— Weapons are allowed here?!
The voice of the Ministry representative pierced through the chaos. The moment the stick appeared, the mood shifted.
With all its upgrades, the so-called "Samurai Staff" looked more like a blade than a piece of wood.
While the principal tried to calm the official's outrage, murmurs spread like wildfire among the students. The buzz of excitement quickly gave way to confusion.
— Il-seong didn't have that a second ago, right ?
— Was that... A magic trick ?
— Are they doing a performance or something?
On stage, Il-seong launched himself into the air.Jeunk barely dodged as the stick came crashing down, shattering the floorboards where he had just been.
— Oink oink! Jeunk mocked, grinning.
If Il-seong had planned to force him to stand up, it didn't work. Jeunk stayed down on all fours.
The countdown kept ticking.
23
22
21
Si-woo felt like crying. If Il-seong kept drawing attention like this, Jeunk could play the victim card and turn the blame on him. The principal would be shamed for missing the bullying of his own son—but that shame would win him sympathy.
No.
Jeunk had to fall alone.
Si-woo struggled in Dr. Kim's grip. He had to stop this. Fast.
Suddenly, a translucent window popped up in front of him:
< The Interface wishes to increase its affinity with you. Accept? >
Yes — No
Dr. Kim noticed his gaze and followed it… staring at empty air.
— Say hi to your little interface for me, he muttered.
Si-woo shot him a glare.
He knew.
He knew about the interface. About the system. About the Players.And yet… he said nothing about the window. Which meant — he couldn't see it.
If the last affinity upgrade let me speak with the interface… Then this one might let me do it without even speaking.
Fighting the strange apathy paralyzing his body, Si-woo lifted his trembling hand toward the screen. Index pointed forward.
— What exactly do you think you're doing?
Dr. Kim grabbed his wrist and tried to pull it away.
NO.
Si-woo focused all his will into his fingers.
They hovered…
Wavered…
Pressed forward—toward the glowing YES.
The fatigue worsened. His eyelids drooped.
That's when the window moved.
It slid forward—toward his hand.
Just enough.
Click.
A sharp blue light pierced through his forehead.
< Hello, Master Rain. Please choose a name for me. >
The voice echoed in his head, cold and synthetic.
Neither male nor female.
But he recognized it instantly.
The Interface.
Its presence slipped between his thoughts like a shadow.
Uh… Hello, Interface?
< A little more dignity would be appreciated, Master Rain.>
That teasing edge—yep. Definitely it.
< Please choose a name for me. >
Before he could answer, Dr. Kim's grip tightened, draining him again.
Can we do this later? I'm not exactly in a great spot right now.
< Later might be the end of the world, Master Rain. >
Help me get rid of this guy first !
A store window appeared immediately.
[Spell] Shield: Blocks magical attacks and reduces damage from physical ones
Cost: 20 Mana
Maintenance: 1 Mana per minute
I'll take it. Just give it to me—now!
< And the magic word? >
Si-woo clenched his jaw.
Interface. If you want me to be polite, then give me the damn spell.
A ripple of laughter brushed against his mind.
INTERFACE! he barked mentally.
< Alright, alright, Master Rain. >
The shield activated the moment he bought it.
Still weak—but his strength was slowly returning.
With a burst of energy, Si-woo elbowed Dr. Kim and darted forward a few meters.
He turned to face him.
— Don't touch me. Ever again.
Dr. Kim raised his hands in mock surrender.
Si-woo scanned him instantly:
[Do-Woo Park — Rank A — Potential: A]
He reached his potential already?!
Dr. Kim took a step forward.
Si-woo stepped back just as quickly.
Now facing him directly, he could see it— Magic. Leaking from his hands. He was draining his energy with a spell.
— You're a Player?
The doctor smiled.
Then, with a flick of his wrist, the world went dark.
The students froze mid-cheer.
The teachers, mid-yawn.
The principal and the official, mid-panic.
All turned to shadows, trapped in stillness.
Even the countdown froze—
17.
Il-seong and Jeunk stood locked in a bizarre freeze-frame of their ridiculous chase.
Only Si-woo and Dr. Kim remained.
A space outside of time.
— Feels like the start of a dungeon, Si-woo muttered.
— You've already made one? I'm impressed.
It was just an E-Rank, Si-woo thought.
But he didn't say it aloud.
Let him believe he was more powerful than he really was.
He could use that.
Dr. Kim approached again. This time, Si-woo didn't move.
He ordered the interface to search for escape spells, then forced a polite tone:
— You don't seem eager to answer my questions. So why should I answer yours?
To his dismay, Dr. Kim laughed.
— Look at you ! Talking back to me like that. If only you'd had this kind of confidence earlier…
He tilted his head. Then sighed.
— Forget it.
— No way. What do you want from me? Why are you acting like a creep? Is this a quest from your Master?
The doctor grinned wider.
Too wide.
— Let's make a deal. Beat me, and I'll tell you everything I know.
Si-woo eyed the man's massive frame—easily twice his size. Not to mention the magic.
— You think that's a fair deal?
— Trust me.
He said it like Si-woo wasn't just some random teenager everyone loved to punch around. Like he actually stand a chance.
— Let's fight. Before the world ends.
That line again…
Something—intuition, maybe or experience—told Si-woo not to ask what it meant. Not yet.
— Si-woo, the doctor called, show me what a true Master can do.
Looked like he was going to spend some stat points after all.
The situation he'd feared was unfolding right in front of him.
The catalog opened before he even needed to ask.