I retraced both the memories I had and the ones I didn't, step by step, until I found myself walking back to the house where I'd lived during middle school.
What caught my eyes first were the shops that had vanished with time.
Ah, Olive Tteokbokki. Their cup tteokbokki was amazing.
It's still around? Good. I'll have to come back and try it again sometime.
If I remember right, this alley was the shortcut. If I cut through here….
Yeah. Found it.
"Whoa."
Seeing the house I once lived in washed over me with old emotions.
A house near Sinmok Elementary School.
Of course, the place I actually lived in was the semi-basement unit of this villa.
Originally, the house itself had belonged to my family. But during the Return of Ignir incident, every single one of them died—except me.
After that, my so-called relatives moved in under the excuse of being my guardians.
And since a minor can't do much without a guardian, I had no choice but to accept it.
The result? I was driven into the semi-basement, and to those greedy relatives who had already devoured everything, I became invisible.
'…I need to get out of here.'
The very first thing I wanted to sever, after coming back to the past, was this wretched tie with my relatives.
Looking back, there had never been a reason for me to stay in this house.
How many humiliations, how much scorn, did I endure living here as a parasite under their roof?
It was partly because of them that the old me was so desperate to awaken an S-rank talent. I thought once I awakened, I could leave immediately.
But in the end, my talent never bloomed, and until high school I coexisted with mold in that damp semi-basement.
'But now, there's no need.'
I've returned to the past. And I've awakened.
There's no reason to stay in this place any longer.
Family memories?
I'd be lying if I said they didn't exist.
But this house, smeared over by my relatives, was no longer the family home I remembered.
The good memories had long been buried under bad ones.
No regrets.
If I can leave, then the sooner the better.
I placed a hand on the wall as I made my way down the stairs leading to the semi-basement.
These steps were dangerous no matter how many times I went up and down them.
I'd fallen plenty of times here as a kid.
'Still can't get used to this. I really need to leave soon….'
Even if there weren't any fond memories, recollections surfaced one after another.
I had no affection for this room, but they say even grudges are a form of attachment—maybe it's true.
Pulling the key from my breast pocket, I turned it in the lock.
Click.
The door opened, and the first thing that came out of me was—
"Damn."
A gasp of astonishment.
Proof of how obsessed I had been with Hunters: the walls were still plastered with posters of the Hunters I'd admired back then.
"Park Hun, Heo Sang-hun, Kim Ji-yeon…."
Running my hand over the posters, I sank into pointless nostalgia. I'd envied their talents so much… looked up to them so intensely.
'Yeah. My talent.'
That snapped me back to focus.
It was too early to drown in sentiment.
I'd awakened a talent of my own. There was no need to envy them anymore.
More than that—soon, I'd become a far greater Hunter than any of them.
What mattered now was my Opportunity.
I needed to figure out what this skill actually did.
'Computer first….'
Naturally, I walked to the computer in the corner. I needed to coolly assess the situation.
Awakening was great, sure.
But the only confirmed facts I had were that I was in my third year of middle school, and that I'd awakened.
I needed more information.
Whirrr….
The old PC groaned as the power button lit up. Thankfully, it still ran.
But if I really was back in my third year…
'This thing's going to be junk soon enough.'
Too many things around here needed fixing.
Pop!
Finally, the desktop appeared. I moved the cursor straight to the browser. As expected, it took forever to load.
After about ten seconds, the news headlines of that time filled the monitor.
That's when I saw it:
—"The Rising Star, Yong Sang-jae! Declares Admission to Polygon!"
'…Well, duh. With an S-rank talent, of course he'd go to Polygon.'
I'd already heard about Polygon from Yong Sang-jae himself, so I didn't feel much about it.
The other articles were all about Polygon admissions too—well, this was the season after all.
Hunters were mainstream now, and Polygon held an entrance exam only once every three years. Enough to keep the whole world watching.
'This one's S-rank so-and-so, that one's A-rank what's-his-face….'
Funny thing. Online, everyone seemed to be S-rank or A-rank.
Sure, only the privileged flaunted their ranks, but even knowing that, it was hard not to feel bitter.
'Right. That's not why I'm here.'
Almost forgot.
The reason I booted this thing up was to check my own status.
Back in middle school, I'd saved the site link, I was sure….
'There it is.'
Bookmark folder. Of course.
Clicking into the official Hunter site, the computer whined like it was dying. Popups everywhere.
'…Sorry, old friend.'
I really should've taken better care of it. But hey, computers exist to work.
A few seconds later, I was in.
I quickly clicked the featured video: "The Strongest Hunters, Their First Step."
What a cheesy title. Back then, I'd sworn to save it for the day I awakened. Of course, impatience won and I'd watched it anyway.
'Well, whatever. Results matter more than the process.'
And this time, I had awakened.
No doubt I deserved to watch it now.
Pop!
The screen filled with the face of a pretty, black-haired girl.
Of course I knew who she was—I'd seen her countless times on the news.
Han Seung-hee. An S-rank talent, about my age, who awakened not long after Yong Sang-jae.
'Right, her skill was crazy popular.'
If I recalled right, her ability was Conversion.
Useful as hell, and always featured in educational programs. She was basically a celebrity, with a huge fandom.
"Hello, future Hunters! If you're watching this, that means you've awakened like me, right? If you haven't, please press back!"
Right off the bat—if you're talentless, get lost.
That line had stung before, but now that I'd awakened? Not scary at all.
She stared out from the screen, and I stared back, proudly.
After a pause, she clapped her hands.
"Good! If you're still watching, you must've awakened. Then let me show you the very first steps!"
Cheerful, she stepped aside, creating space in the frame.
And then—
Fwoosh!
Four empty panels appeared. No doubt, her Conversion at work.
Or maybe just CG. But with her power, it was definitely possible.
Either way, what mattered were the panels:
1. Status.
2. Talent Check.
3. Inventory.
4. Wrap-Up.
"Alright, shall we look at your awakened self together?"
Organized like that, it was clear what to check first.
Status. Yes—the most important thing was to know myself.
"To open your status, just…"
She explained on screen, but I already knew. I'd imagined this a thousand times before.
After all, I was the guy who'd waited a lifetime to awaken.
=
Name: Baek Kang-hyun
Level: 1
Hunter Rank: Pending (Grade under evaluation)
Skills:
– Opportunity (Grade under evaluation)
– Observation (Grade under evaluation)
– Empty Slot
Stats: Health (D), Strength (C), Agility (C), Mana (D), Willpower (C)
=
"Whoa."
It opened. For real.
Of course, I had awakened, so it was natural—but seeing the window with my own eyes still made me tremble.
'But… what's with all these "under evaluation" notes?'
Even after all this time, my skills weren't graded.
Uneasy. What if they weren't S-rank after all?
And—
'Empty Slot? What the hell is that?'
Never heard of a slot system before.
"Next, let's check your talent…."
Ignoring her voice, I focused on Opportunity.
Finally. Time to see what this damned skill actually was.
=
Opportunity [Grade: Under Evaluation]
A chance to test your affinity with humanity!
Humans are social animals. They cannot live alone. Then what, truly, is "connection"?
The answer seeker—you are the protagonist of Opportunity!
Target: Yong Sang-jae (Stage 1)
No pending targets.
=
The vague nonsense hadn't changed. But there was one major difference.
"…Why is Yong Sang-jae's name here?"
One thing came to mind.
Maybe it appeared after I cleared his Opportunity Mission?
After all, I did hold his hand, and got that message.
Glancing at his name—
=
Character: Yong Sang-jae
Opportunity Stage: 1
– Master of Frost (S)
– Frost Fang (S)
– Frost Shaping (S)
– Frostbite (A)
=
"…The hell?"
My mind froze at his skill list.
So Opportunity… showed other people's skills?
Testing, I hovered over Frost Shaping.
=
Frost Shaping (S).
Condense the power of ice mana to create ice constructs within permissible limits.
=
Simple. But deadly.
This was Yong Sang-jae's core skill. With it, he never needed weapons—his mana alone sufficed.
But why could I see it?
[You may select one skill from this person. Proceed? (YES/NO)]
"…Select?"
I didn't know what it meant, so I chose YES.
Ding!
The "Empty Slot" in my status screen instantly changed—to Frost Shaping.
"…No way. For real?"
I looked at my right hand.
Using a skill was simple: focus.
Sure enough, mana surged through me, condensing in my palm.
The weapon that came to mind was the one Yong Sang-jae always favored—
The Frozen Sword.
"…Ha."
Crack.
Ice crystalized in my hand, forming a sword. At the same time, a mana gauge appeared beside me.
This proved it.
Opportunity was a skill that let me take others' skills.
'Wait… take them?'
A talent that steals?
I'd never heard of such a thing.
But—
The system descriptions were always vague.
The word wasn't "steal" or "take."
So… was it theft? Or copying?
Easiest way to find out would be to ask Yong Sang-jae.
But no.
If he had lost a skill, I'd be the prime suspect.
'…I'll check when I see him at school next week.'
If something was off, I'd know immediately. After all, I knew him better than anyone.
"Alright, so now you've got the hang of Inventory, right?"
While I was distracted, Han Seung-hee had already finished explaining Status and Talent, and was moving on.
'Right, I should check Inventory too.'
Opportunity was the most important, but I had no way to test it further now.
Better to move forward.
I turned to the next panel.
"The privilege of an Awakened: Inventory."
I'd seen the message when I awakened—my inventory was open.
So this was a gift given at the moment of becoming an Awakened.
Opening it was just like opening Status.
It came as naturally as breathing.
And then—
"…Huh?"
There was something inside my Inventory.
When there shouldn't have been anything at all.
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