Title: Vessel of the Dragon Monarch
Chapter 1: The One Who Was Left Behind
Ten years ago, the world changed.
A massive tower, obsidian black and reaching beyond the clouds, appeared in the center of the world. It was as if the heavens had dropped it from above. No one knew where it came from—only that it had one hundred floors, and that it called to humanity.
And so, the era of Awakened began.
People all around the globe were "awakened," granted abilities that defied logic and science. Some controlled fire, others bent steel with their thoughts. These chosen ones became Players—warriors who challenged the tower floor by floor. Glory, riches, and power awaited those who could climb high enough. But in ten long years, only twelve floors had been conquered.
And then, there was Lee Hwan.
The only one in Korea who had never awakened.
He lived in the shadow of others—mocked by peers, forgotten by society, ignored by the system. But Lee Hwan never gave up. His dream burned silently within him: to become an International Player—one of the seven elite warriors recognized by the World Alliance, each from a different nation. Korea had none. Lee Hwan wanted to be the first.
One day, unable to take the shame any longer, he broke the rules and entered the Tower illegally. He wasn't supposed to be able to enter—he had no power. Yet the tower let him in.
On the First Floor, he tried to survive, hiding from monsters and players alike. But in a moment of chaos, he slipped through a crack in the earth, falling deep into a hidden cavern no one had ever discovered before.
There, glowing like a star in the dark, was a heart.
A massive, golden heart suspended in the air, beating with ancient, overwhelming power.
Lee Hwan felt it calling to him.
Before he could think, his hand reached out. The moment he touched it, pain unlike anything he'd ever felt surged through his veins. His mind screamed. His body tore itself apart.
But he didn't die.
The heart merged with him.
A voice, deeper than the oceans and older than time, echoed in his soul:
"You are now the vessel of the Dragon Monarch."
The strongest being in the tower—once believed to have vanished—had chosen Lee Hwan.
The boy who had nothing…
Now had everything.