At 6:00 A.M., the sky bled.
Evelyn Park stood by her kitchen window, watering the rosemary pot she had grown from a cutting two years ago. The sun should have been rising golden over the city skyline—but instead, the horizon tore itself apart.
Crimson and black clouds clashed in violent spirals, swallowing the morning light. Then came the sound—like glass shattering across the heavens. A colossal digital clock appeared above Seoul, glowing in white fire.
[GLOBAL EVENT: APOCALYPSE COMMENCING][Countdown: 24:00:00]
The pot slipped from her hands and smashed on the floor.
Her phone buzzed with panic notifications, messages flooding from social media and emergency alerts—but the network failed within minutes. Outside, car alarms wailed. Dogs barked madly.
Then her System pulsed.
[CONGRATULATIONS, USER: EVELYN PARK.][You are the first human to Awaken.][Class Assigned: LIFE ARTISAN][Special Title Acquired: First Awakener.][All Skills: MAXED.][Hidden Path: Creation Tree – UNLOCKED.]
She stared at the glowing text, her breath shallow.
"First… Awakener?"
Outside, chaos was spreading—neighbors screaming, lights flickering, people collapsing as panels appeared before their eyes.
Evelyn's house trembled. The air pressure shifted. A strange energy rippled through the ground. She stumbled toward the window—and saw it.
From the sky, rifts tore open like wounds, spilling monstrous silhouettes into the streets below.
6:30 A.M.
Her first quest appeared.
[Quest: Survive the First Hour.][Objective: Defend your home. Prepare rations. Establish safe perimeter.][Reward: 10 EXP | Skill: Fortified Home Lv.1]
Instinct kicked in. She moved—fast.
She sealed the windows, stacked her pantry, filled every container with water, and lit her emergency candles. It felt like second nature now. Every time she completed a task, the system chimed softly.
[Quest Progress: 40%][Skill Activated: Efficient Resource Management Lv.3 → Lv.MAX]
When she reinforced her door with wood planks, glowing runes shimmered faintly across them. Her life skill—a talent that once made her a goddess of chores—was now bending reality.
Even her house had become something new: a sanctuary pulsing with protective energy.
[Fortified Home – Rank C → Rank A]
The screams outside grew louder. Evelyn hesitated—then took a kitchen knife and stepped onto her porch.
A shadow crept down the street—something shaped like a man, but wrong. Its limbs bent backward, its eyes hollow and bright. It lunged at her—
She swung by reflex.
[Craftsmanship Lv.MAX + Gardening Lv.MAX + Weapon Improvisation Lv.1 Combined → New Skill Created: Tool Mastery Lv.1]
The blade sliced through the creature's neck cleanly. The corpse disintegrated into black mist, leaving behind a glowing shard.
[You have defeated a Level 3 Entity.][Reward: +20 EXP | Essence Shard Acquired.]
Her system hummed with warmth.
And she smiled—shakily, but with something like disbelief and awe.
"...So this is real."
9:00 A.M.
More monsters poured from the sky. The world descended into panic.News stations went silent one by one.
But Evelyn didn't stop moving. The System kept giving her quests—
[Quest: Build a Food Reserve.][Quest: Heal a Wounded Civilian.][Quest: Purify Water.]
She obeyed every one. Her home became a fortress, then a haven. People began to gather outside her gate—neighbors bleeding, terrified, desperate.
And she opened her door.
[Title Gained: Guardian of Seoul District 13][Reputation: +100]
That night, her safehouse glowed like a lighthouse amid the crimson storm.
Day 2
When the clock struck zero, the first wave ended. Half the city was gone. The survivors looked up and saw new panel status, the ranking board. Every name was revealed except for the Top 10 ranking in both Seoul and World ranking—
[First Awakener: ****** ****][Class: N/A][Global Ranking: #1]
She was ranked #1 and seeing the rankers name was hidden, she believed that she was not the only one who experienced the panel system before the apocalypse begin.