The construction site buzzed withforest metal clanging, engines roaring, and men shouting over the chaos. A backhoe growled as it dug into the earth, while workers heaved long steel beams into place.
Under the scorching sun, a young man around twenty struggled across the site, arms shaking as he carried a heavy stack of bricks. Sweat dripped down his neck, soaking the collar of his dusty shirt.
"Hurry up, Ha-joon! Faster over here!" the foreman barked.
A burly older worker laughed it was Mr bongsik "Hah! This kid's got guts."
"Thought you'd quit after a month," the foreman added, though his tone was more amused than harsh.- the foreman is Mr Choi a kind hearted rugged old man.
Another worker clapped Ha-joon's shoulder as he passed. "You're doing good, kid. End of the shift soon. Tomorrow's your rest day lucky you."- it was Mr byung-ki
"What're you doing tomorrow?" The carpenter Mr bongsik asked.
Dae-han, a friend from the asked same age but more seasoned jogged up beside him. "Hey, wanna come with me? I'm planning to raid a dungeon."
Ha-joon scratched the back of his head. "Hyung… sorry. I can't. I still haven't learned any skills yet, even though I awakened."
"It's fine," Dae-han said, waving it off. "If you can hold a sword, you can join."
The foreman overheard and snorted. "Don't bother him, Dae-han. Looks like Ha-joon has a date tomorrow."
Ha-joon quickly shook his head. "No, nothing like that. My sister has a parent orientation at school. Mom and Dad are still in the hospital, so… I have to go."
"Ahh, I see," Dae-han said softly. "Maybe next time, okay?"
"Yeah. It's fine," Ha-joon said with a small smile.
When the shift finally ended, he collected his pay envelope and stepped out of the construction site, exhausted but relieved.
Ha-joon walked home, he glanced up at the glowing billboards towering over the street. One showed a famous female hunter advertising skincare, her armor replaced with a bright smile and flawless skin. Another displayed Kim Min-soo, Korea's youngest S-rank hero, modeling a new clothing line. Colorful banners hung from buildings, cheering hunters on like celebrities.
"Lucky bastard, you're just lucky about you're awakening" Ha-joon is jealous of hunters.
Above him, a blimp drifted slowly across the pink evening sky, displaying an ad for Kang Mina, an A-rank healer washing dishes for a detergent commercial. Even inactive hunters still have endorsements now… meanwhile I'm carrying bricks, he thought bitterly.
Sung Ha-joon hadn't been born in this world. Back on his original Earth, he'd been an overworked engineer who died at his desk. Then he woke up here on a world that looked almost the same. Same languages, similar technology, familiar countries… except for the part where World War I and World War II never happened, and Earth now called Blue Star became a moon of a massive planet named Astryion.
Without the world wars, history branched in strange directions.
Russia never existed; instead, Tartaria rose as the most advanced technological nation.
The Ottoman Empire still ruled much of the Middle East.
The UK held far more territories.
Many modern countries simply… never formed.
The USA and Canada merged into a single nation: the Empire of Taric, while most of Europe united into the Kingdom of Sidonia.
It sounded like pure fantasy, yet the truth behind all these changes was surprisingly simple. Astryion a massive, life-sustaining world as large as Jupiter was surrounded by twelve habitable moons. Now, Blue Star, what humanity once called Earth, had become one of them.
In ancient records, Astryion was known as Planet X, the birthplace of the Nephilims, a mighty race tied to the divine. And two hundred years ago, the unthinkable happened: Astryion shifted its orbit and pulled Earth completely out of the solar system, claiming it as a new moon.
History states that this miracle or catastrophe, depending on who tells the story was accomplished by the Twelve Main Gods themselves.
And then came the dungeons. Tears in the sky. Monsters spilling out. Entire cities nearly wiped clean. Humanity survived only because of the awakened hunters people capable of fighting back. Hunters were revered, adored, envied… and absolutely necessary.
Ha-joon, unfortunately, wasn't one of the lucky ones.
He had awakened as a G-rank the lowest of the low. No combat skills. Barely any mana. Only allowed to learn the simplest basic abilities. Awakened in name only, he thought.
He turned into a narrow alley and walked deeper into the slums, toward the small house he shared with his family. As soon as he opened the door, a voice called out.
"Oppa! You're home!" His younger sister, Sung Eun-seo, peeked from the kitchen with a bright smile. She was also a student at Hunter Univforest unlike him, she had awakened as a B-rank ranger, practically guaranteed a good guild after graduation.
That was why Ha-joon worked so hard. His sister had a future. He just needed to make sure she reached graduation.
Their parents couldn't help; both were still comatose after a monster attack during a dungeon outbreak.
At dinner, Ha-joon ate silently. Exhaustion hung over him like a heavy coat.
Eun-seo squinted at him. "Oppa, why do you look sad? Is someone bullying you at work?" She puffed out her cheeks, pulling up her sleeves as if ready to fight anyone who dared.
Ha-joon snorted. "Stop it, Eun-seo. No one's bullying me." He poked at his rice. "I just… I want to raid dungeons too, you know? But I haven't learned a single basic magic. It's been two years. Even G-ranks should've learned at least three by now."
"Oh, that?" Eun-seo waved her spoon. "Don't worry, oppa! Maybe you're a late bloomer. What if you get Reawakened and become S-rank?"
Ha-joon burst into laughter. "Haha, quit it. That only happens in movies."
Eun-seo's smile faltered for a second. She knew the truth: once someone awakened, their rank almost never changed.
After dinner, Ha-joon retreated to his room and turned on his computer. He booted up Age of the Hunter, an RPG where players could gain levels and choose jobs based on their status points. His character swung a sword with ease after allocating a few new points.
"Ugh… having a status board like this would be nice," he muttered.
Then....
Ding.
A chime rang in the air.
A glowing blue screen appeared right in front of his face.
"WAAAH !"
Ha-joon flailed backward and fell out of his gaming chair.
He stared wide-eyed at the floating panel.
"A… status board? No way. This is insane." He looked around his room, half expecting someone to pop out and yell "prank!"
But the screen remained.
And it displayed his information.
[Sung Ha-joon]
Age: 21
Height: 172 cm
ATK: 1
DEF: 1
STR: 1
INT: 1
Magicules: 2
Skills: Subspace, Gate, Heal
"…What is this garbage?" he groaned. "One? Everything is one? Am I weaker than an average guy?! No wonder the workers laugh when I carry stuff…"
But he paused.
"I have… skills?"
Heal a support skill. With his tiny magicules reserves, he'd only be able to patch minor cuts. Still, it was something.
Subspace skill that can store thing in a different dimension time does not flow in subspace.
"Ohh isn't this a convenient skills"
Then his eyes fell on the last one.
Gate.
"What kind of skill is that? I've never heard of anything like it." He tapped the option.
The moment he activated it, space warped and a dungeon gate materialized right in front of him.
Ha-joon froze.
A real dungeon. In his room.
His heart pounded. If I go in unprepared… I could die.
But curiosity burned stronger than fear.
He grabbed the old sword he used back in Hunter University, stuffed five healing potions into a bag, added some ready-to-eat meals, and packed a few fruits.
After a deep breath, he stepped through the Gate.
Light swallowed him, and when it faded
He was standing in the middle of a forest.