Player with Maxed-Out Talent

Chapter 1

1. Prologue

Kim Kang-cheol, the HR Director of the Korean Player Association, let out a sigh.

“This time, luck wasn’t on your side, Mr. Hyuk-jin Kim.”

That was the only way he could express it. He looked at the official government-issued ‘Player Aptitude Test Result’ and sighed deeply.

──────────

Name: Hyuk-jin Kim

Talent Plates: □■■■■...... ■■■■

Talent Series: Unmeasurable.

──────────

Here, ‘□’ indicates a live talent plate, and ‘■’ indicates a dead talent plate. Talent plates are similar to growth plates; just as a person’s height is determined by their growth plates, their abilities are determined by their talent plates. The more talent plates one has, the higher the chance of flourishing as a player.

“This is the test result from five years ago.”

He got into his sedan.

He had decided to personally deliver this to the concerned party. It was the last act of conscience he could afford.

If it were a matter of timing, the owner of this test result would have undoubtedly been a successful player. With 67 talent plates, he was an unprecedented individual globally.

“Considering the Korean testing devices have a limit of 67 plates...”

Perhaps even more. He could have had a much higher number of talent plates. Simply put, this man was a natural genius.

It was an immense regret for Shin Hyeong-seok, the president of the Player Association, who lamented upon seeing the results:

[Ah... Why have we only discovered such a talent now!]

It was less of a sigh and more like anger. Why had they only discovered such a talent now? But the truth was, it wasn’t a recent discovery. They had identified this man with an unbelievable number of talent plates five years earlier.

“A true genius indeed, but... it’s a meaningless tale now.”@@@@

The top conglomerate of Korea. Unfortunately, this man had taken the test at the same time as the youngest of the Seongshin family, five years ago. The results were first checked not by Hyuk-jin Kim himself but by the youngest Seongshin, Jin-cheol Song. Seongshin got to verify the test results before any agency. It was unfair but customary.

Back then, Jin-cheol Song had said:

“Bad luck, Mr. Hyuk-jin Kim.”

Including being born in Korea, in various ways.

* * *

In the semi-basement room, where his family once welcomed him, there was now no one. It was dark. A dampness crept in. He had grown accustomed to it now. The results from the evaluation he received from Kim Kang-cheol were spartan.

[Talentless.]

He hadn’t harbored much hope. He had gone for a free re-examination, thinking that’s what it was all about. Looking at the paper once more, he saw:

[Talentless.]

He laughed weakly. If he had any talent, he would have awakened as a player by now, chosen by a splendid ‘Guardian’, living comfortably.

“Let’s just focus on studying.”

Any false hopes were fleeting, over in a matter of seconds. Besides, at 30 years of age, he was far too old to start playing now. The consensus was that one should start in their early twenties.

“Yeah. I’ve got to work hard.”

That was the only thought he had. No talent, no connections, no money. He had already failed the civil service exam three times. His mother passed away five years ago after a battle with illness, and his sister, to support him, had worked in a semiconductor factory only to contract leukemia.

“Work hard...”

Today, the words “Talentless” stung a bit more than usual. Was it his lack of effort? Or his lack of talent? Or was it both? Was his current life his fault? Or was it society’s fault?

He lay down on his bed.

“Life sure is crap.”

It all felt like my fault. Because I couldn’t study well. Because I couldn’t make a lot of money. Because I didn’t meet wealthy parents. Because I didn’t make an effort. Because I couldn’t win in competition. Because I had no talent as a player.

Suddenly, he noticed the single photo of his mother left on the desk. On her last night, his mother had said to him:

“I’m sorry for choosing to be your mother.”

In the photo, his mother was smiling. As if reassuring him, left alone in the world, that everything was fine.

“Mom, don’t worry. I’ll be fine. I’m doing okay, after all.”

The night of April 26, 2028, especially damp, came to an end. All without him suspecting that a completely different day would begin the next morning.