Years passed.
Enough to dull the immediate pain, but not enough to forget.
The world had changed.
What was once a planet of rules and routine had become a place governed by strength, power, and sheer will to survive.
Dungeons—those warped dimensional rifts that had once brought destruction—had become the new pillars of civilization. Now, they were everything.
They were opportunity.
They were death.
They were life itself.
Dungeons were under strict watch, monitored constantly by powerful individuals—veterans who had survived countless battles and emerged with strength beyond human limits. These were people who had fought through dungeon floors soaked in blood, who had stared death in the face and kept walking.
Power was earned through experience—real, brutal, bloody experience.
The more monsters a person defeated, the stronger they became.
Leveling up wasn't just about numbers; it was about survival.
Killing a hundred weak creatures wouldn't grant the same growth as slaying a single, terrifying beast that could crush buildings with its fists.
Some people, those lucky enough to awaken with rare or high-tier classes, rose to fame and wealth almost overnight. With the right skills, their climb to power was meteoric. They joined guilds—elite organizations that connected the strongest of the strong, pooling resources, building influence, and monopolizing the most lucrative dungeons.
Materials from slain monsters became the backbone of this new society.
Magical beasts contained rare minerals, alchemical ingredients, and even edible resources.
Flesh from certain species could feed entire cities.
Horns, scales, and blood were used to forge weapons, armor, and tools infused with arcane energy.
Over time, researchers discovered that some of these rare minerals could also act as mana conductors—sources of raw magical energy.
It changed everything.
Barrier generators, dungeon simulators, healing chambers—every major facility in the new world ran on harvested dungeon resources.
Not electricity. Not fuel.
Mana.
Society adapted.
The old world crumbled, and in its place rose a brutal new order where survival and strength meant everything.
When a person turned sixteen, they underwent what was known as the Awakening—a moment where their soul resonated with the Dungeon System, granting them a class and set of skills based on their personality, history, and innate potential.
It was a turning point in every teenager's life.
And after ten silent years in the bunker, it was finally my turn.