The first life ended with a crunch.
Duhyun stared down at the shattered body of the insect-like creature, its black carapace split open, ichor pooling onto the cracked asphalt of the abandoned alley. It twitched once… then stopped.
He didn't feel triumph.
Only nausea.
This wasn't some fantasy dungeon. The smell was real. The weight in his arms was real. The corpse at his feet was real.
Nine more followed.
Small monsters—oversized insects that had slipped out of a weak, unstable Gate near the outskirts of the city. They were barely stronger than animals, but they were still alive.
By the tenth kill, Duhyun's hands were shaking.
The blue screen appeared silently.
[QUEST COMPLETED]
End 10 Lives
[REWARD ACQUIRED]
+5 Stat Points
Duhyun exhaled slowly and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"…So that's it."
The screen shifted.
[AVAILABLE STAT DISTRIBUTION]
Physique
Speed
Mana amount
Mana capacity
He didn't hesitate.
"All into speed."
[Speed +5]
A strange sensation ran through his legs—lightness, responsiveness, like his body was finally catching up to his thoughts. When he took a step forward, it felt smoother. Faster.
He leaned against a wall, staring at nothing.
"So this world really went insane while I wasn't looking," he thought.
Hunters.
Gates.
Monsters.
None of this was secret anymore.
Ever since Gates started appearing—fractures in reality that led to other dimensions—the world had changed. People awakened Mana, becoming Hunters. Governments collapsed. New organizations rose.
The biggest of them all was the Hunter Society.
Hunters were ranked there based on combat capability and mana output.
E-, E, E+
D-, D, D+
C-, C, C+
B-, B, B+
A-, A, A+
S-, S, S+
Only those who ranked E- or higher were allowed to register.
Anyone weaker than that?
They died.
That was why there was no F-rank. Weaklings weren't classified—they were filtered out by reality itself.
Mana was the foundation of everything. Strengthening the body. Enhancing senses. Powering skills. Without Mana, you couldn't even enter a Gate without being crushed by pressure alone.
And Duhyun?
He was barely scraping the bottom.
E-.
Still, he clenched his fist.
"At least I'm not powerless anymore."
---
Two days passed.
Life pretended to be normal again.
Duhyun sat in his classroom, staring out the window as clouds drifted lazily across the sky. Students laughed. Teachers lectured. Exams were discussed.
No one talked about the Gates unless one appeared nearby.
Then—
[SYSTEM ALERT]
The blue screen appeared in front of him, sharp and unavoidable.
[MAIN QUEST]
Defeat a Monster
Reward: +14 Stat Points
Duhyun's pulse quickened.
So it wasn't done with him yet.
Another window popped up immediately.
[SIDE QUEST]
Train
Reward: ???
Failure: None
He leaned back in his chair, eyes narrowing.
"Monsters come from Gates," he thought. "Which means I'll need to be ready… not lucky."
A weak smile tugged at his lips.
"I guess I start with training."
For the first time since his regression, the fear in his chest didn't completely suffocate him.
If this world only respected strength—
Then he'd carve his place into it, one swing at a time.