Void Shop

Taegyun's eyes widened slightly, his expression shifting from confusion to subtle panic.

"You mean I'm using power that comes from my soul? And… wait, mutated? What do you mean by that?" He paused, face darkening. "Do I have a mutated soul or something?"

A beat.

Then his face twisted in horror. "Wait—don't tell me I've become some kind of monster! Like one of those characters in TV shows who lose their humanity and start slaughtering people like maniacs—th-this is bad—"

"Calm down, Taegyun," his grandfather interrupted sharply. "You've completely misunderstood what I meant."

The old man sighed and adjusted his glasses, now perched halfway down his nose. "What I'm saying is that your soul energy might be mutated. I can't say anything for certain. But let me ask—do you have a core? Like how Awakened have a mana core?"

Taegyun nodded. "Yes, I do."

"Then I suppose I should say it's your soul core that's mutated."

"Grandpa, it's not a soul core," Taegyun corrected, his brows furrowing. "I have a Void Core."

His grandfather stared at him flatly. "The fuck is a Void Core? I felt soul energy, so of course your energy would be stored in your core—hence, a soul core."

Taegyun pouted, folding his arms. "Well, I have a Void Core. And you shouldn't swear in front of your grandson."

The old man clicked his tongue. "Why are you calling it Void Core? How do you even know that?"

"Er… well…"

'I can't exactly tell him I've got a freakin' system that calls it that…'

"I just know, okay? It's not like I'm guessing."

The old man sighed heavily and sat back down in his chair, rubbing his temples. "Fine, fine. So the 'Void' you've been mentioning this whole time is likely the reason for all the mixed, unknown energies I felt earlier. What do you call it again? Void Energy?"

"Yeah."

"Makes sense now…" he muttered. "That's the cause behind your mutation, and why you call it Void Core. I still don't know if that's accurate, but it's clear you're using a different, more advanced energy than mana. Honestly, it's like you're a whole different branch of human altogether."

He took off his glasses and placed them gently on the desk.

"If any researcher or scientist found out about this, they'd lose their goddamn minds." He gave a short chuckle before his voice turned low and serious again. "Jokes aside, listen carefully."

"No matter what happens, you cannot tell anyone about this, If you ever speak of this to anyone then they will," the old man said as he raised his hand, dragging his thumb slowly across his throat in a chilling gesture. "Do you understand, Taegyun?"

Taegyun blinked, then flinched slightly at the sudden shift in tone.

His grandpa wasn't joking.

"You're jinxing me now," Taegyun muttered. "Come on, don't do the whole throat-slitting move…"

"Hah! I'm being serious," the old man said, laughing dryly. "In fact, you probably shouldn't have told me."

Taegyun frowned. "What do you mean? You're my grandpa. We're family. You'd never tell anyone–"

The old man let out a long sigh and lightly slapped his forehead.

"This naive grandson of mine…" he muttered. "Listen carefully. We live in an era ruled by Awakened Hunters. Out there are people with skills that specialize in mind-reading, truth-forcing, soul-snooping. No one is completely safe—not me, not even you."

"And get yourself a high-ranking psychological barrier skill. Something strong. Or a mind protection skill from the black market."

"That'll cost a fortune," Taegyun groaned. "We don't even have that much money... and besides, I don't even know if I can use those skills. I don't have mana like the other Awakened."

"That's your problem." His grandfather shrugged, completely unfazed.

'This fucking shameless old man…' Taegyun gritted his teeth.

Still, he tried to reassure himself silently. I don't even need to buy those skills. I've got a freakin' system. It'll give me what I need… right?

He waited, staring blankly at the air in front of him.

…Nothing happened.

'What did I even expect…?' he sighed inwardly.

He ran a hand through his hair. "Anyway… Grandpa, about the license—"

Ding!

[Congratulations! The Void Shop function has been successfully integrated into the system.]

[To unlock the Void Shop, you need 1000 Void Points.]

Taegyun's eyes widened.

Void Shop?!

What the hell was that supposed to be?

'I'll check it later,' he decided.

His grandfather, now tapping idly on his phone, chimed in, "Don't worry about the license. I've got enough connections in the Association's branch. Expect your fake–well real one to arrive tomorrow morning—before your Academy starts."

Taegyun gawked. "Wait, what? That fast?"

His grandfather cleared his throat, puffing his chest out with pride. "I've got very good connections."

Taegyun narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Those connections… they wouldn't all be women, would they?"

The old man coughed into his fist, caught off guard. "W-Well yes, I mean n–"

"Figures." Taegyun rolled his eyes, turned on his heel, and walked straight out of the room.

***

"Four hundred and ninety-five."

"Four hundred and ninety-six."

Beneath the soft glow of the early morning sun, in a quiet corner of the city park, Taegyun's voice echoed low and strained as he powered through his push-ups.

Birds chirped above him, fluttering through tree branches gently swaying with the morning breeze. The grass was freshly trimmed and lush green, a few dew droplets still clinging to its blades, catching the light like tiny crystals. A light floral scent drifted in the air, mixed with the earthy freshness of soil and leaves.

The park wasn't crowded. It rarely was this early. A few joggers passed now and then, the occasional cyclist pedaled down the trails, and a distant group of elderly folks gathered near the fountain doing stretches and light tai chi. All in all, it was a perfect place for peaceful morning exercise—or secret dating sessions.

"Four hundred and ninety-nine..."

"Five hundred."

With that final push-up, Taegyun let his body collapse onto the grass, panting heavily as his arms shook from exertion. He lay on his back, chest rising and falling with every breath, sweat glistening on his skin under the filtered sunlight.

He summoned his system screen with a thought.

A transparent panel appeared before him:

[500 Sit-Ups: Complete (500/500)]

[500 Squats: Complete (500/500)]

[500 Push-Ups: Complete (500/500)]

[20 km Running: Incomplete (0/20)]

"Now only running left. Haah..." he muttered.

His body ached, muscles burned, and even lifting a finger felt like a chore—but the thought of failing the quest and falling into a boiling cauldron as punishment gave him just the motivation he needed.

"I don't have the strength anymore," he grumbled, "but I also don't want to end up fried like a chicken thigh."

With a groan, he pushed himself back up, grabbed a flask lying nearby, and chugged down half the energy drink inside. The cool liquid was a godsend—cold, sharp, and laced with just enough sugar and stimulants to wake his limbs back up.

He wiped his mouth, then turned to glance down the park's paved path. It stretched out in a straight line before curving off beside a row of tall trees. Just ahead, a lone teenage jogger disappeared around the bend.

But what caught his eyes wasn't the runner.

Near one of the trees along the curve, hidden partially by branches, a couple was locked in a passionate kiss. The man looked to be in his forties, and the girl—definitely too young for him—clung to him like a melting popsicle. Their hands were wandering, lips noisy, and clearly, they had zero care for their surroundings.

Taegyun let out a tired sigh. "People really don't give a damn anymore, huh?"

Shaking his head, he broke into a steady jog, heading into the winding path.

The park's total length was around 5 kilometers, so if he went back and forth, turning around at the end of each stretch, four full loops would get him to 20 kilometers.

He kept running.

One turn. Then another.

Sweat poured down his temple, soaking into his shirt. His breaths came sharp and rhythmic, legs moving on muscle memory alone. The ache in his calves screamed for him to stop, but he pushed on. He lost track of time—was it thirty minutes? Forty? More?

Eventually, the system panel blinked back to life.

[Quest Complete]

[Reward 1: Full Recovery Potion – Received]

[Reward 2: 100 Void Points – Received]

"Finally..." he gasped.

He didn't waste a second. The moment the potion materialized in his hand, he popped the cap and chugged it in one go.

A surge of coolness rushed through his veins. The exhaustion vanished. His muscles relaxed. His lungs felt like they had been refilled with fresh air. He jumped lightly on his toes and stretched his arms, a grin tugging at his lips.

"Haah… damn, what is this potion? This stuff is amazing."

It was like the fatigue never existed.

He rotated his shoulders, twisted his torso, cracked his neck—all parts of his body moved smoothly. No soreness. No pain. Just pure relief.

Then he turned his attention to the remaining reward, eyes scanning the glowing screen again.

[Reward 2: 100 Void Points]

"I see… I can get Void Points as rewards," he murmured with a nod, lips curling into a pleased smirk.