The Legendaries Awaken

The world as Kai Jin knew it was gone in an instant.

It started like any ordinary day. Kai sat alone in his small, modest apartment in Seoul, Korea, sipping on a cup of lukewarm instant coffee, staring at the flickering television. His mind was a quiet sea—empty, detached from anything meaningful. The news was playing in the background as usual, a mundane parade of politics, crime reports, and the occasional weather forecast. It wasn't until the breaking news came on that his world would forever change.

"Breaking News: A strange phenomenon has appeared worldwide. Portals from another dimension have suddenly opened across major cities globally. These portals have unleashed creatures of unknown origin, wreaking havoc on anything in their path. Governments are struggling to respond."

The anchor's voice was eerily calm, as though speaking of a mere inconvenience rather than an existential crisis. Kai didn't blink. He didn't feel anything. The news had mentioned strange occurrences before, and there was no reason to believe this was different. Yet, something felt off—something in the pit of his stomach stirred.

The image on the screen shifted to a video clip of a chaotic street in Tokyo, Japan. A massive, hulking figure with glowing red eyes emerged from a swirling purple vortex. It stomped its massive feet, sending cars flying with every step. People screamed in the distance as the creature tore through the city, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake. Soldiers rushed in with their weapons raised, but it was clear from their expressions that they were helpless.

Then, the image cut to a street in Paris, where another portal opened, and a massive swarm of giant, insect-like creatures flooded the streets. Their sharp mandibles and glowing green bodies made them look like something straight out of a nightmare. The soldiers and civilians barely had time to react before the creatures overran them.

Kai set his cup down. He could feel the tension in the air—the heaviness, the pressure. This wasn't just another sensationalized headline. This was real.

His eyes narrowed as he gripped the edge of the coffee table, his mind racing. His heart beat a little faster, the adrenaline surging in his veins. He didn't know why he felt this way—he had always been the type to remain unaffected, the type to look at life through a detached lens. But something about this was different. The helplessness. The terror. It mirrored the kind of world he had once known—a world where there was always something just out of reach, something beyond his control.

The door to his apartment suddenly rattled. Kai's eyes snapped toward the door. It wasn't a knock. It was something harder, more violent. Like something was trying to break through.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

A sound that didn't belong in a normal world. Kai stood up swiftly, his senses sharpening. He could feel the pressure building, thick in the air. Was it a prank? Some kind of random occurrence? He didn't know, but he didn't feel like taking any chances. Grabbing a nearby kitchen knife, he held it firmly, his pulse quickening.

"Who is it?" Kai called out, his voice steady, but something about the situation made him uneasy.

There was no response, only another bang at the door. This time, it was harder—louder, almost violent. The door creaked, and Kai instinctively backed up a step, his grip tightening around the knife's handle.

The door groaned on its hinges before suddenly bursting open.

A foul smell hit him first—like the stench of rotten meat and decay. Kai's eyes widened as he saw the creature before him. It was a goblin, but not the kind that appeared in fantasy novels or movies. This one was grotesque, its body hunched and covered in jagged green scales. Its sharp claws scraped the floor, leaving deep gouges in the wooden panels of the apartment. A pair of glowing red eyes locked onto him, its twisted mouth opening in a grotesque grin, showing off rows of sharp teeth.

The goblin was rank F, weak by many standards, but to Kai, it was a deadly, unpredictable threat.

The creature leapt forward with a shriek, its dagger-like claws aiming straight for Kai's face. Kai's heart raced, but his mind was calm, calculating. There was no panic—just instinct and years of lived experience. He knew the fight wasn't about strength; it was about surviving.

Kai ducked just in time, feeling the air rush by as the goblin's claws missed his face by inches. Without wasting a second, Kai grabbed the closest object—an old wooden chair near his desk—and swung it upward, smashing the chair into the goblin's head. The chair broke into pieces with a loud crack, but Kai didn't stop. Using the broken leg of the chair, he aimed for the goblin's skull, driving the splintered wood deep into its face.

The goblin staggered back, howling in pain as it clutched its bleeding head, but the moment was brief. Kai had no time to enjoy the victory. Before the goblin could recover, it lunged again, this time faster, more desperate. Its clawed hand aimed directly for Kai's throat.

But Kai was already one step ahead.

He grabbed the shattered chair leg and plunged it into the goblin's chest, right between its ribs. The creature gurgled and convulsed, its blood spilling out, pooling around its body as it collapsed lifelessly to the floor.

Kai stepped back, breathing heavily. His hands were shaking, but his mind was still sharp, still calculating. He hadn't been injured, but the adrenaline coursing through his veins made him feel like he was on fire.

His body was already reacting to the fight, his instincts fine-tuning his movements. But there was something else—a sensation he hadn't expected. As the goblin died, a strange, unfamiliar voice echoed in his head.

System: Awakening Detected. Initializing.

A glowing window appeared before him, hovering in midair. Kai blinked, rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. The window shimmered and adjusted itself, displaying a series of numbers and unfamiliar symbols.

Name: Kai Jin

Rank: F

Health: 100%

Mana: 0%

Strength: 5

Agility: 6

Endurance: 4

Intelligence: 10

Dexterity: 7

Abilities: None

Skills: None

The words didn't make sense at first, and Kai's heart skipped a beat. What was this? A game? A joke?

But then, a line of text scrolled across the screen.

System: First kill detected. Reward unlocked.

Suddenly, his mind was bombarded with information. A flood of strange symbols and numbers, unfamiliar and impossible to comprehend at first, but gradually they began to make sense. The window flickered, and a second screen appeared, showing a detailed list of things he didn't recognize—items, weapons, and strange powers.

Item Reward: Goblin's Dagger (Rank F)

Skill Acquired: 'Analysis' (Level 1)

Quest Unlocked: Survive the Awakening.

Kai staggered backward, his head spinning. He had always been a rational person. His life had been about surviving in a harsh world, about fighting for what he wanted, even when the odds were against him. But this… this was different. This wasn't just some random event or prank. This was real.

Before he could process everything, a new notification popped up on the screen.

Warning: Monsters detected nearby. Rank F. Multiple threats incoming.

Kai's eyes widened, his senses tingling. He could hear the sound of movement from the hallway outside—something big, something dangerous. Without a moment's hesitation, Kai darted for the window and leapt out, diving onto the fire escape just as the door to his apartment slammed open again.

A surge of determination filled his chest. This was only the beginning.

He was no longer just a high school student living a quiet life in Seoul. He was an awakened.

And the world was about to change forever.