CHAPTER 2
All over South Korea, the world had gone mad.
In the aftermath of the Lightfall, something impossible happened. Something that defied every law of nature. Every living creature that once roamed beside humans… changed. Dogs, cats, birds and even livestock. Anything with a heartbeat began to twist, to grow and to snarl. Their bodies swelled grotesquely, veins pulsing under thickened hides and eyes turning a furious red as if possessed by some ancient rage.
And so, the first to die were not soldiers.
Not the strong, nor the reckless.
It was the families who once lived with love in their homes—
those who owned pets.
Neighbors who had once smiled at the sound of barking dogs now screamed as those same pets tore through their doors. Cats that used to curl around their owners' legs turned feral, sinking claws into the very hands that had fed them. Hamsters, birds and rabbits, every creature warped into a predator and no one was spared.
The peaceful country that once thrived under the calm of morning now drowned in horror.
In Seoul, flames devoured buildings one by one. Families trapped in apartments were slaughtered by their own household pets as their cries mixed with the collapsing wails of sirens. The Han River overflowed while carrying bodies and debris downstream while gigantic birds that's larger than trucks circled the skies with their dizzying shrieks breaking windows and shattering eardrums.
To the west, Incheon burned.
The airport that was once bustling with travelers was now a fiery grave. Enormous fish-like creatures emerged from the dark waters with their jaws snapping open to devour boats whole.
Busan, the proud port city, had become a nightmare. Sea monsters rose from the deep while capsizing ships like toys. The harbor was littered with torn steel and flesh, and the cries of survivors echoed across the ruined docks.
In Daegu, the once quiet industrial city, wolves with fur as black as tar leapt from the forests hunting anything that moved.
The air was thick with smoke and fear.
Even the distant Gangwon-do mountains that's famous for their serenity became a battlefield. Deer and boars mutated into hulking beasts, crashing through villages as the earth trembled under their weight.
In Daejeon, the science capital, chaos had another face. Laboratories exploded, containment alarms wailed endlessly and strange shapes crawled out from the burning ruins as creatures that were once test animals are now something far worse.
Across Gyeonggi-do, suburban homes turned to ashes.
Parents held their children tight while whispering desperate prayers but the screams never stopped. Roads were filled with blood and fire. Cars collided and burned while people fled in every direction not knowing that there was nowhere left to run.
In the southern provinces of Jeollanam-do and Jeollabuk-do, farmlands were consumed by madness. Cows crushed barns as they grew to monstrous size, chickens shredded through fences with claws like knives and pigs charged through villages while devouring everything.
Families who had lived peacefully for generations were erased in a single morning.
Even Jeju Island, once a paradise of calm seas and windmills, fell into ruin. The waves surged as sea serpents coiled around the cliffs and Hallasan roared as though the mountain itself had awakened. Tourists who sought escape found only death waiting by the shore.
From the highest city tower to the smallest fishing boat, the world screamed.
The sky bled with red light.
And humanity realized that it wasn't the end of civilization.
It was the beginning of something new.
Something cruel.
Somewhere amid the burning wreckage of Yangpyeong, a boy named Han Raon, seventeen years old, stood trembling. The only thing that kept him moving was the thought of survival. His hands were still shaking from burying what was left of his family with a strange, glowing screen appeared before him.
[System Activation Detected.]
User Identification: Han Raon
Age: 17
Verifying physical and mental condition...
Status: Alive (Critical Condition)
Mana Level: 2 / 100
Synchronization Successful.
[Congratulations on Awakening.]
Skill Ability: Tamer
Level: F
Requirements to unlock benefits: Survive the wave of monsters for the next 12 hours.
Before Raon could process the strange blue screen floating before him, a deep, echoing thud shook the ground.
The air grew heavy when a dark shadow fell over him. When he looked up, his heart nearly stopped.
It's a gigantic crow that's black as midnight and easily larger than a van that descended from the sky and landed on the roof of their house. The impact splintered the wood beneath its talons, shaking the walls. Its feathers weren't soft anymore. They were rough and metallic while gleaming faintly under the pale light like sharpened blades.
Raon barely had time to breathe before the creature unfurled its massive wings. With a violent sweep, it beat them once and the resulting gust sent a wave of wind so strong that he had to shield his face while stumbling backward as debris and dirt exploded around him.
"SKRAAAAH!"
The crow's cry tore through the air like thunder. It wasn't just a sound, it was a vibration. A painful shriek that made Raon's ears ring and his chest ache. The monster's red eyes glowed like burning coals as it fixed its gaze on him with blood dripping from its hooked beak and every breath it took came out in a guttural growl.
Then, with a violent flap, the crow lunged so hard that he barely managed to dive into the house, slamming the door shut just as the beak crashed against the wooden frame.
But still, the impact shook the entire structure.
Wood cracked and the glass shattered. Dust also rained from the ceiling as the monster screeched again, angrier this time furious that its prey had slipped away.
And it wasn't giving up.
Its claws pierced through the wallboards, scraping across the floor while leaving deep, splintering marks. It pecked through the roof with its monstrous beak stabbing again and again, each strike louder and closer.
Raon's home, the only remnant of his family, was being torn apart piece by piece.
Fear clawed at his chest but he forced himself to move as his father's and sister's voice echoed in his head telling him to always be ready and always survive.
He then grabbed the old emergency bag his dad had packed for his school trip and shoved everything useful inside like a flashlight, canned goods, a small first-aid kit, his phone, spare batteries and a change of clothes.
His hands shook so badly that the cans rattled against each other but he didn't stop.
Outside, the crow screamed again with a sound that didn't belong in this world.
It forced its massive head through a hole in the roof, snapping its beak that made dust falling in clouds around him. The house also groaned and cracked beneath the weight of the creature trying to squeeze through.
Raon stumbled, clutching his bag with his heart racing.
Through the chaos, one thought burned in his mind.
This thing… isn't just a bird anymore.
Its red eyes searched the house with palpable hunger. Its feathers even scattered like knives as it slammed against the walls again, relentless and savage.
It wasn't hunting for food.
It was hunting out of pure madness.
And Raon realized then, what had fallen from the sky wasn't just light.
It was the beginning of the end.
Minutes passed and the only thing Raon could hear was his own heartbeat pounding in his ears. The monstrous crow that had been tearing the house apart just moments ago had gone silent and he could no longer hear its shrieks and scraping claws.
Only the sound of creaking wood and the faint hiss of wind through the shattered roof remained.
He didn't know whether it had left… or was waiting.
Swallowing hard, Raon looked down at his trembling hands. They were covered in dust and dried blood of his father and sister. Still, he reached for the gun that he got a while ago, the same one his father had used to protect him when Ppoppo was about to attack him.
"I need to survive…" he whispered, gripping it tight even as his fingers refused to steady.
Just as he was about to step outside, a voice called out from beyond the ruined doorway.
"Raon? Are you there?"