Chapter 1 - Gold Star

At that moment, I was holding a bright blue stone. This stone, known as the Awakening Stone, comes in various ranks.

The one I have is a common-level stone, the lowest quality. But even being of low quality, it took two years of hard work to obtain.

"I have to awaken." That's all I think about at this moment.

My world is called Gold Star. Here, everyone has an element, which can be anything that exists.

Because of this, everyone in this world is eager to awaken. The element will decide your fate; if it's useless, you can only choose to live as a worker who is not treated as human.

My goal is to awaken a good element and escape this shitty life. My name is Shin Hanzer. I am an orphan; my parents died when I was a child to the MOOD (Monsters Out Of Dimension).

---

These creatures began invading our world 50 years ago. The reason? Greed, selfishness. The strongest beings from 50 years ago, wanting more power, investigated a way to reach new heights.

After years of research, they discovered a dimension. Without asking humanity if they agreed or sought its opinion, they opened a rift, initiating chaos.

The monsters from the dimension were very strong. Humans could not handle them; we were almost exterminated. To save us, those responsible for opening the rift sacrificed themselves to close it, but even sealing it, monsters still emerged. It was estimated that in 60 years the rift would break.

---

Their estimate was correct. Ten years ago, the rift began to break. On that day, thousands of monsters emerged. Our luck was that they were weak.

But even though they were weak, many people died, including my parents.

That day was just another normal day for me, a 7-year-old. I was playing in our backyard. My father was working in the forge, and my mother was tending the garden.

Suddenly, a roar reverberated through the air. The sky turned red and tore open with a growing rift. From within, deformed, grotesque, and bestial creatures with sharp claws and eyes gleaming with malice emerged. Panic quickly spread through the village.

My father dropped his hammer and ran to grab me. "Shin, go inside and stay with your mother!" he shouted, his eyes full of fear.

I ran inside, where my mother was already trying to barricade the doors. She hugged me tightly. "Everything will be alright, my son," she whispered, but I sensed the tension in her voice.

Outside, we heard screams of despair and sounds of destruction. The protection the strongest had promised seemed like a cruel joke at that moment. The creatures were everywhere, and the small army we had couldn't contain them.

We heard a loud sound, as if something heavy had fallen. My mother pushed me into a hiding spot under the floor. "Stay here, don't come out for anything," she said, kissing my forehead for the last time.

I obeyed, trembling with fear. Through the crack, I saw my mother grab an old sword of my father's and position herself in front of the door. She was ready to fight but had no chance. The door exploded, and one of the creatures entered. She charged but was quickly killed.

I closed my eyes, trying not to hear the horrible sounds. Tears streamed down my face as I clutched a small talisman my father had given me.

The noise stopped, and everything went silent. I waited what seemed like hours before daring to come out. When I finally emerged, horror overtook me. My parents were dead, and our home was destroyed.

I was found by a group of survivors who were passing by, looking for others who might have survived the attack. They took care of me, but the pain and emptiness remained.

---

Since then, my life has been a constant struggle. I grew up in an orphanage, learning to survive and fight. The Awakening Stone was my only hope. I worked tirelessly to get one, dreaming of the day I could change my destiny.

Now, holding this bright blue stone, I feel the weight of all my hopes and dreams. I close my eyes and focus, wishing with all my might that my element will be powerful. I need a chance to avenge my parents.

"I will awaken," I murmur, as the stone begins to shine intensely in response to my desire.