The world went black before Minjae Ryu even felt the last blow. His chest collapsed under the weight of bone-crushing fists, his vision blurred with blood and pain. Laughter rang in his ears, the cruel, mocking laughter of those he had trusted to leave him alone. Every moment of cowardice, every time he ran or lowered his head, all came crashing down in a single instant.
"You… you're pathetic," a voice sneered. Minjae couldn't even look up. The shadow of a towering figure loomed over him, a boot pressing against his chest, grinding the air from his lungs. "This is what happens when you're weak."
Pain was everywhere. His body screamed, every joint, every bone, every muscle torn and screaming. He wanted to move, to fight back, but his body refused. Years of running, of doing nothing, of hiding — it all ended here, in this alleyway, under the indifferent glare of the city's lights.
A fist came down one last time. Then nothing. Silence.
And then, impossibly, Minjae's consciousness flickered.
He woke gasping, cold air filling his lungs, but something felt… different. He wasn't on the filthy alley floor. He was in his room. His chest heaved as if he had been asleep for weeks, yet everything was sharper, more vivid.
He glanced at his reflection in the mirror. His face… younger, his purple hair still shining. His body… smaller, lighter. A flood of confusion hit him.
"What…?" he whispered. His voice cracked. His hands trembled as he flexed his fingers, feeling strength where none had existed. Then a calm, almost melodic voice echoed in his mind:
"Welcome back, Minjae Ryu."
The voice was kind. Warm. Not like the monsters in the alley, not like the world he had failed to survive.
"You… who are you?" Minjae asked aloud, but the voice continued.
"I am the Administrator. You have been granted a second chance. But be warned: this life will not be easy. You are bound to the Quest System. Complete your quests. Survive. Succeed, and you will gain the power you lacked in your past life. Fail, and all progress will be erased. You will return to the powerless life you tried to escape."
Minjae's heart pounded. His first life, wasted and meaningless, was gone — but now he had… a chance. A path.
A purple screen appeared with a notification:
[Quest given]
[Stand up to the bully that will bully you today.]
[Reward awaits…]
The words burned in his mind. Stand up. Minjae's first instinct was to shrink, to run, to hide as he always had. But… the memory of his death, the cold laughter, the pain of being crushed — it pushed him forward.
He didn't have a choice. Not really.
The school hallway was alive with chaos. Students jostled and shouted, some laughing, some sneering. And there, at the center of it all, was the bully — a tall, muscular figure who had terrorized Minjae for months, flanked by two idiotic cronies.
"You're late, loser," the bully sneered. "I was getting bored waiting for you to crawl into the floor like a worm."
Minjae's stomach twisted. He felt the familiar panic rising, but he remembered the System, the Administrator's words, the brutal cost of failure. Failure was death — not literal, but worse: a return to the life he hated. The life of a loser. A pathetic life.
He squared his shoulders. His heart thundered in his chest. He had a second chance.
"Not this time," he said, voice low but steady. The words sounded strange even to him, foreign in their confidence.
The bully laughed, a cruel, high-pitched sound. "You?will you fight me? Hah! I'll make this quick."
The fight was messy at first. Well to call it a fight there would have to be an exchange of punches but it was just a one sided beat down. Minjae got to the ground and curled into a ball and got stomped by the bully, until he remembered the admin again. Got up ,Minjae stumbled, tripped, almost fell, but instinct took over. He remembered every moment of fear, every failed escape from his first life, and turned it into something sharp. Every dodge, every block, every counter was fueled by rage and the raw desire not to fail again.
He swung his fist desperately. It connected. The sound was sickeningly solid — a crack, the kind of strike that would leave a mark. The bully staggered, eyes wide with shock. He didn't know he could do that.
[Quest Complete.]
[For the completion of your quest… you will be given 3 rewards.]
Rewards:
[One black scroll.]
Description: If torn you'll get a technique from the webtoons you've read.
[One white scroll.]
Description: If torn your stats will increase and the number of points that increase is determined by the quality of the scroll.
[One grey scroll.]
Description: Unlocks a trait the user has that is dormant.
The hallway fell silent. Students whispered, in awe. Minjae stood there, chest heaving, staring at the bully's shocked expression.
"You… you got lucky," the bully spat. "Next time, you won't—"
"I won't fail," Minjae interrupted. He didn't know how he knew, but he knew. This time, things were different. He could feel it in his bones, in the way his fists burned, in the weight of every movement.
Back in his room later, the Administrator appeared again, silent at first, then spoke.
"Well done. You've completed your first quest. But know this — the path ahead grows darker, heavier, and deadlier. Every choice has consequences, every fight tests more than strength. Are you ready, Minjae Ryu?"
Minjae swallowed hard, flexing his hands. Pain and adrenaline mingled, but so did a strange thrill.
"I… I'm ready," he said.
A faint smile appeared on the Administrator's face. "Good. Then prepare yourself. Your second quest will arrive soon but this time I might not appear again. So Best of luck."
Minjae's eyes narrowed. He didn't bother shouting or calling out to the administrator. It was whatever.
The memory of death still burned in his chest, but it was no longer hopeless. He had a path, a system, and power he had never had.
And for the first time in his life, he wasn't afraid to fight.
The next day at school, the corridors were the same, but Minjae wasn't. Students whispered as he passed, some in awe, some wary. The bully's crony glared at him, but Minjae didn't flinch. He had survived. He had power. And the System had only just begun.
The first strike, the first victory — it was enough to ignite a fire. But Minjae knew better than to think this was the hardest fight. The world was bigger, the hierarchy higher, the stakes lethal. And every quest would demand more than just fists — it would demand every ounce of courage, wit, and skill he could muster.
He clenched his fists.
One punch at a time. That was all he needed to start.
The Quest System had awakened, and Minjae Ryu's second life had begun.