Chapter 63

Chapter 63

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]

Chapter 63: Aftershock (2)

While swinging the sword to get a feel for it, the hospital room door opened, and in walked a familiar face—Seo Yerim.

“Awake already? You seem fine, swinging that sword around.”

“What brings you here, Yerim?”

“...Because you were in danger because of me. What’s wrong? Can’t I take care of you?”

“Taking care of me?”

She nodded.

‘Have we gotten closer?’

Maybe the fact that he was injured trying to clear the area for her had earned him some points.

Not bad.

Perhaps she’d be more open to some helpful advice from now on.

Slowly getting her on his side wouldn’t be a bad thing.

“How long have I been out?”

“About 5 hours.”

Then she looked at him intently and asked.

“So, what’s your plan for the interview? People will definitely ask about your contributions and such.”

“What’s the public’s opinion?”

“The general view is that you played a significant role.”

“Really?”

He raised an eyebrow.

The only thing people saw was him coming out in pretty bad shape.

It would be hard to turn that into a measure of success.

It’s not every day a low-tier awakener walks into a high-level gate and comes out intact, right?

“Ah. You came straight here? Haven’t you done the interview yet?”

“...No.”

He figured it was because of her usual aloof attitude.

She wasn’t the type to make a big fuss after coming back from a gate.

“An interview, huh?”

His initial plan had been simple: reveal his strength.

He was aiming for the rewards that came with being the first to clear a gate.

To do that, he’d need to showcase some of his abilities.

B+ Gate solo clear.

It was a lot more feasible than when he was level 1, considering he had leveled up quite a lot.

‘Is anything different now?’

Not really.

He was now level 151, reaching D-rank.

Considering his titles and stat-enhancing potions, he was a powerhouse.

Assassins?

Let them come.

He now had a decent sword, and he had mastered some sword techniques.

Now, he could even fight back aggressively.

S-rank?

Those might be a bit tricky, but nations and organizations wouldn’t easily send out S-rank assassins.

It’s not like they could openly assassinate a high-profile awakener without consequences.

Even if they tried, he could deal with them.

“Let’s say we each did about half.”

That’s how it was when he killed the Sado Alliance Leader.

[TL/N: Do note both the unorthodox alliance leader and the Sado Alliance are the same person]

If there hadn’t been that final precise shot, he would’ve taken him down with all his minions.

“You’re going to reveal your strength?”

“I need some cash.”

Revealing his strength had many advantages.

Successful awakeners always attracted money, whether from investors or recruitment offers.

‘Might as well get some investments now’

Manufacturing could bring in money, but it wouldn’t be enough for what he had in mind.

Well, technically, he could cover it, but...

‘It would just take a painfully long time’

The skeletons’ crafting skill was E-rank.

If he wanted to level it up and make money, he would have to spend months locked in a workshop.

Investment, on the other hand, brought in cash instantly.

It was the fastest way to power up quickly.

On top of that, raising his reputation made it easier for Ilsung to invest without raising eyebrows.

Nobody would say it was just because he was chairman’s son that the money kept flowing in.

“Are you planning to do the full 9th level enhancement at C-rank?”

“Of course, if I can.”

C-rank still had plenty of awakeners, so skill books weren’t too scarce.

But B-rank?

That was a different story.

The number of mid-to-high-level awakeners dropped off significantly at that point.

B-rank’s starting level was 251, and after that, the level gap jumped from 50 to 100, giving him more time to level up.

But he will cross that bridge when he gets there.

“So, Yerim, what did you get from the reward?”.

“I got a different martial arts manual from the Dragon Phoenix Tournament. It was originally A-rank, but now it’s S-rank. It changed from swordsmanship to archery”

“Seems like the gate is smart, adjusting rewards to match your skills. Good thing you’ve got an S-rank manual now.”

She’d used a sword during the Dragon Phoenix Tournament, but she’d switched to a bow during the final chase.

In the end, she took down the Sado Alliance Leader with her bow.

The gate must have factored that in when awarding the rewards.

“...”

She seemed skeptical but also intrigued.

“Trust me, there’s a way.”

“Really?”

“I don’t joke about this kind of thing.”

Seo Yerim nodded, knowing he could be serious when the situation called for it.

“Is this for real? You really have something that can change jobs?”

“Yes. If you want, I can give you a job change coupon.”

“A job change coupon?”

It was something she’d never heard of.

“Did you get that from clearing the gate?”

“Does it sound like something you’d get from an A+-rank gate? No, I have my own way of getting things.”

“Can you really change jobs and get a new skill book? And existing skills and titles get adjusted too?”

“It’s all true. But we don’t have much time. This offer expires soon.”

“But... If I just switch, what would I tell my grandfather? He expects me to become a swordmaster...”

“Look, you’re not going to be a swordmaster. Even the Sword Saint himself knows that. He’ll probably be relieved if you switch to something you’re actually good at.”

“...”

She hesitated, clearly torn.

“If you’re worried about your grandfather, I can go with you to explain. But you need to decide quickly. We only have 2 minutes left.”

The pressure was mounting.

The sale would end soon, and he couldn’t risk buying it himself because of the 1-minute usage limit.

‘Damn it.’

He needed to push her.

If just getting her to consider archery earned him 200 points, how much would he get for a full job change?

He was willing to beg or threaten if he had to.

“Just do it! I’ll handle the rest!”

“You will take responsibility?”

Seo Yerim asked, her voice edged with doubt.

“Yes! If it goes wrong, I’ll take full responsibility! So just say you want to be an archer. You wanted to, didn’t you?”

“...If I do... How do I repay you? I mean, how could I ever make it up to you for something like this?”

Did that really matter right now?

The achievement points were on the brink of multiplying, and she was worried about repaying a favor?

He quickly clicked the purchase button before she could change her mind.

[Job Change Coupon purchased!]

He handed the book to her.

“Use it! Now! Pick ‘Archer’!”

Seo Yerim, surprised by my urgency, stared at the book for a moment.

[Job Change Coupon acquired!]

[Please state the desired job within 1 minute.]

Her face hardened as she read the message.

Then she shouted,

“Archer!”

[Seo Yerim’s job is changing from Swordsman to Archer.]

[All titles and skills will be transformed.]

[Initiating ‘Re-examination.’]

[Entering the Trial Grounds.]

Suddenly, everything around them shifted into a completely white space.

Even he was swept into this strange realm.

Why was he here?

He wasn’t supposed to undergo re-examination.

Then, he saw a strange sight: a walking teddy bear.

“Huh?”

“?”

Both Seo Yerim and he tilted our heads in confusion.

The bear, who introduced itself as “PoPo” declared with authority,

“Ahem! I am the re-examination overseer, PoPo! Are you the candidate who used the Job Change Coupon?”

Seo Yerim nodded, though she still looked confused.

PoPo turned toward him and squinted, looking displeased.

“And you... Why are you here if you didn’t use the coupon?”

How would he know?

But this bear seemed to have a bias against anyone who hadn’t spent a lot of achievement points.

Time to fix that.

“I’m the sponsor.”

“...Excuse me?”

“I sponsored her use of the coupon. What’s with your attitude? Is this how all overseers behave?”

“Uh... Well... I-I... um...”

“Typical. These days, everyone’s a mess.”

PoPo turned to Seo Yerim.

“Is he telling the truth?”

“Yes, he is.”

“S-sorry! I didn’t realize you were a VIP! I’m a new recruit, and I-I made a mistake! Please don’t report me!”

“You seem pretty desperate to keep your job, huh?”

This bear was new, which might explain why he had never encountered him before.

The “Trial Grounds” and the “re-examination” suggested this was a different realm with unique possibilities.

He decided to play along and see what he could get out of this.

If PoPo was willing to bend over backward to keep his job, maybe there were opportunities to be had.

He looked at PoPo, considering how to use him to his advantage.

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]