Chapter 7

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 7: Awakener Rank E (2)

[Infinite Stamina Level 1]

[Passive Skill]

[This is a core skill of Pollux during his demigod days, when he was aroused at the mere sight of someone wearing a skirt.

Your libido continuously rises.

You develop low aesthetic standards, finding any woman attractive regardless of looks.

You possess enhanced sperm capable of impregnating any female of any species in a single encounter.

Your testosterone levels qualitatively change.

When facing a female, your strength and agility are enhanced.

Due to your low rank, only 10% of the skill’s effects are applied.

The more women you embrace, the stronger the skill becomes.]

Why on earth is this ranked as an A skill...?

Sigh.

The stat boost against female opponents might come in handy.

Hmm… hmm.

Well, maybe the other effects could be useful someday… hmm.

[Aurelia laments that you won't even reach Rank D and downgrades the skill.]

[You acquired the Rank D skill “Danger Detection.”]

[Danger Detection Level 1]

[Passive Skill]

[Detects danger that the user cannot perceive.

Temporarily reddens your vision to warn of danger.

The part of your body about to be hit stings as a warning.]

Now this is good.

Very useful.

Opening the skill window, I was relieved to find an ON/OFF option for passive skills.

I decided to leave Danger Detection always ON, while Infinite Stamina…

“Randolph, can’t we choose again? Novice? Really?”

“This isn’t something we control, human miss. Wait until you reach Rank D.”

“Ah… My supervisor is going to kill me…”

A female employee, who had been pleading with a dwarf, walked away with a sulky expression.

She looked ordinary when I first saw her—neither pretty nor ugly, neither fat nor too skinny.

The perfect average for a South Korean woman.

Dark circles under her eyes, unevenly applied makeup, and slouched shoulders added to the impression of external factors weighing her down.

But looking at her now, for some reason, I suddenly felt a surge of heat.

My heart raced, and adrenaline pumped through my veins—not out of love, but out of a desire to conquer.

A sudden urge to act right there and then made me flinch.

“Jiho, let’s head downstairs.”

Her defeated expression.

The faint scent of her perfume.

Her average figure, which didn’t accentuate curves but had its own charm…

No.

This isn’t right.

Slap. Slap.

I slapped my cheeks.

“Jiho?”

“Just a moment.”

I immediately turned off Infinite Stamina.

Looking at her again, my mind calmed down completely.

What kind of god is Pollux, anyway?

Curious, the female employee asked in the elevator.

“Pollux? Now that you mention it, I overheard some first-generation Awakeners talking about him. They said he’s extremely sexist.”

“Sexist?”

“Apparently, when men rank up to E, they’re almost always given an F-rank stamina regeneration skill.”

“And women?”

“They usually get a baseline D-rank skill, tailored to their class.”

“So, he’s quite fond of women, huh?”

“Probably. I heard that, in Greek mythology, he impregnated a woman old enough to be his grandmother when he was barely a teenager…”

What a lunatic.

“And this guy is supposed to be a god of order…?”

[Pollux dismisses your comment, saying that men pursuing women is the natural order of things.]

Ugh.

He even counters something like that?

How far can he see, anyway?

With these questions swirling in my head, I descended to the first floor.

As soon as I got there, association staff surrounded me, berating me:

Why did I make such a choice?

Did I read about it online?

How could I throw away my chance to be the top prospect of the 13th generation?

Who would accompany me to E-rank dungeons now?

They hounded me for an hour, even though I said I was going home.

Exhausted and feeling empty, I just wanted to open the strategy guide.

When I got home, I sat at my desk and pulled out the guide.

[Congratulations on your upgrade to Rank E.

You probably didn’t choose a class... Things are going to get really tough now.

I chose the Warrior class and started soloing from Level 12, but if you’re a Novice, solo play might be impossible even after Level 20.]

So he chose the Warrior class, huh.

Sneaky bastard.

[The association runs a program to help E-rankers adapt to dungeons. For about a week, an E-rank Hunter will accompany you in dungeons. Make full use of this. After that, rely on Jinseong’s help.

And... use your father’s compensation money to gear up. Absolutely. No excuses.]

The last line made me close the guide and sigh.

Use the compensation money?

Did I really write this?

That’s my father’s money—how can I just use it however I want?

I flipped to the next section.

[Of course, I know what you’re thinking. Father… You’ll meet him again. It’s a bit in the future, but yeah. Haha. Spoiling myself is amusing. Anyway, don’t worry and use the money. Focus on reaching Rank D first.

If you clear E-rank dungeons well, you’ll easily make back 300 million.]

…Huh?

Father will come back?

I swallowed hard.

Father.

After my mother ran off with some loser when I was in middle school, Father was the one who raised me, both financially and emotionally.

He was my most precious family.

On June 14 last year, just three weeks after the monster incidents began, the world was still in chaos.

I had recently finished my military service, declared that my current university life was going nowhere, and decided to prepare for the civil service exam.

I was smitten with a High Elf giving a speech at the UN and had set her as my computer wallpaper.

Father told me he was going on a business trip and to take care of myself while he was gone.

But he never came back.

The government said he had been sent on a classified mission and disappeared during it.

They told us he died in action and handed over 300 million won in compensation.

When I asked to at least see his body, they claimed it couldn’t be recovered due to the classified nature of his mission.

What a load of crap.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

They deleted any posts I made online.

No one cared about my one-man protests.

For the past year, I immersed myself in anything related to Awakeners, hoping to find a connection.

But as an individual, there was nothing I could uncover.

I’d mostly given up by now, though.

There was nothing I could do alone.

The only way I held onto my pride was by refusing to touch the 300 million won compensation.

“Well… except for using it to pay the deposit on a one-room in Noryangjin and living off the national merit pension.”

I knew in my head.

Father was gone.

But now, the guide said he’d come back?

He’s alive?

Kim Jiho.

That’s what my future self said.

Is it… really true?

It must be true.

It has to be.

I believe you, Jiho.

You wouldn’t joke about Father.

This time, I’ll truly believe… Jiho.

After reading the guidebook, my mind went blank.

When I came to, it was already 9 p.m.

June 12.

Two days from now marks the day I last saw Father.

Guess I should go clean up the family home in Yongin after a long time.

Ring, ring, ring.

My phone rang. I checked the caller ID.

[Lee Jinseong.]

Back in the country?

"Yeah, Jinseong."

- Hey, I’m back.

"How’s Hawaii? Nice waters?"

- Man, they just had us train the whole time. Why even bother going to Hawaii?

"Are you a baseball player? If you're going on training camp, just go to Guam."

- Exactly. They called it a rookie hunter workshop in Hawaii, so I was looking forward to it. But they confiscated our phones for two weeks and put us through hardcore training. It was insane. Honestly, I seriously considered quitting the guild.

"They even took your phone? No wonder it was off. By the way, I’ve become a hunter."

- Oh, really? So you're part of the 13th wave of hunters? Congrats. You know I’m from the 11th wave, right? Show some respect to your senior. We’re two batches apart now.

"Yeah, but we’re both still E-rank."

- What?! You’re bluffing. Nobody reaches E-rank in just ten days. Even I took a month to get there, and that was fast. Next time, make your lies believable.

"Want me to send a picture of my hunter ID?"

- What the… You’re serious? I won’t believe it until I see it with my own eyes. Anyway, let’s grab a drink two days from now—celebrate your promotion and my return.

"Ah, that day’s the anniversary of Father’s disappearance. I was planning to clean up the house."

- Oh… Right. It’s been a year already. Then let’s clean the house together and catch up.

"Alright. See you at the Yongin house the day after tomorrow."

- Got it.

Lee Jinseong, my childhood friend since elementary school.

We went to elementary, middle, and high school together.

Though we parted ways during college, whenever he returned home, we’d always drink together.

Two months ago, he awakened as a hunter and has been busy ever since.

He quickly rose to E-rank warrior status and joined one of the top corporate-affiliated guilds under Seomsang Group, even going to their Hawaii workshop.

Despite his complaints, he’s one of the most diligent and hardworking people I know.

Since we’re so close, I’m sure he’d help if I asked him for support as the guidebook suggested.

But without overlapping stats, there’s no need to throw away my pride… for now.

We’ll just tackle a dungeon together someday.

"Hey, there’s nothing to clean in this house."

"Well, there’s nothing here to mess up. Just dusting, really."

"Let me see that ID. Whoa, it’s real?"

Standing there was Lee Jinseong, a macho guy with a shaved head, bulging muscles, and a tight blue tank top.

Even before becoming a hunter, he was fit, but now he looked like a bodybuilder on steroids.

"Man, I’ve got the lean muscles girls love, but you look grotesque."

"Idiot. The real connoisseurs prefer me. Don’t even compare your scrawny muscles to mine. Ever trained at the association gym?"

"Yeah, I go all the time."

"Those female trainers there are pretty, huh? Five of them asked for my number. It’s so annoying getting calls."

Ugh.

Only three trainers ever asked for mine.

I lost…

"So, what were you planning to do after cleaning the house?"

"Not much. Just came by since it’s been a year. Figured I’d drink a little."

"You sure you’re okay?"

"I’m fine. Besides, Father’s not dead. Let’s drink. Go grab some soju and beer. I’m opening Father’s favorite whiskey."

"You said it, not me. You’re the one breaking out the whiskey. I’m totally innocent here."

"Hurry up and get the booze."

One glass after another, we drank.

Ordered chicken, then pizza.

Awakened hunters don’t get drunk easily, so we mixed soju and beer, whiskey and beer… over and over.

I told Jinseong everything that had happened since my awakening, except for the second status window and the existence of the guidebook—there was no way to explain those convincingly.

When I mentioned choosing the Novice class, he waved it off, calling me a liar.

He genuinely didn’t believe me.

Four hours later, the house was a mess—littered with bottles, pizza boxes, chicken boxes, and snack wrappers.

"Hey, we came to clean, not turn the place into a dump."

"Yeah… How did we end up eating so much?"

"Alright, be honest. The Novice thing’s a lie, right? You’re drunk; you can’t lie well now."

"I’m serious. Look, here’s my status window."

I activated the first of my two status windows—the one aligned with the Order faction—and showed it to Jinseong.

He stared at it, eyes wide.

"Hey… What’s with these garbage stats? And no class? Are you insane?"

"I have grand plans, man."

"Grand plans, my ass! You’re doomed. I’m dragging you into a dungeon every time I’m off duty. With these stats, no party will take you."

"I think I can handle soloing. I tried yesterday, but the association wouldn’t let me for a month. And they didn’t even assign an E-rank hunter to train me. Such a waste of my double EXP buff."

"With those stats, you’re not soloing for two or three months. You’ll die."

"You said dying wasn’t real."

"The pain is. I’ve seen people turn into wrecks. This isn’t a joke."

"Fine. I’ll prove my skills tomorrow. Let’s hit a dungeon together, and I’ll show you."

"This lunatic… With 8, 7, 7 stats? Why did you allocate them like this? Man, going to Hawaii was pointless. My friend’s a disaster now. If this were a game, your character would be deletion-worthy."

I’d used my promotion stat points to reach 8, 7, 7, with a Luck rating of D.

Jinseong kept calling me trash and worrying about my future.

But the next day, after tackling a dungeon together, his tune changed completely.

"You… How are you this strong?"

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]