📘 Chapter 1 – Betrayed at Level 1
The Awakening Hall was filled with light.
A floating crystal hovered at the center, glowing blue as students lined up one by one. The air buzzed with excitement and fear.
In this world, your Level decided your life.
Level 5 meant you could join city patrol squads.
Level 7 meant privilege and protection.
Level 10 meant noble sponsorship.
Level 1?
Level 1 meant you were nothing.
"Next—Arin Vale."
Whispers spread instantly.
"That quiet guy?"
"He barely passed combat drills."
"Probably Level 3."
Arin stepped forward, ignoring the voices. He had trained harder than anyone. Woke before sunrise. Ran until his lungs burned. Practiced sword forms alone.
He placed his palm against the crystal.
For a moment, it glowed brightly.
Then the light flickered.
Dimmed.
A single number formed in the air.
Level 1
Silence.
Then laughter exploded across the hall.
"Level 1?!"
"That's the lowest possible!"
"He's worse than a civilian!"
"Why did he even enroll?"
Arin's jaw tightened.
The examiner adjusted his glasses. "Mana circulation minimal. Combat potential extremely low. Arin Vale is disqualified from official Hunter training."
Disqualified.
Just like that.
The world only respected strength. And he had none.
By evening, the Academy assigned him to support duty in a low-risk dungeon. Officially, he was a porter. Unofficially—
Expendable backup.
The dungeon gate shimmered outside the city walls like a wound in reality. Black mist leaked from its edges.
Three hunters waited beside him.
Rykor – Level 6
Mace – Level 5
Lina – Level 5
Rykor smirked. "Stay behind us, Level 1. Don't slow us down."
Arin nodded silently.
They entered.
The world shifted instantly. Stone corridors stretched endlessly, lit by sickly green torches. The air felt damp and heavy.
"Basic Goblin Dungeon," Mace muttered. "Easy."
The first monsters appeared within minutes—small goblins with crude daggers.
Rykor cut one down in a single swing.
Mace crushed another.
Lina finished the third with a clean thrust.
Arin didn't even get the chance to move.
Worthless.
They went deeper.
The dungeon grew colder. The growls louder.
Then they entered a wide chamber.
And froze.
Standing in the center was not a goblin.
It was massive. Nearly three meters tall. Gray skin. Muscles twisted like iron cables. Two curved horns protruded from its skull.
A Hobgoblin.
Rykor cursed. "This dungeon was ranked F…"
The Hobgoblin opened its eyes.
They burned red.
Before anyone reacted, it moved.
It slammed Rykor into the wall with terrifying speed. The impact cracked stone—and bone.
Mace roared and charged.
The monster caught him mid-swing and hurled him across the room. He didn't stand again.
Arin's body went cold.
This wasn't F-rank.
This was death.
"Run!" Lina shouted.
They sprinted toward the exit corridor.
The Hobgoblin roared and chased them, its heavy steps shaking the ground.
The exit portal flickered ahead—but it was unstable.
Lina suddenly slowed.
She glanced at Arin.
Then at the monster closing in.
Fear overtook her.
"We won't both make it."
Before Arin could react—
She shoved him violently into a side tunnel.
"I'm not dying for a Level 1!"
The Hobgoblin ignored her and followed Arin.
Betrayed.
Arin ran blindly, lungs burning. The tunnel narrowed. His foot caught on loose stone.
He fell hard.
The Hobgoblin loomed above him.
Its shadow swallowed the light.
Its claw rose slowly.
Arin tried to stand, but pain exploded through his ribs. He had twisted something when he fell.
Level 1.
Too weak to fight.
Too weak to survive.
The claw descended.
Arin raised his dagger instinctively.
It shattered like glass.
The impact threw him into the wall. His vision blurred. Warm blood trickled down his face.
The monster approached calmly.
This is how it ends.
No glory.
No power.
Just a number.
Darkness crept in.
Then—
Something shifted inside his chest.
Not pain.
Not fear.
Balance.
Warmth and cold intertwined in his veins.
A voice echoed—not outside, but within.
Host has reached critical condition.
Hidden protocol detected.
Balance Compatibility: 100%.
Initiating Core Formation.
A translucent screen appeared before his fading vision.
[Balance System Activated]
[Creating Balance Core…]
The Hobgoblin's claw came down again—
But time slowed.
Arin felt energy spreading through his body.
Light flowed into his right arm.
Shadow wrapped around his left.
They didn't clash.
They fused.
At his heart, something crystallized.
[Balance Core Formed]
[Passive Skill Unlocked: Equilibrium Body]
Damage received converts into adaptive energy.
His broken rib realigned with a sharp snap.
The bleeding slowed.
Pain dulled.
The Hobgoblin hesitated.
Its instincts sensed change.
Arin slowly stood.
The air around him vibrated.
His breathing steadied.
[Level 1 → Level 2]
Strength +5
Agility +5
Mana +10
Energy coursed through him.
For the first time in his life—
He didn't feel weak.
The Hobgoblin roared and charged again.
This time—
Arin stepped forward.
The monster's claw swung toward his head.
Arin moved.
Faster.
He barely avoided the strike—but he avoided it.
That alone was impossible before.
His fist struck the monster's side.
The impact cracked the air.
The Hobgoblin staggered slightly.
Arin's eyes widened.
He actually hurt it.
The system flashed again.
[Combat Synchronization Achieved]
Adaptive energy converted.
Temporary Stat Boost Activated.
Level 2 → Level 3
Strength +8
Agility +6
Mana +15
Power surged stronger.
The Hobgoblin attacked wildly.
Arin didn't retreat.
He flowed between strikes—light guiding one movement, shadow guiding the next.
Each hit he endured fed his core.
Each near-miss sharpened his senses.
He gathered energy in both palms.
Light condensed in his right.
Darkness coiled in his left.
They merged into a swirling sphere.
The system whispered:
Skill Creation Available.
Arin clenched his teeth.
"Then create it."
The sphere compressed violently.
The Hobgoblin lunged for a killing blow.
Arin thrust his hand forward.
A beam of blended light and shadow erupted.
It pierced straight through the monster's chest.
The Hobgoblin froze mid-roar.
Then collapsed.
Silence filled the chamber.
A notification appeared.
Enemy Defeated: Mutated Hobgoblin
Massive Experience Gained
Level 3 → Level 5
New Skill Acquired: Neutral Strike
Arin stood there, breathing heavily.
Level 5.
He had jumped four levels in one fight.
But before relief could settle—
The dungeon trembled violently.
A deeper roar echoed from beneath the stone floor.
The ground cracked.
A massive pressure descended from below.
The system flickered urgently.
[Warning]
Dungeon Core Reaction Detected.
Elite Boss Awakening.
The corpse of the Hobgoblin began dissolving into dark mist.
The floor split open.
And something enormous started rising from the depths.
Arin tightened his grip.
He was Level 5 now.
Stronger.
Faster.
Awake.
But the presence emerging from below—
Felt far beyond that.
The system screen flashed one final line:
Balance Core Activated. Survival Probability: 27%.
And glowing red eyes opened in the darkness beneath him.