Il-seong stopped at the senior year and yawned right in its face.
This is so damn boring, he thought.
Ever since the principal and Jeunk had been expelled, a ridiculous gang war had broken out. He had expected his Game Master to take advantage of the chaos and flood him with quests, but the system had gone strangely quiet. Back then, badges rained down on him for the smallest actions—waking up before a certain hour, showing up at a random place, picking a fight. Now, he had to work a lot harder just to get something.
Out of boredom, he had walked to the next town over, testing his new body. That little detour had earned him the [Great Traveler] badge, which unlocked the ability to stack multiple badges at once. Then came the confessions. After the gym incident, he had become something like a local hero, and girls lined up to confess. By the end of the afternoon, he somehow had nine simultaneous girlfriends. At the tenth, the system rewarded him with [Great Hitch], which doubled his Charisma stat.
He even tried breaking up racketeering fights born from the competition to crown a new top thug. But this time... no rewards.
The first three times, he raged. After that, he found a better way to kill time.
— Uh... G-Good morning, boss!
Il-seong lazily lowered his eyes. Seo-jun. He had almost forgotten about him. With his boosted Charisma, everyone treated him like royalty now. Even the senior that once seemed bigger than him now looked... tiny.
— It's gangster time ?
Seo-jun flinched, sweat dripping down his forehead.
Pathetic.
Il-seong wondered if he had reacted the same way at such weak jokes before the system.
Well... time to get this over with. His fist slammed down on the senior's skull, sending him to his knees.
— You got lackeys?
— Y-Yeah, yeah!
Seo-jun pointed at the juniors behind him. But they were already gone, sprinting for their lives. Il-seong shrugged.
— Guess you're not starting your little gang anytime soon.
— Cowards... Seo-jun groaned.
Il-seong chuckled at the ridiculous sight. He pressed a foot down on Seo-jun's shoulder and wiped his shoe clean.
This place is still covered in dust. Some things never change, huh?
— I'm feeling generous today. Get lost.
Seo-jun didn't argue. He ran off after his deserters. Il-seong sighed. Since Jeunk's downfall, everything felt... meaningless. Empty.
Well.. Almost everything.
Why had he even bothered stepping in, again?
— Il-seong?
He turned his head slowly.
Si-woo.
He was standing just a few steps away, frozen in shock at what he had just seen. Il-seong was even more stunned.
— You... you're awake?
He immediately regretted his words. His best friend had just woken up from days in a coma, and that was all he could say?
Si-woo gave him a faint smile. He looked exhausted.
— I thought you'd be at my side, he admitted softly, with the faintest reproach.
Il-seong opened his mouth but nothing came out. Deep down, he was convinced his friend's condition was linked to the school doctor. Or rather... the former school doctor.
Doctor Kim had vanished the same night the principal was expelled. All Il-seong had found was a note scribbled and shoved in his shoe locker:
Enjoy your powers while you still can.
From then on, he chased badges endlessly, but the thrill was gone. What good was power in a world of insects? At times, he even missed Jeunk. He needed a real rival—someone who could push back.
His Master... he was probably plotting revenge for that interference at the gym. Or maybe... maybe he was working with Doctor Kim.
— ...Il-seong?
Si-woo had moved closer, pale as a corpse. Even so, his furrowed brows showed he was worried—about him.
Il-seong felt pathetic. He forced a laugh to mask the awkwardness.
— I'm fine, don't worry. I'm just glad you're here, man. I missed you.
And as he said it, he realized just how true it was. Like some massive hole in his chest had finally been filled.
Yes—he remembered now. He really had heard Si-woo's voice. He hadn't imagined it. He had come, and he had seen the seniortrike a kid with spiky black hair. The resemblance was so strong—even from behind—that his lips had moved on their own.
Il-seong forced a smile.
— We need to talk, bro. It's important. But first...
He turned toward the students still sitting frozen on the ground. Their bodies trembled uncontrollably, eyes wide in terror.
Il-seong inhaled slowly, savoring their fear, and crouched down.
— I saved you, didn't I? So now... you're going to pay up.
Si-woo's smile vanished.
He had misheard. He must have misheard.
His friend... had he really become... a bully?