Il-seong gripped his inhaler so tightly he nearly crushed it.
Penalty: Death
Those blood-red letters wouldn't leave his vision—he saw them even when he closed his eyes. There was no way to decline the quest. He had to obey the system no matter what.
Not that it surprised him. He knew, sooner or later, his life would be at stake.
Honestly, it wasn't so different from his daily life with Jeunk. Especially after what happened.
That fight…
Il-seong let out a bitter laugh.
To call it a fight, both people had to be hitting back.
He hadn't thrown a single punch. He'd just curled up on the floor, taking every blow.
Jeunk didn't even look at him anymore.
His focus was entirely on Si-woo now.
Despite being barely 1.70 meters tall, Si-woo looked ridiculous next to the brute.
Yet—Il-seong realized with surprise—Si-woo wasn't looking at Jeunk. He was staring straight at him.
That face…
Il-seong had never seen that expression on his best friend before. A mix of despair and fury.
But beneath it—was something else.
Conviction.
I promised him things would change, Il-seong thought as he stood up.
Jeunk stepped toward Si-woo, fists raised, eyes wild.
No! Not you!
Il-seong staggered forward and grabbed a chair.
With a roar of pain, he hurled it at Jeunk's back.
It wasn't strong enough to hurt him—but enough to catch his attention.
— I told you to leave him alone! Il-seong wheezed. I'm your opponent!
As soon as he shouted those words, multiple screens popped up.
[Badge Unlocked: "Shoot !"]
Condition: Land a hit on someone
Reward: Badge "Shoot !"
— +5% Speed
— +5% Reaction
[Badge Unlocked: "Shoot ! - Lv. 2"]
Condition: Land a hit using an object
Reward:Badge "Shoot ! - Lv. 2"
— +15% Speed
— +15% Reaction
Hidden Condition: Hit someone from behind
Hidden Reward: Badge "Shoot ! - Lv. 2" upgraded to "Dirty Tricks - Lv. 2"
— New Skill Unlocked: "Stealth" Lv. 1 – The Player becomes undetectable for 10 seconds
Now he had a full 20% boost in speed and reaction, plus an added skill.
Il-seong blinked, trying to believe what he was seeing.
This system was twisted !
Usually, quests appeared one after another, sometimes hinting at hidden objectives.
But whoever was behind the interface… had scattered hidden badges Il-seong could only unlock by fulfilling secret conditions in advance.
Which meant—
The system knew what he was going to do.
The thought sent chills down his spine.
And yet… beneath the fear, he felt something else.
Excitement.
— You talk tough, but you're shaking like a damn leaf, Jeunk mocked, snapping out of his frenzy.
Il-seong's lips curled into a crooked smile.
With one of the badges reaching Level 2, he could now equip two badges at once—and stack their effects.
— You're wrong, Jeunk. The one who's going to tremble today… is you.
Il-seong activated "Dirty Tricks - Lv. 2" and "Bold Sidekick" before lunging.
Jeunk smirked and raised his fists—just as expected.
Il-seong spun, ducked under a swing, and rolled sideways.
Then, he mentally clicked the icon glowing near his right eye.
Stealth activated.
— Where the hell are you, bastard?! Jeunk shouted, spinning around.
He searched wildly, but didn't see Il-seong circling behind him.
Big mistake.
Il-seong struck the back of Jeunk's knees.
— Argh!
The giant dropped to one knee.
The students near the blackboard stood up, stunned.
No one—not even the seniors—had ever made Jeunk kneel before.
— Put that away! Jeunk barked at a girl filming with her phone.
She just laughed and raised it higher.
Others joined in, phones out.
— Cut it out or you'll regret it ! he screamed, voice cracking with humiliation.
Jeunk was too fixated on the crowd's reaction—
He forgot about Il-seong.
Fatal mistake.
Il-seong grabbed his backpack and smashed it into Jeunk's face.
Dazed, Jeunk didn't respond fast enough.
Il-seong hit him again—
This time, with his fist.
Then again.
And again.
And again.
So this is why he does it all the time, Il-seong thought, almost giddy. It's so damn satisfying.
It felt good to overpower him.
So good.
If he could take down Jeunk with just a few badges and skills, what else could he do once he leveled up?
The thought made his heart race.
— Is this how you run your classroom, Miss Ha-Kan?
A deep voice boomed from the doorway.
A towering man stepped in, hair slicked back, chest practically bursting out of his suit.
The aura around him was just like Jeunk's.
No wonder.
— Dad… Jeunk muttered, eyes wide.
He looked genuinely shaken—though a smirk tugged at his lips.
Il-seong and Si-woo exchanged a glance.
They both had the same thought:
We're screwed.