Mage Awakening — Prologue
Kang Hanseong has been a shut-in for ten years.
The reason he became confined to his room was that, when he was around seventeen, he was injured while saving a child who was about to be hit by a truck, leaving him diagnosed with paralysis of the lower half of his body.
Hanseong was devastated. He became pessimistic about life and shut himself away in his room. After reaching adulthood, he began living alone in a studio apartment near his family home.
Hanseong had spent years at the bottom of despair.
Then, by chance, he discovered that he had a talent.
Drawing.
More precisely, drawing webtoons.
After making his official debut as an artist, Hanseong was able to earn a living through his creative work. As a result, he regained the confidence and will to live that he had once lost.
“Phewww.”
Standing before the firmly closed front door.
Hanseong took deep breaths over and over.
For the past ten years, that door had only been opened and closed to receive packages or delivery food. Hanseong repeatedly reached for the doorknob, only to let go.
There was only one reason.
He was going to put an end to his long life of seclusion and step out into the world.
“…Okay.”
After quite some time had passed.
Having finally made up his mind, Hanseong firmly grasped the doorknob. He pushed the door open and was just about to go outside when—
-This, this is breaking news!
The urgent voice stopped him in his tracks.
On the TV screen, the news anchor continued speaking in a trembling voice, her face drained of color.
-Currently, strange phenomena are being reported all across the world! It has been confirmed that people are turning into monsters and attacking others!
Monsters? All of a sudden?
It was an incomprehensible report. Hanseong stopped where he was and tilted his head in confusion.
-We are currently at the scene to provide more details… Aah!
Suddenly, someone burst in and bit into the face of the news anchor who had been delivering the report.
The news ended with the sight of flesh being torn away and blood splattering everywhere, and Hanseong, who had witnessed the scene live, stared blankly at the screen.
“W-What the hell?”
A hidden-camera prank? Or some kind of movie promotion?
There was no way.
Until just moments ago, it had clearly been a news channel.
Hanseong stopped himself from going outside for the moment, turned his wheelchair around, and headed toward his computer.
It was the one place where he, a shut-in, could communicate with the outside world.
He connected to the internet to find out more about the news he had just seen.
The results were shocking.
“What the hell is going on…!”
A subway station covered in blood.
People fleeing from something.
Videos of perfectly normal people suddenly transforming into monsters, and so on.
The information he had just seen on the breaking news was being played out in reality.
Then he noticed a particularly striking comment.
-Isn't this basically a zombie outbreak?
Zombies.
It was an opinion that fit the current situation perfectly.
After all, the creature that had attacked the news anchor during the breaking news broadcast had also looked similar to a zombie.
As he stared blankly at the screen—
“Aaaah! G-Go away!”
“Aaaah!”
A commotion erupted in the hallway.
The sound of heavy footsteps and screams.
Feeling as though his heart had dropped, Hanseong stared at the screen that showed the view of the hallway.
“Gasp!”
A moment later, he was horrified.
The hallway of the peaceful officetel was covered in blood.
On top of that, a large group of people had gathered around someone who had fallen and were tearing into them.
What the hell was happening?
Just as his mind was becoming overwhelmed with confusion, a phenomenon just as bewildering as the current situation occurred.
[Congratulations.]
[You have been chosen.]
A translucent messenger appeared before his eyes.
Someone existing beyond it had sent Hanseong a congratulatory message. Before he could even comprehend the sudden situation—
Another message arrived.
[Analysis of the entity's information has been completed.]
[A new qualification has been granted.]
[Check it immediately.]
[Command: Status]
“Status?”
The moment he muttered the word without realizing it—
Something appeared before Hanseong.
─────
[Name]: Kang Hanseong
[Level]: 1
[Class]: Remote Support Mage
[Mana]: 100/100
[Tier]: 1st Tier
─────
It was a message summarizing Hanseong's information, just like in a game. Aside from his name, every piece of information was completely unfamiliar to him.
Hanseong muttered blankly.
“…What is this?”
Kang Hanseong, a ten-year shut-in.
He had just become a mage.