Fifteen years ago, the world changed forever.
It began quietly, almost imperceptibly. One day, a shimmering tear appeared above a subway station in Seoul. People stopped, mesmerized, until the first creature stepped through—a goblin, its eyes glinting with unnatural intelligence. Panic erupted. Trains screeched. Civilians ran screaming. No one knew what was happening.
Then more tears appeared, all over the world. Dungeons—places where another reality bled into ours. Forests, deserts, oceans—now breeding grounds for creatures humanity could barely comprehend. Goblins, orcs, fire-serpents, beasts that could think, adapt, and hunt like predators. Entire towns vanished overnight.
And then Mana arrived.
It seeped into human veins, granting ordinary people the power to fight. Some could shape the elements. Others could enhance strength beyond natural limits. The first Hunters emerged: humans willing to risk death in dungeons for survival, power, or wealth.
To manage the chaos, guilds formed.
Powerful organizations recruited Hunters, tracked their growth, and assigned dungeon contracts. Large guilds held political influence and resources; small ones specialized in elite raids. Hunters were bound by contracts, but loyalty came at a cost—one failed mission could mean death, permanent demotion, or exile. Guilds were both lifeline and cage, controlling equipment, magical artifacts, and access to dangerous dungeons.
And to organize hunters further, ranks were established:
E-Rank: Rookies, weak or barely awakened. Disposable in the eyes of monsters and guilds alike.
D-Rank: Slightly stronger; capable of soloing minor dungeons but still vulnerable.
C-Rank: Reliable fighters, leaders of small teams.
B-Rank: Skilled and respected; core members of raids.
A-Rank: Elite hunters, capable of dangerous dungeons and leadership.
S-Rank: Legendary humans, able to conquer massive dungeons alone.
Strength was currency. Survival depended on it.
Somewhere near the bottom of this hierarchy was Seo Hyun.
An E-rank Hunter, he had awakened only barely. His mana pool was small. His body frail. His skill set negligible—enough to survive short missions but not enough to matter in real danger. The higher-ranked hunters treated him like filler, and the guild kept him around only because they needed bodies.
But Seo Hyun was clever. Observant. Careful. He studied dungeons, learned monster patterns, and rationed his mana with precision. He knew he couldn't fight like the strong. He had to think.
It wasn't enough.
One day, during a low-tier dungeon, the trap he overlooked—just for a second—was enough. A goblin ambush, faster and smarter than expected, struck him down. Pain tore through his body, and his vision went black.
And then, the world ended.
But death wasn't the end.
He awoke in a void of black glass stretching endlessly, lit by drifting embers of pale green. A figure loomed—a tall, shadowed presence, calm and ancient.
"You have died," it said.
Seo Hyun smirked weakly. "Yeah. I noticed."
"You struggled," the figure continued. "Not for glory. Not for conquest. Only to survive."
A window appeared before him:
[Necromancer System Initialized]
User: Seo Hyun
Status: Deceased (Override Applied)
"This is an offer," the god said. "Command death instead of fearing it. Walk a path abandoned by mortals. Grow stronger by what falls before you."
The price was unspoken.
Seo Hyun didn't hesitate.
"I accept."
He woke up screaming, bloodied, in the dungeon that had killed him. But something had changed. Green text hovered before his eyes:
[You have been resurrected.]
[Class Acquired: Necromancer (Unique)]
[First Skill Unlocked: Raise Dead]
The goblin that had killed him lay lifeless nearby.
Seo Hyun looked at it. Then he smiled.
For the first time since the dungeons appeared, death was no longer the end.
It was his weapon.