The rumor spread faster than wildfire.
By the time the final bell rang, almost everyone in the school had heard it—Kim Min-jun had been beaten. And not just beaten, but knocked down by someone nobody expected.
Jison.
The hallways buzzed with disbelief, exaggeration, and outright nonsense.
The school day had ended.
In the nurse's office, Min-jun lay on one of the beds, his face bruised and swollen, a cold pack pressed against his jaw. Beside him stood his loyal lackey, Ji-hoon, nervously glancing between him and the door.
Ji-hoon has a cold pack pressed against his nose.
Min-jun clenched his fists, his pride hurt far more than his body.
Meanwhile, in a quiet classroom, Jison and Woo-jin were packing their bags.
Books slid into backpacks. Zippers closed. The atmosphere between them was calm—but only on the surface.
Woo-jin suddenly stopped, one hand resting on his textbook. He turned slightly toward Jison.
"Hey… Jison," he asked, curiosity clear in his voice, "what the hell was that today?"
Jison didn't look at him. He calmly shut his bag and slung it over his shoulder.
"I just learned uppercut from Metube."
Woo-jin blinked.
Then his eyes widened.
"Oh! That punch you used—that was an uppercut? That was awesome!"
Jison gave a small smile.
But his eyes… remained dim.
His thoughts told a completely different story.
I won by chance.
His grip tightened slightly on the strap of his bag.
I hit him when his guard was down… that's all. But what if he was ready? What if he actually fought back properly?
A cold realization settled in.
If he had landed even one proper hit on me… I'd be the one lying in the nurse's office right now.
His expression hardened for a moment before he masked it again.
"Let's go."
The two walked out of the classroom side by side.
The moment they stepped into the hallway, they felt it.
Eyes.
Dozens of them.
Students had gathered outside, pretending to chat but clearly waiting. Waiting to see him. To confirm the rumor with their own eyes.
Is that really him?
That guy beat Min-jun?
No way…
But Jison didn't react. Neither did Woo-jin.
They walked forward, ignoring the whispers, the stares, the weight of attention pressing down on them.
Step by step, they moved toward the staircase.
The noise followed them—but they didn't stop.
As they reached the stairs and began descending, a different set of whispers drifted toward them.
Lower. Stranger. More ridiculous.
"Hey… did you hear? Jison was known as a Fighting Prodigy in the past."
"Yeah, and the fatty one beside him was his best friend—called the Evil Emperor."
"For real? I heard they eat women's flesh and drink their blood."
"That's fucking scary…"
Jison's foot paused for half a second mid-step.
What the fuck are they talking about?
His face twitched slightly as he continued walking down.
It's my first time fighting someone…
Beside him, Woo-jin had changed completely.
Gone was the normal, relaxed guy.
Now he walked with both hands in his pockets, posture straight, aura strangely intimidating.
And on his face—
A pair of red sunglasses.
That had absolutely not been there before.
Jison slowly turned his head and looked at him.
There was a brief silence.
Then—
He placed his palm over his face, letting out a small, awkward laugh.
This guy… what the hell is he doing…
After a while, Park Jison arrived home.
The door clicked shut behind him, and the quiet of the house immediately wrapped around him. No noise. No movement.
Empty.
His sister wasn't home—she was out with her friends. That meant, for once, the entire place was his.
He bent down near the entrance and casually slipped off his shoes, pushing them aside with his foot. His movements were calm, almost lazy, as if nothing unusual had happened today.
But that calm didn't last.
He walked down the short hallway and reached his room. The moment he stepped inside and shut the door behind him—
Something changed.
His expression.
The calm, indifferent face he wore at school twisted into something darker… sharper.
Excitement.
Anticipation.
A hint of madness.
"Now is the time…" he muttered under his breath.
He tossed his bag onto the table without care, the dull thud echoing slightly in the quiet room.
"…to check if my height will increase or not."
There was a strange intensity in his eyes now.
Without wasting another second, he slid his hand into his pocket and pulled something out—
A small tube.
About the size of his middle finger.
Inside it… a golden liquid shimmered faintly, almost as if it was alive.
Jison stared at it, and a memory flashed in his mind.
The moment after he defeated Kim Min-jun… and Ji-hoon.
---
A crimson holographic screen had appeared before him.
---
[Congratulations!]
[Revenge Quest Completed]
[Reward Granted: Height Enhancement Portion]
[Want To Receive Height Enhancement Portion?]
[YES] [NO]
---
Without hesitation, he had pressed—
[YES]
---
Back to the present.
Jison looked at the tube in his hand again.
No hesitation.
No second thoughts.
He twisted open the cap and immediately brought it to his lips, gulping down the golden liquid in one go.
For a brief moment—
Nothing happened.
Then—
The tube slipped from his fingers and hit the floor with a soft clink.
Jison's eyes widened.
His body stiffened.
"—!"
He grabbed his throat instinctively.
Air.
He couldn't get any air.
"W-What the… I… can't… breathe—"
His chest tightened violently. His lungs refused to respond. Panic surged through his body like electricity as he staggered back, knocking slightly into the edge of his table.
His vision blurred.
His heartbeat pounded loudly in his ears.
Shit… what the fuck is happening—
His legs gave out.
And just like that—
Everything went black.
---
Three hours passed.
The room remained silent.
Jison lay on the floor, motionless, as if nothing had changed.
Then—
A slight twitch.
His fingers moved.
Barely noticeable.
A few seconds later, his eyelids trembled… and slowly, they opened.
"…ugh…"
His vision was hazy at first. The ceiling looked unfamiliar for a moment.
What the…?
He blinked a few times, trying to focus.
What happened… and why the hell am I on the floor…?
He groaned softly and closed his eyes again, trying to recall.
Then suddenly—
His eyes snapped open.
Oh shit.
The memory hit him instantly.
The tube.
The golden liquid.
"Oh right… I drank the height enhancement portion…"
He pushed his palm against the ground and forced himself up. His body felt strange—lighter, but also unfamiliar.
He staggered slightly but managed to stand.
Step by step, he made his way toward the mirror.
And then—
He saw himself.
His eyes widened.
"…what the fuck?"
His reflection stared back at him—but it wasn't the same.
His clothes looked shorter… tighter.
His proportions had changed.
He had grown.
Actually grown.
A slow realization turned into explosive excitement.
"No way… no fucking way—!"
Suddenly, he burst into motion.
He jumped.
Then jumped again.
Climbing onto the bed, then stepping onto the table, then back onto the floor—moving like a hyperactive monkey completely losing control.
"Holy shit—this is real—!"
He laughed, almost hysterically, unable to contain himself.
After a few moments, the adrenaline began to settle.
Breathing heavily, he dropped onto the corner of his bed.
His heart was still racing.
"…okay… okay…"
Then, as if remembering something important, his eyes sharpened.
He activated his skill.
[Peeking]
A crimson screen appeared in front of him once again.
---
Park Jison
HEIGHT: 188 CM
WEIGHT: 56 KG
STRENGTH: E
SPEED: E-
POTENTIAL: C
INTELLIGENCE: B
ENDURANCE: F-
---
Jison stared at the screen.
His mouth slowly opened.
"What…?"
His eyes locked onto the first line.
"188 cm…?"
He stood up slightly, still staring.
"What the fuck—my height reached 188 cm?!"
Shock flooded his face.
Then his gaze dropped to the next line.
Weight.
For a brief second, he froze.
Then—
A grin spread across his face.
"Damn… my height increased… and because of that my weight increased a bit too."
His fingers curled slightly as he looked at his stats again.
The excitement didn't fade.
After calming down, Park Jison changed his clothes.
He pulled on a plain white casual T-shirt, the fabric fitting differently now over his taller frame, and paired it with half white pants. Even something as simple as getting dressed felt strange—his body wasn't the same anymore. Longer limbs. Slightly different balance.
Still unfamiliar.
Just as he adjusted his shirt—
Click.
The sound of the main door opening echoed through the house.
He paused.
…Is she back.
Letting out a quiet breath, he stepped out of his room and walked into the hall.
There she was.
Min-ji.
She had just entered and was casually heading toward her room, humming lightly. The moment her eyes landed on him, her face lit up instantly.
"How was your day, Min-ji," Jison asked, leaning slightly against the wall.
"Great—!"
Before he could react, she lunged forward, arms wide open, aiming straight for him.
But—
Thud.
Jison extended one hand and stopped her mid-charge, his palm pressed firmly against her forehead.
"Hey, don't cling to me."
Min-ji froze for a second, then slowly stepped back.
Her expression changed instantly.
Lower lip trembling.
Eyes slightly glossy.
A full-on cry-baby face.
"Am I not cute, bro?" she said in a pitiful tone. "How can you do this to your cute little sister…"
Jison looked at her.
Completely unfazed.
"You are not cute."
Silence.
A very dangerous silence.
Min-ji's expression snapped.
"What did you say?"
A second later—
Smack.
The sound echoed through the hall.
Moments later, Jison was stuck flat against the floor like a bug.
A visible bump had already formed on his head.
Min-ji, meanwhile, turned away as if nothing happened, walking angrily toward her room.
"Go get bread from the grocery store," she said coldly, not even looking back. "And bring chocolate for me."
Jison groaned, rubbing the spot where she hit him.
"…this fucking tyrant…"
Still, he got up.
Because arguing further would only make it worse.
He grabbed his wallet and headed out.
---
After a while, Jison walked down the street, heading back home.
A plastic bag swung lightly in his hand—bread and chocolate already bought.
The sky had started shifting toward evening.
"Damn… it's really far from where I live," he muttered, yawning.
He glanced at the time.
05:21 PM.
"Tch… gotta get back quick."
His pace picked up slightly.
Then—
A voice.
A girl's voice.
Sharp. Defensive.
"If you don't leave me now, you'll have to suffer the consequences."
Jison's steps slowed for a fraction of a second.
The sound came from a narrow gap between two buildings.
He glanced sideways.
There—
A girl stood with her back pressed against the wall, clearly cornered. Two guys blocked her path, standing close enough to make escape impossible.
A typical bad situation.
Jison looked for barely a moment.
Then—
He kept walking.
Not my problem.
He passed the alley without stopping, his expression indifferent.
One step.
Two steps.
Five steps.
Six—
A crimson glow flickered in front of his eyes.
"…fuck."
A holographic screen materialized.
He stopped walking.
His face twisted slightly in annoyance.
Don't tell me…
He already knew.
He didn't even need to read it.
Don't tell me it's going to ask me to save that girl.
The text began appearing anyway.
---
[Romance Quest Started]
[Quest: Every King Has A Queen]
[Objective: Save The Queen]
[Reward: Random Skill ×1]
---
Jison stared at it for a second.
"…of course it is."
He clicked his tongue.
There was no real choice here.
If he ignored it, the system would just keep bothering him—maybe even escalate things.
"Fucking system…"
Without wasting more time, he turned around.
His footsteps echoed slightly as he headed back toward the alley.
Whether he liked it or not—
He was getting involved.