Chapter 1: The Ring from the Sky

A tower rose so high that its end was invisible.

It was the White Magic Tower, the domain of the continent’s strongest mage and the empire’s greatest sage.

The primary contributor to the unification of the continent and the hero who repelled the Demon King’s army was its master.

People called him the Mage of Light.

However, this was merely the appearance shown to the outside world.

“Tsk, I wasted time for no reason because that failure went on a rampage.”

The Demon King and his army were actually chimeras created by Zephyrus Kravan, the man known as the Mage of Light.

Strictly speaking, they were his failed experiments.

“Still, I found a way to gain eternal life thanks to them, so I suppose there was some harvest.”

The clue to eternal life he obtained while disposing of those failures was soul transference.

“It would be too unfair to end my life after a mere five hundred years, especially when I’ve finally obtained a clue regarding Chaos Magic. Through this great law, I shall live forever. Hehehehe.”

Zephyrus had mastered two types of magic.

There was the Light Magic that people wanted to see, and the Dark Magic, which was the actual source of his power and the one he had trained in the most.

Now, five hundred years later, he had finally obtained a clue about Chaos Magic, which integrated these two powers into one.

Realizing his own life was nearing its end, he had devoted himself to Dark Magic to seek a way to live eternally.

Dududududu!

On the top floor of the hundred-story magic tower, the blue sky was visible through the open ceiling.

A fine vortex began to form high in the sky.

At the same time, the ring in Zephyrus’s hand began to slowly float into the air.

“Now is the final stage.”

Zephyrus slowly raised his hand toward the floating ring.

“Go, Zelostan, the ring containing my everything. Go and find my new body. Hahahaha.”

Created from a mix of the divine metal Orichalcum and the demonic metal Adamantium, the ring Zelostan held all of Zephyrus’s power.

Zephyrus performed the final operation while looking at the ring.

Hwaaaaaak!

As the great law was executed, Zephyrus’s soul was instantly sucked into the ring.

The method of eternal life he found was soul theft.

The moment someone put the ring on their finger, their soul would be annihilated, and he would seize their body to start a new life.

As his soul settled into Zelostan, his white-haired physical body lost its vitality and slowly collapsed.

Thud!

Simultaneously, the ring soared high into the sky.

Swaaaaaek!

The ring flew toward the vortex at an incredible speed.

However, the moment it was caught in the swirl, an unexpected change occurred.

Pachachacha! Rugugugugung!

Normally, it should have been sucked into the vortex and then flung back out to some location on the continent.

Once anyone claimed the ring, he could steal that body and later swap it for a more desirable one.

But perhaps the light and dark powers within the ring were too strong.

As those forces combined within the vortex, Chaos power was momentarily unleashed, creating a gate that transcended dimensions.

Zephyrus had unintentionally opened a dimensional rift that no one in the history of the continent had ever achieved.

Woooooooong!

The ring was instantly sucked through the dimensional gate.

After the ring vanished into another dimension, the gate disappeared, and the sky turned calm as if nothing had ever happened.

Seoul, a construction site.

A young man in his early-to-mid twenties was taking a break after lunch.

“Ha, this is exhausting.”

He worked at the construction site from morning until evening, then washed up quickly to head straight to a night shift at a convenience store.

He tried to manage his fatigue with short naps, but this pattern repeated every day of the week, causing exhaustion to accumulate.

He rested on Sundays by sleeping all day, but even that wasn’t enough to fully recover.

“I want to rest for a full week. No, even just two days would be great. I really, desperately want to rest. Dammit.”

His life felt like a hamster wheel.

Several times a day, he thought about throwing everything away and disappearing, but those thoughts stayed inside his head.

He had a younger sister who was an elite prospect.

She had been identified with S-rank potential and entered the Awakened Academy immediately after middle school.

By her second year, she awakened as a D-rank Tanker, and by her third year, she rose to B-rank.

Considering there are three stages of growth, she was expected to reach at least A-rank or even S-rank at her final advancement.

However, as a minor and a student, she couldn’t work officially yet.

Even though she was on a scholarship, there were many additional expenses, all of which Se-hyeon was covering.

As he lay in a corner grumbling to himself, a voice called out.

“Se-hyeon! Ten minutes left. Get ready!”

Lunch break was almost over.

“Yes, sir!”

The sweet rest ended, and it was time to return to the labor.

“Tsk, if only Father were still alive.”

Se-hyeon touched the necklace around his neck with a bitter expression.

His mother had died in an accident when he was young, and his father, a late-blooming F-rank Awakened who worked as a dungeon porter, had died a few years ago in a dungeon accident that wiped out his entire party.

The necklace was something his father had happened to find in a dungeon and gave to Se-hyeon for his twentieth birthday.

That gift had become his father’s memento.

As he stood up to tidy his surroundings, another change was occurring high in the sky.

Pachachachacha.

A small hole about the width of a finger appeared, and a ring emerged from it.

It began to fall rapidly toward the ground.

Swaaaaaek!

The ring sliced through the air and struck Se-hyeon directly on the head.

Ting!

“Ouch! What the…?”

Something hit him, and Se-hyeon scratched his head while looking around.

“Eh? A ring?”

A strangely shaped ring caught his eye.

“What is this? Why did a ring fall from the sky? Ah, did someone working above drop it by mistake?”

He figured a worker on a high floor must have dropped it.

There was no other reason for a ring to fall from the sky.

“It looks pretty unique, though. Should I try it on?”

If the owner came looking for it, he could just give it back.

There was no harm in trying it on for a second.

Se-hyeon slipped the ring onto his finger.

Click!

The moment it settled on his finger…

Woooooooong!

A faint tremor and an irresistible, powerful force enveloped Se-hyeon’s body.

“Urgh! Wh-what is this!”

At that moment, a voice echoed in his mind.

-Hahaha! I’ve found a new body already? I didn’t expect to obtain a new vessel so quickly.

An unknown power surged through his entire body, and something began to encroach on his consciousness.

“Ugh! Argh!”

Se-hyeon staggered, feeling an intense headache and dizziness.

-I don’t know who you are, but consider it an honor to become one with the great Zephyrus. Whether you are a mere temporary vessel or a permanent home, having me inside you is an honor beyond anything in this world.

The soul of Zephyrus, which had been creeping into Se-hyeon’s mind, suddenly accelerated its takeover.

“Gah!”

Se-hyeon couldn’t withstand the pressure and finally lost his grip on consciousness.

The moment Se-hyeon passed out and the soul transfer was nearing completion…

Woooooooong!

Another unexpected variable occurred.

The necklace his father had given him as a birthday gift began to glow.

[The Necklace of Kartemian has identified a new enemy attacking the wearer’s mind. The seal is being released.]

[The Necklace of Kartemian is launching a counterattack to protect the wearer.]

The necklace, which he thought was just a powerless memento, was actually an artifact containing a powerful sealed force.

The attack by Zephyrus had triggered its release.

Zephyrus, who was trying to seize control of the body, was stunned by the sudden surge of power.

-What! What is this…? Gasp! This is…! Dammit! Why is the power of that cursed lizard here!

The “lizard” Zephyrus referred to was a dragon.

It was a being that even the great Zephyrus couldn’t guarantee victory against.

The Necklace of Kartemian was a defensive artifact created by the Black Dragon Kartemian.

Normally, it would have just blocked the soul from entering, but since the seal broke late, the soul had already settled in, triggering the final defensive measure: a counter-offensive.

Wooooong! Wooooong!

-N-no!

If Zephyrus had been in his prime, he wouldn’t have succumbed to a mere fragment of power.

But since his soul had arrived without the full power of the ring yet transferred, he couldn’t even handle a fragment of a dragon’s strength.

Boom! Rugoong! Boom!

Power was still flowing in through the ring, but he was far from his full strength. Zephyrus’s soul began to be crushed by Kartemian’s power.

-This can’t be! How did I get this far! My dream of eternal life, ending so pitifully…

Finally, Kartemian’s power completely suppressed the soul of Zephyrus.

Ku-kwakwakwang!

-Aaaaaargh!

With that final scream, Zephyrus’s soul vanished completely, and the power that had been flooding into Se-hyeon’s body retreated back into the ring.

[The Necklace of Kartemian has eliminated the enemy.]

[Remaining power is insufficient to maintain the artifact.]

The necklace, having spent most of its energy to destroy Zephyrus, fulfilled its duty and lost its light.

Crack!

The black gem at the center of the necklace shattered as its power faded away.

Once the soul vanished and the necklace lost its power…

Thud!

Se-hyeon’s body, which had been suspended in the air by the mysterious force, plummeted to the ground.

But the situation wasn’t over.

[Awakening is triggered by the presence of an unknown power.]

Residual traces of Zephyrus’s energy remained in Se-hyeon’s body, sparking the awakening process.

Woooooooong!

About five minutes passed.

[Awakening complete. Zelostan is now fully bound to the wearer, Jang Se-hyeon.]

The awakening was finished.

However, Se-hyeon was still unconscious.

He couldn’t hear the notifications ringing in his head, nor did he realize he had become an Awakened.

How much time had passed?

Se-hyeon, lying in a hospital bed, slowly opened his eyes as he regained consciousness.

“Urgh.”

A man in his mid-forties who was watching over him stood up quickly.

“Oh! Se-hyeon! Are you awake?”

It was the construction site foreman.

He had gone looking for Se-hyeon when he didn’t return after lunch, only to find him collapsed and rush him to the hospital.

“Ugh, my head is throbbing. Where am I?”

“Where else! The hospital! What happened? You didn’t show up, so I went looking for you and found you passed out.”

Se-hyeon slowly sat up.

“I… I’m not sure. Why did I faint?”

Because Zephyrus had briefly taken over his body, his memory was a bit muddled.

“Sigh, I’m just glad you’re okay. And you! I heard you work at a convenience store after this job? No wonder your body gave out when you push yourself like that. I’ve filed it as a workplace injury, so just rest. Even if you get discharged, don’t you dare come near the site for a while! Just rest! Got it?”

The foreman seemed to think he had collapsed from overwork due to his lack of sleep.

“Ah! What time is it? I have to go to the convenience store.”

Seeing it was dark outside, Se-hyeon panicked about his other job.

The owner was one of the few honest ones who actually cared for part-timers, and he didn’t want to get fired for a no-show.

“Convenience store, my *ss! They called earlier, so I explained the situation and told them you couldn’t make it. The manager there said they’ll handle it tonight, so just rest up and come in tomorrow.”

Fortunately, the foreman had handled it.

“I… I see. Thank you, sir.”

“Tsk, if you’re thankful, just recover and come back healthy. Don’t come back too early just to collapse again, okay? Oh, and your sister called, so I explained the situation to her. She said she’s coming here right after school, so I’ll head out now. I wanted to stay until she got here, but I’m already very late.”

Looking at the situation, it seemed the foreman had been by his side for at least five or six hours.

“Oh no. Please, go ahead. And thank you so much.”

“Yeah. I’m telling you again, don’t come near the site for at least a few days. Rest up and come back when you’re fully healed. Understand?”

“Haha, yes. I will.”

“I’m off then!”

As Se-hyeon agreed, the foreman waved and left the room.

After he was gone…

“What exactly happened? I’ve been pushing myself lately, but not enough to just faint… Ah! Right, the ring!”

Tracing back his memory, Se-hyeon finally remembered the ring.

He quickly raised his hand to check his finger.

‘It’s here! I definitely felt something after putting this on…’

As the memory returned, he tried to pull the ring off in a panic.

He realized this ring was the source of everything.

“Dammit! I must be crazy. Why did I put this on… Ugh! What? Why won’t it come off?”

He tried everything to remove it, but it wouldn’t budge.

Just then…

[The Magic Ring [Zelostan] is already fully bound to the wearer, Jang Se-hyeon. A fully bound artifact cannot be removed.]

A notification rang out in Se-hyeon’s head.

“What! What is this…?”

A notification? That was something only Awakened people could hear.

“No way…”

There was no way a normal person would hear that. There was only one conclusion.

He had awakened.

‘Status Window, open!’

Se-hyeon tried opening his status window just in case.

Name: Jang Se-hyeon Class: Chaos Mage [1/10] Titles: [Owner of Zelostan] [Fragment of Kartemian] Strength: 10 / Agility: 13 / Stamina: 12 / Magic: 80 + [1000] Health: 1200 / Mana: 800 + [10000]

Skills: Passive: Magic Combat [Max] / Multi-Casting [Max] Active: Light Magic – Boots of Wind [Max] Dark Magic – Shadow Orb [Max] Common Magic – Life Drain [Max]

Sure enough, a translucent status window appeared before his eyes.

“Whoa!”

He couldn’t hide his shock at the fact that he had actually awakened.

‘The status window… it actually opened!’

But that wasn’t the only shock.

‘Wait, something is weird. What is this +1000 on Magic? And +10,000 on Mana?’

His base Magic stat was 80, but an additional 1,000 was being applied.

Consequently, an extra 10,000 mana was added.

Usually, 1 point of Stamina gives 100 Health, and 1 point of Magic gives 10 Mana.

Unless someone is a magic-focused Awakened who heavily invested in the Magic stat, it’s rare for Mana to exceed Health by much.

In Se-hyeon’s case, his base Mana was less than half of his Health, but with the additional stats, his Mana was ten times higher than his Health.

“Is this Mana actually usable?”

He couldn’t help but wonder if these extra numbers were real, but he had no way to check immediately.

“Hmm, well, I’ll find out later.”

There was no point in worrying about it now.

He would just have to test it out later through experimentation.