The next morning, there was the sound of birds, and the sunlight shone brighter, and in the same way it shone on the curtains of Ji-Hans' directly to his eyes. He woke up and went out jogging. The entire city was lively as always. During his exercise, the screens in each building lit up, a unified broadcast from the Korean Awakeners Association.
[OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT]
"All awakened individuals are to report for re-evaluation."
"A national training program will commence immediately."
"Participants will be selected for an international competition."
Ji-Han stood still, staring at the massive digital billboard.
"…what?"
His brows furrowed.
"This… wasn't how it happened before."
In his past life, there was no national training, no immediate re-evaluation and no large scale preparation this soon.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"…did it change?"
A thought crossed his mind.
"Was this because I stopped the outbreak?"
Ji-Han exhaled slowly.
"…so the future really can change."
Hours later.
The association's ground was packed. And awakeners from all ranks (D, C, B, and A-rank) gathered. Some were nervous, excited, and confident. A large evaluation platform stood at the center, and screens hovered above, ready to display results.
Ji-Han walked in quietly, blending into the crowd. But this time, his eyes moved searching and observing. And then he saw them, not people from his past interactions, but the people he knew of. Those who rose to the top.
And at a distance, a group stood apart from the rest, and their presence alone drew attention; they weren't ordinary recruits. But they were already taken by top guilds, his past close life friends.
Han Seo-jun, Kang Ji-wo, Park Min-jae, Lee Hyun-woo, and Yoon Se-ah.
Han Seo-jun – now part of Black Blade Guild
Kang Ji-won – recruited into Inferno Dominion Guild
Park Min-jae – member of Titanfall Guild
Yoon Se-ah – part of Obsidian Veil Guild
Lee Hyun-woo – taken by Aether Core Guild
They stood apart, different, and even now they felt dangerous.
Ji-Han watched them quietly.
"…so they were already picked up this early…"
It confirmed it.
The timeline had shifted.
As he continued walking, another group caught his attention. Kwon-Hyuk-jin's group. They had also come for re-evaluation. Their eyes moved across the crowd, then they saw him, Ji-Han.
For a brief moment, their expressions changed, recognition and tension. Ji-Han moved, though their eyes lock each other. He couldn't remember them.
Kwon Hyuk-jin frowned.
"…was that him?"
Jung Tae-kyun hesitated.
"…looked like him…"
Oh Min-jae clicked his tongue.
"…he's ignoring us?"
But before they could move, another presence approached, the Silver Fang guild, led by Lee Dong-min. His sharp eyes scanned the area, then locked onto Ji-Han.
"…there he is."
The members behind him smirked.
"Still acting arrogant?""Rejecting us like that…"
They began moving toward him. Ji-Han noticed. Of course, he did, but didn't react to them; he continued walking slowly with a calm expression.
"…not now," he thought.
"…I don't have time for this."
Lee Dong-min stopped mid-step.
His brows furrowed.
"…he's ignoring us?"
One of his members scoffed.
"Who does he think he is?"
But Ji-Han had already blended into the crowd, gone from their immediate reach. But unknown to him, he was beside Se-ah.
At the center stage, the evaluation process began. There was noise, tension, and excitement among them. Ji-Han stood quietly among them, unfazed, because he wasn't that weak person anymore.
The re-evaluation began. Names were called one after another. Energy surged across the platform, and results flashed across the massive screen. The atmosphere was tense.
Ji-Han stood quietly among the crowd, waiting for his turn.
His eyes moved slowly, observing, calculating, thinking ahead.
"…different groups… different pacing…" he muttered inwardly.
Everything was changing faster than before. Then Ji-Han turned his head unconsciously and froze. His eyes widened instantly, as if he had seen a ghost.
"…!"
Standing beside him was Yoon Se-ah. For a brief moment, his mind went blank. Memories overlapped—the battlefield, the demon king.
"…why is she!"
He caught himself. This wasn't that time. This was before all of it.
But his reaction was too obvious. Se-ah turned her slowly, her sharp, calm eyes landed on him silently, and observing.
"…why are you looking at me like that?"
Her voice was low.
Not hostile—
But questioning.
Ji-Han stiffened slightly.
"…no..nothing."
Se-ah's gaze lingered. She didn't look away immediately and studied him.
"…strange."
"…we've never met." She mutters.
"Or have we met before?" she questioned.
Ji-Han forced his expression back to neutral.
"…y…you're mistaken."
There was silence between them. Se-ah tilted her head slightly, not convinced. Because he felt off. His reaction was so obvious. Like someone who had already seen her before.
Ji-Han slowly looked forward again.
His heartbeat is still slightly off rhythm.
"…careless…"
Se-ah continued to glance at him from the side.
Silent.
Thinking.
"…interesting."
She didn't press further.
But she didn't forget either.
As the re-evaluation continued. Names were called one after another. Then a name echoed across the ground.
"Han Seo-jun."
He stepped forward. Calm and confident.
The energy surged violently. Sharp focused, like a blade cutting through space itself.
[RESULT: A-RANK]
A wave of murmurs exploded
"A rank?!"
"As expected of one of the top geniuses."
Seo-jun stepped down without reaction.
Next-
"Kang Ji-won."
Flames ignited the moment she stepped forward.
The air distorted. Heat spread.
[RESULT: A-RANK]
"Park Min-jae."
He cracked his neck and stepped forward.
The ground slightly trembled under his presence.
[RESULT: B-RANK]
"Only B?"
"No… his raw power is higher than most…"
"Yoon Se-ah."
Silence.
She stepped forward like a shadow—barely noticeable.
The machine flickered—
As if struggling to read her presence.
[RESULT: A-RANK]
"…I didn't even feel her energy…"
"That's terrifying…"
"Lee Hyun-woo."
The air distorted the moment he stepped up.
Unstable. Fluctuating.
The system hesitated—
[RESULT: B-RANK (UNSTABLE)]
"Unstable type…"
"That's dangerous…"
Ji-Han watched all of it quietly.
"…as expected…of the geniuses."
"Even now, they were already monsters."
Then—
"Yoon Ji-Han."
He stepped forward. Calm and controlled.
The machine activated. Energy surged. But unlike the others, it didn't explode or flare wildly. But it condensed, was heavy, and refined. For a brief moment, the air around the platform felt different. And the examiner's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…this energy…"
A state of shock fell upon Kwon Hyuk-jin, Lee Dong-min, and their group. Sweat dripped down their chin, and tension rose."
"…no way. He…he was this strong?" Lee Dong-Min spoke while in shock
His teammates were shock with him
"I knew it. Since that day, I knew he wasn't ordinary." Kwon Hyuk-jin mutters in while he wasn't stable.
And they were ranked as a C rank. So they were afraid.
Then the result appeared.
[RESULT: B-RANK]
"As expected am still far." He sighed.
The examiner was shocked, thinking he had hidden his power and not brought out his full potential. But it was otherwise.