank skill.
And a replica from E-Rank Replica, so it only exerted 20% of the original effect.
Yet it jumped Replica from E-Rank to D-Rank in one go.
And that wasn't all.
During use, the F-Rank Skill Reinforcement itself grew to E-Rank.
The reason was simple.
It consumed experience from a whopping 30 levels.
'The cooldown shortened too.'
Skill Reinforcement's 30-day cooldown dropped to 27 days.
'Replica is my foundation.'
With Replica reaching D-Rank, he could now make 7 replica skills.
Replica's effect rose from 20% to 40%.
Not only that?
Stacks increased to 12, and recharge time to 6 hours.
'First, grow Replica to EX-Rank.'
That was the primary goal.
Along the way, dump all vanishing stats into Squad Composition.
'Now the foundation is set.'
After regressing, Kang Hyun-soo had snagged the essential job and essential skill he aimed for.
But he wasn't one to settle for this.
'This is just the beginning.'
The special skills of the so-called strongest players.
He needed them all.
* * *
As the first week drew to a close.
Kang Hyun-soo met Song Ha-na.
The dorms were separated by training camp.
But the training followed the same curriculum.
Once adapted and oriented, there was no reason trainees couldn't meet.
"It's best to hide your abilities as much as possible. Or maybe even maintain below-average scores."
"Maintain below-average scores?"
"Yes."
"Got it. But can you explain why?"
Kang Hyun-soo smiled at Song Ha-na's question.
Her attitude—agreeing first then asking for reasons—was just too cute.
"Because the treatment and scouting conditions for those getting special treatment are too good."
"Is that a reason?"
Song Ha-na asked with a puzzled look.
The instructors fell into three groups.
Kingdom-affiliated, major guild-affiliated, mid-to-small guild-affiliated.
They were in competition with each other.
So she thought it made sense they'd put in that much effort to scout talented trainees.
"There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world."
That was a universal truth.
But few truly grasped it.
Most knew it intellectually.
But when it happened to them, they thought, 'I got lucky,' or 'I'm just that good.'
"The kingdom and guilds are like the government and private corporations back on Earth in Korea."
"I know that."
"But they're not really a proper government or corporations."
Far more ruthless and merciless.
"Would they make a deal that loses them money?"
No way.
They'd squeeze out more than they invested.
"Probably not."
Song Ha-na understood Kang Hyun-soo's point.
They weren't charity workers.
Nor did they have clean professional ethics.
In fact, though he hadn't told her.
Some kingdom army and major guild instructors had made covert deals to Song Ha-na.
Spend one night together, and they'd pull strings for her to join the kingdom army or a major guild.
Song Ha-na was a woman.
And a rare beauty.
She cleanly ignored those offers.
But other women accepted.
They felt secure, thinking their futures were guaranteed.
However, Song Ha-na believed the promises wouldn't be kept more often than not.
Even if kept, she had no intention of making such dirty deals.
"Let's do it with our own strength first. If it's too tough, we can join the kingdom army or a major guild then. With our skills, we can pick wherever we want anytime."
"You're right. I'll do as you say, Hyun-soo."
A satisfied smile bloomed on Kang Hyun-soo's lips at Song Ha-na's reply.