Tae-oh felt a faint warmth as the 10 VP were banked. His status screen instantly updated.
[Host: Han Tae-oh]
[Virtue Points (VP): 10]
"One hundred VP for a low-grade skill scroll," Tae-oh muttered. "I need ten more of these ridiculous missions just to buy one useful thing."
He turned a corner, mentally debugging his next move, and collided with a wall of muscle.
He looked up and froze.
It was Lee Ji-hoon, the Regressor. The True Hero. The man whose last breath was a promise to kill him.
Ji-hoon was tall, with a lean, dangerous build, and the deep, haunted eyes of someone who had seen the end of the world. He was currently a C-Rank Hunter, powerful but operating under the radar. He stared at Tae-oh with an icy, lethal intensity that transcended mere hatred—it was the focus of a man hunting a final boss.
Ji-hoon didn't speak. He just watched Tae-oh with an unsettling calm.
He knows. He absolutely knows who I am and what I did. He's back for revenge.
Tae-oh's corporate instincts kicked in. Never look weak in front of a supervisor. He adopted the arrogant sneer of the original Han Tae-oh, masking the panic.
"What are you looking at, C-Rank?" Tae-oh snapped, trying to sound bored. "You're blocking the VIP hallway."
Ji-hoon's gaze didn't waver. He was analyzing Tae-oh's new, quiet confidence—a sharp change from the whining arrogance he remembered.
"Nothing, Young Master," Ji-hoon said, his voice flat and cold. "Just observing how the spoiled trash of the Guild suddenly found the insight to mentor our E-Ranks." He put a chilling emphasis on the last word.
He stepped aside without another word, his eyes lingering on Tae-oh as he passed.
Tae-oh's heart hammered. He thinks I'm playing 4D chess! He thinks I'm a cunning genius!
[Virtue Points (VP) Available: 10]
[Available Actions: Spend VP on Stats or Skills.]
Tae-oh realized his terror was his greatest teacher. He had to be smarter than the Regressor's future knowledge.
He brought up his full Status screen.
[Intelligence (INT): 12 (Low)]
"Spend 10 VP," Tae-oh commanded. "On Intelligence."
[Intelligence (INT): 13]
[Virtue Points (VP): 0]
It's pathetic, but it's a start. I'm going to beat the future with better data.