It was white.
Like a room of pure white filled with nothing but color.
Jinwoo stood alone in that endless, paper-like void.
He looked around, but this "place" was as empty as Hyunsoo's brain.
"…Did I die?" he muttered, lazily flipping midair like a bored pancake.
No answer. Not even an echo.
He tried swimming through the whiteness, but it felt like pushing through air made of dreams—light, yet heavy. Calm, yet terrifying.
Suddenly, a system window blinked into existence above him.
> [Congratulations! You have entered the Mindspace.]
[Analyzing mental activity…]
[Warning: Extremely unstable thoughts detected.]
[Proceed with caution.]
Jinwoo squinted. "Unstable? That's just my personality."
A loud ding! echoed, and another window popped up.
> [Mindspace Host Detected: Jinwoo, aka 'That Crazy Idiot']
[Initiating Sanity Protocol…]
"What the hell is a sanity protocol?!" Jinwoo shouted, already trying to punch the window.
That's when a door appeared. Out of nowhere. Glowing. Suspicious.
He stared at it.
Then—from behind the door—a voice. Familiar. Calm. Cold.
"You again…"
Jinwoo froze. That voice didn't belong to Hyunsoo. Or even that angry raid captain who kept throwing chairs.
A figure stepped out. Tall. White. Unclear. Not a person—something inhuman.
"Nice to meet you, Jinwoo. Or should I say… Hajin?"
---
Silence.
They stared at each other. One unreadable. One clearly annoyed.
"Ha. So what? You know my old name. Big deal. It's not like I'm some tragic main character with a broody backstory."
The figure chuckled.
Suddenly, a table materialized. Two chairs. Perfectly set for a little cosmic therapy session.
The figure sat down, folded its hands and put them on the table, and gestured at the other chair.
"I apologize. I merely asked how you preferred to be addressed."
Jinwoo clicked his tongue and walked over, slumping into the seat with practiced disrespect.
"Call me whatever. Just get to the point."
"Do you remember how you got here?"
"…Hmm. Entered a gate. Died instantly. Shocked me, as well as killed me."
"Correct. That was my invitation."
"I had to die for that?"
"Yes."
Jinwoo tapped the quartz table with a finger, then crossed his legs—somehow rude and respectful at once.
"Alright then. Hit me with the real reason."
"As I mentioned, this is just an invitation. I am the System. Or, as I'm designated, '35-B'."
"What? That's such a lame name."
"You wouldn't understand. In cosmic terms, my name carries weight. As yours does in your world."
"Ahgh—stop with the name talk! Why am I here?!"
"You've been chosen to become a successor of a Constellation."
"Constellation? You mean like the astrology bullsh*t? I don't buy it."
"Neither do I."
Jinwoo blinked. "…Wait, seriously?"
The figure nodded. "Constellations are just what humans call them. In truth, they are ancient concepts. Entities older than logic—and more arrogant than Hyunsoo with a fresh coat."
Jinwoo groaned. "That bad, huh?"
"Worse."
> [Sanity Protocol: Stabilized… for now.]
Jinwoo leaned back, flicking at the system box orbiting his head like a persistent mosquito.
"So let me get this straight. I die. Wake up in this IKEA-wannabe afterlife. Get spammed by system popups. And now I'm being offered a cosmic promotion?"
"Precisely," the figure said, fingers steepled like a discount therapist.
"And if I say no?"
Pause.
"Then your soul gets erased and dumped into the memory trash bin of the universe."
"…Oh."
"You see, Jinwoo—Hajin—you're not just some sarcastic idiot. You're the only candidate unhinged enough to survive this."
Jinwoo raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess. Raw potential? A hidden power? A secret destiny?"
"No," the figure said. "You're just insane enough to handle it."
> [Title Obtained: "Chosen Madman"]
[New Quest: Prove you're crazy enough to be a Constellation's Successor.]
Jinwoo laughed. A dry, cracked laugh.
"Well… clearly you've never seen me hold my sh*t just to finish the last episode. I'm in."
The room pulsed.
The figure's voice dropped, solemn and ominous.
"Then brace yourself. The trial begins… now."
…
…
"…uh?"
Silence again—this time, laced with awkward confusion. From both Jinwoo and 35-B.
"Hey," Jinwoo said, deadpan. "You just said, 'brace yourself! The trial begins… now!'"
The faceless figure somehow looked embarrassed.
"…I did."
Jinwoo burst out laughing. A hideous, shrieking laugh that cracked the dreamscape.
"Hahaha! 'Bwaise youwsewf!' HAHAHA—"
Right then, a glowing circle formed beneath his feet.
He glanced down—too late.
He dropped like a boot through a wet ceiling.
"AGHHH—!"
Screaming all the way, he crashed onto the grassy floor of a forest.
"...Ugh! Where am I now?" Jinwoo groaned, face planted in dirt like it owed him money.
He rolled over, twigs tangled in his hair. Birds chirped overhead. Sunlight filtered through thick leaves. A peaceful forest—if you ignored the fact he'd just fallen from a cosmic meeting straight into Mother Nature's lawn like a failed Amazon package.
> [Trial 1: Begin.]
[Objective: Survive until Midnight.]
[Bonus Objective: Don't kill anything.]
[Difficulty: Impossible (may you fail and die horribly)]
[Failure Penalty: Testicular cancer. Just kidding… or am I?]
"Wtf!!? What do you mean testicular cancer?! And why's the difficulty impossible?! You just want me dead! You are the worst system humanity will ever know."
Thank you," 35-B's voice echoed in his head, smug. "your anger makes my day."
Jinwoo stood up, calming and dusting himself off. "Survive until midnight in a forest? Pfft. Easy."
As if to answer his overconfidence, something snapped in the bushes.
He turned slowly.
A massive rabbit—no, a buff rabbit—stepped out. It stood upright, ripped like a gym coach who drinks protein shakes made of fear and regret. Its beady eyes locked on him.
"…What in Pokémon evolution is this?"
> [Beast Detected: Alpha Muscle Rabbit] [Rank: ???] [Mood: Slightly offended by your tone.]
The rabbit cracked its knuckles.
Jinwoo raised his hands. "Wait! Wait! I can easily kill you, okay? Even if you are all buff! I am super stro–"
The rabbit responded by suplexing a tree.
"Okay, that's fair." jinwoo gulped.
He bolted, crashing through bushes, leaping over logs, tripping once on a squirrel who looked equally traumatized.
Jinwoo didn't stop. He didn't think. He ran—like his life, pride, and future children depended on it.
> [Warning: Sanity Dropping…] [Tip: Try breathing. Or screaming. Screaming is healthy.]
"I am screaming!!" Jinwoo shouted mid-sprint, dodging another thrown log—the rabbit had apparently decided trees made great javelins.
He dove into a hollow log, panting. "Okay… okay. Calm down. Think. You've seen this in anime. Overpowered monster appears. Protagonist survives through… plot armor?"
Snap.
The rabbit's ears appeared at the log's opening.
"Holy moly," Jinwoo whimpered.
> [Emergency Skill Unlocked: 'Panic Roll' – Because running in a straight line is too mainstream.]
He activated it immediately.
The log exploded behind him as Jinwoo spun away like a confused Hedgehog, crashing into a bush, tumbling down a slope, and landing in a shallow river.
"Okay. Plan B…" he muttered, soaked and wheezing.
"Play dead."
> [Passive Activated: 'Dramatic Death Performance' – You're really good at pretending to die when it matters.]
The rabbit arrived at the riverbank, eyes squinting.
Jinwoo lay limp, tongue out, body splayed like a poorly cooked fish.
A pause.
Then…
The rabbit snorted.
And left.
> [Alpha Muscle Rabbit has lost interest.] [Success: You live… barely.] [Reward: 6969 XP, 0 dignity.]
"You are playing with me, right?"
35-B was doing nothing but grinning with his non-existent mouth nonstop. "Maybe~ maybe not~"
This!–
Ding!
> [Level Up! Jinwoo – LVL 20]
[Stat Increase: -1 Luck, +5 Agility, +1 "Scream Resistance"]
[New Title Unlocked: "Professional Victim" – You're really good at attracting danger.]
Jinwoo sat up in the water, dripping and dead-eyed. "Scream Resistance? What am I, a horror movie final girl?"
> [Yes.]
"Not helping, lame name."
He dragged himself out of the river like a soggy noodle, muttering curses and wringing out his soaked shirt. The sun was still high. Midnight was hours away. Which meant plenty of time for more insanity.
A leaf drifted lazily past his nose.
> [Time Remaining: 10 hours, 47 minutes]
[Forest Threat Level: Hilariously Lethal]
[Nearby Danger: 84%]
A slow, ominous growl echoed from the shadows behind him.
He turned. "Please tell me that's just my stomach."
It wasn't.
From the trees emerged a… fox?
Nope. A two-headed flaming fox with swords for tails.
> [Beast Detected: Firebrand Twin-Fox]
[Rank: S]
[Element: Fire & Pain]
[Current Mood: Peppy. Wants to play.]
"…Why is everything in this forest on steroids?!"
> [Hint: You're the tutorial boss… for them.]
Jinwoo stared blankly. "I beg your damn pardon?"
The Twin-Fox lunged.
Jinwoo screamed. Again.
And ran. Again.
And tripped. Again.
Right onto something soft.
He blinked.
It was a giant mushroom.
A sleeping one.
With a face.
> [Beast Disturbed: Dreamcap Shroom]
[Rank: B]
[Effect: Gas-Based Hallucinations on Contact]
"Oh come on—"
PFFFFT.
A mist sprayed from its pores.
Jinwoo's vision warped. The world spun. The river started dancing. The fox now had eight heads and one of them was Hyunsoo's.
"NOPE!" Jinwoo flailed. "I REFUSE TO FIGHT MY BEST FRIEND'S FOX-HEADED CLONE! WHERE'S THE ESCAPE BUTTON?!"
> [New Condition: High as a Kite]
[Reality: Optional]
Jinwoo dropped to his knees, gazing at the stars only he could see in the daylight. "Hyunsoo… if I die… tell your ramen stash… I'm sorry."
He passed out.
…
…
He woke up hours later in a tree.
Tied up.
With forest animals glaring at him from below like a furry jury.
A squirrel wore a judge's wig.
> [Trial Suspended: Awaiting Court Verdict]
[Crime: Breathing too loud.]
"…What the f*ck is happening?"
> [Dunno.]
The squirrel spoke up.
"Human, you have trespassed our territory. Who are you and how have you come here."
Jinwoo responsed immediately.
"My name is bing chilling. I am 2 years old, i came from sh*t land."
"....hmm. sh*t land," the squirrel turned towards the others. "Does anyone know a place called 'sh*t land'."
All the animals turned to each other, whispering in squeaks, chirps, and incomprehensible forest noises.
A particularly buff chipmunk raised a paw. "I think my cousin lives there."
"No, you idiot," snapped a wise old owl. "That's Pitland, not Shtland*. He just said the forbidden word."
All the animals gasped.
The squirrel judge narrowed his beady eyes at Jinwoo. "You dare utter profanity in the sacred forest court?!"
Jinwoo, still half-high, tilted his head. "Your court just gassed me with mushroom farts. I think we're past formalities."
The squirrel banged a tiny gavel. "Silence! The court finds you guilty of public nonsense, disrespect to the noble Dreamcap Shroom, and… illegal entry!"
> [Penalty: Trial Extended by 3 Hours] [Bonus Challenge: Win the animals' favor or face "The Nutcracker."]
Jinwoo blinked. "Please tell me that's not literal."
From the crowd, a massive beaver stepped forward. Wearing a helmet. With a giant, glittering acorn hammer slung across its back.
> [Beast Detected: The Nutcracker] [Rank: A+] [Specialty: Pain. Mostly focused.]
"Oh god. It is literal."
Desperate, Jinwoo twisted in his ropes and yelled, "WAIT! WAIT!! I have… entertainment!"
The forest went quiet.
"…Go on," said the squirrel judge, adjusting his wig.
Jinwoo cleared his throat. "Behold… the sacred, ancient, lost ritual of my people."
He raised one hand solemnly.
Then, began… beatboxing.
Badly.
"Pff-tsk-pff-tsk—yo—it's ya boi, Jinwoo, here in da tree—high as sh*t and 'bout to pee—don't bash my nuts, I beg thee—'cause I'm allergic to pain and forestry!"
Silence.
Then—
A raccoon clapped.
A deer nodded thoughtfully.
The Nutcracker paused, slowly setting the hammer down.
> [Favor Gained: +1 Forest Rep] [Status: Delayed Execution] [Achievement Unlocked: "Cultural Ambassador of Dumbassery"]
The squirrel judge sighed. "Very well. We will allow you to… prove your worth. Complete one task for the forest, and we shall spare your life."
Jinwoo hung upside down, eyes narrowed. "What task?"
Time had passed quickly, it was already midnight which meant the completion of the quest.
Ding!
[Quest completed!]
[You have achieved an impossible mission!]
[You have gained the right to kill back.(Not important)]
[Reward: 9000(000) Exp, Proficiency increased in "Martial Genius"]
There was no hesitation after jinwoo heard that. He immediately smiled and looked at the crowed with... Hunger.
The squirrel's smug smile gradually faded upon seeing that face. They all knew what that was, what creature makes that exact face.
A demon!