The world changed five years ago, in 2020. While humanity was still locked in a struggle against invisible viruses, a new terror manifested out of thin air. They were called Rift Breaks—also known as Dungeon Breaks.
A system-wide message flickered into the eyes of every living human:
"This world has been judged to face the terror of monsters and beasts. If humanity wants to survive, fight to prove the survival of the fittest. The strong shall survive through their skills and stats; the weak shall perish. This is the will of Him whom everyone admires and envies."
It was a declaration of war, but also an opportunity. The System provided stats and skills as humanity's final weapon. Those who fought back became Hunters, organized by the World Hunter Association into ranks from the god-like SSS down to the lowly E.
Everyone got a chance to be strong. Everyone—except me.
For five years, I remained the "System's Abandoned." While others leveled up, I stayed at Level 1. My mana was non-existent. I survived by collecting monster corpses on the outskirts of raids, earning just enough to stay alive. I was the "Worst Hunter." While everyone else was getting stronger and feeling like the protagonist of their own story, I was just a leech, surviving off the scraps of other people's kills.
The feeling of being weak... it really gets on your nerves. It sucks. But looking at the positive side, my life is actually pretty interesting. Imagine the life of a hunter who can't level up at all—it sounds like a joke, right? But for me, it's a living truth.
It was just another day of wondering how to pay rent when I arrived at the commission board of the Hunter Association. That was where I met the rising stars: "The Dawn Stars."
Unlike most hunters, they were polite. Before meeting them, I thought no one cared about a worthless loser like me. They were an independent party of five, not tied to any major guild. They invited me to a C-Rank dungeon, claiming they needed someone to handle the "logistics" and corpse disposal.
I thought to myself, "Maybe this is it. A way to earn enough money to settle down for a while and finally move out of that moldy old apartment."
The leader, Park Jin-Woo, looked like a titan in his gleaming armor. He gave me a reassuring look. "Just stay behind my shield, Rein. I'll manage everything."
The rest of the party followed his lead:
Lee Mina (The Healer): She nodded kindly, her staff pulsing with a gentle, holy light.
Choi Hyun (The Mage): A cool-looking guy in a flowing cape, staring at the ground as if deep in calculation.
Kim Sora (The Assassin): Silent and focused, she never stopped sharpening her obsidian daggers.
Jung Ho-Seok (The Archer): He patted my shoulder with a grin. "Trust us, kid. We've got this."
I actually believed them. For the first time in five years, I felt like a person rather than a tool. With the party set, we stepped through the shimmering veil of the dungeon gate.I thought maybe this will be the turning point in my life as I have been only to low level E rank dungeons provided by the hunter association.Finally,it was time for me to go to a higher ranking dungeon but I didn't know then that the "Dawn Stars" were about to lead me into a night that would never end.