That hunched-over man who looked like he'd been worn down by adversaries of life had a failed-to-obtain SS-rank skill!

Just from looking at the name, it had to be a special skill related to production. Unbelievable, the skill for equipment crafting hasn't appeared even five years from now. To think that I would see that here.

Special skills were already rare, but they became almost extinct after the Awakening Centers were established. This was because the Awakening Center’s Awakening method was to battle in a virtual reality. Later, virtual realities for healer use were made, but that was it.

That was why 70% of people who awakened through the Awakening Center had combat skills and 29% healing ones. The remaining 1% were mostly combat assistance skills as well, and special skills were about one in a million.

‘Anyway, this is amazing. Really amazing!’

There was an issue of having to say the damn Keyword to help that guy, but it was too much of a waste to give up. I decided to at least introduce myself, so I was going to chase after the man who was moving away in the opposite direction.

*Thunk*

The scruff of my neck was grabbed. That guy Sunghan handled me as if I were some damn puppy, picking me up and pulling me away, commenting with an irritated tone.

“Where are you going again? Without saying anything.”

Do I have to report everything to him? I feel like a five-year-old who went out to buy groceries with his mom.

“It’s just… I thought I saw someone I knew. I wanted to say hi.”

So let me go already. When Sunghan finally let go of me, muttering that I should speak up beforehand in the future, the guy who failed to acquire the SS-rank skill had already moved much further away.

No, wait up.

“Hey! Myeongwoo!”

I yelled hard. Yoo Myeongwoo, who was about the turn around the corner, stopped in surprise and turned his head.

I put on a welcoming expression and walked over to him in big strides.

“You’re Myeongwoo, right? Yoo Myeongwoo. It’s been so long!”

As I made a fuss and pretended I knew him, Yoo Myeongwoo was taken aback and tried to recognize me. Of course, even if he tried, he wouldn’t know me. We've never met before in our lives.

“Uh… Who was it again? Sorry, but I don't remember…”

It’s okay. I don’t remember you either.

“You don’t remember? It’s Han Yoojin, Yoojin.”

“…Sorry. I really don’t remember.”

“It’s been too long, so it’s understandable. I wasn’t sure either. Have you been well? Did you also Awaken?”

As I spoke, lightly hitting Yoo Myeongwoo’s shoulder, he put on a bashful expression.

“Yeah. I’m F-rank, though.”

“Both stats and skills?”

“My skills are E-rank… but not enough to go into a dungeon. I just came to get the subsidy.”

A faint smile flickered across Yoo Myeongwoo’s face. Even at a glance, it seemed like he was struggling to survive.

“I’m FE too! But still, we both can get a Hunter Licence, right? Better than FF.”

I whispered the last part. At my words, Yoo Myeongwoo brightened up a bit.

“Since you’re FE, did you apply for the basic program?”

At my question, he shook his head.

"No, I didn't. The training might be free, but I would still have to pay for a week's lodging… The basic program doesn't provide subsidies, and considering my stats, it seems difficult to tackle dungeons. So, I thought I might as well look for a job during that time."

I remembered the me from before the regression. If it weren't for the debts, I might have just given up being a hunter and jumped into the job market like everyone else. It was really foolish to try dungeon raiding with only E-rank buff skills.

So I… I sold out the name of the Haeyeon Guild Leader to recruit party members. It was practically a scam, and naturally, my reputation hit rock bottom. Back then, instead of helping, Yoohyun just scolded me a lot, saying I was leeching off others.

I should reflect on that. I shouldn't do that again… But even now, I was still spewing lies left and right. But this was to help us get along, so it should be okay!

“Still, it’s a waste. Do you want to get training with me at the guild I’m in?”

“Huh? You're in a guild—”

“Han Yoojin-ssi.”

Kim Sunghan, who had been quietly standing a bit apart from us, cut in with a frown. Yoo Myeongwoo, who had only just noticed him, shrunk his neck like a frightened turtle.

“Rookie Hunter training is only available to guild members.”

“Ah, can't we make an exception for just one person? And his personality is good. Kind-hearted and really good with his hands.”

He was like this because he didn’t know, but that Myeongwoo guy was really something. He was a total gem, but I couldn’t explain it.

“But—”

“Then I’ll ask Yoohyun, and if he says no, I’ll give up.”

As I reached for my phone, Kim Sung-han seemed flustered.

“He might be busy!”

“If he doesn't pick up, I'll call back later—”

[What's up? Is the Awakening registration over?]

Yoohyun picked up the phone after just two rings. He was fast.

“Oh, yeah, it's over. I even bought contracts. But could my friend also participate in the Haeyeon Guild’s rookie Hunter training?

[A friend? Moreover, getting hunter training?]

“Wouldn’t receiving it be better? You never know.”

[Hmm. Got it. I’ll send out a word. Will you be back soon then?]

“Where else would I go after someone's emptied out my house?”

Yoohyun laughed. Don’t laugh, you brat. If you broke even one cup, I’ll file for compensation… or rather, I’ve already gotten a billion won.

“It’s fine, right?”

I looked up at Kim Sunghan after hanging up the phone. His unhappy expression was obvious but he didn’t say anything and took a few steps back.

“Um, about the Haeyeon Guild’s guildmaster, how do you…”

“He’s my younger brother.”

Yoo Myeongwoo’s eyes filled with awe and envy. Our Yoohyun is quite something, huh, hehe.

“If you complete the rookie training in a guild instead of the Association, it’s a lot easier to find party members. For F-rank rookie dungeons stats and skills are mostly the same, so experience is the most important. What initial skills did you get?”

“Whetstone. It can raise the sharpness of bladed weapons by 2%.”

“A weapon buff skill, huh? That's somewhat vague. Still, you can manage up to D-rank dungeons with just equipment. Should I lend you one?”

If you plastered C-Rank equipment on yourself, F-Ranks could go around E-Rank dungeons. I've ventured into D-grade dungeons as an F-grade myself. Almost got killed by Lauchitas, though.

But starting from C-grade dungeons, it becomes difficult to cover with equipment alone.

“E-equipment…?”

Yoo Myeongwoo had an astonished expression. Well, for Hunter equipment, even F-rank ones went for hundreds of thousands of won. To depend on equipment, you had to wear one that was higher than your own rank, and only then could you beat a dungeon as easy as breathing.

For example, I spent a few hundred million just buying equipment today alone.

Given that I offered to lend it without hesitation, it was natural for him to be surprised. I flashed my best people-pleasing smile.

“I can’t go into dungeons often anyways. It'd be a shame to just leave it unused, right? I’m just lending you something that’s idle so don’t worry about it.”

“But… I, I can't even remember you properly…”

“You have nothing to worry about! Besides, you're a good guy. A really good guy.”

He was a talent whose skill was good enough to have two S’s. If Yoo Myeongwoo’s skills were to be revealed, then who would care about a few pieces of equipment? People from all over the world would come rushing in with contracts packed with all sorts of incredible conditions.

“At least, I think you are definitely worth receiving this kind of treatment, so just accept it. There’s nothing bad about it, right?”

“R-Really…”

Yoo Myeongwoo’s eyes seemed to squint, and then—

*Plop, plop*

Tears began to fall like chicken droppings. Huh, what's happening?

“Really, am I… someone of value?”

“T-that’s right. I do think that.”

"Uhhuheuk—!"

As if a swelling dam had burst, Yoo Myeongwoo started to sob uncontrollably. He cried so hard he started making hitching noises.

W-what do I do? Should I try to comfort him?

“…You've been through a lot, huh.”

As I clumsily patted his hunched back, he let out a sob and suddenly pulled me over into a hug.

Hey, hey. Calm down a bit. This is getting embarrassing.

With a plop, a paper cup fell from the vending machine, followed by a gentle stream of coffee filling it up. I took out the coffee and looked at Yoo Myeongwoo who was sipping coix seed tea.

His face was quite a sight.

Not only were his eyes bloodshot, but even his face and neck were flushed crimson from crying. His appearance, filled with tear tracks, looked like that of a beggar who was completely beat up and chased out, but his expression looked refreshed.

“Have you calmed down a little now?”

Sitting on a bench next to the vending machine, he nodded bashfully. I took a sip of coffee as I sat down beside him. Who cares about the variety of coffee beans? Vending machine coffee was the best.

“I won a lot of awards when I was young, remember?”

Yoo Myeongwoo opened his mouth, while looking at someone taking a walk behind the Association’s building. The weather was really nice.

“Like you said, I was really good with my hands.”

“Yeah, I know. The best.”

If his talent was good enough to get an SS-rank production skill, it must have been truly remarkable.

“But it was useless for making a living. When I was young, people would say ‘you’re doing great’. But as soon as I grew up a bit, they told me to stop fooling around and study. I had to get good grades, go to a good university, and get a good job. There was no room for the talent I was praised for anymore.”

His voice was calm as he continued.

“If my family had been better off, I might’ve been able to find a way to use my talent. But there was no breathing room. I wasn't good at studying and just ended up with a lot of debt after getting out of a mediocre university. Branded in college, branded in grades. Once branded, there was nowhere to go.”

As he sighed, bitterness filled my mouth.

That, I also knew too well. Even in the world before Awakened People and Hunters appeared, people also had ranks. They weren't blatantly divided from S to F like awakening stats, but ranks were assigned as soon as you were born.

The so-called gold spoon and dirt spoon. Just like Awakening stat ranks, people were different from the start.

Of course, there were people born into poor families who became successful. But the majority remained the same. Many couldn't rise much no matter how hard they tried and ended up stuck.

‘Would initial skills be talents?’

If the circumstances weren’t favorable, a talent doesn’t bloom in the end.

Just like how schools pushed students into studying and ranked them, Awakening Centers also pushed people towards combat or healing and determined peoples’ ranks. Eventually, even SS-grade skills like the one Yoo Myeongwoo had could be buried and disappear.

As a Hunter, F-rank; to society, F-rank.

Ah, I want to crack open a bottle of soju~.

“My parents divorced a long time ago, and I was a useless freeloader. Do you know how I Awakened? I was trying to kill myself.”

Yoo Myeongwoo chuckled dryly. It was more serious than I thought.

“I was cutting my wrist with a knife when I Awakened. Ah, I’ll get a million won, I thought. With that, I felt a bit relieved.”

A million won. It wasn’t a little, but it wasn’t a lot either. It was an amount that would disappear through living expenses in a couple of months if you didn’t have a decent job.

…I wonder what happened to the Yoo Myeongwoo from before the regression. Only briefly happy after getting the million won, as an F-rank with assistance skills that he couldn’t go around a dungeon properly with, just how much longer could he have survived?

“With the million won, I will be able to eat proper food for a few months. And… after that, I didn't really think about it. I was just going to let things happen as they may. But then you told me.”

Crushing the empty paper cup, he continued.

“You told me I had value. That I should continue living, that a path is set out for me, that I deserve a hand held out, so it’s okay.”

…He might cry again at this rate. I uselessly cleared my throat. I was just trying to hit a jackpot, but now I was starting to feel ashamed.

“I don’t act like that with just anyone. I was like that because you’re really a great guy.”

“Thanks. Really.”

Wiping away the tears that had formed again with his fist, Yoo Myeongwoo expressed his gratitude. The atmosphere was quite good. If not now, it would be difficult for such an opportunity to come again.

Fine, let’s do this.

“Our lives were sort of miserable. Mine wasn’t smooth either. After my parents passed away, I had to take care of my younger brother and fend for ourselves. I had to quit school. My dongsaeng was lucky to Awaken as an S-rank, while I hit rock bottom as an F-rank. Honestly, I was quite jealous of him.

As I was talking, I unconsciously bared my heart.

“But still. Even if others mock us and say our life is ruined, we don't need to belittle ourselves as well, right? The world is hard enough to live in for those with confidence, so being timid can only make us end up rolling in mud.”

If you sink into despair because life is a mess, you'll only end up seeing more despair, from one bottom to another. If only I had shed some of that inferiority complex, my old life might have gone differently.

“Is there any need to break our necks looking up? Just live thinking that you’re actually amazing, others just don’t recognize it. And loving yourself. I love this amazing me!”

Rather than meaninglessly working hard for nothing, a mental victory was better. Smiling exaggeratedly, I looked at Yoo Myeongwoo.

“Yoo Myeongwoo, I love you too, my friend!”

He laughed, and I laughed too. Then a message window popped up.

[Awakened ‘Yoo Myeongwoo’ has been influenced by the Keyword!]