‘Open Notification―’

*As a benefit for temporarily reaching Master Level, a special skill has been unlocked.

―Privilege Skill: [S-Rank] Insight (Restricted)

The privilege skill obtained upon reaching the pinnacle of the “Hyper-Senses” trait. Allows the user to view the status window of a subject. Currently in a “restricted” state. Restrictions are lifted proportionate to the level of the S-Rank “Hyper-Senses” trait. Full functionality is available upon reaching Master Level (LV 7).

‘This is…?’

Insight. According to the skill description, it was a skill that allowed the user to view the status window of others.

‘Insight.’

Spotting a student passing by, Sungshik decided to use the Insight skill.

Name: Kim Jin-ho Grade: 1-Star (★)

‘Hmm, for now, this is all I can see?’

Using the Insight skill for the first time, Sungshik found it underwhelming. With the skill at level 1, only the name and grade were visible.

‘Still, once I level it up, it seems like it could be immensely useful.’

He thought it would be especially helpful during the Fifth Night of Trials, which was also called the Chapter of Despair. Nicknamed the Chapter of Illusions, it was a trial that could be overcome far more easily with full access to Insight.

‘And the additional benefits it could bring.’

He could almost visualize the immense rewards it could yield.

‘An unexpected windfall. Could it be the Moon Goddess Luna who provided this aid? Whoever it was, I won’t forget the favor.’

The Moon Goddess Luna.

An upper-tier transcendent known for wielding the power of the moon. On nights of the full moon, she was said to demonstrate miraculous feats that no one could easily surpass.

Awakeners would sometimes form a link with a transcendent through their traits. In the future, Kim Subin, who possessed a trait related to moonlight, was speculated to be linked to the transcendent “Moon Goddess Luna.”

Many believed that during humanity’s first trial, the First Night, Kim Subin’s use of the moon’s power in the “Self-Sacrifice Spell” saved humanity from suffering losses of more than half, rather than the third it had endured.

The miracle Kim Subin performed during that trial was something that even the strongest trait-wielders during the Sixth Night could not have easily achieved.

Afterward, countless people wondered how such a miracle had been possible. But Kim Subin, the one who had performed it, vanished during the First Night after using the “Self-Sacrifice Spell.” As the mystery surrounding transcendent links was unraveled, humanity reached a conclusion:

At that moment, Kim Subin had undoubtedly been linked to the “Moon Goddess Luna.” Such transcendent power could only be displayed through a link with a transcendent.

“Luna, are you certain that Sungshik is the ‘key’ to resolving the Night of Trials?”

―I can’t be absolutely sure. But it’s highly likely. You haven’t forgotten one of my other titles, have you?

“Of course not. ‘Priestess of the Heavens.’”

―Then trust my astrology. Heo Sungshik is likely to become an important ‘key’ in the future.

The transcendent “Moon Goddess Luna.” Her lesser-known title was “Priestess of the Heavens.” Her astrology reached the realm of prophecy.

“Still, I don’t quite understand. Didn’t you once say that the path of destiny isn’t easily altered? Yet suddenly, a key to change destiny has appeared, and it’s Sungshik? It’s bewildering.”

―Don’t be confused, Subin. Once set, the path of destiny doesn’t easily change. But occasionally, an irregular appears on that path. And by doing so, the path of destiny can shift. I call such irregulars ‘keys.’

“Hmm… I still don’t fully get it, but if you say so, Luna, I’ll believe you. I’m more worried that you’ve overexerted yourself this time.”

The power Luna used on Sungshik this time had been a significant strain on her.

The trials known as the Nights of Trials, which plagued the planet, didn’t only affect humanity but also all transcendent beings connected to the planet. As such, Luna, like other transcendent beings, faced various restrictions on using her powers after the Night of Trials was designated.

Already drained from using her astrology, the energy she expended on Heo Sungshik left her unable to use any powers for the time being.

―Don’t worry about me, Subin. This is for everyone’s sake, not just ours.

Up until now, all the futures Luna had seen through her astrology led to humanity’s destruction. There wasn’t a single thread of hope, and even Kim Subin’s fate showed an early death. But amidst this despair, a spark of change appeared, and that spark pointed to Heo Sungshik.

As a being born of the moon, Luna was one of the highest-ranked transcendents. Her intuition told her to use the “Light of Awakening” on Sungshik now.

Despite knowing this would place significant restrictions on her powers and limit Subin’s growth, Luna bet on Sungshik. She believed this was the path to save humanity and possibly change Subin’s fate as well.

Though she didn’t say it outright, her feelings must have reached Subin, who smiled with slightly reddened eyes and said:

“Thank you, as always, Luna.”

While contemplating how to use his newly gained privilege skill alongside the “Hyper-Senses” trait, the time for the theory exam approached. The test was conducted in the usual manner.

“Ugh, why are the questions so hard? This feels so much tougher than last semester.”

“Don’t even get me started. I think I’m going to fail. Seriously, the questions are way too difficult.”

Many students felt that the notoriously challenging theory exam was even harder this time.

“I swear, I’m probably going to fail. Why do they have to make these theory exams so hard?”

“Same here. I prepared so hard this time, but I couldn’t even answer half the questions properly. Why do we have to stress over theory exams instead of focusing on training our abilities?”

After the test, groans of frustration echoed through the hallways outside the exam rooms.

‘Hmm, I found it manageable. Was it really that hard?’

Sungshik observed the reactions around him and thought he might have done better than expected.

‘Having my past-life experiences helps a lot. This felt even easier than before, given the less advanced concepts now.’

His knowledge from the future far surpassed the current state of understanding, making the questions seem straightforward—like solving middle-school math problems after mastering high-school material.

With renewed confidence, Sungshik felt optimistic about standing out in the theory exam results, potentially securing a scholarship. It seemed like the first step of his plans was off to a smooth start.

Feeling upbeat, he logged into the academy’s community, “Superhuman Academy Student Union” (SASU).

[Best] Title: Is the difficulty of this Monsterology Exam even real? Author: Anonymous Content: This test was insanely hard; I want to grab the professor and make them solve it themselves.

[For real, no way the person who made this test could get full marks either. Feels like they just pulled the hardest questions from some obscure corner of the Monsterology Handbook.] [I swear, if anyone gets a perfect score, I’ll run from the academy entrance to the library in just my underwear while doing a chicken dance.] └Captured for posterity. └LOL, go ahead. No one’s getting full marks anyway. This test felt like it required a team of Monsterology scholars to answer everything correctly.

Browsing the posts, Sungshik saw that complaints about the exam difficulty were dominating the forums.

[Everyone, I found the test easy. Pretty sure I got full marks.]

After reading some posts, he casually left a comment mentioning how he thought the test was simple.

└Yeah, sure, Mr. Delusional. └Not lying. It was honestly easier than expected. └Ugh, so many attention-seekers today.

The moment he posted, replies flooded in. Many were clearly venting their frustrations over the exam, reacting strongly even to lighthearted comments.

Amused, Sungshik chuckled and closed his phone.

‘I guess most people really found it hard. I’m even more confident now.’

Feeling reassured, he couldn’t help but smile.

“Hey, Sungshik. You’re smiling during this disaster of an exam? Did it mess with your head that badly?”

Jeong Jihwan, looking exhausted with dark circles under his eyes, approached and spoke to Sungshik.

“Hmm… I’m smiling because I think I did well.”

Hearing this unexpected response, Jihwan stopped in his tracks, wearing an expression that said, “What kind of nonsense is that?”

"You… I get it. You must be in denial about reality right now. I understand how you feel. Let’s go. I’ll treat you to chicken. Let’s forget this nightmare, even for a moment, with the help of the almighty chicken and a cold soda."

Sung Jihwan, who had been hanging out with Sungshik ever since the regression, said this. At first, interacting with Jihwan had been awkward, but now, even just seeing his face felt familiar and comforting.

"Okay. If you’re treating, it’s always an auto-call."

Watching Jihwan, who had been dragging himself around like a zombie but now was excitedly babbling about chicken, made Sungshik laugh naturally.

‘A peaceful life like this isn’t so bad.’

Sungshik, who had spent his previous life walking on the razor’s edge of the battlefield, had finally found a sense of inner peace, enjoying a calm and serene life after regressing. Perhaps that was why walking alongside Jihwan felt so light and easy.

Traits. Traits are of utmost importance. Depending on one’s trait, even those with lower grades and stats can sometimes display greater performance than high-grade, high-stat superhumans, depending on the situation.

Because of this, the public’s perception of superhumans varied greatly depending on their traits.

Hak Il-chun, who had the trait “Lord of the Sword,” was called the Sword Emperor. Similarly, Severant, who possessed the trait “Blessing of the Martial God,” was known as the Martial Emperor. A superhuman’s growth trajectory was determined by their traits, and it was commonly accepted that, except in rare cases, an individual could only possess one trait.

Among those rare cases, Sungshik was an even more exceptional example.