The next morning, Seongjin High felt different. The air was colder, the stares sharper. Jae-Hee's success was impossible to hide. The three lieutenants from the Old Kookje Gym hadn't died, but they had returned to school days later, Levels visibly dropped—a badge of failure.
Jae-Hee was now Level 15, and the Level 40s finally saw him.
As he walked down the hall, a discreet, silver-bordered window popped up, visible only to him. It was silent, official, and far more terrifying than any gang threat.
Gamsi-gwan Alert
Sector: Seongjin High, East Wing
Subject: Park, Jae-Hee Anomaly
Violation: Excessive Level Gain in Contested Sector Kookje Gym.
Warning: Cease unsanctioned power acquisition. Adhere to established Level limits or face System Purge.
The message vanished.
Jae-Hee froze, his heart pounding. The Gamsi-gwan (Inspectors) were real. They were the shadowy enforcers of the System's power imbalance.
In the classroom, Min-Ji was already agitated. She had seen the rumors spread on the student network—fast, coded messages that moved faster than any teacher.
"It's the monitors," Min-Ji muttered, pretending to study. "They are trying to stop anyone who upsets the balance. They don't care about the gangs, they care about the rules."
"What does 'System Purge' mean?" Jae-Hee asked, keeping his voice level.
"It means they'll send someone too high-level for you to Siphon, or they'll trigger a debuff that locks your stats. It means death, or becoming F-Rank again, permanently."
Later that afternoon, the Apex boss, Hyeok Shin (Level 40), appeared. He stood in the middle of the schoolyard, surrounded by his Level 30 entourage. He wasn't yelling; he was waiting.
He had sent a messenger: a hulking brute known simply as "The Brick".
The Brick, easily Level 25, swaggered up to Jae-Hee. Unlike the other low-level thugs, The Brick didn't look angry; he looked bored.
"Hyeok Shin wants to talk," The Brick rumbled, his voice low enough only for Jae-Hee to hear. "He saw what you did at Kookje. He likes your style. He offers you a spot in the Apex's inner circle. You submit, you get protection, money, and free reign to Level on the city's street gangs. You refuse..."
The Brick didn't finish the sentence. He just cracked his knuckles, the sound like dry branches snapping.
Jae-Hee looked at the Level 25 monster in front of him. The gap was still immense: 10 Levels. But it was possible.
If he accepted, he became a dog on a leash. If he refused, he had an immediate, lethal target that would vault him to Level 20 or higher.
"Tell the Boss," Jae-Hee said, meeting The Brick's gaze, "that I prefer to earn my XP the hard way."
The Brick blinked once, a slow, cold flicker of surprise. Then, he grinned. "Wrong answer, Fodder. But an interesting one."
The challenge had been issued. Jae-Hee had refused the peace treaty, ensuring a confrontation that would define his place in Seongjin High.