Unprecedented Rookie (3)

What the hell is all this?

-Isn't it amazing? That's the power of Boost! I actually knew someone who had this trait. He entered the Tower later than the Rankers, and joined the Vanguard in no time! And above all, the fact that it affects your Species Grade is just insane!

Species Grade? Why does that matter?

-Ah, right. No one's gotten past 9th Grade yet at this point, have they? Species Grade represents a person's "caliber," see.

Caliber?

-Yeah. Caliber. Humans start at 9th Grade, but other "species" are different. That fairy you just took down? At least 6th Grade.

With that explanation, Eunho understood what the grades meant.

So it measures a species' potential—or strength, something like that.

-Exactly. That doesn't mean all of humanity needs to qualify for 8th Grade before you can advance, though. See those decimal points? Fill them all up and you'll cross into 8th Grade. That's when things really begin.

Eunho checked the Species Grade on his status window.

0.238%.

He still had a very long way to go.

-Don't worry. With you, Eunho, you'll fill it up in no time and then some!

Regressor Arin clenched both fists and beamed at him. Her expression pulled an involuntary grin out of him.

Yeah. Let's fill it up fast.

-Oh, and when your Species Grade advances to the next stage, your body changes.

Changes? You mean like, my arms grow longer or something?

-Nothing that grotesque. How should I put it... hmm. You know how in martial arts novels they talk about marrow-cleansing rebirths? It's like that. Your muscles and skeleton, your ligaments, even the meridians throughout your body—everything transforms so completely that "evolution" ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠is really the only fitting word.

Only then did Eunho grasp the true potential this Boost held.

Not just Species Grade, but stats, skill proficiency, even trait mastery. All of it, tripled?

This is absurd.

Granted, he'd had to beg for some of these rewards(?), but he genuinely felt grateful to the Unprecedented Rookie achievement.

And thanks to it, I know how to use the achievement now, too.

Irregular, though—that one still left him completely in the dark about its purpose.

I'll figure it out in time.

There was still room to spare. A regressor had to have a reason for returning to the past—and the era she'd lived through was six years from now. That meant there was plenty of what you could call time left.

Just then, the present-day Arin spoke up.

"All done?"

"Yeah. Got something good."

"Congratulations."

Plain, simple words. But he knew that was her own particular way of congratulating him.

Regressor Arin, however, was another story.

-Tsk tsk. You've got to open up your face more! Have you never heard of a smile? A smile? A face like hers would look ten times better with just the slightest smile, so why is she scowling?

Why are you picking on the girl?

-Because she's me, obviously? And honestly, you think she's pretty too, don't you, Eunho? Hmm? Right? Right right right?

Regressor Arin kept sidling up and poking him in the ribs with her elbow. Poke, poke.

Eunho coughed once and turned his gaze to Arin.

Well... she is pretty.

Her beauty was already famous far beyond the academy—rumors of her had spread across all of Korea. It was only natural. The outstanding trait Savior Saintess, top-tier talent, and the beauty to back it all up—how could she not be famous?

That was simply how the age of great climbers worked.

And if he absolutely had to name another example... oh. Look at that guy over there, glaring at him with everything he's got.

Eunho met the bulging eyes of Doochang, glaring at him as if to challenge him to a staring contest. For the record, eyes like ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that didn't deserve the dignified term "eyes." Those were just eyeballs. They looked ready to bite someone at any moment.

"What."

Had he never imagined Eunho would speak first? A flicker of panic crossed Doochang's face.

Regardless, Eunho strode right up to him and looked him dead in the eye.

"If you've got something to say, say it to my face. Don't go whispering behind ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my back and getting others to do it for you, like before."

At Eunho's words, Doochang's complexion recovered. He shook off his fluster and put on his usual air of cold indifference—a chill less like ice and more like a snake's.

"When did I ever? You got any proof?"

"Pathetic, Doochang."

A grin spread across Eunho's lips. But his eyes weren't smiling.

Cracks ran through Doochang's composure. Like scales peeling away, his pupils began to tremble, little by little.

Wh-what's with those eyes...?!

Eunho himself didn't realize it, but the backlash from moments ago had burst the blood vessels in his eyes, leaving them rimmed in red.

And on top of that, there was the four-pupil shimmer that never appeared in his everyday life—only, without his meaning it to, whenever he got angry.

It was a gaze more than sufficient to inspire dread.

And Doochang didn't know it, but Eunho's mana had already settled faintly over everyone around them. So faint, so very thin, that no one could sense it.

Mana steeped in spiritual power, restraining the graduated cadets as if binding them in place.

Eunho's eyes were fixed on Doochang alone, yet somehow, in that moment, every single one of them felt his gaze aimed at themselves.

Then, a window floated up before Eunho's eyes.

What?

Eunho was briefly taken aback, but unwilling to surrender the initiative, he swallowed his surprise and steadied his emotions. Once his mind had settled, he pulled up a separate status window, and a new pane unfolded before him.

There, in what had until now been truly blank skill slots, sat the freshly created skills.

An unexpected windfall, huh?

He simply hadn't liked the way this guy looked at him.

Since their academy days, Doochang had subtly egged on the people around him, provoking them into picking fights with Eunho—and Eunho knew exactly why. So he'd figured, perfect timing, let's set the record straight while he was at it. Who would have guessed? The side income turned out to be far too sweet.

Eunho raised his hand and activated the newly minted skill, Intimidation.

The mana gathered near his heart flowed out at high speed. The circuitry was not complex, and so the time it took to gather in his grip was short. Setting raw power aside for the moment, this was mana handling built entirely around speed.

"Doochang."

Kuuwoong—!

He'd merely raised his hand, yet Doochang's face contorted in a deep grimace, as though a massive boulder were pressing down on him.

Skill: Intimidation. It worked better than expected.

"I know exactly what you did. And yet there's not a shred of proof, is there. Count yourself lucky."

Eunho smiled. To Doochang, somehow, that smile looked only terrifying.

"From now on, stay out of my sight as much as possible. Got it?"

"Y-yes..."

Convinced it was finally over, Doochang turned and shuffled away. His footsteps trailed with all manner of emotion shadowing them—haste, humiliation, bewilderment.

"Oh, wait."

Jolt!

At Eunho's voice, Doochang flinched hard. He had no idea why his own body was doing that.

"Doochang, come to think of it, I didn't get very many coins. That gorilla would definitely have paid out on a tiered scale by results. Right?"

When Eunho turned his head and asked, Arin nodded.

"Yeah. I got a pretty generous share."

"There you have it. So, Doochang. Let's call it compensation. How much you got?"

Doochang's eyes squeezed shut.

"Th-that is..."

"No, never mind. I'll just take whatever you think you owe me. Exactly as sorry as you are—that's all I'll take. You're happy, I'm happy. What's not to like?"

Eunho's head turned.

"Some of the rest of you aren't exceptions either. I remember every single one of your faces."

The corners of Eunho's mouth were still turned up.

But his eyes still weren't smiling.

Eunho tossed the leather pouch in his hand up and caught it, up and down, over and over. Each time, the weighty coins inside jingled and rang out a pleasing sound.

"Would you look at how heavy this is. How much is all this?"

And this was only what he'd shaken down from the ones who had actively wronged him—the ones who picked fights and sneered. He was human too, after all. Whether it was simple disregard, or a distaste for stooping to their petty provocations—whatever the reason, he hadn't touched anyone who'd done him no harm.

Sorted, separated, and narrowed down, the money extracted from those who'd harmed him came to nearly ten thousand coins.

Is there anything worth buying separately at the Unmanned Shop? Any recommendations?

-Hmm. Potions are probably your best bet? I was specialized toward support rather than ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠healing, so...

Regressor Arin stole a glance at her present-day self.

-Should I start steering her down a different path?

Is there really a need? You chose that path because you thought it was the one you were best at, didn't you?

-That's... true, but...

Then just keep going as you are. If it ever bothers you, we can talk about it later.

-Got it!

Walking along to the bright lilt of Regressor Arin's voice, Eunho soon caught sight of Start Village on the 1st Floor. But just then, the present-day Arin suddenly let out a shriek.

"What? What's wrong?"

"E-Eunho... your stream is on!"

"Huh? Streaming?"

Eunho tilted his head and fiddled with his status window.

Climbers couldn't return to Earth except during set periods. Streaming was their only window into the outside world's affairs—and at the same time, humanity's way of seeing how far the Tower had been conquered, and how much labor the climbers poured into it.

The moment Eunho entered the detailed menu of his status window and tapped Streaming—

Glowing red, the letters shimmered there, staring back at him.

"Huh?"

The moment he looked at the broadcast, Eunho's eyes went wide. The viewer count was far higher than he'd imagined.

Like an open arena, the chat window had erupted into people picking fights over absolutely nothing and going at each other. Eunho stared at the dizzying wall of text and forced open his hanging jaw.

"Everyone. Why are you watching my stream?"

Reading the last comment, a curse finally slipped from Eunho's mouth.

"Dammit, shit..."

He'd gone and spectacularly torched his image on the very first stream.