The world changed on a Tuesday in 2025. They called it the "Great Illumination." Without warning, a light so blindingly white it felt physical shined upon every corner of the Earth. For a few minutes, there were no shadows—only a brilliant, terrifying glow. When the light faded, humanity was no longer the apex predator. "The Chosen" had emerged—people granted powers that defied physics, turning reality into a twisted version of a fantasy novel.
In the year that followed, the world scrambled to adjust. Governments collapsed and reformed; Ranks were established to measure the "Awakened," and Guilds became more powerful than corporations. But for twenty-year-old Kaizer Gold, the Great Illumination had been a cruel joke. While others flew or conjured lightning, Kaizer remained a "Zero"—a normal college student in Japan who preferred the predictable logic of video games to the chaotic unfairness of the new world.
He had accepted his fate. He wanted a chill life. But the world wasn't done changing.
"Run! Get to the emergency shelters! It's a B-Rank!"
The screams shattered the afternoon peace of the university. High above the courtyard, the sky had cracked open like a bruised plum. A Dungeon Portal—a swirling vortex of violet energy—was vomiting monsters onto the campus.
Kaizer pressed his back against a crumbling stone pillar, his breath coming in ragged hitches. To his left, students he knew—the "Chosen" who spent their mornings flaunting their D-Rank fireballs and bullying non-awakened students—were now screaming in genuine terror.
"Help! Someone!"
The voice belonged to Hana, a girl from his Ethics class who had been one of the few to ever show him kindness. She was pinned under a fallen concrete slab near the center of the plaza. Ten feet away, a Frost-Fang Werewolf—a B-tier nightmare of matted fur and ice—was prowling toward her.
"Dammit," Kaizer hissed. His legs shook, but the gamer in him saw the opening. He didn't have a god-gifted skill. He had a heavy fire extinguisher and a heart full of resentment for the "Gods" who had ignored him.
He lunged.
CLANG!
The heavy metal canister smashed into the beast's snout. It bought Hana three seconds. "Go! Run, Hana!"
She scrambled away, but the werewolf didn't follow. It turned its glowing yellow eyes on Kaizer. With a bored huff, it swiped a clawed hand.
The world tilted. Kaizer felt a hot, searing line tear across his chest, deep enough to see bone. He hit the brick wall hard, the taste of iron filling his mouth. His vision began to dim, the gray afternoon fading into a heavy, suffocating black.
Is this it? he thought bitterly. A year of being a nobody, just to die as a footnote?
Then, the world froze. The falling debris hovered in mid-air. The werewolf was a statue of murderous intent. A screen of obsidian glass, darker than any shadow, shimmered into existence before Kaizer's fading eyes.
[ALERT: FATAL DAMAGE DETECTED.] [An entity from the 'Deep Abyss' has been watching you.]
"The Gods of Light chose their puppets a year ago. I choose a King. Do you accept Paimon, Warlord of the Underworld, as your sovereign?" [YES / NO]
"I... I don't want to die like this," Kaizer wheezed, his blood-slicked finger trembling as it touched [YES].
[CONTRACT ACCEPTED.] [New Title: Contractor of the Underworld Warlord] [Hidden Class Unlocked: Shadow Sovereign (Abyssal)] [Hidden Stat 'Shadow Affinity' has been forcefully awakened.]
A violent, abyssal cold exploded from Kaizer's heart. It wasn't the frost of the werewolf; it was the absolute zero of the void.
Black smoke poured from his wounds, stitching his flesh back together with threads of darkness. His own shadow detached itself from the pavement, rising like a hooded specter behind him.
The werewolf thawed from its stasis and lunged, but it hit nothing. Kaizer had dissolved into a cloud of ink.
A voice, ancient and dripping with dark amusement, echoed in his skull: "Eat, my contractor. Let the world remember what it means to fear the dark."
From the shadows beneath the werewolf, dozens of obsidian hands erupted, dragging the beast down into a bottomless pool of black. There was no struggle—only a muffled whimper before the B-Rank monster was devoured entirely.
Before the government guilds or the "Holy" heroes could arrive, the black smoke vanished.
The next morning, the sun hit Kaizer's face in his cramped apartment. He sat up with a jolt, clutching his chest. His shirt was shredded and soaked in dried blood, but the skin beneath was smooth. No scars.
Then, a soft, digital ping resonated in the quiet room.
[You have leveled up. Current Level: 5] [1 Entity is currently observing you with 'Interest'.] [Allocate your 10 Stat Points to improve your power.]
Kaizer stared at the floating blue text. The "chill life" he had resigned himself to was dead. He was no longer a Zero. He was the Contractor of the Underworld Warlord.