The neighborhood was already moving, delivery scooters weaving between morning traffic, a pojangmacha vendor setting up on the corner, two elderly women walking at a pace that made Joon-ha feel slightly judged as ge passed them at his current speed, which was not fast.
Tti-ring!
[Current pace: 7 min/km]
[Assessment: Unsatisfactory.]
[The system did not say that. Keep moving.]
"You definitely said that."
No reply, as expected.
One kilometer in, his lungs were burning and his side was sending urgent messages to his brain. He slowed to something between a run and a fast walk and refused to call it either.
Hff Hff
The figure was there.
Of course it was.
Three paces behind him, moving exactly as fast as he moved, not breathing, not sweating, not existing in a way that anyone else on the street could see. A woman walking her dog passed directly through its midsection without her dog even reacting.
Joon-ha had stopped being surprised by that too.
"You don't have to follow me on the run," he said, not looking back.
The figure said nothing.
"Right."
He kept running.
Tti-ring!
[Daily Quest: FIRST STEPS — Completed.]
Ding
[Completion rewards have arrived.]
[Would you like to confirm?] (Y/N)
Joon-ha was back in the apartment, he leaned his back against the bed, sweaty and still trying to catch his breath. His legs felt like jelly and his ribs were throbbing again after the run.
If I say no and just lie down, will the System let me rest?
He already knew the answer.
…Confirm.
Tti-ring
[The following rewards are available.]
Reward 1: Full recovery of the current physical condition
Reward 2: Three additional Stat points
Reward 3: One random box
[Would you like to collect them all?] (Y/N)
Joon-ha stared at the glowing blue windows floating in front of him.
Why are there so many of them?
That was the first thought that entered his dazed mind.
He had expected maybe one or two small things. Not this. Not full recovery, extra stat points, and even a random box.
This System… it really doesn't do things halfway.
But when he thought about it a little deeper, one thing stood out.
If I accept the full recovery… my cracked ribs will disappear completely.
The idea made something stir inside his chest.
He could already imagine how it would feel — no more sharp pain every time he breathed, no more wincing when he moved too fast, no more worrying Ha-eun every time she looked at him.
…Yes. Collect them all.
Tti-ring!
[You have chosen to collect all rewards.]
[Reward 1: Full recovery of the current physical condition has been applied.]
A warm, gentle light suddenly enveloped his body.
The pain in his ribs faded away like it had never existed. The bruises on his face, the soreness in his muscles, even the tiredness from the run — everything disappeared in seconds.
Joon-ha touched his side carefully.
Nothing. No pain at all.
…It really healed everything.
He felt lighter. Stronger. Like someone had taken a heavy weight off his chest that had been there for days.
[Reward 2: Three additional Stat points have been distributed.]
[Reward 3: One random box has been acquired.]
Joon-ha opened his status window with a thought.
Tti-ring!
[STATUS WINDOW]
Name: Shin Joon-ha
Rank: NULL
Class: Unassigned
Title: None
HP: 205
MP: 22
STR: 7 (+2)
AGI: 6
VIT: 8 (+1)
INT: 9
PER: 12
[Skills]
Passive skills:
Endurance Lv.1 — NEW
Active skills:
(None)
His level really did go up in a way.
He could feel the difference in his body. His arms felt steadier. His breathing was smoother. Even after running 2 km with cracked ribs earlier, he didn't feel completely destroyed now.
And when the rewards were given, the System had also added a little to his base stats.
He stared at the numbers.
Seven strength. That's... really low.
[For context, an average E-rank hunter has approximately 15-20 in their primary stat.]
So I'm below average even for the lowest rank.
[Significantly below average. Yes.]
'Great.'
[However.]
[Your PER stat is 12. Perception. For a NULL-rank individual with no formal training and no awakening, this number should not exist. An E-rank hunter averages 8. An average D-rank averages 10.]
Joon-ha looked at the number.
[You notice things other people miss. You always have. The system did not give you that. You came with it.]
He thought about the Gate. The trees with no shadows. The silence that wasn't right. The half-second of warning he'd had before the ground cracked open — enough to still be breathing when everyone else wasn't.
'Huh.'
And this random box floated in front of him like a small gift wrapped in blue light.
Should I open it now?
He glanced toward the kitchen. Ha-eun would be back from school in a few hours.
…No. Not yet.
If something strange came out, he didn't want her to see it and start asking questions.
I really don't want to be labelled as a loon by her.
Joon-ha swallowed back the things he wanted to say out loud and closed the status window.
He stood up and stretched his body.
No pain. No stiffness.
For the first time in days, he felt almost normal.
This power… if I keep using it, maybe I can actually become someone who doesn't drag everyone down.
[The system suggests you sit with that thought. New daily quest issues in: 23 hours, 41 minutes.]
[Rest. Tomorrow will be harder.]
Yeah Yeah...
In the corner, the figure stood exactly as it always stood. Patient. Present.
He had a lot of questions about it. What it was. Why it was still here. Why it followed him to the convenience store this morning when he bought water, stood outside the door, and then fell into step behind him on the way home like this was normal.
But the system had said not yet enough times that he'd started to believe it meant something.
So he closed the status window, closed his eyes, and let himself rest.
For the first time since the System appeared, a small, tired smile appeared on Joon-ha's face.
Finally… something is going my way.