For Awakened individuals, who always chased power, someone who could raise their rank was basically an almighty experience points booster.

The reason they hunted top-tier gear and drank rare elixirs was for that same power chase. Sure, some people used buff magic, but that usually only provided a ten to twenty percent boost. The power amplification Bae Seung-Woo provided was in a completely different league.

His method was closer to an unlocking of potential than a simple stat boost, meaning Awakened individuals experienced massive growth the more time they spent with him.

His powers were truly unfair, frankly overpowered as hell.

While he couldn't trigger infinite growth, one certainty emerged. The guild that landed him would hold the key to steamrolling high-level gates!

Beyond just guilds, even various nations, desperate to secure powerful talent, would view him as an invaluable asset.

Bae Seung-Woo, however, seemed like he couldn't quite wrap his head around his newfound power’s significance.

Eventually, the fateful day of his official re-evaluation arrived. Willow, Evangeline, and Super Ribbon had effectively melted Hyun-Ah's heart with their niece-y cuteness so that she’d allow the public to know and take interest in his results.

When the evaluation ended, Bae Seung-Woo vaulted from a low-tier C-rank to a special S-rank.

His physical stats weren't anything special. In fact, they were barely even on par with an S-rank healer. However, his passive ability to amplify the power of every Awakened individual in his vicinity was so broken it could only be classified as S-rank.

His life turned around, as if he'd hit the jackpot overnight. He was overwhelmed by the sudden attention that came his way.

Countless offers poured in, and even the association was looking to bring him into their ranks. The entire industry was desperate to recruit him.

* * *

The Silla Guild, led by Park Ji-Hoon's father, held an emergency meeting.

The meeting began with Seung-Woo's profile displayed on the screen.

“This is the man,” an authoritative voice solemnly announced.

Park Ji-Hoon stared silently at the photo.

“His ability is unprecedented. If we secure his cooperation, our clear rates for gates will no doubt rise exponentially, securing territory beyond our wildest dreams.”

He didn't just buff A-ranks, even making S-rank Awakened stronger. The implication was simple.

“What should we do? Should we recruit him?”

Park Ji-Hoon felt a surge of irritation.

He knew Bae Seung-Woo well. After all, it hadn’t been long since he’d personally crushed him underfoot—when he was a pathetic, insignificant C-rank. Suddenly, the man had become a superstar that even his family drooled over.

Such a thing shouldn't have been possible, even with a new incredible backer.

“If we give him a good enough offer, I believe we can get him. That is, as long as no one makes a stupid mistake.”

Unaware of their history, some members of the recruiting team unknowingly drove the nail in the coffin.

“J-just proceed for now,” he muttered to the room.

Feeling dizzy, he left the conference room and bumped into his father.

“Ji-Hoon,” he called out, pleasantly surprised to see his son.

“Yes, Father?”

“Did you hear about the new S-rank?”

“...Yes, I did.”

“I want you to step up. Recruit him, no matter what it takes.”

“Ummm.”

His father, just like the other members, had no idea what kind of history Ji-Hoon had with Bae Seung-Woo.

His father could see his hesitation. “What’s with that look on your face? Is there a problem?”

“N-no, there isn't.”

He had only told his father that he'd dealt with someone he disliked. He knew his father would blow up if he found out he had messed with Bae Seung-Woo just for his own petty amusement.

Fuming, he sought out Jung Min-Ah, who was hiding away in her private training room.

“Aaaargh!! Why isn't it working?!” Jung Min-Ah, who was tearing at her hair and screaming, was startled by his sudden appearance. She quickly cleared her throat and approached him with a practiced, seductive tone. “Ji-Hoon!”

He stayed silent.

“What's wrong? Did you miss me?”

‘Fuck! What should I do with this empty-headed tramp?’

He suddenly asked her, “Hey, are you still in contact with him?”

She quickly frowned. “What are you talking about? I cut him off completely. I only have you now.”

She embraced him, but he gave a cold, sarcastic smile and gently pushed her away, saying, “Let's grab dinner tonight. I'm busy right now, so I have to head back.”

“Huh? O-okay.”

“Good. Oh yeah, and how’s that elixir you took? Did it work?”

“Umm, the elixir? Ah, yes! I-it worked! It sure worked!! Couldn't have gone better!”

“Great. I look forward to seeing what you can do.”

He had a habit of seducing women in relationships, but if he'd known Seung-Woo was such a golden goose, he wouldn't have bothered. Jung Min-Ah was just that insignificant to him.

As soon as he left the training room, his secretary approached him with a document. “Here’s the report you asked for.”

“Hand it over,” he said coldly. As he read it, his expression crumpled. “B-rank? Haa? Are you kidding me? She took that expensive fucking elixir, and her rank went down?!”

“Well, I only just brought the report. I don't know the details,” his secretary quickly told him.

“Useless! Ugh. Nevermind. Investigate again. Has there ever even been a case like this, where an Awakened person’s rank went down after an evaluation?”

“As far as I know... no?”

Seeing her report with a slight smile, he clicked his tongue. He then locked eyes with her. “Your name’s Yoo Na, right?”

“Yes,” she quickly confirmed.

“Do you have a boyfriend?”

“...I do not,” she replied with an awkward smile.

He gave a small chuckle and nodded. “Okay, good to know.”

As he strode away, Yoo Na smiled broadly and turned around. Once out of sight, her appearance shimmered and changed into Yuria's. She was completely at ease, almost as if she was back at home.

“Lady Willow, the plan’s a success.”

- Now that he has all the information he needs, he'll soon feel like she's a nuisance. Shall we drive the point home?

“It's not really my place to say this, m’lady... but you're quite cruel. Fufu.”

- You know laughing doesn’t help with your claim, right? Anyway, good job. Return now.

“On it!” She shimmered and vanished as cleanly if she hadn’t been there in the first place.

* * *

While Bae Seung-Woo's ability was enough to attract plenty of attention, the group also made an effort to publicize his results and create connections for him.

“Wow! My good friend is seriously incredible!!!”

[Crazy. What kind of ability is that lmao]

[I thought it was all hype when they said he went from C to S, but this is actually crazy]

Evangeline streamed to show everyone they were connected, squashing any lingering doubts about his abilities. In addition, Super Ribbon, who once toured as a global singer, showed off their friendship, spreading the word that he was close with the Saint of Tionis.

His ability alone was tremendous, but having relations with Tionis as well made others want him even more. Guilds were practically drooling once they recalled Yeon Soo-Ah’s case of sudden progression after association with Tionis.

Several more days passed.

The Awakened industry gave him glowing reviews for the ripple effect his power brought.

He then gave an interview to Evangeline on her stream, where he spoke about the guilds he'd originally wanted to join. He mentioned that the Silla Guild was his top choice.

However...

“Oh, so if you could join the Silla Guild now, would you?”

“The Silla Guild? Well, I’ll say it was certainly something I wanted in the past. Their benefits seemed really appealing, but... they wronged me before I could truly consider them.”

“You were wronged?” Evangeline asked, sounding surprised.

“Yes, terribly so. It was a personal matter, so I won't regale you with the details.”

Once the video circulated, Park Ji-Hoon’s father slapped him hard across the face.

“Worthless bastard!!”

Ji-Hoon didn't have a response.

“Your hobby is your own business. When did I ever interfere with what you do?”

“Father, I didn't know he had such power!” he shouted in his defense.

“Shut up! You just chased away the goose that lays golden eggs. Do you realize that?”

Ji-Hoon felt indignant. “Father, but...”

“I don't want to hear it. I overlooked you blowing guild funds to woo some girl, but now her rank dropped? On top of that, you drove away the guy who could've brought us huge benefits? That kid’s an S-rank now! We can't silence him, and what he says has a huge impact on our guild’s image!”

“I...” Park Ji-Hoon felt like he was going to die. He never thought a low-rank nobody would have a comeback like this.

“Worthless fool. Get out! Effective immediately, the guild will be handed over to your brother.”

“...Father?!”

“It's already been decided. The board was unanimous. Go to the countryside and reflect. There will be no reversal.”

His father chased him out.

Ji-Hoon returned to his office and screamed, knocking over everything in sight, “Aaaargh!!!”

He gasped for breath. “Damn it, damn it!! I tried so hard to get all the way up here!! And this is what I get?!”

Yuria, disguised as Yoo Na, entered after a knock.

“Here’s the report you requested.”

Ji-Hoon roughly snatched the document, and what he saw only further infuriated him. “C-rank? Are you kidding right now?! How does a B-rank become a C-rank?!”

“Well... according to our research, the Awakened individual Bae Seung-Woo...” she said, clearly hesitant about continuing.

“Yeah, what about him?!”

“It appears she only became stronger due to being under the long-term influence of his ability.”

“Are you saying...” He hoped he'd just heard wrong.

“Yes. Now that she’s no longer with him, her rank will continue to gradually drop. Our assessment is that, with her talent, she was never meant to rise above F-rank.” 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

He stood up. “That damned bitch...”

She was nothing more than a nuisance draining guild funds. In fact, she was an outright obstacle.

Meanwhile, Jeong Min-Ah was getting bullied by other Awakened.

While she had joined as what was basically a nepo hire, she’d nonetheless shown promise as an Awakened, and so looked down on everyone and leeched on all sorts of benefits at their expense.

Now that her rank had dropped and the truth was out, her position within the guild became awkward, to say the least.

Ji-Hoon, her supposed support, had become incredibly cold.

“This can't be happening. I can't stop here...” she muttered. “Right. I can get stronger again if I see Seung-Woo! I'll just ask him.”

She rushed to his place in desperation.

As if he'd been waiting, she was immediately able to meet him.

“Seung-Woo!” She rushed toward him. He no longer looked grubby, instead having become clean and sharp.

‘Now that I see him, he's much more handsome than Park Ji-Hoon. And he was such a kind man. So devoted to me.’

Thinking she must’ve been possessed in the past to ever forsake him, she grabbed his arm. “Let's talk a little...”

Thwack!!

However, that ship had already sailed. She felt him slap away her arm.

“Who are you to grab me? Why don't you get lost?”

A terrible coldness consumed her. “S-seung-Woo?”

“Get lost. I have nothing to say to a girl like you.” He raised his head and smiled, seeing Super Ribbon run up.

She grinned and called out, “Seung-Woo! You didn’t wait for too long, did you?”

“Ah, Super Ribbon. Not at all. Shall we go?”

“Let’s go.”

Min-Ah’s mind went blank at the sight. She quickly recomposed herself and desperately shouted, “Wait!!”

Seung-Woo turned back around to face her. “What?”

“What... are you two?” she asked with trembling eyes.

Seung-Woo replied coldly, “And why should I answer that? More importantly, why are you still standing there? Get lost!”

Her legs gave out beneath her. The man who could restore her power was no longer the man she knew. Yet, she still didn't realize her own mistakes.

“This can't be... Seung-Woo was only mine... No, this is all a lie... Seung-Woo, don't do this! I'm really scared!”

“I don't care. Let's go, Super Ribbon.”

“Okay.”

As the two walked away, Jeong Min-Ah’s mind spiraled.

The Silla Guild. Park Ji-Hoon. None of that mattered anymore! The Silla Guild that now ignored her and even ostracized her didn’t matter at all. All she could think about was taking back the spot beside him and growing stronger again.

She shouted with desperation, “Hey! Bae Seung-Woo!! You’re just going to throw me away like this?! You’re really going to leave me?!”

Despite her shouting, he kept on walking like he didn’t hear a thing.

Grinding her teeth, she rushed at him. She was under the delusion that, at least in a one-on-one fight, she was still stronger than him.

However, before she could even reach him, Super Ribbon grabbed her arm.

Smack!! Thud!!!

Before she knew it, she was rolling on the ground.

“Seung-Woo... what’s wrong with her?” Super Ribbon asked with apparent disgust.

“I don’t know. Sorry for the trouble, let’s go. I’ll buy you coffee.”

“Really?”

Watching her speak in a playful tone, Jeong Min-Ah lay there with a hollow expression.

Then she heard Super Ribbon whisper in her ear, “I’m sorry, but I have to go now. Don't worry, this is only the start.”

“W-What?!” Jeong Min-Ah shouted back, but the girl didn’t respond.

Now completely cast aside, she dragged herself back to the guild.

Smack!!

Park Ji-Hoon slapped her. “Where the hell have you been running around at a time like this?!”

“Y-You hit me?! How could you?! How could you do this to me?!”

“Shut up, you bitch! Everything’s falling apart because of you!!”

She remembered what Super Ribbon had said before leaving.

- This is only the start.

Those words felt like they were stabbing into her chest.