"S Rank Hunter Julius, ranked number 69 in the world, has again saved the city of Metropia by taking on the A rank Dungeon along with his guild: Broken Swords. It has been recorded that there were no casualties and a total harvest of $10 Million worth of mana crystals were retrieved…" 

A young man sat on his chair slouched behind a desk, listening to the news on his phone. He let out an exasperated sigh, causing his posture to worsen more, as he hunched over his device. 

He was fairly tall at 187cm and wore a slim build that expressed minimal physical training. His dark blue hair hung passed his forehead, matching with the dark black circles under his eyes. At the tender age of 18 years old, he had become a full-time Librarian at a small Library Bookstore.

'Another day of this pathetic job. Another day with no customers. That old hag better give me a raise soon.' The young man, Arthur, sighed again, switching off his phone. The news was the same daily, speaking of the heroics of these hunters. 

After the Xandarians - an extraterrestrial race - had suddenly appeared on Earth, declaring war on the humans, large portals accompanied their arrival, called dungeons. The existence of the Xandarians had forced planet Earth to birth the magical essence known as Mana. These portals led to different dimensions where vast kinds of monsters resided; allowing these portals to remain open for too long would lead to dungeon breaks, letting these ferocious beasts loose into the world to wreck havoc. 

The only way to remove these dungeons was by killing all the monsters inside them, only this would cause the dungeon to disappear. These dungeons were another threat that loomed on the Earth, adding to the crisis of the Xandarian invasion.

The population of humans hit a decline, as the man-made weapons of destruction only served to ruin the Earth and land, more than cause any casualties against this alien race, that held otherworldly abilities. 

As humans on Earth started gaining newfound powers through a miraculous process known as 'the awakening', a new abundant source of energy called 'mana' was exposed to the humans, allowing the once frail creatures to put up a desperate fight against the Xandarians. 

Over the following years, the situation grew to become more complicated as others - once thought to be fantasy races - began exiting into the world through the portals. 

Elves, Dwarves and the Beast Kin. The sudden appearance of these races caused the humans to attack them in retaliation. They were already on edge due to the Xandarian race, they were not going to let further foreign entities attempt to take over their planet!

After several wars between the humans and the other races excluding the Xandarians, a treaty had been signed by the leaders of the prospective races coming to a truce. Even trade deals had been made, to allow the coexistence of the 4 races on planet Earth.

Only when the Xandarian invasion also had come to a standstill, with the help of the 3 other races, did a temporary curtain of peace return.

The Elves, although low in number, were proficient in the use of mana in battle, the dwarves were expert artisans, and the beastkin were primal hunters, most in tune with their instincts. Whilst the Xandarians were otherworldly in combat and strength, their numbers were few. Their momentum had diminished as they lay hidden across the world to recuperate their power.

As technology advanced, there was a new method to force an awakening in a person. By infusing the human body with dense currents of mana, it would usually lead to an awakening. At the age of 12 Arthur had gone through the 'awakening' process, but failed to awaken. 

Fortunately, he had one last chance at this! One last chance to awaken, Arthur had diligently worked part-time jobs and worked as a librarian in the daytime to fund his next 'awakening' process. Every person had two chances, one when they were 12 and another at the age of 18, when their bodies were more mature. 

Most families would back their children and fund for their expensive awakenings but Arthur couldn't ask for such a luxury, at least not after he had been disowned.

However, now, his miserable life was either about to change or stay the same. Tomorrow was the fateful day. A new opportunity. Would his life finally change for the better?

"Uhm… excuse me, I would like to return this book." 

A sweet voice broke Arthur out of his trance as he smiled at the figure in front of him immediately like it was second nature. 

A beautiful girl stood in front of him, with striking red hair, and a vibrant crown of fiery tresses framed her face like a halo. Her locks, reminiscent of a blazing sunset's warm hues, cascaded in waves down her back, their intensity mirroring her spirited and passionate nature, as she smiled sweetly at Arthur.

Arthur gripped the fat book placed on his desk and sized up the book, looking at the plain black cover and the back. 

'Epic of The Demon King Slayer. Strange, I don't remember there being this sort of book in our records.' Arthur pondered, staring at the title of the book. He knew every book in the records off by heart that the Metropia Library held and this book wasn't the library's.

"Ma'am I think you've made a mistake. This book is not one of ours." Arthur solemnly placed the book back down on the desk and slid the book towards her. 

"I'm sure there is a mistake. My family received this book many years ago from this exact library, I was ordered to return this, so please take it. Maybe the book was removed from your records." The red-haired girl reasoned. 

'It could be true.' Arthur pondered before deciding to take the book in and check up with the online database again later. He was this library's manager and sole worker, so he could also decide to update the system if need be.

"Okay, however, since it's been several years since you've had this book and is a probable property of the library, I will have to calculate the costs that you will have to pay for returning it past your period of borrowing. Please jot down your details here so that I can contact you later if need be." Arthur slid a parchment of paper along with a pen to her, whilst taking the black book and placing it in a brown box on the side of his desk with other books.

The red-haired girl nodded, putting down her details.

"Thank you… Mr Librarian. My name is Madeliene Khan." She gave a respectful bow before leaving.

'Khan family huh? A famous, revered Guild of Hunters that don't allow any external people to enter their ranks. Their members only consisted of the many branches of their internal family. Interesting.' Arthur, slouched back against his seat, looking up at the clock. 

'I'm gonna be awakened tomorrow!' Arthur strengthened his resolve, getting out of his desk, he stretched his arms and yawned, before jumping out of his seat to go and sort out the shelves.

**

Arthur stood in front of the awakening centre. He sighed deeply, trying to ease his beating heart. He had got up early and showered, he wore a basic long-sleeved T-shirt with black cargos, and his hair slicked back with gel. 

He walked up the stairs reminiscing his past failed awakening, leaving distaste in his mouth.

'This time things will be different.' Arthur shook away the negative thoughts putting a smile on his face as he queued in line. 

The interior of the awakening building of the Hunter Association exuded a sterile air of minimalism and functionality, with an austere reception desk at the centre of the brightly lit lobby. The unsmiling and robotic staff, presented a stark contrast to the excited young people in line, ecstatically waiting for their turn. The lobby, devoid of warmth, featured utilitarian furnishings, uncomfortable seating, and harsh lighting that created a clinical atmosphere.

"How may I help you?" A monotonous voice asked. The receptionist was a lady with a deadpan expression. 

"I'm here for my awakening," Arthur said simply. 

"Name?"

"Arthur."

"Your full name please, sir." The receptionist looked back at him.

"That is my full name, I don't have a surname." Arthur replied, without batting an eye. The receptionist paused before she continued typing again, moving onto her next question.

"Age?"

"18."

"Ok. To your left, straight on. Room number 7." The receptionist pointed left with her chin, not averting her gaze from her computer screen. 

Arthur nodded, smiling at her, before heading in that direction. With every step, his heartbeat rose in anticipation. 

As he walked passed the numbered rooms in the hallway, he could see many people, some huddled in groups discussing their awakening, some gutted by the results.

'Room 7. Here we go!' he knocked before entering the room. 

An old man in his mid-50s greeted him once he entered. He wore a white lab coat and continued to expertly type away on a levitating keyboard.

"Welcome, Arthur. This is your second awakening attempt so you must know the procedure right?" The old expert asked, his eyes still skimming the data on his screen.

"Yes sir." how could Arthur not remember the process, in fact he remembered every step!

"Okay, please enter the mana chamber. When you're ready give me a thumbs up, and I will begin the mana infusion process." The old man let his fingers dance as he pressed keys on his glass keyboard, even faster than he was doing before.

Arthur nodded, walking up to a glass door, he entered the glass-enclosed room, taking another deep breath. He gazed around the white minimalistic room, then closed his eyes and took a deep breath in.

A dark black ball the size of a basketball waited for him in the centre of the room.

'Here goes nothing.' Arthur walked up to the black ball, letting his hand grasp onto the cold surface. 

"I'm ready," Arthur announced, closing his eyes.

"Beginning the process in 3…2…1!" The old man replied, pressing the enter key on his keyboard. 

Immediately, a powerful force engulfed Arthur's body, pushing him down. It felt like hundreds of sacs of cement were dropped on him. Arthur gritted his teeth, putting up a front against the force crushing his whole existence. This carried on for several minutes till it began to tone down. 

At the end of the procedure, his whole body was drenched in sweat, but surprisingly he didn't feel exhausted one bit, quite the opposite, this reassurance made him feel optimistic. Did he succeed in becoming awakened?

Arthur slowly opened his eyes, his breathing raggedy and his clothes drenched in his own sweat. The view in front of him caused a slither of cold to travel down his spine, his face ashen in shock.

'What?!'

"I'm sorry sir, but you have failed in awakening." The Old man announced emotionlessly, like he had said this many times before, directing his attention away from his screen for the first time.