1 Awakening

Bang!

The sound of a gun firing echoed through the air, signaling the start of the race. A pack of students burst into motion, their feet pounding against the earth in a frenzied sprint. Among them stood one breaking away from the pack with fluid grace and effortless speed. A lean muscular figure crossed the finish line.

The announcer's voice shook with excitement. "First place, Jae-sung."

Panting and sweating, Jae-sung reached for a cup of water, relishing the coolness as it flowed down his throat. "Refreshing," he murmured.

But his moment of triumph was short-lived, as a burning sensation seized his chest. Agony coursed through his body as the pain reached a crescendo, before finally subsiding. A message appeared before him: "You have awakened."

Jae-sung's lips curled into a wry smile. He had been waiting for this moment, for the chance to join the ranks of the awakened, those gifted with supernatural powers in the wake of the Great Monster War. Not all were so fortunate, but through a testing procedure, Jae-sung had been identified as one of the chosen few.

As he manifested his stat window, he saw that his stats were exceptional for a starting level, and he had a unique class.

Name: Jae-sung

Level: 1

Class: Ferromancer

HP: 100

MP: 21

[Stats]

Strength: 19

Stamina: 15

Agility: 18

Intelligence: 21

[Skills]

- Steel wire

He wasn't sure of how powerful he would be as the battle with humans and monsters had occurred recently, and there hadn't been enough time to develop a ranking system.

His coach, Dak-Ho, of the prep combat force, approached him with a smirk on his face.

"Nice job out there! You're one of our top students. I think you're ready for your first hunt."

Jae-sung nodded in agreement, and the coach marked him down for the following day's hunt. Hunts were necessary to prevent outbreaks by diminishing the monster population, and it was a job that only the awakened were suited for as human weapons were not very effective.

Jae-sung's parents had been killed in the war, and he had kept to himself ever since. After class and dinner, he retired to his room, eager for the next day's hunt. He didn't bother to share his awakening or class with his peers, knowing that they could be even more dangerous than the monsters themselves.

In his room, he examined his skill, almost naturally conjuring black steel wire from his body. The wire had the properties of steel, but was made of an unknown material with a tensile strength far above anything he had ever seen before. He couldn't fathom how powerful it truly was, but he knew it consumed one-third of his mana for every five meters of wire he conjured. With this new knowledge, Jae-sung drifted off to sleep.

The next day, he donned basic armor, reinforced cloth that offered some protection from stabbing attacks. Only clothes and magical items could traverse the realms, so that was all he could bring. He boarded a bus with other students, some already awakened, and others not.

One student caught his eye, a tall and imposing figure with a sword strapped to his back. The blade glinted in the light, a silent promise of deadly precision. The student carried himself with the grace and poise of a seasoned warrior, his every movement exuding a sense of authority and confidence.

Another student caught his attention, a petite woman with a bow slung across her back. Her fingers danced across the string, as if plucking at the very heartstrings of a harp. Her eyes were sharp and focused, scanning the horizon with a hunter's intuition.

A third student stood out to him, a young man with fire streaming from his mouth. The flames danced and flickered, a wild and untamed force. The student's eyes were alight with a fierce passion, as if he was the very embodiment of the inferno.

Right before he entered, the instructor gave him a final warning with a grim face.

"Although this is an entry-level dungeon, many have perished due to foolishness. I hope you reconsider."

Jae-sung looked back trying to mask the smirk he had.

"Thanks for the consideration."

As he stepped through the portal, Jae-sung was greeted by a landscape of misty shadows and mossy overgrowth. The jungle was alive with the whispers of secrets and the secrets of whispers, a place where sunlight struggled to pierce through the thick canopy above. The dampness hung heavily in the air, clinging to his skin like a lover's touch, and the silence was a symphony of the unknown. Every step he took was met with the soft squelching of the soil beneath his feet, and the only sound that broke the stillness was the occasional rustle of leaves as unseen creatures scurried away. The jungle was a place of mystery and danger, where the unknown lurked behind every tree and around every bend.

"You have entered Goblin Grounds"