NOVEL WEB Ch. 1
Chapter 1: Prologue
“It’s him!”
People looked upward and shouted in unison. The gate was being forced open with black sparks crackling in the air.
A tall man with black hair, black eyes, and a matching black trench coat hovered in the sky. The terrified crowd broke into cheers.
“We’re saved! He’s here!”
“He came to rescue us!”
Even though this was a life-threatening class 4 gate, the trapped people acted as if it were nothing. It felt less like a crisis and more like watching a parade at an amusement park.
The black-clad man in the sky raised a massive golden half-scissor.
A black trench coat, jet-black hair, a swirl of dark mist, and that shining golden blade.
It was the symbol of the world’s number one ranked S-class illusionist. He was called “Black Illusion,” “Lucid Dreamer.”
In short, “Lude.”
He was the hero of the Grand Gates era, filled with Great Awakeners.
The pride of Korea, a Hunter admired across the entire world.
“Kyaaaa, it’s Lude!”
“He looked at me! Lude looked my way!”
“No, he looked at me! He definitely looked at me!”
Everyone, young and old, cried out in delight. When Lude gave them a wink, the response turned explosive.
Someone even pulled out a banner, wherever they got it from.
「Lude, you are my only dream.”」
When Lude smiled at the man holding it, the man collapsed, overcome with joy.
“Ladies and gentlemen!”
Lude’s voice boomed through the gate, echoing across the distorted space. He raised his golden weapon high into the sky.
“You can relax now. Your hero, Lude, has come to save you!”
“Kyaaaaaaa!”
“Lude! Lude! Lude! Lude!”
It felt less like a dungeon and more like a live concert. Lude swung the half-scissor downward. That was all it took.
[Verified] Saw Lude’s concert live today (153)
Is this for real? I was hanging out at Seohyeon Station with a friend but a class 4 gate swallowed us out of nowhere.
We thought we were finished and were praying for our lives. Then suddenly Lude appeared.
Like wow, it felt like I was seeing another world.
The dungeon turned into an amusement park. Normal monsters turned into balloons and when he snapped his fingers, the boss exploded on the spot.
Tbh it was a bit violent.
People always said Lude was insane and I honestly never believed them, but now I get why they said that.
I was honestly hella scared when I was trapped inside the gate. Like I literally can’t put it into words…
But when Lude treated the gate like a show, that fear vanished instantly. It actually comforted us.
Also he’s sooo handsome. His drip was immaculate too. He legit looked like a model. I’ve never seen a man wear a trench coat so well like that...
His voice was so smooth I thought he was a professional voice actor.
Honestly, I kinda just stared at his face the whole time.
People say survivors of gates develop PTSD but lmao… I was just happy to see you, my king Lude…
Oh, and he even gave out balloon animals to the survivors. (Photo attachment)
[Comments]
— I’m so jealous… I just want to see him once in my life too.
— That and he’s so handsome. I’d be willing to go to a class 1 gate if it means I could see him in person, let alone class 4 lol.
— Fr, he’s actually perfect and even has a good voice… not just that but his manner is also good like what…
— Who would you rather date, rank 2 Kang Ihyun vs rank 1 Lude?
— Can we just change that “vs” into “x”
— LMAO
— You guys should go to the hospital. Survivors rescued from Lude’s gates say they hallucinate for days. Experts warned that his dark type in nature affects people just by being near him.
— Isn’t that just a rumor though? Dark type skills always affect others, but most people are fine after a few days so I wouldn’t worry.
— Nono it’s true. My friend went into a gate he was clearing and had nightmares for weeks, could barely sleep, kept shivering even in summer, heard voices, and needed medication to calm down. Please make sure you go to a hospital.
— Ty I plan to go now since I hear that a lot... Appreciate the heads up! I’m not trying to say anything, but I really don’t know much about this so yeah.
— But really, who is Lude? Nothing is known about him so I’m curious.
— He shows his whole face all the time but not a single pic from his school’s yearbook is leaked which is surprising to me.
— Not a single paparazzi shot, no guild affiliation, no sightings either...
— Tbh if he were revealed to be a criminal, it would break my heart so I’d prefer it if he stays mysterious like this... Lude is perfect like this.
— Fr, we gotta respect his privacy.
Lude turned off his phone, and smile faded away from his lips.
In an instant, the cheerful performer’s face became that of a weary office worker sneaking out on break. He slipped the phone into his pocket.
“Yeah. Please keep respecting my privacy.”
With that, he descended lightly from the black sky to a rooftop and looked around. After checking carefully that no one was near, he stepped inside the building. A black message appeared before his eyes.
[The Lord of Chaos says there is no one around here.]
“I know.”
Of course. He had spent hours scouting for a building without people or CCTV. He went down a few flights of stairs, with black mist spreading from his body. As if it was a pencil mark being erased by an eraser, the figure of “Lude” gradually disappeared.
“I got plenty of low-tier items, so I think I can stay home for a while.”
[The Lord of Chaos shakes his head, saying you will rush to the next gate the moment it opens anyway.]
“That’s a different issue. My pride won’t allow some nobody crawling in and stealing items from my territory while I am standing here as rank one.”
His voice grew thinner and higher as he spoke. The sound of polished shoes striking the floor shifted into the squeak of worn sneakers.
Soon “Lude” was completely erased, and in his place stood a short girl with a ponytail.
“Sigh… I want to quit this already...”
[The Lord of Chaos asks why. You have been happily doing this for six years. Were you not the one enjoying it most?]
“This flashy male character is secretly a high school dropout working part-time at a convenience store… If anyone finds this out, I would seriously kill myself.”
[The Lord of Chaos gives a thumbs-up, saying you will never be exposed.]
“Whatever. I just want to strike it rich and retire early...”
The woman in the BS25 vest left the abandoned factory and walked down a dark alley. She had lied to her coworker about going to the bathroom, so she needed to get back quickly.
The world’s rank one S-class illusionist, the Lucid Dreamer. Known simply as Lude.
That was actually just an alternate character that belonged to a high school dropout working in a convenience store, named Shin Bitnari.
* * *
“That’d be fourteen thousand won. Do you need a bag?”
“What? So you expect me to carry all this without one?”
“…The bag costs twenty won. Do you have any discounts or reward points?”
Piece of shit. Never come back.
With that hope, Nari beeped the beer cans and snacks over the scanner. While payment was processed, she opened the bag and placed the cans inside.
When the customer left, she went back to check inventory, making sure nothing from today’s delivery was missing or extra. She restocked the cooler with drinks that had run low. That was her shift from three to ten, Monday through Friday.
“Nari, have some of this while you work.”
“Ah… thank you…!”
She bowed her head deeply and accepted the canned coffee from her manager.
The elderly manager had been running this store for decades. He paid her overtime properly, and even gave her a name tag… Moreover, he was the only person willing to hire her when everyone else refused because of her family background. He was the only one she could really open her heart to, and she had worked there for six years now.
“But Nari, did something happen yesterday?”
“Huh? Um, nothing really...”
“Well, Heejin said you went to the bathroom and disappeared for twenty minutes. She was worried.”
“Oh…”
“And right at that time, a gate opened nearby. They say Lude came and cleared it in twenty minutes. So we wondered if you were caught up in it.”
“N-No! At that time, uh… I just had a big stomachache from eating something spicy at lunch! I was in the bathroom the whole time...”
“Really? I’m glad then. I was worried too, you know.”
At that moment, the small television above the counter was replaying yesterday’s news. It said a class 4 gate had appeared at Seohyeon Station but was quickly cleared by Lude. Survivors were being interviewed, thanking him and calling themselves new fans.
“So Lude is really that strong…?”
“He is S-class! One of only five in Korea!”
“I never kept up with that stuff. I only learned what constellations were a few years ago. I guess I’m too old now.”
Nari’s heart beat in excitement. She wanted the manager to praise Lude, who was really her. She pointed her finger confidently. It’s been twenty years since gates started to appear, but there were still people who were unfamiliar with Hunters.
“That means Lude is the strongest person in the world! Like grade one milk!”
“Lude is the strongest in the world? I thought that was our Ihyun...”
Eck, Nari’s finger shrank back. Kang Ihyun, the country’s top priest. Known as “Cathedral Oppa,” the rank two Hunter in Korea, loved by the entire nation.
Lude had many fans, but just as many detractors. They called him arrogant, selfish, and accused him of treating dungeons like his personal playground.
Hunters were celebrities in this world, scrutinized as much as idols. Bitnari thought criticism was natural.
But Kang Ihyun was different. Everyone liked him. Absolutely everyone.
Unlike Lude, who avoided cameras, Kang Ihyun appeared often on TV, which made him more familiar and more beloved. His kind personality and clean image only boosted that popularity.
Even her manager clearly liked him more.
‘Not only that but he doesn’t even know who Lude is …’
[The Lord of Chaos laughs, telling you to cheer up, you were just beaten by a bean.]
Jealousy welled up inside her all of a sudden. She had seen the endless Lude vs. Kang Ihyun debates online, but hearing it from someone close stung more.
[But the Lord of Chaos also says that Kang Ihyun likes you, so you shouldn’t hate on him too much. Look at this photo, the Lord says.]
A message appeared, showing an interview.
Q. You are ranked number two. What do you think of number one? Online, people often compare you two.
A. Haha, no, I am nowhere near his class. He is incredible. I can only rescue people, but he can also reassure survivors. I really find that amazing. I hope to be that kind of Hunter someday. I would love to meet him one day, maybe even invite him to join my guild-
Bitnari waved the picture away. It was clearly just empty words. Comments would all worship him again because of it.
No. I will never join you. I will never meet you. You stole my manager so accept your sin. I never liked your guild anyway.
She fumed silently, but her manager spoke to her.
“By the way, is Lude a foreigner? Is that his real name?”
“No. It is just a nickname. Nobody knows his real name… or where he lives. He apparently hides it very carefully.”
In truth, he’s right in front of you, manager. His real name is Shin Bitnari, twenty five years old, and he works at a convenience store.
“Is that so…? If he is that strong, it’d be understandable for him to brag about it. I wonder why he doesn’t…?”
“Well… everyone has their own reasons, right?”
“...Oh my, sorry, Nari.”
“N-No, manager, it is fine! Really. I am not upset about what you said.”
The manager apologized awkwardly. He seemed to have thought that Nari was Lude’s fan. Nari shook her head.
‘It’s fine. He just can’t come out often because that’s just my alt. If I give out an account for appearance fees, the name Shin Bitnari will show up and everything will be exposed. I also can’t just make a fake bank account.’
Were words she obviously couldn’t say out loud.
Caught in the awkward atmosphere, Nari absentmindedly opened her status window. Her information was displayed in a stream before her eyes.
Awakener Info Name: Shin Bitnari
Age: 25
Type: Dark
Divine Name: Fragment of the First Dream
Class: S
Overall Stats: S
Skill Aptitude: Reality Manipulation, Mind Control, Illusion
Job Aptitude: Trickster (Class) – Illusionist (Job)
Contracted Constellation: ◼◼◼◼
Traits: Fragment of the First Dream (Mythic), Natural Lucid Dreamer (Normal), Failed Hero’s Daughter (Rare)
Current condition: “Social Aversion.” If you use skills in your true form before others, their effectiveness is drastically reduced.
Failed Hero’s Daughter. That trait explained her social aversion. It was why she made her alt character named “Lude.”
‘My mom was a hero, but fell.’
Her mother, Hunter Kang Hana, had died ten years ago failing to close a class 1 gate on the East Sea. The gate expanded, monsters poured out, and she never came back out.
Because of her failure back then, many lives were lost. In the end, the incident was brought to a close when the guild master and vice master of the guild “Sanctuary”, who had stood on the very frontlines at the time, sacrificed themselves to shut the gate.
Later, it was revealed she had disobeyed orders and acted on her own, which caused the class 1 gate to open much earlier than expected.
Basically, because of a single troll, an enormous catastrophe had struck South Korea.
Her reputation crumbled, and she was branded a traitor. She didn’t even have a good reputation as a Hunter in the first place, so her quick downfall was expected.
Nari’s life fell apart too. Because of her mother’s name, she was bullied mercilessly which left her unable to attend school. The trauma naturally left her with her social phobia condition.
Even years later, employers refused to hire her once they knew who her mother was. Only this convenience store had accepted her.
She learned then that Hunters were closer to entertainers than heroes. Years of sacrifice could be erased by one mistake.
So when she awakened as S-class, she created Lude with illusions. Even if the alt character failed, it would not ruin her. This required some thinking.
But she could not simply hide her power and live a double life. She needed money.
Her mother’s savings and house had been donated to the families of victims, and the rest seized as fines. Nari barely rented a tiny apartment, struggling to pay rent. Obviously, she couldn’t afford to buy a house.
But she wanted her own home. With her long life as an awakened, it was the least she deserved. So she fought as Lude and dealt with the disastrous gates while living as Nari.
What about the Management Bureau though? The Bureau had her registered as Lude, an S-class illusionist, while she herself was listed as a D-class illusionist. Her illusions fooled even the newest detectors.
Still, it technically wasn’t a lie. Up until 6 years ago, Nari truly was a D-class illusionist.
[The Lord of Chaos says the higher-ups are still desperately searching for Lude’s true identity.]
They were never going to find it anyway, what a waste of time.
She would never reveal it to the public, or to the authorities especially.
“Oh my, Nari, it is already time to leave. You should go home.”
“Ah…! Thank you. I will be going now!”
“Take the leftover lunchboxes with you!”
“Yes, thank you!”
She bowed, gathered her things, and slipped a beer she had bought for herself into her bag. The manager must not know about that because he would worry about her if he found out.
She planned to eat the lunchbox with a beer while watching streams at home. It would be a decent end to the day.
“See you tomorrow!”
She waved goodbye and stepped out with a smile. One hand held a black plastic bag with food inside.
As she walked out with a smile, her face gradually became expressionless.
“Damn… it is freezing.”
Though it was only early winter, it was way too cold.
‘So annoying.’
Annoyed, she sat at the bus stop, put in her earbuds, and opened a video app since the bus wasn’t coming for another 13 minutes.
At the top was a recommended video.
「You must see this! Why the Sanctuary is the best! The truth about the East Sea Gate 10 years ago (feat. legendary trolling)」
The thumbnail showed her mother Kang Hana, photoshopped with a troll monster. The views were over 800,000.
Even after ten years, her mother’s disgrace lived on.
‘Well, it is understandable that she’s getting this treatment…’
[The Lord of Chaos says to report the video immediately.]
Stupid algorithm. She sighed and pressed the report button. She did not want to add to its view count. Of course, the report wasn’t going to do anything.
As she scrolled for puppy videos, a message appeared in front of Nari’s sight.
It was red. It was a sign of an emergency summons visible only to Hunters.
「Emergency summons from the Hunter Bureau, Gyeonggi Branch: A sudden class 4 gate has appeared at Migeum Station in Seongnam. Civilians are trapped inside. All B-class Hunters and above must assemble immediately.」
It’s money time…! No, a gate.
[The Lord of Chaos chuckles, saying your eyes are gleaming again.]
Nari jumped up with widened eyes. As she said earlier, she had this alt character named Lude so that she could earn enough to buy a house of her own.
She shoved her dinner into her inventory and ran toward the subway. Her money maker… No, the gate awaited her. She needed to fill that empty bank account that’s always empty no matter how much she puts in!