The world had changed after the apocalypse — that much was certain.
Nearly two hundred years ago, humanity had been thriving.
Skyscrapers kissed the clouds, technology evolved faster than people could keep up, and global peace, though fragile, had become the standard.
Then came the Instability Zones.
They started as small cracks in the sky — barely visible rifts that shimmered like broken glass.
Scientists dismissed them at first.
Atmospheric anomalies, they said.
It was completely harmless.
Until one tore open over New Avalon City and vomited hell onto Earth.
Radiation unlike anything recorded poured out.
Monsters — things that looked stitched from nightmares and extinct fossils — emerged.
Within a week, a metropolis of nine million was reduced to ash and blood.
Panic set in.
The military responded with force.
Bullets were useless.
Tanks barely scratched their hides.
Even nuclear bombs did little but wipe out cities faster than the monsters could.
The planet reeled. Nations collapsed. Billions died.
And then… humanity began to adapt.
After fifty years of hiding, running, and dying, something changed.
The radiation had started to alter the very fabric of human DNA.
People began to awaken — unlocking mysterious powers, classes, and affinities.
Warriors who could cleave monsters with a single blow.
Mages who could bend the elements.
Summoners who forged pacts with beasts of nightmare and legend.
They called them Awakened.
It took a hundred years of blood, war, and sacrifice, but the world was reclaimed.
The monsters that once ruled the surface were pushed back into their gates.
Humans learned to fight, to survive, to win.
Now, the world was far from peaceful. Instability Gates still appeared — but this time, humans entered first, clearing them before monsters could flood out.
This was the world of Ashes of Aeon.
Lucien shut the book in his hand with a sigh.
The title — "The Rise of the Awakened Age" — was embossed in silver lettering, now half-scratched off.
He tossed it onto the desk and rubbed his temples.
This is exactly how it started in the game. Word for word…
Except now, it wasn't a game.
He stood up and moved toward the cracked mirror in the corner of his cramped dorm room.
Pale skin, dark circles, storm-gray eyes that hadn't seen decent sleep in days.
Messy black hair that refused to stay flat.
"Damn, you're ugly," he muttered, ruffling his hair.
He wasn't used to this body. Not really.
Just yesterday, he'd gone to bed after finishing the final route in Ashes of Aeon, satisfied and smug that he'd finally 100%-cleared the game, hidden endings and all.
The protagonist had ascended into a godlike existence, forged bonds with legendary beasts, and saved the world.
Then he'd woken up… here.
In the body of Lucien Gravemont, D-rank trash from a disgraced noble house, and one of the first characters to die in the game.
A literal footnote.
And worst of all?
Yesterday he had been the laughing stock of the academy, having awakened such a trash class.
[Class: Shadow Courier (D-Rank)]
[Role: Utility / Scout]
[Abilities: Basic stealth, temporary speed boosts, minor item teleportation.]
[Designation: Civilian-tier.]
Lucien scoffed.
"Shadow Courier. I deliver packages. What's next? Do I get a discount on shipping?"
He could almost hear the game laughing at him.
Emily, his childhood friend, had awakened as an S-Rank Flame Valkyrie, her aura so bright that it scorched the air around her during the Awakening Ceremony.
And the protagonist?
Naturally, an S-rank Dragonborne Juggernaut, the class that defined the main route of the game.
Lucien was barely even cannon fodder.
He sat on the edge of his bed, letting the silence settle in.
He should be panicking. Maybe even crying. But instead…
He grinned.
"Alright," he muttered. "So I'm trash. So what? I've already played this game. I know every dungeon, every boss, every hidden quest."
He leaned back, hands behind his head.
"I don't care about the main plot. Let the MC save the world. I'll just take all his legendary loot before he even gets to it."
That's when he saw it.
A small window flickered into existence in the corner of his vision.
[System Activated]
[Status: Interference Level 1 – Side Character Alignment]
[Abilities Unlocked:]
[Plot Interference – You may now hijack plot events and rewards not meant for you.]
[Side Path Ascension – Hidden quests and characters ignored by the narrative are now visible.]
[System Notification – Would you like a tutorial?]
Lucien stared.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
The System shimmered faintly before popping up another message.
[Tutorial skipped.]
[Welcome, Host. Make your mark.]
"So, a system… this has to be the most cliché," Lucien muttered as he got off the bed.
A glowing interface that appeared out of nowhere after finding himself in the game?
Every hack web novel he'd ever read had that.
Still, he wasn't about to start complaining. If the System wanted to be cliché, fine — so long as it made him overpowered by Arc 2.
He tossed the book aside onto a mostly-empty shelf, right between a broken mana lamp and a dusty collection of monster biology notes that hadn't been touched in years.
The room was spartan — stone walls, old wooden furniture, and a single narrow window that barely let in sunlight.
And he hadn't stepped out of it since yesterday.
Since the bad news.
The Awakening Ceremony had shattered what little remained of his family's reputation.
The Gravemont name — once feared across the Southern Bastions for their shadow beast contracts — was now little more than a pity case.
Lucien's father had died during a failed instability raid over a decade ago.
His mother was… not in the picture.
His older sister, Elara, was the only real talent left in the bloodline, and she was already a second-year at Veydran Academy, one of the Five Great Academies in the world.
Naturally, most of the family's dwindling resources were being funneled to her education, training, and beast bonding fees.
As for Lucien?
Well, he was now officially D-Rank dead weight.
Not that he minded, if he made sure to use his knowledge well. He'd probably re-awaken a stronger talent sooner or later.