The next morning after Yoo Young-min officially joined White Flower Management, Yu-hyun took him to the Collector Association.
âIf you want to work as a collector, you have to register first.â
âUh, is this okay? I heard that before becoming a collector, you have to complete a training course at the training center.â
âThatâs a basic education program that everyone who awakens has to take.â
âIt takes at least a few weeks, right? Hyung. Am I okay?â
âItâs okay, because Iâm taking you with me.â
âTo whom?â
âTo someone high up in the association.â
Yoo Young-minâs eyes widened at Yu-hyunâs words.
âReally? Is that okay?â
âConnections are for times like this. And itâs not mandatory to go to the training center. Thereâs a system that allows clans or managements to exempt training under the pretext of personal tutoring for talented people. Of course, the person in charge has to teach them diligently.â
âOh, I see.â
âOf course, not everyone can do that. You need some conditions.â
âWhat are the conditions?â
âItâs nothing. You just need to have a skill that can get you special treatment compared to others.â
Yoo Young-min had enough qualifications for that. First of all, his creation-type skill alone made it possible.
If his skill was higher than Yu-hyunâs [Engraving], passing the document review would be nothing for Yoo Young-min.
âUh, but is that really okay?â
âWhat is?â
âIt feels unfair.â
Yoo Young-min felt guilty about getting special treatment. What about the other people who worked hard and trained?
How would he feel if he skipped out on them?
He would have felt natural about it in the past, but he had changed after seeing Kwon Jia and Seo Sumin and realizing that he was nothing.
âItâs natural to feel unfair, but think of it this way. This world has always been like this. Even if you feel guilty and do the same as the others at the training center, will that benefit this society?â
âHuh?â
âItâs cruel, but people have different talents. Especially in this era, collectors who are exceptionally talented are bound to get more respect. An A-rank person doesnât need to do the same as F-rank people and invest the same time.â
This world was never fair.
Yoo Young-min dreamed of a fair world and had his own sense of justice, but to Yu-hyun, that was nothing but a spoiled tantrum.
âYou have a unique power as a possessor. And your skill is a creation type. Youâre already on a different starting line from other collectors.â
âDifferent⊠starting lineâŠâ
Yoo Young-min muttered Yu-hyunâs words blankly, as if he still couldnât believe it.
Yu-hyun chuckled and slapped Yoo Young-minâs back.
âOw!â
âDonât space out.â
âYes, yes.â
âWell, I understand that itâs uncomfortable and burdensome to suddenly get special treatment. But someday youâll naturally accept it.â
âI guess so? If not, Iâll have to make it happenâŠâ
âBut if youâre still anxious, donât forget this one thing. Just because Iâm great, I wonât look down on or belittle other people.â
âThatâsâŠâ
âIsnât that obvious?â Yoo Young-min was about to say, but closed his mouth.
Yu-hyun meant something more than that.
As someone who prided himself on having some social experience, Yoo Young-min realized what Yu-hyun wanted to say.
âWhen your position changes, your perspective on the world changes too. And then people forget. Their former position. The place where they used to look up at everything. The feeling they had when they were there. The desperation.â
That was what Yu-hyun was most wary of.
Yu-hyun had risen to the position of manager and showed several successful exhibitions, growing into a large library.
He also had personal connections with the first-generation saints of Great Sage and many collectors recognized and respected him.
Anyone who received such treatment would be tempted to have a twisted mind.
Iâm pretty great now, right? This kind of treatment is natural now, right?
And then they would naturally develop a sense of entitlement and look down on others.
But he couldnât do that.
âDonât forget your past by being immersed in your present prosperity. Rather, remember your old self more clearly. What thoughts did I have then? What goals did I have? Donât forget that.â
Yu-hyun always tried not to lose his original intention even after reaching this position.
If he said it was easy, it would be a lie. Everyone had greed.
They wanted to be recognized without doing anything, they wanted to do something easier when they did something hard.
As I compromised one by one, I eventually changed as a person.
âEven if someone praises you and tells you that youâre amazing, donât get carried away by it. Never. Got it? Even if you reach a great position, if you donât forget that moment, you can consider yourself successful.â
âYes. I got it.â
Yoo Young-min knew that Yu-hyun wasnât just saying empty words.
This man was able to give such advice because he had really practiced what he preached.
âHeâs amazing.â
Yoo Young-min felt a new admiration for Yu-hyun.
No wonder I wanted to call him brother since the first time I saw him.
As Yoo Young-min was having such thoughts, Yu-hyun suddenly asked a new question as if he had just remembered something.
âHey. By the way, can you create anything with skill creation?â
âHuh? No. This is not omnipotent.â
âI see⊠So there are limitations to the skill?â
âYes.â
âWhat are the conditions for creating a skill?â
âWell, first of all, I need TP to create a skill. The stronger the skill, the more TP is consumed exponentially. So, something like âinstant death cheatâ is impossible even in my dreams.â
ââŠDid you try to make something like that?â
âAh, no, no! Iâm just giving an example!â
Yu-hyun looked at Yoo Young-min with a suspicious gaze as he seemed strangely flustered.
Yoo Young-min hastily changed the subject.
âAh, anyway, I donât have TP right now, so I canât do that. And also, I canât make the skill too vague. I have to be detailed. And make it look not too good while having decent performance. There are a lot of things to consider.â
âHmm. So you canât create any skill without points?â
âAh. Thatâs not it.â
âHuh?â
âThat, how should I say it? There was an initial bonus. For the first three skills I create, it reduces the TP consumption drastically or makes it almost free.â
âThatâs pretty awesome.â
Yu-hyun thought that he was indeed a possessor.
While others would have to worry about how to do it, they didnât have to worry about that from the start because they received a lot of benefits.
âSo what are you going to make with those three free skills?â
âUh, do I have to decide in advance?â
âOf course, donât you? Youâre not planning to blabber about skill creation or something like that at the association, are you?â
ââŠâ
Yoo Young-min closed his mouth at the accurate remark.
He thought that he had a sucker vibe since he followed him easily, but he didnât expect it to be this bad.
âShould I ask Jia later to give him some mental training?â
If Kwon Jia, who had the highest level of experience as a returnee, could give him proper education, he thought.
âNo. No way. Jia canât do it either.â
Aside from losing some of her past memories and experiences, Kwon Jia was also lacking in some aspects as a returnee.
It was risky to entrust Yoo Young-minâs education to such an altruistic returnee.
âThen, Hye-rim? No, that wonât work either. Sumin⊠It would be lucky if she doesnât beat him up.â
In the end, he realized that there was no one else who could do it but himself.
âFirst of all, remember this. You must hide anything related to skill creation. And also hide your extra or other traits as much as possible. Donât stand out too much. Just moderately, very moderately good enough.â
The skill creation that Yoo Young-min possessed was too out of the norm to reveal openly.
It was best to hide it somehow. If this was exposed, it wouldnât be a simple fuss.
âHe could use this to attract attention or something like that, but the loss would be greater than the gain.â
It would attract not only annoying humans but also Divine Spiritsâ excessive attention. He didnât want to skip the steps of gradually advancing his progress.
âSo, those three free skills. Letâs use them now. Iâll help you decide what to make.â
âAh, yes.â
âIf you were going to create a skill, did you already think of what you wanted to make?â
âYes. Well, I decided on two for nowâŠâ
Yoo Young-min hesitated whether he should tell him or not.
âWhy? Just tell me comfortably.â
âUh, well. The first skill is like a long-range technique.â
âLong-range?â
âYes. I mean, even if you suddenly tell me to fight with a sword or something, I canât do it properly⊠So I want to go for something safe.â
âAnd then?â
âWell, and then the second one is something with high versatility, to enhance my overall abilities. Something that I need to deal with any situation smoothly. If itâs a skill that can strengthen the skill itself, it wouldnât be bad for growth either.â
âThatâs not bad. And the third one?â
âI havenât decided on the third one yet.â
Yu-hyun reviewed the skills that Yoo Young-min told him and evaluated whether they were good or not.
âThatâs not bad. No, rather, itâs very good.â
âReally?â
Yu-hyun had been feeling the urgent need for a collector who specialized in long-range attacks in his team.
Kwon Jia, Kang Hye-rim, and Seo Sumin were all excellent in close combat, but their ability to deal with distant enemies was significantly lacking.
Moreover, besides skill creation, he also had a production-type ability that used his manual skills, and enhancing this ability was also a necessary task from the managementâs point of view.
It would be hard to raise this skill at first, but once it got on track, he would be able to produce more than that.
âOkay. Iâve decided. Letâs go with those two.â
âReally? Is that okay?â
âWould you do it if I told you to learn a skill related to swords?â
âUh, thatâs a bitâŠâ
âItâs your choice, right? And it doesnât look bad at all. You have a good idea.â
Yu-hyun sincerely praised him, and Yoo Young-min felt happy for no reason.
He realized once again that his ideas were not bad when he was active as a web novel writer.
âFirst of all, it would be perfect if you go for a supporter-type who can attack from a distance and enhance your abilities.â
âYes. Thatâs what Iâm going to do.â
Yoo Young-min immediately activated his skill.
[Skill Creation is activated.]
[You can minimize TP consumption for the first three times. Do you want to use it?]
Yoo Young-min answered âyesâ in his mind and immediately created the two skills he had thought of.
[You have acquired the skill âRemote Controlâ.]
The first skill was Remote Control, which was related to long-range attacks.
He deliberately made it this way because he had not decided whether to use a bow or a gun. Rather than choosing one clearly, he used this trick to cover a wide range of possibilities.
Contrary to his worry that the system might ask him to pay TP, the system seemed to recognize it as nothing and the first one was created right away.
âLetâs go for the second one.â
[You have acquired the skill âSkill Enhancementâ.]
[Warning. Skill Enhancement is a skill that exceeds the given limit.]
[If you make it as it is, the skill will be downgraded. Do you still want to make it?]
âAs expected, this one is hard?â
But considering the versatility, this skill was essential even if it was weakened.
Yoo Young-min pushed through with the second skill as well.
[You have acquired the skill âWarm Upâ.]
It was not as good as he expected, but it was not a bad result.
Yu-hyun, who was watching the scene, nodded his head with satisfaction.
âYou canât fill your stomach with one spoonful. Thatâs more than enough.â
âIs that so?â
âYeah. Letâs go to the association for now.â
âOkay.â
Yoo Young-min followed Yu-hyun with his big dream in his chest.
Thatâs when they saw the huge figure of the association building in the distance.
Yu-hyun stopped his steps and stared intently at the dark alleyway between the buildings.
Yoo Young-min also stopped and looked at the alleyway.
âHyung. Why did you stop? Is there something in there?â
âHmm.â
Yu-hyun said that and turned his direction to enter deep into the alleyway.
Yoo Young-min followed him with confusion.
When they reached the end of the alleyway, they found something.
It was the entrance to the Mental Realm.