Chapter 1: The Dream of Doing Nothing
We all desire something, don t we?
Others desire money. Others desire love. And some simply want to live and do nothing.
Kim Do-hyun? He desired all.
He desired the physique of a K-pop idol. He desired the girls. The speedy automobile. A large house. Everything. But above all… he did not want to get out of bed.
No workouts. No jobs. No stress. Only games, food, and sleep. Was that asking too much?
He turned in his little bed and looked at the cracked ceiling of his one-room apartment. There was a stack of ramen cups on his desk. His fan hummed lazily, as though even that was weary of this existence.
"Man," he mumbled. "If only I could get strong just by watching someone do push-ups."
He smiled a bit.
That was a manga-like idea. Or a game. This was not a game. This was real life and in real life, laziness had its cost.
He was fat, poor, and twenty. His stomach was over his shorts. His T-shirt was three days old. And within an hour he was to appear at a government building to participate in something big.
It was referred to as the Awakening Program.
The world was different after the Mana Burst three years ago. Human beings began to acquire powers--actual powers. Healing, fire, lightning, like super speed, you name it.
Others got rich in a day.
Others turned into heroes.
Others turned into monsters.
Do-hyun? He grew… nervous.
Ugh, he grunted, and sat up. They had better not make me run or fight to-day.
He took a slice of cold toast and chewed it slowly. His phone vibrated.
[1 New Message – From: Park Joon-ho]
Joon-ho: yo did u awaken yet u fat bastard? lol
Joon-ho: u better get some trash skill like fart bomb or sleepy punch
Do-hyun rolled his eyes.
Do-hyun: not yet. going in now. pray i don't awaken "unpaid intern"
Joon-ho: lmaooo
He smiled. Just a little. That was his friend, Park Joon-ho. A loudmouth, but a real one. Joon-ho had awakened two months ago and now worked for some D-rank guild. Nothing big, but he made enough to stop eating expired cereal.
Do-hyun threw on a hoodie, stuffed a snack into his pocket, and slipped out the door.
Outside, the sky was cloudy. The wind was hot. People were lined up on the street, some holding umbrellas, some holding hope.
He walked toward the government bus stop, shoulders hunched, earbuds in.
This was it.
Today, Kim Do-hyun would awaken.
But no one—not even him—could guess what was coming next.
---
The government bus smelled like sweat and old plastic.
Kim Do-hyun sat near the back, hoodie up, head down. Around him, other people his age were whispering and laughing nervously. Some wore sports gear. Others looked like they had come from work. Everyone was tense.
They were all here for one reason:
To awaken.
After the Mana Burst, the world changed. People could awaken powers at random, but the government found a way to force it. Now, everyone had to go through the Awakening Program at age twenty.
No skipping.
No saying no.
Even lazy people like Do-hyun.
He looked out the window. They were leaving the city now, heading toward a tall white building with guards at the gate.
A big banner read:
> WELCOME TO THE 10TH AWAKENING CYCLE
Unleash Your True Power!
Do-hyun sighed. "Cheesy…"
The bus stopped. A soldier stepped inside and shouted, "Everyone out! Phones off! Line up!"
Do-hyun slipped his phone into his pocket and followed the crowd. Inside, they were led down a long hallway into a huge underground room that looked like a science lab mixed with a prison.
There were dozens of metal doors on the walls. Monitors blinked. People in lab coats walked around, typing on tablets.
A young man in armor stood on a stage.
He was tall, sharp-eyed, and glowing with mana. The air around him felt hot.
This was Baek Min-jae, a C-Rank Hunter, and the presenter for today's Awakening.
"Welcome, everyone," Baek Min-jae said, smiling. "Some of you will leave here today with power. Some… will not. But all of you will learn who you truly are."
He pointed at a red circle on the floor.
"Step into the portal when your name is called. You'll be sent to the Awakening Space. There, your hidden talent will reveal itself."
Do-hyun scratched his neck.
It was itchy. Maybe it was the nerves. Maybe it was the idea that something inside him was about to be pulled out.
"Kim Do-hyun."
His name was called.
Heart thumping, he stepped onto the red circle. Lights flashed. Wind blew upward like a fan.
Then—whoosh—he was gone.
---
Inside the Awakening Space, it was quiet.
He stood in a huge bunker-like room, lit with white light. There were no walls. Just endless space.
Suddenly, a girl nearby exploded in flame.
"Woah!" Do-hyun jumped back.
She was floating, her hands glowing red. Fire danced around her body.
"Kang So-hee," a voice called out. "Elemental affinity: Fire. Skill: Flame Burst. Classification: B-Rank. Congratulations!"
People were already running up to her, offering guild cards, shouting for her attention.
Do-hyun just stared.
"Dang… so that's what a real power looks like."
He looked down at his own hands. Nothing glowed. Nothing burned.
Another man walked up. He wore a uniform and held a crystal tablet.
"Name?"
"Uh, Kim Do-hyun."
The man looked at the screen. Then frowned.
"Hmm…"
"What?" Do-hyun asked.
"i'm here to recruit talented individuals to our guild," the man said honestly. "But let's see what your skill is."
Kim Do-hyun called up the system interface by saying "system". A hologram popped up.
> Name: Kim Do-hyun
[Stats]
Health: 100
Mana: 100
Strength: 7.1
Reflexes: 5.2
Stamina: 4.0
Endurance: 6.5
[Skill]
Awakened Skill: Cloning (Lv. 1)
Type: Summon
Cooldown: 24 hours
Max Clones: 1
Clone shares physical form and stats with user.
Clone disappears when exhausted.
After going through the information Do-hyun looked at the man in uniform and said "my skill is cloning"
The man blinked. "Wow."
"Wow… good?"
"Wow, trash."
"Trash?" Do-hyun repeated, his stomach sinking.
The man scratched his head. "Yeah. I've seen this one before. A few people awaken it, but it's usually worthless."
"How?"
"Well," the man said, turning the screen of his tablet for Do-hyun to see, "the clone usually appears like a ghost. Can't touch anything. Doesn't really help. Just floats there like a balloon on a string. It's kinda like an illusion to confuse enemies"
Do-hyun frowned. That sounded terrible.
"But…" he said slowly, "mine didn't say anything about it being a ghost."
The man shrugged. "Doesn't matter. It's still level one. Won't help much in dungeons, that's for sure."
He gave Do-hyun a weak smile. "Hey, at least you awakened something, right? That's better than nothing."
Do-hyun didn't smile back.
He felt heat in his chest—not anger, but disappointment. Like the moment you open a game loot box and get nothing but gray items.
"Cloning, huh…" he muttered.
Suddenly, a loud bang! rang out across the room. A big guy in gym clothes had just punched the air and yelled, "Let's goooo!"