Kai stared at the floating blue windows for a solid minute before speaking.
"What are you?"
The text shimmered and reformed:
[I'm known as ****** oh right, I can't say that. In that case just call me System. Do you need me to say it slower? S-Y-S-T-E-M.]
"System," Kai repeated slowly, testing the word. It felt foreign on his tongue, like a concept from another world. "What does that mean?"
[Oh, this is going to be fun.]
The windows dissolved, and the air in front of Kai rippled.
Light condensed into a shape, first just an outline, then colors bleeding into existence like ink in water. White fabric materialized first, flowing silk that didn't quite obey gravity. Then pale skin, delicate features, and finally those eyes.
Red. Deep crimson that seemed to glow from within.
A woman stood before him, floating an inch off the ground. Her white robes were pristine, embroidered with patterns that hurt to look at directly, geometric shapes that seemed to shift and fold in impossible ways. Her hair was long and white as fresh snow, cascading down her back and shoulders like a waterfall frozen mid-fall.
She was beautiful in a way that made Kai's chest tighten. Not human beautiful. Something else. Something that didn't belong in this shabby room in this forgotten village.
She looked at him with those red eyes and smiled. It wasn't a kind smile.
"Hello, Kai Jin," she said. Her voice was melodic but carried an edge of amusement, like she was watching a play she'd already seen. "I'm the System. Your guide, your teacher, and your only chance at not dying pathetic twice in a row. That ending was kind of boring. I thought I could spice it up a little."
Kai's mouth opened and closed. "You're... real?"
"As real as your tiny wiener." She chuckled little as Kai looked down as if accepting it. She drifted closer, circling him like a predator examining prey. "Let me guess, you thought I was a hallucination? A fever dream brought on by your tragic life? How disappointing."
"I don't understand any of this," Kai admitted, hating how small his voice sounded. "What's a system? What are these... window like things I'm seeing? What's happening?"
The System stopped circling and tilted her head. For a moment, something almost like pity crossed her features. Almost.
"You really don't know, do you?" She waved her hand, and a blue window materialized. "Fine. Think of me as a... cultivation aid. A tool that will help you grow stronger. These 'windows' show you information, your progress, your tasks, your rewards."
"Cultivation aid?" Kai's brow furrowed. "Like a technique manual?"
"Sure," the System said, clearly not interested in explaining further. "Close enough. The point is: I give you tasks. You complete them. You get stronger. Simple enough for even you to understand."
Another window appeared:
[STATUS WINDOW - KAI JIN]
[STR: 1][AGI: 1]
[VIT: 1][WIS: 1]
[Internal Energy Capacity: 0.3 years][Remaining Internal Energy: 0.1 years][Total Years of Cultivation: 0]
Kai stared at the numbers. "What do these mean?"
"Your current pathetic state, quantified." The System gestured lazily at the window. "STR is your physical strength. AGI is how fast you move. VIT is your endurance. WIS is your mental capacity. All of them are 1, which is basically the bare minimum for a living human. Congratulations, you're just barely human."
The words should have stung. In his previous life, they would have sent him spiraling into depression. But Kai had died at thirty-five as a meat shield. He'd lived through worse than insults from a floating spirit.
"And these?" He pointed at the cultivation measurements.
"Your internal energy." The System's smile turned sharper. "You have 0.3 years of capacity, meaning that's the maximum you can hold right now. You're currently sitting at 0.1 years, which is barely enough to enhance your body. And 'Total Years of Cultivation Available' is zero because your adorable little brother stole all your potential when he drained you."
Kai's fists clenched. "Can you fix that?"
"Eventually." The System waved dismissively. "But not by snapping my fingers. You'll have to work for it. Which brings me to this..."
A new window appeared, larger than the others:
[QUEST COMPLETED: Stop Wallowing Like a Sad Puppy][Reward: +1 to all stats, System Shop unlocked][Calculating...]
Warmth flooded Kai's body. It started in his chest and spread outward, reaching every limb, every finger, every cell. It wasn't painful, more like waking up after a good night's sleep, but condensed into three seconds.
The status window updated:
[STR: 2][AGI: 2]
[VIT: 2][WIS: 2]
"I feel... different," Kai said, flexing his hands. He didn't really know how to describe how he felt, he didn't feel strong, more like he felt... less weak? Like the fog in his mind had cleared slightly.
"You went from 'pathetic child' to 'slightly less pathetic child,'" the System said. "Don't get excited. You're still weaker than most ten-year-olds in decent sects."
"And the shop?"
The System grinned. "Ah, yes. My favorite part."
Another window materialized, this one filled with text:
[SYSTEM SHOP][Current Points: 0]
[ITEMS AVAILABLE:][Basic Healing Pill - 10 points][Minor Qi Recovery Pill - 10 points][ Unnamed Mortal-Grade Sword - 15 points][Basic Movement Technique Manual - 50 points][Basic Striking Technique Manual - 50 points][Unlock more items by increasing your level...]
Kai scanned the list. Pills, weapons, techniques, all things he desperately needed. But...
"I have zero points."
"Correct!" The System clapped her hands mockingly. "Good job reading!"
"How do I get points?"
The System's red eyes gleamed with malicious delight. "Oh, this is my favorite part. You earn points by making people angry of frustrating them to the point where they want to kill you. Successfully ragebaiting someone or making them lose their composure, their face, their dignity, earns you Ragebait Points. The more spectacular the rage, the better."
Kai blinked. "You want me to... make people angry?"
"Not just angry. Furious. Humiliated. So mad they can't think straight. Come on this is Murim. I would be more surprised if you couldn't annoy anyone, Kai. Everyone here is obsessed with respect and face. It's basically a Ragebait paradise." She leaned closer. "And considering you have future knowledge of everyone who wronged you, everyone who mocked you, everyone who ruined your life... well. I'd say you have plenty of targets."
A slow smile spread across Kai's face. Making people angry. Getting rewarded for it. This was...
"Perfect," he whispered.
"I thought you'd like it." The System straightened. "But before you go running off to antagonize your brother, you have a more immediate problem."
[MAIN QUEST: Get in Shape & Prepare for Academy Exam][Time Limit: 1 Year][Reward: Academy Admission Token, +10 to all stats, Special Technique][Failure: You fail the exam and waste this entire second chance.]
[SUB-QUEST 1: Morning Training - Complete 1000 squats][Reward: +1 STR, 5 Ragebait Points][Time Limit: Today]
[SUB-QUEST 2: Endurance Training - Plank jump 200 meters][Reward: +1 VIT, 5 Ragebait Points]
[Time Limit: Today]
[Additional sub-quests will unlock as you progress...]
Kai read the text twice. "One thousand squats? Today?"
"Did I stutter?"
"I can barely do ten squats with this body!"
The System's smile was radiant and cruel. "Then you'd better get started. The academy exam is in one year. In your previous life, you didn't take it until you were twenty, and you were still trash. This time, you'll take it at seventeen, and you'll pass. But that means training. Real training."
"And if I fail?"
"Then you'll spend this second life just as weak and pathetic as the first one." The System began to fade, her form becoming translucent. "Oh, and Kai? These 'sub-quests' will get harder. Much harder. Think of this as the tutorial."
"Wait..." Kai started, but she was already gone, leaving only her voice echoing in the room.
[Good luck, Meat shield. Try not to die again.]
Kai stood alone in his room, staring at the quest windows floating in front of him. One thousand squats. Two hundred meters of plank jumping. And that was just today.
In his previous life, he would have given up before starting. He would have wallowed in self-pity, convinced himself he was insane, or something along those lines.
But Kai had died once already. He'd died pathetic and angry and full of regrets. He'd watched his life flash before his eyes and seen nothing but humiliation and weakness.
Never again.
"Aunt Mae!" he called out.
The door slid open immediately. The old woman peered in, surprised. "Yes, Young Master?"
"Is there an open area nearby? Somewhere I can... exercise?"
Aunt Mae's eyes widened. In the year since his banishment, she'd never seen him leave his room except to use the privy. "There's a clearing behind the house. No one uses it."
"Perfect." Kai stood, testing his legs. They felt weak, atrophied from months of lying in bed. But they were his legs. His body. His second chance.
He walked toward the door, passing Aunt Mae. She stared at him like he'd grown a second head.
"Young Master? Are you feeling alright?"
Kai paused in the doorway and looked back at her. For the first time in over a year, in either life, he smiled. Not the desperate, people-pleasing smile he'd worn when bootlicking. Not the broken smile of a man who'd given up.
A real smile. Sharp and hungry.
"I'm feeling better than I have in a long time, Aunt Mae."
He stepped outside into the morning sun. The village was small and shabby, barely worthy of the name. A handful of houses clustered around a dirt road. This was rock bottom. Gwawon village had very few martial artists and was generally considered a backwater village. So no one would disturb his training aside from Aunt Mae of course.
But Kai wasn't here to be forgotten.
He was here to get stronger.
And then he was going to make everyone who'd wronged him regret it.
"Alright," he muttered, walking toward the clearing. "One thousand squats. Let's see how far I can get before my legs give out."
The blue quest window followed him, floating at the edge of his vision like a patient observer.
Kai Jin dropped into his first squat.
His legs screamed in protest.
He smiled wider and kept going.
[Current Progress: 1/1000 squats completed][Current Status: Determined but delusional ]
[System Note: This is going to be hilarious to watch.]