My name is Haruki Enrai. I'm twenty years old. An orphan.
I lost both my parents when I was just ten. They died during a dungeon break—one of those horrifying events where rifts tear open the fabric of reality, allowing nightmares to pour into our world. These breaks don't happen randomly. They target strategic points, crowded cities, public plazas, and busy schools.
Ours happened downtown. Rush hour. Hundreds of people caught in the wrong place at the worst possible moment.
That was the day my childhood ended.
After the funeral, there was silence. Too much silence. No "welcome home," no warm dinners, no quiet humming of a lullaby in the background, no arms to run into. Just cold rooms that smelled faintly of bleach, the stale air of the orphanage, and the constant buzzing of fluorescent lights that made my head ache.
But beneath that emptiness, something ignited.
I would become a player.
Not just any player. The kind who dives into dungeons and slaughters the very creatures that stole everything from me. The kind who takes on raids alone if needed. The kind who never turns his back, never flees, and never hesitates. The kind who protects the weak, because no one had been there to protect me.
For the past ten years, my purpose has been singular: vengeance.
And I prepared well.
I drowned myself in study, ten years of relentless theory. Dungeon architecture, mana manipulation techniques, monster classification, system command sequences, and elemental alignment strategies. I studied until my eyes burned and my hands cramped from note-taking. But knowledge alone doesn't win battles.
Today would prove whether the years of sleepless nights, calloused hands, and aching muscles had been worth it.
Because today… was Evaluation Day.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
My alarm screamed like a banshee in heat. I jolted upright, chest tight, heart pounding.
"Shit! I'm going to be late!"
The blanket tangled around my legs as I scrambled out of bed. My bare feet hit the cold wooden floor with a dull thud.
No time to think, only move.
I rushed through a shower. Clothes thrown on in record time. One glance at the mirror—messy hair, deep shadows under my eyes, and the taut expression of a man who had been training for this day his entire life.
I didn't care.
I stumbled into the kitchenette, shoving two slices of bread into the toaster while cracking eggs into a sizzling pan. The smell of frying eggs filled the small apartment—greasy, familiar, and comforting in a way I didn't have time to appreciate.
The toaster popped. I didn't wait for perfection, just slapped the eggs between the toast, and took a vicious bite.
I was already locking the door behind me.
The school grounds blurred past as I jogged, the chatter and footsteps of other students blending into a tense symphony. I brushed shoulders with classmates, each of them wearing the same expression, a mix of dread and desperate hope.
Because today wasn't just another test. It was the test. The moment that would decide where you stood in society for the rest of your life.
The Evaluation determined your Class Rank, your one and only chance to awaken your Player System. No retries. No second chances.
The grand double doors of the Evaluation Hall loomed ahead like the gates to another world. Ornate patterns were etched into the polished wood, runes faintly glowing as if judging those who dared to pass.
I stopped. My hand hovered over the cold brass handle, fingers trembling for just a heartbeat. Then I pushed them open.
The hall was massive. Rows of students filled every corner, murmuring under the light of bright, floating spheres, the Evaluation Orbs. They hovered like silent sentinels, each the size of a basketball, shimmering faintly with contained mana. A sprawling mana array, carved into the marble floor in silver etchings, glowed faintly underfoot.
At the center of it all stood a man whose very presence weighed on the air.
He was tall and lean, with silver-rimmed glasses perched perfectly on the bridge of his nose. His white cloak bore the insignia of a healer, a cross intertwined with a swirling mana emblem. Behind him, a crystal staff floated effortlessly, humming with a steady pulse of pale green light.
"That's the evaluator," someone whispered behind me. "B-Rank Healer and Analyst. Former dungeon raider."
No wonder the air felt heavy.
"All Class C students," his voice rang out, deep and commanding, "step forward for evaluation."
The line moved.
I didn't.
My legs wouldn't obey. Not from fear, not from hesitation; it was like every muscle in my body had locked in place under the crushing pressure of the moment.
Move, damn it.
Cold sweat trickled down my back. My nails dug into my palms, the sharp sting jolting me back into control.
You trained for ten years for this moment. Move.
One step.
Another.
And then I was there, standing with the rest of my class before the glowing orb.
The evaluation began.
One by one, students placed their palms against the orb.
One by one, the colors bloomed.
Soft blue —C Rank.
Deep red—B Rank.
Vibrant violet—A Rank.
Then, a golden flare.
"S-Rank!" someone gasped.
"He awakened an S-Rank Class?!"
"No way… that's impossible."
S Ranks were rare. The last recorded S-Rank awakening here was almost a decade ago.
Even after years of preparation, I didn't dare hope for that.
Just don't be E-rank, I thought. Anything but that. I wanted B-rank, not for fame, not for wealth, but for revenge. To protect the weak. To have the strength I'd been chasing for ten years.
Finally… my turn.
I stepped forward.
The orb hovered, silent and still. My hand hovered above it for a second, the cool air prickling my skin, before I pressed my palm against its smooth surface.
A jolt shot up my arm.
The orb pulsed once.
White.
Not just white, but blinding, searing white. As if the sun had been condensed into a single, merciless point of light.
The room fell utterly silent.
Gasps broke the air. Someone stumbled back. Even the evaluator stepped closer, adjusting his glasses.
"What… is that?"
The orb shook violently. The floor's runes blazed.
And then
BOOOOM!
A blast of pure white light tore through the hall, swallowing everything.
And in an instant
Everyone,
Everything,
Vanished.