The Challenger Card

I swallowed hard.

The Challenger Card loomed before me, its golden gears turning in slow, deliberate cycles. It was like staring at a living clockwork god… something vast, something aware.

And it was waiting.

"I shall give you the answers you desire."

The words echoed, layering over themselves like a chorus speaking from every direction at once.

My throat felt dry.

Answers.

It could give me answers.

I didn't even know what to ask first.

Why was I here? Why did I wake up in Dowan's body? Why was this not the system from the webtoon this world belonged to? Why did everything feel off, like there were rules even the system was following that I didn't understand?

A dozen questions clawed at my mind, fighting for dominance, but the pressure of the Challenger Card's presence made it hard to think.

I inhaled sharply. Focus.

"...Why me?"

The gears turned. Slowly. Precisely.

Then…

"You were chosen."

The answer settled in my mind like a weight, heavy and absolute.

"By who?"

The golden glow of the exclamation mark pulsed.

"By two who do not agree."

I stiffened.

That wasn't an answer.

It was a puzzle.

I clenched my fists, trying to steady myself. "What does that mean?"

The gears shifted again, each motion clicking into place like an unstoppable machine.

"Two paths converge. One system will remain."

A chill ran down my spine.

One system will remain.

This wasn't just about me.

I exhaled slowly, my heart pounding against my ribs. "So… I'm an experiment?"

The voices hummed. Not in agreement. Not in denial. Just… there.

"You are a variable."

A variable.

Something to be tested. Something to determine an outcome. I felt something cold settle in my stomach.

I wasn't special. I wasn't destined. I wasn't some grand chosen hero.

I was a calculation.

A number in an equation being fiddled with by forces I couldn't see.

I took a step back, my hands curling into fists. "And what happens to me when the test is over?"

Silence.

The gears kept turning. The golden glow of the Challenger Card dimmed just slightly.

"...That is unknown."

The words echoed in my head long after they were spoken.

Unknown.

Not undecided. Not unwritten. Unknown.

Like even this thing… this vast, incomprehensible force, didn't have the answer.

A shiver ran through me.

I looked up at the towering Challenger Card, its gears spinning in patterns too intricate for my mind to grasp.

I could ask more. I could demand more.

But some part of me knew… I wouldn't like the answers.

And maybe… it wouldn't even give them to me.

I hesitated for a moment before asking, the words slipping out before I could stop them.

"...How do I get my memories back?"

The gears paused, just for a moment. A faint, metallic click echoed through the silence.

"You seek your past," the voice intoned, quieter now, as if it was sharing something that hadn't been spoken before. "There are certain Master Cards that hold the memories of your previous life."

I froze.

Master Cards? Memories of my past life?

"You must obtain them," it continued, the gears beginning to turn once more. "Each card you acquire will bring you closer to what you seek. But… not all memories are beneficial to be remembered."

I swallowed hard, my throat dry again. "And… where do I find these cards?"

The golden glow of the exclamation mark pulsed again, but this time with a sense of finality.

"The final card," it said slowly, deliberately, "is the Challenger Card itself."

I felt a jolt run through me.

This card. The one before me. It held the key to my memories?

"The Challenger Card is the final memory Card you must claim. Only then will you have your answers."

The gears turned again, the sound almost mournful now.

"You are a variable," the voice whispered. "And once you complete the test... the outcome will be known."

I staggered back, my mind racing. The weight of the information was almost too much to handle.

My memories were out there. Locked in these Master Cards. But the final one… this Challenger Card, was the one that would reveal it all.

I swallowed hard. "...What now?"

The gears stopped.

The golden glow pulsed one final time.

"You will proceed."

And then...

The world shattered.

Light bled into my vision, the vast golden expanse fracturing like glass, reality reasserting itself in broken, jagged pieces. The hum of the void faded, replaced by something far more mundane.

The ticking of a clock. The faint hum of my ceiling light. The chill of air against my skin.

I was back in my room.

The only proof that any of it had happened was the lingering chill in my chest and the single line of text flashing across my vision.

[Fateful Meeting - Complete]

Breathless. Heart hammering.

The Challenger Card was gone, but the weight of its words stayed with me.

I sat down heavily on my bed, staring at my trembling hands.

A test. A variable. Two systems.

And when it was over…

Unknown.

I exhaled shakily, raking a hand through my hair.

There was no point in panicking now. I still had control. I still had the system. I still had my knowledge of the webtoons.

I still had time.

Slowly, I lay back against the pillows, staring at the ceiling and trying not to think about what had just happened.

Silence.

Silence.

Buzz.

I looked down to my phone, which was vibrating with the message notification. 

Jihan: I've got the names. There's 9 of them

Jihan: Lee Minjae, Kim Jin Woo, Choi Ha Kyung, Park Jihoon, Seo Jaehyuk, Jung Taehyun, Lim Seok Joo, Ji Sunghyun, Oh Seung Ho

I gripped my phone harder.

One of these people… one of them had killed Dowan's father. I could feel the weight of that truth settling like lead in my stomach, dragging me down.

The same cruel hand that had taken Dowan's family from him was somewhere among these names.

I glanced at the ceiling, the stillness of the room almost suffocating now. Everything about this world felt strange, like a disjointed puzzle, but in that moment, everything became crystal clear.

Yes, I would get my memories back. Yes, I would face whatever test awaited me.

But there was more to this than just survival.

I clenched my fist, feeling the cold resolve hardening inside me.

I was not just a variable in some twisted experiment.

I was someone's reckoning.

The debts would be paid. The vengeance would be mine.

I will make them pay, I thought, the words searing through me like fire. I'll destroy them… all of them. The ones who took your father away.

And when that day came, when the last of them fell, Dowan would be free to do what he wanted with his life.

And so would I.

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Last few chapters were relatively long so this one is a bit short. Apologies. 

Also I've been belting out multiple chapters basically daily for two weeks now... maybe I should take a break. I feel like this is a good place to take a break.

It'd be a big help if you could leave reviews or anything which can help me improve. I just want reviews so this story can have an actual rating.

But anyways, enough yapping.

Don't worry, I'll be back.

Y'all try not to miss me too much.

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Ah I forgot to ask, how strong actually is Juryong (the orange dragon dude from Cheongryeong). It was never that clear in the manhwa, I need help with the stats😭