37th Death - Equilibrium

"Go fuck yourself." Jang spat, wiping the blood from his nose.

"You proved my point anyway. Little twink. Pussy." He forced a chuckle, but there was a sharp edge to it.

Jiho said nothing. He just stared, his gaze unwavering.

Jang's smirk faltered for a moment before he scoffed, eyes drifting away. "The only reason I stuck around was 'cause I felt sorry for your bitch ass. You think I actually give a fuck about you?"

Jiho didn't react. He just kept looking at him, silent.

"FUCKING SAY SOMETHING, LITTLE BITCH!" Jang snapped, his voice cracking with frustration.

Jiho stood firm, fists clenched, chin lowered.

Then, finally, he spoke. "Fuck you. Fuck this. You fucking lost your mind. I should've let you die when I had the chance." His voice was low but seething. He turned on his heel, throwing his arms up. "Fuck this. Fuck that fucking school. If someone comes for me, so be it."

He paused at the door, looking back just once.

"I'm strong as fuck now. And next time you're choking to death, I won't lift a finger." He spat the words like venom before slamming the ambulance door behind him, the metal bending from the force.

Jang walked away hastily, breathing hard with his hands tucked in his pockets.

Marcel called after him, voice smooth and taunting. "Remember, Monsieur! 8:45 PM, Class 3!"

"FUCK YOU!" Jang's voice faded into the distance.

Jiho stepped out of the ambulance, his gaze settling on Marcel and his companions.

"You wanted to know what we talked about, right?" Jiho said. His voice was steady. "I'll tell you everything I know."

They exchanged looks.

"Huh. We were sure Monsieur Jang convinced you otherwise..."

"He was right. Hyung was right." Jiho exhaled. "This is a dog-eat-dog world. You can't trust anyone."

Then, after a beat, he added, "But if we're being pragmatic, I'd rather keep powerful people like you close."

The three of them blinked at him.

And then, after a moment… Marcel and his two associates burst into laughter.

Jiho looked away, almost awkwardly. "...What?"

Marcel waved a hand, grinning. "Hahaha, don't take it the wrong way, Monsieur." His voice was amused, but there was a glint of something else in his eyes. "We're just not used to this level of honesty... I see now. So, we're the 'Pragmatic' and 'Powerful' allies you've chosen to align yourself with?"

Their gazes lingered on Jiho—mocking, yes, but tinged with respect.

Jiho's face flushed. He pressed his lips together and looked away.

"...Ye—yeah. What about it?"

Their amused chuckles grew louder.

Marcel studied Jiho, the corners of his lips twitching.

'Hah… No wonder My Lady is so taken with him.'

'She always did have a taste for things worth claiming... As befitting her status and name.'

He exhaled through his nose, shaking his head. 'In that case… I'll leave the guiding to her.'

"Either way, let us not waste any time. Very well. I'd love to hear what you ahve to say, Monsieur. Though, let us do it shortly, so your dear mother wouldn't worry." Marcel let out as he climbed up the ambulance and they talked.

---------------

Jiho climbed the stairs to his room, closing the door behind him with a quiet thud.

'I'll see them tomorrow. I need to...' He gulped, his fingers twitching over the keyboard. 'Be prepared. I decided.'

He clicked open the browser and hesitated for a moment. Then, with a breath, he typed:

"How to manipulate someone—"

His stomach twisted. He mashed the backspace key until nothing remained.

'Just stay away from Daniel and Eunhee. I also have a date tomorrow... Something I got WITHOUT lying once.'

But his fingers didn't leave the keyboard.

His lips pressed into a thin line. 'Then again, I knew Eunhee for ten years. And she just mindlessly believed everything Daniel shoved her. I need... I should make sure it doesn't happen with Amelie.'

His teeth clenched. Before he could second-guess himself, he typed it again.

"How to manipulate someone."

A flood of results. His eyes darted over them.

One in particular caught his attention—"10 EASY Steps To Control People's FEELINGS!"

Jiho gulped. His cursor hovered, then clicked.

[HAVE YOU EVER HAD SOMEONE YOU CARED ABOUT BE MANIPULATED INTO HATING YOU?]

His breath hitched.

"....!!"

It was like the page was speaking directly to him.

[THE TRUTH IS, IN THIS WORLD, YOU HAVE TO LEARN THE ART IF YOU WANT TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM IT.]

"This is it!" His mind screamed as he scrolled faster. "I hate it, but it's good... I need to read everything here!"

He devoured the words like they held some hidden power, something he could wield. Step after step. Key phrases. Tone manipulation. Psychological loopholes.

Somewhere between reading "Step 3: Mirror Their Emotions" and "Step 5: Make Them Crave Your Validation," Jiho found himself standing in front of the mirror.

He adjusted his stance. Sharpened his eyes.

"Did you really think I'd let you play me?"

His reflection stared back, unimpressed.

"I don't really care about you and Daniel, Eunhee. You do you. You think I CARE? I never cared. You did it all for nothing. Fuck all you want. I moved on in life. I got a GIRLFRIEND now."

'So dumb,' He couldn't help but think.

"...What the fuck am I doing?"

He let out a sharp exhale, running a hand down his face before trudging back to his bed. His body hit the mattress with a thud.

He groaned, turning onto his side. 'You could read a thousand articles and still be an idiot.'

His thoughts drifted.

'If Eunhee can be manipulated, then fuck her. Really...'

But then his mind shifted—to his mother.

She had stayed in that house. Even when people whispered that Jiho was dead. Even when the world moved on without him; when she had every reason to leave.

'No. learning how to 'Manipulate' shouldn't be a priority...' His thoughts then drifted to the hulking mass that attacked him and the gothic-looking girl.

'I need to get stronger.'

"Status Window."

[MULTIPLE ACHIEVEMENTS UNLOCKED!]

[MULTIPLE TITLES UNLOCKED!]

[LEGENDARY SKILLS DUE TO ACHIEVEMENTS UNLOCKED!]

[EXTRA EXP GRANTED DUE TO ACHIEVEMENTS]

[SECRET CHALLENGE COMPLETED!]

[Status Window - Jiho An]

[Level]: 50

[Title]: [CHOOSE A TITLE!]

[Class]: [CLASSES AVAILABLE!]

[Sub-class]: []

[HP]: 1,000/1,000

====== STATS=========

STAT POINTS AVAILABLE: 250 (+400)

[Strength]: 10

[Agility]: 10

[Vitality]: 10

[Perception]: 15

[Intelligence]: 10

[ADDITIONAL SKILLS MAY BE GRANTED AFTER CHOOSING A CLASS DUE TO ACHIEVEMENTS!]

'Just like a game… So many things to read through.' Jiho sighed, scrolling through the information. 'I need to understand what I get from each stat first. Let's start with the simple stuff.'

He glanced at the clock. Just before midnight.

'Let's do this outside.'

Jiho quietly slipped out of the house and made his way to the empty park.

'Alright… let's start.'

"Hey, uh… System." Jiho let out, the sound of crickets filling the night as he stared at his status window.

[Sup, Boyo?]

"I wanna get stronger. What should I do first?"

[Depends. What's your type?]

"Type?"

[Do you like to punch really hard and slaughter your enemies? Maybe you prefer sneaking in and out of battle? Or perhaps you fight from afar, attacking from a safe distance?]

'Hm… I get it. So, the way I use these stats will determine my type.'

[Yes, you got it.]

'Then… Hyung would be the ranged type. He's strong, but his real power is using zombies to fight for him. That honestly sounds like the best option. I wouldn't even have to do anything…'

[... But you don't really want that, do you, Boyo?]

Jiho's fist clenched at his side.

[You want to slaughter them, don't you?]

"I…"

[It felt good, didn't it? Butchering those zombies with your bare hands. If only you could do that to those two numbnuts who lynched you… Hm. No one would ever mess with you again.]

"Yeah… It felt the best…" Jiho clenched his teeth before shaking his head. "But if someone stronger gangs up on me, I'd be toast. No. I need something swift and efficient."

His mind flashed back to Amelie standing above him in the apartment, gesturing for him to break the pipe into two makeshift steel knives.

'That was the moment I really started tearing into them… even without ridiculous strength.'

[Oh, I see… Then?]

"I want something fast, efficient… and stabby."

[Assassin, then. Oh, the irony.]

"What irony?"

[You wear your emotions on full display, yet you want to be the class that best conceals them.]

"It worked best whenever I had to fight." Jiho exhaled. "I want precision. What if I have to protect my mom, and I accidentally… hurt her? No. If I'm going to be a killer… I want to be a perfect one."

A message appeared before his face.

[You are about to change into: ASSASSIN. ARE YOU SURE?]

[YES] [NO]

"Yeah. No doubt about it."

[CLASS CHANGE COMPLETE! NEW SKILLS UNLOCKED! SECRET SUB-CLASS UNLOCKED DUE TO ACHIEVEMENTS…]

'Let's not rush it… I'm curious, but that can wait. First… the basics.'

"Before I dive into it, tell me about the stats. What does each one dictate?"

[Pretty straightforward. Strength regulates, well, strength. The higher it gets, the harder you hit and the heavier things you can lift.]

[Next up, Agility. It dictates bodily flexibility and how well you control your movements and strength. Any class that relies on physical combat needs to level up these two.]

[Then, we have Vitality. Basically, how much punishment your body can take before you kick it—plus how fast you naturally heal. After a certain level, your skin will be as dense as iron. Barely anything could penetrate you. This applies to everything, including muscle tissue and soft tissue.]

Jiho flinched.

'Gonna need that.'

[Then, you have Perception. Sheeesh, you got a natural boost of Perception, Boyo! Not surprising, seeing how you managed to talk down not one, but THREE potential killers. This stat dictates awareness and attention to detail. It makes you harder to surprise and lets you notice attacks before they happen.]

'…!! Scratch that. Top priority—this one.'

[Finally, you have Intelligence. I'd like to say I saved the best for last, but it's not that exciting. Increasing Intelligence reduces how much HP you use per attack, makes active skills more efficient, and increases the speed at which you level up.]

"Okay. Let's experiment a little then," Jiho murmured, a small smirk forming on his face.

STAT POINTS AVAILABLE: 250 (+400)

[Strength]: 10[Agility]: 10[Vitality]: 10[Perception]: 15[Intelligence]: 10

Jiho lightly punched a plastic slide, denting it.

'Alright…'

"Increase Strength by 10."

[Strength]: 10 → 20

He threw the same punch again. This time, his fist sank deeper into the plastic, a loud thud echoing from the impact.

'Fuck… That's… so cool.'

He let out a chuckle, flexing his fingers.

'But I didn't mean to punch that hard… So, let's see. Flexibility and control, you say?'

He attempted to do the splits, barely making it halfway down before tapping out.

"Increase Agility by 10."

[Agility]: 10 → 20

Jiho tried again.

'Huh…'

His legs stretched effortlessly, his body lowering all the way to the ground.

'It still hurts… but not nearly as bad as before. And I wasn't even halfway down last time.'

He pushed himself back up, shaking his legs off before turning to face the plastic slide again.

'Alright… let's try punching it lightly this time.'

He threw a careful punch.

The slide dented slightly.

'I held back this time, but I can feel that I held back. Weird… It's like I instinctively know how much strength to put in my fist now.'

Then a thought struck him.

'Hold on…'

He took a few steps back, looking at his legs, then up toward the sky.

'It has to mean that, right?'

Lowering himself into a stance, he suddenly sprang upwards.

'Woah… I'm at least two meters in the air!'

For a brief moment, he soared, reaching almost the same height as the slide before landing with a soft thud.

"Increase Agility by 20!" He let out enthusiastically, already feeling the high air in his face.

[Agility]: 20 → 40

Jiho immediately tried jumping again.

He reached the same height.

'Huh…? I was sure I'd jump higher.'

His feet hit the ground, the impact just as rough as before.

'Even the landing feels the same… The only thing that changed was how quickly I got into position and how fast I sprang up.'

Jiho turned, eyes locked on the jungle gym behind him.

'I bet I can do that easily… I feel it. I can DEFINITELY do that…!'

A childlike chuckle slipped from his lips. Lowering himself, he sprang into a backflip, twisting effortlessly through the air before landing gracefully.

'WOAH..! I… I knew I could do that… but it feels so damn—'

More laughter bubbled out of him.

'FUN..!'

His fists clenched. Excitement surged through his veins.

'Alright… let's think. I'm DEFINITELY jumping higher than I ever have in my life. One of these stats is responsible for that…'

His eyes flicked to his status window.

STAT POINTS AVAILABLE: 210 (+400)

[Strength]: 20[Agility]: 40[Vitality]: 10[Perception]: 15[Intelligence]: 10

'Hmm… The system guy said Strength increases how hard I hit and how heavy I lift…'

Jiho's gaze dropped to his legs.

'That HAS to include how much I lift with my own body, right? No… that HAS to be it..!'

"STRENGTH TO 40!"

[Strength]: 20 → 40

'ALRIGHT… NOW… NOW I SHOULD JUMP! ALL MY PHYSICAL STATS ARE EQUAL NOW—MEANING IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW HIGH I JUMP OR HOW HARD I LAND… I'LL BE FINE!'

His ecstatic chuckle faded as he scanned the park, making sure no one was watching.

'NOW… LIFTOFF!'

He kicked off the ground with all his might.

The playground shrank beneath him, his body soaring higher, higher, HIGHER—

10 meters. The size of a small building.

The cold night breeze rushed against his face.

"IT… IT WORKED!! HA… HAHAHA!!" Jiho laughed aloud, twisting in the air as he took in the view.

Then, the inevitable.

Gravity called his number.

'Alright… don't freak out… The landing will be FINE…!'

Jiho's eyes flicked downward. The ground was rushing toward him fast.

But something felt… off.

A whisper in his mind.

Something's wrong.

Something told him—

The landing won't be smooth at all.

'SHIT—!!'

His arms flew up to shield himself just as his body slammed into the ground.

A sharp, bone-rattling impact.

His legs cracked.

"AHHK—!!! FUCK—!"

Jiho curled into himself, arms clutching his legs as searing pain exploded through his body.

A system prompt appeared.

HP: 1,000/1,000 → -500HP!

HP: 500/1,000

'SO… SO MUCH… ERRGH… IT HURTS LIKE I REALLY LOST THAT MUCH… AHHH—!'

"FUCK…!" His teeth clenched.

"AGILITY WAS SUPPOSED TO LIGHTEN MY FALL, NO!? HEY, SYSTEM!"

[Can't help you from here, Boyo. Figure it out on your own.]

"WHAT?!"

[Growing as a player from here on out is on you. I already laid down the basics. You got this~]

'FUCKER…' Jiho exhaled through gritted teeth, pained and furious, as he forced himself to open his status window.

STAT POINTS AVAILABLE: 190 (+400)

[Strength]: 40[Agility]: 40[Vitality]: 10[Perception]: 15[Intelligence]: 10

'Why did I get hurt…?!'

His breath hitched. The word "hurt" reminded him of something—

The system's earlier explanation.

Vitality.

It controlled how much damage he could take and how fast he could heal.

'Right… RIGHT…!'

His chest heaved. His legs still throbbed, but the pain was already dulling.

"VITALITY TO 100!"

[Vitality]: 10 → 100 HP: 500/1,000 → 5,000/10,000 REGENERATION: HP/s: 10 → 100

Jiho gasped for air.

His head spun as a sensation washed over him—his body mending itself, strength returning.

'Haaah… Haaah… I feel like the next time I jump, it'll be fine… but I don't feel like trying it again right now…'

His body trembled. Common sense was screaming at him to rest.

But then—

"NO. Fuck that…!"

Jiho gritted his teeth, forcing himself up, legs shaking beneath him.

'I'm NEVER leaving things to chance again.'

He took in one deep breath.

'FUCK IT ALL…!'

He jumped.

Again.

His body shot up into the night sky, reaching the same 15-meter height.

This time, he didn't take time to enjoy the air.

His expression remained blank as he plummeted back down.

"LAND WITH YOUR LEGS—!!"

THUD.

A deep shockwave spread through the sandy ground.

This time—he landed.

On his feet.

His legs bent slightly, absorbing the impact. A small crater formed beneath him, his palm pressed against the ground—a second crater forming around it.

A chuckle escaped him.

'I did it…'

Then, realization.

'I… I did a real-life superhero landing…! Fuck yeah…!'

Excitement surged through him again.

'I see now… all of these work in equilibrium.'

His mind raced.

'I'm like a car. Strength is my engine—the power that drives me. Agility would be… hm, I guess my tires and suspension—how well I maneuver. But more strength means a higher risk of crashing… so I need stronger armor. That's Vitality.'

'I bet if I punched too hard, I'd hurt myself too if I didn't increase my Vitality.'

His eyes flicked to his stats.

'I bet Perception is the same… Maybe it makes me more aware of my exact movements? Or how high I jumped—down to the decimal? I'll have to test that next.'

Then, another thought struck him.

'… It said I could sense danger more accurately. I need that. I need that A LOT.'

"Perception to 100."

[Perception]: 15 → 100

The world shifted.

The air moved differently. He could feel it—every subtle shift, every current brushing against his skin.

Then, his senses exploded.

He could smell it. The stale, stuffy air of a hikikomori's sealed-off room—from a few blocks away.

The distant laugh track of a TV show.

The scent of nearly-spoiled refrigerated meat being microwaved in a house nearby.

All at once.

But it wasn't overwhelming.

'Huh… It's like… I can turn it on and off whenever I want.'

A chuckle left his lips.

'I was hesitant because I thought I'd end up like Supreme-Human Hero Man when he first got his Super Hearing and collapsed from sensory overload. But… controlling it is kind of easy.'

Then, he lowered his gaze.

And he felt it.

His own body.

'I hear my muscles. I feel the blood flowing through them. How dense they've become. And—how much denser I could make them if I tensed them for a jump.'

His lungs expanding.

'I can tell for sure now… I could fall from a medium-sized building—maybe higher—and take no damage.'

'My stats really do work in equilibrium…'

'Wait…'

'If that's true… then isn't it SUPER beneficial to keep all stats equal—no matter the class?!'

Jiho's eyes narrowed.

'WHAT?! THEN WHAT'S THE POINT OF SEPARATE STATS?! EVERY PLAYER WITH HALF A BRAIN WOULD'VE FIGURED THAT OUT—!!'

Before he could spiral further, a message prompt flickered out of sight.

[To think it would take so long before a player actually experimented with their stats instead of mindlessly increasing them… Relying on their CLASSES to do the work for them.]

[Boyo, if only you knew you were the only one to reach that conclusion so early… Haah.]

[But I'm happy.]

[Happy that you find power and strength… so alluring.]

[I knew I made the right call choosing you.]

'Huh…?' Jiho's senses tingled. 'I can feel it… Two people breathing behind that building nearby…'

His gaze flicked to the side. Thirty meters away. Two silhouettes—just barely visible.

'I'm being watched…!'

STAT POINTS AVAILABLE: 15 (+400)

[Strength]: 40[Agility]: 40[Vitality]: 100[Perception]: 100[Intelligence]: 10