Chapter 4

I was taken aback by the sudden awakening notification window that appeared before my eyes, but I soon regained my composure and let out a cheer.

Awakening, I, of all people, have awakened!

Awakening refers to the phenomenon where a hunter acquires superpowers. The exact conditions for awakening are unknown. Some people awaken while lying at home, while others awaken during life-threatening situations or when performing certain actions.

In any case, the important thing is that once you awaken, you can earn a lot of money with those abilities.

Of course, I had no intention of entering a dungeon to fight monsters just because I had awakened. I was determined never to enter a dungeon on my own.

All hunters are awakened, but not all awakened individuals are hunters. There are countless ways to make money just by being awakened, even without directly fighting monsters in a dungeon.

Especially in the item crafting field, you can earn a lot of money just by making items within the guild.

Indeed, it’s worth doing a regression. For something this good to happen!

The cafe owner who hides his strength. A solitary awakened individual who operates a cafe in front of the dungeon, turning his back on the harsh hunter world.

Just thinking about it is cool. Imagining a future where I work less and earn more as an awakened individual, I got lost in a rosy dream, when Mi-um spoke in a stern voice.

“Calm down and check your status. Meow.”

I got a lecture from a cat.

But if I’ve awakened, would such a trivial matter be a problem? I could endure a lecture. I am an awakened individual now.

‘Status.’

With my heart pounding, I brought up the status screen. Just by thinking about it while looking at the empty space in front of me, a translucent window appeared.

But...

Name: Kwon Yeeul

Class: Cafe Owner (F) (Lv.1)

Health 100/100, Stamina 100/100

Strength: 8, Intelligence: 11, Agility: 9, Luck: 12

“What is this...”

It was really nothing special.

The average status of an adult is 10. So, my strength and agility are below average, and my intelligence and luck are slightly above average but still at a normal human level.

Even if I accept the poor F-class body, what’s with the ‘Class: Cafe Owner’?

I wanted to be a cafe owner who hides his strength, not just a cafe owner. Fine, whatever.

“Isn’t this too much?!”

I grabbed my head and shouted, and Mi-um poked me with her round paws.

“Calm down, I’m hungry. Bring me some food.”

“Can you calm down now? My newly awakened abilities are nothing special, and I’m trapped in this strange place! I shouldn’t have come here. How do I get out... Wait, Mi-um, where are you going?”

Mi-um, who had been listening to me, suddenly turned and started walking. I hurriedly followed her, and a door appeared in the empty space. Mi-um waved her paw at me.

“If you’re not coming, I’ll go without you.”

“Wait, let’s go together!”

As soon as we passed through the door, a bright light enveloped us, and we returned to the shop. The door on the wall, still emitting a blue light, confirmed that this wasn’t a dream.

“Meow. I’m hungry after a long sleep. Do you have any food?”

Mi-um, sitting in a bread shape under the table as if it were her own home, asked with a long meow.

I was also getting hungry after spending the whole day cleaning.

But this place is in front of the Great Dungeon, *Abyss*, in Seoul. There are no restaurants or convenience stores nearby, so it would take at least an hour to buy food. Even if I ordered delivery, the dungeon gate area is an excluded delivery zone.

“What!”

When I said there was no food, Mi-um perked up her ears and looked surprised.

“Is this candidate trying to starve me to death?”

“What do you mean by ‘candidate’?”

“Food! I’m too hungry to talk.”

Mi-um lay on the floor, declaring that she wouldn’t speak unless I gave her food.

She’s so cute, I can’t help it.

I don’t know if she was trying to look stern, but a cat sitting in a bread shape and crying for food was undeniably cute.

Fortunately, I found a box of cereal in the first-floor storage. The expiration date on the box was erased, which was a bit worrying, but I couldn’t die just from eating it. I decided to fill my stomach with this for now.

I wish I had some milk. I found a suitable bowl and poured some cereal for Mi-um too.

“Hmph, you want me to eat this junk?”

“Don’t like it? Give it back.”

I tried to take away the bowl filled with cereal, but Mi-um quickly clung to my hand with her paws.

“No, I’ll specially taste it for you.”

“But you said it was junk?”

“Cough, it’s junk, but I’ll specially endure it this time.”

Despite her words, Mi-um buried her head in the bowl and finished all the cereal in an instant.

“Munch... Do you have more?”

Cereal crumbs were stuck all over Mi-um’s face from how deeply she had buried her head in the bowl.

“...Here.”

I poured more cereal into the plate.

While Mi-um was munching on the cereal, I checked the status window again.

Maybe I was just flustered and misread the numbers earlier. For example, I might have read a number with one less zero. Yeah, how could I have such poor stats after awakening?

“Sigh...”

Calm down. I need to read the numbers properly this time.

With that hope, I looked at the screen, but...

Name: Kwon Yeeul

Class: Cafe Owner (F) (Lv.1)

Health 100/100, Stamina 100/100

Strength: 8, Intelligence: 11, Agility: 9, Luck: 12

Nothing had changed. I clutched my head and muttered.

“I didn’t expect to be this bad after awakening...”

“You chose it, so why complain.”

Mi-um chimed in from the side.

The cat, who had eaten two bowls of cereal and was now full, purred. She had even licked off the cereal crumbs from her paws.

“Wait, I chose it?”

“Your awakening ability is based on the results of the system’s test.”

“Test? I didn’t take any... Could it have been that psychological test earlier?”

“Meow!”

Mi-um, with her fur standing on end, meowed sharply and swiped at me with her paw.

“Psychological test! It’s a traditional test to determine the appropriate awakening ability for a candidate!”

I thought, ‘Isn’t that a psychological test?’ but I needed to hear more from Mi-um, so I calmed her down.

“Mi-um, you’re so nice.”

“Do you think I’m just a regular cat! ...Meow.”

When I gently scratched under her chin, Mi-um looked relaxed. As I continued to pet her, she purred and explained in a haughty voice.

There is a special energy called ‘Ether’ in the world.

I’ve heard of Ether before. It’s contained in all hunter equipment and weapons, and the more Ether it contains, the more expensive it is.

Awakened individuals can store this Ether in their bodies to use skills. In other words, only those with Ether affinity can become awakened.

However, there is an exception.

“What’s that?”

The system directly chooses certain awakened individuals called candidates. They are very rare and receive special abilities directly from the system.

Mi-um said I was one of these candidates.

It sounds very impressive, but... the stats I got are so disappointing. Mi-um added,

“Your abilities are based on your choices.”

“What?”

So, the strange questions that appeared on the TV earlier were part of the process to choose my awakening ability.

If I had known that, I wouldn’t have answered so honestly. I would have given more proactive, passionate, and experienced answers, like when writing a resume.

“No, I want to do it again! I’ll choose differently, let’s start over!”

I grabbed the TV and shook it, but the screen didn’t turn on. I even hit the back of the TV as a last resort, but only my hand hurt.

Mi-um, looking at me with disdain, said,

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, it’s already decided, so you can’t change it. Check your skills.”

“...Skills?”

“Yes, didn’t you get a notification about gaining skills earlier? The system-granted exclusive skills are the true abilities of an awakened individual.”

Right, I vaguely remember seeing three skills earlier. Even if my stats are poor, the skills might be good.

Many hunters with average stats make a living with good skills. There are definitely F-class hunters with A-class skills in foreign countries.

If I get good skills, it could be a big win.

With high hopes, I opened the skill window. Three skills appeared on the translucent window: Cafe in My Hands (C), Sparkling Floor (E), and Smile (C). I clicked on each to see the detailed descriptions.

Cafe in My Hands (C)

Detail: (Lv.1) Increases the completion rate when making drinks inside the shop.

Owned Recipes: Mixed Coffee

Sparkling Floor (E)

Detail: (Lv.1) Allows you to clean the bathroom quickly.

Smile (C)

Detail: (Lv.1) Makes you feel good when you smile.

Is this it?

Why is it like this... I couldn’t help but sigh.

Not even a common self-recovery or support skill!

Since I’m planning to open a cafe, the ‘Cafe in My Hands’ skill is okay. But having only one recipe for mixed coffee is ridiculous.

Even worse, there’s a skill for cleaning the bathroom. What’s the point of using a skill to clean the bathroom quickly?

And the last one, the Smile skill, what’s the use of this? Does it have some hidden ability?

‘...Smile.’

I tried using the Smile skill.

A gentle curve formed on my lips, creating a perfect business smile.

“...”

And that was it.

Just a smile, nothing more. I didn’t feel any better at all.

What a useless skill.

Damn, the honest answers in the test really backfired.

Goodbye, easy life... I guess it’s not that simple to get a good life just by awakening.

“Don’t worry. There’s always a way.”

Mi-um poked me with her paw, trying to cheer me up.