Kim Tae-jun sat cross-legged on his bedroom floor, surrounded by a mountain of figurines, empty ramen bowls, and scattered manga. His laptop hummed quietly, a game notification popping up: "LEVEL UP! Stats increased!" Tae-jun yawned and reached for another bite of instant ramen, thinking, "At least my stats in games are better than in real life…"
Suddenly, a glowing, floating panel appeared above his head. Tae-jun blinked, ramen mid-air, unsure if he was dreaming. The panel hovered in front of his face, displaying:
SYSTEM ONLINE – NEW QUEST AVAILABLE
Tae-jun squinted. "…What the hell is that?"
The panel flickered. Quest description:
"Quest: Eat breakfast in under 5 minutes, then get to school. Reward: Bronze Skill."
He frowned. "Bronze Skill? What even is that? Is it… important?"
Ignoring his confusion, Tae-jun set the timer on his phone and began shoveling noodles into his mouth at a frantic pace. Instant ramen flew everywhere, some landing on his figurines, some dribbling onto his hoodie. He coughed, gagged, and somehow kept eating.
Five minutes later, breathless and sticky with noodles, he stared at the system panel.
"Phase Complete: Breakfast Finished. Proceed to School."
Tae-jun blinked, still wiping noodle sauce off his glasses. "Proceed to school… huh? Okay… guess I better go."
As he rushed out the door, the panel pinged again:
"Quest Completed. Reward Granted: Bronze Skill – Fast Jab."
Tae-jun instinctively jabbed the air. To his astonishment, the force of his punch sent a nearby trash can spinning across the street like a projectile. His eyes widened. "It… it actually works?!"
A grin spread across his face. "Haha… I'll teach Min-jun a lesson now. I'm unstoppable!" he thought gleefully, laughter echoing in his head as he raced toward school.
And just like that, his ordinary, pathetic life was about to get a lot weirder.
Tae-jun sprinted to school, heart racing, noodles still clinging to his hoodie. He slipped into his classroom, sat down at his desk, and tried to calm his breathing, glancing around for Min-jun. Today, he thought, today I'll finally show him what I can do… haha…
Before he could get a word out, a sharp smack landed on the back of his head. Tae-jun yelped, spinning around.
"Hey, dumbass! Where's your phone? Did you get me to level 150 already or not?" Min-jun sneered, leaning close with that familiar air of dominance.
Tae-jun's mind went blank. "What's happening? I was supposed to get up and…" Panic gripped him.
"Nope," he stammered, suddenly blurting out, "And take this!" He swung, fueled by some chaotic mix of fear and system-driven impulse. His fist connected—but why was he suddenly shaking inside? "Why am I so scared?"
Min-jun's hand shot out, gripping the back of Tae-jun's head and forcing him down. "Hey! Are you even paying attention, you dumbass? Did you do it or not, you freak?"
"-U-uhm… I… I didn't," Tae-jun stammered, voice barely audible.
A sudden chime cut through his panic. The floating system panel appeared, glowing in front of him.
"Quest Update: Stand up to your bully and defeat him.""Reward: Silver Skill""Penalty: Humiliation"
Tae-jun's eyes widened, uncertain what it meant, but he could feel his chest tighten with anticipation. Another reward flashed: "+2 Strength"
He didn't feel any immediate change. Nothing. Yet, a subtle tingle ran through his arms. He had no idea what he'd unlocked. "Silver Skill… humilation… plus strength… okay… guess I'll find out soon enough," he thought, gripping his fists tighter, his mind racing with a mix of fear and exhilaration.
Min-jun sneered down at him again, fully expecting submission. Tae-jun knew: this was the moment his ordinary life had begun to fracture—and he had no idea just how powerful he was about to become. (yes i did leave it on a cliffhanger lol)