When I opened my eyes, darkness greeted me. I had no idea how long I had been unconscious. Time felt meaningless here.
Kang Jun Ho: …Am I dead?
I slowly checked my body. No pain. No wounds. I felt… fine. Too fine.
The stone beneath my fingers was cold and damp—like a dungeon. The air smelled of earth and shadow, thick and heavy.
Then, a sharp sound echoed inside my head.
Ding.
I froze and instinctively looked up.
Kang Jun Ho: Wait… what?A system? Did I… awaken?
A translucent window flickered into existence before my eyes.
[System Notification]
Congratulations. Kang Jun Ho, you have awakened.
I nearly shouted in excitement—but clamped a hand over my mouth at the last second.
Kang Jun Ho: Where… am I?
It was still dark. The only thing I could see was a small, dimly lit torch mounted on a stone wall. Its flickering light barely pushed back the shadows. And floating before my eyes… was the system window.
[System Notification]
Do you want to reveal your rank?
I clicked the [Reveal] button. My heart pounded.
Kang Jun Ho: Please… anything but D- to E-rank.
The screen shimmered. I stared at what appeared before me, shocked and confused.
[System Notification]
Congratulations on obtaining the First Monarch Rank.
Kang Jun Ho: …Monarch rank? Was there even a monarch rank in the power scale?
My confusion quickly turned into excitement. "First"… that meant:
Unique bonuses
Hidden power
Special privileges
Right?
I immediately opened my status window.
The excitement drained from my chest so fast it felt like my heart hit the floor.
[Status Panel]
All Attributes: LOCKED
All Combat Skills: LOCKED
All Growth Paths: LOCKED
Everything… was locked.
The only usable abilities displayed were:
Sense
Night Vision
Two non-combat skills…both useless
I stared at the screen in silence. First Monarch Rank… and I couldn't even fight.
And if that couldn't have gone any worse, a loud crash and footsteps were heading my way.