The Passive Skill Collection System

The once silent and empty road he took was now overflowing with panicking waves of people trying to run for their lives. Hunted by small, rat-like beasts, they disregarded their surroundings while clicking sounds followed them.

Although the rats looked weak, hundreds of them filled the broad street.

Lu Jae-sung stood still, considering his predicament. He was capable of outrunning everyone present, but as people passed by, he stared to the side, contemplating his dilemma. "Do I want to run away, acting like the people who disregarded me?"

He was clenching his fists, anger, and determination dwelled inside him. Perhaps this was his chance to change his thinking. Although he hated almost every single human being, he wasn't a monster to abandon someone in need, as he saved Yoon Dong from the gangsters trying to sell him off.

The system had appeared beside him, statistics displayed. He chose to delay the horde.

"Think, think! What do I need at the moment?!"

Since the rats were slow, he was confident enough about his speed to upgrade his strength and endurance to reduce his exhaustion. In that instant, brute force was necessary to kill multiple flies at once.

- 70/100 Exhaustion

- Strength: 39

- Endurance: 25

- Stat Points: 0

He felt the power increase within his muscles. Suddenly, a small girl who held her mother's hand slipped away from her and stumbled to the ground. She tried to get up, but her legs shook out of fear, locking her in place. Her mother ran up to her, streams of tears flying from her face. She grabbed her daughter, but it seemed to be too late.

As he readied himself, a crater appeared below his feet, dashing at lightning speed towards the duo.

*BANG!* *Crack* *Crack* *Thud*

The beast that tried to devour the two victims flew dozens of meters back, taking its fellow beasts with it. Bones cracking could be heard from the powerful impact of Lu Jae-sung's fist. Debris of asphalt flew everywhere, uncovering a following trace of gravel beneath the road's surface. They were so light compared to the Gatorhawk, he could send them flying with no effort.

After dealing with the pesky rats, he took both the mother and the small girl on his shoulders and ran back to the panicking group of people who had gone through multiple crossroads.

"Thank you!" She said in a hurry, tears of agony flowing from her eyes during her runaway, clasping her daughter.

"It's not like I am the only adventurer in Gongchun!" He considered his fate, facing death by foolish rodents.

- 10/100 HP

- 95/100 Exhaustion

The only reason no one was close to help him was that the whole southern Gongchun was flooded by rat beasts.

He was bleeding from the previous fight, his skin becoming pale from the lack of blood, which slowly dripped from the tip of his fingers. His injury fastened up his exhaustion, making him fall to his knees, puffing uncontrollably.

"Dad, I wonder if you would be proud of me," he mumbled.

Lu Jae-sung was prepared to give his life up. The only joy he ever had was with his father, his hero for life. Yet, now he knew his fight was in vain. He wanted to show what he got in himself, and he truly did. Just by saving two fragile beings, those two had remembered him, cherishing their well-being. But he couldn't have possibly felt satisfied with such an insignificant heroic act enough, as his life was at stake.

*CRASH!* *CRASH!*

"Who… are... y…"

Lu Jae-sung fainted; the last thing he saw, albeit blurry, was a massive, rough-looking man and a slight woman at his side.

*Thud*

"Can you treat him?" The brute asked.

"Jeonsa, who do you take me for? Nothing will stop me from healing someone near death, haha."

"Then hurry, or he might actually die."

Kang Jeonsa punched the ground, and multiple stone spikes appeared from below, piercing half of the horde in one strike.

She signaled off her silliness by tapping her knuckle on her head with a big smile. While being covered by her comrade, she proceeded to heal Lu Jae-sung.

Before getting healed, he emerged in emptiness, completely naked, looking at a shade bigger than a planet. Only one part could be seen. Its two oval-shaped, sharp eyes, dazed at his soul with a fierce look. Yet, he didn't feel threatened. He felt excitement, to him unknown why, but a hunch told him that this thing was his goal.

"Am I supposed to defeat such a gigantic creature, before which I am like a speck of dust?" He thought as he closed his eyes, seeing nothing but a blank image in his mind.

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*Gasp* *Clump*

Even though he appeared composed mentally, his physical reactions clearly displayed his fear of death, resulting in him tumbling from the plush bed. He was drenched in sweat, coldness engulfed his skin.

When he had fallen, the person sitting next to him woke up afterward.

"You woke up? Hurry, take a shower. The stench is unbreathable."

Lu Jae-sung stared at him in confusion, at least waiting for direction. "Is this the first thing you say to someone who was close to a death's door?" He thought.

"Oh, you don't know the layout, right? Haha. Leave the room, and the first door on the left is a bathroom," he said, a big smile written all over his rough face.

Before leaving, he wanted to say thanks to him, but when he turned, the guy's smile disappeared and shooed him off.

"What a strange baldie."

Kang Jeonsa was over 2 meters tall. His face was rough from constant fighting, and his baldness was blinding. Enormous, firm muscles surrounded his whole body, giving those nearby a sense of security.

"Yeah, I need to shower badly," he sensed his sweat, an unfavorable sign.

Stepping through the opened space, he followed the glass fence on the catwalk above the living room, enlarging the luxurious-looking space. The furniture was black, filling the bright interior with white plaster. There were black leather couches facing an expensive TV with tall speakers on the side.

Although he wanted to examine the place more, he reached his destination with a snap of a finger. Upon entering, there was a vast mirror, covered by mist, above the marble double sink, on which were spare clothes placed on the side. The bath was already filled with warm water, so he undressed from his tarnished and dirty school uniform and slid into the bath.

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"Do you think he killed the Gatorhawk? But it didn't look like an active skill was used on it?"

"Sarang, I know it might sound weird, but there was no one else, and he had a claw mark on his hand, remember?" Kang Jeonsa replied.

"Yeah, but beating it with fists and no gear seems unreal to me. It's not like Common Adepts are strong, but Gatorhawk is considered to be stronger than some Common Expert beasts. That's why I am concerned about him."

"You're right. Although, we need to count the fact if he is a late bloomer or not. Usually, people try the awakening test at 15, which is enough time to get to the top of E-rank by his age."

They knew he was a 12th grader from the look of his uniform. Every school provided clothes, with some signs to differentiate the grades.

"Then let's just ask him." Lee Sarang described him as a good guy, despite his quiet demeanor.

Fifteen minutes passed; social media consumed them until they heard a door.

Lu Jae-sung descended the stairs, further observing the paintings and other decorations inside the vast space of the living room.

"Hey kid, were you the one who defeated the Gatorhawk?" Kang Jeonsa asked right away.

"Yes, although I almost died," he said, sending a shiver down his spine at the thought of the memory.

"And when did you awaken?" He was looking at him with concern, waiting for the upcoming answer.

"Just a week ago."

While Lee Sarang was listening on the side, she couldn't believe her own ears. Her eyelids opened fully, scanning his physique throughout.

"Don't you want to join our clan? We would gear you up and train you. The potential within yourself is immense. I could imagine you could reach C-rank like us in just five years." Kang Jeonsa suggested.

"Thanks for the offer, but I don't wish to be shackled in a clan."

Clan's contracts offered advantages, yet he valued freedom more. He had been tied to his mother for so long that contracting to a clan was out of the question.

"Ok, I get it, but what if we asked our leader to grant you the freedom you seek? Just tell me concrete conditions."

Lu Jae-sung pinched his chin with his thumb and index finger, thinking about what to say. It was tempting to get accepted to a clan with benefits. On top of that, these guys genuinely seemed kind and interested in his growth.

"I have four requirements. The first is, I want to keep my license as an adventurer. Second, I only want to be called for when necessary. For the third, I wish to remain anonymous. And the last one…"

"That's enough! How do you perceive us? Do you think anything is for free? How greedy and absurd do you plan to be!" Lee Sarang almost punched through the wall close to her out of anger.

She frowned at him, furious and thick aura surrounded her. Newly awakened individuals never voiced such demands. There were strong nobles with special and unique abilities, but they would still obey the rules.

"Wait, just let him continue with the fourth condition."

"Well, the fourth one is that I want to clear out some rifts alone. The same goes for hunts in the wilderness."

"Hmmm… Give me your contact info. I will try my best to get you signed for the Ravens, but it's not guaranteed. You could save us a lot of time by solo rift hunting, and dealing with the public is manageable. If you had said something that only benefited you, I would have punched you in the stomach, but this seems like a good deal to me."

While he showed his QR code on the phone, he looked to the side, where Lee Sarang, crossed arms, looked to the side, ignoring Lu Jae-sung's concern.

"Don't mind her too much. She is really kind but also follows the hard-set rules. It comes from how people with a lot of…"

He was interrupted while scanning the code on the phone.

She turned and slapped Kang Jeonsa on his cheek. "Don't tell him about my past without permission!" After that, she turned back and bolted through a door close by, leading to her private room.

Now he had done it. What he wanted to talk about was a sensitive topic for her. Even though she was 28, the past was bolted to her heart deeply. She defended her justice. Listening to rules was her way of showing loyalty to a party she trusted, yet if there was some unfairness, she would even fight a tiger with a stick to change something.

"Ouch, that was unnecessary. Sorry, I just feel you are special. That's why I wanted to tell you that, even if you weren't part of the clan yet." Guilt soared from his heart, looking at the closed door out of concern.

"Thanks for trusting me. I know I am demanding a lot, but I went through my own hardships. I kinda get how she feels, but I have conditions I don't want to go around." Lu Jae-sung said.

"I think you should head home. When I get to speak with the leader, I will send you the details afterward."

Lu Jae-sung nodded and headed off through the exit that he was led to. They exchanged goodbyes, and he called for the available chauffeur.

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"At least the experiment was a success." The shady person said.

Most of the time, he seemed to sit behind the antique table, not moving an inch from his place. The shadows before him took the shape of a door, next to one of the bookshelf, and the mysterious person stepped into the void, disappearing from the room.