Now that the danger had passed, Si-woo noticed that Il-seong's aura wasn't all that impressive. In fact, it was rather dull—more yellowish than golden. Even his eyes hadn't fully changed; they only had a faint glow, unlike Si-woo's, which had transformed completely.
It'll grow stronger with time, Si-woo thought, picking up his things.
Since he hadn't grabbed them the day before, some smartasses had tossed his belongings to the floor and stomped on them. Judging by the swollen, cracking pages of his textbooks, someone had even poured water on them. Definitely not Jeunk—he preferred more direct methods. No, this was the work of classmates who took advantage of his status as a regular target to blow off steam. After all… what could Si-woo or Il-seong, Jeunk's designated punching bags, possibly do? They had no way to fight back.
Until now.
Si-woo glanced over his shoulder at Il-seong, absorbed in his golden screen. His blatant lack of subtlety would normally be a huge red flag, but Si-woo figured the interface was invisible to anyone else.
Except him.
He flicked the small blue flame on the tip of his finger.
Can Il-seong see my interface too?
To test his theory, he opened the window and waved his fingers in front of Il-seong's eyes.
— What are you doing?
— You looked spaced out.
Il-seong reached for his hand, but Si-woo pulled away with a laugh.
— Settle down back there, Ms. Ha-Kan, the literature teacher, said absentmindedly.
She made no comment about Si-woo's tardiness—or the bruises on his face. She simply marked him as present. With that level of indifference from the teaching staff, no wonder the school ranked near the bottom nationally. Then again, that also made it affordable. If punks like Jeunk weren't around, it might even be a decent place to study.
Si-woo dumped the rest of his stuff into his bag and sat down. He pretended to follow the lesson, but his eyes kept drifting toward Il-seong's profile.
He was checking his stats !
The badge system had intrigued Si-woo at first, but he hadn't really paid attention to how it worked. He'd just been toying around with basic quest creation. But now, through Il-seong's Player window, he saw a system more elaborate than he'd expected.
There was a profile screen and some kind of inventory. Il-seong could equip one badge on his profile, unlocking the rewards tied to it.
Si-woo discreetly opened his own screen and accessed the chat. Odd, considering only he and the interface could use it.
This was a problem. Si-woo hadn't even considered level 2 badges. He'd just churned out as many as he could without thinking ahead.
What an idiot, he cursed inwardly.
Something else bugged him.
A new window popped up:
Master's tutorial :
• Create a normal quest: ✅
• Create a hidden quest: ✅
• Create an urgent quest: ✅
• Create a temporary quest:
Reward: Unlock full Master/Player access
Penalty: None
— You've gotta be kidding me!
— No, Mr. Baek. The struggles described by Yu-kyeong Kim are no joke to anyone, the teacher replied without looking up.
Si-woo bowed under the wave of laughter and focused on his book, face burning.
When the interface had mentioned a tutorial, he'd thought one quest would be enough. But apparently, there were four types: normal (visible to the Player), hidden (must be discovered), urgent (time-limited, usually 30 minutes or less), and temporary—similar to urgent ones, but more situational.
Si-woo was starting to feel like the interface was screwing with him on purpose. He knew being a Master would be complicated, but he hadn't expected to have to micro-manage everything. It was almost like the system was sulking about him refusing to be a Player and was now taking revenge.
While he tried to think of a decent temporary quest, shouting echoed from the hallway.
— IL-SEONG!!! Jeunk's voice bellowed.
A hapless hall monitor tried to stop him, but the classroom door slammed open with a thud. Still covered in foam, Jeunk pointed a trembling finger toward the back of the room. His hair, temples, even his chin were smeared with thick white cream. He looked like a failed Santa cosplay.
— You're a dead man!
— Calm down, Jeunk, the monitor tried, only to get shoved aside.
Jeunk strode into the classroom like he owned the place. His glare scanned every student, daring them to laugh. No one moved. Most, like Si-woo, barely breathed. As he reached them, Si-woo threw a quick glance at Il-seong.
He was smiling.
— Nice costume. Practicing for Halloween?
A kick flipped over his desk—and two others with it.
— Beg me on your knees and maybe I won't break your nose like I did to your buddy.
Still seated, Il-seong tilted his head, calmly.
What is he doing?! Si-woo panicked.
Why was he provoking Jeunk when all he had was a 10% buff to physical condition—and maybe 5% boosts to Physical Strength and charisma?
A glance at the golden screen confirmed it. He had activated the Physical Strength and charisma perks.
He's gonna get himself killed!
Il-seong climbed onto his chair, standing tall over Jeunk.
— You might run this school—but you're done pushing me around.
Everyone froze. Even the teacher dropped her book. Jeunk blinked, then burst into laughter. Another violent kick knocked the chair over—but Il-seong, thanks to his boosts, jumped aside and landed smoothly.
—I won't kneel to you again.
Jeunk choked. Some students—mostly Jeunk's flunkies—clapped quietly. His pride bruised, Jeunk lunged forward and grabbed Il-seong by the collar.
— You forget the beating I gave you yesterday?! I'll finish the job!
Il-seong didn't even look at him. His eyes locked onto the monitor instead.
— Are you just going to stand there? Do your job and enforce the rules!
The monitor, caught off guard, sprang into action. He caught Jeunk's fist just before it slammed Il-seong's face.
— No fighting on school grounds.
— You all lost your damn minds today?! You know who my father is, right?!
Everyone knew.
Jeunk's father was the principal. And for reasons Si-woo couldn't understand, he adored his son. During the early months of sophomore year, teachers had tried reporting Jeunk's behavior—but the principal never believed them. Unless he saw the proof with his own eyes, his son was "innocent." Staff who punished Jeunk were fired. Students who reported him were suspended—or expelled.
The threat snapped the monitor back to reality, and he stepped away. But Il-seong had made his point. Two people had openly defied Jeunk. His authority had cracked.
The teacher joined the monitor.
— Mr. Kim is right. Take this outside or to the staff room. This isn't a boxing ring. Let go of your classmate and sit down.
So this is the power of charisma? Si-woo was stunned.
No teacher had ever dared order Jeunk to do anything since the last fired.
Even Jeunk looked momentarily confused.
CLAP
His palm struck Il-seong's face with a sharp smack. The class froze. Jeunk's laughter sent chills down Si-woo's spine. The memory of yesterday's beating hit him like a punch to the gut. He couldn't go through that again.
He needed to speak. Do something. But his body wouldn't move.
He sat frozen, jaw dropped, as if he had been slapped.
Jeunk grabbed Il-seong by the neck, forcing eye contact.
— Feeling smarter now?
Il-seong spat in his face. A disgusting mix of spit and blood.
The tension exploded.
Jeunk didn't yell. Didn't flinch. He didn't even wipe the spit away.
He just started hitting him.
Again.
And again.
No mercy. No hesitation. No escape.
Trapped in a whirlwind of fists and feet, Il-seong switched badges to boost his physical defense—but his head slammed against the floor, splitting the wood open. Blood spread beneath him, but Jeunk didn't stop.
His face was blank. His eyes—those of a wild animal.
A lion mauling a defenseless prey.
And then came the worst part.
Si-woo heard it.
A wheeze. A rasp. The start of an asthma attack.
His body finally moved. He grabbed the monitor's sleeve.
— His inhaler. Il-seong needs his inhaler.
The adult pretended not to hear. He looked away.
The teacher had already returned to her book, flipping through to find the next chapter.
Si-woo glanced at them both, one after the other.
— He needs his inhaler. Il-seong's going to die without it.
Still, no reaction.
A wave of heat surged to Si-woo's cheeks. These two adults—meant to protect and guide them—couldn't even lift a finger to help a student.
They were willing to let him die… just to keep their positions safe.
A savage fury tore through Si-woo's gut, burning away the last remnants of fear.
He spun on his heels and shouted at Jeunk:
— Give him the damn inhaler!
The brute froze.
All eyes turned to Si-woo, but for the first time in his life—he didn't care.
He clenched his fists and stepped forward.
— Give. Him. The inhaler.
Jeunk's gaze slowly drifted from Il-seong—still gasping for air at his feet—back to Si-woo.
The towering thug tilted his head slightly, probably weighing whether he should smash Si-woo's face in now… or after finishing off his current victim.
But Si-woo didn't flinch.
Ten percent, he told himself. I just need ten percent.
— Give him the inhaler. Give him the inhaler, he repeated.
Give him the inhaler. Give him the inhaler. Give him the inhaler. Give him the inhaler.
Again and again, the same command.
He would repeat it a hundred times if he had to.
Give him the inhaler.
Give him the inhaler.
Give him the inhaler.
[The Interface has awarded 1 "Stubbornness" point to Master Rain.]
Give him the inhaler.
Give him the inhaler.
Give him the inhaler.
Give him the inhaler.
Give him the inhaler.
[The Interface has awarded 1 "High Stubbornness" point to Master Rain.]
Si-woo didn't give a damn what the system thought of him.
If there was any power at all in his hands—no matter how small—he would use it to save his friend.
Even if it was just a pathetic percentage.
He kept repeating the phrase until it lost all meaning on his tongue.
— Give him the inhaler. Givhimtheinhaler. Givimthinhaler.
His throat was too dry to speak clearly anymore, but his eyes stayed locked on Jeunk's.
The thug remained motionless. Blank.
Then, finally, the hall monitor spoke up.
— Fine! he barked. We'll give it to him!
He tossed Il-seong's bag across the room.
Il-seong scrambled toward it, pulled out his inhaler, and took a deep breath.
PSSHT.
The familiar hiss brought instant relief to Si-woo.
— You're crazier than I thought, Jeunk muttered, his voice flat.
There was no turning back now.
Si-woo opened his interface and created a temporary quest.
He had wanted to wait. To give Il-seong time to prepare.
But they didn't have that luxury.
He had to act.
Even if it meant forcing his friend's hand.
[Congratulations! You have completed the Tutorial!]
Full access to the Master/Player system has been granted.
Si-woo didn't look at the interface.
His focus was entirely on the golden window that appeared before Il-seong.
Quest Type: Combat – Temporary
Title: The Condemned's Last Chance
Objective: Defeat Jeunk in a duel
Rewards:
Badge of the Apprentice Hero(Level 2: Bold Sidekick Badge)
• +15% Physical Strength
• +15% Charisma
• +10% Speed
• +10% Strength
[Hidden Conditions and Rewards: ???]
Time Limit: 7 days, 59 minutes, 59 seconds
Penalty:DEATH