TL : Swan
PR : Hayath
# Episode 003
From the day of “Awakening”, individuals receive their “Profession”, through which the direction of their lives is determined. This is because depending on the ‘Profession’ and the ‘Grade’ of skills bestowed upon them, they may become winners or losers.
Their usefulness also varies depending on the ‘Profession’ and ‘Skills’ they receive. While most receive professions related to ‘Combat’, there are some, like Yohan, who receive skills that are useless in combat. In that sense, it would be fair to say that Yohan possesses the worst set of skills.
Can someone with an ‘F-grade Emotional Skill’ be called an awakened individual? It would have been much better if they had obtained an ‘S-grade’ emotional skill. An ‘S-grade Emotionist’ can read the emotions of all objects, even humans. I’ve heard news about an S-grade emotionist in the US who purchased an entire building in New York just by reading its emotions.
“That’s more impressive than ten combat skills combined.”
Of course, it’s far beyond what Yohan can aspire to be. An F-grade emotion skill can only read the emotions of insignificant objects.
“But ‘Awakening’? I’ve never heard of such a term before.”
In many cases, the skills bestowed upon individuals can grow from one level to another. However, the occurrence of a complete change in one’s profession, referred to as an “Awakening,” has never been experienced by anyone before.
“Who on earth is the God of the dead? I’ve never even heard of…”
[The profession ‘Emotionist’ has awakened into ‘Necromancer.’]
“Necromancer…?”
The name of the profession itself is already suspicious.
Not a castaway, archer, thief, or magician, but a necromancer.
Not a ‘Tailor’, ‘Sorcerer’, or ‘Purifier’, but a ‘Necromancer’.
“What kind of profession is this, anyway?”
It’s a profession that no one has ever obtained. It’s not even a profession that many would want to acquire.
‘Are there any professions related to death other than Necromancers?’ None.
Except for the godly profession of the thief, Reaper, there is nothing even remotely similar.
No matter how much I think about it, it’s a word that is far from emotions.
“Why did this particular attribute awaken? Is it because of what I’ve been doing?”
Thinking that way somewhat fits the puzzle. After all, he must have dealt with at least over a thousand corpses so far.
“But why don’t I feel so happy about this?”
Despite being an opportunity for a complete life reversal, he couldn’t shake off the uncomfortable feeling caused by the word “Necromancer.” It felt like winning fifth prize in a lottery.
*Sound*
“I guess a profession bestowed directly by a god can’t be bad. Please, it shouldn’t be.”
He slapped his cheeks, as if to clear his thoughts. He heard that the god of the dead had taken a liking to his personality.
An “Awakened Profession” should not be subpar.
[One who sends the dead to the gods and plunges sinners into eternal torment will be more sacred than anyone else.]
It was a rather perplexing explanation. Though status windows are usually like this, this one seemed more flowery than others.
“In the end, what matters most are the skills.”
With high expectations, he checked his skills. No matter how the profession has awakened, what is crucial is the skills.
– Skill List –
[Emotion (↑)], [Impartiality], [Life Reader], [Death Ender]
#003
Three new skills were added. All of them had names that didn’t reveal their abilities.
“Is it still appropriate to call myself a Necromancer?”
The names of the skills seemed unrelated to being a Necromancer, except for the skill “Impartiality”.
Among those peculiar skills, Yohan found a peculiar mark on his emotion skill.
[Emotion]
Grade B (Growth)
– Can sense the emotions of all grades of objects and corpses. Can grow up to S-grade.
“It’s not 5th place, it’s 1st place!”
Unintentionally, I shouted. Tears welled up in my eyes.
“The skill has grown. It’s already at B-grade!”
The emotion skill that had always remained at F-grade had grown.
Though one might question why he was making such a fuss about a mere “Emotion” skill improvement, it was more than just a meaning to Yohan.
It was a glimmer of light in a future, that had been completely obscured.
It was a day when the tangled knot of his life, which had been a total disaster, unravelled just a little bit. A day, which he thought would never come.
“To be able to sense emotions is essential, no matter what.”
Now, he could make a living just with this skill alone. With continuous practice, he could even reach the ‘S-grade’ he had dreamt of.
“S-grade skill holders are like walking enterprises.”
No matter how crude the skill might be, it guarantees peak performance. It’s more difficult not to be used than to be an S-grade. There are already precedents for that.
“Why does it matter if it’s not a combat skill? Just yesterday, I was worried about paying the rent.”
“If things continue like this, I won’t be able to go home.”
He wanted to test his skills right away. Fortunately, he already had things he needed for the test.
“Normally, you try out your skills as soon as you acquire them.”
With determination, he carefully untied the cloth covering the body. He greeted the peacefully sleeping corpse and knelt down.
“I’m sorry for the intrusion. Emotion.”
Sparkle-
A faint light appeared in his hand and vanished. The impact was slightly different from before, causing his heart to pound for no reason.
[Memory Imprint]
Grade: F
Profession: Memory Seeker
Years of Experience: 10
– A 6th-year hunter. Lost his purpose in life after the death of his wife 10 years ago. After squandering all his savings and insurance money in disputes with drunkards, he started living a day-to-day life exploring dungeons. He ended up in the dungeon alone after drinking excessively the night before.
“This is too much detail for this skill.”
The description felt like ‘Recounting’ someone’s entire life, making his heart ache.
Yohan mourned his last moments with a sincere farewell, not just a formal one.
“You can use Memory Imprint.”
At that moment, an alert was heard. It was an alert that he could use the Memory Imprint skill.
“Are they telling me to use Memory Imprint on this person right away?”
In response to the question, a faint light spread from the corpse. Although he had planned only to use the Emotion skill, it seemed that he could check many other skills as well.
“Memory Imprint.”
[To use the abilities of the Necromancer, a trigger word is required: “Open Ceremony.”]
“A trigger word too?”
The profession was even more bizarre than he had imagined. Having to perform the Memory Imprint right away, was it because he needed to detach the soul first? With the curiosity overwhelming him, he decided to check all the skills while he was at it.
“Open Ceremony.”
The atmosphere began to change. The air became heavy, to the point where it felt like his shoulders were being pressed down.
Clunk- Something dropped from the abyss, resonating around.
A giant wooden crown, easily over 2 meters tall, made of cedar, had indeed fallen.
“What is this?”
Its imposing appearance caused Yohan, to take a step back unconsciously.
Soon, the darkness in the air closed up and disappeared. Carefully approaching the body, Yohan gently picked up the giant crown.
Thunk-
The sound was solid, giving the impression of considerable strength in the fingers.
“Did they really give me a crown?”
The inside was empty. Considering the size, it could fit any corpse without a problem.
“It can be used as a weapon!”
Although it might be too large, it was undoubtedly an item well-suited for a Necromancer.
With such a massive crown in hand, he could probably deal with most monsters just by swinging it.
“Imagining it alone is bizarre, huh? A Necromancer with a crown instead of a weapon, a walking traceur!”
A necromancer carrying around a crown larger than his body, just the thought of it was peculiar and overwhelming.
Carrying a fishing rod and going on a hunt, it’s even more humiliating than the appearance of a hunter.
Flash-
He grabbed the handle attached behind the crown. The crown was sturdier than he thought.
With this strength and size, it should easily exceed 100 kilograms, but strangely, he had no trouble lifting and swinging it.
As if it was made for Yohan.
“Is this a special bonus from the profession? Even just one hit from this, and most monsters would be finished.”
[The Crown of the Dead]
Grade: Bound
Durability: None
– The crown given to you as a gift from the God of the Dead. Only you can wield it, and it will never break, so feel free to use it. If you work hard, you might receive an even better crown as a gift.
“Me, maybe I won the lottery instead of being in 1st place?”
It was a bound item coveted by everyone, and even boasted an insane feature of being indestructible.
For lower-grade hunters, what they needed the most was not a weapon, but a durable shield like this.
If a tank were to check the stats, he would cry rivers, as this item was worth investing all their assets, even a hundred billion.
Currently, the only item with an indestructible option available on the market was a meaningless ring, and only one at that.
“Are you satisfied with it?”
As Yohan said while looking at the sky, the crown responded with a resonant hum.
He had to reflect on himself from 10 minutes ago when he thought it was a worthless thing.
“Now, shall I try using ‘Memory Imprint’ for real?”
With just a simple trigger word like this, the actual skill must have even better effects.
It was a skill bestowed by the legendary, unprecedented ‘God of the Dead’, so it was only natural.
[Memory Imprint]
Grade: A
– Absorbs a lost corpse. The higher the number of Memory Imprints, the higher the stats increase. If ‘Time of Death’ is preserved, the durability of Time of Death increases slowly.
Click-
He opened the lid of the crown. Inside the crown, there was a perfect darkness that seemed to have no end, like an endless black hole.
“It’s empty inside…?”
Yohan put his hand into the crown and searched around but quickly withdrew his hand as he realized that there was no end.
He had anticipated it, but it wasn’t an ordinary crown.
Whoo-
A cold wind blew from inside the crown. The crown seemed to be connected to somewhere like a ‘Gateway’.
“Memory Imprint.”
As he chanted, a strong wind blew out from the crown.
To be precise, it was a powerful ‘whirlwind’, that was capable of sucking everything in.
Whoo-
In an instant, the corpse was sucked in. It was a powerful whirlwind that only affected corpses targeted by ‘Memory Imprint’.
Thunk-
After swallowing the corpse like a black hole, the crown closed its lid as if it said, “It’s done.”
“Such madness.”
Whoo-
As Yohan was gasping for breath, the crown vibrated on its own.
It seemed like he needed to take a rejuvenation pill as soon as he got home today.
Yohan stared blankly at where the corpse disappeared.
As if to prove that it wasn’t a dream, the cloth that was spread out with deadly poison, was still lingering on it.
[Preserving one corpse. Acquired 4 stat points.]
It was the alert that brought him back to his senses.
“Stat points”, the factors that determined the practical abilities of an awakened individual. Points that could be used to increase the stats.
The overwhelming anticipation consumed him.
The anticipation of breaking free from the F-grade.
“First, one point to all stats.”
A faint light emanated from his body. A sense of fulfillment he had never experienced before enveloped him.
“Is this… the effect of stat increase?”
He could feel power surging through his body. Yohan checked his newly grown stats for the first time.
Strength: 11
Agility: 11
Stamina: 11
Senses: 11
Magic: 1
“I finally, finally stepped into the realm of the awakened.”
Overwhelmed with excitement, he fumbled for words. It was understandable, considering Yohan had lived with stats that were no different from an ordinary person’s until now.
The dividing line between awakened individuals and ordinary people was 11 in stats.
‘F-grade’ was a term used for people, who couldn’t even surpass this number.
Despite daily training, Johan had remained at 10 for 8 years, unable to surpass that limit.
Furthermore, the stat that was closest to talent, Magic, was only 1, making him practically talentless as an awakened individual.
Thunk-
He clenched a pebble that had been lying around. The broken pebble in his hand had become two clean pieces.
“So, this is the difference of 1 stat point.”
Just 1 point, but it was a wall that separated awakened individuals from ordinary people, so the change was evident.
With E-grade, tears welled up in Yohan’s eyes, almost overflowing with emotions.
“If I keep using Memory Imprint like this, I can gain stats each time, right?”
It was a skill that he couldn’t figure out how to utilize. Until just now, he hadn’t considered it an important skill, but now he realized that he needed to fix that mindset.
“There’s no skill more important than this.”
He had to rethink everything.
There was no skill more ‘cheat-like’ than this. With just 10 people, he could gain a total of 40 stat points. It might take ten days, but it was possible.
Such growth was unprecedented. Initially, such growth seemed impossible.
“Only 9 more to go, and I can reach D-grade. This… is an opportunity that won’t come twice.”
His heart pounded. The realm of growth, that he could never reach despite eight years of continuous effort, was right before him.
Now, he could surpass the ‘Realm of Mortality’ with less than half of that time.
He wouldn’t have to hear insults like “a washed-up has-been” anymore. Now, he could live without being belittled by anyone.
“Why did they give me this power? What could they possibly want from me?”
With infinite gratitude toward the God of the Dead, questions flooded Yohan’s mind.
There’s no such thing as a free lunch. Especially, power left behind by a being like a god was a type of thing that could never be obtained for free.
Or, could there even be someone who received power and skills from a god?
He pondered for dozens of minutes in the cave, but there was only one conclusion that he could reach.
“I’ll move as you wish. But, I will use this power in return.”
He would grant any wish, move as they desired, and in return, he would possess this power forever.
No, even if they tried to take this power away, he would protect the ‘God of the Dead’ even if it meant destroying them.
[When you fulfill a certain number of Memory Imprints, you can acquire new skills. Please make continuous efforts.]
As he thought about putting the crown on, a small black void appeared.
Unlike before, when it emerged, the darkness wrapped around the crown like cotton.
For some reason, Yohan felt like this darkness was the God of the Dead’s reaching hand.
Kik- Kik-
Then, from outside, he heard the cries of Kobolds. He had completely forgotten that this was still inside the dungeon, due to the new profession and skills.
“Damn it. Of all times.”
Listening to the sound, he could tell there were at least three or more kobolds. Their cries carried a hostile aura, as if they had detected his scent.
Whoosh-
He grabbed the crown that was being sucked into the darkness and pulled it out.
In the past, he would have avoided two or more kobolds in this open field, but things were different now.
“It doesn’t seem like it’ll be a problem.”
The power filling his grip boosted his confidence.
Yohan caught the sounds of approaching cries and footsteps, then hid in a blind spot.
(Note: Please confirm the name of the Main Character. Until the last chapter, it was “Yohan”, but in this chapter, it was changed to “Johan”. So which one should I use moving forward?)
Please change “crown” to “coffin”