Chapter One
GREAT MOUNTAIN CITY
THE OUTSKIRTS
The outskirts of a city were considered the slums, especially in a city like Great Mountain City, which was surrounded by mountains and dense forests.
This was because the outskirts were the least protected and least managed part of the city. Theft and other crimes occurred almost every day, and in the slums, people could live anywhere they wanted as long as the place was not already occupied.
In an inconspicuous, almost hidden part of this so-called slum stood a cave.
At first glance, the cave looked artificial, and anyone with enough sense could tell that it had taken many years to construct. It had been dug and shaped in a way that made basic living easier, turning what should have been nothing more than a hollow in the earth into a crude but functional home.
Inside this cave house was a strange, malnourished boy whose age could not have been more than sixteen.
The boy was currently working out with a fifty-kilogram boulder.
Although he looked skinny and malnourished, his body was filled with vigor. His breathing was steady, and his gaze carried a hint of resolution, as though he were constantly challenging his own limits.
With a heavy huff of air, Carl finally put down the fifty-kilogram boulder he had been using to train.
He straightened his back and stretched himself, attempting to relieve the tension that had built up in his muscles and bones.
Carl was a boy whose origin was unknown.
It was almost as though he had simply appeared in this world one day, as if he was supposed to have existed long ago but, for some unknown reason, his arrival had been delayed.
Carl stood at 1.85 meters tall. He had black hair and an appearance that could be considered above average.
After finishing his training, Carl walked toward a wooden table close by and poured himself some water. He drank slowly, allowing the cool liquid to calm his nerves and soothe his exhausted body.
Afterward, he walked over to his makeshift bed and collapsed onto it.
Within moments, he fell into a deep sleep.
Two hours later, Carl woke up fully refreshed.
He got out of bed, put on his clothes, and left the cave for the day.
The moment Carl stepped out of his cave house, sunlight shone directly onto him.
For a brief moment, he was unable to see clearly. His eyes had grown accustomed to the dimness of the cave, and the sudden brightness of the sunlight almost blinded him.
After a few seconds, his eyes gradually adjusted.
Carl then began his journey toward the Outer City Gate.
That gate was where the territory of Great Mountain City's nobility began.
Great Mountain City was divided into four major sections: the slums, the Outer City, the Inner City, and the Commercial City.
Each section was separated from the others by enormous walls and heavily guarded gates, making the entire city look almost like a collection of cities built within one another.
The Outer City was where the more civilized life of Great Mountain City began.
Compared to the slums, life there was at least fifty percent better.
And today, Carl had only one goal.
He wanted to join a dungeon raiding team as a loot picker.
It was not a glamorous job, but it was enough for him to earn a little money.
It had already been two years since Carl arrived in this unfamiliar world.
He had spent the first year learning about the world around him and understanding the things happening within it. He had also used that time to learn the general language spoken by the people of this world.
During his second year, he focused on adapting to his new environment.
According to everything he had learned, twenty years ago, this world had been known as the Blue Planet.
Back then, it had been a bustling world filled with lavish lifestyles, advanced technology, and beautiful scenery.
But everything changed when the First World War happened.
It all began when humans discovered an ancient ruin in the Dragon Nation, deep within a desolate mountain range.
The ruin was said to have existed for thousands of years.
While exploring it, humans discovered two things that would completely change the course of history.
The first was a potion formula known as the Golden Fluid.
The second was a cultivation manual known as the Sun Scripture.
The discovery of the Golden Fluid immediately sparked a war between nations.
When consumed, the Golden Fluid could increase the strength of the human body and enhance its organs... the skin, tendons, flesh, and bones... by ten times.
It was essentially a super-soldier potion capable of increasing a country's overall military strength by tenfold.
Naturally, no nation was willing to allow another country to possess such a terrifying advantage.
A war broke out over the formula.
As the conflict escalated, nuclear weapons were eventually deployed.
The resulting destruction was catastrophic.
The ancient ruin was ultimately destroyed, along with countless lives.
But that was only the beginning.
The destruction of the ancient ruin seemed to have triggered something within the world itself.
It was as though the Blue Planet had been hiding its true nature for countless years, and humanity had finally torn away the veil.
An energy known as Source Energy began spreading throughout the entire Blue Planet.
Mountains rose from the earth.
Plants mutated.
Different species of creatures that had long been considered extinct or nothing more than legends began appearing.
And most terrifying of all...
The Earth expanded.
Its size increased by ten times.
Dungeons also began appearing randomly across the world.
Some were temporary, disappearing after a certain period of time, while others were permanent and remained in the same location.
Human civilization, which had once stood at the peak of technological advancement, was forced to regress.
However, humanity did not remain down forever.
Slowly, they began to rise again.
The remaining human cities eventually formed an alliance known as the Federation.
The Federation was governed by a group of councils and encompassed all thirty-six known cities that remained.
Among those cities was Great Mountain City.
And now, twenty years after the world had changed, humanity had begun developing an entirely new path of strength.
In no time at all, Carl arrived at the Outer City Gate.
The moment he reached the area, his eyes immediately fell upon the large number of people gathered around.
Different individuals carried swords, bows, shields, spears, and various other weapons.
They were adventurers and dungeon raiders preparing to enter an F-Rank dungeon known as the Goblin's Lair.
Some were constantly shouting, trying to recruit additional members for their teams.
Others were looking for loot pickers.
Dungeons were divided into different ranks according to the strength of the monsters found within them.
The currently known dungeon ranks ranged from F-Rank all the way to S-Rank.
As Carl moved closer to the groups recruiting members, he suddenly heard a mocking voice.
"Isn't this Carl the Caveman?"
The voice immediately attracted the attention of several people nearby.
A boy wearing iron armor and wielding a longsword stepped forward.
Following behind him were four other members of his team, making five people in total.
The boy looked at Carl with a mocking grin.
"How about you join us and act as our loot picker?"
He paused before adding sarcastically,
"Don't worry. We won't cheat a skinny monkey like you. A few bananas should do, right?"
The boy and his entourage immediately burst into laughter.
The atmosphere around them became awkward.
Even some of the surrounding people could not help laughing at the ridiculous joke.
The boy, Alex, then looked at Carl.
"What do you think?"
Carl simply stared at him without saying a word.
This was not the first time something like this had happened.
Ever since Carl appeared in this world, he had made neither friends nor enemies.
He simply kept to himself.
Yet there were always some people who seemed to be angry simply because he existed at the same time as them... as though the very fact that he breathed the same air as them was somehow offensive.
Alex was one of those people.
He always wanted to be the center of attention, and he wanted everyone around him to admire and fawn over him.
Alex was the son of one of the guard captains in the Outer City, making him a noble, albeit one belonging to the lowest level of nobility.
Carl knew that if he wanted things to not get worse, he would have to play along with Alex.
Since the Blue Planet changed, it was not only plants and animals that had undergone transformations.
Humans had also begun awakening different abilities.
However, the success rate of awakening was extremely low, while the death rate was frighteningly high.
After years of research, humans eventually discovered the reason.
The low success rate and high death rate were caused by weak constitutions and narrow meridians.
That discovery led humanity to develop body-strengthening exercises.
With the aid of Source Energy and Source Stones, these exercises could greatly improve a person's constitution while also strengthening and widening their meridians.
This allowed humans to withstand the process of awakening much better.
Even if Carl wanted to fight Alex, however, he knew he was no match for him.
Alex had already stepped onto the path of becoming an Awakener.
He was currently at the Bone Refinement Stage.
Carl looked at him calmly before speaking.
"I don't think I've offended you in any way, Alex."
He maintained a stoic expression as he spoke.
Alex's smile disappeared.
"You don't need to know if you've offended me."
His voice became colder.
"But today, my team will hire you as our loot picker."
"And that's final."
As he spoke, Alex's eyes flashed with a hint of malice.
I will show you what true strength is when we enter the dungeon.
Carl could tell that Alex was becoming aggressive.
He also knew that he had no chance of refusing without potentially creating unnecessary trouble.
"Okay, then."
Carl sighed internally before speaking.
"Can we go now? I still have things to do."
His agreement brought the small commotion to an end.