Scars
In front of the mirror, I stared at my reflection like it was someone else.
For the first time in days — or rather, six days, according to Luxxion and 97 — I was standing.
But, I looked like a botched lab experiment.
My torso was covered in bandages and stitches. And even so, it showed.
Scars.
The soft light in the room didn't help. It highlighted every mark, every patch.
The right arm was the worst.
It looked like it had been stitched up by a drunk butcher.
The skin there was burned, blackened.
Jagged burn marks twisted and fused into the flesh, like dead, deformed roots, stretching from the shoulder down to the forearm.
According to the Alchemy Master, there was no treatment for it.
The upside was that I could still hide it with a loose shirt.
Not everything was pure misery.
Despite the resets. Despite the pain.
My body responded.
It was firmer. More defined.
Still skinny, sure.
But with muscles now visible — the result of training, of combat, of real (and painful as hell) experience.
The world could reset, but the body carried the memory of the effort.
I even tried to think of a loophole — if time resets, maybe daily quest cooldowns do too, right?
No.
Luxxion tracked internal soul-time. Not chronological time.
In other words… the System was too smart for tricks like that.
''Luxxion,'' I touched my temples, taking a deep breath. ''I should've been penalized for missing my daily quest, right?''
[Negative. The user entered a coma state due to induced death. Active missions were placed on standby.]
''Wait… so you pause dailies if I'm nearly dead?''
[I pause if you're dead.]
''Ah. Another one of your comforting lines.''
[You're welcome.]
I scoffed, sitting at the edge of the bed.
The wood creaked.
''So? Anything happen while I… rested?''
[During the six days of unconsciousness, Hunter Kim Gongja remained by your side for 48% of the time. The rest was split between light training and visits to the Alchemy Master's shop.]
''And her?''
[She treated your injuries with notable dedication.]
[It's worth mentioning that the Alchemy Master applied rudimentary magical stabilization techniques, which may explain your current condition.]
''Huh… nice.''
She nearly rebuilt me from scratch, and he played watchdog.
Kinda sweet, actually.
I leaned back, staring at the ceiling.
''Luxxion… I have something to ask,'' I began. ''Do you know anyone named 97?''
[Unknown term.]
[There are no records of any entity with that name.]
''You don't have access to the info?''
[Negative. This is not a matter of access denial. The information simply does not exist.]
I went silent.
For some reason, that bothered me more than a simple "access denied."
[Addendum: there are memory fragments within the user's mind that are inaccessible to me.]
''What...?''
[Data fragmentation incompatible with my structure.]
[Cause: Unknown.]
My brow furrowed.
Great.
Now, on top of everything else, my head has corrupted files.
It was that guy's doing, wasn't it?
[Does the user wish to view the main mission completion window and receive the rewards?]
''Wait. Show me my status window and general info before I lose it completely.''
The interface lit up in front of my eyes.
[Status Window]
[Name: Perseus (Liam Han)]
[Strength: 1 Star (79%)] – [Agility: 1 Star (90%)]
[Endurance: 1 Star (85%)] – [Perception: 1 Star (84%)]
[Energy: 1 Star (5%)] – [Intelligence: 1 Star (67%)]
[Spirit: 2 Stars (83%)] – [Luck: 3 Stars (76%)]
--
[GENERAL WINDOW]
[Name: Perseus (Liam Han)]
[Level: 5 (56% experience)]
[Skill(s): Low-Quality Spear Technique (Level 4); Challenging the Impossible (Level 6); Pain Resistance (Level 1).]
[Title(s): None. Work harder to obtain one!]
[Ascension Ranking: ★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆]
[Conquest Points: 150 (new!)]
[Narrative Points: 97 (new!)]
My spear technique had leveled up?
That was good news.
My skill gallery had grown a lot compared to when I first got here.
[Note: Permanent increases were calculated based on extreme stimuli and real death risk. Growth has been optimized according to your current capacity.]
I gave a slight smile.
''We're doing okay, huh?''
[For a below-average human with a record of irrational decisions… reasonably.]
''You love me. Admit it.''
[I admit it's unlikely you'd survive without my assistance.]
''So... next step, then?''
[Would you like to view the completion of the main mission?]
I nodded, leaning forward.
''Let's see what this damn thing gave me.''
The mission window began to materialize.
Its layout, this time, was more luxurious.
Golden letters. Black background.
It represented the end of a mission that had come out of nowhere — and nearly killed me.
[Main Mission Completed: The Reviving Climber's Ascent]
[Mission Summary:]
• Investigated and identified an unknown anomaly.
• Survived a hostile entity and resisted Seed corruption.
• Protected Target-Gongja and prevented premature blooming.
• Eradicated the threat while in critical condition.]
-
[Rewards Granted:]
✔ +150 Conquest Points.
✔ +4 Normal Levels.
✔ +20% to all stats.
✔ 1 random world skill.
✔ Group Chat Function unlocked.]
My eye twitched.
''Finally. After almost dying... decent loot is the least I deserved.''
[Given your current survival stats, "decent loot" is… optimistic.]
''Go to hell, Luxxion. And since we're here… can I ask why you never explained what the hell these normal levels are for?''
[You never asked.]
''I'm starting to think you only give me info when I nearly die.''
[That is correct.]
''...You son of a—''
He cut me off before I could curse him out again.
[Each normal level grants +3% permanently to any stat of the user's choice.]
''Three percent?! And you let me live like a statless beggar this whole time?''
[Repeating: you didn't ask.]
''Was that passive-aggressive or just plain cruel?''
[It was a fact.]
Honestly? Whatever he said, it was pretty neat.
Apparently, leveling up could be triggered by various actions, though each had a different value.
Obviously, the best way was completing missions and killing monsters.
I did a quick calculation.
''Alright. Throw all 12% into agility. I want that damn second star to shine before I die again.''
[At least you're good at that.]
Ding!
[Agility: 1 Star (90%) → 2 Stars (2%)]
I felt the change instantly.
My body was lighter, muscles vibrating like tightly drawn strings.
Not quite feather-like... more like a metal feather.
In short: a little less useless.
''Nice. Now what? Give me the skill. Let's see if my karma still works.''
[Random skill is being materialized...]
A translucent card appeared in front of me.
No special glow. No fanfare. No epic RPG music.
Just a plain card, almost mocking.
I tapped the card.
Ding!
[New Skill Acquired: Blood Mark (Lv. 3)]
[Description: You can mark an enemy after dealing direct damage. The mark lasts 30 seconds and, while active, increases your damage against the target by 8% and reduces the target's regeneration by 25%.]
[Cooldown: 4 hours]
It was my first skill with a cooldown.
All the others had no such restriction.
''Huh…''
I stared at the description.
Then looked at the ceiling.
Then back at the card.
Then back at the ceiling.
''Okay… this is really good. Like, if it were ice cream, it wouldn't be chocolate, but it also wouldn't be corn.''
[Acceptable analogy. Given your history, that was almost mature.]
''Was that a compliment or did you just call me a child?''
[Yes.]
I sighed, but couldn't hold back a small smile.
It was… better than I expected.
An offensive skill that could turn the tide of a fight if I managed to use it right.
I could work with this.
Then Luxxion returned to the topic like someone remembering a forgotten email:
[Does the user wish to access the "Group Chat" function?]
I blinked.
''Okay. So... it's like WhatsApp™ or something?''
[Essentially, yes. A direct communication function between users linked to the System. Limitations may vary depending on access level.]
Unlocking a new feature only for it to still be partly locked.
That was a little stupid.
''Did you create this?''
[Negative.]
[The function is part of the base infrastructure of the System. It has only now been unlocked.]
''Open the interface already.''
[Launching group chat interface.]
The screen shifted.
A simple, no-frills layout appeared in front of me.
A title at the top:
[Group: Drafts of the Impossible]
What a ridiculously generic name.
[Members:
• Liam Han (Admin)
• Kim Gongja]
...
Wait...
''...Gongja?''
[Invitation was sent automatically after mission completion. He accepted before you woke up.]
''You sent an invite without asking me?''
[It was in the contract.]
''What contract?''
[You agreed to it without knowing.]
...
I didn't answer Luxxion.
My stare was at the screen, feeling a drop of sweat roll down my temple.
Because at the bottom of the chat window, a notification started blinking:
[Kim Gongja is typing...]