Shadows Awaken in the Goblin Den
Eugene stared down at the card resting in his palm inside the irregular district. [Name: Eugene][Rank: F][Class: Summoner] A nagging unease tugged at a corner of his mind. He'd unintentionally played the role of a troublesome customer, after all.
Public servants have it rough. He hadn't meant to threaten them on purpose. Fortunately, he'd avoided the disaster of being reported to the Association and made it through unscathed. But the fact that he'd exuded such lethal killing intent and still ended up F-rank must have baffled them. The looks of shock on the faces of the measurer and staff lingered in his memory even as he left the testing room.
The rank is based on mana quantity. From S to F, it was purely divided by the amount of mana in one's body. A person's class traits were then factored in to determine the final rank. So, that's how he ended up F.
Name:Eugene
Rank:F
Class:Summoner
This world had no game-like status windows. Awakeners grew their power solely by absorbing mana stones from gates. By those standards, he was quite the outlier. He didn't need to chase mana stones like everyone else.
Eugene shoved the card into his pocket with a bitter expression. The process had been a mess, but he'd gotten the result he wanted. He'd never sought flashy fame anyway. All he needed was legal entry to the gates—this one card granting him passage.
With this, he could now step into gates with his head held high. Eugene pulled out his phone and opened the Awakener-exclusive app the staff had guided him to install moments ago. The screen lit up, showing his current location on the map. Nearby gates appeared with detailed info like ranks and positions.
Not all gates were objects of terror. High-rank ones posing immediate threats to humanity were tackled by Association and guild expedition teams. But lower ranks brought massive benefits as resource troves. Most below A-rank fell into this category. Rather than state control, guilds and individual Awakeners treated them like gold mines for mana stones and byproducts.
First place to check out... Eugene scrolled the map, scouting a suitable spot. His eyes landed on an F-rank gate near a local park. It was basically an entry-level course for fresh pro Awakeners. Managed and opened directly by the Association, entry was instant with just the card. Low risk, but less competition—that appealed to him.
Goblins...? The gate info listed goblins, the poster children of low-tier beasts. Without hesitation, Eugene set it as his destination. Even goblin mana stones would fetch far more than the piecemeal wages from his odd jobs. He quickly searched the internet for current prices.
F-rank stones went for 100,000 won each. With 15 million won in overdue bills... A few days of grinding could cover Sua's hospital fees.
◈ Price:₩100,000 each
The gate entrance in one corner of the park—a swirling blue vortex—was far busier than expected. From those decked out in flashy gear to greenhorns like him fresh off licensing, dozens of Awakeners buzzed with energy.
"Tank wanted! For deep into the goblin forest!"
"Any healers? Generous pay!"
Calls for party members echoed like a marketplace. Burly men with massive axes slung over shoulders eyed newbies while smoking; others nearby pored over maps, plotting routes. Seeing in person what he'd only watched on videos or screens felt surreal.
Weaving through the crowd, Eugene moved quietly. Better to solo and keep all the stones than split with a party. Crowds were a hassle anyway. Plus, he'd heard Summoners weren't welcome in Awakener circles. Community forums were flooded with posts mocking their incompetence. Begging to join would just get him rejected. Easier to go alone.
The Association guard at the entrance impassively scanned Eugene's card.
"F-rank Summoner Eugene, entry confirmed. Solo?"
"Yeah."
"Summoners burn mana fast early on—be careful. Good luck."
Brushing off the perfunctory well-wishes, Eugene plunged into the rippling blue light. Twisted dead trees filled his surroundings. Then—a guttural beastly howl echoed from somewhere.
Eugene instinctively crouched. Rustle. Something burst from the bushes: green-skinned goblin with a crude dagger. Spotting him, it bared yellow fangs in a metallic screech.
"Kieeeek!"
Not alone—two more appeared, encircling him, poised to charge. His first real fight, sort of. Cold sweat trickled down his back, but his mind steadied.
After facing Aria, who dwarfs these a thousandfold... This is nothing.
Eugene focused calmly on the shadow at his feet. It writhed like a living thing.
"Come out."
The shadow surged like a wave at his command. Inky black hands erupted from the viscous darkness.
"Take them all out."
The shadows launched, black afterimages slicing the air. No time for goblin screams. Shadow hands pierced throats precisely. Dagger-wielding arms dropped limply; green blood sprayed.
In a blink, it was over. Three goblin corpses lay as mangled meat piles. Eugene watched with a grimace. As Aria said, barely any mana drain. Performance? Overwhelming. If an F-rank Summoner could call these, the world would've flipped long ago.
Just three goblins, and already a level up. Staring skeptically at the air, his status window unfolded before him.
Skills: None
Numerically, just 1 to 2—a tiny shift. But he felt the subtle changes inside: lighter body, clearer mana flow.
All stats up. In the original game Dungeon Maker, levels let you pick one stat to raise. Here, everything rose at once. The system must've warped upon becoming real. Cheat-like, but hey—not complaining.
Eugene's gaze dropped. Faintly glowing mana stones lay where the goblins fell. He scooped them up.
100,000 won each. Three made 300,000. Laughable compared to foraging herbs for his life or slaving through all-night loading gigs.
Pocketing them, he peered deeper into the forest. The shadow servants melted silently at his feet, shadows rippling like they craved praise.
"Let's keep going."
He stepped forward without pause. Fresh level 2, body in peak condition. Unpleasant goblin howls echoed anew, but no tension this time. To him, they just sounded like stacking mana stones—and Sua's hospital bills.
"Gaaah! S-save me!"
A desperate scream ricocheted off cave walls. Crunch. Bone-shattering, flesh-rending sounds shattered the silence. The man's upper body soared in an instant as the beast ripped off his head, devouring it like ripe fruit.
"Not enough... This isn't enough. I need better prey."
On the blood-soaked floor, another man—still alive, one leg gone—trembled against the wall, mumbling deliriously.
"H-how..."
The beast paused at his wail, licking blood from its lips with a chilling whisper.
"Kuhahaha! The great lord has awakened. Fear... and fear more."
Its mouth twisted in mockery—an arrogant predator's grin. The man's eyes convulsed in despair. At the end of his gaze loomed an aberration beyond human reason: clad in massive jet-black armor, but filled with formless black mist. Blue glows from the helmet slits froze souls with terror.
As it approached again, the phone in the man's hand glitched.
Awakener Association Seoul HQ.
"Report! Anomaly detected in Incheon Sector 04, F-rank Goblin Den gate!"
Red warning lights flashed on the situation room's main screen. Choi Cheolseung rushed over, coffee in hand forgotten.
"What the hell? Warning on an F-rank?!"
"Mana density inside spiked explosively just now. App rank forcibly updated: Unconfirmed, estimated minimum D-rank!"
Choi Cheolseung's face hardened. This wasn't just high mana—ranks changing in real-time meant the gate was alive, growing.
Irregular... A growing beast.
His hand trembled on the desk. Memories of the Blood Crescent incident five years ago—tens of thousands dead—flashed by. Started as a low-rank gate, but the Irregular flipped it. Absorbing life force, it ballooned, erasing a city. Final disaster rank: S+. A god's calamity humans couldn't resist.
"President! 32 Awakeners inside—all contact lost."
"Damn, too late."
He bit his lip. D-estimate or not, growth-type Irregulars had no predictable end. Even now, it was devouring souls of those who'd entered, swelling.
Must resolve fast...
"Mobilize all B-rank+ nearby! Request emergency support from the four major guilds. This isn't simple mutation—could be the second Blood Crescent!"
Head already pounding from the Black Abyss issue, now this. Something was off. The world had churned since the Abyss cleared.