Chapter 1: The 8-Ton Truck with a Broken Brake

“Brother, I want to awaken.”

That was what I heard when I returned home after finishing my business.

I didn’t answer.

Instead, I quietly stared at my wife, who was nine years younger than me and still so immature, wondering what on earth she meant by that.

“I said I want to awaken!”

Awakening.

In the past, that would have sounded like a desire to stay awake without relying on energy drinks or caffeine, but not anymore.

It was one of humanity’s blessings that arose alongside the upheavals sweeping the world.

Through awakening, humans gained special abilities that had only existed in fantasies and comics.

Of course, not just anyone could awaken.

Only a few chosen ones experienced the awakening phenomenon and gained powers called ‘Traits.’

With those powers, some seized authority, others amassed enormous wealth, and some forged their own domains.

Though the forms varied, the fact that they instantly stood at the center of the world through awakening was undeniable.

Thus began the Great Awakening Era.

People prayed.

Hoping that the blessing of awakening would come to them too.

But it was a miracle that was hard to come by.

Those who naturally awakened made up less than 0.1% of the global population.

Even if the upheaval halved the population, that still meant about three billion people.

If 0.1% of that was the count, that was three million.

One might think it was a lot.

But three million worldwide was barely a drop in the bucket.

You could see that just by looking at the number of awakened individuals domestically.

About 10,000.

Among 40 million people, 10,000 was so small that it hardly needed elaboration.

But awakening?

Can anyone just awaken because they want to?

Surprisingly, yes.

As mentioned, only a few chosen ones could naturally awaken.

But that was natural awakening.

Fifty years had passed since the upheaval began.

Enough time for the world to change five times over.

During that time, humanity achieved many advances and succeeded in creating an artificial Awakening Potion.

Of course, it wasn’t something anyone could just make.

Only alchemists above a certain level, who knew the special ingredients and formulas, could produce it.

Only four countries could manufacture the Awakening Potion domestically: the United States, China, Russia, and Japan.

Initially, they monopolized sales within their countries, but gradually, the market opened up so other countries could get the potion.

Naturally, it was expensive.

“Do you even know how much the Awakening Potion costs?” I asked my wife.

She always said foolish things, but this was beyond the pale.

“I know. It’s ten billion won.”

Ten billion.

It sounded easy to say.

But ten billion was not something an ordinary person like me could easily raise.

Well, if I tried hard, I might be able to gather it somehow.

Thanks to hard work, I managed to get my own house and store.

If I put all that up as collateral and took out a loan, ten billion?

Maybe I could get it.

But—

“And you know it might fail, right?”

Not everyone who drinks the Awakening Potion gains traits.

If it were that easy, the number of awakened worldwide wouldn’t be 0.001%.

Neighbors like Cheolsu or Younghee would have awakened too, and the era of awakened people would have truly dawned.

Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.

Only those with the special DNA called Awakening Factor—still unknown to current science—could gain traits.

So what if you don’t have the Awakening Factor?

What happens?

Nothing happens.

You just waste money.

That’s why not many people bought the Awakening Potion.

Sure, if you had endless money, it wouldn’t matter (statistics show that wealthier people have higher awakening rates for this reason), but for ordinary citizens like us, burning ten billion won on a gamble with no guarantee was unthinkable.

“I know! Do you think I’m stupid or something?”

Good.

At least she knows.

Then she must understand how ridiculous what she’s saying is.

“Look at this.”

She handed me something that looked like a document.

It was—

“I took the Awakening Aptitude Test before. And this came out. What is this?”

There was a popular program these days called the Awakening Aptitude Test.

Dr. Aldin Funnell, a British awakening researcher, had been tracking awakening factors for a long time and eventually developed the AFTT (Aldin Funnell Type Test).

Using various devices and tests he invented, it could tell whether you had awakening factors and, if you awakened, what traits you would gain.

‘That damn AFTT.’

These days, everywhere you went, all anyone talked about was AFTT.

Naturally, my young, impressionable wife was deeply fascinated by it.

“Hmph.”

I tried to hold it in, but a sigh escaped.

I didn’t even look at the results.

I wanted to avoid an argument, but it seemed I had to say something now.

“Only fools believe in those things.”

“Don’t be so quick to dismiss it.”

Her timing was impeccable.

I was already surprised, and now I was supposed to be even more surprised?

“This isn’t a simple test. I took a detailed exam at the only Awakening Center in South Korea.”

The test spreading on social media was only a casual self-assessment.

I assumed my wife had taken that simple test, but apparently, she hadn’t.

“A detailed exam…?”

“Yeah.”

“A detailed exam must be expensive, right?”

I knew it cost at least several tens of millions of won to get an official exam at the center.

But where did she get that kind of money?

“That’s not important right now. What matters is that I took the official exam, and there’s a possibility I could awaken with Supporter abilities.”

Same as always.

She tried to change the subject to avoid trouble.

But I pretended not to notice and checked the results she handed me.

[Awakening Type: Supporter]

[Expected Trait List: Attack Boost, Defense Boost, Battery, Status Ailment Removal…]

I didn’t know much else.

But one thing was clear: the word ‘Supporter’ stood out more than anything else.

“Su, Supporter?!”

“Yes. Supporter!”

Awakened individuals were divided into several roles according to their traits.

Tanker, Dealer, Supporter, Healer.

If you dug deeper, there were Breakers, Measurers, and others, but let’s stick to the basics for now.

Of these, the Supporter was undoubtedly the most spotlighted.

Depending on their traits and capabilities, a Supporter could completely change the team’s strength.

The importance of this role went without saying.

Awakened individuals were precious human resources.

The more important the role, the higher the salary and treatment.

And on top of that—

‘Attack Boost, Defense Boost, and even Battery?’

My wife’s expected trait list placed her in the top-tier category, the best traits one could have.

I swallowed dryly.

At first, I thought it was nonsense, that my immature wife was throwing another tantrum.

But no.

Maybe this was an opportunity.

After all, it wasn’t a simple test but an official one with proven probabilities.

The human heart is shallow.

Once the possibility of striking it rich appeared, I found myself hoping.

“You know, right? Awakening as a Supporter is a jackpot?”

How could I not?

Everyone in the world—even the dogs on the street—knew that.

“…What was the accuracy rate of the aptitude test again?”

I asked about AFTT’s accuracy.

“A whopping 30%!”

The official center’s detailed test had a 30% accuracy rate.

It might seem low, but thinking of it as a jackpot chance, it was quite high.

I fell silent.

My mind began racing.

‘…Maybe I can escape this miserable life.’

I had worked diligently for 35 years.

But diligence didn’t mean it wasn’t hard.

If given a chance to escape this rat race, I was ready to take it anytime.

Of course, it required a huge ten billion won.

That was a lot of money for a mere 30% gamble.

But—

‘If I awaken…’

I wouldn’t have to struggle like this anymore.

No more dealing with difficult customers or worrying about daily expenses and loans.

‘Still, ten billion is…’

My reason said no.

But my instincts kept flashing the word Supporter from the results in my head.

“…Alright.”

If I could turn my life around with 30% odds—

“Let’s just try it!”

It wouldn’t be bad to try.

Failure?

I kept it in mind.

But like before, if I worked hard and cooperated with my wife, we could pay off the ten billion won debt soon.

That was what I believed.

***

Dawn.

Light faintly drove away the darkness.

Step.

A man walked down the street with a weary gait.

His worn-out clothes reeked of stench, and his eyes were half-lidded and unfocused.

He looked like a vagrant.

Just a year ago, Kim Si-won had a profitable store and a beautiful wife.

But in just one year, he had fallen apart miserably.

Was it because his wife’s awakening potion for ten billion won had failed?

No.

The gamble succeeded.

His wife, Ha Yeon Lee, had awakened through the potion bought on borrowed money.

As a Supporter, with verified top-tier traits.

Supporters were the core strength needed for scaling the top ranks.

News of her awakening spread quickly, and famous, powerful guilds in South Korea came bearing bundles of cash.

In the end, she signed a contract with the Shinhwa Guild, offering a 10 billion won deposit, reigniting the great awakening fever throughout South Korea.

But why?

If his wife had hit the jackpot, why was he wandering the streets in such a pitiful state?

‘…It’s over.’

He thought happiness would start with her awakening.

But it wasn’t happiness.

It was the beginning of an endless fall into misery.

With awakening, Ha Yeon’s behavior changed.

She became irritable and often didn’t come home.

At first, he thought it was due to the sudden lifestyle change.

The work of an awakener was dangerous and involved risking one’s life in exchange for great wealth.

So he tried to understand.

At first, he could tolerate it.

But things became unbearable the day my own AFTT results came out.

When I realized I had no awakening factors, I will never forget Ha Yeon’s gaze.

It was a look of contempt, as if she were staring at a bug.

From then on, our relationship quickly deteriorated.

Deteriorated?

It was more like becoming strangers.

“Ha Yeon Lee, South Korea’s pride, listed in Forbes’ 100 Most Influential Supporters.”

“From rags to riches! Ha Yeon Lee’s tearful story of success against all odds.”

Ha Yeon’s fame grew.

As if the more she severed ties with me, the brighter her light shone.

I had to accept that reality.

The immature wife who once worked part-time in our store was gone.

Only Ha Yeon Lee remained—the awakened Supporter representing the Shinhwa Guild, watched by the world.

Marriage requires understanding each other’s differences.

But there is a limit to how much gap can be bridged.

Between her and me, there was an unbridgeable gulf.

So I was ready to end it with a mutual divorce if she asked.

But the immature girl I thought she was turned out to be bold, ruthless, and cruel.

“Abrupt press conference of awakened Ha Yeon Lee.”

“A hard-to-hear story: accusations of husband’s infidelity and domestic violence.”

“The ugly crime of exploiting one’s wife for money exposed to the world!”

Even though society had become more open, divorce still dealt a huge blow to a woman’s image.

Especially since Ha Yeon had gained fame recently, and the divorce was entirely her responsibility.

She didn’t want to bear that burden.

With a sudden press conference, I became a shameless man who used his young wife for money.

Couldn’t I just deny it?

It was useless.

Evidence and recordings I didn’t know about surfaced.

They were proofs I never said but were attributed to me.

At that moment, I realized that for someone backed by the powerful Shinhwa Guild, fabricating false evidence was easier than eating porridge.

But that wasn’t all I had to endure.

She received a contract worth 10 billion won.

And she said she paid off the debts taken out on the house and store.

But that was a lie.

One day, loan sharks stormed into the house.

She had not paid the debts.

Why not?

Because they had kept quiet due to her name—Ha Yeon Lee.

But Ha Yeon was gone.

When the loan sharks found out about the press conference, they came to collect overdue interest with violence.

She left.

Friends and acquaintances, disappointed by the public lies, left me too.

What remained were tens of billions in debt and loan sharks who turned every day into hell.

I had to close the store.

I sold the house to pay debts.

But I couldn’t handle the ever-increasing interest.

I had fallen into an endless abyss, and this was my state now.

But on the other hand—

“Amazing news to start the new year! After overcoming past pain, Ha Yeon Lee has begun a new romance. Her partner is none other than Chulwoo Shin, the Shinhwa Guild leader and one of the world’s top awakened individuals!”

The towering building.

The New Year’s special news was flashing on the billboard.

The pink romance was between my ex-wife Ha Yeon Lee and Chulwoo Shin, the Shinhwa Guild leader and one of the world’s top awakeners.

Disgust overwhelmed me.

But—

‘So what? What can you do about it?’

All I could do was feel disgusted.

She shone like the sun, and I sank deeper into darkness.

That was where she and I stood now.

Step.

I walked aimlessly.

Without hope or dreams.

Holding onto a single hope that maybe, just maybe, something awaited at the end of this path.

But the reality I faced was—

“Braaang”

Despite the green light, an 8-ton truck rushed recklessly toward me.

“Flash!”

The blinding headlights made me shut my eyes instinctively.

‘Yeah. Maybe this is easier.’

I sensed death.

But my mind was calmer than ever.

Because this meant I no longer had to live this miserable life.

Yet—

For some reason, I didn’t feel the impact.

Even if hit by an 8-ton truck, you wouldn’t instantly lose your life without pain.

I slowly opened my eyes.

And what I saw was—

“Ghahh!”

“Ugh!”

Amidst screams, shouts, and the stench of blood, I was in the middle of a battlefield.