Chapter 101: Level and Realm

2nd Generation Awakened.

Veterans who had traversed the most desperate battlefields, with both monsters and the government as enemies.

Shin Sunggwak was one of them.

‘These youngsters will never understand. How cruel a story a high level can be.’

They would never understand, those free and weak 3rd generation Awakened who enter gates for money,

who hunt monsters because they want to buy luxury goods.

The struggle between the government, which used Awakened like expendable parts, and the Awakened Association, which rose up against the government.

That killing a high-level Awakened was a much easier way to obtain a large amount of experience than catching the dungeon bosses that formed the gates.

Even the immature Awakened who are now revered as star Awakened, enjoying public popularity, love, wealth, and fame,

would have been treated as easily catchable boss monsters if they had been active just 10 years ago.

‘The young ones will never understand. Because we ended that hellish era with our own hands.’

Awakened belonging to the Association and Awakened belonging to the government.

In a desperate war akin to a national rebellion,

Awakened killed Awakened from the opposing side and gained a large amount of experience.

The longer they fought and the longer they survived,

the more experience they gained.

‘The problem with the 2nd generation Awakened started like that.’

The result of a civil war where they gained the same experience as catching a dungeon boss,

but could not obtain dungeon rewards.

The Awakened leveled up,

but they did not acquire loot commensurate with their level.

Even if they obtained the items used by their opponents,

most of them were often half-destroyed in battle,

and most of the equipment did not match their class

or did not meet the usage requirements.

Even if their level rose,

they did not have the combat power appropriate for that level.

‘A harsh dilemma came.’

Awakened who had hunted normally

could steadily grow

and continue their lives as Awakened,

even if they entered higher-level hunting grounds.

However, the 2nd generation Awakened, who had only increased their levels after the war with the government,

had to advance to higher hunting grounds to level up quickly,

but they lacked the specs to withstand it.

To make matters worse,

the concept of ‘Terminal Point’ was revealed.

‘A phenomenon in which the abilities honed by an Awakened begin to destroy themselves due to an excessively high level.’

The automatic recovery phenomenon that occurs when leveling up

can restore temporary health and martial prowess,

but once a body enters the terminal point,

it can never be free from the terminal point.

Even if leveling up improves health in the short term,

the rate at which the magic disease of the terminal point worsens is faster,

a terrible cycle of deterioration like a drug.

“Hello. Did you come alone, sir?”

“I want to see the guild master. Can you guide me?”

“You didn’t make an appointment separately, right? Then please fill out some simple personal information in the visitor log here.”

Shin Sunggwak ran desperately for 9 years

to escape that cycle,

and gave up and sat down for 1 year.

“I’ve finished writing.”

“Let’s see… Your name is Shin Sunggwak, you’re from the Myungho Guild, you’re an Awakened, your level is 249… Huh? 249?”

Level 249.

That was the result.

“Uh, sir. You can’t write your level as a joke. Did you write it correctly? It’ll be a big problem later if you’re like level 25 or 24.9!”

“Heh heh. To think that the day would come when I, Shin Sunggwak, would encounter people who don’t even know my name and face in my own home. As expected, you have to live a long life to see the world.”

Shin Sunggwak chuckled like a kind grandfather.

His feet vibrated subtly,

and the pen placed on the reception desk rolled off.

“Uh uh? Is it an earthquake?”

No sooner had the flustered receptionist picked up the pen than

the pencil holder fell over,

and the writing instruments rolled under the desk with a crash.

“Uh uh? Uh uh uh?”

The flustered receptionist hurriedly reached out

and picked up the spilled writing instruments, but

crash

clatter

“Kyaa!”

The monitor overturned and the books on the bookshelf spilled out,

and as the earthquake intensified to the point where it could no longer be handled,

she finally screamed and collapsed to the floor.

Drrrrr━

As if the end of the world was coming,

the vibration grew stronger and stronger without stopping.

Shin Sunggwak intended to continue the show of force like this.

‘The guild is shaking as if it’s about to collapse, so they can’t pretend not to know.’

Walk out on all fours.

Show your shameless face.

I’ll humiliate you in front of the guild members.

“Sir, quickly get under the desk!”

Shin Sunggwak, who was deploying his abilities with the intention of not stopping until he saw the guild master.

A strange emotion arose on his face.

‘How can you be so clueless? To think you’re spouting nonsense about helping the person who insulted me.’

Looking at him again, there were traces of training on his body,

but he didn’t feel the magic power unique to Awakened.

To put an ordinary person who hasn’t even awakened their magic power in an important position to greet visitors.

He was speechless at the sloppy management of the new guild.

‘My interest is waning.’

What fault is there in a powerless ordinary person who only receives a few coins and writes in the visitor log?

As Shin Sunggwak’s heart softened, the earthquake stopped.

“What’s going on! Did a gate appear… Heok!”

Min Woo-sung, who had sensed the magic reaction and rushed over,

recognized Shin Sunggwak and collapsed to the ground.

“Yes, finally someone who recognizes me has appeared.”

So Kyung-seok, who followed, also had a stiff expression.

There was no way that an Association-affiliated Awakened active in Myungho-dong would not know Shin Sunggwak’s appearance.

“Is the guild master coming?”

“He’ll be out soon.”

So Kyung-seok was going crazy trying to calm his heart, which was about to lose its mind and run wild.

‘If that human suddenly goes crazy and runs wild, how long can I last?’

So Kyung-seok’s level is 182.

He is in the upper ranks among C-class Awakened,

but it was questionable whether he could even last a second against Shin Sunggwak, who was on a different level.

It was not a matter of thinking about how long he could last,

but whether it was even possible to last.

‘Please let me get by, please let me get by, please let me get by!’

Min Woo-sung’s level is 156.

Because of the threats from the Association executives, who were wary of his Awakened grade rising

and reading the secrets of stronger ability users,

Min Woo-sung was stuck at a level that barely exceeded C-class.

Moreover, if he, who had awakened the mind-reading ability, not a combat ability, became Shin Sunggwak’s target, he could not escape the fate of having his head cut off in an instant.

“Huh? Who is that grandpa?”

Joo Ahyoung’s level is 1.

She was diligently trying to become an Awakened

and accumulating various knowledge at the Awakened Academy, but

she didn’t have enough knowledge to recognize the level of Shin Sunggwak, a 2nd generation master,

let alone the level of Vice Guild Master Kim Chang-shik, who was called the new generation powerhouse of the Myungho Guild.

“H, you can’t talk to him carelessly!”

“Woo-sung. Take Ahyoung and step back.”

“Uh! Why are you doing this? What’s going on? I want to watch too.”

As soon as the justification for running away was given, Min Woo-sung grabbed Joo Ahyoung and fled into the building.

“I don’t know why you’re doing this, but if our guild master finds out you’re doing this here, he’ll be very angry.”

“That’s fortunate. I came out like this to correct the habits of that fearless guild master. But, is your guild master even A-class?”

“…I know he’s C-class.”

So Kyung-seok also understood that the situation was turning bad.

The Awakened’s grade is promoted based on level 50.

Levels 1 ~ 50 are F-class

Levels 51 ~ 100 are E-class

Levels 101 ~ 150 are D-class

Levels 151 ~ 200 are C-class

Levels 201 ~ 250 are B-class

Levels 251 ~ 300 are A-class

Considering the grade system according to level,

Shin Sunggwak is undoubtedly a top-tier B-class and a quasi-A-class powerhouse.

Even if there is no significant increase in magic power and ability enhancement that occurs every 50 levels,

he is a true powerhouse who can demonstrate A-class combat power

or even greater capabilities depending on the situation and conditions.

‘Hae Eung Eung Guild Master is not an ordinary person either, but can he really win against that Shin Sunggwak?’

The Myungho Guild was responsible for using magic waste at the convenience store

to harm Joo Ahyoung,

the raid on the Myungho Guild’s senior executives was based on the wrong judgment.

He had heard to some extent about Hae Eung Eung’s raid on Shin Sunggwak’s mansion,

which was known to the world as a terrorist incident,

but Shin Sunggwak returned to the guild after that day

and completely overturned the power structure,

showing vigorous activity.

‘If Hae Eung Eung really won against Shin Sunggwak, would such active activity be possible?’

So Kyung-seok couldn’t believe it.

He only came back with one arm injured, so he didn’t lose,

but he only guessed that it was a draw that he couldn’t win either.

‘Today is the day to settle things!’

The same place as before.

The Hainam Faction’s guild headquarters, where only the ownership has changed.

Shin Sunggwak has invaded this place this time

to repay the humiliation he suffered before.

He would have turned a bothersome C-class minnow like himself into a bloody mess

with just a little displeasure.

‘But Hae Eung Eung is not an ordinary C-class either.’

Early Awakening C-class.

Awakened who have set such amazing records

have a high probability of rising to A-class in the future.

From the beginning, their overall stats and magic power levels are high enough to be compared to C-class Awakened,

and they possess strong abilities accompanied by high magic power.

‘Even that is just a nice way of saying C-class,’

How could he believe that this monster,

whose original realm could not even be predicted,

who could raise his younger brother’s grade to C-class on the spot,

was C-class as it is?

The C-class letters engraved on the Awakened license

have no meaning to Hae Eung Eung.

‘A hidden powerhouse in a villain organization. An unidentified master who has come to the surface. Today may be the perfect opportunity to see Hae Eung Eung’s true worth.’

As if he couldn’t be a nobleman,

a refreshing breeze blew from behind him as soon as So Kyung-seok thought of her.

Soft. Soft.

Even the sound of her footsteps is extraordinary,

accompanied by a fragrance that makes the nose comfortable with each step,

the her in the bamboo hat, pifeng, and jangsam attire,

which is now like a unique signature, would feel awkward otherwise.

“Guild Master. Shin Sunggwak, the former master of the Myungho Guild, has come to visit.”

“You are……!”

Shin Sunggwak and Hae Eung Eung.

Their second encounter was made.