The calculus lecture was a fog. Hae Seong tapped the dull pencil against his notebook, not out of boredom, but out of a deep-seated dread of the future. He was eighteen, a senior with mediocre grades, and his one passion—the hyper-realistic VR game Ascension Protocol—was definitely not a marketable skill.
A sudden, sharp headache lanced behind his eyes. He squeezed them shut, assuming it was the caffeine crash from his third energy drink. The pain wasn't dull, though; it was crystalline, like shards of glass reforming inside his skull.
When he opened his eyes, the world was overlaid with something that shouldn't be there.
Floating four inches in front of Professor Kim's stern, lecturing face was a translucent, icy-blue window. It was perfectly centered, framed with faint gold filigree, and pulsing with low, synthesized light.
A thousand alarms went off simultaneously in Hae Seong's brain, drowning out the professor and the rising panic of the students around him.
The notification bar read: [ASCENSION PROTOCOL] – System Initiation Complete.
His heart hammered against his ribs. No way. No way is this actually happening.
He looked away, blinking rapidly, but the screen followed his gaze. All around him, students were starting to shriek, pointing at the same phantom windows hovering over their desks. Chairs scraped backward. One girl near the window began sobbing uncontrollably.
"QUIET!" Hae Seong's voice cracked, but the sheer unexpected volume stunned the class into silence.
He stood up, his hand pressed against his desk. He looked at the chaos, then back at the floating window, and a cold, focused calm settled over him.
"Don't panic," he said, forcing his voice to be steady. "Stay in your seats. I know what this is."
The entire class stared at him, their terror giving way to confusion. Professor Kim, whose face was now completely obscured by his own blue screen, managed to choke out, "Hae Seong, what in the name of—?"
Hae Seong ignored him, already reading the fine print in the bottom corner of his own screen.
"In precisely sixty seconds," he announced to the class, "a second pop-up will appear. It's a global warning. It will tell you the exact location and time of the first Dungeon Gate opening."
He glanced at his own Level 1 stats and smiled—a terrifying, confident, unhinged smile.
"This isn't a drill, and it isn't a glitch. The game is real, and I know how to play."
The sixty seconds felt like an eternity compressed into a ticking clock. Hae Seong stood rigid, ignoring the professor's sputtering protests. He was gambling everything—his credibility, his safety, and potentially the lives of his classmates—on a video game memory.
At the zero mark, a larger, blood-red notification window flashes globally, accompanied by a low, earth-shaking rumble.
[GLOBAL ALERT: FIRST GATE OPENING IMMINENT] Gate Location: Seoul High School. Difficulty Grade: E- (Tutorial) Time to Opening: 1 Hour.
The sheer presence of the red alert silences any remaining doubt. Professor Kim and the students immediately turn to Hae Seong, their terror now mixed with dawning reverence. He was right.
Hae Seong uses his advantage to calmly explain the grading system which goes from E-D-C-B-A-S, emphasizing that E-(Tutorial) is the lowest possible grade.and tells everyone that the boss monster of the gate will always be one grade higher than the dungeon so if the dungeon's grade is E- than the boss monster's grade will be E.
He issues his first command: "Everyone remains inside the school." He reasons that the school's structure offers protection, and the government/military response will take time.
As Hae Seong gives his orders, another system window appears: [CLASS SELECTION: TUTORIAL ARMORY AVAILABLE]. This confirms his next prediction.
Hae Seong quickly scans the selection (Swords, Bows, Shields, etc.). He stresses the importance of choosing a DEFENSIVE item or one they are comfortable holding, not for fighting.
Hae Seong: "I need you to pick a shield, or maybe a dagger you can use as a tool. I will handle the fighting. Your job is to stay safe and follow my exact instructions."
A few students protest, perhaps mentioning that he's just a skinny high school kid. Before the doubt can spread, the Gate opens—a pulsating, violet rift appearing in the field outside the school.
A single, weak Goblin Scout stumbles out of the Gate. It's hideous, clumsy, but undeniably real.
Before anyone can react, Hae Seong uses his knowledge. He doesn't rely on raw power, but on a known weakness or a precise initial skill. He uses his chosen starting weapon (perhaps a simple, balanced training sword) and kills the Goblin swiftly and efficiently with a single, practiced movement.
[VICTORY! EXP GAINED] [HAE SEONG HAS LEVELED UP! Level 2]
The level-up notification and the dead monster silence the class completely. Hae Seong is no longer a crazy student; he is the only one with the power to save them.
As Hae Seong prepares to leave the classroom to scout the dungeon (or secure the school perimeter), Chae-won, his closest friend, intercepts him. Her fear is personal, not just general terror.
Chae-won: "Hae Seong, you killed that thing. That was real. Please, you can't go out there. You are not a warrior. You are going to die."
Hae Seong has to balance his newfound role as the 'Player' with his emotional connection to his friend.
Hae Seong (Calmly): "I have to. But you won't lose track of me. Open your System menu now. Send me a Friend Request. It'll pop up for everyone. Accept it. Now, find the 'Drone View' or 'Spectate' function in the group menu. I know the game has it. I'll activate it on my end."
He assures her and the class that a small, flying camera drone (an automatic 'feature' of the tutorial) will follow him, allowing them to spectate his progress safely from inside. He tells the class to watch the feed and learn the mechanics.
Immediately after the swift execution of the Goblin Scout, a vibrant cascade of blue and gold notifications erupted across the class's view, overlaying the gruesome scene of the dead monster. This time, the messages weren't just for Hae Seong; they were global, flashing across the systems of every person watching.
The triumphant notifications confirmed what everyone had just witnessed, granting Hae Seong legendary status before the tutorial even officially began.
[FIRST BLOOD BONUS ACTIVATED] [FIRST GLOBAL LEVEL UP ACHIEVED]
The system rewarded his decisive action generously. A menu opened before Hae Seong, displaying his bonus rewards. He was granted +5 Bonus Stat Points, which he allocated instantly, focusing on Intelligence and Agility—not for brute force, but for quick thinking and speed, reinforcing his 'Player' strategy.
Simultaneously, a small, polished wooden crate materialized at his feet. It was the Unique Item Crate, a reward only the "First" player would ever receive. Inside, he found a gleaming book and a title scroll.
He quickly consumed the Skill Book, which instantly granted him the unique non-combat skill: [Map Sense]. This was the edge he needed. Now, the chaotic, confusing layout of any dungeon would instantly resolve into a tactical overlay in his mind.
With the skill acquired and his new stats set, Hae Seong addressed the drone camera one last time, projecting confidence for the anxious students watching.
"I have the map," he stated simply, tapping his temple. "Stay where you are. Use the time to check your own skills and prepare for when the Gate closes."
He stepped over the carcass of the Goblin and walked through the shimmering, purple veil of the Gate.
Inside, the air was cold and damp, smelling of ozone and mildew. The walls were rough-hewn stone, forming a simple, claustrophobic corridor. Almost instantly, a clean, green wireframe map appeared in the corner of his vision, tracing the dungeon layout precisely. He could see two paths: a main, obvious path straight ahead, and a hidden path branching off to the left, obscured by a loose pile of rubble.
Hae Seong uses his knowledge immediately, clears the rubble, and finds a Secret Room containing the key to his next major skill or a powerful 'tutorial weapon' that makes the rest of the dungeon easier.
Hae Seong stood in the cold, damp corridor of the E-grade dungeon. To the class watching on the drone feed, the path ahead looked like a simple, winding stone tunnel. But in the corner of his eye, the glowing green lines of his [Map Sense] skill showed the reality: the main path was clear, but just a few meters ahead, a faint, unmarked passage branched off to the left, currently obscured by a spill of loose masonry and debris.
He ignored the obvious route and moved toward the pile of rubble. The class watching on the feed would likely be confused. He quickly Appraised the debris (a skill he gained from the [First Blood] bonus), confirming it was just mundane stone—no magical traps, just a simple physical barrier.
He put his shoulder against the heaviest boulder and shoved. Thanks to the minimal strength boost he received from his Level 2 and bonus points, the stone scraped aside with manageable effort, revealing a dark, low-ceilinged tunnel—the Hidden Path.
The tunnel was short, opening into a small, dust-choked chamber. In the center, sitting on a worn stone pedestal, was a single, brightly glowing chest—clearly a reward mechanism from the game, untouched by any other player.
Hae Seong felt a surge of adrenaline. This was the exact kind of high-value, low-risk reward he used to farm in Ascension Protocol. He quickly opened the chest. Inside, there was no flashy gold, but a single, dull iron sword and a small, leather-bound book.
The sword was the [Starter Rune-Sword of the Vanguard]—a basic item in the game, but a truly powerful weapon for a Level 2 beginner.