The multiversal system (2)
It's been a week since I unlocked the System.
And my life has been hell ever since.
Not because I suddenly gained overwhelming powers or anything.
Quite the opposite.
My greatest achievement so far? A daily mission—one with zero mercy.
Basically, the low budget version of Jin-Woo's mission.
Before all this, I used to train. Or at least, I thought I did.
I trained like any wannabe gym rat would.
More technique than physical conditioning, because in my head, a spearman had to be precise, not strong.
After all, who wanted to be a hunter that only knew how to lift weights?
And now? Now I realized what a damn fool I was.
My one and only skill was a set of low-quality spear movements, and my body wasn't strong enough to make up for it.
So, for an entire week, the System beat the crap out of me.
And now, here I was, running in the park, dying for air.
The mission screen flickered before my eyes.
Only one objective left.
[Daily Mission: Fundamental Training (Repeatable)]
[Objectives:
✔ 200 push-ups
✔ 200 sit-ups
✔ 200 squats
▪ 10 km run (9.8 km / 10 km)]
[Rewards:
• +1% progress in all physical stats
• Full fatigue recovery
• Small increase in nutrient absorption efficiency.]
[Penalty for Failure:
• 5% reduction in accumulated physical progress
• Random punishment based on user level.]
9.8 km.
So close, yet my legs felt like lead.
I stopped abruptly, hands on my knees.
My vision blurred, my mouth was dry.
The world spun around me.
I shouldn't stop now.
But honestly?
Screw it.
I threw myself backward, collapsing onto the track.
The stares started immediately.
People whispering, stepping around me like I was some crazy homeless guy taking a break in the worst possible spot.
Not that I cared.
''If you're trying to kill me, just say it, Luxxion.'' I muttered.
[The user willingly accepted this mission. Complaints are irrelevant.]
I rolled my eyes.
''You don't have an empathy setting?''
[It is currently disabled. Would you like to unlock it for 500 Conquest Points?]
I took a moment to breathe.
Then, I looked up at the sunset sky.
Today was the day.
In thirty minutes, it would be a week since I received a main quest.
And according to Luxxion, this was the minimum time I needed to be ready to begin.
So for the past week, my mind had been split between running until I almost died and trying to understand this damn mission.
''Show me the main mission.''
The screen appeared before my eyes.
[Main Mission: The Reviving Climber's Ascent]
[Description:
The one who once envied celebrity hunters is now among them. He holds a secret no one knows—his power to return to the past, his ability to copy the talents of others upon death.
However, an anomaly has manifested in this world. The natural flow of events has been disrupted. Something is interfering with the course of history.
You have been selected to investigate, uncover, and eradicate any external force that threatens the progression of this reality.]
[Penalty for Failure:
• Increase in the Corruption orchestrated by the Withered
• Imminent destruction of this world.]
[Rewards:
• 150 Conquest Points
• 1 random ability from this world
• +4 normal levels
• +20% progress in all stats
• Group chat function unlocked.]
I had read this description so many times I could recite it from memory.
But that didn't make it any more helpful.
The mission threw a pile of vague information at me and expected me to just figure it out.
What the hell was this Corruption? Who were the Withered?
And the most important question:
How was my presence here not a problem for this world's progression?
For the first time, Luxxion didn't respond with the usual:
[This information cannot be accessed.]
Instead, its response confused me even more.
[The user is not an anomaly. Your presence has been deemed within this world's, as well as others, coherence.]
I narrowed my eyes.
''And what exactly does that mean?''
[As long as events can progress in a minimally consistent manner, the Seed will not be able to take control of the determined reality.]
My brain felt like it was firing off questions like a minigun.
''Right. And what is this Seed?''
[This information cannot be accessed.]
Of course.
I sighed.
Whatever this was, I didn't have time to think about it now.
I still had to finish this damn run.
With trembling legs, I pushed myself forward one last time.
And the moment I hit 10 km, a notification popped up.
[Mission complete. Rewards acquired.]
I had never been so happy to see those words.
The fatigue vanished instantly.
My breathing steadied.
My body felt lighter. Still tired, but… better.
A grin spread across my face.
As brutal as this training was, it was working.
But for now, it was time to go home.
________
[ 00:00:32 ]
[ 00:00:31 ]
The countdown on the main mission was almost at zero.
I was in the shower when it finally hit zero.
A new window flashed before my eyes.
[ The user has received their first coordinate. ]
[ Location: Hongdae Street, Mapo-gu, Seoul. ]
Mapo-gu.
Not far.
And definitely not random. This was where the "gate" would appear.
Where I'd cross into another world.
''Any last-minute advice before I throw myself into this, Luxxion?''
[ The user must be ready to adapt. ]
I dried my hair with a towel.
''That's just a fancy way of saying "good luck," isn't it?''
[ Functional interpretation. ]
I didn't waste any more time.
Everything was already packed. Or at least, the little I had.
Most of the money I earned from the D-rank dungeon went straight into second-hand protective gear.
Nothing fancy. Just enough to not die instantly.
My spear, however, was the same.
Even more battered than before.
After the last fight, the shaft was worn down, and the blade had even more cracks.
But I couldn't afford a new one.
I was still broke.
Still dirt poor.
And yet, I was about to step into a gate to another world.
The walk from my apartment to Hongdae didn't take long.
The streets were packed, as always.
Groups of young people chatting, couples enjoying the night, tourists snapping pictures.
The smell of street food lingered in the air, mixing with the blaring music from nearby bars and shops.
Neon lights bathed the area in color, reflecting off the glass of theme cafés and karaoke studios.
For a moment, I let myself take it all in.
This was one of the busiest places in Seoul.
A place full of life.
People laughing, talking, living.
And yet…
There was nothing here.
No sign of a gate.
No hint that a dimensional portal was about to open.
I frowned.
''Luxxion… are you sure this is the right place?''
[ The System does not make errors. The gate is directly in front of the user. ]
I looked again.
Nothing.
''You've gotta be kidding me. How am I not seeing a portal to another world?''
[ The user is making a false assumption. This is not an ordinary gate, like dungeon portals. ]
''And what's the difference?''
[ A dungeon portal connects different points within the same universe. However, the gate you will use is a tear in the dimensional barrier. A wall that should be impenetrable.
To cross it, the user will be completely reconstructed. ]
I was silent for a moment.
Then, I sighed.
''Alright… I get it.''
Mostly.
That still didn't explain why I couldn't see anything.
Nothing that screamed, "Hey, step in here for an interdimensional trip!"
[ The gate will only become visible once activated. The user must give the command. The System will handle the rest. ]
''A command?''
[ Repeat exactly as instructed. Word for word. Symbol for symbol. ]
Sounded like pointless bureaucracy, but fine.
I did as I was told.
Every syllable. Every sound. Every letter.
And then—
Everything changed.
Time slowed.
The noise of the city faded.
People's movements became sluggish, like the world was lagging behind reality itself.
The chatter of the crowd dwindled, the sounds of cars and music distorted until there was nothing but silence.
The colors remained. The lights still shone.
But the people… stopped.
Frozen in time.
And I was the only one still moving.
[Gate successfully generated.]
Then—
It appeared.
It was like space-time had imploded.
The air trembled. Vibrated.
An invisible crack ripped through reality like shattered glass.
Then… it expanded.
Twisting. Bending. Distorting the world around it.
Purple. Deep, luminous purple.
The space around it folded, pulling and pushing at the same time.
And yet, only I was affected.
Every instinct in my body screamed not to get closer.
But I already knew—if I hesitated, I'd never have the courage to step in.
''Luxxion… if I die, I'm going to haunt you.''
[Haunt an artificial intelligence?]
I let out a weak laugh.
Next, I took a step forward.
The moment my foot crossed into the void—it was like falling into a black hole.
Gravity vanished.
My body stretched.
Not physically—something deeper.
My entire existence felt like it was dissolving, every part of me breaking apart into a whirlwind of formless fragments.
Every cell being destroyed and rebuilt at the same time.
My senses lost meaning.
I felt everything and nothing at once.
It was a contradiction in its purest form.
There was sound, yet no sound.
There was light, yet no light.
I was moving, yet there was no direction.
I was alive, but…
Then—darkness.
Absolute darkness.
And when I finally felt my body again—
I opened my eyes.
And I was somewhere else.