Unlike class, Protocol divided the skill of the awakener into 9 parts, from F rank to SSS rank. The same ranking was also used for the dungeon and gate.
While classes were instead divided into Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, Epic, Legendary, Lord and Supreme.
The reason why Liam focused more on skills right now was because, class progression was extremely difficult, especially at the beginning.
But skills weren't as much.
In theory, even someone with a Basic class could possess an SSS-rank skill if they were lucky enough.
In fact, this was where the Innate Skill awakening played a crucial role, as it directly determined the starting point of an awakener.
After all, if you could awaken an SSS-rank skill, you were already standing above everyone else.
Of course, this did not mean classes and levels were useless.
Just because you had an SSS-rank skill did not mean you would be able to fight something like Hellgorge. It was a pipe dream.
—
[Do you want to initiate the awakening of your innate skill?]
[It is highly recommended that you do so for the upcoming trial.]
—
Because he already understood what Innate Skills were, Liam showed no excitement. He knew exactly what awaited him.
To be honest, he hated it. Foolishly so, considering how powerful the skill was.
For years, he had blamed his innate ability for forcing him to watch his companions die one after another, while he could do nothing but stand there, alone, drowning in despair.
'Initiate Awakening.'
That did not mean he would refuse it. Doing so would be far too foolish.
[Initiating Innate Skill Awakening…]
[Please wait…]
This time, the system did not respond immediately. Instead, a soft white glow rose from the floor and slowly engulfed him.
Liam felt a subtle change ripple through his body, gentle and warm, leaving him strangely comfortable.
[Awakening Successful!]
[Congratulations! You have successfully awakened your Innate Skill.]
The response came quickly after that. As the glow faded and the pleasant sensation vanished, a familiar panel appeared before his eyes, displaying his innate skill.
There was no surprise in his gaze.
—
[Innate Skill: Last Man Standing (B-rank)]
[Last Man Standing: A Conditional Passive skill that activates when you are completely alone in a battle.
> Effect: When no allies are within a certain radius, all base attributes increase by 50%. Additionally, damage taken is reduced by 30% and stamina consumption is halved. The effect ends immediately once an ally enters the area.]
—
It was an B-rank conditional passive skill. As the name implied, certain conditions had to be met for it to take effect.
First, Liam had to be part of a party. Second, the skill would only function during combat, such as a dungeon raid. Third, to trigger it, he had to be the only party member within a certain radius.
By any standard, it was a powerful ability, one fully deserving of its B-rank.
All Liam needed to do was form a party with someone and then venture off on his own, far enough from the others.
The moment the conditions were met, his stats would surge without any drawback.
Truly an effortless power-up.
Yet Liam felt no satisfaction. The name alone felt ominous, and the fact that it was his innate skill only made it worse.
After all, in his previous life, he truly had been the last man standing.
'Forget it…'
Just as Liam pushed aside those thoughts and was about to question the system, the panel in front of him suddenly began to distort.
"Hmm?"
It flickered erratically, as if something was interfering with it before it completely vanished.
'What happened?'
Liam had never seen such a situation before. He was truly confused when the prompt appeared again, this time genuinely surprising him.
[Initiating Innate Skill Awakening…]
[Please wait…]
It was the same prompt he had received just moments ago, before awakening his innate skill. Even the soft white glow sprang forth from the floor once again, enveloping him in that familiar, comfortable light.
'What happened?'
Liam was dumbfounded, yet there was no one to answer him. In the silence of the white room, the system once again began to examine his body and awaken his innate skill.
—
[Awakening Successful!]
[Congratulations! You have successfully awakened your Innate Skill.]
—
As if nothing had happened, the system delivered the same message in the same voice. Just like before, a skill panel appeared in front of Liam.
Only this time, the skill listed wasn't the B-rank Last Man Standing at all.
—
[Innate Skill: Devourer (SSS-rank)]
> Effect: You can devour anything.
—
The prompt was surprisingly small, offering no explanation beyond that single line. Compared to the B-rank skill he had just awakened, it looked completely ordinary.
But…
'SSS-rank?'
Liam's heart thumped wildly after seeing the rank beside it, and for the first time in a long while, he felt his expression change to utter shock.
'Am I dreaming?'
For someone who had seen everything life could offer, genuine surprise was rare.
Yet he couldn't blame himself as this Innate Skill he just awakened, was SSS rank.
SSS rank…
He hadn't even dared to dream of something like this in his life. After all, even a B-rank skill was already extraordinary. The highest he had ever seen before was S-rank, and those belonged only to elites, the absolute cream of the crop.
Yet after regressing to the day everything began, he suddenly awakened a ridiculous skill.
No… he awakened the same skill first, only somehow it had been forcibly overwritten right before his eyes.
—
[Initial Awakening has been successful. Congratulations, Awakener Liam Sterling, you are now an Official Warrior.]
[You can always change your basic class as long as you satisfy some conditions.]
[You have been given a basic Longsword as a weapon.]
[Your status and class-specific skill will be granted once you enter the trial.]
[Please wait until you are randomly assigned a team to proceed through the trial.]
—
While Liam struggled to comprehend the absurdity of the situation, the system continued sending prompt after prompt.
And just like in his last life, the moment he was randomly assigned to a team, he was abruptly teleported out of the room to an unknown location.
Yet, throughout the entire process, his eyes never left the skill panel.
After all, if he really had awakened an SSS-rank skill, just as the prompt said, his plan would change a lot. Unlike in his last life, he could do so many things.
Most importantly, this time, he could save his companions from their ultimate deaths.
He wouldn't be all alone this time, clinging to a flimsy promise just to survive in a cruel world. He could change everything.
'I won't disappoint anyone.'