Three years ago, on the day of"The Fracture," the sky split open. A crack stretched from horizon to horizon. Energy pouring from the crack changed everything. Dungeons appeared across the globe. Humans began to awaken supernatural powers.
That was also the day his parents died.
An S-Rank Dungeon Outbreak happened without warning in Queens. Tens of thousands of high-level monsters flooded the residential area. His father was an accountant. His mother was an elementary school teacher. Two ordinary people died before they even had a chance to awaken.
No bodies were found. The government issued a death notice and a small pension.
Allen used that money to move to Brooklyn. He rented the cheapest apartment. He waited for the day he turned eighteen—the minimum age for the ceremony.
He had waited three years.
Now, only twelve people were ahead of him.
"Hey brother, you nervous?"
A red-haired boy next to him spoke up. Allen glanced at him.
"I'm fine."
"I'm dying here. My dad is a Rank D Blacksmith. My mom is a Rank E Herbalist. If I can't even get Rank E, I can't go home." The red-haired boy rubbed his hands."What classes are your family?"
"No family."
The boy froze. He stopped talking.
The line moved. Another Rank B. Two Rank Cs. A Rank E.
Then it was the red-haired boy's turn. He took a deep breath and stepped onto the altar. The gold light swept over him.
[Archer - Rank C]
"YES!"
He almost tripped coming down. He gave Allen a thumbs up. Allen nodded slightly.
Three more people.
Two people.
One person.
Allen Grey stepped onto the Crystal Altar.
The surface was translucent. Liquid light flowed slowly at the bottom. Allen felt heat rise from the soles of his shoes.
Golden pillars of light rose from all sides.
The temperature increased. There was a slight stinging sensation on his skin. It was not painful, but it was not comfortable. Allen stood straight. He tightened his fist in his pocket, then let go.
One second.
The light swept over his head.
Three seconds.
The scan expanded to his whole body. Usually, the class projection appeared by now.
Five seconds.
Nothing appeared.
The noise in the hall dropped. People began to whisper.
Seven seconds.
The golden light began to flicker. It was not a steady glow. It flickered like a dying computer screen.
At the tech desk, two staff members rushed to the control panel. They talked in low voices while tapping the interface.
Nine seconds.
Ten seconds.
The projection finally appeared above Allen's head.
Three characters hovered in the air. Each was half a meter tall. They were perfectly clear.
[???]
Silence lasted for four seconds. Then—
Laughter started in a corner. it spread through the hall instantly.
"What is that? Three question marks?"
"Is the system broken?"
"No way. He couldn't even get a class?"
"I've heard of failures, but I've never seen question marks..."
Allen stood on the altar. Laughter hit him from all directions. He did not look down. He did not look around. He stood there. He stared at the three giant question marks.
"Mr. Grey."
A staff member in uniform walked to the altar. She held a tablet. She had a professional, trained smile.
"Your result is undetermined. We suggest you register at the side hall as non-combat personnel. Later—"
"No need."
Allen stepped down.
He walked at a steady pace. He passed the mocking crowd. He headed for the exit.
"Hey!"
A loud voice came from the right. It was an exaggerated volume meant for everyone to hear.
Allen did not stop.
"I said hey! Mr. Question Mark!"
A hand slapped onto his shoulder. The grip was heavy.
Allen stopped. He turned his head.
Jason Collins. Blonde hair, blue eyes, a broad jaw. He was built like a door. He wore the blue and gold uniform of the Titan Shield Guild. A Rank B certification badge pinned to his chest.
Jason had received [Warrior - Rank B] earlier. The recruiter had signed him on the spot.
Now he stood in front of Allen. Two other young men in the same uniform followed him. They were Rank D lackeys. They had identical, sycophantic smiles.
"Question marks?" Jason tilted his head. He stared at where the projection had been. He frowned."What kind of class is that? Does the system think you're too weak to even give you a name?"
The two lackeys laughed on cue.
Allen looked at the hand on his shoulder.
"Your hand."
"Huh?"
"Remove it."
Jason's smile doubled. He did not remove his hand. He increased the pressure.
"Don't be sensitive, brother. I'm just curious. How does it feel to be someone even the system doesn't recognize? Tell us. Make us happy."
Allen said nothing.
He evaluated the scene. There were at least three hundred people in the hall. He wasn't sure if the live stream was still on, but dozens of phones were recording. Jason Collins was a Rank B Warrior. He had physical stats five times higher than a normal human.
A direct fight was impossible.
"No feelings." Allen brushed Jason's hand off his shoulder."Congratulations on Rank B."
He turned to leave.
"Hey! I'm not finished—"
Allen pushed open the side door. He entered the corridor. Jason's voice was cut off by the closing door.
The corridor was long. The lights were dim. Recruitment posters for guilds covered the walls—Titan Shield, Ironclad Knights, Eye of the Storm. Every poster showed elite awakened ones. The bottom of the posters read:"Protect the Future of Humanity."
Allen didn't look at them. He walked out of the building. He stood on the streets of Brooklyn.
It was March. The sky was grey. The wind was cold.
His phone vibrated. He pulled it out. It was an official notification.
"Dear Mr. Grey: Your awakening result has been recorded as 'Undetermined.' Per GWA Regulation 17, citizens without a valid class are categorized as 'Non-Combat Personnel.' You are eligible for basic social security but do not have permission to enter dungeons."
Allen stared at the screen for three seconds.
Then he put the phone away.
He began walking toward his home. The neighborhood was not prosperous. There were a few convenience stores, a defunct gas station, and three half-empty apartment buildings. This part of Brooklyn had never recovered after the Fracture. Land was cheap. Security was poor.
At the third intersection, he turned into a narrow alley.
At the end of the alley was an abandoned industrial warehouse. The metal exterior was rusted. The windows were shattered. Toppled trash cans sat by the entrance. He had noticed this place three years ago. City records showed it belonged to a bankrupt logistics company. No one managed it.
Allen stood at the warehouse door.
He wasn't sure why he came here. His apartment was two blocks north. This was not on the way.
Just as he turned to leave—
A screen popped up in the center of his vision.
It was not a phone. It was not a hologram. It appeared directly in his visual cortex. A semi-transparent blue panel with white text.
[ Hidden Class Unlocked ]
[ Class Name: Dungeon Architect ]
[ Rank:???(Unranked· Unique)]
[ Description: You are the bridge between the Abyss and the surface. You possess the authority to create, manage, and upgrade dungeons. Dungeons in this world are generated by Rift energy—but you are the only one who can build them by will.]
Allen froze.
He read every word twice.
New notifications followed—
[ Dungeon Architect System Activated ]
[ Loading Core Functions...]
[ Building Points (BP): 0 ]
[ Blueprint Shop: Locked (Requires initial operational data)]
[ Test Mode: Ready ]
[ Manager Authority: Ready ]
A final line appeared at the bottom.
[ System Prompt: Create your first dungeon at current location?]
[ Y / N ]
Allen looked at the rusted warehouse. Shattered glass. Silence.
He reached out his right index finger. He tapped Y.
The ground vibrated.
It was not violent. It was a low-frequency hum, like something waking up deep underground. The concrete floor of the warehouse cracked. The cracks followed a geometric pattern. They glowed with a faint blue light. Ten seconds later, the cracks stopped. They formed a diamond-shaped opening two meters wide.
Ghostly blue light poured out of the opening. It lit up the warehouse interior.
Allen walked to the edge. He looked down.
Stone steps led down into the darkness. Glowing ores were embedded in the walls. They emitted a cold light. The air smelled of damp earth and stone.
The panel updated.
[ First Dungeon Created ]
[ Rank: F ]
[ Scale: Mini (3 Rooms)]
[ Monster Configuration: Skeleton Guard× 12 (F-Rank Basic)]
[ Trap Configuration: None ]
[ Boss Configuration: None ]
[ Dungeon Core: Generated (Deep within Room 3)]
[ Status: Waiting for first challenger ]
Allen knelt. He touched the stone edge of the opening. It was real. It was cold and rough. It was not a hallucination.
He had created a dungeon.
A real dungeon that could be entered and challenged.
Across the globe, every dungeon was naturally generated by Rift energy. No technology or power had ever created one manually.
Until now.
Allen stood up. His heart was fast, but his mind was clear.
A man the system called a"failure." A"Question Mark" mocked by ten thousand people.
The world's only Dungeon Architect.
His mouth twitched, but he didn't smile. The warehouse door was kicked open.
Jason Collins stood at the entrance. The two Rank D lackeys were behind him. They were breathing hard. They had followed him.
"Found you." Jason smirked."You move fast, Mr. Question Mark."
He stepped into the warehouse. The two others followed. Then, all three saw the glowing blue opening in the floor.
Jason froze.
"What is this?"
"A dungeon," Allen said.
Jason stared at the opening. He looked at Allen. His confusion turned into excitement.
"A dungeon under a warehouse? An undiscovered new dungeon?" He turned to his lackeys."Record this! Report these coordinates to the guild.'Titan Shield discovers new dungeon'—do you know what this means? A discovery bonus!"
He pulled out his phone to take a photo.
"You wanted to know my class." Allen's voice was quiet, but it was clear in the empty warehouse.
Jason stopped.
Allen took a step back. He stood right in front of the blue opening. His back was to the stone steps.
"You want to know what my class is?"
Allen raised his right hand. He pushed his palm toward Jason's chest.
"Go see for yourself."
Jason did not react in time. It wasn't because Allen was strong. It was because he never expected a"failure" to push him. The B-Rank Warrior's passive defense failed to trigger.
His back hit the edge of the opening. He lost his balance. He fell backward.
The two Rank D lackeys instinctively reached for Jason's arms. One tripped and was pulled forward. The other grabbed Jason's wrist, but his weight shifted too far.
All three fell into the diamond-shaped opening together.
Screams bounced off the stone steps. They grew distant. They vanished into the dark.
Allen looked down at the opening. The blue light pulsed steadily.
The system panel flashed—
[ Challenger 1 Entered ]
[ Challenger 2 Entered ]
[ Challenger 3 Entered ]
[ Dungeon Operation Officially Begun ]
[ Building Points (BP) accumulating ]
Allen leaned against a rusted iron pillar next to the opening. He put his hands back into his hoodie pockets.
A muffled roar came from deep underground. It was Jason's voice. This time, the arrogance was gone.
Instead, there was a tremor.
Allen tilted his head. He listened for a few seconds.
The sound of bone hitting metal echoed from below. The Skeleton Guards were meeting the B-Rank Warrior.
A second roar followed. This one was full of pain.
Allen didn't look down again. He took out his phone. He opened his notes app. He typed a line:
"Day 1. Warehouse Dungeon. F-Rank. 3 Rooms. 12 Skeletons. First customers: 3 idiots from Titan Shield."
He paused. He added one more sentence.
"Business is good."
A third scream came from the depths. This time, no words were clear. Just a raw sound echoing through the stone walls.