They said the gods returned the day the sky cracked.
Not with golden trumpets or lightning bolts jut silence and a single tear across the heavens that swallowed an entire city in Colorado. No survivors. No warnings. No mercy.
After that came the Gates.
Massive rips in reality. Floating like torn skin across the world. Inside them, death waited. Monsters crawled out from stone and fire and shadow. Creatures from myth. Some with horns. Some with wings. Some that looked like men but moved like nightmares.
The world was supposed to end.
But then… some humans survived inside the Gates. And not just survived. They came back stronger.
They said they heard voices in the dark.
Some saw symbols floating above their heads.
Others saw nothing but when they moved, the world bent with them.
And then came the contracts.
Beings spoke to mankind not through prayer or faith, but through binding. They offered power. In exchange for loyalty, obedience, and sometimes things… unspoken.
The strongest beings were gods. Not the quiet gods of forgotten temples. No. These were the American gods the ones who survived history. Names like Zeus, Odin, Ra, Anubis, Morrigan, and Hecate.
They were real. And cruel. And impossible.
Only a select few ever received contracts with gods like them. A small group of elite hunters the A-ranks and above.
The rest settled for less.
The Zodiac spirits became the standard. Twelve paths. Twelve alignments. Leo gave strength. Virgo gave control. Scorpio gave stealth. Cancer gave resistance. Mid-tier power for mid-tier people.
And below them? The creatures.
Dragons. Elemental beasts. Forgotten spirits. Fiery wolves. Cold serpents. Wind dancers. They were entry-level. Anyone who awakened with them was stuck as an E or D rank forever.
But there was another group.
Those who were chosen by no one.
No gods.
No stars.
No beasts.
They were called the Forgotten.
Or, if people were being polite Unawakened.
Seoul, South Korea
Now
Ha Joonwoo stood under the flickering light in the hallway of his school, hands shoved deep in his hoodie. His number was last on the awakening list.
He didn't want to be last.
He wanted to go home.
But this was the only chance he'd get.
Across the gym, students were cheering. Some cried. A girl next to him had passed out when her contract with the Virgo spirit activated. Her skin still shimmered with constellation marks. Another guy had burst into flame when the minor dragon spirit of Emberkin accepted his oath.
All around him, people changed.
The world opened for them.
He was the only one still waiting for a door to unlock.
"Ha Joonwoo," a teacher called.
He walked up slowly. He felt everyone staring. No one expected anything. He didn't come from a great bloodline. He wasn't handsome or rich. Just a quiet kid who sat at the back and never raised his hand.
The scanning crystal lit up. Spinning lights. A low hum.
Everyone went quiet.
The instructor's face remained blank as she read the results. "No resonance," she said. "No divine signature. No Zodiac alignment. No lower-tier bond. Step down."
That was it.
No flashes.
No messages.
No power.
Just a few chuckles. Some sighs.
And then silence. The next student was called.
Joonwoo walked home with his hoodie up, shoulders hunched. Rain tapped against the sidewalk like fingers.
His phone buzzed. A message from his mom.
"Did it happen?"
He didn't reply.
He turned off the screen and slipped it back in his pocket.
It didn't matter now. Nothing would fix the look on her face when he walked in without a mark. Without a spark.
He took the long way home. Past the corner store. Past the street with the arcade that was shut down last year. Past the alley.
He should've known they'd be there.
"Yo," someone called behind him.
Three guys. One girl. All in uniform. All newly awakened. The one in front had Leo's mark burned into his palm like a brand.
"You didn't answer the group chat," one of them said, grinning. "Did your phone break, or are you just too ashamed?"
"Let's see if maybe a little blood wakes up his Zodiac," another joked.
Joonwoo didn't fight. He didn't run. He knew better.
The first hit came fast straight to the side of his head. Lights burst behind his eyes. He stumbled.
The next kick knocked the air out of him.
Then another.
And another.
And another.
They kept hitting him even after he stopped moving.
He heard them laughing. Felt the rain washing over his bleeding skin.
One of them leaned down close. "The gods looked at you and turned away. Even the stars said no. What does that make you?"
Then they were gone.
He lay there. Cold. Alone. Barely breathing. He tried to lift his arm. It didn't move.
He tried to shout. Nothing came out.
Not even a whisper.
Only the rain.
Then something else.
A sound. Not a voice. A tone.
A soft ping.
[System initializing...]
[Contractless detected.]
[Divine alignment: null. Zodiac bond: null.]
[Override accepted.]
[System recognition granted.]
His eyes opened wider. Through the blur, something hovered above him.
Blue letters. Floating. Glowing.
[Welcome, Player.]
[You have been selected by the System.]
[Beginner Trial: Survive]
[Tutorial Dungeon opening...]
A crack opened beneath him—glowing, humming, alive.
And then he was gone.
When he opened his eyes again, he was somewhere else.
Stone. Fog. Torches floating midair. A hallway carved out of ancient rock, breathing dust and death.
A soft chime echoed.
[Quest: Eliminate all monsters.]
His body still ached, but he could move now. He was standing. Breathing. Whole.
Then he saw them.
Creatures. Dozens. Twisted goblin-like monsters with empty sockets and claws twice the size of their hands.
I'm supposed to fight those?
A flash appeared beside him. A dagger. Basic. Rusted.
[Item: Beginner Ritual Dagger obtained.]
He picked it up. It felt heavier than it should've.
The first monster charged. He barely dodged. He slashed. It shrieked. He kept slashing until it stopped moving.
I killed it...
Then a sound.
[+35 EXP]
[You have leveled up.]
[HP restored. Pain reduced.]
[New stat: Tenacity unlocked.]
And that was it.
No grand voice. No divine hand.
Just a system that said: survive.
So he did.
He fought. Again. And again. He crawled. He bled. He screamed.
But every time he fell, he got back up.
Every time he killed, he grew stronger.
Until finally, the screen read:
[Tutorial Dungeon cleared.]
[Portal unlocked.]
And he stepped through.
The alley was cold again. Empty. Three days had passed.
His body was different. Still thin. Still weak. But there was something beneath it now. Something deeper.
He checked his phone. 54 missed calls. His mom. One voicemail.
He didn't open it.
He ran home.
The door was unlocked.
Inside, his sister sat on the floor, crying softly. Her hair was messy. Her clothes wrinkled. She looked up and screamed when she saw him.
"Where were you?!"
He couldn't answer.
The officer standing nearby looked at him and sighed. "She's been alone for two days. Your mother..."
He didn't say it. He didn't have to.
Joonwoo sat down.
And didn't get up for a long time.
That night, when his sister finally fell asleep holding a stuffed bear older than her, the system pinged again.
[New Quest Available]
[Protect what remains.]
[Reward: Class Path unlocked.]
He stared at the screen.
He didn't cry.
Not anymore.
He stood up. Walked to the bathroom.
Looked at himself in the mirror.
Same face. Same skin. Same eyes.
But something behind them had changed.
Not because he wanted it to.
Because no one else would.
The world had turned its back on him.
The gods had ignored him.
The stars had passed him by.
Even the lowest beasts had denied his worth.
But the system didn't care.
It didn't ask for faith.
It only asked that he try.
And for the first time… he had something to try for.