Lucas stood outside the Awakener Administration Office.
The building was already crowded.
Hundreds of newly awakened teenagers had arrived to register their abilities.
Some looked excited.
Others looked nervous.
A few were already comparing their ranks.
Lucas walked through the entrance without paying much attention to them.
He took a number and sat down.
A few minutes later, his number appeared on the screen.
“Counter twelve.”
Lucas stood and walked over.
A woman behind the desk looked up.
“Awakening certificate?”
Lucas handed it over.
She scanned the document.
“Lucas…
F-Rank.”
“Yes.”
She entered his information into the system.
“Ability?”
“Boost Breaker.”
Her fingers stopped.
“Boost Breaker?”
Lucas nodded.
“That’s what the crystal identified.”
She looked at the information on her screen.
“F-Rank?”
“Yes.”
She didn’t seem impressed.
“Physical enhancement abilities are fairly common at F-Rank.
You’ll probably want to apply for a basic combat course before attempting any missions.”
Lucas simply nodded.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
She finished the registration.
“You’re officially registered as an Awakener.”
A small identification card was placed on the counter.
Lucas picked it up.
The card displayed his name, Awakener status, and current rank.
F-Rank.
He slipped it into his wallet.
“Are there any missions available for new Awakeners?”
The woman looked surprised.
“Already?”
“I want experience.”
She sighed.
“You can apply for beginner missions, but you’re responsible for understanding the risks.”
“I understand.”
She turned the monitor toward him.
Several missions appeared.
Most were basic assignments.
Dungeon cleanup.
Monster extermination.
Resource collection.
Security assistance.
Lucas scanned through them.
He wasn’t interested in the resource missions.
They wouldn’t provide enough combat experience.
He also didn’t want a security assignment.
He needed to test Boost Breaker.
Then he saw one.
F-RANK DUNGEON — ABANDONED WAREHOUSE
Location: District 7
Recommended Team Size: 3–5 F-Rank Awakeners
Objective: Eliminate monsters inside the dungeon.
Secondary Objective: Recover dungeon core.
Reward: Government payment + dungeon contribution points.
Lucas selected it.
“I’ll take this one.”
The employee looked at the mission.
“You need a team.”
Lucas nodded.
“I’ll find one.”
She gave him a temporary mission permit.
“Be careful.”
Lucas stood.
“I will.”
Outside the building, Lucas looked at the mission details again.
District 7.
An abandoned warehouse.
F-Rank dungeon.
He remembered it.
This was one of the places where his first life had truly begun.
But he hadn’t come here because he remembered the exact monsters inside.
He came because it was safe enough for his current strength.
The dungeon had already been classified.
There shouldn’t be anything beyond F-Rank inside.
At least, according to the information available.
Lucas walked toward the meeting location.
Three other newly awakened students were already waiting.
Another was a girl carrying a short sword.
The third was a smaller boy who looked nervous.
The tall boy looked at Lucas.
“You’re the fourth?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m Marcus.”
He pointed toward the others.
“That’s Elena, and that’s Ryan.”
Lucas nodded.
“Lucas.”
Marcus looked at his registration card.
“F-Rank?”
“Yes.”
“Ability?”
“Boost Breaker.”
Marcus raised an eyebrow.
“Never heard of it.”
“Neither have I,” Ryan said.
Elena shrugged.
“Doesn’t matter.
We’re all F-Rank.”
Lucas didn’t respond.
The four of them entered the warehouse.
The moment they crossed the dungeon entrance, the atmosphere changed.
The temperature dropped.
A strange pressure filled the air.
The abandoned warehouse disappeared behind them.
They were now standing inside a dark cavern.
Lucas looked around.
This was exactly what he expected.
Rock walls.
Dim blue crystals.
A narrow path leading deeper into the dungeon.
Marcus raised his weapon.
“Stay together.”
Lucas nodded.
They moved forward.
For several minutes, nothing happened.
Then they heard a growl.
Everyone stopped.
Something moved in the darkness.
Three creatures stepped from behind a rock.
F-Rank Goblins.
Marcus charged.
“Go!”
The fight began.
Elena moved around the side.
Ryan stayed behind and used his ability to strengthen Marcus.
Lucas watched for a moment.
Their movements were sloppy.
They were inexperienced.
But that was normal.
This was their first mission.
One goblin rushed toward Lucas.
He raised his hand.
[Basic Enhancement]
[Strength]
Power flowed through his body.
Lucas stepped forward.
The goblin swung its weapon.
Lucas dodged.
He struck the creature in the chest.
The goblin flew backward.
Lucas followed and delivered another strike.
The creature disappeared into particles of light.
Lucas stared at his hand.
The boost was small.
But it was enough.
He looked at the other goblins.
Marcus and Elena had already defeated them.
Ryan lowered his hands.
“That was easier than I expected.”
Marcus smiled.
“See?
F-Rank dungeons aren’t that bad.”
Lucas didn’t answer.
Something about the dungeon felt strange.
He looked deeper into the darkness.
There was a faint pressure coming from somewhere ahead.
It was weak.
Barely noticeable.
But Lucas could feel it.
“Something’s wrong.”
Marcus looked at him.
“What?”
Lucas pointed forward.
“There’s something deeper.”
“Another monster?”
“I don’t know.”
They continued carefully.
A few minutes later, they found the dungeon’s first chamber.
Several goblins were gathered around a large stone structure.
But Lucas immediately noticed something.
The dungeon core wasn’t there.
Marcus looked around.
“Where’s the core?”
Lucas walked closer.
The stone structure had been damaged.
Someone had already been here.
“Someone entered before us.”
Elena looked confused.
“But the mission said this dungeon was newly discovered.”
Lucas crouched down and examined the ground.
There were footprints.
Fresh ones.
His expression became serious.
“This dungeon isn’t empty.”
A sound came from behind them.
Everyone turned.
A larger creature stood at the entrance.
It wasn’t a normal goblin.
It was much taller.
Its body was covered in dark armor.
And it was holding a massive axe.
Marcus stepped backward.
“That’s not F-Rank.”
Lucas’s eyes narrowed.
The creature roared.
The dungeon shook.
A notification appeared in Lucas’s vision.
[WARNING]
[Target exceeds recommended dungeon difficulty.]
Lucas remained calm.
His hand slowly tightened.
This wasn’t supposed to happen.
The mission had been classified as F-Rank.
Yet something stronger was standing in front of them.
Marcus raised his weapon.
“Everyone, get ready!”
The creature charged.
Lucas activated Basic Enhancement.
Strength.
Then Speed.
His body surged forward.
He moved faster than Marcus expected.
Lucas reached the creature first.
He dodged the axe and struck its side.
The impact forced the creature to stagger.
Lucas immediately realized something.
It was stronger than him.
Much stronger.
But it wasn’t unbeatable.
He activated Break Limit.
Power surged through his body.
His muscles tightened.
His vision sharpened.
Lucas rushed forward again.
The creature swung its axe.
Lucas ducked beneath it.
He drove his fist into the creature’s chest.
CRACK.
The monster stumbled backward.
Marcus stared.
“What the hell?”
Lucas didn’t answer.
He attacked again.
The fight had only just begun.
And somewhere deep inside the dungeon, something was watching them.
Lucas felt it.
Something was different about this timeline.
For the first time since returning to the past, history had deviated.
A notification appeared.
[QUEST CONDITION UPDATED]
[First Step]
[Reach E-Rank: 0/1]
[Complete Official Awakener Mission: 0/1]
[New Hidden Condition Detected]
[Survive an unexpected encounter.]
Lucas stared at the final message.
Then he smiled.
Maybe this second life wouldn’t be as predictable as he thought.
He lowered his stance.
Boost Breaker pulsed through his body.
“Come on.”
The creature roared.
Lucas charged forward.