The morning sun bathed the grand Shoto estate in a warm golden hue casting a serene glow over the mansion that seamlessly blended modern elegance with traditional charm.Lush gardens and towering trees framed the property, a testament to the Shoto family's wealth.Yet, despite their status, they lived humbly, never allowing their privilege to define them.
Inside, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and sizzling eggs filled the air. Akira stretched lazily on the couch, a contented grin on his face. His mother, a striking woman with sharp, elegant features and long, flowing black hair, moved gracefully in the kitchen. Her piercing eyes carried a quiet intensity, yet her presence was warm and inviting.
Akira's father Shiro Shoto sat at the dining table, scanning the news on his tablet.Tall and handsome, with sharp, commanding eyes, he exuded an aura of quiet authority. Yet, his warm smile made the house feel like home.
Akira at six feet tall, had a lean, athletic frame honed by years of discipline.His black hair, neatly combed, fell just above his dark, expressive eyes—eyes that radiated warmth.His youthful face, smooth and unmarked by scars, carried a natural charm that had always drawn people to him.
"Akira, if you don't wake up properly,I'll eat your breakfast too." his mother teased, glancing over her shoulder with a playful smirk.
Akira chuckled, rolling onto his side."You wouldn't do that to your favorite son, would you?"
His father let out a hearty laugh. "Favorite? You're the only son we have, you brat."
Akira smirked."You have Artemis too."
His mother waved a hand dismissively, smirking. "Yeah, but she's not in this country anymore, so technically, you're the only one I have to deal with."
Akira snickered shaking his head as he finally sat up.As they ate, light conversation flowed naturally.
His mother shared details about a new book she was reading, while his father, as always, brought up his latest technological advancements. "The new predictive system I'm working on will help minimize dungeon casualties by—"
Akira sighed, waving a hand dismissively."I'm not interested in this weird new world you're so fixated on, Dad."
His mother scoffed, smirking. "You say you're not interested in this world, yet you push yourself in training and spend hours at the gym."
Akira grinned, leaning back. "That's just self-care. I mean, no matter how long I train, I'm not an Awakened. Even the weakest of them can beat the strongest normal human with ease, right?"
His mother laughed. "Hahaha, true. But we have your father, 'the legend' of this new world, the supporter of those Stars and dungeons, right?"
Akira smirked, glancing at his father. "Ahhaha, yeah. We're really lucky."
Yeah ten years ago, the world as humanity knew it shattered. The first dungeons emerged, bringing forth monsters from nightmares. Cities fell, people died, and chaos reigned. But from that destruction, something else arose—humans who awakened extraordinary powers, later known as Stars.These individuals became humanity's strongest warriors, fighting back against the creatures that threatened their existence. Some wielded elements, others possessed superhuman strength or unique abilities that defied logic. They became legends, saviors and the only hope of earth.
Akira however, had never been interested in them.Not like his father, who viewed the Stars as a beacon of progress and hope. Shiro was known as a genius, a legend in Korea, and an innovator to the world.
"HOPE NEVER DIES WITH TECHNOLOGY." That was the motto that defined Shiro Shoto, the visionary CEO of HNDWT (Hope Never Dies With Technology), the world's most advanced and influential tech corporation.Though he never awakened powers himself, his contributions had kept humanity afloat in a world teetering on the edge of collapse.
Shiro's groundbreaking inventions, including the Dungeon Danger Level Predictor (DDLP), saved countless lives, providing real-time data to Stars and enabling them to strategize effectively. His work didn't stop there he also developed advanced combat gear and energy-efficient shields. His legacy was not only in the devices he created but in the way his genius made raiding dungeons a normalized and necessary part of society.
His father Shiro took a sip of his coffee, glancing at the news again. "Another rising High-Level Star was just announced in Europe."
"That's good," Akira muttered. "Still not something I care about."
His father gave him an amused look but said nothing more.
"By the way," his mother suddenly spoke, "I talked with my mother today. She said to say hi to you, Akira."
Akira sighed, resting his chin on his hand. "She's in Buchkon, living happily there. Sometimes, I'm jealous, you know? She's so at peace in that village."
His father chuckled, crossing his arms. "It's been a long time since we visited. We should go there and have some peaceful time. I'm working on something, and all this work is tiring me.When I finish it, lets go."
Akira nodded a small smile on his face.
Grabbing his bag, he slung it over his shoulder. "I'm going to gym now. See you later.Love you all."
As Akira made his way to the gym, his usual route took him past a cordoned-off area buzzing with activity.Yellow caution tape stretched across the street, and a group of agents in dark uniforms stood guard, their expressions grim. Beyond them, a swirling, ominous portal hovered in the air, its edges crackling with unstable energy. The sight was both mesmerizing and terrifying—a tear in reality that seemed to pulse with a life of its own.
Akira slowed his pace, his eyes narrowing as he took in the scene. The agents were busy setting up barriers and marking the zone as unapproachable. A few curious onlookers lingered at the edges, whispering nervously among themselves. Akira overheard snippets of their conversation—words like "mid-tier dungeon" and "Stars en route" floated through the air.
He shook his head, muttering under his breath, "Another one... Another portal. The world is really in deep shit."
Dungeon portals—unstable tears in reality—had been appearing all over the world ever since. Some led to small, manageable spaces filled with weak monsters. Others, though, unleashed horrors strong enough to level entire cities. If left unchecked, the portals would expand, and the creatures within would spill into the human world, causing chaos and destruction.
Akira tore his gaze away from the portal, his jaw tightening.He didn't need the reminder. The world had been living on borrowed time for a decade, and every new portal was a grim reminder of how fragile that balance was. He quickened his pace, eager to put the unsettling sight behind him.
Akira reached the gym at the gym, Akira and his friend Ryuu went through their usual workout routine. The clang of weights and the rhythmic hum of machines filled the air as they moved from one exercise to another.
"Man, I can't believe school is closed for a whole week," Ryuu muttered between sets, wiping sweat from his forehead.
"Yeah? Why?" Akira asked, adjusting the weight on the bench press.
"A dungeon portal opened near the campus. You didn't hear?" Ryuu leaned against the machine, shaking his head. "They say it's a mid-tier one, so the government's sending Stars to handle it before it gets out of control."
Akira sighed. "Tch. Another one, huh?"
"Yeah, but honestly, I'm not complaining,"Ryuu said, cracking his knuckles. "A week off from classes? Sounds good to me."
Akira smirked, lifting the bar effortlessly. "You're just happy you get to be lazy."
"Damn right I am," Ryuu laughed. "But knowing you, you'll just train even harder now, huh?"
Akira grinned as he pushed the weights up. "Maybe."
Ryuu sighed watching him."Oh by the way you know, man, you're gonna get in real trouble one day if you keep stepping in to protect those who get bullied at school.Some people don't like you messing with their business."
Akira set the weights down, wiping his hands.He leaned back with an easy smirk."If standing up for others means making enemies, then so be it."
Ryuu shook his head, chuckling."You really are too kind, you know that?"
Akira laughed. "No, it's you who's heartless."
After their workout, Akira and Ryuu stepped out of the gym into the cool night air. The streets were quiet, illuminated by the dim glow of streetlights.They walked side by side, the rhythmic sound of their footsteps echoing in the stillness.
"You've been pushing yourself a lot lately,"Ryuu said, breaking the silence."You sure you're not overdoing it?"
Akira's expression softened, and he glanced at Ryuu."I'm fine. Training helps me clear my head. Besides, it's not like I have anything better to do."
Ryuu sighed, shaking his head, though a small smile tugged at his lips. "You really are a kind, disciplined fool, you know that?But I guess that's why people respect you."
They reached the intersection where their paths diverged. Ryuu clapped Akira on the shoulder, his grin returning. "Alright, I'm heading this way. Take care, man.See you tomorrow."
Akira waved him off, watching as Ryuu disappeared down the street, his laughter fading into the night. The brief exchange lifted his spirits slightly, but as he turned the corner onto his street, the lightness in his chest evaporated. His house came into view, and his steps faltered.
Black cars—expensive, unfamiliar, and ominously out of place—were parked haphazardly in front of his driveway. The windows of his home were dark, but the front door was slightly ajar, a sliver of unnatural light spilling out onto the porch. His heart began to pound, a cold dread clawing its way up his spine.
He broke into a sprint, his sneakers slapping against the pavement as he raced toward the house. The stillness of the night was suffocating, the air thick with tension. His instincts screamed at him to hurry, to push past the fear gnawing at his gut.
As he reached the door, he hesitated for only a moment before shoving it open. The sight that greeted him froze him in place, his breath catching in his throat. The world seemed to tilt, the ground crumbling beneath him as his reality shattered into a thousand jagged pieces.