At the beginning of the story, a 48-year-old man is crossing the street when suddenly a dungeon outbreak occurs. People rush away from the chaos, creating a crowd. Amid the panic, he notices a small girl sitting near a portal as a monster approaches her. The man stops and thinks about whether he should save her, feeling useless as a voice inside him questions his ability to protect her. However, he decides to shout at her to run. Just then, an orc swings its bat and hits him. He falls to the ground and, through the broken bricks, he spots the girl.

In that moment, a B-rank hunter swoops in to save her, and the man thinks to himself, "Is this how it ends for me? How pathetic." He reflects on his life; all his classmates awakened with above D-rank talent, while his girlfriend left him. Yet he never gave up, especially for his nephews. After the C-rank dungeon outbreak, his sister sacrificed herself, hiding them under a table, giving her life for theirs.

Suddenly, he hears a voice proclaiming that the evolutionary system is binding with him, granting him one more chance to survive. He opens his eyes and wonders if he's in a hospital, but the place feels strangely familiar. Then he hears his sister's voice, which makes him cry. He runs into the kitchen and hugs her tightly, overwhelmed with emotion. She turns to him and asks if he had a nightmare. He cries and responds, "Yes, a huge nightmare." He thinks to himself, "If this is my second chance, I won’t let it happen again."

She then tells him that she won't handle sudden changes well. He leaves her to explain their relationship—that she married a normal person and he felt like she was avoiding him after the marriage. This led him to harbor feelings of resentment towards her and his brother-in-law, which he now realizes was his biggest mistake in his past life.

On that day the earthquake occurs

she hide them under the table and say I never avoid you She reassures him that he is still her child and that she can't forget him and say my last wish protect your nephews. She reminds him to be happy and heads off to help her husband. He shouts after her, "Please don’t go!" then he come back from his past memory. Just then, his brother-in-law comes in and sits down. His sister mentions that the man wants to say something, and he apologizes, saying, "I'm sorry for the past." His brother-in-law smiles faintly and asks, "For what? I don't remember anything."

Afterwards, his sister and brother-in-law exchange smiles. His brother-in-law then offers, "If you want, I can drop you off at your school." The man replies confidently, "Of course." His brother-in-law adds, "By the way, you can call me Alex, and I'll call you Alaric, my wife's brother."

Alaric enters in school and explain the current state of the world. In 2030, a new game was launched that captivated everyone. However, within just one year, everything changed drastically. The game world fused with reality, causing dungeons and monsters to come into existence. Deaths became commonplace, and society began to heavily favour hunter jobs and education tailored to this new reality. Unfortunately, the harsh truth is that survival now depends solely on one’s strength; love and money no longer hold any significance.

As Alaric attends his classes, some children discuss the class topper, who has the best chance of awakening powerful skills. They are Goddess Teya, Goddess Lenlo, or Ravin. When the time for awakening skills finally arrives, a high-ranking mage announces that today is the day for them to awaken their abilities. However, it is made clear that it doesn’t matter if someone awakens a low-ranking skill; the outcome is uncertain for everyone.

So, the awakening ceremony begins. One by one, names are called on stage, and some students awaken high-level skills. Alaric explains that the skills they awaken will determine their classes; for example, if someone awakens a skill at level 10, they will follow a specific path. When Alaric’s girlfriend's name, Lenlo, is announced, she steps forward to put her hand in the holy water. A golden light brightens the sky, and the four elements appear. All the children discuss Lenlo's achievement; she has become a four-element mage.

Lenlo approaches Alaric and says, "I will become a mage in the future, so you have to awaken the best skill to stand with me." Alaric, filled with sadness, responds, "If I awaken an F-rank skill, will you still be by my side?" Just then, his name is announced. Alaric steps forward and places his hand in the holy water, thinking he would face humiliation again. As he does, the water’s colours change rapidly from yellow to orange, then red to green. Suddenly, a voice announces, "Alaric's evolutionary system binds with the host," and a system screen appears in front of him.

Alaric briefly ignores the screen and focuses on the colours, which eventually stop at orange. The moment is silent until laughter erupts from the other students. They mock him, saying, "Alaric is a great awakened, but he is only trash." Alaric thinks that things are always the same, but this time he awakens an E-rank skill. In the past, he had awakened an F-rank skill. He watches the status window display the following:

- Name: Alaric

- Power: 15

- Agility: 18

- Accuracy: 17

- Mana: 20

- IQ: 40

- Title: E-Rank

- Evolutionary (Temporary)

- Skill: Wind Cutter (60%)

Feeling defeated, Alaric steps down from the stage, enduring the mocking from his peers. "This E-rank person doesn't deserve Goddess Lenlo," students jeer. The teacher tries to reassure him, saying, "Don't worry if you awoke a low-rank skill. You’ll have a chance to show your skills in next week's entrance exam." As Alaric examines his system screen, Lenlo approaches him to offer comfort. "Don't worry, an E-rank is still a good rank. Don't be depressed."

Alaric thinks back to his past, remembering how Lenlo had left him even then. Unable to shake off his feelings, he distances himself from her. Lenlo, concerned about his state, attempts to follow him, but her friend calls out, "Leave him; he's an arrogant bastard. Come with us! We formed a party with Ravin, who is a B-rank awakener. Do you want to join our party?"

Initially hesitant, Lenlo eventually agrees, thinking about her own goals. Her friend urges her, "Leave him behind; you deserve better. Besides, you want to score high in the entrance exam." Alaric, acknowledging their diverging paths, resolves to walk away, saying goodbye to Lenlo.