The Passive Skill Collector

The time flies, and Lu Jae-sung soundlessly sleeps in his bed. He was so exhausted from the long drive from his hometown, that he forgot what time it was.

Unexpectedly, a banging sound came from the entrance. His peacetime ended and he woke up in darkness, with just a trace of moonlight glow that shone through the 3 French windows on the opposite side of the door.

The moonlight barely grazed the bed, which was to the left. The single wardrobe at least slightly filled the emptiness of the wide and spacious room.

He pushed himself up, running his fingers through his black hair, making it somewhat presentable.

While he was walking towards the entrance, the banging ceased. When he was a foot from the door, another banging started to resonate through the micro-apartment, causing a shiver to go down Lu Jae-sung's spine.

He slowly unlocked the door, still a bit sleepy after waking up, and looked at a small figure. He assessed him from head to toe with his gaze, examining his looks. This small guy had a quite muscular body, with the strongest part being his biceps. His white hair was a bit longer and messy while covering about half of his face.

"You are my new stepbro? It seems like you are still half asleep loser. Don't worry, I will take charge of this family after I graduate since you aren't an Awakened." His nose was aiming high, definitely not because of how tall Lu Jae-sung was in comparison to him.

"Why don't you respond ever so slightly? Is Lu Jae-sung scared of me, since I am a strong stepbro?" He continued with his high-standing attitude toward Lu Jae-sung.

"It wouldn't matter much if I responded, the prolonging and egotistical speech of yours would happen no matter what I say." He talked with confidence while also feeling a bit of bitterness inside him.

As he began to close the door, he noticed his expression was unfazed, his eyebrow was slightly lifted and one of his eyes slightly closed, giving off a questioning expression. Surprisingly, he didn't respond, and neither stopped him from closing the door.

"This must be Bu Hwan-kyu. I expected the kind stepsister would be an exception in this family." He was glad, that at least someone was willing to get acquainted with his true self, not paying attention to his origin.

It was the first time he had spoken deep from his heart, yet he felt a bit regretful. The small stepbrother might give him a bit more trouble after this interaction.

Before he could step away from the entrance to take another nap, a gentle knocking came from the door.

He opened it again, already feeling a bit annoyed, but the feeling dissipated almost instantly when he saw it was one of the maids knocking on the door.

She stood there, looking quite shy and searching for the right words. her small and skinny figure was kind of cute.

"The dinner is ready, young master. Sir wants to talk to you while having dinner."

"There was more to talk about?" He thought, nodding slowly. He headed off to the common dining room, locking up his micro-apartment. A mix of curiosity and anticipation fought within him. Dinner was one thing, but the conversation with that guy was another.

When he finally arrived, he saw that every family member was present. They took the same places as before, except for his stepbrother, who was on the opposite side of his sister.

He sat down in his previous position as well and waited for the food to be served. The room felt still, and he imperceptibly looked around, finding out that his stepfather was looking at him yet again. He recalled the scene that had happened at lunch before.

But it didn't look like he was about to talk to him, so he took a closer look at the others. His stepsister was looking at her nails seemingly lost in thoughts and oblivious to her surroundings. He didn't have much time to observe anyone else, as dinner was about to be served, the sound of rattling carts steadily louder.

There were twice as many carts as there had been for lunch, which suggested that his brother's arrival wasn't the sole reason for this abundance. The carts appeared filled with an impressive array of main and side dishes, but what truly caught his eye were the luxurious trays filled with different types of cakes.

This sight made Lu Jae-sung overjoyed that he could try an expensive delicacy, but he made sure not to make it obvious.

The maids who drove the carts to the dining table began serving the dishes with practiced precision. It took a while to empty the carts, as there was an impressive amount of delicacies to present.

Everyone sat patiently for the maids to finish placing the dishes on the table, before digging into the meals.

"Ahem!" resonated noticeably in the room prompting everyone present to straighten up, well, only Bu Areum's gaze was fixed with a lovey-dovey look at her husband, completely unfazed by his throat clearing.

Lu Jae-sung had anticipated this reaction, so he wasn't as surprised as Bu Bujeo's children. It had been some time since he had made his presence so distinctly. Everyone was waiting for him to start speaking.

"Jae-sung, I was informed that this will be your last chance to Awaken. Here in Gongchun, the Awakening Association allows people to undergo the process anytime, except Sundays, if they are a part of the nobility. I want you to go there tomorrow, so I could account beforehand what university to register you to."

Lu Jae-sung was left speechless. He didn't expect his mother to reveal so much in just a few days. He started to fidget slightly, nervously thinking about this matter. His heart started beating faster, because of the piled-up stress over the 2 years of unsuccessful attempts.

Bu Hae-ryung slowly turned her head away from him, pretending that he didn't deserve to be looked at, while pressure was left in the air, she felt a deep sense of sorrow for him.

Citizens were allowed to attempt the Awakening test only 5 times, as the chance for Awakening became slimmer each time. Statistically, only 1 in 50 million could Awaken after their 6th attempt, so the Awakening Association banned attempts beyond five.

"Hahaha, I didn't know you still had a singular pathetic attempt left. Good luck with failing the Awakening." Bu Hwan-kyu mocked, though no one paid any attention to it.

Lu Jae-sung felt an urge to retort but he held back since his stepfather didn't take any action against his mean behavior. Instead, he gave his stepbrother a mocking look back at him. What else could he do? It felt like kicking a corpse! He at least wanted him to feel a sample of anger too.

"Tsk!" Bu Hwan-kyu clicked his tongue loudly and started eating his food.

Seeing him start eating, everyone else also got into their food. The atmosphere fell silent again, even Bu Areum left her dazed state and dug in straight to the dish.

No other deep conversation was about to happen throughout the whole dinner time, and Lu Jae-sung finished eating the last piece of the cake that the maids served and was about to head off to his room.

"I will prepare you a ride to the Association, so be ready to leave by 8:30. One of the maids will wake you up half an hour earlier, so you should have enough time to prepare. Also, don't forget to be representative, looking like a yokel with a noble pass would leave a bitter taste in my mouth." Bu Bujeo yet again reminded him how he should behave in society amongst nobles.

Lu Jae-sung nodded in response and made his way to his micro-apartment. As he walked through the corridor leading to his room, he encountered the skinny maid once again. He had been considering entrusting her with the occasional cleaning of his room, feeling a sense of trust in her presence.

However, when he turned around to speak with her, she merely brushed past him, not paying any attention to him whatsoever. It was clear that this act may have to do something with an order from Bu Bujeo.

Lu Jae-sung couldn't help but feel a bit sad, that even the maids were instructed to ignore him, yet something uncomprehended was going on. She was so flustered when she passed by him without making eye contact. She couldn't bring herself to speak to him out of shyness. It was clear she was still adjusting to her new role in the household.

"Perhaps we might be able to talk later about this manner." he thought optimistically.

With that in mind, he continued on his path to his room. A few steps later, he reached the door, unlocked it, and closed it behind him, making his way to his bed, already feeling sleepy enough to pass out in a matter of seconds.

The morning came by when a weak knocking sound could be heard from the entrance to his micro-apartment. it took about 5 minutes of knocking until Lu Jae-sung finally woke up.

He quickly rose from his bed and sprinted to answer the door. When he opened it, he saw that the same skinny maid was by the door.

"Young master, you have about 25 minutes to get ready to leave," she said softly. After reminding him of the time, she turned and started to walk away.

Lu Jae-sung without thinking quickly replied: "Hey, could you please take care of my room every now and then? I might be asking for more than I'm allowed, but I feel I could entrust you with my room." Finally, he voiced the thought that had been lingering in his mind since last night.

She looked a bit dumbfounded but managed a slight smile. She slowly nodded, not being able to find the right words for the reply.

After confirming her approval, he gave her spare keys to his room, so she could access it at any time. She gently grasped for the keys and hid them in her pockets. She happily walked away, with her hands close to her chest, trying to hold the warmth she felt deep inside.

Lu Jae-sung smiled in gratitude that she had accepted his proposal and quickly started getting ready for departure. He went to shower, brushed his teeth, and changed his clothes to something more formal. He then made his way to the elevator.

Before leaving through the elevator, he noticed a note and a golden card on a small table next to it. On the note was the handwriting of his mother, and stated: "This golden card is for getting back home, don't embarrass us outside our home."

He hid the card in his wallet and made a ball out of the note, also hiding it in his pants.

"Thanks for worrying about me, instead of fretting over your absurd new title as the wife of a stupid skeleton," he cursed in his mind because he was afraid someone could have a special ability of super hearing.

He took the elevator and left the tall building he now lived in with his family. A black limo was waiting outside with a chauffeur who recognized him and opened a back door for him. He set in and headed off to the Awakening Association.