Neon signs flashed along the night streets. Hyunseok looked at the woman in front of him with a deliberately annoyed expression.
"So please! I know it's impossible, but could you just look pretty for my eyes alone?"
"Don't say things like that. It's embarrassing…"
The woman lightly tapped Hyunseok's arm, lowering her head shyly. Still, she didn't look displeased.
"Embarrassment isn't the problem. The problem is you're just too pretty."
Though he spoke in an irritated tone, his eyes were full of tenderness, at least, that's how the woman felt.
I'm sick of this.
In truth, Hyunseok didn't mean any of it. He could barely even recall her name. He had heard it earlier, but it had already slipped his memory.
Soohee… was it?
The truth was, Hyunseok had been doing this for about four years now, more precisely, ever since he started picking up women he liked at bars or on the street, getting their numbers, charming them, and eventually taking them to bed. At first, it was fun, both the chase and the sex. But now, the thrill was gone.
"So don't smile so beautifully like that. Look, everyone's staring at you."
"No, Oppa, definitely not. Keep your voice down, geez…"
After just a few lines of conversation, he could usually figure out a woman's general personality. From there, the "approach" was almost formulaic. In polite terms, it was called seduction.
"But it's really hot. Want to go to my place, turn on the AC, and watch a movie comfortably?"
"At your place?"
"Yeah. It's hot, and it'll be more comfortable."
The excuse was always the same. If it was cold: Let's turn on the heated mat and watch a movie. If it was hot: Let's turn on the AC and watch a movie.
A ridiculous excuse, in his opinion. Yet surprisingly, nine times out of ten, it worked. Of course, only once he had built some rapport first.
If the woman hesitated, all he had to do was smile playfully, act like it was no big deal, and add—
"I won't do anything."
"Who said you would?"
That day too, Hyunseok succeeded. He ended up sleeping with the woman, whose name he still couldn't quite remember.
These days, he rarely got aroused properly. Erections didn't come easily, and even when they did, they didn't last long. For him now, sex wasn't out of passion anymore. It had become a habit. Something that felt oddly empty if he didn't do it.
Still, he exercised diligently, and women found his physique attractive. He wasn't overly muscular, nor too thin, a balanced body, with a small face, broad shoulders, and legs longer than his torso. His proportions were excellent, and his looks were above average.
He pulled the woman, he guessed her name was Soohee, onto the bed, hugging her and stroking her hair. Then, puckering his lips slightly, he whispered:
"Kiss."
A soft smack followed.
By the time things got physical, women usually grew very fond of him. A well-trained body brought advantages in bed.
When Hyunseok saw men boasting "I'm the Messi of the bedroom" or "I lose during the day but win at night" without even exercising, he couldn't help but scoff. After all, the strength of the glutes, thighs, back muscles, and overall endurance made a huge difference.
Looking at her like a man might gaze at a beloved pet, he smiled softly. It wasn't genuine affection—it was habit. Women loved this kind of thing.
Again, puckering his lips:
"Kiss."
Another smack.
To Hyunseok, nothing about this was new. Women felt like programmed beings to him: do this, get that response; do that, get this reaction.
First meeting, flirting, seduction, sex, and deepened affection, it always followed the same sequence.
The woman chatted on and on, but Hyunseok barely listened. He just parroted her last words, threw in reactions like "Wow, really?", or occasionally chimed in with "He did that? What a jerk." Empty responses, nothing more.
Listening carefully wasn't worth it. He had repeated this so many times that while outwardly polite, his mind wandered elsewhere.
This is such a hassle.
In the beginning, he even used to secretly snap photos, panties tossed aside, shoes by the door, stockings on the floor, sending them to his friends as proof. His friends envied him, and back then he felt superior.
But Hyunseok wasn't only obsessed with picking up women. He was talented across the board, though never outstanding in any single area.
He studied decently well, exercised decently well, could play piano well enough to perform, and sang competently too.
Boring.
That was his problem. Instead of mastering one thing, he dabbled in many. At twenty-nine, he wasn't truly dedicated to anything.
As a student, he had lived fiercely, driven by the goal of employment. He earned electrical engineer and construction electrician licenses, passed interviews, and secured a job at KEPCO (Korea Electric Power Corporation) the top of public enterprises.
That much was good.
A stable job at KEPCO, plus decent income from part-time translation work. A steady career and comfortable financial cushion.
Life became peaceful, convenient. But the old fire was gone. He was just another man drifting day by day.
He brushed the woman's bangs aside, smiled warmly, and said:
"You're beautiful."
Like a machine running on autopilot, he kept conversations flowing, making her feel loved, whether she truly was or not. For him, it was as natural as breathing.
Even breaking up was easy. He would act in ways she disliked, delay responses little by little, until she naturally lost interest.
From her perspective, he might seem like trash. But in truth, none of the women ever left heartbroken. He had a talent for making both seduction and separation seem natural.
This is so dull.
That same comfort and ease had now become pure boredom.
And then, that day—
Hyunseok's life was shattered.
That morning, for once, there was no woman beside him. In fact, he spent more nights with women than without, so a bed to himself was the unusual thing.
[Entering Tutorial Mode.]
Still, waking up alone wasn't that strange.
[You, Hyunseok, have been chosen as a Slayer.]
Hyunseok shot upright. A strange notification sound rang in his head, not quite a sound, but more like a voice. Yet, it wasn't heard through his ears. It was as though it reverberated directly in his brain.
"Who's there?"
He climbed out of bed.
Am I still half-asleep?
Opening the bathroom door, no one inside.
[This system exists to assist Hyunseok, who has advanced to Slayer. To activate, simply think "Tutorial" in your mind. This system responds to willpower and applies only to you.]
It felt like his head had been struck with a hammer. What was happening?
"Crazy… am I still dreaming?"
He splashed water on his face. No use.
Hallucinations? Was he going insane?
The voice kept explaining about Slayers, about future monsters, about preparation. But Hyunseok wasn't listening. He just wanted to wake up from this impossible dream.
Should I see a doctor?
If an ordinary man suddenly heard voices, it was schizophrenia. Outside of his womanizing skills, Hyunseok was just an average man. Slightly above average in some ways, but never exceptional.
And so, he couldn't comprehend this situation.
Three days passed.
Eventually, Hyunseok accepted reality. Three days was long enough to test things. This wasn't a dream, nor mental illness.
Fortunately, he was adaptable. He learned to use the situation.
Status Window.
His Status Window unfolded, not visibly, but painted directly into his mind, vivid as sight.
Name: HyunseokAge: 29Height: 181 cmWeight: 82 kg — BMI: OverweightClass: Slayer (0/5) — No Title. No Title effects applied.Combat Stats (Tutorial Mode explanation enabled. After Tutorial ends, details vanish but can be recalled at will. Current Stat Points: 0)Strength: 22 (–7) — Affects physical power. 1 Strength = +10 HP.Intelligence: 24 (–7) — Affects magical power. 1 Intelligence = +10 MP.Stamina: 14 (–7) — Affects endurance. 1 Stamina = +40 HP.Agility: 22 (–7) — Affects speed, accuracy, and evasion. 1 Agility = +10 Hit/Evasion.Non-Combat Stat:Vitality: 3 — Governs energy, stamina, and overall vigor. 1 Vitality = +1 Stamina.
Hyunseok understood Tutorial Mode. Like in games, it introduced systems, quests, and gave helpful explanations.
But what the hell is this?
Some stats, Strength, Intelligence, looked decent. But Stamina and Vitality were extremely low.
Worse, his Vitality was highlighted red.
[Current Vitality under 14. Erectile Strength –7 applied.]
[Due to repeated sex, arousal level reduced. Yang energy severely depleted. Caution advised.]
Well… that I already knew.
It matched his real experience. Erections came weakly; foreplay often ended in failure. Even penetration wasn't always possible.
Looks like stats reflect my current state.
[Low Vitality affects all attributes. Penalty applied.]
[Stamina reduced to 7. With Vitality below 10, overall HP halved. Current HP: 150.]
Hyunseok frowned. So that's why he always felt drained lately. Weak legs, constant fatigue. The Status Window confirmed it.
No wonder people say women drain your energy.
Sometimes, he really had felt that way.
So, penalties apply when a stat drops below 10…
After reviewing, he discovered he also had Skill and Quest Windows.
Too bad there's no Inventory. That would've been useful.
Still, he tested the Quest Window.
Quest Available:
Recover Your Vitality!
Currently, Hyunseok records the lowest Vitality among all Slayers.As your highest stat is Intelligence (24), Vitality must be at least half that (12). Below this, severe penalties apply.Vitality does not directly affect combat, but it is crucial to all other abilities. Continuous investment is required.Required Minimum Vitality: 12.
Recover my Vitality? How?
That was the problem. In games, you'd level up, kill monsters, earn stat points. But this was real life.
And as far as Hyunseok knew, monsters didn't exist.
At least, not for the next month.
(End of Chapter 1)
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