Chapter 1
Chapter 1
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 001
Chapter Title: Awakening
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Someone once said.
The pain that doesn't kill me makes me stronger.
I've lived my life treating those words like gospel. In truth, every time the world threw its injustices at me, I came out stronger.
So even now, with the house I'd scraped together using every penny from ten years of savings crumbling to dust overnight, I could hold on.
I don't know if God exists or not.
But go ahead. Keep testing me.
No matter what happens, I'll make it. I'll succeed.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Big Brother! Did you get insurance on your house?"
Han Jeong-woo, twenty-seven this year, called Lee Jong-su—old enough to be his father—"Big Brother."
It was par for the course on a construction site like this.
"...Insurance? Nah, I didn't."
"You should get some."
"Come on, what are the odds of a house collapsing? It's a waste of money... Wait, hold up!"
Lee Jong-su cut himself off mid-sentence, staring at Han Jeong-woo with wide-eyed shock.
"...No way. That villa that collapsed at dawn yesterday because of a gate... That was your place?"
He fumbled for his phone and double-checked the disaster alert from yesterday.
[Dobong-gu Hanbit Villa].
No doubt about it—that was Han Jeong-woo's address. He'd even been there a few times.
"...Yeah, that's the one. Haha."
Gates didn't usually bring down nearby buildings when they opened.
Even in a "gate break," where monsters poured out, the awakeners on standby swooped in right away to clean things up.
But yesterday, rumors flew that the awakeners' response had been unusually delayed for some reason.
"That's not funny, you idiot! Take the day off at least—why'd you come to work?!"
"...Gotta make money. If I skip today, I lose my perfect attendance bonus."
"Damn it, Mutant. Then... where'd you sleep?"
"At the temporary shelter."
Lee Jong-su's face fell at Han Jeong-woo's nonchalant reply.
"You idiot! You should've told me! 'My house collapsed, can I crash with you?'"
"Nah, how could I? Your family's probably all sleeping. The shelter wasn't bad anyway—they even put up partitions."
"Still... You think I can't put up one guy like you? Come to my place after work today. You can't even shower properly there."
It was a kind offer, but Han Jeong-woo shook his head. The man had fed him side dishes and dinners more times than he could count—Lee Jong-su was the closest thing to family for someone like him with no one else. He didn't want to impose anymore.
"Next time. I'm hitting the sauna tonight anyway. Been a while since I could relax."
"Sauna... Sounds nice. Wish I could go too. No, what am I saying...? Anyway, I just don't get why this stuff always happens to you. Did you sell out the country in a past life or something?"
As far as Lee Jong-su knew, Han Jeong-woo's life was one tragedy after another.
Lost his dad at birth. Mom died when he was seventeen. Her life insurance? Swiped by his scumbag uncle, forcing him straight from school into a factory.
And yesterday, one more line added to that sorry tale.
The little villa he'd scrimped and saved for over ten years? Reduced to rubble by a gate. Without a lick of insurance.
"Heh... Yeah, tell me about it."
Han Jeong-woo had actually pondered Lee Jong-su's half-joking remark seriously once or twice.
His life was so cursed, he couldn't explain it without invoking some past-life treason.
"Time to head out anyway. We've got a backlog of work."
"Yeah... Still blows my mind. Buying a house and it collapses after a month? Unreal."
Han Jeong-woo headed to the scaffolding on the fifth-floor exterior of the new building alongside the grumbling Lee Jong-su.
Scaffolding: temporary structures letting workers operate at height.
"Big Brother, the wind's picking up today, huh? Feels like the scaffolding's shaking too."
Han Jeong-woo remarked as he grabbed a paint can from the edge of the platform. Sure enough, the old steel pipes creaked ominously with every step.
"Yeah... Did the night shift slap it together half-assed?"
"Should we inspect it before starting? Something feels off."
"...Nah, let's just get to it. We're way behind. Be careful and it'll hold."
"Even so, that's..."
Lee Jong-su ignored Han Jeong-woo's worried tone, stretching up to scrape the upper wall where his hands barely reached.
One hand gripped the safety rail pipe protecting him like a fence; the other wielded the scraper against the wall.
That very instant—as he shifted his weight to the platform's edge—a sound that should never happen rang out.
Kreeeech!
The clamp connecting the rail pipe and platform—rusted and worn—snapped loose.
"...Huh?!"
It happened in a flash. One end of the platform dropped straight down. It seesawed like a teeter-totter, flinging Lee Jong-su into the air.
"...Big Brother!!"
Han Jeong-woo lunged desperately, but his hand clutched only empty air.
Lee Jong-su met his eyes mid-air, frozen in shock, not even screaming.
Then his body plummeted alongside the tilted platform from the fifth floor. A green safety net waited below—but it was already half-torn, useless.
"...Big Brother! No!!"
In that split second, everything around Han Jeong-woo froze. No illusion—this sensation was crystal clear.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [You have awakened.] The moment he registered the awakening in his mind, an unknown power surged from Han Jeong-woo's fingertips.
As if he'd known it all his life, he instinctively focused on the falling Lee Jong-su.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Neutralizing the target's gravity.] In that instant, Lee Jong-su's fall visibly slowed. But momentum kept dragging him down hard.
"Gaaah!"
His body slammed into the safety net at the second-floor level.
Crack!
As expected, the net shredded under his weight.
But it slowed him enough that, even crashing through to the ground, he got away with mere bruises—and stood right up.
"Huff... huff...!"
Hard to believe he'd just cheated death, Lee Jong-su panted, staring at his unscathed body.
"...Big Brother! You okay?!"
Han Jeong-woo raced down from the scaffolding. Only after confirming no major injuries did he recall his own awakening.
As that thrill hit him, Lee Jong-su snapped out of it with a hollow laugh.
"...Whoa, so this is surviving by the skin of your teeth. Jeong-woo, I'm really alive, right?"
"Big Brother! Thank God. Thought we were done for."
"Me too. Locked eyes with you mid-air, and my life flashed before me. But... something felt weird..."
Lee Jong-su furrowed his brow, replaying the close call.
"For sure... I was dropping, then suddenly my body went light as a feather."
"...Really? Maybe the net did that?"
Han Jeong-woo pointed at the torn net. No need to spill his awakening just yet.
Luckily, Lee Jong-su didn't press. Relief at surviving outweighed any questions.
"Maybe? Man... Talk about lucky. Owe my life to that net."
"Told you we should've inspected first. Anyway, hospital now. Looks fine outside, but who knows inside."
As Han Jeong-woo chewed out his elder, a clamor of footsteps announced the site crew rushing over.
"Jong-su bro! You good?!"
"What the hell happened? You hurt bad?"
Lee Jong-su brushed dust off his clothes casually and hopped up.
"Don't worry, I'm fine. Saved by the net, see?"
"I saw you drop from over there—thought you were goner."
"Yeah, I did too. Clamp just snapped outta nowhere."
"Hospital first, then we grill the company."
Unable to resist the uproar, Lee Jong-su grudgingly headed to the hospital. Once the fuss died down, folks drifted back to work.
The area fell quiet in seconds.
Finally alone, Han Jeong-woo couldn't hold back a grin. He bit his lip to stifle laughter, but his shoulders shook wildly.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ ⚡ Strength: 8 💨 Agility: 10 ✨ Mana: 5 💪 Stamina: 10 A translucent holographic window floated before his eyes. Undeniable proof of awakening.
EX-rank...!
Those three letters blazed clear as day.
Han Jeong-woo felt chills race through him, struggling to calm his pounding heart.
EX-rank awakener.
Rare even worldwide—you could count them on one hand. And their power defied common sense.
But such overwhelming strength came with risks. Plenty envied and coveted it, scheming to exploit them.
So Han Jeong-woo resolved: Until he could protect himself, he'd keep his awakening secret.
"Anyway... spring's finally here for my life!"
His nose stung, tears welling up. Twenty-seven years of hardship felt repaid in full.
Climb the tower as an awakener, and he'd live a life of luxury beyond imagination.
But he quickly wiped away a tear with his sleeve. He couldn't settle for just awakening.
"Right... Get it together. This isn't the end—it's just the beginning."
He'd barely etched that vow into his heart when another message appeared, as if in response.
📜 NEW QUEST 📜 [Daily Quest]
[Adjust the gravity of an object weighing 20kg or more.]
🎁 Success: Stat Points +3
⏰ Failure: Exhaustion from mana depletion
"...A quest? What?"
Han Jeong-woo muttered. He'd never heard of this.
Curious, his eyes flicked to the reward.
"Stat points?"
Stat points: precious things earned only by risking life in the tower or using rare items from within.
"For a simple quest like this?"
No reason not to.
And it was easy.
He'd just stopped a 70kg Lee Jong-su dead. A 20kg object? Child's play.
Decision made, Han Jeong-woo scoured the site for something over 20kg to complete it.
There we go.
A stack of cement bags towered nearby. He headed straight over.
"Hey, what're you doing here instead of painting? Hauling materials or something?"
The dust-caked guy who'd spotted him was the solo hauler on site.
"Big Brother's at the hospital. Can't work alone, so I'm waiting."
"Yeah? He okay? Looked dicey earlier."
"Seems fine, luckily. Hey... mind if I lift this bag? How heavy is it?"
The hauler eyed Han Jeong-woo up and down skeptically at the odd question.
"...Why? Mess it up and you'll wreck your back. Not for just anyone."
"Don't worry. I'm pretty strong."
Ignoring the concern, Han Jeong-woo approached the stack. To compare before and after skill use, he first lifted one normally.
Huh? Lighter than I thought.
But the 40kg bag came up like a 10kg dumbbell.
"Told ya? Force it and you'll—wait, how're you lifting that so easy?"
The hauler's eyes bugged out mid-scold.
Oh, right. I'm awakened now.
He'd forgotten: awakeners' bodies far outclassed normals. Han Jeong-woo quickly grimaced and played it up.
"Nngh... Light? It's heavy as hell!"
"...Weird. Did I see wrong? Looked effortless."
The hauler tilted his head but soon shouldered two bags effortlessly and trudged toward the third floor.
"Don't push it. It's not about brute force."
Alone again, Han Jeong-woo scanned around. Clear. He quietly activated his power on a cement bag.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Neutralizing the target's gravity.] The crushing weight on his arms vanished like a lie.
Not just lighter—the bag floated in mid-air. Panicking, Han Jeong-woo yanked it down.
📜 QUEST COMPLETE 📜 [Daily Quest Success!]
🎁 Reward: Acquired 3 Stat Points
His grin stretched ear to ear.
Others risked death climbing the tower for these points. He'd nabbed them from a simple quest.
In that moment, Han Jeong-woo knew.
The time had come to finally overturn his cursed, hardship-filled life.