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“You bastard!” Once his buddy collapsed, the other thug became furious and raised his fist. He thought Taehyun’s attack had been a fluke.

“Stop!” The leader stopped him. Now certain that their skills hadn’t worked, his expression hardened as he asked Taehyun, “You’re an Awakened, aren’t you?” They had stacked three curse-type skills and had they worked, Taehyun would have been rolling on the ground right now.

‘He’s a C-Rank Awakened after all; his senses aren’t too shabby.’ He wasn’t like his subordinate, who hadn’t realized that even after seeing his buddy collapse.

“Th-That can’t be… Are you r-really…?” Jaeyoung stuttered with disbelief upon hearing the leader’s words. Taehyun didn’t bother to answer.

“You talk too much.” The thug had tensed up after learning he was an Awakened, yet Taehyun showed no mercy with his fists. The fist hardened with Stone Skin collided with a face once more.

Thud. The sound of his nose caving in was the finishing touch. Thug Number Two collapsed without even the chance to scream. Despite not having done any weight training and the skill being downgraded to E-Rank, his level of strength has reached this level.

‘Stone Skin… It’s much better than I expected.’ A skill’s strength varied drastically depending on the Awakened’s rank, skill proficiency, and physical stats. If Hyuksoo Bae had been slightly smarter and hadn’t underestimated Taehyun for being unawakened, he wouldn’t have lost so easily. That was the case for the thugs in front of him as well.

“H-Hyung…”

“Jaeyoung, we’ll speak later.” Taehyun’s gaze shifted to the last person, the leader. Both of his companions were on the ground, yet his expression was much more confident than Taehyun had been expecting.

He was a C-Rank Awakened with the curse-type skill Bleeding, yet still maintained a straight face after confirming that his skill didn’t work. ‘Does he have something up his sleeves?’ His attitude could only make Taehyun assume so.

Suddenly, the leader began to clap and whistle. “Amazing. Though they were weaklings, you managed to knock both of them down with a single hit. It looks like you’ve awakened something useful, eh?”

“Come see for yourself.” Though he did have some time to spare with the skill duration being so long, there wasn’t any benefit in dragging the fight out.

Faced with Taehyun’s uncooperative attitude, the leader’s face twitched. “Hey, do you know what this is?” He raised his hand to show him the ring on his finger. Three skulls made of gold decorated the ring. Taehyun’s expression shifted slightly after seeing the pattern of the ring.

The Scorn Guild. It was a guild that many Yvelians were associated with. The ring was the mark of a Scorn Guild member. ‘Now that I think about it, had the Scorn Guild bastards worked with teenagers too?’

The Player Association already had their hands full dealing with Abyss monsters, but thanks to the Scorn Guild, they also had to collaborate with the police and the army to take care of public safety.

Regardless, the opponent he was facing at the moment was not a Player, but a backstreet thug. ‘If a guy like him has that...’

“It seems like you do know what it is. Yes, Back Cross is associated with the Scorn Guild.”

Taehyun’s expression crumpled at the leader’s claims. He had just thought of them as some neighborhood thugs, but the story changed if the Scorn Guild was involved. His plan to finish this ordeal after getting his money back had been ruined.

Taehyun’s mind began to race for a solution.

“Kekek. No need to get scared. Did you really think we would do this sort of thing without proper support?” Thinking that Taehyun’s lack of response was due to fear, the leader’s arrogance returned. “We are fearless wolves. If we wanted to, it would be lightwork for us to wipe out your entire family.”

They weren’t wrong. They were keeping quiet for now because they weren’t a full-fledged group just yet, but this sort of thing happened often in the future.

‘Accidentally getting involved with them here will affect my plans.’ And most importantly, it will put not only Taehyun but also his aunt’s family in danger. Even the lowest members of the Scorn Guild were C-Rank Players, and not any normal Players either; Yvelians were considered skilled amongst Players of the same rank.

‘I don’t have that sort of strength just yet.’ Taehyun made up his mind, and just then, the leader flicked his finger; gesturing for Taehyun to come closer. Taehyun calmly did as he was told, and…

Poww. His Stone Skin-hardened fist smashed into the leader’s face. ‘I’ll make sure he won’t wake up for the next few months.’ 

The leader seemed well-trained since he did not collapse immediately like the other two. But that did not help the leader one bit, since it meant he had to endure Taehyun’s one-sided beating while conscious.

Pow. Pow. Pow. Crack. Crunch. Cruunch. He kicked, broke, and crushed his body.

‘What a tough body. You would’ve thought he was a tank-type.’ Taehyun was impressed, seeing the leader still conscious after 30 seconds of continuous beating. However, that was reaching its end.

“H-Hey… Wh-Why... don’t... we... talk this... out... Th-This is... what... you want... right?” Several of his teeth were already broken. Forcing his malfunctioning mouth open, he pulled out the envelope he had received from Jaeyoung and held it up.

Snatching the envelope from his hand, Taehyun tossed it back to Jaeyoung and continued to crush his body.

Pow. Pow. Pow. Cruuunch.

‘I would’ve liked to damage his vocal cords too…’ But that may only attract more attention. He had to draw the line somewhere.

Leaving the unconscious leader where he was, he headed towards the other two thugs. Their bodies were decorated with wounds that would easily leave them hospitalized for over 10 weeks.

[Skill deactivating.]

The skill deactivated just as Taehyun had finished his work. His head spun from using too much mana. “Hah... This should be enough, right?” Looking down at the three boys sprawled on the ground in a pitiful state, Taehyun smiled with satisfaction.

Of course, he didn’t forget to slip the ring off the leader’s hand. Turning it around in his hand, he inspected it. ‘Bingo.’ It was, without a doubt, the real thing.

The ring itself did not possess any special powers, but many desired it solely because it signified membership of the Scorn Guild. It would fetch him at least 20 million won if he sold it anonymously at an auction.

While Taehyun had been celebrating the unexpected haul, Jaeyoung began to step away from him. This was a slum without any security cameras; the only one who had witnessed the entire thing had been his cousin, Jaeyoung.

A closed mouth was essential to a perfect crime.

“Jaeyoung, where are you going? We have to move these guys.”

“H… Hyung…” Jaeyoung felt a chill run down his spine.

“Keep what you saw today a secret from Aunt and Uncle, got it?” Taehyun said as he slipped the ring into his pocket.

“G… Got… it...”

“Oh, and one more thing.” Taehyun put his hand on Jaeyoung’s shoulder. “There’s a job I want you to do with me.”

It was at this moment that Jaeyoung’s life, which had been about to take the wrong turn, changed completely.

***

It was 9 PM when they finally had dinner; Taehyun’s aunt and uncle had gotten back from work late. There were four people seated at a small table with simple dishes, and an awkward atmosphere hung in the air.

“You left school early?” His aunt, who had been setting the Kimchi-jjigae down on the table, asked him worriedly.

“Yes, I wasn’t feeling well.”

“Is something the matter?”

“No, I think I’ve just pushed myself a little too hard while doing assignments these past few days.”

“But still...”

“Hey, the boy said he’s fine. Feed him more if you have the time to worry like that.” Taehyun’s uncle, who had been watching them talk, placed a fried egg on Taehyun’s rice as he continued, “At your age, eating well is crucial for staying healthy.”

“Thank you, Uncle.” Taehyun smiled and took a bite of the fried egg.

He had already called his school in advance. Hearing that he would be staying home for a few days because he was feeling ill, his homeroom teacher gave him permission with a sigh. After all, he had fought with three students in a single day, so they thought he must have suffered many injuries.

“All right, then. Rest well for the next three days before going back,” his aunt said reluctantly, worry still lingering on her face. Though there won’t be any need to go back to school in three days, Taehyun still replied saying that he will do so.

“And you, Jaeyoung.” Taehyun's aunt looked at Jaeyoung with hardened eyes, unlike her demeanor towards Taehyun.

“Y...eah? I mean, yes?”

“Isn’t it nice eating together? Try to come home before dinner time.”

“I... I will…” Jaeyoung’s voice wavered, feeling guilty for his actions.

Watching the sight with approval, Taehyun swallowed a spoonful of food. It had been the first peaceful dinner in a while.

***

“Haah... Hahh…” Sweat rolled down Taehyun’s body as he did pushups in the small room. “Eigh…ty...”

Thud. Taehyun sighed. He hadn’t managed to reach even half of his goal.

“Sigh... I’m in terrible shape.” He only started doing proper weight training after he’d turned twenty. It had been around that time that he finally accepted that he was an unawakened and began to work on things in his control.

“I won’t waste time anymore.” Steeling his resolve by recalling the past, Taehyun pulled his body back up. Just as he had been about to start doing squats, he heard a knock on his room’s door.

“Hyung... It’s me...”

Taehyun straightened himself and opened the door. Jaeyoung was standing there with a sheepish expression.

“What is it?”

“W-Well, I wanted to ask if... we’ll be all right…”

Seeing Jaeyoung unable to even look up at his face, Taehyun chuckled lightly. “Nothing will happen if you keep your mouth shut.”

They had tossed the three thugs claiming to be members of Back Cross into a nearby alleyway and called the ambulance. Since they’d be receiving treatment right about now, their lives wouldn’t be in danger. ‘They won’t be waking up any time soon, though.’

“B-But…”

Looking at Jaeyoung’s nervous state which contrasted against his, Taehyun patted him on the shoulder. “Jaeyoung Hwang. Don’t worry about it, just remember what I told you.”

“O-Okay…”

“And work on your stamina if you have spare time.” After saying so, Taehyun closed the door.

‘I’ll need to get a gym membership after selling this ring.’

20 million won… When he looked at the ring placed on the desk, a smile drew across his face. In the past, the gate break had been a tragic event. But now, he felt like a child waiting to go on a picnic.

***

Time passed by quickly; it was already April 4th. Taehyun was drinking a cup of coffee at a café near Gungook High. Since he hadn’t gone to school, he wore a hoodie and jeans.

Sip. Drinking his coffee, Taehyun opened his status page.

[Name]: Taehyun Kim

[Age]: 19

[Rank]: E

[Fatigue]: 10%

[Mana]: 10/10

[Stats]

– Strength: 3 

– Stamina: 6  

– Speed: 5 

– Mana: 10

[Skills]

– Devour (1%): Devour a selected target. (Required Mana: 5)

– Stone Skin (E): Harden your body. (Required Mana: 1)

From the 20 million won he obtained from selling the skull ring at the auction, he saved 10 million won for emergency funds and used the other 10 million won to upgrade his status page.

It was much more detailed compared to the previous standard one. He could even change it into a different form if he spent more money, but for now, he was satisfied with the way it was.

More importantly, he could now view his physical stats. According to the status page, Taehyun’s mana was 10. This was more than twice what the average E-Rank Awakened had. ‘This is enough mana to be considered a D-Rank magic-type Awakened.’

Taehyun was wondering whether it was possible to absorb magic-type skills when the café began to shake.

Rumbleeeeeeeee.

“I-It’s an earthquake!”

“Everyone, leave the building!”

“Get the elderly and children out first!”

The café and the area nearby fell into chaos. The citizens had no way of knowing it was an A-Rank gate break and not an earthquake.

‘Is it finally starting?’ Emptying the coffee left in his cup, Taehyun stood up.

It was the start of a busy day.

Notes:

1. Kimchi-jjigae (also known as kimchi stew) is a stew-like Korean dish made with kimchi and ingredients such as pork, scallions, onions, and diced tofu. It is one of the most common stews in Korean cuisine.

2. Won (or KRW - Korean Won) is the official currency of South Korea. As of 2024, 1 KRW is equivalent to 0.00074 USD, making the price of the skull ring approximately $14,890.