The sky did not break.
It shifted.
Han Yoo-Jin noticed it while standing at a crowded subway platform, surrounded by people staring at their phones, their reflections overlapping in the dark glass of the tunnel wall. At first, he thought it was just another strange cloud formation—an optical illusion caused by exhaustion.
Then gravity hesitated.
Not enough to throw people off balance.Just enough to be felt.
A subtle heaviness pressed down for half a second… and vanished.
Yoo-Jin frowned.
He was used to ignoring strange sensations. Life had taught him that most things passed if you didn't question them too much. Twenty-three years old, average height, average build, average life. No outstanding talents. No tragic destiny. Just another disposable civilian trying to survive a crowded city.
But the air felt wrong.
A low vibration rolled through the station, like the echo of a distant impact. The lights flickered once.
Then every screen—phones, billboards, information panels—went black at the same time.
A second later, they turned back on.
And the world was no longer the same.
[Global Announcement Detected]
The text appeared everywhere.
Floating in midair.
Not projected.Not reflected.
It was there—layered over reality itself.
People screamed. Someone dropped their phone. Others froze, unable to process what they were seeing.
Yoo-Jin's heart started pounding.
The words continued to write themselves slowly, deliberately, as if the system wanted to make sure no one missed a single line.
[New Continents Have Emerged][World Expansion: Complete][Environmental Integration: Successful]
A sharp pain pierced Yoo-Jin's temples.
Images flooded his mind—vast landmasses rising beyond the oceans, skies tinted with unfamiliar colors, forests that swallowed sound, cities carved from stone and silence.
Not imagination.
Information.
Forced directly into his perception.
[Humanity Has Entered the Awakening Phase][Compatibility Evaluation in Progress…]
People collapsed.
Some screamed as light burst from their bodies before fading just as quickly. Others clutched their heads, bleeding from the nose or ears. A few… simply fell still, eyes empty.
Yoo-Jin stayed on his feet.
Barely.
He felt something press inward, as if invisible hands were testing the limits of his body, his mind, his very existence.
Cold sweat soaked his back.
So this is how it starts…
He had read stories. Watched anime. Played games.
But none of them had captured this feeling—the terror of being evaluated by something that did not care whether you lived or died.
[Awakening Failed: 72.3%]
The words burned themselves into his vision.
Around him, panic exploded.
"Failed?! What does that mean?""Why can't I see anything?!""My arm—my arm won't move!"
Yoo-Jin clenched his fists.
Then his screen changed.
[Subject: Han Yoo-Jin][Awakening Status: Incomplete][Anomaly Detected]
His breath caught.
Incomplete?
A sharp pressure formed in his chest—not pain, but weight. Like standing under deep water without actually being submerged.
[Template Candidate Identified][Evaluating Stability…]
The pressure intensified.
His knees buckled. Yoo-Jin dropped to one knee, hands gripping the cold station floor. Every breath felt thick, resistant.
He wasn't suffocating.
The air was simply… heavier.
[Legendary Template Detected][Designation: Pressure-Type / Cognitive-Physical Hybrid]
The world went silent.
Not quiet.
Silent.
All sound vanished—screams, alarms, footsteps—erased as if muted by an unseen hand.
Yoo-Jin's vision narrowed.
[WARNING][Template Stability: Extremely Low][Subject Physique: Inadequate][Mental Endurance: Barely Acceptable]
A bitter thought crossed his mind.
Of course.
Even now, he was lacking.
[Proceed with Awakening?][Failure May Result in Cognitive Collapse or Death]
Yoo-Jin laughed softly.
It surprised him.
Not hysterical.Not brave.
Just… tired.
"If I say no," he whispered, voice echoing strangely in the silence, "do I get to go back to my normal life?"
The system did not answer.
He already knew.
Yoo-Jin closed his eyes.
"Yes."
The pressure exploded.
Not outward—inward.
It felt like the world was folding in on him, compressing his thoughts, his bones, his sense of self. His heart slammed against his ribs. His vision fractured into layers—depths within depths.
He screamed.
Or tried to.
[Awakening in Progress…][Pressure Template: Initial Binding]
The silence shattered.
Sound rushed back violently. The station erupted into chaos once more, but Yoo-Jin barely registered it.
Because for the first time in his life—
He felt it.
Not strength.
Not speed.
But control.
A faint, unstable awareness of the space around him. The weight of the air. The tension in the ground beneath his palm.
Everything had pressure.
And somehow…he could feel it respond.
[Awakening Complete][Status: Unstable][Note: Survival Dependent on User Adaptation]
The text faded.
Yoo-Jin collapsed fully onto the floor, chest heaving.
Blood trickled from his nose.
Around him, the world had entered a new era.
And he—a weak, ordinary man—
had stepped into something far more dangerous than power.
He had awakened a force that did not forgive mistakes.