Chapter 1 – Coincidence or Fate (Part One)

Environmental destruction, war, limited resources.

Humanity lived on, burdened by its usual host of problems.

Then, an unimaginable disaster befell mankind.

Gates opening in unexpected places, unleashing all sorts of monsters from within, were nothing short of a catastrophe.

Modern weaponry was useless against most of the monsters.

In the early days, it took hundreds of millions of won worth of missiles just to take down a single small monster.

The only way to close a Gate was to wait for it to disgorge all its monsters and disappear on its own. Even when one closed, new ones continued to appear all over the world.

Humanity suffered immense losses, and many cities were destroyed.

But there was hope.

After the Gates appeared, a select few awakened to their own special abilities.

These individuals, called the Awakened, possessed superhuman strength and stamina, and some among them even manifested unique special powers.

To subdue the creatures impervious to conventional weapons, the Awakened fought back using melee weapons that capitalized on their transcendent physical strength, or by wielding their awakened special powers.

In the period after the first Gates appeared, there was much chaos as humanity established anti-monster policies and integrated the Awakened.

But once they overcame and adapted to the disaster, it turned into an opportunity.

Ether, the core of the monsters, was a powerful energy source from another dimension, boasting an efficiency that dwarfed all previous resources.

With the advent of Ether, oil prices plummeted, and the term ‘power shortage’ became a thing of the past.

A wave of new technologies utilizing Ether was developed to match this new resource, making it easier to combat the monsters.

Furthermore, in the Third World, where civil wars and conflicts had been rampant, nations became too preoccupied with fending off monsters to fight each other. All wars between humans ceased and vanished.

And in this new world, the Awakened naturally became the heroes of the age.

The number of high-quality Awakened in a country came to directly influence its national power.

South Korea, for instance, had a conspicuously high number of top-tier Awakened for its population, elevating its status and influence in the international community to unprecedented levels.

Why South Korea alone boasted such an incomparably high quantity and quality of Awakened remained a mystery, but people speculated it was related to the fact that the very first Gate had opened in Seoul.

Moreover, it was only natural that this prestige extended not just to the national level, but to the individual Awakened as well.

They risked their lives to save people, possessed superhuman abilities, and had star quality—their popularity soared.

It was often joked that they appeared on TV more than celebrities or politicians, and public interest in the top-ranked Awakened was, without a doubt, even greater.

Becoming a high-ranking Awakened and obtaining immense wealth, fame, or power.

It was a dream almost everyone had entertained at least once.

And Il-hyeon, at the age of twenty, had once experienced that feeling, if only for a fleeting moment.

* * *

“It says SSS-rank.”

“Really? No way!”

Hearing the official’s words, Kang Il-hyeon shot up from his seat in surprise.

An SSS-rank ability—he’d never even heard of such a thing in his life.

But the female official, with a listless look in her eyes, waved her hand dismissively, as if bored.

“Yes, yes. It’s a machine error. Sometimes when we test ordinary people, a ridiculous ability or rank pops up.”

As if this wasn’t the first time, the official spoke in a business-like tone and held out a piece of paper.

“You can come back next week for a retest if you’d like, but we’ve never had a different result. If you were really an Awakened, the results would have been accurate.”

“Ah, yes… Thank you.”

Deeply disappointed, Il-hyeon felt embarrassed for having gotten his hopes up, even for a moment. He quickly grabbed the test results and left the building.

The sound of people snickering behind him tickled the back of his neck.

These occasional errors from the Awakened testing machines were notorious for making a fool out of people.

“Sigh, Triple S? What is this, a kid’s joke…?”

Standing at a crosswalk, Il-hyeon let out a deep sigh.

While an ability’s rank didn’t always correspond to an Awakened’s overall grade, even being born with a single A-rank ability could make someone a national prospect.

But not just S, SSS—it was absurd.

To shake off any lingering hope, he read the words written on the test results.

Classification – Awakened

.

.

.

SSS Rank: [Summon], [Devour], [Transform]

His eyes fell on the list of his supposed special powers. With a scoff, Il-hyeon tossed the paper into a trash can.

* * *

When a black, rift-like Gate suddenly appeared in the middle of Seoul, people evacuated, and special police cordoned off the surrounding streets with a wide barricade.

The sudden appearance of a B2-rank Gate led to the lockdown of a multi-kilometer radius, turning the area into a deserted cityscape.

A B2-level Gate was the highest rank to appear in the country this month, and as a result, several of South Korea’s high-ranking Awakened had gathered.

Two world-class A-grade Awakened were present, backed by more than ten B-grade Awakened.

They all wore the billowing black coats that were the symbol of an Awakened, with swords at their waists.

These were the Defensive Coat and Ether Sword, crafted from the processed Ether of monsters.

Though made from resources obtained from monsters, this equipment had become a crucial element in fighting back against them.

The Awakened stepped past the barricade to the cheers of the surrounding citizens. Not long after they entered, human-sized insects began pouring out of the Gate.

A fierce battle erupted between the monsters and the Awakened, and sharp screeches and thunderous roars could be heard even from beyond the out-of-sight barricade.

Meanwhile, footage shot from a distant helicopter was broadcast nationwide.

“Incredible.”

Il-hyeon was sipping coffee in a café, watching the scene on TV.

‘There was a time I thought I had powers, too…’

Il-hyeon pursed his lips.

He had possessed a small ability since he was young.

He could shift dust on the floor to the side without touching it.

He could stretch his hand out over the sand and subtly move the grains.

Because of this, he believed he was an Awakened, talented in psychokinesis, a type of special power.

But that was all. It never developed any further.

True Awakened usually became able to use their powers spontaneously at some point, and thanks to their enhanced physical abilities, it was impossible not to know.

But as time passed, Il-hyeon’s body never grew stronger, nor did his minuscule ability ever manifest as a true special power.

It was something that happened occasionally, even among ordinary people.

Cases where someone had a very faint ability from childhood but no potential for development, ultimately remaining unawakened.

On the off chance, he had even taken the government-sponsored Awakened test at twenty, but all he got for his trouble was ridicule over a machine error.

‘I was so happy, thinking I had a special power.’

Il-hyeon held his hand over some sugar granules and concentrated.

The granules shifted with a faint rustle, forming a tiny circle.

The ability was still there, but it was just as useless as ever—a power that wouldn’t even help on a résumé.

At twenty-six, he was an assistant manager at a small company, living a very ordinary life, far from anything special.

Though, if the mandatory military service hadn’t been abolished with the appearance of the Gates, even this would have been impossible.

“You’re right. A Gate opened near my uncle’s apartment, and it was total chaos.”

A female colleague sitting across from him, who had also been watching the screen, clapped her hands and said.

“What? Really?”

At that, another female colleague asked her in surprise.

The first colleague nodded vigorously.

“I’m serious. My cousin even took a selfie right next to the Gate and posted it on social media.”

“Wow, she’s got no fear.”

“Well, it’s not like monsters come out right away. When the time comes, some Awakened show up and take care of it, so there’s no need to worry. My uncle’s place was a mess, but the government compensation is solid, so he was all smiles about getting a new house.”

“That’s right. These days, owners of old buildings actually hope a Gate opens nearby. If the building gets half-destroyed, they get a brand new one. It’s like they finally get their money’s worth from all those expensive mandatory insurance payments they hated making.”

Listening to their casual, unconcerned chatter, Il-hyeon spoke up.

“Still, aren’t you worried? The cycle is about to turn.”

The world was currently in a peaceful period.

The rate of Gate generation and the level of the monsters had dropped significantly compared to the past.

The reason was simple.

Even the Gates, which seemed to pop up ceaselessly, had a cycle of their own.

Every five years, the cycle would shift, causing the rate of Gate generation to fluctuate.

And this year was the turning point.

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen a monster in person.”

“Even five years ago, it was the Awakened who were busy, not us. We were fine, weren’t we? I actually wish I could see a monster just once.”

“Hey, that’s going a bit too far.”

Watching the two female colleagues laugh and chat, Il-hyeon glanced at his watch.

“Lunch break’s almost over. Should we head back up?”

“Oh, let’s make a quick stop at the convenience store.”

The two of them trailed after Il-hyeon, who had already stood up.

* * *

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

The sound of the alarm rang in Il-hyeon’s ears.

He grimaced and sat up in bed.

“So sick of this.”

Slap. Il-hyeon slammed the alarm off and shot out of bed.

He woke up at the same time as always and got ready for work, just like any other day.

He heated up leftover takeout, ran a hand through his hair, and got dressed.

After leaving his apartment, he boarded the subway, which ran for free thanks to Ether, and luckily found an empty seat where he began scrolling through his phone.

The main page of his internet browser was, as expected, filled with information about the Gates that had opened in the early hours of the morning.

Seeing it, Il-hyeon clicked his tongue.

‘Being an Awakened must be tough, too.’

Even in a small country like South Korea, Gates opened at all hours, requiring a significant number of Awakened and police officers to be on standby overnight.

Countries with vast, unused territories, like Russia, had it especially tough, spending enormous budgets just to manage the Gates.

‘Wait… this is near my office.’

Startled, Il-hyeon froze.

Among the list of locations he’d been scrolling through idly, wondering if his family was okay, was his own destination.

Just as his face paled, an announcement came over the subway’s PA system.

[Attention passengers. Due to a Gate that has appeared near Cheongseong Station on Line 11, this train will pass through the restricted Cheongseong and Gudo stations without stopping.]

“I’m screwed.”

Il-hyeon’s expression crumpled.