Bam!
A young man with dark circles under his eyes shut the door behind him, too exhausted to care about the noise.
His eyes scanned the room in front of him, filled with crumpled trash and used clothes lying around.
Thankfully, most were just paper and recently worn clothes, so the place didn't smell unbearable.
But it did look messy and trashy.
Jin sighed, feeling even more exhausted when he saw the state of his room. College and his part-time work took most of his schedule. He barely had any time to enjoy himself, much less clean his room.
Who could he blame for being born poor?
Plenty of times, he arrives home late at night, too tired to care and directly going to sleep. Then, he wakes up the next day and deals with his overwhelming schedule once more.
Such is the life of one college student who works part-time.
"Ugh, I don't want to think about it…"
Jin felt annoyed and directly dropped his bag on the table. Then, he leapt on the bed, feeling as though his fatigue had subsided a little.
The mattress felt like heaven after a day in hell.
Suddenly, he felt a buzz underneath his hand, and saw his game console turn on from his touch.
This game console was a gift from a rich friend of his; who had too much money to spare so he gave it away.
As the other party was too insistent, Jin reluctantly accepted the gift. While he rarely showed it, he was immensely grateful for the gesture.
His favorite game was "Beast Hunters EX", well, mostly because he grew up watching the beast hunter series and playing all of its games.
Booting the game up, the game loaded where he left it off.
"... Playing for a few minutes wouldn't hurt."
Jin yawned and focused on the game console. He deserves this much after a grueling day.
After a while, his eyes had closed, and his console fell on the bed.
The fatigue won in the end.
***
The next day.
Jin slowly woke up, feeling a faint ache on his body. But when he felt the sun shining through the window, his eyes immediately snapped wide open.
'Wait, what time is it?!'
He hurriedly stood up and looked at the clock hanging on the wall.
7:05 AM.
His eyes froze for a half a second, before he immediately went and grabbed his uniform.
He was late!
He went to the bathroom to take the quickest shower of his life.
In a few minutes, the bathroom door opened and Jin was all clean, ready, and dressed.
Grabbing his bag that he left on the table, he opened the door and went down, not wasting a single moment.
Normally, he wouldn't be too anxious about being late in class. Worst case, he could just be absent… but today was special.
He had an important exam today, and missing it could destroy his hard work in the entire semester.
If he missed it, then what were those sleepless nights for?
Turning left, and running straight, Jin stepped out of the alleyway. He saw cars, people carrying odd-looking creatures, and most importantly, the entrance of the Hope Elite University just a few distance away.
Now that he arrived in the street across the University, he sighed in relief.
But then, he suddenly froze.
"Odd looking creatures?"
Raising his head, an audible gulp escaped his throat.
People, old and young, walked around the streets of Newville City, carrying strange creatures that reminded Jin of his favorite game.
A blonde-haired lady walked in front of him, leading a gorgeous, small pink feline floating from behind. The feline's eyes were like precious sapphire, and it was hugging a large blue gem as it floated.
'... A pink cat?'
If seeing them across the street wasn't enough, then seeing up front left no room for doubts.
Jin was speechless. And moreso, in disbelief. How long did he sleep that the world had suddenly changed?
It wasn't just the pink cat; other people were carrying different creatures as well. Some as cute as the pink feline, some intimidating, some handsome…
"... What happened?"
Forgetting about his important exam, Jin stood rooted on the spot across the University entrance. His eyes went from one creature to another, feeling confused, shocked, and amazed…
But then, the loud honk of the cars snapped him out of his daze—the exam!
He could figure out what happened with the world and why it changed after!
Jin crossed the street and entered the University's gates.
"Coming through!"
He shouted, alarming the students on his path. The students saw his dead dark eyes and immediately made way.
After a minute or two of running around, he finally arrived at the front door of the exam room.
Before he even knocked, the door opened, and he felt overwhelming pressure descend on him.
"You're late."
A beautiful woman with long brown hair coldly gazed at him.
"How could you oversleep on such an important day, Jin Holmes?"
Jin merely smiled sheepishly, rubbing his hair in embarrassment. He bowed a couple of times and apologized.
"Sorry, sorry, Ms. Lisa…"
Seeing the dark circle under his eyes, Lisa's gaze softened. She pointed at one of the chairs, and spoke.
"Sit down. Today is the awakening ceremony, so simply wait for your name to be called."
Jin was about to sigh in relief, but suddenly froze hearing the words "awakening ceremony".
The what, now?
He blinked.
Awakening Ceremony?
Which God woke up and decided to mess with his life?
That morning, Jin truly couldn't figure out if he was still sleeping or truly awake.