An ogre stepped out from the dungeon's glowing gate.
"Shit." Han cursed under his breath.
Ogres were usually ranked D or C. Not exactly monsters to panic over. Most humans were at least D rank. E ranks were rare. F ranks were almost unheard of.
But Han wasn't even that.
He wasn't ranked at all!
His heart sank into the pit of his stomach. His legs moved before he could think. He turned and ran.
The ogre, with greenish skin stretched tight over muscle—watched him go. Its eyes gleamed, not with confusion, but understanding. Ogre intelligence wasn't high, but it was enough. It could tell Han wasn't just running. He was fleeing. Weak Prey.
It grinned, and gave chase.
Han sprinted through the silent street, his lungs burning. One block. Then two. He pushed harder.
Where was everyone? The city was asleep. It was almost midnight. But still—shouldn't someone have seen? Shouldn't someone have come?
When dungeons opened, guilds were alerted. Heroes and dungeon clearers were supposed to show up within minutes.
So where were they?
His feet stumbled. His legs gave out beneath him and he fell, hitting the pavement hard. Pain shot up his arm. He rolled over, gasping for air, lungs on fire.
The ogre loomed above him.
Then—thud. A heavy kick slammed into his ribs. Han's body flew back, crashing into the street. Something twisted inside his chest. He coughed, blood splattering from his lips.
*Not here. Not like this.*
The ogre grabbed his leg. Like a toy.
It threw him into a parked car. Metal crunched, glass shattered. Pain exploded through his body. He couldn't even scream.
Something cracked.
*If only I was stronger.
Why me? What did I do to deserve this?*
His vision blurred.
Faces he knew all too well flashed in his mind—his father's cold glare, his brother's mocking laughter, the silent disdain in his mother's eyes.
They never believed in him. Never cared.
He remembered the words. Over and over.
"You're useless."
"You'll never amount to anything."
"The world doesn't need people like you."
He spent his whole life studying, trying to prove them wrong. Hours and hours alone with books, hoping something would awaken. Hoping he'd finally get some kind of power.
But nothing ever came.
And now—this?
Tears welled in his eyes. It wasn't fair. He tried. He really tried. But the world didn't care.
He was too weak.
The ogre's shadow fell over him again. It lifted its foot, ready to end it.
"This is it, huh?" Han muttered, a bitter smile forming through the blood.
『THE UNIVERSE FAVOURS YOU』
『WORLD COMMAND SYSTEM GRANTED』
Han blinked.
*What?What… tha what now?*
He didn't understand.
Was he hallucinating? Was this death playing a cruel joke?
He was dying. Of course he was. He must be imagining this. Some final dream of power, rising from the darkness before the end.
Before he could even make sense of it, he heard the heavy footsteps.
More ogres!
The first ogre grabbed him again.
By the leg.
Like trash.
And threw him into another car.