The Beginning
I stumbled back, narrowly avoiding the punch that cracked past my face. Jesus. That one would've sent me straight to the shadow realm. I needed to end this before I collapsed on the spot.
The guy, some fucker I hadn't bothered to learn the name of, grinned as he straightened up. "That all you got?"
I was too tired to even come up with a comeback. I just wheezed through my mask, which was probably not the most intimidating response. He took my silence as an invitation and came at me again, leading with a sloppy hook.
I ducked. Instant regret. My ribs felt like they'd just been drop-kicked by a sumo wrestler, but I pushed through the pain and drove a fist into his gut.
It was weak. Embarrassingly weak. The kind of punch that made me question my life choices.
He barely reacted, taking a step back before shaking his head. "You're done, man. Just hand over your-"
I ignored him and reached into my mind.
[Attack card: Maximum Capacity]
The moment I activated it, I swung. Hard. My fist connected with his chest, and even though my body was running on empty, the card did its magic. It was like he got hit by a truck. He made a noise somewhere between a gasp and a dying cat before crumpling to the ground.
I stood there for a second, swaying slightly.
That was it. No more. If another guy showed up, I was just gonna lie down and accept my fate.
I glanced at the Quest Window.
[Defeat up to 100 delinquents in Boramae: 64/100]
A solid B- effort. Respectable. Did I feel like a winner? No. I felt like a worn-out sponge someone had used to clean an entire fast food kitchen. But I wasn't dead. I'd never tried so hard to do anything in my life, maybe gaming, but nothing else.
I just wanted as many level up cards as I could get. They literally decided my future.
I trudged over to the guy, pulled the wad of cash from his pocket, and shoved it into the hands of the kid he'd been harassing. The kid gave me a weird look, probably because I looked like I was on the verge of keeling over.
I waved vaguely before turning and shuffling away like an old man.
Time to go home. Time to sleep for twenty hours. Time to forget that I willingly did this to myself.
Fucking hell, 10 hours weren't even up, it was 6pm, maybe 7 now. But I already knew I wouldn't be able to throw another punch. It didn't matter that my attack cards had leveled up to C. It didn't matter that I was quickly growing used to punches flying near my face, no longer flinching and covering my eyes.
I was too tired.
I barely made it to my front door. Every step felt like my legs were made of cement, and I was pretty sure my hoodie had absorbed enough sweat to be classified as a biohazard. My hands fumbled with the keycard, missing the scanner twice before I finally shoved the door open and all but tripped inside.
Home. Safe. Finally.
I kicked off my shoes and shuffled into the living room, groaning as I collapsed onto the couch. My entire body ached. I was convinced that even my bones were bruised. There was no way I was cooking. Absolutely no shot.
I grabbed my phone and, with what little strength I had left, tapped my way into my food delivery app. Something greasy. Something with enough calories to undo whatever hell I just put myself through. Bulgogi? Perfect. I threw in an order, barely glancing at the price before slumping back.
I'd shower in a bit. Probably. Maybe. If I didn't pass out first.
Ten minutes later, the doorbell rang. I barely made it to the door, opened it just enough to snatch the bag from the confused delivery guy, and grunted a "thanks" before shutting it. No time for small talk. I had beef to eat and a bed to collapse into.
I sat at the table, sluggishly shoving food into my mouth like a zombie in a buffet line. Every bite was a battle, but I chewed through. Yes, eating itself was the war.
The second I finished, I dumped the leftovers on the counter and dragged myself to my room. My bed had never looked so inviting. I didn't even bother changing, just flopped face-first onto the mattress, my body instantly surrendering to exhaustion.
I sunk through the bed, quickly falling into dreamland.
…
…
…
DING!
[Quest Time Limit Reached.]
[Calculating rewards…]
You've received a Platinum card!
You've received a Gold card!
You've received 13 Lesser Level Up cards!
My eyes snapped open, my body jerking slightly. My limbs felt like lead, my brain felt like mush, and I seriously considered throwing hands with the system for waking me up.
I groaned, rubbing my face. "Can't this wait until morning…?"
The window did not respond. Obviously.
I sighed and sat up, already regretting it.
My eyes dragged themselves over the notifications and grimaced. Right. Lovely.
"I'll come back to you in the morning."
I promptly fell back to sleep.
***
"Come in."
Jaemin gulped, wiping off the small droplet of sweat that had dripped down his forehead, slowly opening the door and entering the office.
Clean. The office was very clean. The carpet was a rich maroon, blending in nicely with the furniture laying around the room. A mahogany desk was in the back, covered with a few folders and stacks of documents, a laptop open too.
Its blue light shone upon the face of the one sitting in the chair behind the desk. Lean, chiseled jawline and dark, calm, nearly bored eyes.
Han Eunsung. Representative of Sillim.
Jaemin gulped again.
"What was it you wanted to say?" His voice was almost like his eyes, bored but its deep undertone was stable. Was this really a high-schooler?
"L-last night… someone attacked one of our Karaoke rooms." Jaemin's voice cracked despite himself. He hated this. This whole situation was making his stomach churn, but he had no choice.
Eunsung's eyes flickered to him, narrowing slightly as if the words had registered but needed to be processed. The air in the room grew heavier.
"Who."
It wasn't a question. It was a command.
"Ha Dowan. He's from Shinan High School. First year."
Eunsung's expression didn't change, but Jaemin could see his brows twitch, ever so slightly. "Damages?"
Jaemin released a breath, trying to calm his nerves. He glanced down at the floor, then back up, and spoke quickly. "Not much. He just attacked Manchun, some food got wasted, but that's not exactly unusual for us. Nothing too serious, just another fight."
Eunsung hummed softly, his gaze unwavering as he processed the information. Jaemin shifted uncomfortably.
"What do you think we should do?"
Eunsung tapped his pen against the desk, the sharp clicking sound reverberating in Jaemin's ears, breaking the fragile silence between them. Jaemin's stomach tightened at the sound.
"I'll decide on that later," Eunsung added, his tone cool and dismissive, as though the decision didn't concern him at the moment. "You may leave."
Jaemin nodded quickly, his mind still spinning from the pressure of being in that room. He had barely turned to leave when Eunsung's voice stopped him.
"Did you provoke him, Jaemin?"
Jaemin froze, his heart skipping a beat. He didn't even have to think about it, he could feel the weight of Eunsung's question pressing against his chest. It was a simple question, but the implications of his answer...
Jaemin swallowed, trying to maintain his composure. "...No, of course not. He just attacked out of the blue."
Eunsung didn't say anything, but Jaemin felt the weight of his stare, as though he could see through him, peeling back the layers of every word he spoke.
"I see," Eunsung murmured after a moment, and Jaemin felt the last remnants of his anxiety ebb away, though the pressure still lingered.
Jaemin stepped out, closing the door behind him with a quiet click. As the door shut, he finally exhaled, releasing the breath he had been holding since entering the office. His heart was still pounding, but it felt like he had somehow escaped.
Now if that didn't take care of Dowan, he didn't know what would.
***
When I woke up again, sunlight was already filtering through my curtains, casting a soft glow over my room. My body still ached, but it wasn't as bad as before. The soreness was manageable, and more importantly, I could actually move without feeling like my bones were made of cement.
I sat up, rubbing my face as my system window hovered in front of me, still waiting patiently for me to check my rewards.
[Platinum Card]
[Gold Card]
[13 Lesser Level Up Cards]
I frowned, clicking on the Platinum card first.
[Peek At You]
Allows the user to view an individual's stats, including Name, Height, Weight, Strength, Speed, Potential, Intelligence, and Endurance. Stats are represented as letter grades. (Permanent)
I stared at it, then slowly exhaled.
This… This was huge.
It was the key Card I needed to use to pick my battles, to figure out who I needed to be wary of. And more importantly-
I could finally see my own stats.
I swallowed, hovering my hand over my chest as I activated the card.
[Name: Ha Dowan]
[Height: 178 cm]
[Weight: 61 kg]
[Strength: D-]
[Speed: C]
[Potential: ???]
[Intelligence: B]
[Endurance: D+]
My eyes immediately locked onto the "Potential" section. Three question marks.
Was it hidden because of the system? Or was my potential just… undecided?
I shook my head, putting that thought aside for now. The rest of the stats made sense. My strength was still low, but my endurance and speed were less shit. I could work with this.
Next, I clicked on the Gold card.
[Healing Bean]
Summon a Healing Bean twice per day. Eating a Healing Bean restores the user to peak condition, healing all damage.
I nearly dropped my phone.
This was broken.
Two full heals per day? Didn't Suhyeon only get to use one? I let out a laugh, almost giddy with happiness.
Taking a deep breath, I stared at the Healing Bean card. My body was still sore, my muscles aching with every little movement. The bruises from the past two days throbbed dully under my hoodie, and I knew if I checked a mirror, I'd look like I got run over by a truck.
I hesitated for a second before shrugging. No point in hoarding something this useful.
"Summon Healing Bean."
A soft shimmer filled the air, and in my palm appeared… a bean.
A literal bean.
It was small, round, and an almost cartoonish shade of green, like something straight out of an old anime. I turned it over in my fingers, half-expecting some dramatic energy to radiate from it. Nothing.
"…Looks kinda lame."
Still, I wasn't about to complain. If this thing actually worked the way the card said it did, then it didn't matter what it looked like.
I popped it into my mouth and swallowed.
The effect was instant.
A wave of warmth spread through my body, like stepping into a hot shower after a freezing day. The pain melted away, the aches disappeared, and even the dull exhaustion in my bones faded. I felt light. Energized.
I glanced down at my arms, pulling back my hoodie sleeve. The bruises? Gone. I flexed my fingers, testing for any lingering soreness. Nothing.
"…Holy shit."
This was absurd. Two of these per day? I could basically reset myself after every fight. It didn't matter how much damage I took, I'd just eat a bean and keep going.
I grinned, stretching my arms over my head, enjoying the lack of soreness and pain
It was a beautiful feeling.
Then I peeked at myself again.
[Name: Ha Dowan]
[Height: 178 cm]
[Weight: 61 kg]
[Strength: D+]
[Speed: C]
[Potential: ???]
[Intelligence: B]
[Endurance: C-]
I blinked.
…Did my stats just increase? My healing beans actually recovered my muscles as well as just flat out healing everything? Did it count me destroying my body as training? Didn't that mean I could workout twice per day if I didn't have any fights to get into?
Holy. Shit.
I looked down once more at my lesser level up cards in amazement. If I could actually train to get better stats, then using these right now would be an unimaginable waste. Stats at their lowest are the easiest to train, everyone knew that.
It'd be best to keep these for now, until I knew the opponent I was fighting couldn't be beat using my current stats.
I clenched my fist… Sehun was going to get smashed.
…
…
RING! RING! RRRRING!
Ah shit that was probably Siyeon, cool moment over.
With a groan, I peeled off my sweat-soaked clothes, grabbed the nearest pair of PJs, and stumbled toward the door, hopping on one foot as I yanked them on.
The doorbell rang again as I quickly wrenched open the door.
Siyeon stood outside clad in denim shorts and a hoodie. All black. Her cold stare didn't change.
"Geez… edgy much."
She raised an eyebrow and entered, eyes sweeping across the house in its current unclean state, empty food containers scattered across the tables.
I opened my mouth, about to say an excuse, but the Quest window popped up in front of me.
Main Quest!
The boy becomes a Man!
Follow Siyeon and do as she tells you for the day! [0/6]
Rewards: …
My eyebrow twitched.
You really don't need to word it like that.
Still, I swallowed, my heart kicking up a notch. This was it. The main event was finally beginning.
Today, I was either joining the Bully Council…
Or getting smacked trying.