Flame Barrage is the crown jewel of Yeom Ju-wan’s skills. 

Absolutely magnificent. 

Picture this:

A boundless plain stretches into infinity, teeming with dark, grotesque creatures. 
Yeom Ju-wan stands alone against a sea of monsters. 
The villain, sneering, addresses him with contempt.
“Hahaha! Just one? You poor, pathetic fool! Abandoned by your comrades, eh?”
But Ju-wan remains perfectly composed.
“Abandoned? You’ll see soon enough.”
“Pitiful! What can one mere mortal do against this overwhelming force?”
Juwan ignores the taunt, and slowly whispers under his breath.
“Flame Barrage.”
The air ignites with countless crimson sparks, each one blazing to life and morphing into elongated spears of fire. 
Soon, thousands of burning javelins descend from above.
Crash! Crash! Crash!
In mere seconds, 5,000 monsters vanish without a whimper.
“This… this can’t be real!”
While the villain gapes in horror, his army finally senses true danger and attempts to flee. 
But Yeom Ju-wan shows no mercy.
“Flame Barrage.”
Crash! Crash! Crash!
Another 5,000 spears fall. 
Ten seconds—that’s all it takes for him to obliterate an army of 10,000 monsters, single-handedly. 
Now pure survival instinct drives the monsters to scramble away. 
But—
“Flame Barrage.”
Yeom Ju-wan’s flaming spears hunt them down like heat-seeking missiles, never failing to find their mark. 
The villain’s voice now breaks in terror,
“You’re a… a monster! No, a walking catastrophe!”

Precisely. 

This is the skill that makes my Ju-wan a force of nature. 

And now, those same flaming spears are raining down before my very eyes.

Crash-crash-crash-crash-crash-crash!

Only seven spears, true, but their power matches every bit of my imagination. 

Each two-meter spear impales a goblin from head to toe. 

Fwoosh—

The flames surge brilliantly, then vanish in a heartbeat, leaving nothing but dancing embers.

Thud—

The goblins crumple lifeless to the ground.

“…”

“…”

Silence descends. 

The skill’s devastating finale seems to have overwhelmed everyone. 

Minutes crawl by before my teammates finally recover their voices.

“W-what just happened?”

“They’re… dead, aren’t they?”

“Let’s get Yeom Ju-wan to safety first.”

Noh Ji-tae and Lee Hyo-jun support Yeom Ju-wan back into the barrier. 

He’s drained, completely depleted, but breathing.

“That was your doing, right?”

“You used some skill during the fight? Man, Yeom Ju-wan! You’ve got serious potential!”

The team naturally assumes it was Yeom Ju-wan who summoned the flaming spears. 

Fair enough—they rained down right where he was throwing his fireballs. 

But Yeom Ju-wan shakes his head.

“Wasn’t me…”

“What?”

“Then who…?”

Their gazes shift towards me. 

I want to explain, but that goblin’s attack on my arm drained every energy I had. 

My consciousness is slipping.

Is this really how it ends?

Feels like my time’s up. 

As my eyes drift shut, I realize… I protected my favorite character and I witnessed my favorite skill firsthand. 

Not such a bad finale, right? 

What a way to go!

It was a nice (albeit brief) second life. 

# 

A small child huddles alone in the playground. 

Orange hair. 

Tiny, pudgy hands like Vienna sausages. 

Every day after daycare, this child plays by himself. 

While other kids get picked up by their parents, no one comes for him. 

Eventually, the daycare teacher takes him home when her shift ends. 

I know all this because we live in the same apartment complex. 

At 6 p.m., when I look out my window, I see this little boy walking hand-in-hand with the teacher.

‘What is this?’

It’s baby Yeom Ju-wan, about five years old! 

He’s absolutely heart-melting! 

Is there a zoom function? 

I want to see his precious face up close… 

But just as I tried to pull the image nearer, a strong scent hit me. 

Roses? 

I absolutely despise roses…

.

.

.

My eyes fluttered open. 

I see a moon and a couple of stars swaying above me like a pendulum.

“Oh? You’re awake?”

It was Park Ra-hee’s voice. 

Turns out, the celestial bodies I saw were actually part of her necklace. 

I was lying down, resting my head in her lap.

“Examiner! Yeon Sora’s awake! This aromatherapy really works!”

Park Ra-hee enthusiastically waved a rose-scented candle. 

So that’s what yanked me from such a lovely dream. 

But wait—I’m not dead?

“Sora, how are you feeling? Any pain?”

I glanced at my left arm and… what? 

Just moments ago, it had looked like something had taken a bite out of it. 

But now, fresh flesh and skin was growing in its place.

“The supervisor gave you an emergency potion. But he also said you absolutely couldn’t fall asleep— that increases the risk of coma…”

I winced as pain shot through me, it’s like adding salt to a wound. 

“Don’t try to speak yet.”

Park Ra-hee gazed at me softly, gently stroking my left hand. 

As she touched me, warmth spread throughout my body.

The pain vanished as if by magic.

‘Is she… a healer?’

Seems like Park Ra-hee had awakened as well, during all that chaos. 

A walking painkiller right beside me! 

Talk about lucky! 

With the pain gone, my mind began to clear.

“Where’s Yeom Ju-wan?”

“The examiner is treating his wounds…”

“Sora!”

Before Park Ra-hee could finish, Yeom Ju-wan’s face appeared above me. 

His ashen face and trembling eyes were filled with terror.

“Sora! Are you alright?”

His voice quivered with panic. 

Instead of answering, I stretched my hands out to reach his cheek. 

His left cheek was smeared with blood—where the goblin had clawed him. 

As I carefully wiped away the blood…

‘…It’s gone?’

The deep gashes had completely healed, new skin already formed. 

No scars. 

‘Thank goodness!’

If he’d been scarred, I’d have been inconsolable. 

As I tried to sit up, Yeom Ju-wan gently pressed my shoulder down.

“Stay put until everything settles. Ra-hee, please watch over Sora.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll keep guard by the examiner in case more monsters appear.”

Ju-wan, so responsible. 

Smiling contentedly, I closed my eyes to savor this moment. 

Sure, I nearly lost an arm, but I survived and even awakened. 

The journey wasn’t smooth, but who cares? 

A good outcome is all that matters. 

(Though I’ll keep it my little secret that I awakened because I was furious about the scratch on Yeom Ju-wan’s face.)

‘Now, let’s see what we’ve got.’

I opened the windows I had minimized before, to confirm my skills. 

【You’ve gained 21 experience points】

【Level up! Lvl. 0 → Lvl. 1】

【Overall stats adjusted as reward】

【Checking Yeon Sora’s overall stats】

▷ Consumable Stats

– HP 0/1   – Mana 0/10

▷ Non-consumable Stats

– Strength 1   – Endurance 1

– Agility 0   – Intelligence 10

‘What kind of stats are these?’

Typically, awakened individuals have several times the health and endurance of normal people. 

Even the Gyun Jun-hwi started with Strength 3, Endurance 3, Agility 2, and Intelligence 10 right after awakening. 

But my stats were… barely normal—no, they’re worse than normal.

‘Is it even possible to have 0 Agility?’

I’d somehow achieved the miracle of scoring a literal “0” on the status screen. 

But considering Yeon Sora’s puppet-like stumbling whenever she runs, maybe it’s not so surprising.

‘Well, at least my Mana and Intelligence are decent.’

Starting with Mana and Intelligence of 10 isn’t bad at all. 

Seems that while So-ra may be physically weak, she has potential for magic. 

Closing the stat screen, I moved to the next window.

【A unique trait has blossomed】

【Unique Trait: Devoted Reader [Lvl. 1]】

Similar to Gyun Jun-hwi, the other reader in this story, but subtly different. 

His trait was “Reader.” 

Mine is “Devoted Reader.”

‘What makes them different?’

By definition, a reader simply reads a work, while an devoted reader passionately follows it. 

But Gyun Jun-hwi was just as devoted to this story as I was. 

Sure, he didn’t go around declaring, *”These characters are the best!” “They’re so precious!”* 

But still… maybe the difference between reader and a devoted reader is that extra touch of… enthusiasm? 

Moving on…

【Three pillars have blossomed】

【Would you like to view the skill tree? Y/N】

In this world, hunters usually awaken just one pillar. 

If you awaken two pillars, you’re called a genius. 

Three? 

You’re a protagonist of the story, like Ki Hyun-min and Gyun Jun-hwi. 

As a possessor, I guess I am also awarded three pillars. 

That third one might cause trouble later, but…

‘Not important right now.’

The more pillars, the better. 

Since more pillars mean more skills.

【Accessing Yeon Sora’s unique skill tree】

[Pillar ①. You are the Best!]

— <Bravo, My Favorites!>

— <Just Like My Favorites!>

[Pillar ②. (Not yet blossomed)]

[Pillar ③. (Not yet blossomed)]

Just looking at these skills fills me with delight. 

Let’s examine them in detail.

【Unique Skill <Bravo, my favorites>】

【Description: Enhances all stats of the designated target through the Law of Equivalent Exchange.】

【Activation Condition: Affinity must exceed 90%, requires equivalent-value medium.】

【Medium: Yeon Sora’s blood】

The first skill boosts the stats of another character, like a buff-type skill. 

These are incredibly rare in this world. 

But rare doesn’t necessarily mean good; buff users often die young, like in the infamous “Buff Slave Incident.” 

Better keep this one secret for now. 

Next…

【Unique Skill <Just Like My Favorites!>】

【Description: Replicates all stats and skills of the designated target.】

【Activation Condition: Affinity must exceed 90%, requires mana.】

The ultimate cheat skill: skill copying! 

This means I can craft items like Gyun Jun-hwi, use fire magic like Yeom Ju-wan… and maybe even manipulate time like Ki Hyun-min! 

And better still…

‘The copy may be stronger than the original, right?’

Flame Barrage was a skill Yeom Ju-wan gained at Level 99. 

This means, I can copy future skills. 

Just one catch: affinity. 

I can only copy skills from those close to me. 

In other words, I need to build strong relationships to use this.

‘Perfect!’

Making friends was already on my bucket list, and now I have an official reason to do so! 

It’s not just for fun—it’s crucial for my survival here!

I’m trying to be your friend to save the world! 

I wanted to bow in gratitude to the Goddess of the Tower. 

If I could rate this skill, I’d give it 30 stars out of 5! 

As I opened the next window—

“Sora.”

A voice called my name. 

I looked back to find Ham So-bong watching me with intense eyes, full of curiosity.