The world didn't end with fire or ice.It ended with hunger.
When the Dungeons appeared fifty years ago, people called it "The Age of Awakening."Magic was reborn. Monsters spilled into the cities.And from the chaos rose Awakeners — humans blessed with power drawn from the mana storms.
Fire burned through monsters.Wind sliced through stone.Light healed the wounded.And for a time, humanity believed it could rebuild.
They built walls, guilds, and systems — all to survive the endless waves from the gates.But what no one could fight… was hunger.
The soil had long since turned to dust.Rain was poison.And even monster meat, no matter how you cooked it, tasted like burnt rubber and despair.
In this world, it was easier to make a fortune than to make dinner.
Cores became currency.Rations became relics.And meals — real, hot, human meals — became something only the powerful could afford.
Meanwhile…
In the southern ruins of Seoul, a man kicked a pile of debris and cursed softly."Still nothing. Fantastic."
Choi Jaehyun.Scavenger. Jobless. Certified specialist in "Finding Trash and Complaining About It."He had survived the last decade by being just unimportant enough to ignore and just lucky enough not to die.
His friends awakened as warriors, healers, and mages.Jaehyun awakened as... unemployed.
Until today.
A faint pulse stirred in his chest — a warmth that spread through his veins like sunlight under the skin.He froze.The air shimmered faintly around him, motes of light gathering, forming a soft hue that wasn't red or blue or white.
It was green.
"...You've got to be kidding me," Jaehyun muttered. "Did I just awaken as... a salad?"
The aura flickered brighter, brushing against the dead soil beneath his boots.And then — impossibly — a single sprout pushed through the cracks of the pavement.
Jaehyun was only staring at what's happening in front of him.The sprout wobbled.He blinked."...No way."
The little leaf shimmered once — then wilted instantly.
"Figures," he sighed. "Even my power gives up halfway."
By the time the city's scanners picked up the anomaly, it was too late.The Council of Awakeners had already taken notice.And the rumor spread like wildfire through every guild, black market, and raider camp:
"A man with a green aura has appeared — one that can bring life back to dead land."
Some called him a miracle.Some called him a myth.And others, the most dangerous of all, called him a resource.
Elsewhere, in the Council Chamber…
"Green?" scoffed one elder, slamming his hand on the table. "That type doesn't exist."
"Not until now," replied another grimly. "If it's true… he could grow food. Real food."
"Or attract every monster within a hundred kilometers," muttered a third.
The room fell silent.Then, slowly, a smile crept across the High Councilor's face.
"Find him."
Back in the ruins, Jaehyun lay flat on the cracked pavement, staring at the faintly glowing tips of his fingers.
"Great. I'm poor, hungry, and glowing like a houseplant.""Just what I needed — the world's least intimidating superpower."
He sighed, eyes half-lidded.Maybe he could sell this power? Rent it out by the hour?"Ten coins per sprout. No refunds if it dies."
He didn't know it yet, but that sarcastic thought would soon make him the most wanted man in the world.
Because in a dying world, even a single green leaf was worth killing for.