The morning air was heavy with humidity, the streets of Bukcheon glistening with leftover rain. Haneul's body still throbbed from his fight with Joren. Every muscle screamed in protest, his knuckles burned, and his ribs ached from the blows he had taken. Yet, despite the exhaustion, he felt alive in a way he hadn't before—sharp, focused, and dangerous. The System hovered in front of him like an unseen coach, calm and precise.
[System Notification]
New Quest: Train for Signature Mode – 'Shadow Boxing'
Objective: Land 500 punches over 3 consecutive sessions, alternating speed and power
Reward: Unlock Shadow Mode I
Haneul's stomach twisted. Five hundred punches? Over three sessions? His body protested just at the thought. But the purple glow, faint under his skin, pulsed stronger, as if sensing his determination. He clenched his fists, feeling the System's words embed themselves deep in his mind:
"Pain is temporary. Mastery is eternal. Push beyond human limits."
The first session began. Haneul moved like a ghost through the abandoned alley, jabs and hooks striking with calculated rhythm. Each punch, each rotation of his hips, each step was measured and deliberate. The System prompted him constantly:
"Adjust weight distribution. Maintain balance. Rotate shoulders fully."
Hours passed. Sweat poured down his back, mixing with rainwater in rivulets. His knuckles bled again, raw and bruised, yet he continued. Pain became a constant companion, but he welcomed it as a teacher. With each session, his body remembered the motions more fluidly, and the purple glow grew stronger, coiling around his arms like living energy.
[Progress: 200/500][Strength +0.8][Endurance +0.7][Reflex +0.6]
By the second session, Haneul introduced speed variations, throwing rapid jabs, alternating with powerful hooks that drove the air itself. He collapsed multiple times, overcome with fatigue, each time cursing his own body and then rising again, driven by the promise of power. His thoughts wandered to his old self—the weak, skinny boy, Spot-Face—and the fire inside flared hotter.
[System Notification]
Skill Upgrade: Precision Jab II – +5% damage to weak points
Perk Progress: Shadow Footwork I
The final session was the hardest. His muscles shook violently, lungs burned with every breath, and each punch felt heavier than the last. He faltered, missed punches, and the System quietly recorded the failures:
"Missed strike logged: adapt your rhythm. Fatigue detected: adjust tempo."
It was during this agony that something changed. The purple glow enveloped his fists entirely, coiling up his arms to his shoulders. Adrenaline surged in unnatural waves. His movements sharpened, faster, heavier, almost instinctual. It was raw power tempered by technique—a shadow of what he could become.
[Quest Complete: Train for Signature Mode][Reward: Shadow Mode I – 20% increase in speed and precision for 5 minutes of combat]
Haneul collapsed on the wet concrete, breathing ragged and tasting blood from his split lip. The glow faded, leaving only exhaustion and the echo of newfound power. He had not yet won any battles, not yet faced an opponent this strong, but he had unlocked something inside himself. Something dangerous.
And in that quiet, rain-soaked alley, Jin Haneul—skinny boy with the birthmark, bruised and broken—smiled through the pain:
"Next time… I won't just survive. I'll dominate."