###
A F+ Rank dungeon today.
Ants swarmed, dozens of them, each the size of a stray dog.
“【Stop】.”
Kiing-
The chittering stopped all at once—ants, dirt, and even blades of grass froze in place.
“Wow….”
“What are you gasping about? Let’s clear this and get out.”
“Understood!”
With the frozen ants annihilated, they handled the roots of the Black World Tree as well.
[Perfect Clear! (Solo)]
[Due to your achievement, a ‘Blessing’ will be bestowed upon the surrounding area…]
Upon exiting the dungeon, a beam of light shot into the sky.
“Tsk. More aggro.”
What could be done?
Avoiding dungeon raids wasn’t an option, and the Perfect Clear rewards were just too sweet.
[Open Random Box (+2).]
“You’re opening it now? What’ll it be this time?”
“Please be an elixir.”
Drumroll…
[Unlocking a random Word of Power.]
“Huh?!”
“What happened, Master?”
Aden leaned forward, eyes wide in concern.
But… this?
‘Come to think of it….’
When I first awakened, I was told that unlocking Words of Power depended on meeting specific conditions.
During the final battle against the Black World Tree, we succeeded in sealing it, but Hero Kyle had been reverse-sealed by the Words of Power in the process.
[The seal on 【Burn】 has been lifted.]
“Oh!”
“What is it? What did you get?”
Aden’s blue eyes sparkled, her upper body nearly toppling into my space.
This one unlocked, huh?
It’s a low-tier Word, but honestly, that’s perfect.
Low mana consumption and high versatility.
Still… no need to share this detail.
“Just junk.”
“What?!”
Aden, brimming with excitement, wavered in shock. She stumbled and instinctively grabbed onto me.
Her arms tightened around my midsection.
…Right, those are big.
‘Big enough to rival Mila’s.’
Whose magic pouch had the upper hand?
Tough call.
I’d have to check them both out.
“Ugh, why’d you make me so hopeful for nothing!”
“Let’s go home.”
The two headed to the academy.
###
Aden changed the channels.
“Master, they’re talking about you!”
“What now?”
“It’s about your Perfect Clear earlier today.”
“Oh, really?”
Curious, I sat beside her to watch.
“A talk show featuring awakened professors!”
<The Blessing from this Perfect Clear extends about 100 kilometers, easily covering all of Seoul and more.>
<What exactly does the Blessing do?>
Finally, someone addressed the question I’d been wondering about.
<The effects vary depending on the dungeon rank.>
<And for this F+ dungeon?>
<In the F-rank range (F- to F+), it grants a 5% increase in all Awakened stats. This is the first recorded instance of such a Blessing.>
<Does it have any effects on regular people? Like improving skin or… vigor?>
Laughter echoed in the audience as the camera zoomed in on the MC’s mischievous grin.
<Haha, unfortunately, not at the F-rank level.>
<Ah, what a shame!>
<But higher-rank Blessings are another story.>
Higher-rank effects?
Now that piqued my interest.
‘E-rank is right around the corner.’
Unfortunately, E-rank Blessing effects hadn’t been discovered yet.
I’d likely be the first to reveal them with my next Perfect Clear.
The talk show continued, lavishing praise on Perfect Clears.
<This makes the perfect record 7 times in the history of the Earth?>
<Yes! Of those, 5 times happened in Seoul, South Korea!>
Wait.
Seven times in history?
‘So you’re telling me there were only two before me?’
Ah.
Damn.
No wonder everyone was making such a big fuss about it.
He must’ve stirred up a ridiculous amount of attention.
‘And yet, I’ve already done it four times in just two days?’
Ah, damn it!
“Hey, you! Why didn’t you stop me!?”
“Ack! Why are you throwing a snack bag at me? You’re going to crush the contents!”
Aden expertly catches the bag mid-air and rips it open, casually munching on the snacks.
‘Seriously… Are there really so few capable people out there?’
This is so unfair. Back when I was Kyle, even as a kid, achieving a Perfect Clear was nothing special!
Back in the day.
Even with just the seven heroes, we’d hit double-digit Perfect Clears like it was a regular occurrence!
‘Why is everyone so weak now? All they’re doing is dragging attention my way!’
This is what happens when you only focus on raw stats!
Train!
Research!
Build experience!
“That’s it. Disciple! Time for a lesson!”
“Ooh! Magic class!”
Aden lights up with excitement, her blue eyes sparkling with mana as her enthusiasm grows.
She shoves the rest of the snacks into her mouth in one go.
There’s no way he’s letting a student turn out as weak as the rest of them.
“Don’t grow up like that!”
“Yes? I don’t know what you mean, but yes!”
###
Meanwhile, the support team was bustling with activity again.
Yoo Chae-young was reviewing an analysis report.
“These numbers are significant.”
“Yes. The value of the Blessing exceeds our expectations.”
At first glance, it might seem like a mere 5% boost to stats.
But in reality, it was a 5% increase to all stats.
Considering the synergy between different abilities, the actual combat effectiveness increase far exceeded 5%.
This was no trivial enhancement.
In critical moments, the difference between life and death could come down to a seemingly minor improvement.
“Guild members’ clear rates have increased by 40%.”
“Of course, this is different for regular Awakened who aren’t part of the guild.”
“Even so, they’re still seeing a 20% increase.”
Improved clear rates.
This meant an increase in the production of mana stones.
Mana stones are the pinnacle of modern industry—an energy source that has replaced oil.
They’re essential in fields like chemistry, textiles, metals, and materials.
At this point, there’s almost no industry where they aren’t used.
“The South Korean economy is going to see a huge shake-up.”
“Of course, in a good way!”
“Phew… The value of Perfect Clear Awakened has skyrocketed.”
“Think our salaries will go up too?”
Competition to recruit such individuals would inevitably become fiercer.
With a Perfect Clear Awakened, blessings like these could be generated endlessly.
“Jin-young, please forward these results to the finance team.”
“Got it!”
The team member responded with giddy enthusiasm.
“I better buy some stocks quickly. Team Leader, you should invest too! Pretty much every stock is bound to go up!”
“Jin-young.”
“Yes, ma’am?”
The restrained tone of Yoo Chae-young’s voice made the team member nervous, but the tension quickly dissipated.
“I’ve already made my purchases.”
“…Oh!”
“Financial management is part of self-discipline. Always strive to improve yourself—for Seonghwa’s sake.”
“Team Leader, could you share your picks with me…?”
“It’s work hours. Get moving.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Chastened, the team member hurried off at her measured scolding.
###
Kang Hyun and Aden arrived at the gate.
It was another F+-rank gate.
“If we get an elixir this time, we’ll move up to E-rank.”
“But, are you sure it’s okay to keep doing Perfect Clears?”
“What’s done is done.”
“…Most people would say, ‘Better be careful from now on.’”
True, but Kang Hyun was hardly “most people”.
“What’s the point of hiding now? I’ve already stirred up attention with five consecutive Perfect Clears. One more won’t make a difference.”
“Hmm…”
“And besides, the rewards are way too tempting.”
“Can’t argue with that.”
The first reward was a subspace—a treasure so rare, he hadn’t even encountered one in his past life.
Then came two mana elixirs and even a ‘Perfect Hydrating Mask.’
‘The effects are amazing.’
His throat was now perfectly hydrated—a critical factor for Kang Hyun, who was particularly sensitive about throat care.
‘This is the real treasure.’
How could he stop chasing Perfect Clears when the rewards were this good?
He was already addicted to the thrill of the prizes.
“Let’s head in. Stay in the subspace for now.”
Aden entered the dungeon using a loophole.
The gate entrance was quiet this time. They walked until the monsters began to appear.
“I’ve heard that regular Awakened need to clear dozens of dungeons just to see one elixir—and even then, not in the lower ranks.”
“Keeping your identity hidden is important, but no one’s caught on yet. As long as we stay cautious, we’ll be fine.”
They were deliberately choosing gates in isolated locations to avoid prying eyes.
“If you want to stay safe, you need to grow stronger quickly. And to do that, you need to take the best rewards.”
Caution and safety weren’t exactly words associated with Kyle in his past life.
He had always been on the frontlines among the seven heroes.
He believed in taking calculated risks. That mindset hadn’t changed.
“In that sense, you should learn too. Sometimes, taking risks is the fastest and most efficient way forward—like now.”
“Now? What do you mean, Master?”
Kang Hyun drew his sword.
“If you deal with those rats out here, the police will get involved, and you’ll attract attention. But if you lure them into the dungeon, it’s clean and simple.”
“…What?”
And he had just gained a new Word of Power.
This was the perfect opportunity to test it out.
“Eyes forward. Don’t react. Act like you don’t know.”
###
Two men were quietly following Kang Hyun.
Both were loan sharks.
“Boss, are we really going to kill him? Just for borrowing a little money? This doesn’t seem right…”
“It’s not just borrowing money, kid.”
Tsk. New hires were such a pain.
Why did he have to deal with such an incompetent rookie?
“Rule number one of the company: never make an Awakened your enemy. Didn’t you learn that?”
“Of course, but this is…”
“Then you should also know this: if one of our debtors becomes Awakened, what happens?”
“I guess…”
They must have caused all sorts of trouble. They were loan sharks. The rookie hesitated, swallowing nervously.
“They’d hold a grudge against us, right? And they’d become a threat. That’s a violation of rule number one.”
“So…”
You kill them.
The rookie didn’t need to hear the rest to understand.
“Why are you shaking? Relax. If we kill him inside the dungeon, it’s clean. No evidence left behind.”
“Are you sure the two of us can handle this?”
“The target is an F- rank. We just have to slice him down. Easy.”
Both men were D-rank, far stronger than a newly Awakened F-rank.
“But he wouldn’t have come alone. There’s probably a team of five with him…”
“Don’t worry. That’s where experience comes in. Watch and learn.”
They planned to use a technique called pulling—manipulating monster aggro to eliminate the target’s team.
“Close the distance. And shut up.”
The target was in sight.
But the men witnessed something they couldn’t believe.
“【Stop】”
Kiing—
The world froze.
