Prologue: Awakening the System
The world still seemed like it would be nice if it were as easy as playing a game.
The world had changed as if it had turned into a novel.
Black Gates had appeared in the capitals of every country, and mana—something that only existed in novels—had awakened humanity.
Those who awakened their mana became individuals with their own unique traits.
But systems like those in novels never appeared.
It was even fun.
It felt like it wasn't a game.
If it had been a game, I would have worked hard.
Even now, fifteen years later, that rule remained unbroken.
Except for one person.
But regardless, it was just a story in the imagination.
[Ex-grade trait, 『Analysis』 has awakened.]
Now was the time to face reality instead of imagination.
Lee Do-hyun had just graduated from university and needed to find a job.
“W-what is this?”
[S-grade skill analyzed.]
[Skill 『Shadow Move[S]』 acquired.]
***
Only Lee Do-hyun had gained abilities that felt like a game.
Job hunting.
Still difficult and annoying words.
At twenty-six, just out of college, it was even harder for Lee Do-hyun.
『[Web message]
Hello. This is the recruitment manager at ◆□ Electronics.
Here is the notice for the second interview results.
First, thank you sincerely for showing interest and applying to our company.
After careful review, we regret to inform you that you will not be joining this recruitment.
We hope to meet again in a better connection.』
He had written it long-windedly, but it clearly meant he had been rejected.
Lee Do-hyun sighed while reading the message that made his breath catch.
“Ugh.”
This public recruitment was also a rejection.
It was a relief that the application passed, but what was the point? He had been rejected anyway.
‘Why is job hunting this hard even though the world's gone upside down?’
How come employment remained just as tough even after Black Gates appeared?
Thinking the world had changed drastically, this should have changed too, but there was nothing he could do.
When had it become a time for job hunting?
He was still the kind of college student who giggled while watching YouTube or animes, falling asleep after watching dozens of shorts before bed.
Time flew by relentlessly.
It might sound like a spoiled complaint from an older perspective, but it was a heavy burden for Do-hyun.
At his age, that was natural.
‘Ugh, what can I do?’
He had never taken a leave of absence from university (except for military service) and had only just graduated and tried to start working.
For a young person these days, that deserved praise.
Today too, he closed the rejection screen and opened another.
‘Today, I’ll just rest.’
He wasn’t in the mood after the rejection, and there was no part-time work today.
He pulled out a triangular kimbap he bought from the convenience store and connected his phone to YouTube.
It was a shabby one-room apartment with no TV, but watching YouTube while eating kimbap on the bed was the most comfortable thing in the world.
‘Yeah, this is the best when you’re supposed to be resting.’
He didn’t even notice time passing, which helped him forget the rejection for a moment.
While scrolling through the thumbnails with his finger, he noticed an eye-catching one.
【Phoenix Guild B-rank area entry】
“Oh? The Phoenix Guild has already entered B-rank?”
It was now common knowledge among ordinary citizens.
Entering a Black Gate would lead to another world.
And within the Black Gate, areas changed by rank, so those who reached a certain level could promote and move to the next rank.
Starting from F-rank, B-rank was quite high.
Because South Baek Guild was the highest, at A-rank in Korea.
The fact that the Phoenix Guild, which had only existed for five years, had entered B-rank proved it was a force to be reckoned with.
But he couldn’t ignore it.
He clicked the thumbnail, and the Phoenix Guild video began to play.
“Wow, it really is B-rank? No joke.”
Hunters fighting monsters that tangled together in battle.
Now consumed like content, but the fact that Black Gates still threatened humanity hadn’t changed.
You had to kill monsters inside to get points to prevent the monsters from overflowing from the Black Gate.
Points were tallied monthly, and if short, a Black Gate-like gate would appear in a random place in the country, letting monsters pour out.
That was why hunters once worked desperately to gather points.
Now fifteen years later, it was familiar, but they still worked hard for points.
Even now, were they short of points?
Impossible.
Points obtained by killing monsters weren’t only used to stop Black Gates.
You could exchange them for money, and it was like a divine technique that let you do anything.
If you used enough points to stop Black Gates, the remaining points went to hunters.
Thanks to that, it was the most profitable job in this era.
Of course, you had to awaken first, but Do-hyun didn’t want to even if he did.
It wasn’t just because he was risking his life.
‘Whoa, how much training would be needed for that?’
No system like novels or games.
It wasn’t like you could just copy a skill and attack.
Even the magic that appeared in fantasy in the video was the same.
You bought spellbooks with points, trained mana, and got results.
Becoming a hunter didn’t mean you automatically got rich like a lottery.
Why bother?
Even going to the gym felt like too much effort for Do-hyun.
But hunters had to endure much harsher training than athletes?
Even if offered, he wouldn’t do it.
He just wanted to get a job, slack off at work, and eat and live comfortably.
Was the heavens moved by his wish?
Suddenly, light particles began to gather on Lee Do-hyun’s body.
“W-wait?”
The signs of awakening.
Was this what happened when you watched hunter YouTube while giggling?
At that moment of rising embarrassment and discomfort, something strange happened right in front of Do-hyun’s eyes.
Crackle—
His vision distorted as if there was noise on the screen.
If space itself was distorting, it would look like this?
Suddenly his vision warped, then turned blurry and something shot out.
‘…?’
What the hell was this?
While staring at the floating letters, Do-hyun thought exactly that.
First he awakened, which was unbelievable enough.
Now letters were floating right in front of him.
Like a system window, Do-hyun blinked in confusion.
Was he dreaming?
But he was holding his phone, and the feel of the bed was so vivid that he was sure he wasn’t dreaming.
He didn’t think this was a dream.
Then it must be reality.
‘Is this not a system?’
Looking at the window, Do-hyun immediately thought that.
He looked again because something felt off, but the window floating in one corner of his vision seemed determined not to disappear.
It looked like he was wearing some kind of VR goggles.
‘No system… right?’
He thought that stupidly, but soon focused on the window again.
Maybe because of the unusual grade and trait name?
Because he had watched so many novels and animes, he immediately understood.
This was because of the trait.
When his thoughts reached that point, he could feel the value of this trait.
‘Insane.’
He had gained abilities like a game?
And just in case, he said the words he had always wanted to shout.
“S-status window?”
Even though it was doubtful, the window in the air responded.
The floating window disappeared and a new one appeared.
“Insane!”
It was real.
No, what the hell was going on?
He was depressed from the rejection text while eating kimbap and watching YouTube at home, and now he had awakened with this high-grade trait?
It was crazy.
But wait?
‘Why are the stats like this?’
Terrible stats.
They seemed significantly below average, but he couldn’t deny it.
He had never gone to the gym he always heard about every year, so maybe these numbers were correct after all?
Then he suddenly remembered the awakening education video he heard every year.
The phenomenon that appeared when you first awakened your mana and got a trait.
“Huh? Am I being pulled into the tutorial because I awakened?”
The moment he said that, letters floated in front of his eyes again.
Tutorial in Progress
📍 Location: Black Gate
🎁 Reward: Random item
“Hah?!”
According to the education video, goblins would appear in the tutorial.
But he had these trash stats and was supposed to do the tutorial?
Was there any hope?
There had been cases where people who failed to prepare after awakening died in the tutorial, so it wasn’t for nothing that he did the annual education video.
That meant…
‘He wants me to catch a goblin?’
At that moment, Do-hyun’s face paled as he shouted into the air.
“M-mad?! C-cancel! Cancel the awakening!”
He had never exercised in his life and only admired hunters on YouTube, but suddenly he had awakened?
Even if he gave him this good ability, he was going to die because of the trash stats.
But his earnest wish was not fulfilled.
Still lying on the bed, Do-hyun moved somewhere.
Because he had been transferred in an awkward position?
Right after the transfer, Do-hyun rolled backward.
Rumble—
Crack, crack.
He crushed the leaves and the grass that had grown haphazardly on the ground.
The surrounding grass tickled him.
Transfer without any preparation.
Just in case, Do-hyun stood up.
“Kekeke!”
A green-skinned dwarf was smirking at him.
The pathetic monster he had only seen in videos: goblin.
But to Do-hyun, it looked like a grim reaper.
“Ah, aaah……”
His legs trembled uncontrollably.
He couldn’t move his legs even if he tried.
But then.
[Analyzing goblin.]
[Analyzed weakness.]
Red targets appeared on the goblin’s body.
But.
‘What can I do even if you show me that?!’
Do-hyun grumbled internally while biting his lip.
Right now was not the time.
The ferocious goblin had rushed at him the moment it saw him.
Do-hyun looked around for something, but there was nothing useful.
Meanwhile, kindly.
[Rock]
◈ It is a rock that can be seen often.
The analysis had also told him about the rock.
He threw away the useless information and stood up to flee from the rushing goblin.
“Aaaah!”
Was the goblin faster than him because of his trash stats?
The goblin came right up to him and swung its crude dagger at the moment.
[Analyzed goblin’s attack path.]
With the message, the goblin’s movement path appeared in front of him.
Seeing that, Do-hyun instinctively moved away from the path, feeling like a game.
The goblin’s crude dagger slashed through the air.
Whish!
“Kerk?”
A cry as if asking how he had dodged.
Do-hyun blinked in surprise again.
[Analyzed goblin’s skill 『Dagger Technique[F]』.]
[Skill below standard.]
[Skill acquired without consuming AP.]
[Skill 『Dagger Technique[F]』 acquired.]
[Agility permanently +1 due to acquired skill.]
“Huh?”
At that moment, Do-hyun felt the world slow down as he stared blankly at the letters.
What the hell was this?
Seeing Do-hyun in a daze, the goblin quickly moved to attack again.
But the moment the goblin showed its intent.
Stutter.
The goblin’s movement path looked like it was slowing down, and Do-hyun instinctively moved away from the path of the dagger.
But.
‘Faster than before.’
Because his agility had increased, he moved even faster than before and dodged backward.
Whish!
Again, the goblin’s dagger slashed through the air.
The goblin roared and swung again, but the gap the goblin had hidden before was now wide open.
‘This should work.’
Until a moment ago, there was no gap to attack, but now gaps appeared everywhere different from before.
With that thought, Do-hyun grabbed a stone and swung it toward the head marked with a weakness.
Kraack!
“Kekeke!”
The stone swung quickly struck the goblin’s temple.
Blood spurted from its head, and the creature screamed and collapsed to the ground.
Looking at the goblin lying on the ground with green blood, Do-hyun swallowed hard and muttered.
“I… I did it.”
For the first time ever, he won a fight.
And it was against a monster that wanted to kill him.
Adrenaline surged, and Do-hyun swallowed and thought.
‘Cheat trait, right?’
He could predict movements, copy even skills, and gain stats.
Even one of those was cheating, but he had three.
With this, maybe…
‘I could become a hunter too?’
He had tried to get a job, but an unexpected huge ability had awakened instead.