A door creaked open in a dimly lit apartment. A man stepped inside, his body sluggish, his mind numb.
The day had left him shattered.
First, he lost his job—the one he had worked tirelessly to secure. Years of effort tossed aside with a single, heartless decision.
Then came the chess tournament—his last desperate hope to win the prize money needed to clear his debts. But one mistake, one moment of miscalculation, and victory slipped through his fingers.
And finally... the breakup.
"I can't waste my life on someone who's going nowhere."
The words cut deeper than he expected.
He collapsed onto his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
"So this is it? This is all I amounted to?"
A dull ache pulsed in his chest.
Then—
A sharp, excruciating pain tore through his body.
His breath hitched. His vision blurred. His hands trembled.
"Am I... dying?"
The sounds of the world around him faded. The last thing he heard was a door opening, a voice calling his name.
Then—silence.
{ The Next Morning... }
Sunlight streamed through a small bedroom window. A girl peered inside, her brows furrowing.
"Still asleep? But his job interview is today!"
She stepped closer, nudging him lightly.
"Wake up."
No response.
Frowning, she shook him harder.
"Come on, you'll be late!"
Still nothing.
Her frustration turned to concern. She placed a hand on his arm.
Cold.
Her breath hitched.
"No... no, no, no—"
Her trembling fingers pressed against his chest, desperate to feel movement.
Nothing.
Panic surged through her as she staggered back, her voice breaking.
"MOM!!! Brother is—he's not waking up!"
Tears blurred her vision as her scream echoed through the house.
Her big brother was dead.
{ Elsewhere... A New Beginning }
Zzz... zzzz... zzzZ—
A blaring alarm shattered the silence.
A boy groaned, shifting under the covers, blindly reaching for his phone. A few taps later, the buzzing stopped.
He exhaled, blinking up at the ceiling.
For some reason, his chest felt tight—like he had just woken from a terrible dream.
A nightmare of a man losing everything, his world crumbling around him.
But when he tried to grasp the memory, it slipped away.
He shook his head. It didn't matter.
A quick glance at his phone made his stomach drop.
8:12 AM.
"Shit, I'm gonna be late!"
Throwing off the blanket, he leaped out of bed, rushing to get dressed.
Today was the day.
The Awakening Ceremony—the moment where every teenager discovered their supernatural ability.
The first step toward becoming a Hunter, a Hero, or even someone capable of changing the world.
And for him, this was supposed to be the beginning of his future.
{ Eden Academy – Awakening Ceremony Hall }
The grand auditorium buzzed with anticipation. Rows of students stood in line, waiting for their names to be called. At the center of the stage stood a massive, glowing Awakening Sphere, its surface shimmering with unknown energy.
One by one, they stepped forward, pressing their hands against the crystal. The screen above displayed their awakened ability, determining their fate.
Fire magic. Enhanced strength. Telekinesis.
One after another, their powers lit up the display.
"Next!"
He took a deep breath and stepped forward.
The murmurs around him grew.
"If he gets a strong ability, he might make it into the Elite Program."
Placing his hand on the Awakening Sphere, he braced himself.
A bright glow enveloped his palm.
Then—
The light flickered.
The energy around the sphere wavered. The murmurs turned into hushed confusion.
A moment later, the screen displayed his result.
[ AWAKENED ABILITY: NONE ]
Silence.
A pit formed in his stomach.
"No ability? But... that's impossible."
"Wait... he's a Failure?"
"Damn, even basic abilities are better than nothing."
The instructor barely spared him a glance.
"Next!"
The words struck like a hammer.
He stepped back, mind spinning.
No ability.
No future.
No... nothing.
{ That Night... }
Lying in bed, he stared at the ceiling, his fists clenched.
"So that's it? My dream... is over?"
He shut his eyes, forcing himself to sleep.
But just as his consciousness faded—
A sharp, searing pain erupted through his body.
His vision flashed white.
A foreign voice echoed in his mind.
---------------------------------------
[ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ]
[ Awakening Failed... But Host Has Been Chosen ]
[ Ability: "Limit Breaker" Acquired ]
[ Your Strength Will Defy All Limits ]
---------------------------------------
His eyes snapped open.
A strange notification hovered in his vision.
He bolted upright, heart pounding against his ribs. The room was dark, save for the eerie glow of the translucent blue screen before him. The text flickered slightly, as if unstable, but the words were clear.
"A system notification?"
He rubbed his eyes, but the glowing interface remained.
He hesitated before reaching out, his fingers trembling slightly. The moment his hand passed through the notification, another wave of searing pain shot through his body.
"Agh—!"
His muscles spasmed, his bones groaning under immense pressure. It felt like his very flesh was being reforged, broken down, and rebuilt in an instant. A suffocating heat surged through his veins, setting every nerve in his body ablaze.
He clutched his chest, gasping for breath, yet the pain didn't stop. His vision blurred, but just before he lost control, new lines of text appeared before him.
----------------------------------
[ SYSTEM MESSAGE ]
[ Limit Breaker Initialization... Complete. ]
[ Analyzing Host Potential... ]
[ Warning: No Awakening Path Detected ]
[ Compensating... Generating Unique Path. ]
[Path of the Unbound: Activated ]
----------------------------------
The moment the final message displayed, the pain vanished.
He collapsed onto his bed, drenched in sweat, his breaths ragged and uneven. His entire body felt foreign—heavier, yet strangely more powerful.
Then—
A faint memory surfaced.
A blurry image of a man.
A man sitting in a dimly lit room, defeated. His hands trembled as he clutched his head.
"So this is it? This is all I amounted to?"
His breath hitched.
That voice—
It felt so real.
Yet, the moment he tried to grasp it, the memory slipped away.
"Just... a weird dream."
He shook his head and sat up. He had more important things to think about.
{ Experimenting with Power }
His gaze swept the room, searching for something—anything—to test his newfound strength.
His eyes landed on the heavy wooden chair by his desk.
He reached out and gripped it.
With almost no resistance, the chair lifted off the ground—like it weighed nothing.
"That's... not normal."
He adjusted his grip and squeezed.
CRACK!
The solid wooden frame splintered under his grip, chunks of broken wood falling to the floor.
His pulse quickened.
"I'm not a Failure."
A new notification appeared.
-----------------------------------
[ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ]
[Hidden Quest Unlocked]
Quest: "Proof of Power"
Objective: Defeat an opponent stronger than your previous self.
Reward: ???
------------------------------------
His grin widened.
It seemed like the world had just given him a second chance.
And this time...
He wouldn't waste it.