The Eclipsed Order

Chapter 139: Chapter 139: The World Changed Twelve Years Ago

"So, what was it that you wanted to ask me?"

Ji-won looked at me curiously as we walked farther away from the busier streets.

"The truth is..." I glanced at him for a moment. "I’m curious about your clothes. Why are you dressed like that?"

Ji-won looked down at himself.

"Ah... you mean this?"

"Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not asking why your clothes look cheap. I mean the whole outfit. The leather armor, the boots, the weapon... You look like someone preparing to go hunting."

"Oh."

He finally understood what I meant.

"You mean why I’m dressed like an adventurer?"

"Something like that."

Ji-won gave me a strange look.

"But why are you asking me that? Don’t you know about Awakeners?"

"Awakeners?"

I stopped for a moment.

"What’s that?"

Ji-won’s expression froze.

For several seconds, he simply stared at me.

Then his eyebrows slowly rose.

"Seriously?"

"Are you perhaps suffering from some kind of memory loss? Or you’ve been in coma for 12 years?"

"No."

I looked at him seriously.

"I’m genuinely asking."

Ji-won stared at me for another moment before sighing.

"Alright, then."

We continued walking while he began explaining.

"About twelve years ago, something happened that completely changed the world."

His expression became more serious.

"Gate."

I listened quietly.

"Suddenly, strange entrances began appearing in different parts of the world. They looked like enormous openings floating in the air, and nobody knew where they came from or why they appeared. At first, people thought they were some kind of natural phenomenon, but that idea didn’t last long."

"What happened?"

"The first Gates led to places filled with monsters."

Ji-won pointed toward the road ahead as he continued.

"Creatures came out of them, and ordinary weapons were almost useless against some of those monsters. Governments around the world tried to deal with the situation using their existing military forces, but things quickly became much worse than anyone expected."

He paused briefly.

"Then people started awakening."

"Awakening?"

"Yes. Some humans suddenly developed abilities that ordinary people didn’t possess. Some became physically stronger, some gained magical abilities, and others developed completely different powers."

Ji-won looked at me.

"Those people became known as Awakeners."

"So that’s what you are."

"Exactly."

He gave a small nod.

"After that, the governments established organizations to register and manage Awakeners, while special teams were formed to enter the Gates and deal with the monsters inside."

He adjusted the strap of the battered leather pouch hanging from his waist.

"The monsters inside Gates can’t simply be ignored. If they’re left alone for too long, the Gate can become unstable."

"What happens then?"

Ji-won’s expression became noticeably more serious.

"That’s called a Dungeon Collapse."

He looked ahead.

"When a Gate collapses, the monsters inside aren’t contained anymore. They can break into our world and attack anything nearby. That’s why Awakeners are sent into Gates before that happens."

"So you enter those places and eliminate the monsters."

"That’s basically it."

He gave a slightly awkward laugh.

"Of course, it’s not as simple as it sounds. The stronger the Gate, the stronger the monsters inside, and some Gates are dangerous enough that even experienced Awakeners can die."

I remained silent, listening carefully.

"So Awakeners aren’t just hunters."

"Not exactly."

Ji-won shook his head.

"We hunt monsters, but we’re also responsible for protecting people. If a Gate appears near a city, the government sends Awakeners to secure the area. If monsters escape, we have to stop them before they reach civilians. And if a Gate is close to collapsing, we have to enter it and clear it before the situation becomes a disaster."

He glanced at his own clothes.

"That’s why most Awakeners who actually enter Gates wear equipment like this. It’s not exactly fashionable, but it’s practical."

"I see."

So that’s what happened.

Twelve years ago, Gates appeared and changed the world.

That explained the strange flow of mana I’d noticed since arriving here.

This was certainly Earth.

At least, it was Earth as far as geography and the people were concerned.

But something had happened twelve years ago that had completely changed the course of history.

No wonder the mana felt strange when I arrived.

The world I knew never had anything like Gates or Awakeners.

I looked toward the road ahead.

Sigh... I’ll find out exactly what happened soon enough.

For now, there was no reason to rush.

I had already sent a letter to the academy, so there was no immediate problem there either. If I was going to remain in this world for the time being, I should probably bring Draven, Cedric, and Astra here as well.

Leaving them behind wasn’t exactly ideal.

Especially Draven.

I should probably bring them before he decides to cause trouble.

Ji-won finally finished explaining.

"I hope that answers your questions, Tae-ho."

"Yeah. I think I understand now."

I looked at him for a moment.

"So you’re an Awakener, but why are you in that state?"

Ji-won’s expression changed slightly.

"That’s..."

I noticed his hesitation.

"Ah, sorry."

I immediately added, "You don’t have to answer if it’s personal."

"No, it’s fine."

Ji-won gave a faint smile.

"The reason I’m like this is pretty simple. I get injured during hunts quite often."

He lowered his gaze toward the bandage around his arm.

"I’m only an E-rank Awakener, so I can’t take on particularly difficult Gates, but even the weaker ones can be dangerous if something goes wrong."

He paused.

"And I don’t exactly have the money to replace equipment whenever it gets damaged or buy expensive healing items every time I get hurt."

His expression became slightly embarrassed.

"My family isn’t exactly well-off, either."

He lowered his head.

"I’m the only one earning money right now, and my father is sick."

I remained silent.

"So whenever I get injured, I usually just treat it myself and continue working."

He gave a small laugh.

"A normal healing potion is already expensive enough. I’d rather spend that money on food and medicine for my father than waste it on injuries that will eventually heal on their own."

I looked at him for several seconds.

He didn’t seem to be exaggerating.

The bandages, worn equipment, and exhausted appearance all made sense now.

Without saying anything else, I raised my hand toward him.

"Wait, what are you—"

"Heal."

A soft light spread from my palm.

The wounds beneath Ji-won’s bandages began closing.

The bruises faded.

The scratches disappeared.

Even the deeper injuries that had clearly been bothering him vanished within moments, leaving his skin completely intact.

Ji-won stared at his arm.

Then he touched his cheek.

His eyes widened.

"H-Healing magic?"

He looked at me.

"Tae-ho, are you perhaps an Awakener too?"

"I guess."

Ji-won stared at me in disbelief.

"You’re an Awakener too, and you can use healing magic?"

He suddenly became much more curious.

"What rank are you? Do you belong to a guild?"

"Rank?"

"Yes."

Ji-won reached into his clothing and pulled out a small card.

He held it out for me to see.

It was an official-looking identification card.

At the top were the words:

REPUBLIC OF KOREA — AWAKENER ASSOCIATION

Name: Han Ji-won

Rank: E

Class: Warrior

Ability: Combat

Mana Capacity: E

Physical Enhancement: E

"This is an Awakener registration card."

Ji-won pointed toward it.

"Everyone who awakens is supposed to visit an Awakener Assessment Center. They test your mana capacity, physical ability, and unique characteristics before assigning you a rank and class."

"And the rank determines how strong someone is?"

"More or less."

He nodded.

"Awakeners are generally classified from E-rank upward, although there are higher ranks for people with exceptional abilities. Your assessment determines where you belong, and your class depends on the type of abilities you’ve awakened."

He put the card away.

"Once you’re registered, you can legally enter Gates and take on monster-hunting jobs."

"Is that so?"

I thought about it for a moment.

"The truth is, I don’t have a card."

Ji-won’s eyes widened.

"You don’t?"

"No."

"Then does that mean you haven’t been assessed yet?"

"Yeah."

Ji-won seemed surprised by that, but his expression quickly turned into one of understanding.

"That makes sense, actually. If you really don’t know what an Awakener is, then I suppose you’ve never been assessed."

He smiled.

"The Awakener Assessment Center isn’t far from here, and the assessment itself is free. You should probably go there when you have the chance."

"I’ll consider it."

"Honestly, with that healing ability of yours, I’m sure one of the six major guilds would be interested in you."

"Guilds?"

"Yeah."

Ji-won nodded.

"There are six major guilds in Korea. They’re basically the biggest organizations managing professional Awakeners, and they’re always looking for talented people."

I shook my head.

"Ah, no. I don’t really like working with other people."

Ji-won stared at me.

"...Really?"

"Yes."

He looked genuinely surprised.

"That’s unfortunate."

He scratched the back of his head.

"But you don’t necessarily need to join a guild. There are plenty of Awakeners who operate independently. You can still enter Gates, take jobs, and form temporary parties with other Awakeners whenever you need them."

He gave a small laugh.

"Although, for someone like me, there’s no chance of being recruited by one of the major guilds. As you can see I’m only an E-rank."

He smiled awkwardly.

"So I’ll probably just keep taking whatever jobs I can get."

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