Light in the Abyss
The sun had set, and night deepened. His senses sharpened naturally—every tiny sound made his body tense. Wondering if by some miracle he could get a signal, he fiddled with his phone over and over.
The abandoned hunting ground was a no-service zone, so of course there was no connection, but sitting idle felt too desperate.
After trying for a long while, Taejeong shut off the power completely when the battery dropped to one bar.
He settled into the darkest corner of the house and pondered his future.
Can I make it out alive?
He'd asked himself that question dozens of times already. His own survival was one thing, but his real worry lay elsewhere.
His younger sister, left alone without parents.
That thought twisted his gut even more.
Having lost their parents in a childhood accident, he and his sister had lived just the two of them. Despite his young age, he'd shouldered the role of family head.
He didn't care if he starved or wore rags—as long as his sister ate well and dressed properly.
It was a heavy burden of responsibility, but perhaps it was also the sole pillar holding up his life in their harsh circumstances.
She'd turned twenty and become an adult, but to Taejeong, the sister he'd raised from infancy was still someone he had to protect.
No. I can't die yet. Absolutely not.
Lost in such thoughts, Taejeong drifted off to sleep at some point.
How much time passed?
He jolted awake with a twitch, his body jerking as if in a seizure, eyes snapping open.
The silence was so profound it swallowed even sound itself.
He lay there staring blankly into the dark for a while, then sighed in relief once his eyes adjusted.
"Haa. I dozed off for a second."
With his vision somewhat secured, he got up and headed to the bathroom to relieve himself.
As he stood there mindlessly doing his business, an intensely alien energy brushed against his senses.
A massive wave of tension crashed over him, followed by terror rising from the depths.
Fuck. Something's here.
Frozen like a statue for a moment, Taejeong slowly raised his head.
Light?
Thankfully, it wasn't a monster.
A faint light leaked from a crack in the ceiling.
It was so dim that it was barely perceptible in the pitch blackness.
Confirming no monster, he let out a breath of relief and pulled up his pants.
Stepping back a bit, he pondered the source of that light.
There wasn't anything like that before. How could light be in a rundown building like this?
No answers came after much thought, so he approached closer to inspect.
The light seeped from an access panel on a pipe attached to the ceiling.
Big enough for a small monster to squeeze through, if not a large one.
As fresh fear surged and he started to back away—
A stranger's voice echoed from somewhere.
"Here."
"Eup."
So startled he nearly screamed, cold sweat beaded on his skin as his eyes darted wildly.
The mysterious voice spoke to him again.
"Trembling like a dog caught in winter rain—quite the spectacle."
"Y-You... who..."
"I am the avatar of Sirius."
"Sirius... avatar? Th-Then, a monster?"
Taejeong nearly pissed himself for the first time in his life. If he hadn't just gone, he really would have.
It felt like being a moth trapped in a spiderweb, awaiting its doom.
What do I do? Fucked. Totally fucked.
As frantic thoughts raced through his mind, the man's voice returned.
"Foolish. To compare this body to such a lowly creature."
"Pardon?"
"Listen well. Due to restrictions, I cannot give a full introduction, but I have no intent to harm you. So open this access panel right now and retrieve the super yo stone inside."
"Super yo stone?"
"They call it the awakening material here."
"Th-Then there's an Awakening Stone in there?"
"Yes. So hurry and open it."
At the man's words, Taejeong glanced back at the panel. A natural doubt arose.
This isn't a scam, is it?
It was a perfectly reasonable suspicion. Opening it blindly could lead to disaster.
An irritated voice snapped at him.
"Just fuck off then. Better to wait longer than give it to a coward like you. From what I see, you're fated to die young anyway. If so, my lifelong wish goes up in smoke. To land in this stinking hole, blocked by guards—such rotten luck."
Taejeong had no clue what he was rambling about. One thing clear: the guy had wild mood swings and a silver tongue.
Curiosity inevitably sparked. What if it wasn't a monster?
"That's not what I—"
"If you're not opening it, don't talk to me."
"No, but we should at least get to know each other a bit—"
"Hey, you dumb fuck. Just open it—why so much talk? You idiot, do you know how precious this chance is? One you'd never get again even if you died and lived a thousand times."
Now cursing outright. But the exchange eased Taejeong's guard somewhat—it felt oddly familiar.
"Is it good?"
"Of course. The super yo stone inside isn't your run-of-the-mill one. Funny coming from me, but it's a masterpiece of the super universe. With it, ruling the world is child's play."
"If it's that good, why not use it yourself? Why me...?"
"Tsk tsk. Idiot. This bodyis the super yo stone. And you ask that?"
"Ah. Why didn't you say so earlier? Anyway, you said not to talk, but you're kinder than you look."
Sirius's avatar nearly burst a vein at Taejeong's casual remark.
Placed in an uninhabited spot, activated after dormancy, it had seized this once-in-a-lifetime chance, even loosening restrictions to speak.
Missing this human meant unknown eons of waiting.
But humans being humans, suspicion ran deep.
Time left is short...
His impatience burned briefly—then Taejeong spoke, as if decided.
"Alright. I'll trust you once. I'm out of options anyway."
"Wise choice. You'll thank me, bowing a hundred times a day."
"If I survive, sure."
With that, Taejeong boldly lifted the access panel.
A torrent of light flooded out, illuminating the bathroom brilliantly.
There, a small object emitted a vivid glow.
The Awakening Stone.
"It's real..."
As if entranced, Taejeong reached out and grasped it.
The light from the stone surged into him, followed by a notification chime.
You have successfully awakened to the Mechanic class.
"Finally. Nearly lost my creation."
At Sirius's mutter, Taejeong asked blankly,
"So... I'm a hunter now?"
"Something like that."
"Me, a hunter..."
"No time for sentiment. Listen. Your awakened class is incomplete. Structural issues seal most powers. But don't worry—it's strong enough as is."
"I-I'm not following... What's a seal? Structural issues?"
"No time for that. Remember one thing: survive. Grow your power until you reach completion. Then you'll hit the singularity."
"Singularity?"
"Yes. And that moment marks the first step toward my eons-long wish."
"Huh? Eons what? I don't understand a word—tell me more detai..."
"Heed my words. Everything rests in your hands. Everything..."
"Hey? Hey?"
No response came despite his calls. Only silence lingered in the bathroom.
"What the hell..."
The surreal conversation clashed with the returning quiet reality, stirring unease. Had exhaustion made him hallucinate?
As doubts swirled, he murmured,
"Status."
"It's real."
The vivid, translucent status window left no doubt—he'd awakened.
Relief was short-lived. A question popped into his head.
"But... is there a Mechanic class?"
Taejeong tilted his head, rummaging through memories.
A year's porter experience meant he knew every class. They were limited, differing only by rank and level.
But Mechanic? First time hearing it.
"Whatever. Not the time to dwell. Let's check gear first? Inventory!"
He'd seen hunters do it plenty, so he opened his equipment tab right away.
There, a strange yet familiar item appeared.
Touching it brought up its info.
◈ Sealed Speed:[156km/h]
◈ Ammo: 9mm Energy Bullet
◈ Range:[10m]
◈ Base Damage:-120
"What? A... gun?"
Taejeong doubted his eyes. It resembled a gun, but a real one?
The foundational modern firearm. Yet over a century ago, all modern guns vanished.
On the day of the second Monster Outbreak, every military asset humanity boasted evaporated due to some unknown phenomenon.
No one knew why. They simply ceased to exist, as if never there.
But the real catastrophe was regression.
Civilization regressed wholesale—from 3020 to 2020.
Advanced tech gone, humanity devolved. Geniuses worldwide failed to pinpoint the cause.
Desperate, they rebuilt weapons against monsters—but they wouldn't work.
Not even basic rifles, for inexplicable reasons.
Thus, modern firearms faded into history with awakeners' rise, cause unknown—a century past the regression.
And now, a gun?
"Never thought I'd see one for real. Like something from comics. Does it work?"
Taejeong pulled the Beretta56 from inventory and gripped it.
Surprisingly hefty.
A small window appeared in his upper right vision.
[First shot: Rack slide forward/back]
[Skill Lv1 Pistol Energy Bullet Activated]
[Pull trigger]
Click.
"Like this, huh. Skill data."
Having learned loading, Taejeong opened his skill tab.
[Energy Bullet] Lv1
[Pistol] Bullet using mana.
1 shot: 10 MP
*Damage increases with stats.
"Activate."
[Energy Bullet activated.]
[Applied Weapon - Beretta56]
"Oh. Then with this, I too..."