Chapter 1: Level 0.0001
The "Awakening Stone" was supposed to mark the beginning of a glorious life for aspiring Hunters. For Han Do-Hyun, it felt like a funeral.
Sweat dripped down his pale face as his trembling hand brushed the cold, obsidian surface. A holographic window flickered to life above the stone. The crowd of Hunters-in-training fell silent, every eye locked on him.
"Please… just a C-rank. Anything. D-rank even," he whispered, heart hammering like a trapped bird.
[System Initialization Complete.]
[Analyzing User Potential…]
[Warning: Numerical Overflow Detected. Adjusting Scale for User Comprehension.]
A soft chime echoed, and the blue stat window solidified.
[Name: Han Do-Hyun]
[Level: 0.0001]
[Rank: F-]
[Title: One Who Is Beyond Death (Locked)]
[Strength: 0.9]
[Agility: 0.8]
[Stamina: 0.7]
Do-Hyun's knees buckled. Zero point zero-zero-zero-one?
He wasn't just an F-rank. According to the stats, a healthy housecat could probably crush him without effort. His legs wobbled, knees threatening to collapse, and the floorboards groaned under his trembling weight.
'I'm going to die. The first goblin I see will turn me into a snack.'
The World's Perspective
While Do-Hyun melted into a panic, the rest of the room was frozen.
The Association Examiner, a veteran B-rank Hunter, dropped his clipboard in awe. He wasn't staring at the numbers. He was staring at the Mana Pressure.
The "Numerical Overflow" wasn't just a glitch—it was a scream. The air in the gym seemed to compress, oxygen itself fleeing from the boy at the altar.
"Look at him," whispered a Scout from one of the top guilds.
"He's… vibrating. The mana density—his physical body can barely contain it. He's oscillating at a frequency that's warping the air!"
Do-Hyun, meanwhile, was simply shivering because he was terrified.
"And look at his face," muttered the Examiner, sweat dripping down his temple. "Most people scream or cheer when they awaken. But him? He looks… bored. Like ranks themselves are beneath him."
Do-Hyun's eyes welled up. Unshed tears of despair threatened to spill. 'I… I should go… hide…' he stammered.
[Skill Activated: The Sovereign's Decree (Passive)]
[Note: Glitched communication detected. Words compressed for efficiency.]
What Do-Hyun thought he said: "I'm a failure. I'm going home to hide under my blanket."
What the world heard
"THIS… IS TRIVIAL. I SHALL DEPART."
The words didn't come from his trembling mouth. They boomed from the very fabric of reality—a sound that didn't just echo, but vibrated in the marrow of everyone present. Dust rained from the rafters as the gym itself seemed to bow. The shockwave, a physical pulse of pressure, slammed into the Grade-S Awakening Stone, and a sickening crack split the air as spiderweb fissures raced across its obsidian surface.
Do-Hyun bolted for the exit, legs shaking violently under his own panic.
"He's so fast!" a Scout yelled. "No skill, no aura—he didn't even touch it. But that afterimage… it's unreal!"
The crowd could only stare, mouths agape. To them, Han Do-Hyun hadn't fled—he'd dominated the space around him without lifting a finger.
Do-Hyun stumbled into the hallway, panting like a trapped animal, convinced he was seconds from death.
Behind him, the Association Examiner whispered to a colleague, his voice trembling with a reverence usually reserved for gods.
"Did you see that? He hasn't even begun, and the stone… it's broken. Only a handful of legends in history could overwhelm an Awakening Stone... could he be one of them? That boy… he's not just a Hunter. He's… a Sovereign."
Do-Hyun, oblivious, muttered under his breath: "Why is everyone staring at me? I just want to hide."