The year is 2025 AD. International Space Station.

"Tridid... tridid... tridid... cklunk," a hand slapped the analog alarm clock on the table.

"Ugh."

An astronaut woke up, sat up in his bunk, and looked out the window. He saw the blue planet, which felt close enough to touch. Then his eyes drifted back to the alarm clock he had just silenced.

"Ah, morning already," he muttered.

He got out of his bunk. His feet didn't touch the floor as he floated, so he grabbed his boots and put them on. "Csss," his feet connected with the floor as soon as he put on his gravity boots. He unbuckled the straps that held him in bed and stood up, stretching.

After that, he casually floated out of the room and down a rotating hallway toward the cockpit. Once there, he sat down, grabbed a tablet, and started swiping the screen. In front of him, he had a clear view of Earth and the sun from a distance.

"Just another normal morning," he said, typing.

But, "grrrk... greeek," he felt the space station shake. The astronaut immediately put down his tablet and stared ahead, his eyes wide as a white, swirling vortex opened up in the vacuum of space right in front of the Earth. The point grew bigger than the Earth itself, becoming blinding and awesome yet terrifying.

"Huh, what is that?" he asked himself.

He unbuckled his boots and floated closer to the cockpit window. "Grrrrrrk," the shaking inside the station got more intense. The space station felt like it was in an earthquake. The astronaut's eyes widened, seeing a phenomenon that looked similar to a black hole billions of light-years away, but what was in front of him was a white hole, spewing out countless celestial objects.

"I have to contact headquarters," the astronaut muttered.

He immediately floated over to the communication console behind the pilot's seat. Without a moment's delay, he sat down, pushed some buttons, and pulled the mic closer.

"Houston, copy... Houston... come in, Houston."

"Teet... teet... teet," the alarm blared, and the shaking got worse. The astronaut turned to look forward, his eyes wide again. "Klotak," he dropped the mic, mesmerized by the strange phenomenon in front of him.

Slowly, a round, planet-like object, exactly the same size as Earth and colored blue, emerged from the white hole, sending a shiver down the astronaut's spine. The shaking in the space station became violent, forcing the astronaut to hold on to his seat to keep from being thrown. He turned back to grab his mic, not understanding what was happening in front of him and panicking, as this phenomenon was definitely not in his training manual.

"Houston... come in, Houston!" he yelled in a panic.

The astronaut's eyes followed the Earth-like planet as it fully emerged. The space station was now positioned between the two blue planets, which faced each other. The white hole disappeared, but the Earth-like planet continued to move slowly toward the original Earth.

"Oh no... that planet is going to hit Earth," he thought.

The astronaut's fears were realized. "Grrrrrrrrrrk," the space station shook violently. The astronaut kept trying to contact headquarters, his eyes glued to the Earth-like planet approaching his station. Finally, as the space station was pulled in by the approaching planet's gravity and began to enter its atmosphere, "grrrrrrrrrrrrrk... grrrrk," the entire space station shook violently and began to burn up as it entered the atmosphere.

The astronaut, seeing what was happening, covered his face with his arms and screamed in a panic, unable to do anything.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

"Blarrr," the space station was instantly incinerated, reduced to nothing in the atmosphere of the blue planet that looked exactly like Earth. After that, the Earth-like planet began to touch the original Earth, but instead of colliding, they merged. When the two blue planets completely merged, the new, unified Earth gave off a bright light, and "blam," a massive ring-like wave rippled through space, as if to signal that all of reality had changed.

***

The whole world descended into chaos. Many cities and even entire countries vanished as dungeon portals opened, releasing monsters beyond human comprehension, which were previously only thought to exist in legends or stories. Of course, these creatures couldn't be fought with regular firearms; even a nuclear bomb could only kill half of them, but at the enormous cost of destroying the country or city it was dropped on repeatedly.

After 10 years of fighting and losing nearly half of the total human population, scientists discovered a change in the human body. Ghost particles, also known as neutrinos, which had been difficult to study because they passed through matter like ghosts, were now sticking to the human body. This gave humans all kinds of superpowers, depending on their body's absorption, but not all humans were blessed with this gift.

The humans who possessed these magical-like superpowers began clearing the monsters that roamed outside the dungeons and closing the dungeons with their powers and weapons made from neutrinos, which also got stuck in stones and other solid objects. These objects were called nether materials. In a short amount of time, they successfully defeated the roaming enemies and closed almost all the dungeon portals, but with a great deal of sacrifice.

Humans without powers helped rebuild life back to normal under the guidance of the UN, which had changed its name to the Nation of Humanity, or NOH. It became the only remaining country in the world, though it still contained the flags of the USA, China, Russia, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, and a few other remaining powerful nations.

These super-powered humans were named Chasers and were governed by an association under the NOH called the Chasers Association, or CA. Life began to return to normal, although dungeon portals would still suddenly open in the capital of Neopolis, a city previously known as New York, where the UN headquarters was located in the Turtle Bay area of Manhattan.

But because more and more people became Chasers and passed the association's tests, the world finally entered a truly new normal. The sudden appearance of dungeon portals was just a part of this new life, though scientists continued to investigate what the dungeons really were and the purpose behind their appearance in this world. Now, dungeons were even used as a benchmark for Chasers who wanted to test their strength or show off for fame.

The year is 2095, fifty years after the world returned to a new kind of normal, at a private school.

"Move it, fatty."

A good-looking, athletic kid shoved a tall, big, and chubby boy from behind. The self-conscious plump kid immediately moved to the side, giving way to the handsome boy, his friends, and the girls with them.

After the group passed, he just watched them go.

"Must be nice to be like that. I could never be," the chubby kid thought to himself as he headed into the school building for class.

Just as he was about to step into his classroom,

"Hey, move!"

He turned to see a beautiful girl with a messy uniform. One side of her shirt was tucked into her skirt; the other was hanging out. A few of her top buttons were undone, revealing a large chest. Her skirt was super short, well above her knees.

"Plak," she smacked him on the back.

"Why don't you get out of the way, Axel?"

"O-okay, sorry, Abby."

The chubby boy, Axel, stepped aside to let the delinquent girl, Abigail, go in first. He followed her in, looking over to see Abigail already chatting with her popular friends. Slowly, Axel walked to his desk in the very back; his tall, large frame made it impossible for him to sit in the middle or front.

Axel looked around at his classmates, who were all chatting with each other, including Abigail and her crew. He just looked down, his hands clenched into large fists on his desk, but he seemed calm.

"Today... everything will change. I can become a Chaser because the association is testing today. I can finally pay for my brother Theo's treatment—and pay for my and my little sister Janet's tuition fees—she's just started high school," Axel muttered to himself.

The rules for every high school are the same: once students are in 12th grade or turn 18, the association holds a yearly test to find new Chaser candidates to train into professionals who can handle the sudden appearance of dungeon portals. If a student's energy test result—taken after their power is awakened and they gain a skill—is ranked B or higher, they are immediately graduated and sent to a one-year training program at the association. After that, they are hired as Chasers, with their final rank determining their first job.

During their training, the graduated students receive a generous salary, more than enough to support their families, along with insurance in case something happens during training or a field test. This is what Axel hopes for, but besides the money, Axel also has another goal: to find out what caused his A-rank brother to be severely injured in the dungeon and why he's now in a coma in the hospital.

Axel's parents are dead. His brother Theo raised him and Janet. Since Theo was severely injured and fell into a coma, they still get some support from the government besides what the association provides for his medical care, which is only guaranteed for one year. But since Axel and Janet are both still in school and only work part-time, the money is just enough to get by. They are saving the government funds for when the association stops paying for Theo's hospital bills.

"Today, I have to succeed," he said to himself with determination, clenching his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white.

Suddenly, "drrrrt," Axel's smartphone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out and read the message:

"I know what you're thinking. Please don't be reckless. I don't want anything to happen to you."

After reading the message, Axel looked up and saw Abigail, who was sitting in front of him, staring at him sharply with her smartphone still in her hand. Axel immediately messaged back:

"How could I be reckless? It's just a test today."

"What if you get accepted? You can find another job, you know. Being a Chaser is dangerous, even if the pay is good," Abigail replied.

"Don't worry, Abby. I'll be fine," Axel replied.

"Axel... I've known you since we were kids, and I know exactly what you're thinking. I'm sad about what happened to Theo, too, but please think about this. You still have Janet to take care of. What if something happens to you? I don't want that. I want you to find another job," Abigail texted, adding an angry emoji.

"Alright, we'll see. Don't worry about it so much. You never used to ask me about this stuff—it's weird you're giving me advice now," Axel texted, annoyed.

"Ugh... I always pay attention to you. How could you not notice? You're so clueless. I know what you've been going through for the last eight months, which is why I didn't want to bother you. Besides, you haven't been bullied, have you? Who do you think is responsible for keeping you safe, huh?" Abigail texted, filling the screen with angry emojis—a devil, a chili pepper, a thunder cloud, and more.

Axel looked up at Abigail again, and this time she was staring at him even more intensely. She was visibly angry, her face flushed with frustration. Axel looked back down at his phone and his fingers typed out a message.

"Okay... don't be mad. Sorry and thanks," Axel replied.

"Okay... accepted," Abigail replied, along with a thumbs-up emoji.

***

After school, all the 12th-grade students gathered in the gym. Inside, a large iron tube-like device with a bed inside was set up. Next to the tube was a machine with a vertical tube containing green nether stones in several tiers that could light up. An association staff member in a blazer and glasses with her hair in a bun stood behind the machine, operating a monitor and console.

Around the machine and throughout the gym, association staff in black suits, ties, and earplugs stood guard. They didn't carry weapons but looked strong and were clearly not ordinary people. They were accompanied by teachers who were there to maintain order and direct the students to line up by class in front of the machine. Axel, who was at the very back of the line, waited with his heart pounding. Even after Abigail's warning, he was still going to follow through with his plan.

"Hey... fatty, you go first," a handsome kid from the class behind Axel suddenly pushed him, making him stumble forward with a condescending tone.

Axel fell forward, and his classmates in front of him quickly moved out of the way of his large, sweaty body. But then, "tap," Abigail turned around and caught him. She leaned her head to the side and gave a fierce glare to the handsome kid, who was laughing and looking at Axel with disdain.

"Hey... Grey, don't get funny with me. I'll beat your ass after this," Abigail yelled.

"Hahahaha... I'll be waiting for you," Grey yelled back.

"Hey... what's with you guys? Don't make a scene," a male gym teacher said. He looked at Axel. "You, just go to the front. No need to go back to the end of the line."

"O-okay, sir," Axel replied.

The teacher immediately went to the back to scold Grey and his friends. "Plak," Abigail patted Axel on the back and turned to face the line again. Axel watched her standing in front of him. He looked furious and his fists clenched, turning white. He wasn't mad at Abigail; he was mad at himself for being so useless and making her worry about him since they were in class.

"This is one of the reasons I want to be a Chaser. I want to prove to myself and I want Abigail to see me... not as someone who needs to be protected, but as someone who can protect others... ugh... this is really annoying... I hate myself," he muttered to himself.

A few moments later, after the preparations were complete, the class in front of Axel's and Abigail's began to enter the tube one by one. Each student's turn varied, from five to twenty minutes. When a student finished, they were directed to a waiting room to await their results. After 20 students from the first class were done, it was finally Axel's class's turn.

Because he had been pushed to the front, Axel ended up being fourth in line, behind his class president, the vice president, and Abigail. The class president, Jacob, stepped up first. He lay down in the tube, and two staff members closed the metal lid. "Wuuuuung," the machine hummed to life, and a green light scanned Jacob's body. After fifteen minutes, the tube opened automatically. White smoke billowed out, and Jacob stepped down with steam rising from his body.

An association staff member immediately led Jacob to a different room from the previous class. After a quick cleaning, the staff member motioned for the vice president, Lilian, to step forward and get in the tube. After about fifteen minutes, the same amount of time as Jacob, the tube opened and Lilian stepped out.

Finally, it was Abigail's turn. Before she walked forward, Abigail, who had been facing the front, reached her hand back and took Axel's.

They held hands for a brief moment, then Abigail stepped forward and entered the tube. A few minutes after she was inside, "teeet... teeet," the machine beeped, and a yellow light on top of it began to spin. Axel was startled and looked at the tube, which was now steaming and emitting a yellow light, unlike the green light for the two previous students.

"Abby... hey... what's happening to Abby?" Axel yelled, worried.

A staff member approached Axel, but Axel could see the staff member's face was cheerful, not worried.

"Relax, your friend is fine. We just didn't expect to get a result so far beyond our expectations at this school," the large staff member said, placing a hand on Axel's shoulder with a friendly smile.

"A-are you sure? You're certain nothing happened to her?" Axel asked, unsure.

"Trust us. The only thing we can tell you is that your friend exceeded our expectations. Please understand, and don't worry," the staff member said, trying to reassure Axel again.

Because he got the same answer twice, Axel finally just nodded. But he was still worried, and his eyes never left the tube, where the yellow light was now rapidly moving back and forth. After staring at the tube for 30 minutes, "psssssh," the lid opened. Axel immediately rushed forward and tried to help Abigail, who was weak and still steaming. But when Axel touched her, "bzzzz," "ow," his hand suddenly got an electric shock and he fell, causing a dazed Abigail to turn and look at him.

"Huh... what's wrong, Axel?" Abigail yelled.

But as she went to touch Axel, two guards immediately grabbed her arms. Surprised, she instinctively did a backflip to break their hold and "buaak," with a speed invisible to the naked eye, she kicked both guards, sending them flying. "Huh," seeing what she had just done, Abigail was stunned and looked at her palms. "Bzzzz," a yellow current was still visible flowing through her hands.

"W-what is this?" Abigail asked, confused.

"A-Abby, I'm okay... are you okay?" Axel asked as he stood up.

But before Abigail could answer, the female staff member in the blazer who had been standing behind the machine suddenly appeared between Axel and her.

"I'm sorry, but it's your friend's turn now. Please go inside first. We'll explain everything to you later," the female staff member said with a smile.

"O-okay," Abigail replied. She leaned her head to the side to look at Axel. "I'm okay, but I have to go now. Don't be too long, follow me soon," she said.

"Yeah, don't worry," Axel replied with a wry smile.

After a male staff member led Abigail away, the female staff member turned to Axel and smiled.

"Is she your girlfriend?" the female staff member asked casually.

"N-no, she... she's my childhood friend," Axel replied.

"Oh, I see. All right, it's your turn now," the woman said. She looked at Axel's body, then at the recently cleaned tube, and thought for a moment. "Hmm... why don't you get in first?" she said.

"Okay," Axel replied.

Axel stepped up to the tube, looking at the bed covered with a spider web-like fabric. "Glup," Axel swallowed, then lifted one of his feet onto the bed. "Gleng," the metal support table creaked. "Pffft," he could hear his classmates suppressing their laughter, and some shook their heads in embarrassment. Axel, who was used to his classmates' taunts, just ignored them. He climbed in and laid down. "Dung," this time the table groaned loudly. The female staff member stood next to him.

"Is it too tight?" she asked.

"Um... a little... I'm sorry, I'm a little too big," Axel replied, embarrassed.

"It's fine. As long as you're comfortable. I'm going to close it now, okay?" the woman said.

"A-alright," Axel replied.

"Duk," the lid wouldn't lock tightly because of Axel's stomach, which was quite a bit larger than that of a normal student his age. The two staff members improvised using a rope and a hook to keep the lid shut until the test was over, even though there was still a pretty wide gap. Inside the tube, Axel could faintly hear his classmates laughing and talking about him. He just closed his eyes and took it all in.

"Just let them. I hope my test is fast and successful because I need to follow Abby," he muttered to himself.

"Wuuuung," the machine turned on. Axel's heart began to pound, and he felt a sudden pressure on his stomach. "Zrrrrt," the light began to scan Axel's body, but when he opened his eyes, he was shocked and terrified. The light wasn't a green like Jacob and Lilian's, and it wasn't a yellow like Abigail's; it was a bright crimson. He also didn't hear a sound outside, and a lot of people were running.

But before he could even think about what was going on outside, the light disappeared, and he heard a few people untying the ropes. "Blaak," the tube opened, and Axel immediately took a deep breath. He sat up and turned to get out, but when he saw the female staff member's pale face, he became very confused. Even more so when he saw she was holding a thick, leather-bound book, a rare sight in this digital age.

"Um... what's wrong, ma'am?" Axel asked, confused.

"Could you come with me for a moment?" the female staff member asked tensely.

"A-alright, ma'am," Axel replied.

Axel immediately got out of the tube, and of course, the table legs creaked again. But this time, no one laughed. When Axel looked at his classmates, he was shocked because they were all stunned, staring at him as if they had never seen him before.

"W-what the hell is going on?" Axel thought to himself.