The next morning, Lucas woke up before his alarm.
He sat on the edge of his bed and opened his status.
[STATUS]
Name: Lucas
Level: 4
Rank: F
Class: None
Ability: Boost Breaker
Hidden Ability: ???
EXP: 32%
Lucas looked at the quest.
[QUEST — FIRST STEP]
[Reach E-Rank: 0/1]
[Official Awakener Mission: 1/1]
[Survive an Unexpected Encounter: 1/1]
[Reward: Locked]
Lucas stood.
“Time to move.”
He didn’t waste time.
After getting dressed, he headed straight toward the Awakener Administration Office.
The building was already busy when he arrived.
Awakeners were entering and leaving through the main doors.
Some carried weapons.
Others wore guild uniforms.
A few were still wearing school uniforms.
Lucas walked toward the mission counter.
The same woman who had registered him yesterday recognized him.
“Back already?”
Lucas nodded.
“I’m looking for another mission.”
She looked at his information.
“F-Rank?”
“Yes.”
“Your previous mission was completed successfully.”
She checked the records.
“Your team also reported the unusual monster encounter.”
Lucas remained quiet.
“Are you sure you want another mission this soon?”
“Yes.”
She studied him for a moment before turning toward her monitor.
“There are several F-Rank missions available.”
She displayed them.
[Mission: Goblin Nest]
[Rank: F]
[Location: Eastern Forest]
[Objective: Eliminate 20 Goblins]
[Reward: 150 Credits]
Lucas looked at the next one.
[Mission: Sewer Monster Removal]
[Rank: F]
[Location: District 4]
[Objective: Eliminate sewer monsters]
[Reward: 180 Credits]
Then another appeared.
[Mission: Mine Dungeon]
[Rank: F]
[Location: Northern Mining Zone]
[Objective: Eliminate monsters]
[Secondary Objective: Recover Mana Crystals]
[Reward: 250 Credits + Contribution Points]
Lucas looked at the last mission.
“That one.”
The woman raised an eyebrow.
“The mine dungeon?”
“Yes.”
“It’s still classified as F-Rank, but it’s considered one of the more difficult beginner dungeons.”
“That’s fine.”
“You’ll need a team.”
Lucas shook his head.
“I’ll go alone.”
The woman stared at him.
“You’re a Level 4 F-Rank.”
“I know.”
“You understand that the recommendation is a team of at least three people?”
“I understand.”
She hesitated.
“You really want to do this alone?”
Lucas nodded.
She eventually approved the mission.
“Fine.
But if the dungeon’s difficulty changes, retreat immediately.”
“I will.”
Lucas took the mission permit.
The northern mining zone was several hours away.
He left the city shortly afterward.
The road became quieter as he traveled north.
Eventually, the buildings disappeared.
Only mountains and forests remained.
Lucas checked the mission information again.
The mine had been abandoned after monsters began appearing inside.
The government had classified the dungeon as F-Rank after sending an inspection team.
The monsters were believed to be low-level creatures.
Nothing Lucas couldn’t handle.
At least, that was what the report said.
When Lucas arrived, he saw several government workers standing outside the mine entrance.
One of them checked his identification.
“Lucas?”
“Yes.”
“You’re the solo Awakener?”
“Yes.”
The worker looked at him strangely.
“Good luck.”
Lucas entered the mine.
The moment he crossed the entrance, the temperature dropped.
A blue glow came from crystals embedded in the walls.
Lucas moved deeper.
His footsteps echoed through the tunnels.
Then he heard something.
Scratching.
Lucas stopped.
Something was moving ahead.
He activated Speed Enhancement.
His senses sharpened.
Three creatures suddenly rushed around the corner. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
F-Rank Cave Hounds.
Lucas moved.
The first hound jumped toward him.
He stepped aside and punched it in the side.
The creature crashed into the wall.
The second attacked immediately.
Lucas ducked beneath its claws.
He grabbed its neck and slammed it into the ground.
The third tried to attack from behind.
Lucas turned.
[Speed Enhancement]
His body accelerated.
He appeared beside the creature.
One punch.
The hound disappeared.
Lucas finished the other two moments later.
[Monster Defeated]
[EXP Gained]
[EXP: 41%]
Lucas looked at the notification.
“Nine percent.”
He smiled.
The mission had barely begun.
He continued deeper.
More monsters appeared.
Five Cave Hounds.
Then eight.
Then a group of armored goblins.
Lucas fought through all of them.
He didn’t use Break Limit unless necessary.
Instead, he focused on combining Strength Enhancement and Speed Enhancement.
His movements became cleaner with every battle.
His experience increased.
[EXP: 57%]
Then—
[EXP: 68%]
Then—
[EXP: 81%]
Lucas wiped blood from his cheek.
“This is much better.”
He continued deeper.
Eventually, he reached a massive underground chamber.
Dozens of monsters were gathered inside.
Lucas stopped.
His expression became serious.
There were too many to fight carelessly.
He looked around.
The chamber had several narrow passages.
That gave him an idea.
Lucas activated Speed Enhancement.
He rushed forward.
The monsters noticed him immediately.
They charged.
Lucas turned and ran.
The creatures chased him through the narrow tunnel.
Exactly as he expected.
Only two could reach him at once.
Lucas turned around.
[Strength Enhancement]
His fist struck the first monster.
The second attacked.
Lucas ducked.
He countered.
One after another, the creatures fell.
The experience continued increasing.
[EXP: 89%]
[EXP: 94%]
[EXP: 98%]
Lucas’s eyes narrowed.
“Almost.”
The final monster lunged.
Lucas stepped forward.
[Strength Enhancement]
His fist connected with its chest.
The monster disappeared.
[Monster Defeated]
[EXP: 100%]
Lucas waited.
Nothing happened.
He frowned.
Then the system appeared.
[LEVEL REQUIREMENT MET]
[LEVEL UP]
[Level 5]
Lucas felt energy spread throughout his body.
His muscles tightened.
His senses became clearer.
The fatigue he had accumulated during the mission decreased slightly.
He opened his status.
[STATUS]
Name: Lucas
Level: 5
Rank: F
Class: None
Ability: Boost Breaker
Hidden Ability: ???
EXP: 0%
Lucas smiled.
“Level five.”
But then another notification appeared.
[BOOST BREAKER]
[Condition detected.]
[Current physical foundation is sufficient.]
[First Step Quest has reached its completion requirement.]
Lucas froze.
The quest window appeared.
[QUEST — FIRST STEP]
[Reach E-Rank: 1/1]
[Official Awakener Mission: 1/1]
[Survive an Unexpected Encounter: 1/1]
Lucas’s eyes widened.
He had done it.
The quest was complete.
Then the next notification appeared.
[BOOST BREAKER — RANK ADVANCEMENT]
[Advancing from F-Rank to E-Rank.]
Lucas felt a powerful wave of energy surge through his body.
His heartbeat became heavier.
His muscles tightened.
Energy flowed through every part of him.
He dropped to one knee.
“Argh…”
The pressure continued.
His body was changing.
It wasn’t like leveling up.
This was different.
The energy inside his body was becoming denser.
His physical foundation was being rebuilt.
His senses expanded.
His strength increased.
His speed increased.
Even his stamina improved.
Lucas clenched his teeth.
“So this is an actual rank advancement.”
The pressure suddenly disappeared.
Silence returned to the chamber.
Lucas slowly stood.
He opened his status.
[STATUS]
Name: Lucas
Level: 1
Rank: E
Class: None
Ability: Boost Breaker
Hidden Ability: ???
EXP: 0%
Lucas stared at the screen.
His level had reset.
He immediately understood.
When Boost Breaker advanced his rank, his level returned to the beginning of the new rank.
He wasn’t weaker.
The opposite.
His E-Rank body was fundamentally stronger than his previous F-Rank body.
Lucas clenched his fist.
He activated Strength Enhancement.
Energy flowed through him.
The power was dramatically different.
He threw a punch toward the stone wall.
BOOM!
The wall cracked.
Lucas stared at his fist.
“That’s a huge difference.”
He activated Speed Enhancement.
His body moved.
In an instant, he crossed the chamber.
He stopped at the opposite wall.
His eyes widened.
The abilities themselves hadn’t changed.
His body had.
Because he was now E-Rank, Boost Breaker’s abilities could operate at a much higher level.
Then another notification appeared.
[QUEST COMPLETE]
[First Step]
[Reward Unlocked]
Lucas opened it.
[Reward: Boost Breaker Upgrade]
[New Ability Unlocked]
Lucas’s expression became serious.
A new ability.
This was exactly what he had been waiting for.
The system displayed the name.
[E-RANK ABILITY]
[Impact Break]
[Description: Allows the user to concentrate enhanced physical force into a single strike, greatly increasing the destructive power of the attack.]
Lucas smiled.
“So this is my reward.”
He looked at his fist.
The ability wasn’t flashy.
It didn’t need to be.
A concentrated attack that could break through stronger defenses was exactly what he needed.
Lucas activated Impact Break.
Energy gathered around his fist.
He punched the stone wall.
BOOM!
A massive crack spread across it.
Lucas looked at the damage.
“Not bad.”
He closed his status.
The mission was complete.
He had reached E-Rank.
And nobody outside this dungeon knew.
To the government, he was still the same newly awakened Lucas who had entered as an F-Rank.
When he returned, they would update his rank.
But for now, he had something more important to think about.
Boost Breaker had advanced.
And it had rewarded him with a new ability.
Lucas looked deeper into the mine.
There were still monsters remaining.
He could continue fighting and gain experience.
But he didn’t need to take unnecessary risks.
He had achieved what he came here to do.
Lucas turned toward the exit.
“F-Rank is over.”
He walked through the dark tunnel.
“E-Rank starts now.”
Behind him, the mine became silent again.
Lucas had taken his first real step forward.
And for the first time since returning to the past, he felt that his second life was beginning to move in the direction he wanted.
Slowly.
Quietly.
One rank at a time.