Prologue: From Drudgery to Destiny
"Hey, clean the grill here."
"Over there, spoon please."
"Student, let me order some food."
Orders flew from every direction amid the bustle. All sixteen tables were packed already.
Park Taemin, twenty-nine years old this year, was just your average restaurant part-timer. At least, until that incident.
"I'm heading out."
"Yeah. Come in early tomorrow—we've got prep work."
"Got it."
After bidding farewell to the Restaurant Owner, Taemin stepped out and sighed at the pitch-black surroundings. How much longer did he have to keep this up?
Ever since his father, Park Cheol-min, was forced into early retirement due to the economic downturn, Taemin had abandoned his studies. He'd been twenty-one then. Back in those days, he'd felt like he could conquer anything with youthful bravado. But society wasn't as forgiving as he'd imagined.
In the modern world, there were really only two paths to employment: possessing some uniquely standout talent, or having a solid family background—what people called "blue blood." Unfortunately, Taemin had neither.
Until last year, he'd been self-studying on the side, but the daily grind of heavy labor had worn him down to the point where even that slipped away.
"If only the work wasn't so damn exhausting."
A small sigh escaped his lips, laced with resentment. And who could blame him? The restaurant used to be run by three people handling serving and cleaning. But tough times meant one got laid off, and soon after, another. Now Taemin shouldered the workload of all three, day in and day out—a relentless marathon of manual labor. And his pay? It hadn't budged much. Just an extra 300,000 won. Split between the two empty spots, that was a measly 150,000 won raise per head.
Whenever Taemin complained about the strain, the Restaurant Owner always had his "encouragement" ready.
"Think of it as your restaurant, and it won't feel so tough—it'll even be fun."
Honestly, that line grated on Taemin more than anything. Sure, it sounded right in theory. But how the hell was the boss's restaurant ever going to feel like his own? Every time he heard it, Taemin itched to quit on the spot out of sheer spite. Yet he couldn't walk away.
The monthly living expenses, the rent—they added up. The wage was low for the hours, but good luck finding another gig that paid this well for part-time work. Twelve hours a day for 70,000 won? It was something.
"Hoo."
Letting out deep sighs as he trudged along, Taemin suddenly noticed a bright light approaching from ahead. A blaring horn followed. Before he could even turn, a flashy sports car screeched to a halt beside him, lights flashing.
He knew that car all too well: the brand-new Porsche 937 the Restaurant Owner had just bought.
Taemin bent down as the passenger window rolled down, revealing the unwelcome face of his boss.
"Heading home?"
"Yeah."
"It's late—why walk?"
"Times are tough; gotta save on bus fare."
"Come on, man, pinching pennies like that won't get you far. Hop in. World's gone crazy lately—don't want anything happening to you. You know the restaurant falls apart without you, right?"
"What could possibly happen?"
"Anyway, I'm off. At least take a cab."
The window slid up, and the car vanished from sight. Taemin muttered under his breath as he watched it go.
"Tch. Won't even give me a ride. All talk."
Twenty minutes of walking later, Taemin arrived in his neighborhood and slipped into his rundown studio apartment. The place looked at least twenty years old—his sole sanctuary in this weary life.
After a quick shower, he collapsed onto the bed like a sack of potatoes. As always, he flicked on the TV and tuned to channel 302.
Channel 302 was famous worldwide: the dedicated raid broadcast network. Raids were hunts where awakened hunters with special abilities took down monsters.
Fifty years ago, an inexplicable shockwave had swept the Earth. A global blackout hit, crippling nearly all electronics. Governments and scientists scrambled for answers but came up empty.
A year later, anomalies popped up everywhere: portals. Monsters poured out, ravaging cities and slaughtering people. Armies mobilized, but modern weapons were useless against them for some unknown reason.
Humanity, stripped of its firepower, fled underground. A quarter of the surface world lay in ruins, and no nation could turn the tide. Despair gripped the planet.
Then, hope emerged: the Awakened. They appeared a year after the portals, influenced by meteor shower debris scattered across the globe—hundreds of thousands of fragments. Those who claimed one Awakened, becoming hunters envied by millions.
Hunters could slay monsters, earning more than any other profession. Selling low-grade monster corpses netted hundreds of thousands effortlessly. And as the sole source of magistones—the ultimate alternative energy—they raked in billions overnight for top ranks.
No wonder people called them "one-man corporations."
Taemin's monthly restaurant pay? A measly 2.2 million won. Untouchable by comparison. Hunters could earn in a finger-snap what he'd grind for a lifetime.
"Hah. Even a bottom-tier hunter gig would do. Wish I could Awaken."
As vain hopes lulled him toward sleep, a piercing siren wailed.
Weee-ooh-weee-ooh!
Taemin bolted upright on instinct. That alarm meant monsters in the city—likely nearby.
He rushed to the balcony and peered out. A rare chance to see a real monster, not just on TV. But despite the blaring siren, the streets were eerily quiet.
What the...? Somewhere else?
As he scanned around and moved to close the window, a shadowy figure emerged from the darkness.
It moved too fast to track, halting between a utility pole and a clothes donation bin.
What is that? Too dark to make out.
Taemin squinted desperately. Finally, it stepped under the sole streetlamp.
"Pfft, it's just a person?"
A woman, disappointingly human. Long red hair to her waist, dressed in a provocative white gown straight out of some event.
"Wandering around like that this late? What kind of woman...?"
He turned away to shut the window—then her head snapped up. Their eyes met.
Before Taemin could process, she vaulted into the air.
"Gasp."
In an instant, she perched on his fifth-floor railing, slipped past him, and phased right through into the room.
"Wh-what?!"
"Shh. I won't hurt you. If you value your life, shut up and close the window."
He obeyed without question. Her nails had elongated into razor claws, hovering at his throat.
Instinct screamed: something was terribly wrong. Dread overwhelmed him; his legs buckled.
"Pl-please, spare me."
"We'll see."
She settled in a corner, conjuring a strange glow. Tearing open the fabric at her back, blackish blood and a foul stench filled the air. Her entire abdomen was rotted through—a grievous wound, yet she stared at it silently, no groan escaping her lips.
Taemin's mind raced. If he was right, this "woman" was a monster. Jumping five stories was one thing, but surviving that wound? And the siren felt suspicious. Hunters must have wounded her; she'd crawled here to hide in his place.
Terror loomed infinite. No friendly monsters existed. She could turn on him any second.
What now? He forced words out.
"Um... your wound looks really bad. Want me to grab some medicine? Pharmacy's right downstairs."
Her claw snapped to his throat.
"Don't play games, human."
He nearly toppled in shock, stammering, "N-no, I was just worried..."
"You fool. This isn't some human drug-fix."
"Then bandages, at least..."
"Hmph. Want out that badly? Fine—I'll grant it. As a headless corpse."
He clamped his mouth shut at the horrific threat, shrinking into the corner to observe her.
Will she really let me live?
If she wanted him dead, she'd have done it already. Curiosity stirred.
What—or who—is she?
"What?"
"Mind if I ask... who you are?"
"No need to know."
"Right..."
Silence fell again. Dawn crept in. He'd dozed off briefly; she still sat there, eyes open.
Damn, not a dream. Looks totally human, though. How... Huh?
Something new caught his eye on the table: a red orb. Her gaze was fixed on it.
Curiosity piqued again. "What's that?"
"Regenic's essence. Or Awakening Stone, as you call it."
"The thing that turns people into hunters?"
"Thing? Maybe."
Taemin studied it intently. Could this really make him a hunter?
She alternated glances between the stone and her wound, sighing softly.
"Guess it's no good."
"Huh?"
"Wound's not healing. Should've dodged that god spear at least."
"You should get treatment now..."
"Human."
"No, I mean, I'm just worried..."
As he fumbled, she murmured cryptically.
"Yeah. If I can't have this world, letting humans destroy it isn't so bad. Shame I won't see that bastard's face one last time. But this way, I can still screw him over."
Immediately, steam-like mist filled the room. Her form began to fade.
"Wh-what's happening?"
"Human, don't waste the chance I give you."
"Huh?"
She vanished completely. The mist cleared as if never there. Stunned, Taemin's eyes fell on the remaining stone.
"This... makes hunters?"
He glanced around nervously, though alone. Touch it? What if she reappeared? Report to Hunter HQ? Thoughts swirled, but he shook his head.
"She said it was a chance."
Eyes squeezed shut, he reached out.
A blinding light erupted, accompanied by an unfamiliar woman's voice—the first of its kind he'd ever heard.
The seal contained in Legernik's essence has been released.
The essence's seal is unlocked, beginning the countdown to humanity's end.
You have acquired the first awakening Il-sala-ja class.