GateNet, the largest online awakener community.

Lately, one topic had been gaining more and more traction there.

―Who bought up all the shaman Summon Totem skill books? Isn't shaman a fucking dead class? There's demand for this shit?

―The fighters are losing it too lol. No Harden skill books for sale, so they're getting their asses beat by mobs while crying tears of blood lmao

―Just buy direct. Check around a few gates and you'll find one in no time, right?

―You still haven't heard? Someone's buying up every low-level skill outside the gates lol

―Yep. Guys in black suits are buying every skill book out front. They're paying 4 million even for the shittiest skills.

―4 million? Am I the only one hearing the off-meta classes wailing? lol

―What dumbass would sell an off-meta skill at auction for 2 million lol. The big guys at the entrance are right there paying double. Hell yeah lmao

―Not even a transaction fee lol

―This is why you gotta play a popular class. Our books are expensive, so they still go to auction lol

―They're offering at least 7 million for mainstream skills, though? Everything's gone up;

―... Huh?

―Mage here. I'm screwed. Need Elemental Mastery and there's nothing for sale. Fuck.

―Just figure out magic at the academy and learn it yourself. Perfect time to go meditate facing a wall lol

―You kidding? I'd rather pay for a skill book than put up with that bullshit lmao

―BREAKING NEWS! Sword bros, you're screwed too... Swordsmanship Mastery listings: exactly zero!

There were no F-grade skill books left for sale.

No class was spared. The users who had initially laughed and poked fun at one another gradually began to realize how serious things were.

―This is insane. The big guys are here again today;;

―Ugh; tried to buy a skill book, but the big guy beside me kept bidding higher. Lost it right in front of my eyes; what a joke...

―Assassin here. Got pissed after they snatched my skill, so I used Stealth and tailed the big guys. Think they're connected to Ilseong?

―Pulling up the ladder behind them. Scary shit

―If they're buying everything regardless of class, could this be what I think it is? +9?

―Huh...? That's... actually possible?

―They're seriously going for +9? Did the president kick the chairman in the shins and tell him to stimulate the economy?

―Trickle-down economics, fuck lmao

―But does Ilseong have anyone worth getting a +9 for?

―Don't think so? Low-level skills means it's for a rookie... Haven't heard about them recruiting anyone.

―I did hear something. Kim Minwoo sparred with the Sword Immortal.

―??? What kind of bullshit is that?

―Summary: Sword Immortal and Kim Minwoo fought. Kim Minwoo was fucking good. Pushed the Sword Immortal back. Awakened afterward. The light was insane. Betting his achievement's at least A.

―Saw it in person too. Fucking amazing. None of you losers missed it, right? lol

―...?

―For real?

―People keep posting eyewitness accounts everywhere. Guess something really did happen?

"How's it going? Is it working?"

"Yes, sir. Looks like it's about to catch fire."

"The young master's making his debut soon, so keep it burning. You know the drill. It has to look natural."

"Come on. We're professionals at this. But is that... actually true?"

"What, the spar?"

"Yes. The spar."

"I don't know either."

Even as he said it, Ilseong's intelligence team leader was privately convinced.

'It's almost certainly true.'

That would explain the group's recent aggressive moves.

'They said the light was incredible. That would mean at least A-grade... Maybe even...'

There were plenty of awakeners with high achievement grades.

Plenty of rich people, too.

But awakeners who had both could truly be counted on one hand worldwide.

'We might really be witnessing the birth of a super rookie...'

For the first time in a long while, the team leader felt excited.

* * *

[Summon Skeleton (F) +9 is complete!]

[You have acquired the title 'Budding Greatness'!]

"Whew. Did I finally do it?"

Still at the auction house, Minwoo wiped the sweat from his brow.

Even with skill books brought in from all across the country, it had taken a full two days. Several enhancement attempts had blown up at +7 and above.

Still, the payoff for pouring in all that money was just as sweet.

[Summon Skeleton (F) +9]

[This skill has been enhanced to its limit.]

[Consumes 10 mana to summon 2 (1+1) LV1 skeletons.]

"Fucking sweet."

Originally, it consumed 10 mana to summon one skeleton. Now that had increased to two.

Twice the efficiency.

An overwhelming difference.

'And I even got a title.'

[Owned Titles]

[1. Promising Talent]

[Reached the growth limit at level 1.]

[Effect: All stats +1]

[2. Elixir Massacrer]

[Consumed at least a thousand elixirs at level 1.]

[Stamina +1, Magic Power +1]

[3. Budding Greatness]

[Created a +9 skill at level 1.]

[Skill capacity +1]

Titles were generally awarded at milestones, such as accomplishing something difficult or doing something for the first time.

They came with all sorts of effects: permanent stat increases, increased damage against particular monsters, more skill slots, and so on.

'If I want to reach the top, I need to collect as many as possible.'

That was especially true of stat bonuses. Alongside leveling up, titles were one of the main ways to break through the growth limit.

'Off to a good start. Status window.'

[Name: Kim Minwoo (23)]

[Class: Necromancer]

[Level: 1]

[Skills (1/6): Death Lord (EX)]

[Mana: 520/520]

[Titles: 3]

[Stats]

[Strength: 51] [Agility: 51] [Stamina: 52] [Magic Power: 52]

Numbers almost impossible to believe for level 1!

His growth had been nothing short of explosive.

'The number of undead I can summon now...'

At two per 10 mana, he could normally summon up to 104.

Add Death Lord's 50% mana cost reduction?

'A maximum of 208.'

An insane number.

And those 208 skeletons weren't ordinary skeletons, either. Their stats were boosted by a whopping 50%!

While an ordinary necromancer was only just starting to command a skeleton or two, he was already racing ahead with an overwhelming lead.

'Oh yeah. That's what I'm talking about.'

And that wasn't even all.

Death Lord let them revive once more. Add equipment on top of that?

Skeletons might be starter summons weaker than an adult man, but...

'At this stage, nothing can stop them.'

He could say it with confidence.

Not a single awakener would ever have been stronger than him at level 1.

'Now all that's left...'

Minwoo recalled the message he'd seen last time.

The Death Lord's call.

'I don't know what he's going to do once he calls me...'

But it probably wouldn't be all laughter and friendly chatter.

Death Lord.

Didn't the name alone sound evil?

Thoroughly preparing equipment, potions, and consumables went without saying.

'The biggest question is whether I should level up first.'

He could easily hunt inside gates without learning Summon Skeleton.

His stats were high. He was good enough with a sword to hold his own against the Sword Immortal to some extent.

He could wipe out an F-grade gate without any particular skills.

'Leveling will be easy. My stats will shoot up, too. The problem is titles...'

The easiest way to earn titles?

The more he made things hard for himself, the better.

Doing something any idiot could manage often yielded a title with a bonus worth jack shit, if it yielded one at all.

'The Death Lord's call should give me a few titles too, right?'

It was an EX-grade skill's effect, after all. With any luck, it might turn into a title bonanza.

And if he entered at level 1, the lowest possible level, his chances of earning titles would rise exponentially.

He knew it was dangerous.

But no risk, no reward.

'To hunt an Outer God, I need every title I can get.'

That went double for Kim Minwoo, whose physical talent was abysmal. The day would definitely come when every single stat point from a title mattered.

'That settles the order.'

He would answer the Death Lord's call at level 1. Clearing gates could come afterward.

[Searching for equipment.]

[Condition: Required level 1 or higher.]

The moment he made his decision, the low-level equipment listings at the auction house began drying up completely.

* * *

Normal - Magic - Rare - Unique - Legendary - Ancient - Mythic.

Equipment came in seven grades.

Among all that equipment, what did beginners in melee classes aim for?

Nine out of ten would probably name the Black Heart set.

The go-to Magic-grade set.

Its biggest advantage was its level requirement.

Required level: 1.

Even a newly awakened beginner could equip it immediately. Despite that low requirement, its performance was quite good.

Individually, the pieces weren't that impressive. But once you collected enough to activate the set effects, it was a different story.

That was when it truly became top-quality gear. It performed well enough to comfortably last you all the way to level 40.

It was good value, too.

A full set usually cost around 200 million won. Awakeners earned somewhat more than ordinary people, so buying one with the help of a loan wasn't out of the question.

Naturally, it was one of the more actively traded items.

Even now, countless melee-class awakeners would be saving up, dreaming of this equipment.

[Would you like to purchase all Black Heart set items?]

"Buy everything priced at 50 million or less."

[Withdrawing 50,728,000,000 won...]

[Withdrawing an additional 10% transaction fee...]

'Burp.'

Sorry, newbies.

My skeletons just claimed your gear.

They're newbies too, so cut them some slack.

[Transferring items to inventory...]

[Weight limit exceeded!]

"Yeah, I've got a spatial ring."

[Transferring items to Spatial Ring (Intermediate)!]

He'd secured a spatial ring for precisely this situation.

He hadn't bought it himself. Chairman Kim had lent it to him free of charge.

'Saved me 50 billion won.'

Inventory capacity was limited. It increased with level, but even then it wasn't exactly generous.

That made items like spatial rings highly sought after.

You could bring porters into lower-tier gates, but higher-tier gates were too dangerous for that.

At that point, even a porter had to be a mid-tier awakener, costing tens of millions of won a day to hire.

Better to buy a spatial ring and save on hiring costs.

'That's why they're so popular.'

He'd been a little disappointed to find none listed at auction, but thanks to his family, he'd gotten one easily.

'Two hundred sets of gear, just like that.'

He had all the arms and armor his skeletons needed, plus plenty of spares just in case. He'd also stocked up on top-grade potions and consumables.

Honestly, if he still couldn't clear it after all this?

'Then it was never meant to be cleared.'

Minwoo began putting on his equipment piece by piece.

These were individual Rare items, not a budget-friendly set like Black Heart. They left him looking rather multicolored, but they were worth it.

Every piece was a genuine luxury item easily priced above a hundred million won.

Money-burning gear most people would skip unless they really wanted to level up fast.

[Equipping Crow's Gruesome Head!]

[Stamina +5, Magic Power +5]

[Dread Gaze (F) activated!]

[Equipping Frog King's Elastic Armor!]

[Stamina +10]

[Elastic Skin (F) activated!]

[Equipping Purple Goblin's Leather Pants!]

[Agility +5, Magic Power +5]

[Curse of Sorrow (F) activated!]

[Equipping Halting Speech Necklace!]

[Magic Power +8]

[Shield (F) activated!]

[Equipping Petty Witch's Magic Gloves!]

[Magic Power +10]

[Ice Ball (F) activated!]

[Equipping Swift Thief's Shoes!]

[Agility +10]

[Haste (F) activated!]

'Burp.'

Each individual item came with a skill effect that would normally require collecting a set.

With four stat points per level, each skill-bearing piece provided the equivalent of two or three level-ups.

Honestly, their performance alone wasn't spectacular enough to warrant hundreds of millions of won.

But their level requirement was unbeatable.

Usable from level 1.

That advantage was bigger than one might think.

'Reselling them is a problem, though.'

Individuals virtually never bought them. The only real demand came from large organizations that occasionally bought them for rentals.

'Even they don't buy many because of the risk of losing them.'

Inside a gate, an accident could happen at any moment. Rented equipment went missing more often than one might think.

That kept demand from getting particularly high.

'If they don't sell, I'll just stick them in storage.'

On top of that...

[Equipping Excavation Knight Commander's Sword!]

[Strength +7, Agility +3]

[Bleed (F) activated!]

He equipped a sword instead of a staff. He might have to join the fighting himself, after all.

[Would you like to learn Summon Skeleton (F) +9?]

His preparations were complete.

Let's have some fun.

[Skill learned!]

[You have fulfilled all conditions for the first Trial of the Death Lord!]

[The Death Lord begins calling you.]

The scenery before his eyes began to change.