Laughter echoed across the Awakening Arena.
"Look at him… he doesn't even have a level."
"Wait, seriously? In this era, there's still someone without a system?"
At the center of the field, Arka stood alone.
Hundreds of eyes were fixed on him—sharp, mocking, merciless.
Above his head—
Nothing.
No numbers.No status.No system.
In this world, every human awakens a System at the age of fifteen.
It defines everything.
Level. Skills. Potential.
Your future.
Everyone has one.
Everyone… except him.
"Arka. Level: Not Available."
The examiner's voice was flat, devoid of emotion—like he had already lost interest.
A wave of laughter erupted.
"Not available? What kind of joke is that?"
"That's not a failure… that's worse than failure!"
"Why is he even here?"
Arka clenched his fists.
His nails dug into his palms, but he didn't react.
Didn't speak.
Didn't move.
He was used to it.
Ever since he was a child, it had always been like this.
Different.
Rejected.
Unwanted.
His father's voice echoed faintly in his mind.
"This world belongs only to the strong."
Now, he finally understood.
"Next."
Just like that, his name was skipped.
As if he didn't exist.
Later That Day
The sky burned orange as the sun began to set.
Arka walked alone through the crowded streets.
Everywhere, people were celebrating.
"Bro, I got S-Class!"
"No way! Your life's basically set!"
"Let's party tonight!"
Their excitement filled the air.
But to Arka—
It felt distant.
Muted.
Like a world he didn't belong to.
He stopped in front of a narrow alley.
At the end of it stood a small house.
Cracked walls. Broken roof. Barely standing.
His home.
He took a slow breath… and stepped inside.
Night
Silence filled the room.
Arka lay on his old bed, the wood creaking beneath him.
His eyes stared blankly at the ceiling.
Empty.
Just like his life.
"Why… me?"
No answer came.
Only silence.
Endless silence.
Until—
[ERROR… ERROR… ERROR…]
A voice suddenly rang inside his head.
Arka shot up.
"What the—?!"
He looked around.
No one.
Nothing.
But the voice continued.
[Detecting anomaly…][Subject without system identified…][Initiating installation…]
His heartbeat spiked.
"Wait—what does that mean?!"
[Installing… 1%]
Pain.
It came without warning.
"AAARGH!!"
Arka fell from the bed, his body convulsing.
It felt like his insides were burning—like something was tearing him apart from within.
His veins tightened.
His breathing shattered.
[Installing… 25%]
"S-STOP… MAKE IT STOP…!!"
No one heard him.
No one would come.
Because in this world—
Only the strong mattered.
[Installing… 67%]
His vision blurred.
Darkness crept in.
But beneath the agony—
There was something else.
Something unfamiliar.
Something… powerful.
[Installing… 99%]
Everything went silent.
[Installation Complete.][Welcome, User.]
A translucent blue screen appeared before him.
Arka froze.
His trembling hand reached out—
And passed through it.
For the first time in his life—
Something appeared above his existence.
[SYSTEM: UNLIMITED LEVEL]
Name: ArkaLevel: 0EXP: 0 / ∞Skills: NoneStatus: Unlimited
Arka stared at the screen.
Unmoving.
Unblinking.
Then—
Slowly—
A smile formed.
"Unlimited…?"
His eyes changed.
No longer empty.
No longer broken.
But filled with something new.
Something dangerous.
Something alive.
[New Quest Available]"Kill 1 living being"Reward: +1 Level
Arka let out a low laugh.
Soft.
But chilling.
"So… this is how it begins."
He clenched his fist.
A faint, unfamiliar aura began to rise around him.
The world that once rejected him—
The world that called him nothing—
He would rise above it.
Crush it.
And stand at the very top.
END OF CHAPTER 1 🔥