Rank

Awakened individuals use a system of letter-based ranks (Korean: 급, Hanja: 級, RR: geup) to determine the strength of their stats, skills, and titles. This system is based on a species-wide assessment of ability, with rankings ranging from the average individual's strength to the absolute upper limit of the species' ability and beyond.

Rankings

The known ranks include the following, in ascending order:

• F
• E
• D
• C
• B
• A
• S
• SS
• SSS
• Legendary, or L (Korean: 전설, RR: jeonseol)
• Myth (Korean: 신화, RR: sinhwa)

F-rank describes the ability of an average member of the species, and is the lower limit of possible ranks. S-rank generally describes the natural upper limit of the species' ability. Ranks above S describe supernatural levels of influence and impact, and are more commonly seen describing innately magical skills and titles than stats, which are slow-growing and describe one's natural ability.^[1]

The higher the rank, the rarer it is. The vast majority of the human population has F-rank stats and F-rank skills, making them overall F-ranks. On the other hand, highest-ranks are few and far in between, with only eight known S-ranks Awakening in South Korea, Earth,^[2] and typically only one SS-rank per city in the Guardverse, that too artificially created.^[3]

In the webtoon, ranks have colors associated with them. These colors are used for individuals' stat and skill ranks, as seen through appraisal skills, as well as for the icons of skills and titles. Known colors include the following:

• E-rank: Gray^[4]
• D-rank: White^[5]
• C-rank: Green^[6]
• B-rank: Blue^[7]
• A-rank: Pink^[4][8]
• S-rank, SS-rank, SSS-rank: Gold^[4][8]
• L-rank: Red^[9][4]

Usage

With stats

Stat ranks are determined by the average value of the stats at the corresponding level, as stats tend to average within similar ranges for each rank,^[10] with about a 20% jump between ranks.^[11] Mana is excluded from the calculation of the stat average, as it is noted to grow slowly compared to the other stats.^[12]

Stat ranks can change as one grows.^[12] In worlds governed by the system, the amount of growth is capped (for example, F-ranks can only grow into B-ranks at the absolute maximum).^[1] However, without the system, this cap is absent and growth is unlimited; there exist individuals who started as stat F/E-rank and grew to L-rank.^[13]

The absolute highest possible stat rank one can initially Awaken with is S-rank. This is because, as mentioned earlier, S-rank describes the natural upper limit of the species' physical ability. It is possible, although difficult, to grow to higher stat ranks, taking years and even decades.^[1] Only through artificial methods using magical assistance is it possible to initially Awaken as a stat SS-rank; in the Guardverse, this was achieved through the use of the Mana Holes.^[3]

With skills

Skills can be ranked anywhere on the scale from F to Myth with little limit on their rank other than their holder's original ability and talent at using them. Skills of rank E and above can grow in rank with usage; however, such growth is impossible for F-rank skills.^[12]

With titles

As titles are gained through completing certain achievements, ranking of titles appears to be based off the difficulty of completing their required achievements. This is supported by the fact that two of the most difficult-to-achieve titles known, Perfect Caregiver and Dragon Slayer, are both L-rank, and both have achievement conditions that are nearly impossible to achieve under normal circumstances.^[12]

Titles' supplementary skills and/or stats may be assigned with strengths corresponding to the title's overall rank; however, it may also be the reverse, with the title gaining its rank based on the ranks of the supplementary skills and/or stats granted by it. The direction of this relationship is unknown. However, the ranks of a title and its supplementary skills appear to be closely related, with skill ranks being identical or very close to the title's rank.

Titles of B-rank and higher, much like skills, can grow in strength and rank. As skill titles grow, they may provide new skills. Stat titles are likely to similarly provide increasing stat buffs.^[12]

References