Chapter 2 — TheCurseofLevelOne
Morning light slipped through the curtains like a quiet intruder. Another day, another nightmare survived. Aken exhaled slightly and rubbed his eyes, the dream had come again. The plane, storms, monsters and screams. Every night it returned like a curse carved into his mind, even after fifteen years.
His room was small—barely large enough to hold a bed, a table, and a wardrobe. The apartment building itself was old, built long before the world had changed. Before the Storm, before the monsters, before humanity discovered that power could be measured in numbers.
Aken swung his legs off the bed, the cold floor greeted his feet. He stood slowly and walked toward the mirror hanging beside the door. The reflection staring back at him was familiar, yet at the same time still strange. Dark skin, sharp jawline and short black hair with faint brown highlights from his Korean side. His eyes were calm but carried quiet weight, twenty-three years old, but sometimes… he felt far older. Aken studied his reflection for a moment before muttering quietly. "…Status."
Instantly, a translucent blue light flickered into existence before him. A system window appeared.
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[PLAYER STATUS]
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Name: Aken Ezomo
Level: 1
Unique Trait: Level 1 Curse
HP: 320 / 320
CURES: 60 / 60
STR: 18
INT: 12
STA: 17
PER: 14
AGL: 13
LCK: 9
SKL: 11
Stat Points: 0
Possibility Points: 1
INVENTORY: 5 Slots
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Aken stared at the screen in silence, then he sighed. "Still level one…"
The words left his mouth with quiet bitterness. For most people, leveling up was natural. Kill monsters, gain experience, then level up. But not for him, never for him. Aken closed the window with a small gesture. Fifteen years now. It had been fifteen years since the Storm appeared in the sky and the world evolved from peace to chaos, fifteen years since humanity awakened the System and yet… through out that time Aken Ezomo remained stuck at Level 1.
The Storm had appeared in 2056, at first people thought it was just a natural disaster. But then the sky split open, and with that monsters fell from it. Creatures no human language could describe. Winged horrors, clawed beasts, things with too many eyes and way more teeth. If one looked closely they resembled beings you'll find in fantasy novels. With them came catastrophe—cities burned, countries collapsed, millions died. And when the world was at the mercy of them, something even stranger happened.
The System appeared, every surviving human suddenly saw windows of blue light.
Statistics.
Levels.
Skills.
Quests.
Humanity had been forced into a game it never asked to play. Now survival depended on leveling up, people who fought monsters became known as Players. Players could gain XP, they could level up and with that grow stronger. At Level 10, they chose a class. Whether it was a Swordsman, Mage, Archer, Assassin or Healer. Once someone chooses a class, their future path was set.
The strongest Players eventually reached Level 100, the max. Only legends reached that height, but Aken? He couldn't even reach Level 2, because of one cruel line written inside his system.
Unique Trait: Level 1 Curse.
Aken walked toward the small kitchen and poured himself a glass of Kangen water. One of newest water companies on the market. Some even say the best. The cold liquid slid down his throat as he leaned against the counter. The curse had appeared the moment he awakened his system at seventeen. At first, he thought it was a bug. Everyone did, but the truth became clear quickly.
No matter how many monsters he killed… no matter how much effort he put in…
is level never changed. Aken set the glass down slowly, yet despite that…
He had not given up, because something strange happened shortly after the curse appeared.
His system… was different, very very different. Aken sat cross-legged on the floor, he straightened his back, closed his eyes and steadied his breath. He began meditation. The first time he did this, he had discovered something unexpected. Energy, dark, heavy and powerful flowing through his body.
Cursed Energy, or as the system called it:
CURES.
Unlike mana, it felt more dense and volatile but through meditation, he could control it. Minutes passed, the room grew quiet. Then a soft sound echoed inside his mind.
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[CURES INCREASED]
+1
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Aken opened his eyes, a faint smile appeared. "Sixty-one, that's nice…"
Progress, slow but progress nonetheless. Meditation had become part of his daily routine, one point at a time, one small step forward. While others chased levels…
Aken built his own power much differently.
A sudden vibration broke the silence, his phone buzzed on the table. Aken picked it up, a message flashed on the screen.
Jae-Min:
There's a dungeon run today. F-Rank gate, want to come?
Aken stared at the message, F-Rank dungeon. The lowest difficulty, but still dangerous for ordinary people. For Players however, it was warm up. Aken typed a rather short reply.
Aken:
I'll be there.
Then he grabbed his jacket, it was time to hunt. An hour later, Aken arrived at the location. A huge crowd had already gathered. Gates had become a common sight in modern cities, floating portals of swirling energy. Inside them lay Dungeons, pocket dimensions filled with monsters. This particular gate glowed a faint green.
Meaning: F-Rank Dungeon.
Aken spotted a familiar figure waving. "Yo! Aken!"
Jae-Min jogged toward him. Tall and athletic with short yellow hair. Level 27 player, class—swordsman. Jae-Min grinned. "Thought you might skip today."
Aken shrugged. "I kind of needed the exercise."
Jae-Min chuckled. "You and your weird training habits."
Then his expression softened slightly. "Your still… level one?"
Aken said without shame "Yep."
Jae-Min sighed. "Man… that curse is brutal."
Aken simply smiled. "I've gotten used to it."
Jae-Min clapped him on the shoulder. "Ooh well, come on. Let's go kill some goblins."
The moment they stepped through the gate, the world changed. Cold wind greeted them. The sky had turned dark red, rocky terrain stretched in every direction. Aken flexed his fingers slightly, his senses began to sharpen, both perception and agility. His unique stats gave him advantages most Players didn't notice.
Jae-Min drew his sword. "Alright. Same plan as usual."
Aken nodded. "Of course, lead the way."
They didn't even walk far, a screech echoed through the canyon. Then the first monster appeared, a goblin. Green skin, jagged teeth, plus a rusty dagger in hand. It charged toward them wildly, Jae-Min was the first to move. His blade flashed in the air.
Slash.
The goblin collapsed instantly but another one jumped from the rocks. This time, Aken was the one who moved. His body surged forward, agility boosting his speed. He drove his fist directly into the creature's throat. The goblin choked and collapsed, a quiet notification echoed.
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[CURES INCREASED]
+2
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Aken's eyes flickered slightly, an F-Rank monster—two points. Not bad he thought. Jae-Min raised an eyebrow. "Still punching monsters to death?"
Aken shrugged. "Well it still works."
They continued deeper into the dungeon, more goblins appeared and with them came even crazier battles. With each kill…
Aken felt the cursed energy inside him grow stronger, slowly and steadily. Until—
A new notification appeared.
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[Hidden Condition Detected]
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Aken froze, Jae-Min noticed immediately. "Hey dude… you okay?"
Aken didn't answer, his eyes were locked on the glowing system message. Something… was happening, something new he had never expected.
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[The Level 1 Curse Is Evolving]
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END OF CHAPTER 2