The morning sun spilled through the kitchen window, painting the wooden table in soft gold. Ji-hoon sat in silence, sipping tea as the steam curled upward. His grandparents moved around him with their usual rhythm his grandmother humming softly as she prepared breakfast, his grandfather setting firewood by the porch. For a fleeting moment, it felt like the world was normal again.
But the weight of yesterday's forge work sat heavy in Ji-hoon's chest. Today was the day.
After breakfast, he slipped away to the shed, where the weapons they had worked on still rested on the bench. His eyes fell on the spear first. Even unfinished, it radiated presence. The bone shaft gleamed faintly in the light, polished smooth, its fang tip glinting sharper than any steel. Wrapped in monster hide, the grip felt balanced, alive, as if the weapon was waiting for him.
Ji-hoon picked it up, letting the weight settle in his palm. The moment he grasped it fully, a familiar glow flickered before his eyes.
[Beastbone Spear]Attack: 62Durability: 180/180Effect: +10% Penetration. Bonus damage vs. lesser beasts.
Ji-hoon's lips curved into a faint smile.
Perfect.
He stepped back into the house, the spear slung over his shoulder. His grandparents looked up at once.
His grandfather let out a low whistle. "Well, look at that. Didn't think a boy like you had the hands for this kind of work."
His grandmother frowned, worry flashing across her face. "It looks dangerous. Are you sure you need something like that, Ji-hoon?"
Ji-hoon shrugged, masking the pride that surged within him. "Just a hunting spear. Nothing special."
But only he could see the truth glowing before his eyes—the numbers, the hidden potential, the silent promise of blood.
Breakfast passed in quiet warmth. His grandmother filled their bowls with rice and soup, adding a fried egg to Ji-hoon's plate with the same scolding expression she always used when she thought he wasn't eating enough.
"You're too thin," she muttered, setting down the dish. "What good is a strong weapon if the one holding it looks like a twig?"
His grandfather chuckled. "He looks fine. Besides, a spear's not about strength. It's about precision. Boy's got steady hands better than mine these days."
Ji-hoon ate silently, though a smile tugged at his lips. Their bickering was comforting, grounding. A reminder of what he was fighting for.
After the meal, his grandfather suggested a trip to the city market. "We need salt and oil, and your grandmother's been complaining about her herbs running low."
Ji-hoon froze for half a second. The city.
In his old timeline, the second gate had opened there violent, merciless, swallowing the streets in fire and blood. This was the moment everything changed.
But his grandparents didn't know that. To them, it was just another errand.
"I'll come with you," Ji-hoon said immediately.
His grandmother raised an eyebrow. "Since when do you care about shopping?"
"Since now," Ji-hoon replied firmly. "I need to… see something."
His grandfather only nodded, eyes thoughtful.
The city was alive with the bustle of midday. Vendors shouted over one another, hawking grilled skewers and cheap trinkets. Families wandered the market square, children tugging at sleeves for sweets. The scent of fried dough and roasted chestnuts filled the air.
Too normal. Too bright.
Ji-hoon's every muscle was tense, waiting.
They bought salt, oil, herbs, a bundle of dried fish. His grandmother laughed as she haggled with a stubborn vendor. His grandfather grumbled about the price of sesame oil.
And then the air changed.
The sky cracked.
A jagged rift of violet light split open above the industrial district, pulsing with unnatural energy. Wind whipped through the streets, scattering papers, overturning stalls. The ground trembled as civilians screamed and pointed upward.
Ji-hoon's blood ran cold. He knew this scene too well.
The second gate.
But this time, something was different.
The gate didn't stabilize.
It collapsed.
With a sound like shattering glass, the rift exploded outward, spewing a tide of creatures into the streets.
Goblins.
Dozens. Then hundreds.
Small, green-skinned humanoids with jagged teeth and crude weapons poured out in a frenzy. They shrieked, charging at civilians, slashing with rusted blades, setting fire to market stalls with torches.
Chaos erupted instantly.
People ran in every direction. Cars crashed as drivers swerved to avoid the monsters. Children screamed, clinging to their parents.
The first dungeon break of the new timeline had begun.
As the goblins poured into the streets, something else happened.
A shimmer of blue light appeared before every civilian's eyes. Holographic screens materialized out of thin air, forcing themselves into vision.
[Kronos System Initiated]Welcome, User.Current Level: 1Starting Stats Assigned.
Panic erupted.
"What is this?!""Get it off my eyes!""It's… it's like a game… is this a prank?!"
Ji-hoon's own interface remained silent. No blue light. No Kronos. His system was older, darker, something far beyond this mass awakening. He could see the difference instantly where Kronos screens were crisp and uniform, his Oblivion interface pulsed with ancient weight.
All around him, people gasped as skills manifested in their hands sparks of fire, conjured daggers, shields of light. But they were weak, clumsy, untrained.
One young man laughed hysterically as a wooden sword materialized in his grip. "I knew it! I knew I was special " His words cut off as a goblin slammed into him, ripping out his throat before the sword even moved.
Ji-hoon's jaw tightened. Pathetic. This is how it began last time. A massacre disguised as awakening.
He turned to his grandparents. "Hide. Don't come out until I say."
His grandfather stared at him, fear in his eyes. "Ji-hoon "
"Trust me."
Without another word, Ji-hoon stepped forward, spear in hand.
The first goblin lunged at him, shrieking, its crude axe raised high. Ji-hoon didn't hesitate.
The Beastbone Spear flashed forward. The fang tip pierced the goblin's chest, sliding through bone and flesh as if they were paper. The creature convulsed, blood spraying across the cracked pavement, before collapsing lifelessly.
[+45 EXP][2x Bonus Applied: +90 EXP][Total: 135 EXP]
The system chimed softly in his ears, but Ji-hoon barely registered it. Another goblin was already upon him.
He pivoted, spear sweeping sideways. The sharp edge tore through its throat, dropping it instantly.
Around him, the street was chaos. Civilians screamed as goblins dragged them down, tearing into flesh with jagged teeth. A few newly awakened Kronos users tried to fight throwing sparks of fire, swinging clumsy swords but most were cut down before they could land a blow.
Ji-hoon moved like a shadow among them. Spear thrust. Step back. Spear sweep. Pivot. Strike.
Every movement was efficient, deliberate, merciless.
And the spear… it was alive in his hands. The +10% penetration wasn't just numbers it was real. Each thrust slid deeper, each kill faster, as if the weapon sought out the weakest points of his enemies.
But still, there were too many.
A dozen goblins circled him, snarling, weapons raised.
Ji-hoon exhaled slowly.
"Fine."
[Title Ability: Bloodlust Surge Activated]Weaker enemies overwhelmed with killing intent.Stat Boost: +50% when facing stronger foes.
The goblins shrieked, their eyes glowing red as rage overtook them. They charged recklessly, screaming in frenzy.
Ji-hoon braced, his body surging with power as the boost took hold. His muscles burned with new strength, his vision sharpened, his breath steadied.
The first goblin leapt. Ji-hoon drove the spear straight through its chest, ripping it free in a single fluid motion. He spun, slashing another across the throat, then kicked a third into the side of a burning cart.
Blood sprayed across the street as goblins fell one after another. Ji-hoon was a whirlwind, his spear striking like lightning, Grudge appearing in his other hand to finish off those the spear couldn't reach.
Within minutes, the pavement was slick with blood and bodies.
But the gate still pulsed.
And something larger stepped through.
The ground trembled as a hulking figure emerged from the collapsing rift.
Three meters tall, its muscles knotted under sickly green skin, the Goblin Chieftain towered over its kin. Its jagged teeth gleamed as it roared, brandishing a massive iron club.
The remaining goblins cheered, rallying behind their leader. Civilians screamed, soldiers stumbled back, and the newly awakened froze in terror.
Ji-hoon planted the spear into the cracked concrete, his breath steady.
His eyes narrowed.
"So it begins."
The Goblin Chieftain roared and charged