I Level Up With In-app Purchases

I Level Up With In-app Purchases – 58

EP.58 The Use of the Orb (2)

Completing the growth of the first character.

Achieving an accomplishment.

And the reward for the first achievement being, of all things,

‘Becoming an Awakener.’

It felt like I had fallen into a cruel joke.

Before I became aware of my past life at the age of 14, I had always wanted to become an Awakener.

After remembering my past life and gaining these abilities at 14, I had hoped that I might already be an Awakener.

I thought that entering the game world should at least grant me the status of an Awakener.

At 14, although it was a bit late compared to others, it wasn’t too late to give up entirely, which made me even more excited.

However, when I was finally tested, the conclusion was that I wasn’t an Awakener.

I couldn’t use any powers, and the abilities I gained were only beneficial to others.

After several denials, I eventually accepted it.

I wasn’t one of the chosen ones.

“And now, after retiring, they throw this at me?”

At the age of thirty.

I had never heard of anyone awakening at this age.

Moreover, entering the academy at this age was absurd.

They wouldn’t even accept me.

‘And now they want me to prove I’m an Awakener? That means I’d have to serve in the military for 10 years?’

The value of ten years at 20 and ten years at 30 is vastly different.

At 20, ten years is a time to try anything and everything, but at 30, it’s a crucial period to decide what kind of life to live after retirement.

It was a time too valuable to waste by enlisting in the military.

“This actually made things worse.”

Becoming an Awakener meant gaining powerful abilities, which was good.

But the disadvantages far outweighed the benefits.

In a situation where monster waves were occurring and contamination was once again threatening humanity, becoming an Awakener was…

‘The timing couldn’t be worse.’

In the worst-case scenario, I could receive a sudden draft notice to enlist in the military without any training.

‘This power didn’t show up when I needed it the most…’

Who would have thought I’d have an achievement like this?

I regretted not going to the academy at 14 to summon even an R-grade character instead of starting mercenary work.

Even when I was actively working as a mercenary, I should have come near the academy to unlock the summoning feature.

“Not now. I don’t need this kind of reward, take it back!”

The abilities had never allowed for two-way communication.

After finally making me an Awakener, the system disappeared once again.

Setting aside my resentment towards the system, I needed to check the reward it had given me.

“So, I’ve awakened. What’s changed?”

Since I had awakened, there should be a new ability within me.

I needed to figure out what it was…

“What is it?”

I had no clue.

It was like not recognizing the letter ‘A’ when it was right in front of me.

Even if I asked how to identify my awakened ability, they would just say it’s something they’ve used since they could breathe.

They would wonder why I didn’t know.

So, rather than asking others for their know-how, I needed to discover my abilities on my own.

“Damn it, I don’t know.”

But after two days of getting nowhere, I had no choice but to seek help.

“So, I decided to get some help.”

“Awakening??? Did you really awaken?”

“It’s hard to believe, but it’s true.”

“I’ll believe you since you have no reason to lie.”

The person I sought help from was Sasha.

Rebecca was busy teaching students during the weekdays, and I didn’t want to burden her further.

So, I asked Sasha, who had a relatively more flexible schedule, for help.

“I’m not sure if I should congratulate you.”

“Awakening at this age isn’t something to celebrate. Especially with the current situation. I can’t even report it right now.”

“If you get caught, you’re in big trouble!”

Illegal Awakeners are immediately captured and sentenced to a lifetime of hard labor if discovered.

“I’ve lived over thirty years without ever using any power, and now they want to send me to the battlefield just because I’ve awakened? That’s too much.”

“…That’s true.”

Sasha couldn’t argue with my point and looked dejected.

“What should I do? Or maybe I could claim I’m too inexperienced to be of any use?”

“That won’t work now. As you know, with the monster waves, they need every soldier they can get.”

The enlistment criteria?

As long as you’re physically fit and awakened, they’ll take you.

Once enlisted, they’ll find a use for you somewhere.

“You should be careful too. You might get drafted. Check if a draft notice is coming and prepare in advance.”

While I couldn’t stop the draft notice, I could at least be prepared.

Sasha was startled at the mention of a draft notice.

“They’d call me up?”

“They’ve conscripted students. The reserves are already being called up. When the reserves run out, who do you think will be next? Those who were previously rejected due to lack of skill but are physically fit will be the next targets.”

“Everyone’s skills must have rusted.”

“At least not yours.”

Sasha had been deeply hurt in the past by her inability to enlist due to lack of skill.

To overcome that past, she had set up a private training center, and she not only operated the facility but also honed her skills using it.

While others’ skills might have rusted, this didn’t apply to Sasha.

“You don’t seem scared.”

“I feel strange. Can I really do well?”

“Others might not want to return to the military, but you seem positive about it.”

“Yes. It’s been my lifelong wish. To go back and pass with flying colors.”

“There’s no need to go back to the past.”

Unlike me, who couldn’t even be happy about awakening because of the thought of enlisting at this age, Sasha welcomed the idea of enlisting.

“Can you help me out then? My current situation is worse than those nobles with rusty skills. I don’t even know what my ability is.”

Even if their skills had rusted, nobles who had used their abilities like a second hand all their lives were in a better situation than me.

“Are you planning to report it?”

“What if I say no?”

“I’ll respect your choice. You’re like a newborn baby in this situation. Enlisting would be too harsh for you.”

Sasha shook her head, saying she didn’t want to see me dragged to the battlefield and die meaninglessly.

Just imagining it seemed horrifying to her.

“Thanks for saying that. And serving the country doesn’t only mean enlisting, right?”

I was already working for this world in another way.

Summoning and raising SSR characters.

It was an ability that no one else could do, only I could.

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The first thing I needed to do to discover my ability was to meditate.

Sasha had also struggled for a long time to figure out how to awaken an ability that should come as naturally as breathing.

Eventually, she recommended meditation.

“There’s a training method called mental imagery training. You meditate and imagine your ability in your mind, training it through visualization.”

She said that recalling a previous sparring session or imagining using an ability that’s impossible in reality can be helpful through mental imagery training.

“So, if you meditate and do mental imagery training, you might be able to find the new sensation moving within your body. It’s also good to think about what ability you want to use or have always wanted.”

“The ability I wanted to have.”

The ability I wanted to have…?

Knowing the overpowered skills of 1-tier characters and having once thought I might become an Awakener, there was no reason not to follow Sasha’s training advice.

“Meditation, huh….”

I had never tried it before, but during my mercenary days, I often pretended to sleep to avoid annoying situations.

Among mercenaries, there were always one or two who either badmouthed me or, conversely, admired me and sought my attention.

Ignoring such people by pretending to sleep was the best tactic.

At least when I pretended to sleep, they often didn’t come near me.

‘Even if they wanted to pick a fight, they couldn’t because I was always sleeping.’

In that sense, mental imagery training became one of the easiest training methods for me.

I just had to close my eyes, sit idly, and let time pass without thinking about anything.

Then, as Sasha suggested, I thought about the ability I wanted to have.

‘The ability I wanted to have.’

Handling special weapons like Rebecca or using stealth and poison for critical attacks like Ariane didn’t suit me.

And having a supporter ability didn’t fit my temperament either.

When thinking about abilities, the first thing that came to mind was the sword that had saved my life countless times during my mercenary days.

‘It would be great if I could handle the sword better.’

Although I had wielded a sword for a long time, I didn’t know much about the techniques, so I often relied on brute strength.

I had picked up a few tips from Rebecca and was clumsily learning some sword techniques, but I couldn’t say I was satisfied with my level.

If I was going to awaken and gain skills, I hoped to be able to use proper swordsmanship.

I was quite ambitious when it came to the sword.

Additionally, while hunting monsters, I always thought it would be nice to have…

‘Physical abilities. I had a taste of enhanced physical abilities by plastering myself with scrolls just to barely handle monsters….’

The rush was so intense that I once thought I might get addicted to buff scrolls.

I had even felt jealous, thinking Awakeners must always be in such a state.

‘If I awaken, I could grow my physical abilities to SSS level….’

Not everyone could achieve SSS stats, so having a buff-type skill to enhance physical abilities would be great.

‘Lastly, what other skill would be good?’

I knew I couldn’t get the awakening abilities exactly as I imagined.

Nevertheless, just imagining it was fun.