On a seemingly unremarkable Thursday morning, Earth pulsed with an energy that defied the ordinary. The sky, a vast canvas of muted blues, was occasionally pierced by the fleeting silhouette of a human soaring through the air, defying gravity with effortless grace. Below, the streets thrummed with chaotic harmony—fireballs arced in vibrant streaks, clashing with shimmering shards of ice hurled by others in bursts of primal power. Above it all, colossal Gates hovered like silent sentinels, their iridescent edges rippling against the clouds, portals to realms unknown. This was not the Earth of old, not the mundane world etched in collective memory. This was an Earth reborn in apocalypse, reshaped by a cataclysm that had torn the veil between reality and fantasy.
Five years prior, in the unassuming year of 2020, the world had been blissfully predictable. Then, without warning, the heavens fractured. The sky split like a wound, spilling mana—a raw, ethereal force—across the globe. With it came the Gates, looming gateways to otherworldly domains, and a wave of awakenings that granted select humans extraordinary abilities. Not all were so fortunate; many remained untouched by this cosmic gift, left to marvel or despair in the shadow of the empowered. Yet hope persisted. The emergence of mana sparked a frenzy of discovery. Scientists and corporate giants, driven by insatiable curiosity and greed, threw themselves into unraveling the mysteries of this new reality. Their experiments bore fruit, revealing the existence of "Cores"—crystalline conduits of mana that could awaken even the unchosen, offering a path to power for those willing to seize it.
The Gates, however, were not mere spectacles. They were doorways to danger, disgorging creatures ripped from the pages of myth: gnarled goblins with glinting eyes, towering ogres with earth-shaking steps, and twin-headed wolves whose howls chilled the blood. Humanity teetered on the brink, but necessity bred innovation. Hunters, those who wielded mana-fueled abilities, rose to confront the threats. Cores became their currency of growth, each one absorbed to expand their Mana Capacity—the lifeblood of their strength, the key to ascending the ranks from F to the elusive S.
In a cramped apartment tucked away in a forgotten corner of the city, a young man sat at a worn wooden table, his golden eyes fixed on a shimmering gold Core that pulsed faintly in the dim light. His white hair, stark against his pale skin, framed a face so striking it seemed crafted by divine hands, though his lean frame hinted at years of hardship. This was Set—no surname, just Set. His lips curled into a triumphant grin, a rare spark of joy lighting his weary features.
"Haha! Five years of scraping by, and I finally got this damn Core," he said, his voice a mix of exhaustion and exhilaration. Every waking moment of those years had been consumed by toil—endless shifts, skipped meals, and dreams deferred—all for this single, radiant prize. The Core represented more than power; it was his ticket to a life unshackled, a chance to awaken and join the ranks of Hunters who shaped this chaotic new world.
He leaned back in his creaking chair, the Core's glow casting fleeting shadows across the peeling wallpaper. "Please, let me awaken something epic," he mused aloud, a playful edge to his tone. "Maybe infinite mana, like that Noah guy from those old novels I used to devour?" He chuckled, shaking his head at the absurdity of his own hope. With a steadying breath, he reached out and pressed his fingers to the Core's smooth surface. The moment his skin made contact, a surge of energy roared through him, a torrent of warmth and power that set his nerves alight. His vision blurred, then darkened entirely.
When Set opened his eyes, he stood in an endless void, a sea of inky blackness stretching in every direction. His heart skipped a beat, and he smacked his lips, the sound unnervingly loud in the silence. "Shit, I was just joking about the infinite mana thing... Did I actually die or something?" he muttered, his voice tinged with nervous humor.
Before panic could take hold, a faint glow pierced the darkness. Three numbers hovered before him, ethereal and shimmering, each accompanied by a single word above: Choose one. The instruction was maddeningly vague, offering no hint of what lay behind each choice. Set's brow furrowed, his golden eyes narrowing as he weighed his options—or lack thereof. With a resigned sigh, he reached out and selected the number two. The void pulsed, and his vision plunged into darkness once more.
When he blinked again, he was back in his apartment, seated at the table as though nothing had happened. Before him, a translucent screen materialized, its surface etched with glowing text:
[You have awakened!]
[Set]
Age: 22 Years Old
Race: Human
Rank: Awakened
Mana Capacity: 500
Set's lips parted in a wide grin, but a flicker of unease tempered his excitement. "Okay, but what the hell was with those floating numbers?" he mumbled, his mind replaying the cryptic vision. The screen before him was familiar—every Hunter had one, a personal interface tracking their progress. From his limited studies, he knew the path ahead: to climb from Awakened to F-rank required boosting his Mana Capacity to 1,000, then to 1,500 for E-rank. Beyond that, the requirements were a mystery, but he assumed each rank demanded another 500-point increase. Mana Capacity was everything—the fuel for abilities, the foundation of strength.
He pushed back from the table, ready to stand, when a sharp Ding! froze him in place. A new screen appeared, darker and more ominous than the last:
{Ding! Gift Number Two Delivered.}
Set hesitated, then tapped the screen. It flickered, revealing a message that sent a jolt through his core:
[Your awakened ability | Lucky Halo - You are luck itself... even the Gods of Luck will bow to your fortune.]
{3 Gacha Rolls}
"Holy shit... Gods?" Set's voice trembled, his mind reeling. The mention of Gacha Rolls barely registered before they activated automatically, the screen flashing with a dizzying whirl of light. Three rewards materialized in rapid succession:
[Infinite Currency]
[Elixir of Perfection - This elixir will transform the user into the epitome of perfection. The user's appearance will reach divine levels, their body free of all flaws.]
[Origin Assimilation - The user can assimilate anything through physical contact, consumption, or intimate connection. Limited to one assimilation per entity.]
Set's eyes widened, his breath catching as the screen vanished. He stood frozen, the weight of the moment pressing down on him. On the table, a vial filled with a milky, luminescent liquid appeared—the Elixir of Perfection. Within himself, he felt a strange new awareness, as though Infinite Currency and Origin Assimilation were now intrinsic parts of his being. With a thought, he sensed he could summon wealth at will, an endless stream of riches at his fingertips. The sensation of Origin Assimilation was subtler, a latent potential humming beneath his skin.
"This..." Set exhaled shakily, his mind struggling to process the magnitude of his gifts. He reached for the vial, its surface cool against his trembling fingers. In a reckless surge of impulse, he tilted his head back and downed the elixir in one swift gulp. The liquid burned like liquid starlight, searing his throat and spreading through his veins like wildfire. His vision swam, his body convulsed, and he collapsed onto the table, consciousness slipping away as the elixir began its work.
---
Far beyond Earth, in a realm untouched by mortal eyes, a figure stirred. She lay on a bed of stardust, her form radiant and otherworldly, her beauty transcending mortal comprehension. Her eyes fluttered open, their depths shimmering with the light of a thousand galaxies. A faint ripple in the fabric of the universe had roused her, a disturbance that pricked at her divine senses.
"Hmm? Someone's stirring chaos in this universe again?" she murmured, her voice a melody that seemed to resonate with the cosmos itself. With a languid wave of her hand, she summoned a projection—a kaleidoscope of worlds unfolding before her. Dragons roared in skies torn by demonic flames, planets basked in serene peace, and countless other realities flickered in an endless tapestry of existence. Her gaze swept over them, searching for the source of the anomaly.
After a moment, she frowned, finding nothing amiss. "There shouldn't be anyone strong enough to cause trouble here," she grumbled, her tone laced with mild annoyance. "These weaklings need to settle down." With a dismissive flick of her wrist, the projection dissolved, and she closed her eyes, sinking back into her celestial repose.