The dungeon air was always the same—thick with the iron scent of blood, damp with a chill that clung to your skin, and oppressive in a way only those who stepped into it could understand.
Sung Daeho exhaled a long breath as he adjusted the oversized bag on his back. His boots squelched on monster blood from a lowly E-rank beast his team had just slaughtered. He wasn't a fighter—not really. He was a porter. The one who carried potions, mana crystals, and whatever else the 'real' awakened needed.
He was nineteen years old. An adult by society's standards, but here—he was nothing more than a disposable extra.
"Oi, Daeho! Don't just stand there!" barked one of the D-rank awakened, wiping his blade clean on a dead beast's fur. "Pick that core up before I shove it down your throat."
Daeho clenched his jaw but said nothing. He bent down and collected the small mana crystal, still faintly glowing. It was barely worth a few thousand won. The man wouldn't even notice if Daeho had pocketed it, but he never would. He wasn't that kind of person.
His stepmother had taught him better. Even after his father died, leaving her and her daughter behind, she never treated Daeho badly. She gave him a home when she could have abandoned him. It was the least he could do—to keep going, even if that meant enduring this humiliation every day.
The party moved forward, led by the only C-rank in the group—Lee Jinho. He was tall, smug, and had the attitude of someone who believed the world owed him something just for existing.
"Keep up, loser," Jinho spat, not even bothering to look back.
Daeho didn't respond. He just kept walking, step by step, through the dim tunnel of the D-rank dungeon. The flickering lights of floating mana lanterns illuminated stone walls covered with moss and monster claw marks.
He had awakened two years ago—at 17.
Everyone around him was ecstatic at first. Awakening was like winning the lottery. A new life. Power. Status. Money.
But then came the crushing disappointment.
He couldn't see his status interface. The one thing every awakened person used to navigate their powers—gone. It was like being blind in a world of seers. Without it, he couldn't identify his special ability. He tried everything—meditation, training, therapy, mana synchronization—nothing worked.
He couldn't even purchase basic skills. The cheapest one, Enhanced Senses, cost over 150 million won. That was more money than he could even dream of.
His physical abilities were slightly better than normal humans—three times stronger, to be exact—but that didn't mean much in a world of walking tanks and fire-slinging sorcerers. So he remained E-rank. The absolute bottom.
The group finally reached the boss room after nearly five hours. They were all tired and annoyed, but the mood was relatively light. D-rank bosses weren't too dangerous, not with a C-rank leading.
The heavy stone doors rumbled open.
"Let's finish this fast. I got a date later," Jinho yawned as he stepped inside.
The rest of the team followed. Daeho was last, entering cautiously. But the moment he crossed the threshold—
SLAM.
The doors shut with a thunderous boom behind him.
"What the hell?" one of the D-rank hunters shouted, spinning around.
Mana rippled across the room like waves. A suffocating pressure suddenly filled the air.
"Wait…" Jinho's expression twisted. "This isn't right. The mana levels—it's… it's too high!"
Daeho's eyes widened. The readings outside had pegged this dungeon as D-rank. But now, in the heart of the boss room, it felt like a storm was building inside his lungs.
From the shadows above, something shimmered.
And then vanished.
"Chameleon-type…" Daeho muttered, his breath catching.
Too late.
A blur passed through them.
The first scream came from the left. One of the D-rankers had his head twisted clean off.
Blood sprayed. Panic set in.
"It's a trap! RUN!" Jinho yelled, turning for the gate.
But it was sealed.
From thin air, the creature appeared—a grotesque, six-limbed lizard the size of a bear, its skin reflecting light like glass. Its tongue lashed out, grabbing another hunter and slamming him into the wall with bone-crushing force.
"No—NO!" one man cried. "We're all gonna die!"
Jinho lunged at the beast, lightning crackling from his blade. He slashed with all the fury of a desperate man.
The creature disappeared again.
From behind, it materialized and plunged its claws into Jinho's back, lifting him effortlessly.
"C-rank…" it hissed, mimicking Jinho's voice with horrifying clarity, "...isn't enough."
Daeho stood frozen, his body trembling.
This wasn't supposed to happen.
He was supposed to just carry bags, get paid, go home to his stepmom and sister, and live another meaningless day.
But now—he was going to die.
One by one, the team was shredded apart, screams echoing in the cold stone chamber.
And then only Daeho remained.
He backed up against the wall, eyes wide, heart pounding like a war drum.
The chameleon stepped forward, blood dripping from its mouth. "Weakest…" it said, in his voice this time.
Mocking him.
Daeho fell to his knees. His vision blurred.
So this was it. The end of a worthless life. No glory, no fame. Just another nameless death in a forgotten dungeon.
He smiled bitterly.
Maybe… dying is better than living like this.
As the beast lunged—
FLASH.
A blinding light erupted from within him.
The world froze.
Everything stopped.
He felt… warm.
A voice, no louder than a whisper, echoed inside his head.
"Authority: Regression activated."
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