Super Rookie

Breaking a world record.

Naturally, it was no easy feat. Plenty of super rookies had announced their attempts, but even among them, ninety-nine out of a hundred failed. After all, the people who had set those records were super rookies just like them.

The odds of failure were overwhelmingly high.

And Kim Minwoo hadn't proposed a modest attempt at a record like the other super rookies.

A solo clear starting at level one.

He was attempting at level one what even Isabella had only accomplished after reaching level forty-nine?

It was madness.

France, home to Isabella, was the first to laugh coldly. Japan soon followed with snickers. China mocked him. America doubled over laughing.

At best, he'd make it halfway through before fleeing in his underwear.

That was simple common sense. He was going to fail anyway.

Naturally, outside his native Korea, the attempt attracted little interest. People needed some prospect of success before they would even consider paying attention. Why waste energy on something guaranteed to fail?

Only a handful of foreign reporters had bothered coming to Korea.

Why?

To write articles tearing Korea down the moment he failed.

A World Record? Japan's Little Brother, Korea, Still Has a Long Way to Go!

A Foolish Challenge! Go Drink Some More Milk First!

Things like that.

But...

"Holy shit...!"

"N-no way!"

It was impossible.

And that impossible feat was unfolding right before their eyes. How could this happen in Korea, a minor power in the awakener world?

Naturally, the foreign reporters' phones began blowing up. Thousands of messages poured in—from their networks, their families, their relatives, even their neighbors.

They all had the same question.

Was this really happening?

'What else would it be, a hidden-camera prank?!'

While the foreign reporters stood slack-jawed, the Korean reporters rushed out of the waiting area toward Kim Minwoo.

"Mr. Kim Minwoo! Mr. Kim Minwoo! We'd like to ask you some questions!"

"Hey, asshole! Move!"

"You move!"

Every reporter was desperate to get even a single word from him. Kim Minwoo's market value hadn't merely shot through the roof—it was about to break out into space. By tomorrow morning, the whole world would probably be in an uproar.

"Take your time with the questions. I'll answer them."

Kim Minwoo smiled.

"How does it feel to have set a new world record?"

"I'm a little dazed, but happy too. I had some luck on my side. I found a hidden element that made the clear easier than I'd expected."

"There was something like that in this tomb?"

"Think about what my class is."

"Oh..."

The reporters nodded in understanding. Given that he was believed to possess a high-grade achievement, it was hardly strange that he might have discovered a hidden route in the tomb that helped him clear it.

"There are rumors that your achievement is S-grade. We'd like to know if that's true!"

"Yes, it is."

The reporters' eyes lit up. Awakeners with S-grade achievements were called super rookies.

This was the moment Kim Minwoo was officially confirmed to be one.

Indeed...

With only an A- or B-grade achievement, setting a world record would have been impossible. That was how vast the gap between S-grade and the rest was.

Then one of the foreign reporters thrust his hand into the air.

"Uh... I'm Tanaka, from Japan. So, in the end, are you saying you set the record because you were lucky?"

His pronunciation was a little clumsy, but his meaning was perfectly clear. The reporters around him shot vicious glares at the Japanese reporter.

Just as the atmosphere turned hostile, Minwoo chuckled.

"Well, then you're saying Ms. Isabella was less skilled than some lucky level-one guy?"

Suddenly dragged into a dispute involving France, the Japanese reporter's eyes darted about. Breaking into a cold sweat, he replied,

"Uh... My Korean isn't very good, so I don't quite understand. I-I'm done asking questions."

As the Japanese reporter quietly sank, the Korean reporters smirked in satisfaction.

"I'm sure you're all very curious about what achievement skill made the clear so easy."

Of course they were. The only reason they hadn't dared ask was that Kim Minwoo's standing had changed beyond recognition.

Previously, revealing his skill would have amounted to little more than showmanship. Now, if things went wrong, it could become an issue of leaking classified information. Exceptional awakeners were considered national strategic assets.

"Today, I'll satisfy a little of that curiosity," Minwoo said.

The moment he snapped his fingers...

[300 skeletons are summoned!]

A huge crowd of skeletons appeared in front of the stage.

HUBBUB!

"H-how many are there?"

"Looks like at least three hundred..."

"That's not the hundred and fifty or so the Sword Phoenix mentioned!"

The skeletons deftly put on the equipment brought out of his ring. Fully armed, they lined up in orderly ranks and files.

"Does summoning that many skeletons have something to do with your S-grade skill?"

"Something like that."

The reporters nodded in understanding. Skeletons might be weaker than grown men, but with enough equipment and numbers, it was a different story.

This wealthy young master had spent over 200 million won equipping each individual skeleton soldier. And wasn't Kim Minwoo a prodigy recognized by the Sword Immortal?

An army of skeleton soldiers. A hidden route discovered in the tomb, and outstanding swordsmanship. Add Ilseong's support to all that, and he could have set a world record.

Only now could they understand how he had cleared the gate despite starting at level one. Once he'd defeated the first pack that way, his level would have soared.

Even so, that didn't make his accomplishment any less extraordinary. Obtaining an S-grade skill book was already proof of his ability.

CLICK!

The cameras began snapping away like mad at the solemnly arrayed skeleton soldiers.

* * *

GULP, GULP!

BANG!

A large can of beer slammed onto the table.

"Ugh, fuck."

Seo Yerim savagely tore a squid tentacle apart and chewed it. She tipped heavily salted almonds into her mouth, crunching them to pieces as though grinding them into submission.

"Fucking bastard! Just how good does he think he is with a sword?!"

People had desires. But they also had the self-control to suppress those desires for a goal.

Dry chicken breast instead of delicious food. A sparring match instead of enjoyable entertainment. Reviewing her training instead of a comfortable rest.

Seo Yerim had sacrificed so much for the sword. She had devoted more than half her life to it, earning the epithet Sword Phoenix.

That was why this epithet was her life—her everything.

And all of it had been dismissed. By that goddamn delinquent, of all people.

Naturally, a torrent of profanity had burst out of her. She had been kicked off the livestream and utterly fucking humiliated. By tomorrow morning, hundreds of articles would probably be out ridiculing her.

That part, at least, she could bear. She could simply avoid the media.

What really, truly infuriated her was that, deep down, she couldn't deny Kim Minwoo's words.

Damn it all, that bastard really was good with a sword. She'd essentially been hit with a brutal, point-blank truth bomb.

And so...

["Is that all? Is that all? Is that all? Is that all? Is that all? Is that all? Is that all?"]

His voice played endlessly like a recording. Under that devastating stress, all her self-control had crumbled in an instant.

She binged, and binged some more.

Then...

"Whoa, that's insane!"

"He actually did it!"

"He cleared it! He cleared it!"

Cheers erupted from the instructors' rooms. What could they be so excited about in the dead of night?

It was obvious. One irritating face flashed through her mind.

'Oh, fuck...'

Under the brute strength of an A-rank awakener, the large can crumpled instantly.

SPLASH!

Beer burst over her head like an exploding firework.

"Argh!"

Nothing was going her way!

After drying her hair with a towel, she looked toward her smartphone.

Seo Yerim had lost all restraint. Now that the beer shower had cooled her head a little, she couldn't possibly resist her curiosity.

'He really did it? That?'

She hadn't declared it impossible simply out of jealousy. She'd called it impossible because it truly was.

... So how had he cleared it?

"... I'm just going to take a quick look."

How could any awakener resist this? Muttering to herself as if making excuses, she opened the news on her phone.

[(Breaking!) Kim Minwoo Makes Korea Proud! A New World Record!]

[(Breaking!) 40 Hours, 23 Minutes, 32 Seconds! The World's Most Talented Necromancer Is Born!]

.

.

"... Impossible."

Forty hours. He had beaten level-forty-nine Isabella's record by nearly eight whole hours.

What was the public saying, beyond the news reports? She hurriedly switched to NewTube.

The patriotic hype videos on NewTube were already sailing past a million views just five minutes after being uploaded.

[K-Awakener Kim Minwoo Shakes Things Up! Why Did Isabella Kneel Before the Necromancer's Might and All of France Fall Silent?!]

[Has Korea Finally Escaped Its Minor-Power Status in the Awakener World? K-Awakener Kim Minwoo Breaks the Record! Awakeners Worldwide Astounded by His Talent!]

[Kim Minwoo, Korea's Star and Hope! Why Were Foreign Reporters Left Gaping and Drooling in Shock at His Heroic Exploits?! Live Footage Included!]

She had subscribed to these channels because they often posted videos about her grandfather.

Usually, when a video packed with a lethal dose of patriotic hype went up, opinion was split about fifty-fifty. There were always parts that even the viewers thought went too far.

Even her grandfather, the Sword Immortal, received roughly eighty percent support and twenty percent criticism.

But now...

Likes: 999,832

Dislikes: 1,773

Korea was boiling over. The comments were no different.

—Is this for real? lol It actually is lmaooo! Barmaid! Give me a lethal dose of national pride!

—Just for today, nobody's guilty if the barmaid dies of overwork lmao

—Forty hours is fucking nuts lol Those French bastards kept trashing everyone, and now they're sunk lmaooo

—Isabella's bubble burst lol Says a lot about France if THAT'S their number-one awakener lmaooo

—Did you see him sink that Japanese reporter with one comeback? Hahahaha

—Now THAT'S what I'm talking about! That's Korea's spicy kick, you bastards lmaooo

The general public was wildly enthusiastic. And even on GateNet, the awakener community...

[Isn't Kim Minwoo All Hype?]

[Upvotes: 123,423]

Her eyes lighting up, Seo Yerim hurriedly clicked the trending post.

—Unbelieva-BUBBLE, you bastards lmao

↳ Hahaha All the guys trashing Kim Minwoo just got stunned lol

↳ None of you dumbasses doubted Kim Minwoo, right? Hahahaha

Seo Yerim's brow furrowed sharply. Breaking a world record was undeniably impressive. Perhaps the enthusiastic response was only natural.

But even so, this was Kim Minwoo they were talking about. Did it make sense for public opinion to be this favorable?

TAP, TAP.

TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP.

Her fingers hammered at her smartphone.

[What's With Public Opinion Right Now?]

[Username: Anonymous]

(Picture of an orangutan scratching its head)

—I get that Kim Minwoo's impressive, but is all this really necessary? Did everyone forget he's a delinquent? I don't think even the Sword Immortal got this kind of response;

↳ That old guy's already shown everything he's got. Kim Minwoo's brand-new, and you're comparing them? lol

↳ For real lol OP doesn't get the point. Korea's last super rookie was seven years ago lol

↳ ... So what?

↳ Every time a decent awakener shows up, they get fucking poached. Korea gets pushed around left and right every damn day lol And Kim Minwoo showed up in the middle of all that lol

↳ But he's a total delinquent. Didn't everyone hate him?

↳ I didn't? Did he commit a serious crime? Does he have a criminal record? No? Then who cares? lol

↳ For real lol OP keeps trying to spoil a good day. Seems like a sneaky hater to me?

The post immediately began getting bombarded with downvotes.

[Downvotes: 3,733]

In no time, it had risen to eighth on the Worst list. She looked over the other posts in the rankings.

[1. Getting this worked up over so little tells you everything about their standards lol Just what you'd expect from an awakener backwater lmao]

[Downvotes: 101,231]

[2. Making a fuss over one super rookie when awakener powerhouses churn them out all the time lmaooo]

[Downvotes: 78,745]

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.

[8. What's With Public Opinion Right Now?]

[Downvotes: 3,842]

.

.

"..."

In that short time, her downvote count had increased by almost another hundred. She felt like a one-eyed person in a world of people with two eyes.

Thoroughly upset by the steadily rising downvote count, she left GateNet. Even as she did, the fervor continued to intensify.