The massive mahogany doors of the Hall of Awakening creaked open.
As Han-wool stepped inside, the heavy scent of incense and old money filled his nose. The room was lined with the elders of the Kim family, their eyes sharp and judging.
I hate this room, Han-wool thought, his gaze drifting to the pedestal in the center.
It brought back the memory of his own ceremony three years ago.
He remembered the touch of the cold crystal. He remembered the blinding light that erupted from it—not Green, not Purple, not even Gold.
It was Red. A blood-red crimson that bathed the entire hall.
For a brief, intoxicating moment, everyone had gasped. They whispered that a new level had been born, something that transcended the S-Rank. Even his father's stoic face had shown a flicker of pride.
"Wool, what is your class name?" his father had asked, his voice trembling with anticipation.
Ten-year-old Han-wool, innocent and beaming with joy, had shouted:
"Thief!"
The silence that followed had been deafening. The pride on his father's face instantly curdled into disgust. The whispers changed from awe to mockery.
Red. The color of errors. The color of the bottom-feeders.
He looked at his older brothers standing in the corner. Back then, they had smiled. At the time, Han-wool thought they were happy for him. Now, with the mind of a thirty-year-old returnee, he knew the truth.
They were smiling because a competitor had just been eliminated.
"Failure Rank." "The Shame of the Sword Family." Those were the names he had lived with since that day.
"Brother!" A small hand tugged at his sleeve, pulling him out of the dark memory. "I wish I could get a good class."
Han-wool looked down. Hajin was trembling, his face pale with nervousness.
Han-wool's expression softened. This boy... his little brother. The only one who didn't look at him like he was garbage.
"Han-wool replied, "Yes. I am sure of it. You are going to get an S-Rank."
I know you will, Han-wool thought, a pang of grief hitting his heart.
In the previous timeline, Hajin had awakened the Legendary Class: «Swordmaster». He became the family's pride. But he never abandoned Han-wool.
Han-wool closed his eyes for a second, and the nightmare of that day replayed vividly.
The Day of Beginning.
The sky had turned black. The ground of South Korea split open. And out crawled the nightmare.
«Amartya». The Lich King. The Immortal Darkness.
It was the Boss Monster of South Korea, a creature of such terrifying power that modern weapons were useless against it.
"Brother, you have to survive!"
Hajin, bathed in blood, his holy sword shattered, had stood between Han-wool and the Lich King. He had burned his life force to buy Han-wool a few seconds to run.
That sacrifice was the only reason Han-wool survived.
And what a miserable survival it was, Han-wool thought bitterly.
Two years after the apocalypse, civilization had collapsed. Amartya had destroyed the research facilities and factories. Money was useless. Technology was gone.
Starving and desperate, Han-wool had done the unthinkable. He found a dead Goblin, cut out its mana core, and ate it.
Yak!
He could still taste it. It tasted like rotting iron and battery acid. But then... the notification had appeared.
> [Ding!]
> [Unique Class Ability Activated: «Steal»]
> [You have consumed a Goblin Core.]
> [Steal Successful: Strength +0.1%]
>
"Huh? What was that?"
He had opened his status window and gasped. His strength had increased.
From that day on, Han-wool became a scavenger. While others starved, he ate the "worthless rocks" that littered the battlefield. He ate and ate until his stomach churned, stealing stats, stealing vitality.
Eventually, he became the strongest hunter in the ruined Korea. His skill evolved. He could choose what to steal.
He hunted down Amartya. He killed the Lich King. He even stole its signature skill: Necromancy.
But it was too late.
He hadn't maxed out the skill. His body was broken. He died alone on that pile of corpses.
But this time is different, Han-wool vowed, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the map of Korea in his mind.
He had gained valuable intel from fighting Amartya. The Lich King wasn't just a monster; it had consciousness. It was hiding right now, growing its strength in secret.
Mount Chiri.
Amartya was currently hibernating in a dungeon forming deep within that mountain. In the original timeline, it would emerge in four months to start the apocalypse.
I'm going to kill it early, Han-wool decided. I'm going to raid that dungeon before it even opens.
"Kim Hajin. Step forward."
The Patriarch's voice boomed through the hall.
Hajin took a deep breath and walked toward the crystal. He looked back at Han-wool one last time for reassurance. Han-wool nodded firmly.
Hajin placed his small hand on the surface of the stone.
Woooooong!
A hum resonated through the floorboards. The crystal vibrated.
Then—FLASH!
A brilliant, blinding Golden light erupted from the stone. It was so intense that the elders had to shield their eyes. The light swirled around Hajin, forming the shape of a spectral greatsword above his head.
"G-Gold..."
"It's Golden Rank!"
"A genius! The Heavens have blessed the Kim family!"
The room erupted into chaos. The elders were shouting in excitement. His father stood up, his eyes wide with greed and pride.
Hajin, however, didn't look at them. He ran straight back to Han-wool, his face beaming.
"Brother! Brother!" Hajin jumped up and down. "See? My color came out Golden! Your words came true!"
"See? I told you," Han-wool said, ruffling the boy's hair.
"But how did you know, Brother?" Hajin asked, tilting his head. "Are you a fortune teller?"
Han-wool paused. "Not going to tell you."
"Humph!" Hajin crossed his arms, puffing out his cheeks. "I'm not going to talk to you if you don't tell me, Brother."
Han-wool chuckled. It was a genuine laugh, the first one he had felt in decades.
"Ummm, well," Han-wool knelt down to whisper in Hajin's ear. "I just got lucky with my words. Okay? So please don't be angry, Mr. Swordmaster."
Hajin giggled. "Okay! I forgive you!"
Han-wool smiled, but his eyes were looking past Hajin, out the window toward the distant peaks of the south.
Enjoy the peace while you can, everyone, he thought, his gaze cold as ice. Because in four months, I'm going to turn Mount Chiri upside down.