blinding flash of golden light consumed the dark, bloody hall of the Cartenon Temple.
The towering statues, the descending stone sword, the suffocating pressure of death—all of it vanished in an instant, dissolved into a void of pure, silent white.
Jinwoo closed his eyes as a intense, burning sensation flooded through his veins. It wasn't the agonizing pain of his soul fusing with Jinwoo's memories earlier.
It felt like lightning flowing through every capillary, repairing broken bones, knitting torn muscle tissue, and purging years of accumulated exhaustion.
When he finally opened his eyes, the blinding white light faded, replaced by the soft, harsh glare of fluorescent ceiling tubes.
The smell of ozone and dried blood was gone, replaced by the sharp, clean scent of disinfectant and rubbing alcohol.
Beep... Beep... Beep...
The steady rhythm of a heart monitor echoed in the quiet room.
Jinwoo sat up slowly. White hospital sheets fell away from his chest. He looked down at his hands—they were no longer pale, trembling, and frail. His skin was clear, his hands firm, and beneath his hospital gown, he could feel a dense, solid core of vitality he had never possessed in either of his lives.
Floating right in front of his eyes was a translucent blue screen, faint enough to see through, yet unmistakably real:
[ SYSTEM ]
[ Daily Quest: "Preparation to Become Strong" has arrived. ]
[ Completion Status: Incomplete (0/24 hours) ]
A small, knowing smirk touched Jinwoo's lips.
'It worked. The System is officially online.'
Before he could explore the interface further, the heavy wooden door to his hospital room slid open.
"Ah! You're awake!"
Two men in formal black suits stepped into the room. The elder of the two wore round spectacles and carried a sleek leather briefcase, while the younger carried a digital tablet.
Jinwoo recognized them immediately: Woo Jinchul, Chief of the Surveillance Team from the Korean Hunter Association, and his subordinate.
"Mr. Sung Jinwoo," Woo Jinchul said, adjusting his glasses as he approached the bed with a serious expression. "I am Woo Jinchul from the Korean Hunter Association. We are glad to see you have regained consciousness."
"How long was I out?" Jinwoo asked, keeping his voice calm and neutral.
"Three days," Jinchul replied, pulling up a chair while his subordinate stood guard near the door. "You were found unconscious inside the Cartenon Temple after a rescue team broke through the sealed gate."
Jinchul paused, his sharp eyes narrowing behind his lenses. He leaned forward, setting his leather briefcase on his knees.
"Mr. Sung, I will get straight to the point. What happened inside that gate?"
Jinwoo remained silent, letting Jinchul continue. He knew the Association was trying to understand how an E-rank dungeon turned into an S-rank nightmare—and more importantly, how anyone survived.
"According to the testimony of the surviving hunters—Mr. Song Chi-Yul and the others," Jinchul continued, "you single-handedly identified the rules of the dungeon, saved multiple lives, and willingly stayed behind to let Mr. Song escape."
Jinchul took a deep breath, his tone laced with genuine disbelief.
"When our strike team finally breached the inner chamber, there was no God Statue. There were no monster statues. Only a completely empty stone room... and you, lying unharmed in the center of the altar."
Jinwoo raised an eyebrow. The System had cleared the entire temple, leaving zero trace of the magic or the statues behind once the re-awakening contract was signed.
"We conducted a magic power scan on you while you were unconscious," Jinchul said, leaning in closer. "Normally, surviving an event like this under impossible circumstances suggests a Double Awakening."
"A Double Awakening?" Jinwoo echoed, feigning slight ignorance.
"Yes. A phenomenon where a hunter suddenly experiences a second surge of magic power, elevating their rank significantly," Jinchul explained. He motioned to his subordinate, who produced a portable Mana Measuring Device—a glowing black crystal plate.
"If you don't mind, Mr. Sung, we need to verify your current magic output."
Jinwoo looked at the glowing crystal. He knew that right now, his base stats were still low. The System hadn't transformed him into an S-rank overnight—it gave him the means to grow infinitely.
"Go ahead," Jinwoo said, reaching out his hand and placing his palm onto the crystal surface.
The black crystal flickered with a faint, dim blue aura. A small digital counter on Jinchul's tablet ticked up slowly... and stopped.
[ Magic Power Level: 12 ]
Jinchul stared at the screen, a quiet sigh escaping his lips. "12... That is standard for an F-rank hunter. In fact, it is barely above an ordinary civilian."
"I see..." Jinchul stood up, adjusting his tie. He looked at Jinwoo with a mixture of sympathy and profound respect. "It seems you didn't experience a Double Awakening after all. You survived on pure intelligence, instinct, and sacrifice."
Jinchul bowed slightly from the waist.
"On behalf of the Hunter Association, I express our deepest condolences for the lives lost in that raid, and our sincere gratitude for your heroic actions. If you ever need assistance from the Association, do not hesitate to contact my office directly."
"Thank you, Chief Woo," Jinwoo replied politely.
With a final nod, Woo Jinchul and his subordinate bowed once more and exited the room, leaving Jinwoo alone in the quiet hospital chamber.
As soon as the door clicked shut, Jinwoo let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. He raised his hand and swiped his fingers through the air.
Ping!
The blue system window expanded, revealing his character status screen:
[ STATUS ]
Name: Sung Jinwoo
Level: 1
Job: None
Title: None
HP: 100/100
MP: 10/10
Fatigue: 0
[ STATS ]
Strength: 10
Agility: 10
Vitality: 10
Intelligence: 10
Sense: 10
(Available Stat Points: 0)
Jinwoo stared at the numbers. He was at the absolute bottom. An F-rank with baseline stats.
Then, he tapped on the glowing red tab blinking near the top corner: [ DAILY QUEST ].
[ DAILY QUEST: PREPARATION TO BECOME STRONG ]
Push-ups: [ 0 / 100 ]
Sit-ups: [ 0 / 100 ]
Squats: [ 0 / 100 ]
Running: [ 0 / 10 km ]
[ WARNING: Failure to complete the Daily Quest within the time limit will result in a Penalty Quest. ]
Looking down at his hospital gown, Jinwoo threw the covers aside and stood up. His feet touched the cold linoleum floor.
He knew what was coming next—the Penalty Quest in the desert zone if he slacked off, the Instant Dungeon keys, the Necromancer job change, the Monarchs, and the grand war waiting in the shadows of this world.
In his previous life, he was a nobody who watched stories unfold from a screen. In Jinwoo's previous life, he was a victim struggling to buy medicine for his mother.
Now? He was both. And he knew every secret this universe had to offer.
Jinwoo dropped down onto the floor, setting his palms shoulder-width apart.
"One," he muttered, bending his elbows.
"Two..."
The journey to the top had officially begun.