The Awakening

Darkness. Cold. Silence.

Zero floated in an empty abyss, weightless, his mind teetering between awareness and oblivion.

Was this death?

He remembered the searing pain of fire devouring his body, the screams of the little girl, the helplessness that gripped him as his vision faded.

But now, there was nothing. No pain. No fear. Just a vast, endless void.

Until—

Ding!

A mechanical voice shattered the silence.

"You have been chosen."

A bright blue screen flickered before him, illuminating the abyss with an eerie glow.

[System Activation Request]

Accept: [YES] or [NO]

If you accept, you will be reborn. If you decline, you will perish.

Time Limit: 60 seconds.

Zero's mind struggled to comprehend what he was seeing. A system? Like something out of a game?

Was this a trick? A hallucination in the afterlife?

None of it made sense.

But the alternative was absolute death.

His fingers twitched—except he had no fingers. He had no body. Just a consciousness floating in the abyss.

But if there was even a sliver of hope...

"I accept," he said firmly.

Ding!

"Congratulations, host. System successfully activated. Rebooting body..."

Heat surged through him.

His nerves reignited like a wildfire, his muscles spasmed, and his lungs gasped desperately for air.

Zero shot upright with a deep, shuddering breath.

The sensation of having a body again was overwhelming. His skin tingled, his heart pounded against his ribs, and his burned flesh—was healed? He clutched his chest, expecting pain, but there was none.

He was alive.

But how?

He took in his surroundings, his pulse still erratic.

The alley.

The same place where he had died.

Yet, it was eerily silent. The corpses, the blood, the masked men—gone. There was no trace of the battle, no sign of the girl or her captors.

It was as if the massacre had never happened.

"What... the hell?" Zero muttered, staggering to his feet.

His body felt different. Stronger. Lighter.

Then, the mechanical voice returned.

"Host, you may now access your status. Simply think 'System Panel.'"

Zero blinked.

This wasn't a dream.

He focused his mind.

"System Panel."

Instantly, a translucent blue screen materialized before him.

[SYSTEM PANEL]

Host Name: Zero

Age: 20

Rank: F-RANK

ELEMENTS: DARK ELEMENT

Strength: 5

Agility: 2

Stamina: 2

Defense: 2

Skills:

blindness (E+)

God Eyesight (SSS)

Attribute Points: 0

Zero's eyes widened.

"I… I have an elemental power?" His heart pounded. He had spent his entire life believing he was powerless, an insect in a world ruled by Awakeners.

But now—

"Dark Element?" he muttered. "I thought elemental affinities were determined at birth."

The system responded instantly.

"Dark Element - A basic control over darkness. Current ability: 'Blindness(E+)' – Temporarily blinds opponents for 10 seconds. Effect duration depends on stamina."

A low-ranked ability, but it was better than nothing.

Then, his eyes fell on something even more shocking.

"God Eyesight (SSS)?"

"System, explain this skill."

"God Eyesight (SSS) - A skill of divine rarity. Grants the ability to perceive hidden details, read a person's abilities, and analyze weaknesses."

Zero's breath caught in his throat.

A skill ranked SSS? The highest possible tier?

"Are you telling me… I can see other people's abilities?"

"Affirmative."

This was beyond broken.

With this ability, he could predict an enemy's strength, exploit their weaknesses, and see through their secrets.

Zero clenched his fists.

This system—it wasn't just reviving him.

It was giving him power.

Real power.

And he would use it.

The Rise of a New Hunter

Zero took a deep breath, his mind racing.

The world he lived in wasn't just ruled by Awakeners.

It was also overrun by Dungeons.

Twenty years ago, mysterious gates had appeared worldwide, connecting Earth to deadly pocket dimensions filled with monsters. From these dungeons, creatures spilled into reality, threatening humanity itself.

But alongside these horrors came a new power.

Humans awakened elemental abilities, evolving into Hunters—warriors capable of fighting back.

Hunters were ranked from F to S, with F being the weakest and S being near godlike.

And Zero? He had been below an F-rank his entire life.

But that was about to change.

With this system, he would climb from the bottom. He would defy fate. He would make the world remember his name.

And those men who took that little girl?

Zero's eyes darkened.

He would find them.

And he would make them suffer.

Zero smirked.

His journey had just begun.

End of Chapter 2.