The city of Luminos. A place where humans never rest, and the lights continue to glow even in the darkness of the midnight sky. It’s also known as Humanity’s last defense. Ever since the Invasion began, less and less of Humanity’s land has become habitable thanks to the Invaders crawling out of dungeons. In the Dungeon Era's darkness, Luminos was literally and figuratively, our beacon for hope…
But that was 100 years ago! Nowadays, we do not need to worry about invasions thanks to our teams of Global Hunters™! However, that doesn’t mean that we’re safe just yet! Invaders still plague our home, and hunters are low in number! So sign up for our wonderful Hunter Academy in our wonderful City Of Light! And remember, “To protect humanity is our greatest wish, and no one does it better than us!”
As soon as the video presentation concluded, the resonant school bell reverberated throughout the halls, symbolizing not only the end of the class but also the conclusion of their final day of mandatory attendance.
“Alright, everyone!” The professor began, struggling to make her voice heard amidst the multitude of students hastily gathering their belongings, far more expediently than they had ever completed their assignments. “I know this is your last day, and you’ve all officially graduated, but please, do not run in the ha–!”
As the professor's words drifted in the air, the PA system abruptly blared to life, delivering the afternoon announcements. The bustling students, however, paid no heed to the intercom, rushing out of the classroom and flooding the hallways, completely disregarding the professor's earlier warning against running.
Before long, the majority of students had gathered in the hallways, eagerly rushing to their cars, bikes, and scooters, hell there was even someone on rollerskates. Regardless, the students used various means of transportation to leave hastily, not once glancing back to their campus.
Amid all this chaos, a lone student walked off to the back parking lot which normally only teachers got to use, but thanks to the title of “CEO's Daughter”, she got to park wherever she wanted as long as she made sure not to park in a staff’s spot.
Hyun Ji-ah – She was around 180 cm, and a bit lanky, but she made up for it by wearing baggy clothing. She was born between her Korean father and Caucasian mother, though she mostly took her mother’s features. Ji-ah had only recently celebrated her 21st birthday, though it wasn’t much of a celebration since she celebrated it by herself.
Among the senior class, Ji-ah was known as Miss Goody-two-shoes. After all, she was the only one who would stay after classes, so she could ask questions, was the only one who finished homework the day of, and the only one who seemed to be able to get an A+ on even the hardest of classes. Of course, this made a lot of people resent her.
However, they couldn’t do anything to her, no matter what she did. Her father was the CEO of Energi Core, the company that’s been supplying Lumino with every watt of electricity. It didn’t help that her mother was a lawyer; her firm strongly allied with Energi Core for any legal issues that people had with them. So, they left her alone. Completely alone.
“It was fine,” they thought. “Since she had rich and crazy powerful parents, she’ll have plenty of friends, plenty of love, plenty of everything.” Oh, how wrong they were.
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To say the least, Ji-ah's parents constantly undermined her, regardless of how minor her mistakes were. Even when she did something flawlessly, all she got in return was a mere nod of recognition. Ji-ah reached a point where she couldn't bear going home anymore. She realized that no matter what she achieved, she would never be able to meet the unrealistic expectations her parents had set for her.
Her father constantly pestered her about carrying on the family business, while her mother badgered her about marrying a lawyer, never acknowledging that she wanted nothing more than to become a Hunter, to be in the middle of the battlefield, fighting in all her glory. “You need to be a perfect lady, agreeable and nice. No man wants a woman stronger than he is, so stay weak. All to keep the legacy.” They said.
Legacy… that was one word her parents constantly repeated. Legacy. Fucking legacy. It was never her choice to keep the legacy going, it was theirs. From the moment Ji-ah could see, she was trained, manipulated, gaslighted, and forced to only think about her parent’s thoughts, not her own.
Legacy…
Fuck your legacy!
Ji-ah couldn’t remember getting into her car and driving off, she could only feel rage in her very soul as she gripped her wheel tighter.
Family business?! I don’t care about shit like that!
Marrying a lawyer?! Like hell I will!
Ji-ah's foot pressed harder on the gas pedal, oblivious to the consequences as she flew past the speed limit. The surrounding cars turned into mere blurs as her anger fueled her determination behind the wheel.
You wait! I’ll tear this family down myself!
As Ji-ah gripped the wheel, her eyes fixed on the road ahead, an enormous 18-wheeler began encroaching upon the intersection, its imposing presence escaping her gaze.
You want me to be an agreeable, weak, nice daughter?
Ji-ah sped past the red light, garnering angry honks and looks, but she couldn't care less at the moment, her anger overpowering any other feeling she had.
Then I’ll become the exact opposite!
To hell with family, to hell with love! I’ll become a hunter and I'll be the greatest this world has ever seen!
"Mark. My. Words."
> [Ambition acknowledged], [Formulating status…]
ERROR–
> [Unknown variable acknowledged], [Changing data…]
> [Complete]
> [System breached]
Warning, System Shut Down imminent, Warn–
> [Activitaing System Overdrive]
> [Computing]
> [Loading...]
> [System Overdrived] – [Continuing Status Formulation]
Congratulations Hyun Ji-ah. You have met the conditions for an Awakening. Welcome to the System. Please check your status for your class. We hope you do well.
Before Ji-ah could fully understand, her car seemed to crush within itself, nearly exploding under the pressure of the 18-wheeler crashing into the side of her car. Black spots dotted her eyesight as she slowly slipped into an unconscious state, the warmth of her blood flowing down her head, and yet, a small grin on her face appeared as she stared at the words in front of her eyes, even as her vision quickly deteriorated.
“Awakened…”