Jae-Hee didn't go home. He found his friend, Min-Ji Lee, holed up in the dusty computer lab. She had a Level 12 Support Class and was furiously typing on a salvaged laptop.
"You look terrible," Min-Ji said without looking up.
"F-Rank tax," Jae-Hee muttered, flexing his bruised hand. "Did you find anything on the System?"
"It's not just a game, Jae-Hee. It's real. Everyone's stats are locked to their profile. Look."
She pointed to her own Status Window:
STATUS WINDOW MIN-JI LEE
LEVEL 12
CLASS SUPPORT C-RANK
STRENGTH 7
ENDURANCE 15
AGILITY 10
SKILLS Data Analysis Lv. 3, Quick Heal Lv. 1
"I can read basic code now, and my healing skill is useless—it takes a minute to mend a papercut," she sighed. "But there's no known way to level up unless you fight. And you can't fight anyone."
"Then I need a cheat," Jae-Hee said, his voice flat. The helplessness from the beating was curdling into a dark resolve.
He didn't want to be a hero; he wanted to be safe.
That night, Jae-Hee found his target: Do-Yoon. Min-Ji, worried, had tracked the grunt to a dark side-street near the market where he was shaking down a street vendor.
Do-Yoon. Level 6. Strength 10. A massive gap from Jae-Hee's Level 1.
He hid behind a dumpster, his body shaking. If he failed, Do-Yoon would hospitalize him.
I need a Critical Blow. I need to hit him when he's not looking.
Jae-Hee watched Do-Yoon kick a metal trashcan in frustration. In that moment of distraction, a new, hidden window flashed across Jae-Hee's vision. It wasn't the neat blue of the Status Window. It was dark purple, glitching like a corrupted file.
UNIQUE SKILL XP SIPHON Lv. 0
CONDITION: Land a critical blow on an opponent whose Level is 5 levels higher or more.
REWARD: 50% of latent XP.
PENALTY: x2 Damage taken while active.
ACTIVATE?
Jae-Hee didn't hesitate. He rushed out of the shadows, his pathetic Strength 5 channeled into a desperate, clumsy right hook aimed not at Do-Yoon's head, but at the side of his kidney.
Do-Yoon was shocked by the audacity of the Level 1 ant. He barely registered the blow. It wasn't powerful, but it was a critical strike—a hit while the target was completely relaxed.
A massive rush of dark purple energy erupted from Do-Yoon's back, flowing straight into Jae-Hee's outstretched hand. The energy was electric, painful, and terrifyingly addictive.
XP SIPHON SUCCESSFUL!
XP GAINED: +30
The rush hit him.
NOTIFICATION JAE-HEE PARK HAS LEVELED UP!
LEVEL 1 -> 5
STRENGTH 5 -> 9
ENDURANCE 4 -> 8
AGILITY 3 -> 7
Do-Yoon, feeling a sudden, unexplained wave of fatigue, finally turned and saw Jae-Hee.
"What did you just do, Fodder?" he growled, raising his fist for a savage counter-attack.
Jae-Hee didn't answer. His own body felt lighter, the bruises dulling. He was still terrified, but a cold, calculating resolve settled over him.
He was still an F-Rank civilian, but now he had a path. And he knew exactly where to find his next meal.