A young man with black eyes sat on a bus stop bench. He held a burger in his hand. It was a cheap burger sold by a roadside vendor, not the kind of luxurious meal served in restaurants.
But compared to what he usually ate, tonight Kayen decided to treat himself. After all, today he had finally gotten a job.
Sauce dripped from the lettuce in the burger and fell onto Kayen's hand. Seeing this, he licked it off. Instantly, he tasted the rich flavor of the sauce.
As he did, his stomach rumbled loudly, as if signaling that there was no need to waste any more time.
Kayen lifted the burger and took his first bite. Tears immediately streamed down his face.
"Delicious… It's so delicious," Kayen said as he wiped away his tears.
The journey Kayen had taken to reach this point had been exhausting. Since his parents passed away, there had been no source of income, forcing him to leave the apartment he once lived in.
He had been sent to an orphanage, but the caretakers treated children with plain or unattractive appearances very poorly. Because Kayen looked ordinary, he was treated unfairly compared to the more attractive children. One day, unable to endure it any longer, Kayen decided to leave the orphanage.
After leaving, his situation did not improve—it became even worse. With no one to rely on, Kayen became homeless, surviving on food from trash bins. He even had to compete with other homeless people for a place to sleep.
Fortunately, while he was still homeless, Kayen found a wallet filled with a considerable amount of money. Although he felt guilty, he still took it.
With that money, Kayen managed to rent an apartment for two months and buy some secondhand clothes to apply for jobs.
Finally, after searching for work for a month, Kayen was hired as an employee at a convenience store, even though it was quite far from his apartment.
After finishing his burger, Kayen gathered the trash and threw it toward the bin. However, it missed slightly because of the night wind.
"Damn."
Kayen walked over to where the trash had fallen and picked it up. Without hesitation, he threw it away properly.
After that, Kayen returned to the bench and waited for the bus. He did not own a phone, so he simply sat quietly.
After several minutes, he finally saw the bus approaching in the distance. With relief in his voice, Kayen said,
"Finally."
The bus stopped in front of him and opened its doors. Kayen stepped inside and handed over his ticket. Before choosing a seat, he approached the bus driver and said,
"Please wake me up when we reach the eleventh stop," Kayen said as he pull out a money.
The driver nodded in agreement. Kayen gave him the money and went to find a seat.
He chose a seat at the very front, near the window. He leaned back against the seat, sinking into its comfort.
'The trip will take about thirty minutes. I'll rest for a while.'
With that thought, Kayen closed his eyes. It did not take long before he fell into a deep sleep. As he drifted into darkness, he felt a sense of emptiness—but it did not last long.
From within the darkness, a voice that felt familiar yet impossible to remember spoke.
["Congratulations, you have been selected to undergo the First Descent."]
["It will begin in one hour, prepare yourself."]
After the voice finished speaking, a light began to shine through the darkness. Kayen instinctively woke up and shielded his eyes.
"Ughh, So bright."
After saying that, the light suddenly disappeared. then, a familiar voice spoke.
"Sorry, kid. I tried to wake you earlier, but you wouldn't budge."
Hearing this, Kayen opened his eyes. In front of him stood a fat man wearing a hat.
Kayen noticed the man's round belly, which was very close to his face. Ignoring it, he stood up.
"Thanks for waking me."
"Yeah, no problem."
After saying that, Kayen stepped off the bus. Outside, the cold night wind fully awakened him.
"It's so cold."
He began walking toward his apartment, which was not far from there. As he walked, he tried to remember what he had heard in his sleep.
["Congratulations, you have been selected to undergo the First Descent."]
["It will begin in one hour, prepare yourself."]
''''
Fifteen years ago, the world was still recovering from a great war that had nearly destroyed it.
At that time, governments around the world received reports of large numbers of people mysteriously disappearing.
At first, they ignored it, assuming it was a series of kidnappings that the police could handle. However, within just one day, the number of missing people rose from dozens to thousands.
Realizing the severity of the situation, governments ordered their national militaries to intervene. They believed it was a terrorist attack—but they were terribly wrong.
The missing people were facing a trial called Descent, where they would be confronted by monsters.
Even then, many still believed it was terrorism. They were quickly proven wrong. One day, at the location of one of the missing individuals, a portal suddenly opened—and monsters emerged from within.
The portal appeared because the person undergoing the trial had been killed, triggering its formation.
The unprepared military was powerless. No matter how much they fired, the monsters were completely unaffected by bullets.
In just a single day, the world nearly faced total destruction. But before that could happen, the Awakened—those who had successfully completed the Descent—returned and assisted the military.
With their superhuman powers called Essence, they were capable of feats beyond human comprehension.
With their help, humanity managed to stop the rampage of the Essence Beasts. However, it did not come without cost—four continents were lost to humanity.
Those continents became territories of the remaining monsters, waiting for another chance to strike.
Of course, humanity did not accept this. They continuously attempted to reclaim the lost continents, but until now, all efforts had failed.
Governments ordered schools to teach students combat skills and survival techniques, hoping the next generation could help reclaim the lost lands.
Kayen himself had dropped out of school at the age of eight, so his knowledge of combat and survival was minimal. If he truly had been selected, his death would almost be guaranteed. After all, only twenty percent of those who underwent the Descent survived.
''''
Kayen believed that hearing the voice about being selected was likely just a dream. After all, to be chosen for the Descent, one had to be either incredibly lucky—or incredibly unlucky.
And Kayen considered his luck to be fairly average. While it wasn't impossible, he decided it was better not to dwell on it. Even if he had been chosen, what could he possibly do? He had no one to inform about such news.
"I'd better not think too much about it. I need to sleep early for work tomorrow."
Kayen finally arrived at the door of his apartment. He took the key from his pocket and unlocked it.
Entering, he immediately turned on the lights and locked the door behind him.
He took off his shirt and pants. He had been wearing them since morning, so they smelled quite unpleasant. Still, it was nothing compared to when he had been homeless, so he did not mind much.
Kayen would have been fine wearing them again tomorrow without washing them. But now he was no longer homeless—he was part of the lower class of society, and he had to act accordingly.
He tossed his clothes into the laundry basket. Then he changed into his sleepwear and jumped straight onto the bed.
He lay down comfortably, placing a pillow beneath his head and another under his legs. He left the lights on; he preferred being too warm over feeling cold.
Closing his eyes, Kayen quickly fell asleep. After all, he had spent the entire day searching for work and had only returned home late at night.
After some time, the same voice that had spoken earlier during his sleep echoed once more.
["The First Descent begins now."]
In an instant, Kayen—who had been sleeping peacefully in his bed—vanished. Nothing was left behind except the wrinkles on the bedsheets where he had lain.