Seven years ago, the world changed.
Mysterious gates began appearing across the globe. From within these gates, monsters and terrifying beasts emerged—creatures that once only existed in myths and fairy tales. Alongside this, some humans awakened strange powers within their bodies. They became stronger, faster, and more resistant to injury. People began calling them "Hunters."
Over time, humanity started categorizing the gates based on their danger level. The gate's color became the main indicator:
Blue for Rank E
Green for Rank D
Orange for Rank C
Red for Rank B
Gray for Rank A
And Black for Rank S, the highest known threat level
However, even with this classification, the true danger of a gate could never be fully predicted. Sometimes, something far darker lurked behind the color that appeared.
---
Raden Dharma, a twenty-year-old young man, stood among a group of hunters in an open field near a small mountain in West Java. Wearing a worn-out jacket and carrying a large bag on his back, he looked nothing like the others.
"Hey, porter! Stop spacing out. Come with us into the gate!" shouted a hunter with a condescending tone.
Raden nodded silently. He wasn't a hunter—at least not an official one. For Rank F hunters, there were only a few jobs available, and one of them was carrying gear.
The gate before them glowed bright blue.
"Rank E. This should be safe," Raden thought.
But unease still crept into his chest.
"Same formation as always! We'll be in there for just one hour. Then we're out," said the team leader, a Rank C hunter named Bima.
Raden followed from the back as they entered the gate.
The world shifted the moment they stepped through.
The air turned cold, the ground was covered in moss, and the sound of wind echoed between black, leafless trees.
They walked for several minutes before encountering a group of goblins. Bima and two other hunters quickly dispatched them. Raden could only watch from afar, holding back a mixture of fear and awe.
"You know," said Bagas, a Rank D hunter, patting Raden on the shoulder, "if you weren't Rank F, you could've taken down one of those goblins too."
Raden forced a faint smile. He had taken the test three times. Every result was the same: Rank F. No skills. No ability to level up. Just a normal human.
But as they went deeper, the atmosphere shifted.
The temperature dropped sharply, and a thick black mist began to settle across the path.
"This is strange..." muttered Bima.
"A Rank E gate shouldn't be this cold."
Suddenly, the ground trembled. Cracking noises echoed from all directions, and the black mist thickened.
"We have to get out now!" screamed one of the female hunters.
But when they turned back, the exit had collapsed under a landslide of stones.
The gate had caved in from within.
"What the hell is this?!" shouted Bagas, panic in his voice.
Bima scowled.
"Dungeon break… This isn't a Rank E anymore."
One by one, monsters began to emerge. Not regular goblins anymore—these were hobgoblins and ogres, much larger and far more dangerous. A fierce battle broke out. One after another, the hunters fell.
Raden hid behind a massive rock, hugging himself, trembling.
He couldn't help.
He could only watch.
Then suddenly, a sharp voice echoed inside his head.
> [System Activated]
Welcome, chosen user. You have met the conditions to access the system: Rank Gate.
Raden's eyes widened.
A transparent screen appeared in front of him.
But no one else seemed to notice.
> [Emergency Mission Started]
Survive for 10 minutes.
Reward: Full system activation.
Failure: Death.
"What is this...? I'm the only one who can see it?" Raden whispered.
A monster began approaching the rock where he hid.
Raden bit his lip, then grabbed a large stone and threw it at a small ogre with all his might, trying to lure it away from the wounded hunters.
Second by second passed.
His breathing grew heavy.
His body was scratched and bruised from debris and stray attacks.
But he survived.
At the tenth minute, the voice returned.
> [Mission Complete]
Congratulations. System fully activated.
A white light enveloped his body briefly.
His wounds stopped bleeding.
A new screen appeared in front of him.
> Name: Raden Dharma
Level: 1
EXP: 0/100
Class: Not Yet Chosen
Status: Active
Then suddenly, a loud explosion echoed through the cave.
The stones blocking the exit shattered.
Red magic light filled the darkness.
"The gate is open! We made it!" shouted a voice from the outside.
A rescue team of hunters cautiously entered.
"What the hell… This is supposed to be Rank E? These monsters don't belong here," muttered the Rank B hunter leading the rescue.
Among the ruins and corpses, only one person was still standing—Raden Dharma.
He stared blankly at the rescuers, his body trembling, blood trickling from his forehead and arms.
"He… survived? Alone?" one of the hunters whispered.
Everyone stared in disbelief.
Meanwhile, a new notification appeared in the system.
> You are the sole survivor of the dungeon break.
The Rank Gate system has chosen you.
Your true power is just beginning.