The sky cracked open at exactly 9:17 a.m.
People did not notice it at first.
It looked like nothing.
Just air shaking.
Like heat waves on a hot road.
Cars were stopping in the middle of the street.
People were shouting.
Phones fell from hands.
Then the sound came.
A deep sound.
Like metal screaming.
The sky split open above Seoul.
Not lightning.
Not clouds.
It was a black line.
Big.
Wide.
And then it broke.
A hole opened in the sky.
Something fell.
No.
Many things fell.
Buildings exploded.
Glass shattered everywhere.
People ran.
People screamed.
Monsters came out of the hole.
Big ones.
Small ones.
Things with too many eyes.
Things with sharp teeth.
They landed on roads.
On rooftops.
Inside shopping malls.
The first Dungeon Break had started.
The news later called it The First Disaster.
But at that moment, nobody knew what a dungeon was.
All they knew was that the world was ending.
A bus crashed into a streetlight.
A woman was crying on the ground, holding her child.
A man tried to pull her up, but a monster jumped on him.
Blood sprayed.
Screams filled the air.
Police shot their guns.
The bullets did nothing.
The monster roared and crushed the police car with one hand.
People lost hope in seconds.
Then something strange happened.
A young man stood in the middle of the street.
He was shaking.
His hands were shaking.
But his eyes were glowing blue.
Light burst from his body.
A sword formed in his hand.
Everyone stared.
Even the monsters stopped for a second.
The young man screamed and swung the sword.
The monster's head flew off.
Silence followed.
Then chaos again.
More people started glowing.
Fire.
Lightning.
Shields.
Healing light.
They appeared all over the city.
They fought back.
Later, the world would call them Awakened.
Years passed after that day.
Dungeons appeared all over the world.
South Korea.
America.
China.
Europe.
Everywhere.
People died.
Cities fell.
But humans adapted.
They always do.
Hunters were formed.
Associations were made.
Ranks were created.
F to SS.
Strong people became heroes.
Weak people stayed weak.
Money moved.
Power moved.
The world changed.
Now, it was 2018.
The sky no longer cracked every day.
Dungeon breaks were controlled.
Hunters entered gates before monsters came out.
People lived normal lives again.
Kind of.
And today…
Today was another gate day.
The gate appeared in Gangnam.
Rank C dungeon.
Not too dangerous.
At least, that's what the scanner said.
A small crowd gathered behind the safety line.
Cameras were filming.
Hunters were walking in.
Guild symbols on their jackets.
One guild stood out.
Big logo.
Silver moon with black smoke.
They were strong.
They were confident.
"Alright, move back. Dungeon entry starting."
A man shouted through a speaker.
Hunters lined up.
The gate swirled like dark water.
Cold air leaked out.
The ground shook a little.
Normal.
Very normal.
Too normal.
Inside the dungeon…
Something watched.
Deep inside.
In a place no human had ever reached.
The dungeon core was shaking.
Cracks ran through it.
Red light leaked out.
It was not supposed to happen.
This dungeon was wrong.
Hunters entered.
Five of them.
Swords.
Guns.
Magic.
They moved fast.
Too fast.
They didn't notice the change.
The first monster died easily.
The second too.
They laughed.
"Easy money."
That's when the dungeon screamed.
The walls shook.
The floor collapsed.
Darkness swallowed them.
Outside, the gate changed color.
From blue.
To red.
People screamed.
"Emergency! Dungeon break risk!"
Hunters ran.
Associations called backup.
But it was already too late.
The gate exploded.
Monsters poured out.
Not C-rank monsters.
Something else.
Something stronger.
A shadow fell over the street.
A massive figure stepped out.
Tall.
Black armor.
No face.
Its presence crushed the air.
People dropped to their knees.
They couldn't breathe.
"This is not possible…"
An SS-rank hunter whispered.
His hands were shaking.
Fear filled his eyes.
The monster raised its hand.
The city screamed.
And then…
Everything stopped.
Time froze.
Not slowly.
Instantly.
Dust hung in the air.
Monsters stopped moving.
Fire froze mid-burn.
People were locked in place.
Only one thing moved.
A man.
He stood above the city.
Floating.
His body was broken.
One arm missing.
Blood flowing backward into the air.
His eyes were tired.
Old.
Ancient.
"This again…"
His voice was weak.
But heavy.
Like it carried the weight of the world.
He looked at the frozen monster.
His eyes showed sadness.
"I failed."
The world around him was destroyed.
Cities gone.
Oceans burned.
Sky broken.
This was not the first time.
This was the end.
Again.
He remembered everything.
The hope.
The fights.
The sacrifices.
All useless.
Humanity still fell.
He was the last one.
The last mage.
The last human.
His name was forgotten by time.
But once, he was called the World Mage.
He reached out with his remaining hand.
Magic circles formed.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
They overlapped.
They burned.
"I gave them power."
His voice cracked.
"I gave them time."
"I gave them hope."
He coughed blood.
"I even gave them a system."
The air shook.
A massive structure appeared behind him.
Not physical.
Not magic.
Something else.
A System.
"But humans are human."
"They make the same mistakes."
He laughed.
A broken laugh.
"So I will do it again."
His eyes glowed gold.
He pushed everything he had left.
His life.
His soul.
His existence.
"System."
"Final command."
The system responded.
A cold voice.
[Command acknowledged.]
"Return."
Space shattered.
Time reversed.
The world screamed silently.
The mage felt himself fading.
His body turned to light.
"Find him…"
"Help him…"
"Do not fail again…"
[Target set.]
[Past coordinates locked.]
[Authority sealed.]
Darkness took him.
2018. South Korea.
A boy lay on his bed.
Sunlight hit his face.
He groaned.
"Ah… morning…"
His phone buzzed.
18 missed messages.
He sat up slowly.
His room was small.
Messy.
Posters on the wall.
A cheap desk.
Normal.
Very normal.
Today was his birthday.
His 18th birthday.
"Great…"
He rubbed his eyes.
Another boring day.
He stood up and stretched.
Bones cracked.
Outside, the city moved like always.
Cars.
People.
Noise.
No monsters.
No magic.
He didn't know it yet.
But everything was about to change.
As he stepped out of his room…
Something invisible watched him.
Something old.
Something patient.
A silent message appeared.
No one else could see it.
[Searching for host…]
[Compatible soul detected.]
[Name: Suho Kim]
The boy stopped walking.
He frowned.
"Did I just…"
He shook his head.
"Nah. I'm tripping."
The message faded.
Waiting.
Sleeping.
The world kept moving.
Hunters fought.
Dungeons opened.
The future crept closer.
And somewhere deep beyond reality…
A system waited.