In a world where magic and technology existed in harmony, cities were built high into the clouds, and ancient beasts slumbered beneath the earth. Dimensional rifts—tear-like portals—had become an everyday reality, randomly appearing in cities and wilderness alike. Through these rifts, adventurers known as "Hunters" ventured into the unknown, battling creatures from other worlds and harvesting valuable treasures.

Rin Takeda had never imagined becoming one of them.

He was an ordinary eighteen-year-old, a dropout from the Hunter Academy who couldn't even summon a basic magic circle. While others mastered spells or wielded futuristic weaponry, Rin barely scraped by doing odd jobs in the slums of Arcadia City. Life was tough, but it was his life, and Rin had made peace with his place at the bottom.

But destiny, as it often does, had different plans.

Rin stood in front of a towering skyscraper, his eyes fixed on the shimmering portal above it. The rift was massive, crackling with ethereal energy, casting an eerie glow over the skyline. A Class-A Dungeon had opened up, and the top Hunters of Arcadia were already inside, fighting whatever horrors lurked within.

*"It's not my business,"* Rin told himself as he turned away. His sister, Mai, was sick at home, and he needed to deliver her medicine. She was the only family he had left. The world of Hunters was for people with ambition, not for someone like him.

But as he walked down the alleyway, he heard a low rumbling, a sound that made his heart skip a beat. The ground trembled violently, and with it, a dark pulse rippled through the air. Rin froze.

Then came the screams.

From the rift above the skyscraper, a creature unlike anything he'd ever seen emerged—a colossal, serpentine being with scales made of molten rock, its eyes burning like twin suns. The creature let out an earth-shattering roar, and with a sweep of its tail, half the skyscraper crumbled to dust.

Panic erupted in the streets as civilians ran for cover. The elite Awakeners who were supposed to protect the city were nowhere to be seen—trapped inside the rift, fighting another battle, unaware of the terror unfolding outside.

Rin's legs felt like they were made of lead. He wanted to run, to hide. But then, he saw her.

A girl, no older than ten, was trapped beneath a fallen piece of rubble, crying out for help. Her legs were pinned, and no one was stopping to help her in the chaos. Rin's heart pounded in his chest, and before he could think, his feet were moving.

He dashed forward, adrenaline surging through his veins. The heat from the creature's presence was unbearable as he knelt beside the girl, using every ounce of strength he had to lift the rubble just enough for her to crawl out.

"Go!" Rin shouted, pushing her toward a group of fleeing civilians. She looked back at him with wide, tear-filled eyes, but she obeyed, running as fast as her legs could carry her.

The creature's gaze turned to Rin.

His heart dropped. There was no escape now. The molten beast raised its massive claw, ready to crush him beneath it.

*Is this how I die?*

But as the creature's claw descended, something inside Rin snapped. Time slowed. The world around him faded into darkness, and a burning sensation coursed through his body. It was unlike anything he had ever felt before—a primal energy, raw and untamed, welling up from deep within him.

Suddenly, a voice echoed in his mind:

**"System Initialization Complete. Congratulations, Awakener."**

A blinding light erupted from Rin's chest, and his vision went white.

When the light faded, Rin was still standing. But the ground around him had been scorched black, and the creature that had been poised to kill him had been reduced to a pile of molten slag.

He blinked in disbelief, his hands trembling as he looked down at them. They were glowing with an otherworldly aura, his veins pulsing with energy.

"What... just happened?"

Before he could process it, a translucent window appeared before him, hovering in midair like a hologram.

**Name: Rin Takeda

Class: Unawakened (Evolvable)

Level: 1

Abilities: Unknown

Status: Awakening in Progress**

He stared at the screen in disbelief.

"Did I just... awaken?" Rin whispered.

In the distance, the rift pulsed again, and more creatures began to pour through. The sky darkened as the air filled with the sounds of battle and terror.

Rin clenched his fists. He had spent his whole life believing he was powerless, but now, something inside him had changed.

And for the first time in his life, he felt a flicker of hope.

"I'm not running anymore," he muttered to himself, stepping toward the chaos.

Whatever this power was, he would master it. He would fight, not just for his survival, but for everyone who had no choice but to flee.

Rin Takeda had awakened.

And the world would never be the same.