[Year: 2042 | Location: Seoul Outskirts]
Humanity died once.
When the First Surge hit Earth 7 years ago, everything changed.
Monsters—things out of nightmares—poured through cracks in the sky. Cities were flattened, militaries torn apart.
But we survived.
Because some people—ordinary humans—awakened mysterious powers.
These gifted ones were called Awakened.
And they became our last defense against extinction.
Dungeons now rip open randomly across the world.
To keep them sealed, Awakened form raiding teams and dive in.
If they fail?
The monsters pour out. And people die.
Once upon a time…
Tokyo never slept.
Neon lights spilled onto rain-slicked streets.
Bullet trains roared beneath glass towers.
People wandered at 3 a.m. without fear.
Every vending machine hummed with warmth, every alley held the buzz of modern life.
It was the future—clean, bright, crowded.
A city where dreams felt possible.
And then the world broke.
📆 Seven Years Ago — The First Surge
It began with a ripple in the sky.
Not an earthquake. Not a bomb.
A gate.
Floating like a cracked mirror above Shibuya Crossing.
It shimmered… then tore open.
And from it, monsters came.
Not aliens. Not spirits.
Real things. Made of bone, blood, and hatred.
Beasts with jaws wide enough to crush cars. Creatures that moved between shadows. Entire swarms that hunted like wolves.
The JSDF fired. Nothing worked.
In 24 hours, the Tokyo Death Toll reached 100,000.
The Surge spread across the world.
Seoul. New York. Paris. Cairo.
Earth changed overnight.
Then… the Awakened emerged.
People across the globe began seeing blue windows—system messages burned into their vision.
[You have been chosen.]
[Awakening complete.]
[Class: Swordsman | Rank: B]
No one knew how or why.
Some said it was evolution.
Some said the gods finally answered.
Others blamed it on the gates.
Whatever the cause, those who awakened gained abilities far beyond human limits.
Super strength. Elemental magic. Dimensional weapons. Teleportation.
They were the only ones who could survive inside dungeons… and seal the gates before monsters poured out.
They became humanity's frontline defense.
We called them Heroes.
Tokyo Today
It's still Tokyo.
The trains still run. The billboards still glow.
People still chase careers, sip overpriced coffee, and stare at their phones.
But the city feels different.
Because now, it belongs to them.
Every city has an Awakened Division HQ, built like a fortress in the heart of town.
Hunter Agencies tower beside banks.
Guild banners flutter from skyscrapers.
Combat arenas stream live battles between high-rank Heroes and dungeon bosses.
There are entire schools, corporations, and religions based on Heroes now.
The strongest Awakened—especially A and S-ranks—aren't just defenders.
They're icons.
Their faces are on magazine covers.
Their clips trend on every platform.
They earn more than politicians, athletes, or CEOs.
They have mansions floating in the sky.
To the people?
They're gods.
To the government?
They're untouchable.
To monsters?
They're death.
But beneath the glamor…
There's still us.
The weak.
The powerless.
The people who live in the shadows of glowing gates and golden towers.
For civilians, life is mostly the same—unless a rift opens nearby.
Monsters can still tear through neighborhoods.
Rifts still appear without warning.
That's why every school, hospital, and shopping mall has an emergency gate protocol.
People live cautiously, pretending this is normal now.
Because even in peace, we're still one bad dungeon away from apocalypse.
And me?
I was one of them.
Just another student in Shinjuku.
Watching heroes on livestreams.
Memorizing their rankings like sports stats.
Wishing—hoping—that one day, I'd awaken too.
And one day… I did.
But that didn't make me a Hero.
Not in the way the world defines it.
Because Tokyo…
This world…
Only worships the strong.
If you're not D-rank or above?
You're invisible.
A ghost in the city of gods.
They say your life flashes before your eyes when you're about to die.
But for me, it was just one memory.
The day I was saved.
I was twelve. The Second Surge had hit Seoul. Monsters poured out of a rift in the shopping district, and people ran like hell through blood and smoke.
I should've died that day.
My legs were crushed. My vision was fading.
And then—he appeared.
I never saw his face. Just the white coat fluttering behind him… and the sword that moved faster than thought.
In three strikes, he wiped out six monsters.
With one wave of his hand, the collapsed ceiling was lifted, and I was pulled from the wreckage.
A glowing system window floated beside him—his stats were blinding.
He looked down at me once. Eyes calm.
And then he was gone.
But that one glance?
It stayed with me for the rest of my life.
They called him a Hero.
Awakened humans with supernatural abilities.
Born from chaos, forged in battle.
They were humanity's last hope… and now, humanity's idols.
It started with survival.
But now—
Heroes were the kings of Earth.
S-Ranks? They had millions of followers, global endorsements, luxury towers named after them.
Their mere presence could turn the tide of war—or the stock market.
A-Ranks? Treated like walking gods.
Movie deals. Fan clubs. Immortalized in history books.
Even B-Ranks could live like royalty.
These weren't just defenders anymore.
They were celebrities. Living legends. Power incarnate.
And I…?
I wanted to be one of them.
Not for the money.
Not for the fame.
But because I remembered how it felt—
Lying under rubble, waiting for death.
And then seeing a silhouette cut through the darkness.
I wanted to be that light.
The one who shows up when hope is gone.
The one people remember for the rest of their lives.
So I trained.
Every damn day.
While kids were playing, I was sprinting uphill with weights.
While others slept, I studied every monster type, every dungeon layout, every survival manual.
Push-ups. Meditation. Combat practice. I did it all. Alone.
Because I believed… that one day,
the system would finally say:
[You have awakened.]
And it did.
The blue screen appeared before my eyes on my seventeenth birthday.
The text glowed like heaven itself had answered.
[Congratulations. You have awakened as an Awakened Human.]
[Class: —]
[Initial Rank: E]
I froze.
Not A. Not B.
Not even D.
E.
The second-lowest rank.
Just a sliver above F—barely above civilians.
They say some people are born without blessings.
But this? This felt worse than nothing.
Because I had awakened.
I was "gifted."
But not enough to be anything.
In this world, E and F ranks are jokes.
Trash-tier.
Even unawakened soldiers who train for years can match E-rank strength.
Sometimes even surpass it.
A civilian bodybuilder could beat an E-rank in a fistfight.
That's why…
E and F ranks aren't considered "Heroes."
They're not even considered "useful."
They're liabilities. Fodder. Gate openers. Cannon fodder for real Awakened to protect.
Only those D-rank and above can walk the streets with pride and say:
"I'm a Hero."
I tried to lie to myself.
Tried to smile.
Tried to think maybe… maybe I'd grow.
Maybe I'd find a hidden power.
An evolution. A hidden class.
But days passed. Then weeks. Then months.
No changes. No blessings. No miracles.
Just me—
E-rank Riven.
Forgotten by the system. Mocked by others.
And yet…
I didn't quit.
Because deep down, I still believed.
Even if the world laughed,
Even if other Awakened looked down on me like I was dirt—
The light I saw that day when I was twelve?
It was still burning in me.
Even if I had to crawl.
Even if I had to bleed.
Even if I had to be abandoned a thousand times—
I would become the kind of Hero I needed that day.
Even if the world doesn't give me a path—
I'll carve my own.
[Now Playing: D-Rank Dungeon | Entry Point: Bloodroot Abyss]
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Moss clung to obsidian walls. The air was heavy—wet, but somehow… dry with death.
"Okay, everyone. Focus up," said Hyun-Seok, the team leader.
He was a C-rank Awakened. Confident. Well-built. Eyes full of pride.
"Remember the plan: we clear, loot, and get out. This place's supposed to be D-rank, but don't slack. Got it?"
The team nodded.
Jin-Ho — Tank. Towering, arrogant.
Min-Jae — Healer. Snide. Always smirking.
Yena — Mage. Smart. Sharp-tongued.
And then…
Me.
Riven.
Level 2. Class: [Unclassified]
Rank: E.
No skills. No stats. No future.
Just… a fluke Awakening two months ago.
My only "ability"? I didn't even know yet.
I was weaker than a civilian with a knife.
But I came anyway.
Because it was either this… or starve on the streets.
"Tch. Why'd we even bring him?" Jin-Ho grunted, dragging his axe behind him.
"We needed a fifth body," Min-Jae said, not even hiding his smirk. "Dungeon gate requires five to open. He's filler."
"He might surprise us," Yena muttered under her breath.
I turned to her. She gave me a small, awkward smile. She was the only one who didn't treat me like walking trash.
"Thanks for coming, Riven," she said softly.
I nodded. "I'll try not to drag you down."
She frowned. "You're not dragging me down."
But her tone was careful… like she wasn't even sure herself.
Thirty minutes in.
We'd cleared two chambers. The monsters? Weak goblins. Easy kills for the others.
I didn't even land a hit.
"Oi," Hyun-Seok called out. "Stay back. If you die, we lose loot bonuses. That's the only reason you're still breathing."
I nodded and swallowed the bitter taste in my mouth.
I was dead weight.
They all knew it.
Hell—I knew it.
Then came the third chamber.
The entrance opened… and everything went wrong.
There was no goblins. No D-rank mobs.
There was a Reaver Drake.
A f*ing Reaver Drake.**
Its scales were silver and black. Its eyes glowed red like molten rubies.
Its breath melted rock.
That wasn't a D-rank monster.
It was B-rank. Minimum.
"What the f***!?" Min-Jae yelled. "This is supposed to be a low-tier gate!"
Hyun-Seok cursed. "It must've shifted while forming! We need to pull back! We can't win!"
Everyone stepped back—except me and Yena.
She stood frozen. Her staff trembled. I was behind her, shaking like a leaf.
"Get the hell out!" Hyun-Seok shouted.
"But—what about Riven and Yena?" Jin-Ho asked.
The leader hesitated.
Then, his eyes hardened.
"If we try to save them, we all die."
"What!?" Yena screamed. "You're leaving us!?"
"I'm sorry," Min-Jae said—his tone dripping with zero remorse. "You're just the weakest links."
Jin-Ho stared at me. "Tch. Should've died before the raid."
They turned and ran.
The gate slammed shut behind them.
Me and Yena were alone.
With the Reaver Drake.
Yena's voice cracked. "This… this isn't fair…"
I stepped in front of her, even though I knew it wouldn't matter.
I was level 2.
The Drake could kill me just by roaring.
The creature screeched. The cavern rumbled.
Its wings spread, casting a shadow over us like death itself.
"I'm sorry," I whispered.
Yena grabbed my arm. Her fingers were cold.
"No," she said. "We survive. Somehow. Even if I die—I won't leave you."
I looked into her eyes.
She meant it.
Everyone else ran.
But she stayed.
With me.
The Drake lunged.
Fangs wide.
Yena raised her staff. "Flame Burst!"
A ball of fire crashed into the Drake's side—but it barely flinched.
My vision blurred. I couldn't breathe.
This was it.
We were going to die.
But then—
DING!
[Your bond has been tested.]
[You have met the conditions.]
[Class Unlocked: "Revenant Bound"]
[You have formed a Pact with Yena Lyse.]
[New Skill Unlocked: "Final Echo"]
[Warning: Activating this skill may result in death.]
My heart skipped.
A system window.
Real. Glowing. Alive.
I could feel it…
Power.
Burning in my chest. Crawling through my veins.
Waking up like a storm.
"I think…" I said slowly, stepping forward. "I just awakened again."
Yena blinked. "W-What?"
The Drake roared again.
This time, I didn't flinch.
Not because I was brave.
But because something inside me had broken.
And something else had taken its place.