The sun blazed overhead, spilling warmth across the noisy streets. Sakura trudged along, her head pounding from the gangs that had hounded her earlier. She'd brushed off every offer—Flame Bladion with their flashy swords, Gallant Gang's pompous promises, Iron Fury's gruff insistence, Yamogi Gang's sly grins, and even the Warisus Gang, whose whispered name carried a chill of danger. She didn't trust any of them, and the attention only made her skin crawl.
"Sakura, come on!" Kiyoshi's voice cut through the crowd, sharp with impatience. "We're wasting time!"
She glared at him, rubbing her temple where a faint blue glow flickered—something only she could see. "Watch your tone, E-ranker. I'm a B now, you know." Her words snapped out, half pride, half exhaustion.
Kiyoshi smirked, unfazed. "Oh, what, your fancy blue screen? Sorry, still blind over here."
Sakura's screen hovered in her vision, crisp and strange:
Name: Sakura
Rank: B [Level 1]
HP: 100%
MP: 500
Skills: 0
Storage: 5
Title: Dark
Type: Assassin
Kiyoshi's own screen popped up when he squinted at it, dimmer and humbler:
Name: Kiyoshi
Rank: E [Level 6]
HP: 100%
MP: 100
Skills: 0
Storage: 2
Title: 0
Type: 0
He frowned at the numbers. "Why's my MP so low?" he muttered, glancing at Sakura.
She sighed, like explaining it was a chore. "It's Magic Power—Mana. Skills eat it up. The stronger the skill, the more it takes. If an E-ranker like you runs out, you're stuck, paralyzed, for a month unless you rest or chug a potion. B-ranker like me? I'd bounce back faster."
Kiyoshi scratched his head, still processing, but Sakura was already moving. "Get up," she said, her voice firm. "We need skills if we're going to survive this."
Inside the guild, they found the Skill-Picker—a wiry old man with eyes like clouded glass, one of the rare few who could pull skills out of the awakened. Kiyoshi went first, pricking his finger and letting a drop of blood fall onto the man's strange bowl of water. a drop of water rose from the bowl and hit his head.his first skill flickered into existence:
Skill: Healing Kiss (Rank E)
Description: Heal wounds with a kiss.
MP Usage: Mild Injury (30), Critical Injury (50)
He stared at it, cheeks flushing. "A kiss? Seriously? I wanted something… I don't know, cooler."
another drop rose hitting his head.
Skill: Luck (Rank E)
Description: Grants ten minutes of crazy good luck.
MP Usage: 40
"Luck?" he groaned. "This is useless for fighting."
two skills are commonly graded by the skill bowl for some it is one. But the drop will rise the third time in very rare cases, which is a rare time. a drop rose again hitting him.
Skill: Eye of Wisdom (Rank C)
Description: See ranks, skills, and levels of anyone C-rank or lower.
MP Usage: 10 per person
the skill picker looked at him wondering what this boy will become.
even for the skill picker it was the first time seeing a third drop.
His shoulders slumped with relief. Finally—something decent. He stepped back, watching Sakura take her turn. Her two skills came quickly:
Skill: Hide (Rank D)
Description: Vanish within five meters—breath, steps, presence, all gone.
MP Usage: 30 per minute
Skill: Target (Rank B)
Description: Spot an enemy's weak points.
MP Usage: 50 (more for higher ranks)
Their profiles updated on those weird screens:
Kiyoshi
Rank: E [Level 6] Skills: Luck, Healing Kiss, Eye of Wisdom Title: Lucky Kisser
Sakura
Rank: B [Level 1] Skills: Hide, Target Title: Hiding Reaper
The Skill-Picker's fee stung—two gold coins gone, leaving them with just 25 silver. Kiyoshi felt the weight of their shrinking pouch, a knot tightening in his gut. They needed money, strength, something to keep them afloat.
after that, they had training and combat exams for taking quests, just some basic swordsmanship and survival lessons.
Within 2 days, they both passed the exam.
The guild's quest board loomed nearby, plastered with papers sorted by rank. Sakura could've tackled a C-rank solo with her B status, but Kiyoshi's E held them back. Together, they settled on a D-rank job: clear a village of oversized bee monsters. Simple enough, he hoped, though the thought of facing anything with stingers made his stomach twist. He clenched his fists, frustration simmering. Sakura was pulling ahead, and he was still the weak link.
"Let's go," Sakura said, her tone clipped but steady. "We're not dying over some bees."
Kiyoshi nodded, swallowing his doubts. He'd prove himself—somehow.