Possibility
Hae-Won's eyes cracked open, his head throbbing from the intensity of last night's clash. The room was quiet, a stark contrast to the noise and chaos of the Black Rose Club. He groaned, rubbing his temples, as the faint glow of his system screen flickered to life beside him.
"System... you could have at least let me sleep in a bit," he muttered, rolling over to see the words displayed on his screen.
**[SYSTEM MESSAGE: Your Current Future Possibility. "TAP" to see.]**
He frowned, half-awake curiosity tugging at him. *Future possibility?* His finger hovered over the "TAP" button, hesitant but intrigued. *Alright, let's see what you're showing me now,* he thought, giving in to the temptation.
As he tapped the message, a new screen filled with text appeared, and with it, an ominous chill crept over him.
---
**Name**: Hae-Won
**Title**: Lost Child
**Rank**: 1,100,000
**Age**: 37
**Death**: Killed by the Master of Universe 513 - Jin Ho-Sung
---
Hae-Won's heart skipped a beat as he stared at the details, his mind racing. "Killed... by Jin Ho-Sung?" he whispered, his voice barely a murmur. The revelation hit him like a blow. He hadn't even considered the possibility of seeing his own death laid out so plainly.
And then his gaze fell upon the description beneath:
**"The stronger the Master becomes, the more your future will change."**
He read it over and over, the words sinking in like lead. This wasn't just a warning; it was a reminder that his fate wasn't set in stone. But it was also a reminder of how desperately far behind he still was.
The memory of last night's battle replayed in his mind: Ho-Sung's arrogant smirk, the sheer power he had unleashed with ease, and the overwhelming odds Hae-Won had barely survived. Despite his victory, Ho-Sung hadn't been fighting with everything he had.
*I have to get stronger,* he realized, his hands curling into fists. *If I don't, my life is on a countdown.*
His thoughts were interrupted by a sharp ringing sound. His phone vibrated on the nightstand, its screen lighting up with a familiar name.
**[Incoming Call: Jin Ho-Sung]**
Hae-Won's stomach twisted. The timing was too perfect. It was as if Ho-Sung already knew what he'd just seen, as if he were mocking him from the other end of the line. With a mixture of dread and curiosity, he reached for the phone, pressing the answer button.
"Hae-Won," Ho-Sung's voice came through, smooth and cold. "I thought I'd call and check in on you. You looked a little... shaken last night."
Hae-Won clenched his jaw, forcing himself to remain calm. "What do you want?"
"I wanted to congratulate you, of course," Ho-Sung said with a hint of amusement. "You put on quite a show, enough to earn a bit of attention, even in a place like the Black Rose."
"Get to the point," Hae-Won replied, his voice sharper than he intended. He wasn't in the mood for Ho-Sung's games, not after the glimpse he'd just seen of his own future.
Ho-Sung chuckled softly. "Impatient, aren't we? Alright. Consider this a... warning, if you will. You may have survived last night, but if you continue down this path, it won't end well for you. I don't like seeing pests scurrying around in my territory."
"Is that so?" Hae-Won forced himself to sound confident. "Maybe I'm more than a pest."
The laughter on the other end of the line faded, replaced by a colder tone. "You have no idea what you're up against. The VillainVerse isn't kind to the weak. And you, Hae-Won, are at the very bottom. I suggest you remember your place."
The line clicked, leaving Hae-Won alone with his thoughts and the chilling silence.
---
He set the phone down, staring at his reflection in the nearby mirror. *A lost child,* he thought, recalling the title the system had assigned him. It was fitting, in a way. Here he was, thrown into a universe he barely understood, surrounded by powers beyond anything he'd ever imagined.
But even in that feeling of being lost, something stirred within him. The same thing that had pushed him to stand up to Ho-Sung, despite the odds. A small, unyielding fire that refused to be extinguished.
"If you think I'm just going to stay weak, you've got another thing coming," he murmured, his resolve hardening.
Hae-Won glanced back at the system screen, determined to see any edge he could get. He navigated to his skill options, searching for anything he could upgrade, any way he could start climbing out of the pit of weakness he'd been thrown into.
---
**[SYSTEM MESSAGE: Potential Skill Upgrades Available]**
- **Nightmare Aura** (Lvl 2) – Upgrade Cost: 50 Tokens
- **Shadow Manipulation** (Lvl 1) – Upgrade Cost: 30 Tokens
- **Infernal Strike** (Lvl 1) – Upgrade Cost: 30 Tokens
---
*Tokens...* he thought, grimacing. He didn't have enough yet, not for anything significant. But he knew there were other ways to earn them — the quests, the challenges, the battles that lay ahead.
Every battle would count. Every victory would bring him one step closer to changing his future, to rewriting that grim ending he had just glimpsed.
---
With a newfound sense of purpose, Hae-Won set out from his apartment, stepping into the streets of the VillainVerse with a steely resolve. He didn't care how long it took, or what he had to go through. He would climb. He would grow. And he would face whatever fate this universe threw at him head-on.
And if that meant taking on monsters like Jin Ho-Sung? So be it.
*Let the VillainVerse try to tear me down,* he thought, eyes blazing with determination. *I'll just keep coming back stronger.*