Wind howled against the metal walls of the Awakening Dome, drowning out the faint murmurs of curious spectators. In the center of the vast, circular arena stood a single young man.
White hair, slightly messy.Red eyes, calm but distant.And two soft rabbit ears, twitching on top of his head.
He looked like a painting come to life, a sculpted masterpiece dressed in nothing but a plain tank top and pants, both issued by the Awakening Bureau. His skin glowed faintly under the lights—fit, flawless, alluring.
And yet, people laughed.
"Is that… a bunny boy?""Ahaha! What kind of awakening is that?""His beast is a rabbit? Seriously? That's the lowest of the low."
Jin Hwan said nothing. He didn't scowl or glare back. He just stood there, staring at the screen in front of him as his system activated.
For every hunter, a system manifested—a reflection of their potential. Most appeared in a familiar blue hue, shaped like part of their body. For some, it was a floating orb above the hand. For others, a shimmering tattoo over the chest.
But not for Jin Hwan.
In front of him, glowing gold and humming softly, was an interface unlike any other.
[ SYSTEM AWAKENED — INITIALIZING… ]
Welcome, User: Jin Hwan
Rank: F (Confirmed)
Beast Power: RabbitSystem
Type: GOLDEN INTERFACE — ACCESS GRANTED
The letters pulsed in the air, each golden symbol neatly arranged in an elegant UI only he could see.
Jin Hwan blinked.
"…Golden?" he whispered.
It looked nothing like the blue ones he'd seen before. His interface felt alive, like it was observing him just as much as he was reading it.
Suddenly, more panels appeared.
[STATUS PANEL]
Name: Jin Hwan
Race: Human (Enhanced)
Rank: F
Beast Trait: Rabbit
Level: 1
HP: 100
MP: 50
Agility: 11
Strength: 6
Intelligence: 10
Vitality: 8
Charm: ???
[SKILLS PANEL]
Rabbit Ears (Passive)You hear slightly better than normal. Great for party gossip. Useless in battle.
Hop (Active) – Level 1Jump forward. That's it. It's just a jump.
Jin Hwan sighed.
Even the interface seemed to be mocking him.
"F-rank... rabbit... nothing but ears and hops," he muttered.
He could still hear laughter echoing from above. In the viewing platforms stood other awakeners, examiners, and even scouts from local guilds. They were already looking past him, turning their attention to the next candidate.
It wasn't supposed to be like this.
Jin Hwan had imagined this day a thousand times while living under the circus tent, cleaning up after elephants and performing cheap tricks for pocket change. He had dreamed of awakening something powerful—something that would change everything.
And yet here he was.
No fire.No lightning.Just ears.
Then—something happened.
The golden interface pulsed.
[SPECIAL NOTICE]
Golden Interface Acknowledges the Host's Potential.
The System will evolve in secret.Remain underestimated. Remain unseen.Your power will grow in silence.
New Passive Skill Acquired: Quiet Growth (Hidden)
Jin Hwan's eyes widened.
Before he could even react, the entire system blinked out of view.
His heart raced, and a single thought crossed his mind:
"…Was that real?"
"Next candidate!" the examiner barked. "Move along, bunny boy."
Jin Hwan turned his head slowly, the rabbit ears drooping just a bit.
Then he smiled—subtle, quiet, and genuine.
He didn't know what this golden system was.He didn't know what "Quiet Growth" meant.But he finally had a secret.
One the world would never see coming.