Chapter 1: The One Everyone Looked Down On

At first, the looks had hurt—mockery thinly disguised as pity, disdain barely hidden behind polite smiles. Over time, though, they had become part of his daily life, like the ache in his muscles after training or the dull fear that lingered whenever he stepped near a dungeon gate.

Still, standing at the entrance of Dungeon C-17, those stares felt heavier than usual.

The air around the gate shimmered with unstable mana, twisting space itself into a swirling mass of blue and black light. It hummed faintly, as if alive, sending vibrations through the ground beneath their boots. For most awakened hunters, this sight sparked excitement. For Han Jiwon, it only tightened the knot in his chest.

“Why is an E-rank even here?”

The voice was sharp, carrying clearly over the low murmur of preparations. Jiwon didn’t need to look to know who it came from. He had heard variations of the same words hundreds of times.

Slowly, he lifted his gaze.

A group of hunters stood a short distance away, all wearing clean armor and expensive equipment. Their leader—a tall man with neatly combed hair and a confident smirk—was openly staring at Jiwon, eyes filled with contempt.

“Isn’t he that guy?” another hunter whispered loudly. “The one with no talent at all?”

“Yeah. The guilds won’t even register him properly. Total dead weight.”

Jiwon’s fingers tightened around the hilt of his dagger.

It was old, the metal dulled and chipped from countless repairs. Compared to the enchanted weapons around him, it looked like a relic from another age. He had bought it with nearly a month’s worth of earnings from part-time work, convincing himself that effort could make up for what fate had denied him.

Fate had laughed.

A translucent window floated quietly in front of his vision, visible only to him.

[Name: Han Jiwon]
[Rank: E]
[Talent: None]
[Mana Capacity: Extremely Low]

He closed his eyes for a moment.

None.

That single word defined his existence as an awakened.

In a world where humanity survived by relying on those blessed with extraordinary talents—fire manipulation, enhanced strength, summoning, time distortion—Han Jiwon had awakened with nothing. No elemental affinity. No special physique. No unique skill.

Just a status window that seemed almost embarrassed to acknowledge him.

“Jiwon.”

A softer voice reached him.

He turned to see Mina, the party’s healer, watching him with concern. Unlike the others, she didn’t look at him with contempt—only worry.

“You don’t have to force yourself,” she said quietly. “This dungeon isn’t worth risking your life.”

He managed a weak smile. “If I stop now, I might as well never come back.”

Mina bit her lip but said nothing more.

Jiwon knew the truth. He wasn’t here because the party needed him. He was here because someone had to fill the last slot, and no one else wanted it. He carried supplies, acted as bait when things went wrong, and stayed behind during critical fights.

A disposable role.

Yet, even knowing that, he stepped forward.

The gate flared.

“Dungeon entry confirmed,” the party leader announced. “Formation as discussed. Don’t slow us down.”

The world twisted.

The dungeon interior was a ruined underground city, stone structures crumbling beneath centuries of neglect. Bioluminescent moss clung to the walls, casting eerie shadows that danced with every movement. The smell of damp earth and rusted metal filled the air.

Monsters lurked here—low-grade, but still lethal to someone like Jiwon.

As the team advanced, combat broke out quickly. Blades flashed. Magic exploded. Monsters fell.

Jiwon stayed back, heart pounding, eyes scanning every shadow.

He stabbed when ordered. He retreated when shouted at. He survived—barely.

Then, without warning, the ground shook.

A deep, resonant roar echoed through the dungeon, so powerful it made his bones vibrate.

“What the hell was that?” someone yelled.

The mana in the air surged violently.

Before anyone could react, the dungeon collapsed inward.

The floor beneath them cracked like glass.

Jiwon felt weightlessness.

Then pain.

Darkness swallowed him.

When he regained awareness, agony consumed every nerve in his body. He lay half-buried under rubble, chest barely able to rise as he gasped for air. Blood pooled beneath him, warm and sticky.

His vision blurred.

In the distance, he heard screams—then silence.

A massive presence approached.

Each step shook the ground.

Through his fading sight, he saw it.

A towering monster, far larger than anything meant to exist in a C-rank dungeon. Its body was encased in dark stone, veins of crimson light pulsing beneath its surface. Two glowing red eyes locked onto him.

A Dungeon Guardian.

It shouldn’t have been here.

Jiwon laughed weakly, blood bubbling at his lips.

“So… this is it.”

No miracle.
No awakening.
No reward for perseverance.

The guardian raised its claw.

The world went black.

[You have died.]

Silence.

Then—

Sound returned.

[Unique Condition Detected.]
[Soul Integrity: 100%]
[Hidden Qualification Confirmed.]

Jiwon felt himself pulled apart and reassembled, as if reality itself were examining him.

[Analyzing existence…]
[No talent found.]
[Conclusion: Subject is perfectly empty.]

Instead of despair, the system responded with interest.

[Hidden System “Monarch” activating.]

Light burst forth.

Jiwon gasped, his consciousness dragged into an endless void filled with ancient symbols and overwhelming pressure. A voice echoed—not loud, but absolute.

[Those with talent walk predetermined paths.]
[Those without talent are free.]

A window unfolded before him.

[Monarch System – Initialized]
• Absorb strength from defeated enemies
• Convert despair into authority
• Defy the limits imposed by the world

For the first time in his life, the system did not mock him.

It chose him.

[Time Reversal Authorized.]
[Returning to a point before irreversible failure…]

The void shattered.

Jiwon awoke with a sharp intake of breath.

He was lying on a thin mattress. Sunlight streamed through a cracked window. The familiar hum of the city filled his ears.

His room.

His old apartment.

Hands trembling, he grabbed his phone.

March 3rd.

Three years ago.

A transparent window floated silently in front of him.

[First Mission]
Kill one monster.
Reward: Monarch Authority (Lv.1)

Jiwon slowly clenched his fist.

A smile formed—small, but real.

“This time,” he whispered, “I’ll take everything back.”

The weakest had been given the right to become a king.