The first crack appeared on a quiet spring morning, tearing through the streets of Seoul like a wound in the earth. No one knew what it was at first. Bystanders approached the glowing fissure cautiously, their curiosity outweighing their caution. Then came the sound—low, guttural, and primal.
First out of the crack came some sort of twisted, sinewy creature that seemed half-wolf, half-to a nightmare come to life. It howled, its cry carrying across the city, and then it attacked. The military finally arrived, but by then the streets ran red. News termed the happening the "Dungeon Phenomenon."
Cracks multiplied around the globe, and Korea wasn't an exception. Within weeks, whole districts got destroyed, changed by those monstrous rifts. Yet, where the cracks brought death, they brought with them a glimmer of hope: The System.
Only the elite few received permission from the System to fight against this. Those awakened by the System took unique classes and abilities as its first adventurers. They have been the vanguard against the chaos, diving into the dungeons to slay the monsters and close the rifts, or at least shut their mouths. Society reorganized itself around these new heroes, but with that power came disparity.
For those lacking the System, survival was no more than a gamble.
***Same time in a small orphanage***
In a dingy, worn-out orphanage in one of the quiet suburbs of Seoul was a young boy who had tucked himself under the floorboards. His name was Han Jisoo, just nine years old. The wooden planks above him creaked with each heavy footfall that landed near him. Outside, the monsters howled. He wrapped an old tattered blanket around himself and held his breath.
"Don't make a sound. Don't move," the caretaker had whispered before hiding him. That was the last thing she'd said before the monsters found her.
The footsteps ceased. In an instant, the orphanage was silent. Jisoo held his breath. Then, the wood above him splintered, claws ripping through it. He screamed as glowing red eyes met his. The monster, a creature that looked like a bloated goblin, snarled and reached for him.
A sudden gunshot boomed, the goblin's head exploding in a shower of black ichor. The military had arrived. Jisoo was safe, but the image of the monster's glowing eyes stayed with him, and that night, while the orphanage was burning behind his back, he swore he would never again let himself be so helpless.
***thirteen years later***
Thirteen years later, the cracks were no longer a mystery; they were a fact of life. Cities adapted, reinforcing their borders and building safe zones, but the divide between the awakened and the unawakened had only grown wider.
At twenty-one years of age, Jisoo stood outside a convenience store, well inside Seoul's bustling outskirts—smog and cheap street foods filling the air, with blinking neon signs hanging overhead. He adjusted his uniform—a cheap, ill-fitting vest that did little to ward off the chill of evening—and heaved a heavy sigh.
"Another day, another dollar," he grumbled, rubbing his temple. His shift was over in an hour, but the next job began as a tutor in just an hour. When one was trying to scrape by, there was no rest.
"Hey, have you heard about the new S-rank dungeon in Busan?" a customer said loudly, waving around a tablet with a news broadcast. On the screen, one could see a group of adventurers posing triumphantly before the portal of a dungeon, their brilliant armor and glowing weapons evoking images of characters straight out of a fantasy game.
"Yeah, they shut it down in record time! Those S-ranks are insane." Another customer joined in, envying them.
Jisoo bit back a bitter laugh. The System had chosen them, and now they lived like kings. He couldn't afford even decent clothes for winter. To people like him, the System was a lottery, and he had drawn a losing ticket.
A scream pierced the air as Jisoo rounded the corner to his apartment building. He froze. It came from the direction of the rift.
Instinct screamed that it was time to run, but his legs didn't budge. Yet another scream cut short followed, and he swung back in the direction of where it came from to see his heart at his chest. The street was deserted but for a figure emerging out from the alley, blood dripping down his arm, with terror in wide eyes. A troop of goblins appeared behind them, quite out of nowhere. It was unnatural the way these creatures moved; under streetlights, the reflection glinted in their sharp claws. One of them turned and spotted Jisoo, letting out a shrill screech.
"Shit!" Jisoo turned and bolted, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He could hear the goblins chasing him, their snarls growing louder. His legs burned as he ran faster.
The problem was that the streets were in a maze, and before he knew it, he found himself trapped in a narrow alley. He faced the goblins, brandishing a rusty pipe taken off the ground. His hands were shaking, but in front of his body, he held that pipe as if it were some sort of lifeline.
"This can't be the end," he whispered, his mind racing but without any escape.
The leader lunged at him with his claws up. Jisoo shrieked and swung the pipe around in crazy fashion, but it was like trying to swat away a hurricane. The goblin's claws tore across his side, and he went down gasping in pain.
Cliffhanger: The System Awakens
Time froze. The goblins were suspended in mid-air, snarls frozen in their throats. And in Jisoo's head, a cold metallic voice was speaking.
"The System has chosen you. Class: Demonologist. Accept?"
Jisoo's vision blurred and he began to see things. Was he hallucinating? Dying? The voice repeated once more, cold this time: "Accept, or perish." With his last shred of strength, Jisoo croaked out a single word: "Yes." A surge of energy swept through his body; the world suddenly came slamming back into motion.
Pain radiated from Jisoo's side, but something else burned even stronger—a searing, unnatural heat coursing through his veins. He gasped as a glowing interface appeared before his eyes, flickering like a projection.
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION
Class Assigned: Demonologist
Skill Unlocked: Demonic Pact
Summon Available: [Kalix, Lesser Imp]
"What the…?" Jisoo muttered, his voice hoarse as his head spun, the words swimming in his vision, impossible to look away from. The lead goblin snarled, its clawed foot stomping toward him, but Jisoo's instincts kicked in.
"Demonic Pact!" he shouted, the words tumbling from his mouth almost reflexively.
The moment he spoke, the air around him warped. A cold wind whirled through the alley, heavy with the scent of sulfur. A circle of crimson runes flared to life beneath Jisoo, glowing brighter with each second.
From the center of the circle stepped a figure. It was small, no taller than a child, with leathery red skin, horns curling back from its forehead, and wings that twitched with impatience. Its yellow eyes gleamed with malice—and mischief.
"Well, well, well," the creature said in a high-pitched voice that still managed to ooze arrogance. "And who do we have here? You summoned me, didn't you? Heh, I hope you know what you're doing, master."
Jisoo stared, slack-jawed. "What… what are you?"
The creature grinned, showing sharp teeth. "I'm Kalix, of course! Your first summon. Lucky you, huh?"
The goblins screeched, snapping Jisoo out of his trance. Kalix's grin widened. "Oh, looks like we've got some pests. Don't worry, I'll take care of them—on the house this time."
Before Jisoo could respond, Kalix flung himself at the goblins with incredible speed. Fire danced across his small claws, tearing through the monsters. The lead goblin lunged at him, but Kalix darted into the air, hurling a fireball straight into its chest. The creature fell to the ground, blackened and lifeless.
Jisoo could only watch as Kalix dispatched the remaining goblins with ruthless efficiency. Within moments, the alley was quiet, save for the sizzling of lingering flames.
Kalix landed before Jisoo, brushing soot off his claws. "There. All cleaned up. Now, about my fee…"
"Fee?" Jisoo blinked, still trying to process what had just happened.
"Oh, don't worry. I'm feeling generous, so I won't ask for much this time. But you should know, master, nothing in this world—or the Abyss—is free." Kalix's grin was sharp, predatory. "Every summon, every spell, every ounce of power… it all comes at a price. You'll see soon enough."
Waves of exhaustion washed over Jisoo, almost on cue. His vision blurred as his legs gave out beneath him.
"Hey, don't pass out on me already!" Kalix called, his voice growing distant.
But it was too late. Jisoo crumpled to the ground as the world around him went black.
When Jisoo woke, it was still night. He lay on the floor of his tiny apartment, peeling wallpaper and a humming fluorescent light gradually coming into focus. Groaning, he sat up. His side ached, but there was no blood—just a faint scar where the goblin had struck him.
"Finally awake, huh?"
Jisoo's head whipped around. Kalix was lounging on his kitchen counter, crunching on a bag of chips he must have found in Jisoo's cupboard.
"What… what are you doing here?" Jisoo asked groggily.
Kalix smirked. "You summoned me. I'm bound to you now, master. Congrats! You've got your very own demon familiar. We're going to have so much fun together."
Jisoo rubbed his temples. "This… this has to be a nightmare."
"Nope! This is very real," Kalix said, hopping off the counter. "And now that you've awakened, you have loads to learn. Lucky for you, I'm a brilliant teacher."
Jisoo glared. "I didn't ask for this."
Kalix tilted his head, the grin faltering slightly. "Oh, is that so? Because from where I'm standing, you'd be goblin chow if you hadn't."
Jisoo had no response to that.
As if sensing his confusion, the System interface flashed in front of Jisoo again, cold clinical text floating in midair.
SYSTEM INTERFACE
Class: Demonologist
Stats:
Strength: 5
Agility: 6
Intelligence: 12
Mana: 20
Skills Unlocked:
Demonic Pact: Summons a bound demon familiar.
Shadow Bind: Creates ghostly chains to restrain foes.
Passive Bonus: Fear Resistance (+10%)
Jisoo stared at the interface, his mind reeling. "What… what even is a Demonologist?"
Kalix shrugged. "It means you get to hang out with demons like me and do all sorts of cool, forbidden magic. Of course, people don't exactly love our kind. You're going to have a hard time explaining this to anyone."
"Great," Jisoo muttered. He was already a nobody in society, and now he had a class that made him even more of an outcast.
Kalix cackled. "Aw, don't be like that! Look, you've got potential. Most people wouldn't survive summoning their first demon, but here you are—alive and kicking. That's something."
"…What do I do now?" Jisoo asked quietly.
Kalix's grin returned, sharper than ever. "That's the fun part, master. We figure it out together. But first, let's see what you're capable of."