A world where Hunters, Gates, and Monsters existed.
At some point, the Earth I lived on had become such a world.
In a world like this, it was only natural for people’s attention to focus on Hunters, Monsters, and Gates.
A great deal of related information had been released on the internet, and much of it was remarkably accurate.
Among the information circulating online, some facts were regarded as common knowledge.
Whether it concerned the rank of a Trait, an Item, a Skill, or anything else...
The highest rank was ‘S.’
There was no disagreement whatsoever regarding that information.
Neither veteran Hunters nor even those evaluated as S-rank Hunters ever denied that S-rank was the highest.
I had believed the same.
I had lived my entire life thinking that S-rank was the highest.
I definitely had.
And yet...
[You have obtained Martial God’s Legacy (SSSSS).]
“What………… is this?”
The contents of the Message floating before my eyes were strange.
The part that said Martial God’s Legacy was fine.
The problem was the rank displayed beside it.
Why were there………… five S’s?
“SSSSS-rank? Did something like this……… exist?”
It was a rank that completely defied common sense.
The sight of it left my mind blank.
Even so...
I tried to pull myself together.
If I truly was Awakening, I needed to focus on the situation at hand.
‘I don’t know whether it’s really SSSSS-rank, but if I’m in the middle of Awakening, I have to keep my head straight. Only then can I………… Ghk!’
As I struggled to compose myself, pain suddenly struck me.
It felt as though every muscle in my body was being torn apart.
‘Aaaaaargh!’
It was a level of agony I had never even imagined experiencing in my life.
Then my entire body began to burn as if it had been set on fire.
‘Aaargh! It’s hot! It’s too hot!’
The pain was so intense that I could not even make a sound.
All I could do was writhe in an effort to remain conscious.
‘I can’t lose consciousness………!’
I had heard something about this before.
They said that losing consciousness during Awakening could cause the Awakening to be canceled.
However, one question came to mind.
‘They said it was pain most people could endure! Why does it hurt this much?!’
I had been told that the pain experienced during Awakening was within the limits of human endurance.
That was definitely what they had said!
‘This……… isn’t something a person can endure………!’
I could not withstand it.
I was gritting my molars and desperately enduring the pain, but...
I had already exceeded my limit.
“Ghhhh………….”
As I felt foam bubbling from my mouth...
I let go of my fading consciousness.
***
“Mmm………….”
It felt as though I had awakened from a deep sleep.
However...
My body felt strangely refreshed.
Even the pain I had felt in my back……… was gone now.
‘What happened? At the end……… I think I passed out because I couldn’t withstand the pain………?’
My memories gradually returned.
Before long, I even remembered that I had been in the middle of Awakening.
‘Right! Awakening! Come to think of it, didn’t I see something else before I passed out?’
Just before I lost consciousness...
A new Message had appeared while my vision was growing hazy.
My sight had darkened before I could properly read it, but I had definitely seen a Message with something written on it.
‘So that……… was real!’
The final Message I had seen...
It had not been an illusion.
When I lifted my eyelids and opened my eyes, the Message was still floating before me.
[You have awakened the Trait ‘Martial God’s Successor (SSSSS)’!]
Moreover, there was more than one Message.
Directly beneath the Message announcing that I had awakened a Trait...
An enormous number of Messages were displayed.
[Vitality has increased +50]
[Inner Arts has increased +50]
[Attack Power has increased +50]
[Defense has increased +50]
[Evasion has increased +50]
[Magic Resistance has increased +50]
[Vitality Rank has increased F -> E]
[Inner Arts Rank has increased F -> E]
[Attack Power Rank has increased F -> E]
[Defense Rank has increased F -> E]
[Evasion Rank has increased F -> E]
[Magic Resistance Rank has increased F -> E]
“This is insane!”
I was stunned.
I already knew that a Hunter’s combat stats increased when they Awakened.
However, I had never heard of so many stats increasing at once.
“How did this happen…………?”
On average, each combat stat increased by approximately 5 to 10 upon Awakening.
There had even been a huge stir when a Hunter who awakened an S-rank Trait revealed that each of their stats had increased by 20.
‘People went wild back then. They said an increase of 20 was far too much, and that even an S-rank Trait shouldn’t raise stats so excessively.’
And yet...
Every single one of my combat stats had increased by 50.
This went beyond excessive. It was simply unreal.
As a result, the ranks of all my combat stats had risen to E-rank in a single leap, but I still found it difficult to believe.
“Status Window! I need to see my Status Window!”
The Status Window could be called something exclusive to Hunters.
To open it, I strongly pictured the Status Window in my mind.
‘They said this was how you did it………?’
It did not work on my first attempt.
When nothing changed, I tried to concentrate even harder.
Then...
Something changed.
【Name】Yu-gwon
【Trait】Martial God’s Successor (SSSSS)
【Vitality】E[57] 【Inner Arts】E[50]
【Attack Power】E[55] 【Defense】E[55]
【Evasion】E[56] 【Magic Resistance】E[53]
【Skills】
【Achievements】
A Status Window truly appeared before my eyes.
Suppressing my amazement, I examined its contents.
‘My name is Yu-gwon, followed by my Trait………… Then all my combat stats are listed. Beneath those are the sections for Skills and Achievements.’
The format of the Status Window itself was identical to the examples posted on the internet.
That part was not surprising.
“Wow………… What are these stats?!”
However, I could not help but be astonished by my absurdly high combat stats.
Of course, many Hunters probably had higher stats than I did.
But judging only by stats immediately after Awakening, wouldn’t mine be the highest?
I was probably also the only Hunter whose stats had all started at E-rank.
Moreover...
The section that drew most of my attention...
was the Trait section displaying ‘Martial God’s Successor (SSSSS).’
‘Martial God’s Successor? SSSSS?’
After seeing how much my stats had increased, I was certain it was a powerful Trait.
That only made me more curious, and I wanted to see its information as quickly as possible.
‘They said I could view its information by imagining it, just like I opened the Status Window.’
Following the information known to the world...
I strongly willed the Trait's information to appear.
Then...
【Martial God’s Successor】
[Rank] SSSSS
[Description] A Trait that allows you to obtain everything belonging to Jin Cheon-woo, the strongest martial artist once known as the Martial God
[Current Realm]
The information about my Trait appeared in an instant.
“The rank is……… really SSSSS………?”
Naturally, the rank was the first thing to catch my attention.
I had never heard of or seen such a rank before, making it incredibly difficult to accept that SSSSS-rank truly existed!
That made me even more curious.
‘It must be better than S-rank, right? For one thing, my stats increased more than those of someone who awakened an S-rank Trait.’
I wondered whether SSSSS-rank was truly higher than S-rank, which was known as the highest rank, or whether it might somehow be lower.
However...
My curiosity did not last long.
The moment I read the description beneath the rank, my question was answered.
[A Trait that allows you to obtain everything belonging to Jin Cheon-woo, the strongest martial artist once known as the Martial God]
“Jin Cheon-woo………… The strongest martial artist, known as the Martial God?”
The Martial God.
And the strongest martial artist.
That description alone was enough.
It was more than sufficient to convince me that the Trait I had awakened was superior to S-rank.
“What the hell is this?!”
My mind snapped into focus.
Only then did I fully realize just how absurd the Trait I had awakened truly was.
‘I awakened a Trait of an overwhelming rank that had never existed in this world!’
Countless emotions surged through me at once.
How desperately had I wanted this during the two years I had spent as a porter?
It was something I had wished and prayed for every single day.
Awakening.
“Ha…… Hahaha! Hahahaha!”
A foolish laugh burst from my mouth.
That was how happy I was.
I could become a Hunter and pay my parents’ hospital bills without falling behind.
And...
I could finally avenge my parents.
“Mom! Dad! Your son Awakened! Now I can earn plenty of money, and I can defeat Monsters too!”
Overcome with emotion, I shouted at the top of my lungs.
As I expressed my joy, even a few tears escaped my eyes.
But at that moment...
“SKREEK! SKRIIK!”
I heard a sound that should not have been there.
***
My body instantly froze.
Tension and fear arose instinctively.
My arms and legs began trembling regardless of my will.
“What is it?!”
I deliberately raised my voice as I turned around.
I pretended to be confident.
I pretended I was not afraid.
“SKRIIK!”
The sound rang out once more.
Then a Monster entered my field of vision.
‘A Kirak……!’
The creature was called a Kirak.
It had blue skin, a grotesque appearance, and carried a sword and shield.
It was a Monster that inhabited this Dungeon.
It was the same species as the Monster that had slashed my back with its sword.
Had this happened earlier, I would naturally have chosen to flee.
But now, I thought differently.
“SKREEK! SKRIIK!”
“You persistent bastard. Did you follow me all the way here?”
There was nowhere to run inside the cave, nor did I want to run.
It would have been another matter if I were powerless, but I now possessed the strength to fight it.
However...
‘It would be nice to have a weapon.’
I did not want to fight it barehanded.
I hurriedly looked around.
Then I spotted a sword.
It was so old that it looked liable to snap at any moment.
Still, having anything at all to swing was better than nothing, so I picked it up.
CLENCH!
Surprisingly, it felt good in my hand.
It fit naturally into my grip.
“SKREEK! SKRIIK!”
The Kirak approached with its sword and shield raised high.
It flicked its long tongue and smacked its lips.
‘It eats humans. And it relishes them.’
If it killed me today, I would become a delicious meal as well.
I intended to prevent that from happening.
CLENCH!
I tightened my grip on the sword.
The strength I felt in my hand and forearm was incredible.
It was the reason I could resolve to fight despite my trembling body.
‘I’m different now. I Awakened.’
I repeatedly told myself that I could win, that Awakening had made me stronger.
Then I swung my sword at the Kirak as it charged toward me.
WHOOSH!
The moment I swung...
The Kirak swung its sword as well.
Just before the two blades collided, I expected to feel a powerful recoil travel through my hand.
SLICE!
Instead, my sword cut straight through.
The blade I swung cleaved through the Kirak’s sword and torso at once.
“……Huh?”
The Kirak died without even managing to scream.
Had I really done that?
“What the hell……?”
I was bewildered.
I had cut through the sword and the Kirak at the same time.
It had not even been particularly difficult.
“Did I become even stronger than I thought?”
I considered opening the Status Window again.
However, no matter how I looked at it, it did not seem as though my newfound strength was the only reason.
In that case...
‘Is it because of this sword?’
The thought that the sword in my hand might be responsible flashed through my mind.
I tried to open the sword’s information, but...
“SKREEK!”
“SKRIIIIK!”
“SKRIIK!”
It seemed I would have to put that off until later.
“Quite a lot of you showed up.”
Several Kiraks had entered the cave.
Killing them had to come first.
CLENCH!
I tightened my grip on the sword.
Until a moment ago, I had felt my hand trembling from tension and fear.
Now, those weak emotions and the trembling were gone.
All that remained was confidence that I could win.
THUD!
I charged toward the Kiraks...
swinging the mysterious old sword.
***