The world changed the day the sky cracked.
No warning. No mercy.
Just a single sound—
SHATTER.
And then… portals.
They appeared everywhere—floating tears in reality that pulsed with darkness. From them came monsters: beasts with burning eyes, creatures that devoured cities in hours.
Humanity was on the brink of extinction.
Until the Awakening began.
People started gaining powers.
Strength beyond limits. Control over elements. Weapons formed from mana itself.
They were called Hunters.
And they became the last line of defense.
Ten years later.
Hunters were ranked.
From F… the weakest.
To S… the gods among men.
And then there was Adrian Velasco.
"F-rank again? Seriously?"
Laughter echoed inside the testing facility.
Adrian stood silently in front of the glowing crystal, his hand still resting on it.
The number hovered above:
[Mana Output: 3]
[Rank: F]
The lowest possible.
Again.
"Bro, just quit already."
"You're wasting guild resources."
"Even civilians are stronger than you."
Adrian stepped back as the examiner sighed.
"Adrian Velasco," the man said, barely hiding his boredom. "No improvement. Same as last year."
Same as always.
Weak.
Useless.
Forgettable.
But Adrian didn't argue.
Didn't react.
Because this wasn't new.
What was new…
…was the screen that suddenly appeared in front of him.
[SYSTEM INITIALIZED]
Adrian froze.
"…What?"
The world around him continued normally.
No one else reacted.
Another message appeared.
[Welcome, Player: Adrian Velasco]
[You have been selected as the Host of the Sovereign System]
His heartbeat spiked.
"This… this isn't real…"
[Starting Evaluation…]
[Condition: Critical Weakness Detected]
[Status: Lowest Recorded Stats Among All Hosts]
"…Hey!"
[Conclusion: Suitable Candidate]
Adrian blinked.
"…Wait, what?"
[Reason: No Talent = No Limits]
Silence.
Then—
A small grin formed on his face.
"…So you're saying…"
He looked at his trembling hands.
"…I can get stronger?"
[Answer: Yes]
A sharp ding echoed in his mind.
[New Quest Generated]
Quest: Survive the Beginner Dungeon
Rank: Hidden
Objective:
Enter a dungeon alone and clear it.
Failure: Death
Reward: ???
Adrian stared at the words.
"Alone?"
Even C-rank Hunters formed teams.
And he was…
F-rank.
"This is suicide."
[Correction: Opportunity]
His heart pounded harder.
Fear.
Excitement.
Something else.
For the first time in his life…
He had a chance.
Adrian slowly turned toward the exit.
"…Alright."
His voice was low.
But steady.
"Let's see what this system can do."