"Skills". That would be what the world would come to know them as. Shimmering gold cards showed up all across the world, and getting your hands on one bestowed you with a "skill", an all-powerful ability you could only dream of.
The skills people got from the cards were varied. Some people got powerful tools like cloning themselves, whereas others complained that their skill just made them good at tennis.
The deciding factor on whether you got a good or bad skill was the skill tier, which was decided randomly when the card was redeemed. And although you could only use one card, if you were lucky enough to get an S-Tier skill, it would be guaranteed to shake the very fabric of your life.
Of course, the world responded in a frenzy. Internet forums lit up, the press went crazy, and above all else: Anyone who got a powerful skill took action.
Those who didn't have skills had become at the mercy of those who did. Generally, you were either part of the weak, expendable masses, or you were ruling over those masses with an iron fist.
Among those, I was the former. About half a year after skills appeared, I was captured by a prominent organization of skill users and have been as such for half a year since.
You may be wondering, what benefits does living under this organization provide? Well, all my money is theirs. My life is theirs. Everything I own is theirs. But hey, at least they let me keep my shitty apartment. They even bother to feed me so I don't starve. Sweet deal, right?
And what price does one pay for these luxuries, you ask? Risking my life for their sake on a regular basis.
I have the privilege of being an honorary member of one of our organization's raiding teams. The team scouts through deserted or destroyed buildings (that our organization attacked, more often than not) to search for any kind of valuables. It could be money, even skill cards… or survivors of their attacks.
The leader of our group, Gae Seong-hun, has the skill [Trajectory]. Simply put, he can change what trajectory things are on, such as curving a bullet to land in its target. He uses this to snipe any nearby enemies with pinpoint accuracy, making him the attack unit of the team.
Next, there's Byun Seo-jun, whose skill is [Radar]. It shows him a holographic display of a radar that can search the nearby area for anything he asks; Including people. He uses this skill to locate the previously mentioned "valuables" on raids.
Lastly, the defense unit of the group, Kwak Young-soo; The skill [Human Shield] lets him block any attack - be it a knife or a bullet - as long as it's intended for someone else. Basically, he can take bullets meant for other people without repercussions.
And I have the most important role of all: Bait. Well, more like a probe. I go ahead of the group where [Radar] doesn't reach, and if I get shot it tells them to expect an enemy up ahead.
Pretty coordinated team, right? Attack, defense, support, and the human sacrifice.
Today, we had another raid. The team showed up at my house and dragged me along with them by force. A meaningless endeavor, since I never bother to resist anyways.
We arrived at our destination and I began to gauge how high my chances of dying in this place were.
The whole building was more like a half-destroyed skeleton of one. I could see through one side and out the other. I couldn't help but wonder whether this destruction was natural or man-made. The building was perched on a large green hill and was surrounded by a chain-link fence. The open walls and high visibility led me to ultimately determine I wouldn't get caught off-guard here, which meant I'd live to see another day.
We walked cautiously to one end of the building and got into our normal formation. They swept across the building while searching using [Radar] and I stood out ahead of the group.
Absentmindedly, I walked ahead of myself like a zombie and tried to desensitize my brain to my environment. I mostly spent these times cursing my fate and the world, and that's exactly how I planned to spend it today.
As I began my cycle of self-pity, a bright light reflected into my eyes, blinding me. I turned in the direction of the light and what greeted my eyes was a gold skill card lying on a half-demolished wall.
…Huh? Back up a second.
*I* just saw a *skill card* lying in front of me.
This is a chance most people would spend their every day dreaming of, myself included. Statistically, it actually wasn't as rare as you'd think to find a skill card - you'd have a harder time winning the lottery. But seeing the shimmering gold light with my own two eyes made me feel like the luckiest person alive.
There was, however, a major problem. [Radar] displays what skills a person has on its interface. If I took this skill, Seo-jun could expose me with his skill in an instant. In the best-case scenario, I'd be forced to do even more dangerous work for the organization with my new skill, and in the worst case, I'd be branded a traitor and killed.
If I got a bad skill, they wouldn't hesitate to kill me. But even if I got a great skill, they could just take it from me. The organization is in control of a skill called [Transfer], which allows skills to be transferred from one person directly to another. Thanks to this ability, members of the organization are able to have more skills than just the one they receive from their card, as they can also use skills taken from other people. My raid members all have additional skills thanks to this fact, but I only know their main abilities. But worst of all was the fact that whatever skill I got here could even end up back in their hands instead - for them to use against me.
This was a tough call. Taking this skill was probably nothing but bad news for me, but it was tempting nevertheless.
I weighed my options carefully, with the sound of each approaching footstep tipping the scale in disfavor.
But even still, I couldn't throw away this chance…
Could I?
I decided.
…That was exactly what I'd do.
All I had to do was throw it away! Then I'd come back and find the card later. Simple, right?
I dashed at the skill card, leaving the formation as well as the raid team's view. Since the group was still a fair distance away, they couldn't see past a wall that tucked away both me and the skill card just out of their sight.
Seizing the moment, I lifted the surprisingly heavy card, and threw it away from the building as hard as I could.
The group ran up to me and started yelling.
"What the hell's the problem!?"
"Ah, well… I thought I saw some guy with a gun over there -"
I pointed in the opposite direction of where I threw the card.
"- So I took cover behind this wall."
"Asshole, you're supposed to signal us if that happens! That's the whole reason you're here!"
"…Sorry, I thought he was going to shoot."
"That doesn't matter, man! Do your goddamned job!"
Well, I had expected as much.
They didn't give a damn what happened to me. If I was alive or dead, to them it made no difference.
It is what it is, I suppose. And that's how it's been for the past year. But today, I finally have the opportunity to change that - an opportunity called a skill.
I cautiously continued the raid, making sure to draw no further attention to myself. My mind was still reeling, wondering if I made the right call.
Eventually, the raid concluded. As soon as they left, I ran to look for the card. I stumbled down the hill to search the perimeter of the property, hoping that someone else hadn't found it yet. My fears and concerns mounted with each second that passed where I failed to reunite with it. Those concerns all stopped, however, when I saw a familiar blinding flicker of light in the corner of my eyes. The card was stuck into the chain-link fence nearby like a shuriken.
I approached the card with intense anxiety and anticipation. Right in front of me was an opportunity to completely change my life; A skill.
And it was all mine.