Chapter 2: The Weight of an F-Rank

Seo-jun stared at his father's message for several seconds.

[How did it go, son? We're waiting for you.]

The words were simple.

There was no pressure in them, no demand for an explanation, and certainly no hint of disappointment.

That somehow made them harder to face.

His father had probably been waiting for this day as eagerly as he had. For months, Kang Mu-jin had listened to his son's theories about possible abilities, answered his questions about the hunter profession, and shared whatever advice he could from his years of experience.

And now, Seo-jun had to tell him that he had awakened an F-rank ability whose practical use remained unknown.

What would his father say?

Would he try to comfort him?

Would he tell him that rank didn't matter?

Or would he simply look at him with the same quiet concern Seo-jun had seen on the faces of other parents at the awakening center?

He didn't know.

And that uncertainty frightened him more than he wanted to admit.

Seo-jun slowly typed a reply.

[It went fine, Dad. I'm coming home.]

He stared at the message before sending it.

Fine.

What a ridiculous word.

Nothing about today had gone the way he had imagined.

Still, he pressed send, slipped his phone into his pocket, and forced his feet to move.

One step.

Then another.

The distance between him and home gradually disappeared.

By the time he reached his apartment building, he had rehearsed several explanations in his head. None sounded convincing. Every version ended with him admitting the same things.

He was an F-rank.

He had awakened an ability called Arcane Sense, but even the examiner couldn't explain exactly what it could do.

And for the first time in his life, he had no idea what his future would look like.

Seo-jun stopped outside his apartment.

He took a deep breath, raised his hand, and knocked.

Before he could knock a second time, the door swung open.

His younger sister stood on the other side.

Kang Ha-eun looked up at him.

"You're back!"

Then she grinned and asked, "So, what rank did you get? S-rank?"

Seo-jun stepped inside and took off his shoes.

"Nope. The S-rank hunter is still on his way."

Ha-eun blinked before realizing he was making fun of her.

"Fine. A-rank, then?"

"Couldn't make it either."

"B-rank?"

"He's busy, too."

She crossed her arms.

"Are you going to tell me your actual rank or keep making stupid excuses?"

Seo-jun gave her a tired smile.

"You're the one who keeps guessing."

"Because you're the one who keeps avoiding the question!"

Before he could respond, their mother's voice came from inside.

"Ha-eun, stop bothering your brother and let him come in properly."

"I'm not bothering him!"

Seo-jun walked farther into the apartment.

"She's always been like this, hasn't she, Mom?"

"Unfortunately," Ha-eun replied before their mother could answer.

"Hey! I wasn't talking to you!"

For a moment, the familiar exchange almost made Seo-jun forget why he had been standing outside.

Then his mother appeared from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel.

Han Mi-yeon[mother]smiled when she saw him.

"Seo-jun, you're home."

He nodded.

"Yes, Mom."

She studied his face, and her smile slowly softened.

"How did it go?"

There it was.

The question he had been dreading since leaving the awakening center.

Seo-jun lowered his eyes.

"I awakened."

His mother's expression brightened.

"Really?"

Ha-eun immediately moved closer.

"What ability did you get? Fire? Lightning? Super strength? Please tell me you got something cool!"

Seo-jun hesitated.

Then he forced himself to say it.

"I'm F-rank."

Silence settled over the room.

Ha-eun's excitement faded. His mother stood still, the towel resting between her hands.

Neither of them said anything for a moment.

Seo-jun knew what they were probably thinking because he had been thinking the same thing ever since the examiner had announced his result.

F-rank.

The lowest rank.

The rank people joked about when discussing useless abilities.

At the awakening center, he had seen the way some people looked at him after hearing his result. A few had glanced at him with pity. Others had simply lost interest, as if he had become someone not worth remembering.

He had spent years imagining the day he would awaken. He had imagined his parents smiling proudly, Ha-eun bragging about her brother, and himself finally taking a step toward a better future for his family.

Instead, he had walked out of the center feeling smaller than when he had entered.

He wanted to explain all of that.

He wanted to tell them how it felt to hear his rank announced in front of strangers, how quickly their expressions had changed, and how helpless he had felt when the examiner couldn't even determine the practical use of his ability.

But the words refused to come.

His mother was the first to move.

She stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I see."

Her voice held no disappointment.

"You must be tired. Come inside properly. I've prepared something to eat."

Seo-jun nodded.

"Okay."

Ha-eun moved aside to let him pass. For once, she didn't make another joke.

He knew his sister well enough to recognize the expression on her face.

She was worried.

And she was trying very hard not to show it.

That made him feel worse.

The family gathered around the dining table.

Their apartment wasn't large. The kitchen and living room occupied the same space, separated only by a narrow counter. The furniture had been used for years, and the wooden table carried several scratches from daily use.

But it was clean, warm, and familiar.

Seo-jun had always liked that about their home.

No matter how difficult things became outside, he could return here and find his mother cooking, his sister complaining about school, and his father asking whether he had eaten properly.

For most of his life, that had been enough.

Today, however, he could barely taste his food.

His mother had prepared rice, soup, and several side dishes. She kept offering him more, even though his plate was still half full.

"Eat a little more," she said. "You haven't eaten properly all day."

"I'm fine, Mom."

"You always say that."

He didn't argue.

Across the table, Ha-eun poked at her food before finally looking up.

"So… what exactly does your ability do?"

Their mother glanced at her.

"Ha-eun, give him a moment."

"I'm just asking. We still don't know anything about it."

Seo-jun put down his spoon.

"The examiner called it Arcane Sense. Apparently, it's related to sensing magical energy, but they couldn't determine its range or practical applications."

Ha-eun blinked.

"So, you can sense magic?"

"Possibly."

"Like a radar?"

"I don't know."

"Can you sense monsters?"

"I don't know."

"Can you detect hidden treasure?"

"I definitely don't know."

She leaned back in her chair.

"Wow. An ability that answers every question with 'I don't know.' That's impressive."

Seo-jun threw a folded napkin at her.

She caught it and grinned.

"You're welcome."

Their mother sighed, but Seo-jun noticed that she seemed relieved to hear them teasing each other again.

At least Ha-eun was treating him normally.

That mattered more than he expected.

Still, the conversation left him thinking about his ability.

Arcane Sense.

The name sounded promising enough.

But names could be misleading.

Some awakened abilities possessed impressive titles while offering little practical value. Others sounded ordinary but became powerful in the hands of people who understood their limitations.

The problem was that Seo-jun didn't know which category his ability belonged to.

He didn't know whether Arcane Sense was weak, powerful, or somewhere in between.

He didn't even know how to activate it reliably.

For now, he had nothing except a name on his registration record.

And a rank that placed him at the bottom of the hunter hierarchy.

"What are you going to do now?" Ha-eun asked.

Their mother gave her a warning look, but Seo-jun answered before she could interrupt.

"I don't know."

The words came out more quietly than he intended.

"I thought I'd have a clearer idea after awakening. I thought I'd know what I could do and what kind of future I could aim for."

He looked down at his plate.

"But I know even less than I did yesterday."

Neither his mother nor his sister tried to argue.

For once, they seemed to understand that he wasn't looking for a quick reassurance.

He was trying to figure out how to live with a future that suddenly looked nothing like the one he had imagined.

A little after dinner, Seo-jun's phone rang.

His father's name appeared on the screen.

He answered immediately.

"Hello, Dad."

"Seo-jun? Your mother told me you're home."

"Yeah."

His father sounded tired. He was probably finishing his work for the day.

A brief pause followed.

Then Mu-jin asked the question Seo-jun had been expecting.

"How did the awakening go?"

Seo-jun leaned against the kitchen counter.

"I'm F-rank."

There was silence on the other end.

Not a long silence.

Just long enough for Seo-jun to notice.

"And your ability?" his father asked.

"Arcane Sense. The examiner couldn't determine exactly what it does."

"I see."

Seo-jun closed his eyes.

Those two words again.

He couldn't decide whether they were comforting or disappointing.

"Dad, I—"

"Listen to me, Seo-jun."

His father's voice was firm, but not harsh.

"Your rank is your rank. Your ability is your ability. Neither tells me what kind of person you are."

Seo-jun remained silent.

"I won't pretend that an F-rank awakening makes things easy," Mu-jin continued. "It doesn't. People may underestimate you, and finding your place in the hunter world could be difficult. But that doesn't mean you've run out of choices."

Seo-jun tightened his grip on the phone.

"I know."

"Do you? Because I don't want you making a decision tonight just because you're disappointed."

Seo-jun looked toward the window.

His father continued.

"Once you enter the hunter profession, people will tell you that you need to prove yourself. They'll tell you that your rank is holding you back. Some will even encourage you to take risks because they believe you have nothing to lose."

His voice grew quieter.

"Don't listen to them."

Seo-jun remembered the hunters he had seen at the awakening center. Some had celebrated their ranks as if they had already conquered the world. Others had walked out with expressions that suggested their futures had ended before they had even begun.

He wondered how many of them would face the same pressure his father was describing.

"I won't take unnecessary risks," Seo-jun said.

"Good. And don't rush into dangerous work just because you want to start earning money. Your mother and I can manage for now. You don't have to solve every problem in this family tomorrow."

Seo-jun lowered his gaze.

That was precisely what he had wanted to do.

He wanted to find work, earn money, and prove that his awakening hadn't been a waste. He wanted to give his parents a reason to stop worrying about the future.

But his father seemed to understand something he hadn't yet accepted.

Trying to prove himself immediately could lead him into situations he wasn't prepared to handle.

"Then what am I supposed to do?" Seo-jun asked. "Just sit around and wait for something to change?"

"No. But you don't have to choose between rushing into a job and giving up on your future."

Seo-jun fell silent.

His father took a breath before continuing.

"There's something else I wanted to discuss with you once i came home.."

"What is it?"

"You know I've worked for the same Hunter Corporation for ten years."

"Of course."

"Over the years, I've completed a lot of difficult assignments. Some were ordinary cleanup work. Others were far more dangerous than they should have been."

Seo-jun listened without interrupting.

"During one Rift operation, our team ran into serious trouble. One of the hunters with us was someone the corporation considered extremely important. I managed to get him out alive."

Seo-jun straightened slightly.

His father had mentioned dangerous operations before, but he had never explained this one in detail.

"That incident became part of my service record," Mu-jin continued. "The corporation has a scholarship program for the children of long-serving employees. My ten years of service made our family eligible to apply, and the record from that operation helped secure the company's approval."

Seo-jun stared at the floor.

"A scholarship?"

"For the Elite Hunter Academy."

For a moment, he couldn't think of anything to say.

The Elite Hunter Academy was one of the most respected institutions for newly awakened hunters. Its students received professional training in ability control, combat, monster knowledge, and survival. Graduates could pursue opportunities with major guilds, the Hunter Association, and other organizations.

It was the kind of place Seo-jun had imagined attending long before his awakening.

A place where he could learn what it meant to become a hunter.

A place where he might discover what his ability was capable of.

But now, after hearing his rank announced at the awakening center, he wasn't sure he belonged anywhere near it.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" he asked.

"I didn't want you counting on something that hadn't been approved yet. The company only confirmed it recently."

Seo-jun swallowed.

"But I'm F-rank."

"I know."

"What if I can't keep up with the other students? What if they all have abilities that are actually useful?"

His father didn't answer immediately.

Then he said, "That may happen. I'm not going to lie to you and promise that everyone will treat you fairly. But the scholarship gives you an opportunity. It doesn't decide what you're capable of."

Seo-jun stared at his phone.

For the first time since leaving the awakening center, the future didn't look entirely closed off.

It still frightened him.

He still had no idea what Arcane Sense could do, and the thought of standing among talented young hunters made his stomach tighten.

But there was a possibility he hadn't expected.

He didn't have to abandon the path he had dreamed of simply because his first step had gone badly.

"Dad… do you really think I should try?"

"I think you should give yourself a chance before deciding you can't do it."

Seo-jun lowered his head.

His father continued, his voice softer now.

"I didn't work those ten years expecting you to repay me with a high rank. I worked because this is my responsibility as your father. If this opportunity helps you build a better future, then I want you to have it."

Seo-jun's throat tightened unexpectedly.

He turned toward the window so that his mother, who was standing nearby, wouldn't notice his expression.

He had spent the entire afternoon feeling as though he had disappointed everyone.

Yet his father wasn't asking him to become an S-rank hunter. He wasn't asking him to make the family rich or prove the examiner wrong.

He was simply asking him not to give up on himself.

"Thanks, Dad," Seo-jun said quietly.

"There's no need to thank me. Just take your time and think about what you want."

"Okay."

"And Seo-jun?"

"Yes?"

"I'm glad you're home."

Seo-jun closed his eyes for a moment.

"Me too, Dad."

The call ended.

He remained still for several seconds before lowering his phone.

His father hadn't promised that everything would be fine.

He hadn't promised that Seo-jun would become stronger or that his rank would somehow change.

He had simply reminded him that he didn't have to destroy himself trying to prove something.

For the first time that afternoon, the weight in Seo-jun's chest eased slightly.

Not completely.

But enough for him to breathe more comfortably.

Later that night, Seo-jun sat on the edge of his bed with his registration information in front of him.

His awakening result was printed clearly across the page.

Rank: F

Ability: Arcane Sense

He read the two lines again.

Then he set the paper aside and looked at his hand.

He had awakened today. Somewhere inside him, something had changed. The examiner had confirmed that much.

Yet he couldn't feel anything unusual.

No sudden strength.

No strange energy flowing through his body.

No instinct telling him that he had gained a remarkable power.

Just an unfamiliar ability with an unclear purpose.

He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate, searching for any sensation that might explain what Arcane Sense was supposed to do.

Nothing happened.

After several minutes, he opened his eyes with a sigh.

"Of course."

He lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

Tomorrow, the world would continue as usual. His father would return to work. His mother would prepare breakfast. Ha-eun would probably find a new way to annoy him.

And he would still be an F-rank.

But there was one thing he hadn't considered before tonight.

His rank might describe his current ability, but it didn't have to determine every decision he made afterward.

The scholarship wouldn't make him powerful overnight. It wouldn't guarantee that the other students would respect him, and it certainly wouldn't tell him what Arcane Sense could become.

Those were things he would have to discover for himself.

Seo-jun turned onto his side and closed his eyes.

He was still disappointed.

He was still afraid.

But beneath those feelings, a small amount of determination had begun to form.

He didn't need to become the strongest hunter tomorrow.

He only needed to stop treating one bad result as the end of his future.

And for tonight, that was enough.