Daily Quest

"There are two Void Abilities," Taegyun muttered.

"Shouldn't these be under the Skills tab instead?"

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Void Abilities: [Darkness Manipulation],

[Light Manipulation]

Skills: —

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He tilted his head. "Maybe Void Abilities are something exclusive to me? Probably because of my Void attributes..."

He was about to focus on his first ability but then suddenly stopped, raised his hand, and tapped on [Darkness Manipulation].

Immediately, a new screen appeared.

'Oh, that also works,' Taegyun mused and read the new lines that appeared,

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Ability: [Darkness Manipulation]

Ability Description:

You can command a small amount of primordial Darkness.

Grants limited control over Primordial Darkness.

Shape or move it within a 3-meter range.

Slightly distort nearby physical matter or energy within the darkness.

Cannot be used offensively or to conceal — purely environmental influence.

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'Tch... just a basic and weak version,' Taegyun thought, visibly disappointed. He closed the panel with a swipe.

Next, he tapped [Light Manipulation].

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Ability: [Light Manipulation]

Ability Description:

You can command a small amount of primordial Light.

Grants limited control over Primordial Light.

Stabilize a 3-meter radius to dispel distortion, illusion, or corruption.

Creates a subtle field of clarity; helps detect falsehood or irregularities.

Cannot be used offensively — purely environmental influence.

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Taegyun yawned, unimpressed.

"It's basically the same, just a Light version."

He scratched the back of his neck.

"Guess that's it. My Skills tab is empty... and I've already seen all the attributes."

Now that all the excitement had vanished, his body relaxed and felt sleepy.

Just as he relaxed, eyes fluttering from fatigue—

Ding!

A red warning screen snapped open with a low-pitched hum. Its borders pulsed like a heartbeat.

[Warning: Your current physical vessel is incompatible with Void Core integration.]

[Void Energy saturation has exceeded your body's tolerance threshold.]

[Requirement: New Host Body suitable for Void Core stabilization.]

"What the—?"

His eyes shot wide.

Another screen followed.

[Initiating Realm-Wide Scan for compatible vessel...]

[No suitable body found within the Mortal Realm.]

[Expanding scan to Immortal Realm...]

[Compatible vessel detected.]

[Searching for viable Soul Transfer Method...]

[Available Method: Reincarnation]

[Would you like to initiate Soul Transfer via Reincarnation?]

[ Y / N ]

"What's going on?"

Taegyun panicked as several screens hovered mid-air in front of him, glowing with a strange ethereal light.

"Fuck, am I going to die? No, no way—I just fucking awakened!"

His voice trembled as panic began to claw at his chest.

He grit his teeth, his breathing uneven as his thoughts spiraled. A cold sweat broke out along his temples.

'I should calm down first... I should focus on these lines and try to understand what's happening.'

With a shaky breath, he raised his head and focused on the first glowing panels that had appeared.

[Warning: Your current physical vessel is incompatible with Void Core integration.]

[Void Energy saturation has exceeded your body's tolerance threshold.]

[Requirement: New Host Body suitable for Void Core stabilization]

Taegyun took a deep breath and muttered, "So... my physical body is incompatible with the Void Core?"

He looked down at his hands, fingers trembling.

"I see... my body is too weak to handle Void Energy. So I need a suitable body for that..."

Trying to suppress the fear rising in his chest, he quickly shifted his gaze to the next series of panels.

[Initiating Realm-Wide Scan for compatible vessel...]

[No suitable body found within the Mortal Realm.]

[Expanding scan to Immortal Realm...]

[Compatible vessel detected.]

[Searching for viable Soul Transfer Method...]

[Available Method: Reincarnation]

Taegyun blinked. "...What? Mortal Realm? Immortal Realm?"

He scratched his head, utterly confused, his fingers tangling through his disheveled hair.

But with years of games, webtoons, and fantasy dramas under his belt, his mind began connecting the dots.

"Could it be... there are two realms in the universe? The Mortal Realm where people like us live, and the Immortal Realm where powerful, godlike beings exist?"

His eyes widened. "It says a suitable body was found in the Immortal Realm. And I can gain it through reincarnation..."

He lowered his gaze to the last panel blinking in front of him.

[Would you like to initiate Soul Transfer via Reincarnation?]

[ Y / N ]

'If I click Yes... then I'll die here and reincarnate in another world.'

"Fuck, this is so scary..."

He swallowed hard, his mouth suddenly dry.

"I don't wanna die and wake up in some strange unknown world... but if I don't reincarnate, then what? Will I just die here anyway? It says my physical vessel is unstable with the Void Core... but it didn't say I would die immediately."

His thoughts spiraled again, his eyes darting across the panels. He couldn't focus anymore. Then, a bitter realization dawned on him.

"I'm not lucky... fuck. This was too good to be true."

Images flashed in his mind—his family. His grandpa, his grandma... and Niri.

"I don't wanna just leave them behind..."

His gaze fell to the floor, where a faint bloodstain still lingered. It was another grim reminder that everything happening now was real.

Then, like a cruel joke from his subconscious, the image of his teacher Miss Anna appeared... followed closely by the memory of a busty tall girl in a mini skirt walking through the school hallway.

His cheeks flushed crimson.

"Damn it..." he muttered, shaking his head to banish the thoughts.

Taegyun drew in a deep breath and reached out, his finger hovering over the glowing option. After a moment of hesitation, he tapped the [N].

The panel disappeared with a soft flicker.

"I don't wanna reincarnate... My relationship with Anna finally improved, and I don't wanna lose that chance."

Ding!

[Note: Soul instability will increase if transfer is delayed. Remaining stability: 12.6%]

[If the transfer is delayed, your body and soul will collapse and you will die. Time limit: 731 days]

He stared at the new message, his jaw tightening. "So if I delay the soul transfer… I'll die. My body and soul will collapse?"

A heavy silence wrapped around him.

"Well... at least I have a time limit. Two years. That's enough time to grow stronger, to figure things out. I can improve my relationship with Anna. And I'll turn eighteen... After that..."

His voice trailed off, replaced by a troubled expression.

"...After that, what? I'll still have to leave her behind. If I delay, I'll definitely die."

"Shit..."

He raised both hands to his face and buried it in his palms.

"Why is this so fucking hard..."

he whispered under his breath.

After a long pause, he sighed deeply.

"Ahh... I'll think about it another day. For now, I should clean this mess and get some sleep. I've got to wake up early... and test my abilities."

***

Chirp... chirp

Morning birds sang from tree branches, flitting through the soft leaves in search of their first meal. A pair of them swooped low over a jogging track, then vanished into a thick patch of greenery. Their faint chirps echoed in the otherwise still morning air.

The sun had only begun to rise. Its golden rays spilled across the cracked pavement and dew-kissed grass, stretching like warm fingers over the benches, lamps, and old metal workout bars scattered around the community park.

People were already moving—some light on their feet, others sluggish but determined. Old men in faded sportswear shuffled down the path, arms swinging. A few young joggers passed them with light steps and white headphones in their ears, completely absorbed in their morning rhythm.

Among them were women—mature, composed, and provocatively dressed. Several stood out. One, possibly in her early forties, wore tight black leggings that clung to her wide hips and outlined the curve of her firm rear with every step. Her top was cropped just enough to flash a strip of toned stomach as she bounced to a soft rhythm, her breasts restrained by a sports bra that barely did its job.

Another woman, blonde and flushed from her jog, leaned forward to stretch against a railing, her backside raised slightly. Her yoga shorts barely covered her thighs, and her breaths were sharp, chest rising and falling in tempting waves. A few passing men subtly turned their heads—pretending to check their watches or wipe sweat from their brows.

The park was relatively quiet, with only the sounds of shoes hitting gravel, distant grunts from a pull-up bar, and the steady hum of life stirring. The air was fresh, neither too cold nor too warm, and the scent of wet soil and wildflowers added a touch of nature's perfume.

Despite the towering buildings visible in the distance, the park remained a green pocket of calm. Trees stood proud with thick branches, casting gentle shade over certain corners.

A woman with a ponytail sat on the bench, one leg crossed over the other, leisurely sipping from a tall flask. Beside her, another woman stood bent over, adjusting the strap of her shoe—her arched backside curving up like an unspoken invitation.

The ponytail woman turned her head slightly and spoke, her tone casual but laced with curiosity. "Hey, did you hear? A team of seven hunters from the Thousand Blood Sword Guild were found dead."

The woman, still bent over, paused mid-motion. Her head snapped up, and she blinked in shocked. "What? When did that happen?"

"Apparently last night," the ponytail woman replied, lowering her flask slightly. "They were assigned to clear an S-Rank gate. Everything was going according to schedule... until the gate suddenly vanished."

"Vanished?" the other woman stood upright, brushing invisible dust from her hips. "You mean the dungeon collapsed?"

"Sort of. The gate disappeared like normal after the dungeon boss was defeated—or so it was assumed. But when the bodies were ejected... all of them were already dead."

The standing woman furrowed her brows, clearly unsettled. "That makes no sense. The Thousand Blood Sword Guild doesn't send weaklings. Their teams are elite even among other top guilds."

"There was an S-Rank hunter among them too," the woman with the ponytail added quietly. "Four A-Rank hunters, one S-Rank, and two porters. All gone."

A heavy silence lingered between them for a moment. The usual hum of the morning—chirping birds, footsteps on gravel, the occasional jogger breathing heavily—seemed to fade under the weight of that statement.

The woman standing exhaled softly, her expression stiff. "That's... not normal. Something's wrong with that dungeon."

The ponytail woman nodded, her eyes scanning the morning park. "Yeah. The Association hasn't released details yet. But rumors are already spreading."

Suddenly, without any warning, a young boy stumbled and collapsed right in front of the two women who had been casually chatting by the bench.

The thud was loud enough to startle them both.

"What the—?!"

The boy's body hit the pavement with a soft thump, limbs sprawled and his chest heaving as if he had run a marathon. His clothes were drenched in sweat, clinging to his frame like a second skin. His hair stuck to his forehead, and faint trails of perspiration trickled down his jawline.

It was Taegyun.

The ponytail woman blinked, then rushed forward with the other, both crouching beside him in a mix of panic and concern.

"Hey! Young man, are you okay?" she asked, gently shaking his shoulder. Her voice was firm but not harsh.

"Can you hear me?" the other woman joined in, lightly slapping his cheek to jolt a reaction.

But Taegyun remained still—unconscious.

His breathing was shallow, his face pale under the morning light, and his body radiated heat like he had been running through a furnace.

The two women exchanged a glance—one of shared worry and silent agreement—before each hooked an arm beneath his shoulders and legs, carefully lifting him.

"Let's lay him down," the ponytail woman said.

They carried him over and gently laid him on the same bench she had been sitting on earlier.

She unscrewed the cap of her flask and poured some cool water into her palm, then splashed it gently onto Taegyun's face.

A second passed. Then another.

Suddenly, Taegyun's eyes snapped open wide, and he gasped—a deep, desperate gasp as if he had been underwater for far too long. He jerked upright slightly, his eyes darting around, wild and confused.

His chest rose and fell in ragged, erratic breaths.

Then, his gaze sharpened.

He wasn't looking at the women, or the bench, or the park.

He was staring straight into the air in front of him—as if something was floating there. Something only he could see.

"Oh fuck... I'm...safe" he muttered under his breath, still dazed, sweat still rolling down the side of his temple.

His voice was raw, and his entire body ached as if something deep inside had burned and refused to go out.

The two women stood there, watching him closely, unsure whether to laugh at his reaction or call an ambulance.

They had no idea what he had just survived.

Because just moments ago, Taegyun had somehow completed the most unreasonable, agonizing task of his life.

A system window, only visible to him, glowed softly in the air.

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[Daily Quest: Preparation for the Path of Ascension]

500 Push-Ups: Complete (500/500)

500 Sit-Ups: Complete (500/500)

500 Squats: Complete (500/500)

20 km Running: Complete (20/20)

Status: Cleared

System Note: Daily Quests will reset every 24 hours.

Warning: Failure to complete Daily Quests will trigger automatic Penalty Protocols.

Penalty Upon Failure: Immersive Agony Simulation

Submersion in a "Cauldron of Boiling Oil"

Duration: 10 hours

Effect: Full-body pain equivalent to death-level agony

Note: Physical death will not occur. Pain memory will persist.

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