# Chapter 0: The Awakening Era

# **Chapter 0: The Awakening Era**

*Prologue*

The world changed in 2027.

It didn’t happen slowly, like a war or a plague—it tore open all at once. Without warning, glowing portals began appearing across the planet. Hovering above cities, mountains, even oceans, they pulsed with energy and unleashed the impossible.

They called them *Gates*.

Inside these gates were otherworldly landscapes and horrifying creatures. Dungeons filled with monsters that defied logic and overwhelmed modern weapons. The military tried to respond, but conventional force proved useless. Entire cities fell. Governments collapsed. Humanity stood on the brink.

Then came the *Awakening*.

People—randomly, mysteriously—began developing powers. Abilities that let them fight back. Elemental magic, enhanced strength, healing, summoning, stealth—each Awakened developed a unique skill, and these abilities were classified into combat roles: Tank, Mage, Healer, Assassin, and others. Power rankings were born, and society shifted almost overnight.

The strong rose. The weak struggled to survive. New guilds formed, new governments rose, and global maps were redrawn.

But for most, like 19-year-old Dong-suu in Gangtok, India, the Awakening was a distant fantasy.

---

Dong-suu wasn’t one of the lucky few. He hadn’t Awakened. He had no power, no guild offers, and no money.

He lived in a crumbling refugee district on the outskirts of Gangtok with his ill mother, who’d been bedridden since 2028. He worked multiple part-time jobs just to afford food and medicine. While the world focused on S-Rank hunters and televised dungeon raids, Dong-suu focused on survival.

He was an introverted, quiet college student with shaggy black hair, a worn-out hoodie, and a notebook filled with thoughts no one ever read. But he observed. He remembered. He watched the world shift around him and wondered how long it would be before he got swallowed by it.

He never asked for more.

But fate doesn’t wait for permission.

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**March 17th, 2030** — The Day of the Break.

A Gate opened in the middle of his college campus. Eastern Hills College, once a peaceful learning ground, was consumed by chaos.

The authorities classified it as an E-Rank Gate, the weakest possible level. But those nearby knew something was wrong. The monsters were faster. Stronger. Deadlier.

As students ran in every direction, Dong-suu saw his classmate Anika frozen in fear. The monster advanced. Without thinking, he ran forward.

He shoved her out of harm’s way—and took the full brunt of the attack.

He should have died.

But instead, he heard a voice.

> **\[System Installation Complete]**

> **“You have met the hidden awakening condition.”**

> **Class: ???**

> **Skill Acquired: Quickstep Lv.1**

When Dong-suu awoke, the monster was dead. The others whispered about a miracle. How did he survive? How did he win?

He didn’t answer.

Because floating in front of him was a translucent window—something no one else could see. A system interface. A second life.

And it had only just begun.