I woke up from sleep.
A dark room.
Something strange appeared before my eyes.
⚔ STATUS ⚔Park Un-ho Level 1Skills⚡ Body Strengthening Lv 1📡 Login Lv 1📦 Inventory Lv 1🛡️ Combat Suit Lv 1Skill Points: 0
It looked just like a game's status window.
I thought it was a dream.
'Even in my dreams, I'm seeing stuff like this? Have I been playing too many games lately? Is this gaming addiction or something?'
I stared blankly at the status window for a while.
"..."
'Is this really a dream?'
The sensations felt too vivid.
I sat up and turned on the light in the dark room.
But the status window didn't disappear.
It didn't feel like a dream at all.
'Awakening?'
The thought suddenly hit me.
I'd heard there were people who awakened rare special abilities beyond the common body enhancement or elemental types.
Of course, I'd never seen one myself—just heard rumors.
But I could tell this weird floating status window was different from a normal awakening.
'Now, of all times?'
I'd basically given up hope entirely.
Awakening in this situation left me more stunned than happy.
'So, how long is this status window gonna stay floating in my vision?'
It was starting to feel a bit intrusive.
Then the status window vanished.
'What? Did it react to my thoughts?'
I thought I wanted to see it again, and it popped back up.
It seemed to respond to my will.
I'd played a lot of games lately, but was this what an awakening felt like?
There were four skills listed.
'Body Strengthening. Inventory. Login. Combat Suit.'
Very game-like skills.
'Does Body Strengthening mean body enhancement type?'
As if answering my curiosity, a message appeared.
⚙ Skill Info ⚙Body Strengthening Lv 1: Strengthens the body.
It meant exactly what it said.
'Strengthens... but by how much?'
I looked down at my body with doubt.
"Huh?!"
My body had bulked up.
The shirt that had been a bit loose was now tight against me.
I lifted the shirt.
Defined chocolate abs were etched across my stomach.
Just yesterday, my unmanaged body had been flabby, but now it was pumped with muscle.
"What the..."
I hurried to the home gym.
I hardly used it these days, but I'd turned a spare room into a gym back when I wanted to work out at home.
Dusty exercise equipment came into view.
I brushed off the dust and loaded up the weights that used to feel burdensome before my awakening, then lifted.
It felt light.
I could probably handle double that easily.
'I really awakened.'
I was certain now.
Complex emotions welled up as it finally sank in.
I stripped off my shirt in front of the full-body mirror and checked myself out.
My face looked a bit younger, and sculpted muscles covered my entire body.
I'd heard hunters aged slower, but not that they actually got younger.
Late awakenings were rare, so maybe I just didn't know.
Getting younger was nothing to complain about.
'Did I even get taller?'
It wasn't just a little—my 173cm height now easily cleared 180cm.
'No way!'
I pulled down my pants.
"Ahem."
It was even more impressive than before.
I wasn't sure if I'd have use for it, but it was bigger now, boosting my male confidence.
Time to check the other skills.
⚙ Skill Info ⚙Inventory Lv 1: Stores items.
An inventory window appeared like in a game.
'How do I use it?'
⚙ Skill Info ⚙You must touch the target.
A helpful explanation popped up, answering my question.
I picked up a dumbbell nearby.
Store dumbbell in Inventory?
I thought 'Put it in the inventory,' and the dumbbell vanished.
'Dumbbell?'
The dumbbell appeared in the inventory window like in a game.
'How do I take it out?'
Retrieve dumbbell?
I was starting to get the hang of it.
This game-like system responded to my thoughts.
You must designate a retrieval location.
'Designate?'
Within 1 meter radius.
'About 1 meter... like there?'
I pictured placing it a short distance away, and the dumbbell appeared exactly there.
"This... is insane."
Forget amazing—it was ridiculously useful just looking at it.
'Is there an awakener with a power like this?'
I didn't know every awakener in the world, and maybe someone out there had it, but this ability was top-tier.
Excited, I stuffed the surrounding gym equipment into it wildly.
It all fit.
How big was the space?
The corner of the inventory showed about 10% space remaining.
'All this and still room left.'
The gym equipment took up space inside the inventory window like in a game.
Ridiculously convenient.
Even the heavy stuff came out easily with a thought.
It was so fun and novel that I lost track of time rearranging the equipment around the room.
⚙ Skill Info ⚙Login Lv 1: Access another world and complete quests.
⚠️ Warning: Cannot log out for 24 hours after login.
Accessible Worlds
Earth-23: Zombies rampant due to Abyss corruption. Eliminate Corrupted Beings.
Pantera: A world of swords and magic. Conquer the Abyss-corrupted labyrinth.
Save Points: 1
'24 hours...'
The warning about no logout for 24 hours after logging in bothered me.
'And what's a save point...'
I'd played games before—I knew what it meant.
It said "Login," but it seemed like dimensional travel.
Just a guess from my gaming experience. This was an awakening skill, after all.
I couldn't be sure without trying it.
'One's like a fantasy world, and Earth-23 sounds like a parallel world? Wish there was more info...'
I had no idea how dangerous these places were.
Rushing in blindly could land me in over my head.
Too risky to try right now.
Better to be cautious.
⚙ Skill Info ⚙Combat Suit Lv 1: Synchronization required.
'Synchronization? What does that mean?'
I couldn't figure it out.
Maybe a passive skill that activates buffs when wearing a combat suit.
I wanted to test it, but my combat suit was trashed.
To check, I'd need a new one.
No money worries now that I was awakened.
⚔ STATUS ⚔Skill Points: 0
This was like points from leveling up in a game.
'So how do I level up?'
⚙ Level Up Methods ⚙Complete quests. Absorb mana stones. Kill living creatures to gain experience.
'Quests seem tied to Login, and mana stone absorption? I can absorb mana stones?'
I had a few mana stones.
They were in the safe—easy to check.
Killing living creatures for experience was a bit unsettling.
'Like killing mobs in a game to level up, but it says "living creatures," so does that include humans or regular animals?'
Best to start with the easy stuff step by step.
Mana stones first.
I figured I'd try leveling with them.
I'd collected about 40.
All F-rank.
Even F-rank, it might be enough for one level-up.
The mana stones were in the gear room safe.
"Huh...?"
The sight in the gear room left me dumbfounded.
My combat suit was missing from its rack.
No—something like a suit hung there instead.
Slimmer than my old combat suit, a plain full-body suit.
It looked more like a hero suit than combat gear.
Heroes were awakened crime-fighters who busted rogue awakeners.
They were hugely popular with the public in their flashy suits.
Combat suits were expensive, but hero suits were on another level.
Unlike stylish hero suits, this one was plain—no patterns or decorations.
I reached out and touched it.
It had a bit of elasticity.
Equip?
"What the..."
I remembered the Combat Suit skill.
Maybe it wasn't a passive—maybe it meant this.
'Did my broken combat suit turn into this?'
No other combat suits in sight.
Equip?
'...Should I try it?'