I wasn’t born into anything special.
No name, no home, no family. I was just a poor child living day by day, trying to survive in a world that didn’t care if I existed or not.
The only one who ever looked after me was an old man. People called him Twelve Star, Feral Precise—a strange name, I know. But to me, he was just my master. He took me in, gave me food, shelter, and taught me everything he knew. Swordsmanship, survival, how to think before acting, and how to live with pride even if I had nothing.
He wasn’t affectionate, but he never let me feel like I was truly alone.
Then, one day, he died.
I was only seven. And just like that, I was back to having nothing.
But I kept going. I lived. Quietly. Carefully.
What no one knew—not even my master—was that I had discovered something strange when I was just three years old. A power. A power that didn’t match anything in our world. It wasn’t the usual kind of magic people used. It didn’t follow rules. It didn’t come from any god. It just… existed inside me.
I didn’t use it.
I was scared.
I thought if I hid it, I could live peacefully. I could avoid trouble. I could stay alive.
But on the day I turned eighteen, everything changed.
I remember it so clearly. I was walking past a small church, just looking for ingredients to make a cake. Nothing fancy. Just something for myself to celebrate quietly.
Then suddenly—light.
Warm, bright, and too fast to run from.
Before I could even blink, I was standing in front of four gods.
The Goddess of Elements—glowing with storms and winds.
The God of Technology—sharp-eyed and dressed in cold steel.
The God of War—strong, burning, terrifying.
And the God of Creation—silent, but watching like he already knew how this would end.
At first, I thought they chose me. I thought they needed me. Maybe they saw my power and wanted me to help fix something in the world.
I was wrong.
They looked at me without kindness. Without hesitation.
Then, together, they spoke:
— “You shouldn’t live. You’re getting in our way.”
That was all they said.
No explanation.
No second chance.
And then everything went dark.
I opened my eyes again.
But I wasn’t in Gaeia anymore.
This was a new world—Earth.
And I was no longer the same person.
Now, I’m a thirteen-year-old boy named Mu Gong-heo.
I stood in front of a mirror, dazed. My head hurt so badly I could barely breathe. And then it hit me—memories. But they weren’t mine. They belonged to the real Mu Gong-heo.
He was quiet, distant. He always wore a black half-mask, hiding his face from everyone. Not because he was disfigured, but because he looked… too ethereal. Almost unreal. His natural hair was full of strange, colorful shades. His eyes sparkled in ways that made people stare. So he wore a wig and contact lenses just to look “normal.”
But even with those memories, I couldn’t see his real face. It stayed hidden from me.
I learned about his life—and more importantly, this world.
Since 2010, Earth changed. Strange creatures began to appear. Dungeons opened, Towers rose, and the System was born. People began awakening powers at the age of eight. If they were lucky, they’d become Hunters by fifteen and protect the world.
But Gong-heo never awakened.
He tried twice. Went to the Examination Area, hoping he was just a late bloomer.
Both times, the machine failed.
People thought he was broken.
But now I understand—he wasn’t the problem.
The machine simply couldn’t handle what was inside him.
And now… it’s inside me.
To be sure, I focused quietly and tried something small. I lit a tiny flame in the palm of my hand.
It worked.
The fire danced softly, like it remembered me.
— My power is still here.
The gods failed to erase me completely.
I don’t know why I was brought here. I don’t know why this body. But one thing is clear:
— Fate gave me another chance.
This world might be different. The rules might not be the same. But deep down, I’m still me.
And this time… I won’t make the same mistake.
I won’t hide anymore.
I won’t run from who I am.
I won’t wait to be erased again.
They may have called me a mistake.
Something that shouldn’t exist.
But I’m still here.
And now, I’m going to live.
Truly live.
Even if the gods try again.
Even if this world turns against me.
— I am Mu Gong-heo.
The boy behind the mask.
The one who shouldn’t exist—yet cannot be erased.
