CHAPTER 01 THE BROKEN GATE INCIDENT

# **Chapter 1: Broken Gate**

Gangtok, Sikkim — 2030.

The sky over Eastern Hills College was overcast, and the mountain wind carried the scent of pine mixed with exhaust fumes. Dong-suu sat near the window in his economics class, doodling in the corner of his tattered notebook. His mind wandered—partly to avoid the lecture, partly to calculate how much he needed to earn this week to buy his mother’s medicine.

He didn’t belong here. Not really. While others dreamed of awakening, joining guilds, or climbing the ranks, Dong-suu just wanted to survive another day.

Then, without warning, the world cracked open.

A deafening roar shook the campus. Screams erupted outside. The windows trembled. Phones buzzed with alerts.

> **\[GATE DETECTED – EASTERN HILLS CAMPUS]**

> **\[Rank: E – Emergency Response En Route]**

But even as the system labeled it “E-Rank,” Dong-suu felt it in his chest—something was wrong.

He rushed outside with the crowd. Above the gymnasium, a swirling violet portal glowed ominously. It pulsed like a heartbeat, sending waves of mana rippling through the air. Students scattered, some crying, others filming.

Then it came out.

A creature—not like the ones in textbooks. This wasn’t an E-Rank monster. Its body was sleek and armored, with black crystal scales and six sharp limbs. It moved with unnatural speed and purpose.

Dong-suu stood frozen… until he saw *her*.

Anika.

She was motionless, paralyzed with fear, caught between the beast and the exit.

Time slowed.

Dong-suu’s heart pounded. His body moved before his mind caught up.

He sprinted toward her, ignoring the fear, ignoring the odds. The monster screeched and lunged. Dong-suu tackled Anika, pushing her aside. Pain exploded across his back. Razor claws tore through flesh.

Everything went dark.

---

**\[SYSTEM INSTALLING…]**

**\[You have met the conditions for Awakening]**

**\[Initiating “Level-Up System”]**

> Class: ???

> Skill Acquired: Quickstep Lv.1

> HP: 3/100

> Status: Critical

> System Access Granted

Dong-suu gasped awake. The monster was dead—its neck sliced clean. His hands trembled. His vision blurred.

Floating before him was a translucent screen, glowing softly.

The System.

He didn’t know how he had survived… but he had. Not only that, he’d killed a creature far stronger than him. The System saved him. Or maybe… something inside him had always been waiting.

Anika knelt beside him, eyes wide with disbelief. “Dong-suu… you’re alive…”

He nodded weakly. “Yeah… I think so.”

Moments later\, local hunters arrived and secured the area. They confirmed what Dong-suu already suspected—the Gate wasn’t E-Rank. It had been *disguised*. A misclassified **C-Rank**.

No one understood how an unawakened student had survived. The Hunter Association questioned him, but Dong-suu played dumb. He told them he couldn’t remember.

Let them think it was luck.

Because now, inside him, a strange power pulsed. A hidden class. A secret interface.

> \[Level-Up Available]

> \[Skill Slot Empty]

> \[Stat Allocation Unlocked]

The world had changed.

And so had Dong-suu.

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