Prologue: A World Out of Balance
The world was no longer what it used to be.
It hadn't been for a long time.
Monsters existed.
Not myths. Not stories.
Real.
They appeared without warning—creatures born from unknown forces, evolving over time, growing stronger, more intelligent. Some were mindless. Others… far worse.
Among them stood beings that had lived for centuries.
At the top of that hierarchy was one name whispered in fear:
Majin Bane.
A monster said to have existed for over a thousand years. A king among monsters.
No one knew his true limits. Only that wherever he appeared… entire regions disappeared with him.
To fight against them, humanity changed.
Some were born different.
They were called Mutants.
Humans who awakened abilities—powers that bent the rules of reality itself. Fire, gravity, energy, constructs… each one unique.
They became humanity's defense.
But power didn't create equality.
It created hierarchy.
The strong ruled.
The weak survived.
And those in between—
Were used.
Chapter 1: The Weight of Survival
Naji Kang a seventeen year old boy up before sunrise.
Not because he wanted to.
Because he had to.
The room was small—barely enough space for a mattress and a cracked wall that let cold air leak in. The ceiling was stained from old rain. The light flickered when it worked.
Still better than before.
He sat up slowly.
His body ached.
That made it… what, the fourth job?
No.
Fifth.
He had stopped counting properly.
Work had blurred into one long stretch of exhaustion.
The debt didn't care how tired he was.
It never did.
He stood up, stretching stiff muscles. His hands were rough, scarred from constant combat. His breathing was steady—but heavy.
The number sat in his mind.
Always there.
A debt he didn't create.
A burden left behind by a man who was supposed to protect him.
Instead, he ran.
And left Naji with everything.
Naji clenched his fist.
If he didn't work—
He didn't eat.
If he didn't obey—
He didn't live.
A sharp knock hit the door.
"They're waiting."
Of course they were.
They always were.
Earlier That Same Night
The alley reeked of blood.
Naji stood over a fallen creature—its body twitching slightly before going still.
A low-level mutant-beast.
Fast.
Annoying.
Dead.
He exhaled slowly.
That was one.
"Move," a collector said. "Next site."
No rest.
No pause.
The second job was worse.
A warehouse raid.
Rogue mutants.
Three of them.
By the end, the ground was cracked, the walls half-collapsed, and Naji's breathing was uneven.
He leaned slightly, catching himself.
"Still standing?" one collector muttered.
Naji didn't respond.
He just straightened.
He was used to this.
Pain didn't matter.
Only results did.
Back to the Present
Naji stepped outside.
The city was already alive—people moving, surviving, pretending things were normal.
They weren't.
Not in a world like this.
He looked up briefly.
The sky was dull.
For a moment, a thought crossed his mind.
What would it feel like… to live?
Not survive.
Live.
To laugh.
To rest.
To have someone who didn't disappear.
The thought faded.
Dreams like that weren't for him.
"Move."
A collector shoved him forward.
Naji walked.
Because that's what he always did.
The ruined district lay silent.
To Be Continued…