"Three main factors determine a hunter's rank," Yoo Seong-Woon explained to Gio in a tightly enclosed Chinese restaurant.

"Occupation, aptitude skills, and level."

"..."

"The hunter ranks I've been talking about are assigned based on an evaluation of these three factors."

"Are the ranks assigned like a civil service examination by people?"

"No, they're estimated by a 'system' thought to be aided by the Source. That's why sometimes, an Awakener who seems incompetent to humans can manifest as an A-rank."

Yoo Seong-Woon chuckled lightly.

"Back when the system was chaotic and there was a lack of common knowledge about hunters, there were people who manipulated their ranks. But since ranks aren’t something humans can assign, those who manipulated them were quickly exposed…"

"They must have been criticized."

"It didn’t end with criticism. At that time, a hunter was like a powerful figure who shouldn’t be recklessly challenged. In an era much closer to might than law, an Awakener who could defeat monsters was treated quite well."

They were trying to get special treatment during tough times by falsifying their own rank.

"It didn’t end well for them."

Yoo Seong-Woon returned to the main topic.

"Ranks are usually denoted by the alphabet."

"Is there a reason for that?"

"It might have been cumbersome to standardize across different countries. You might think numbers would be more universally consistent, but [N O V E L I G H T] apart from that, it’s confirmed that the first Awakener appeared in America…"

"So it was adjusted from the American perspective."

"Not that the entire system is in English. Anyway, the lowest rank is F, then it goes up from D, C, B, A, and the highest rank is denoted as S."

Yoo Seong-Woon paused for a moment.

"...Well, that’s not the whole story, according to current scholars. There’s talk that if F is just slightly stronger than an ordinary person, what’s the point of having a rank lower than that, but it's only been 31 years since the Catastrophe."

"It's too early to conclude."

"Right, there’s even a rumor that the chairman of the Korea Association is hiding a higher rank."

Even Yoo Seong-Woon, who was a former research team leader at the association, did not know the exact truth.

"Surprisingly, there aren’t that few S-rank hunters. That’s why there’s a rumor that higher ranks are being hidden. Everyone can see that this S-rank is much better than that S-rank, but they are still marked the same."

Such rankings also influence social perception.

"There’s a law that an S-rank hunter must be officially recognized."

"Official recognition means… disclosing their personal details?"

"Not exactly their personal information, but they often appear on TV shows or are publicly recognized somewhat like celebrities. Given that an S-rank could potentially devastate a country if they chose, it makes sense to place restrictions on them."

"It must be inconvenient."

"Some enjoy the fame."

As Gio mentioned, many hunters found it inconvenient.

"We've covered ranks now, shall I explain about the occupations you asked about earlier?"

"You mean like the priests and tamers that student mentioned."

"That’s right."

Yoo Seong-Woon nodded.

"Having an occupation isn’t mandatory."

"So, there are those who get occupations and those who don’t?"

"Right. Not everyone can have one, but since it does influence the ranks quite a bit, there's a culture of favoring hunters with occupations."

"That’s interesting."

"An Awakener with an occupation can influence the rules of the world. To a mere human, that seems incredibly appealing."

Regardless of rank issues, 'occupation' carries significant connotations.

"There are ten types of occupations."

"That seems few."

"Think of it as plenty… Any more, and it would be too complicated to distinguish."

Doctor, priest, knight, teacher, spy, architect, artist, magician, chef, tamer.

"Doesn't it seem like a lot when you hear it?"

"Not compared to existing jobs in the world..."

"That’s true, but these are quite different from those jobs."

"That makes sense."

"The priests and tamers you heard about earlier aren’t very common."

Priests use the power of gods to influence reality, while tamers can exert influence over sentient beings. Both occupations require the assistance of a contractual entity, making them considered complicated professions.

"The greater the success, the greater the acclaim."

Especially for priests.

"A tamer can increase their skills to control others as much as they want, but a priest can’t do that. They have to wait patiently for the deity to notice them and grant them blessings. They don’t have control over it."

"But you said that a priest who doesn’t serve a god can’t act officially?"

"That’s the irrational part of the job. But initially, it's about exercising the power of an extraterrestrial god on Earth, so this frustrating aspect is actually fortunate for humanity. It could easily become a disaster otherwise."

Naturally, those who are awakened as priests might feel impatient.

"But once someone manifests as a priest, their affinity for the divine increases. Even though they can’t exercise godly powers on behalf of the deity, they can still use holy power as a devotee."

"Holy power."

"That fish bun vendor earlier mistook you for a 'tamer who is a devotee' because you were openly walking around with a monster. Only tamers can do that, but anyone can use holy power if they are a devout follower, not just priests. That’s why he made that mistake."

"So having an occupation isn’t the only thing that matters."

"Right, there’s no need to evaluate a hunter solely on that. Although occupations can manifest spontaneously upon awakening, they can also be acquired through effort, so they are somewhat fluid."

Other occupations each have their own rules.

"Just having an occupation allows the Awakener to influence the rules of the world. To put it lightly, a priest gains an improved affinity for the divine, and a tamer gains affinity for dealing with non-human entities."

"All about affinity?"

"Well, unlike skills, acquiring an occupation doesn’t just pop new abilities into existence. But it does grant capabilities far beyond what a normal person could achieve, which is why we might call it 'affinity.'"

Yoo Seong-Woon moved on to the next topic.

"But aptitude skills are different."

"In what way?"

"That’s something you get basically at the time of awakening, and no matter how much individual effort you put in, it doesn’t increase. Of course, using and understanding it increases proficiency, but…"

There aren’t any Awakeners without an aptitude skill or with more than one.

"At least not yet. Who knows what exceptions might appear in the future, but such regularity is quite universal among Awakeners."

Aptitude skills are like picking a stone. Awakeners have no choice in the matter, but just that one can give a rough idea of how their life will unfold.

"With that skill alone, you can sort of gauge an Awakener’s inclinations or capabilities."

"Can it predict the future too?"

"Somewhat, right? Once an aptitude skill manifests, it sticks with you for life, so it inevitably affects the Awakener’s life."

Most people who awaken first study their aptitude skill. While an occupation might be something you’re born with if you’re lucky, an aptitude skill becomes an inseparable part of your fate.

"There are a lot of people who cry because it doesn’t match their talents."

Imagine awakening to find your skill is picking up trash.

"Right?"

"...Is there actually such a skill?"

"Really, there is, and it even happened to be someone’s aptitude skill. I heard they’re now working as a city sanitation officer, but I don’t know the details."

"They managed to make good use of their aptitude skill then."

"Positive guy, right?"

By the way, skills are divided into 'aptitude skills' that come with awakening and 'general skills' that you can learn through effort. The contents of the skills themselves aren’t much different...

"Of course, people value aptitude skills more."

"Why favor one side if the content is the same?"

"Aptitude skills are considered a measure of a person’s soul and quality, so it’s unavoidable."

For example, let’s say there are two hunters, #1 and #2, and they both have Skill A. Even though it’s the same A skill, #1 was born with it as an aptitude skill, while #2 learned it later as a general skill.

"Then they start from different points."

"That’s right."

"Especially since aptitude skills don’t have levels. Being able to use a skill at its highest proficiency from the moment it manifests means that, in fact, the more you use it, the more your proficiency increases. Even with the same skill, the user can make a big difference."

And there’s a petty aspect of humanity here.

"It’s kind of like a class system..."

Perhaps it’s the innate nature of being born with it that tickles a corner of people’s hearts. Those who manifest high-utility or rare aptitude skills tend to be haughty, and people tend to admire them.

"I’d rather not tell you this."

Noble and imposing as it may feel, Gio, who still believed in Santa Claus from fairy tales as if he were a real figure, didn’t want to sully that innocence.

For the peace of humanity, it was better for Gio to know less about human ugliness.

"You can learn general skills by applying at a center. Even if an Awakener doesn’t have an occupation or has a poor aptitude skill, they can raise their rank through subsequent effort."

"That’s flexible."

"And as I’ve been hinting at a bit, all of this proficiency in everything is evaluated by what called 'level.'"

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

Level evaluates occupation, skills, and physical ability.

"The lowest level is 1, and the highest level is 10. I wonder why they didn’t use letters for this one... But since levels can be expressed down to the decimal point, it probably wasn’t necessary."

"Can they really be expressed to decimal points?"

"Like 2.8, 4.9, and so on..."

"Does that apply to you, Yoo Seong-Woon?"

"Uh..."

Yoo Seong-Woon hesitated for a moment before adding.

"Ranks are fine, but just so you know, regular people don’t typically ask about the specifics of the system."

"Is that so?"

"It’s considered impolite."

"......"

Although his expression remained cold and stoic, Yoo Seong-Woon thought that Gio seemed a little taken aback.

"...Sorry."

As expected, Gio immediately apologized. He really did care about manners.

"I didn’t know about these things and ended up being impolite."

"It’s fine, I didn’t do it intentionally. Asking questions doesn’t curse anyone."

There was no real harm, but it was just a cultural thing.

"It’s like not asking about the color of someone’s underwear today…"

"I’m truly sorry."

"I may have gone overboard, so don’t try to give me jewels just because Honey is acting up. Put Honey down. Oh no, you’re squeezing it. It’s not normal to give jewels every time something goes wrong."

Only then did Gio gently put Honey down. The jewels that had already fallen were being pecked and eaten by Honey, so naturally, it was all too surreal.

"If you keep doing that, Honey will get upset."

"Sometimes I leave it like this…"

"You two, how do you even play?"

It wasn’t a lie, but Honey seemed quite satisfied.

‘I wonder where that round face finds satisfaction.’

Despite both being expressionless, their emotional expressions were unmistakable. Truly a parent-child relationship. One could call it ‘born with love.’ Technically, it was a child created with a brush, though.

"...But clearly, inside the portrait, it was much more..."

Human-like.

"...Anyway, people don’t usually ask about the hunter system. It feels like prying into personal information like asking someone’s exact height and weight. It’s something most people don’t openly share."

"I’ll be more careful next time."

"Well, I’m grateful then."

Such a cooperative being from the Source, Gio was more of a miracle than a greeting. As a gardener, it made him feel warm inside.

"Since it seems like you’re curious, let me tell you, I don’t have an occupation. My aptitude skill is 'Emotion,' and I’ve learned several general skills. My proficiency in general skills is full. My overall rank is A."

"Is it okay for you to tell me?"

"Well, it’s up to me to tell you, right?"

"I see."

"I don’t usually share it, though. Occupations are very noticeable, so that culture of secrecy doesn’t apply, but if someone tells you their rank, that’s a huge favor."

To explain roughly:

"I trust you. You’re my friend, my lover, my family..."

"......"

"Something like that."

"How romantic."

"I see you like this kind of thing."

He really did have an innocent side.

"Did you say this with the same meaning, Yoo Seong-Woon?"

"Of course. It’s a sign of goodwill and trust that I’m telling you about my system."

And the fact that the other person wasn’t human had a lot to do with his ease in sharing this. Being unaware of human culture, he didn’t feel awkward sharing anything.

If anything, dealing with humans felt more uncomfortable.

"If you have more questions, I can get you a book. There’s a textbook used at the Awakener Training Center. There are even books for beginners who’ve just awakened, so let me know if you need one."

"Thanks to your explanations, I think I’m fine."

"Well then... um."

Yoo Seong-Woon asked.

"Are you thinking of returning to the portrait soon?"

"Yes."

Gio nodded as if it was obvious.

"The outside has a lot of people, many fun toys, and much to see and feel, but..."

"......"

"I don’t think this is where I belong."

Yoo Seong-Woon understood that statement.

‘It’s impressive that he’s maintained that state like this.’

A normal Awakener would have collapsed in a second.

Gio’s standing was far beyond anything a human could compare to. At least inside the portrait, he was a being who wielded god-like powers, now walking through the noisy human world with his essence suppressed, limbs cut off, and weights tied to his torso.

That was an utterly horrifying thing.

"It was still enjoyable."

"I’m glad to hear that. By the way, are you planning to watch the initiation ceremony the fish bun vendor mentioned?"

"Yes, I’d like to see it."

"When the time comes, I’ll let you know. For now, rest in the portrait."

And so, Gio returned to the portrait.

Back in the cabin, Gio slept for a whole day.

"The outside is dangerous."

"Kyurung."

Having drained his energy, Gio needed some time for himself.