Joon stared at the screen late into the night, blinking against the blue light glow. ₩111,200 sat in his account—his largest total yet. But instead of excitement, a strange weight pressed against his chest.
He had made a profit. He had leveled up. He had unlocked tools that no one else could even imagine. But with every new victory, the game was growing more complex.
The System did not give out easy wins. It was pushing him.
And this time, the stakes would be higher.
New Quest Active: Patterns of Power
Objective: Identify a company following a cyclical pattern and enter before the next upswing.
Reward: +60 XP
Bonus: +10 XP if stock returns 10% within 24 hours.
Cyclical patterns. Joon leaned back in his chair, fingers tapping rhythmically against the desk. These were the kind of companies whose stocks rose and fell in repeating, seasonal trends—agriculture, tourism, shipping...
He opened the Market Archives, filtering for "Quarterly Swings," "Seasonal Highs," and "Undervalued."
Three companies surfaced.
Hansae Textiles – always spiked before winter exports due to increased apparel manufacturing
BlueRiver Ferries – tourist transport, with a surge in fall foliage season
Chungang Construction – linked to pre-winter government infrastructure spending
Joon examined each chart carefully. Hansae had already begun a slow upward curve—probably too late to catch the 10% bonus window. BlueRiver was interesting but tied to weather forecasts and tourism buzz.
Then he saw it.
A government notice buried deep in the Market Archives:
"Chungang Construction awarded emergency contract for hillside road reinforcement before seasonal rainstorm."
He looked up the stock.
₩2,240 per share
He clicked open the six-month chart. Downward trend—stabilizing—small uptick.
He knew this pattern.
The spring dip before the autumn spike.
A perfect swing setup. If he was right, the surge would hit before news even broke on national outlets.
Bought 45 shares of Chungang Construction at ₩2,240
Total spent: ₩100,800
Remaining capital: ₩10,400
He submitted the buy order just before midnight.
The next day, he didn't go to school.
His heart was racing too fast for anything else.
He kept refreshing the ticker every ten minutes.
Morning: ₩2,240 → ₩2,250
Midday: ₩2,250 → ₩2,30
01 PM: ₩2,300 → ₩2,38
03 PM: ₩2,480
Change: +10.7%
Quest Completed: Patterns of Power+60 XP
Bonus Achieved! +10 XP
Current XP: 80 → 150 / 400
Profit Gained: (₩240 per share x 45 shares) = ₩10,800
Total Return: ₩111,600
Updated Capital: ₩122,000
The System glowed with a new window.
New Quest Available: The Contrarian Path
Objective: Invest in a company currently being dumped by most investors, but with solid fundamentals.
Reward: +70 XP
Bonus: +₩7,000 if stock rebounds within 5 days.
Joon laughed aloud. He was riding a wave no one else could see. A hidden current beneath the surface of the market.
But unlike before, this one would be counter-intuitive.
He had to go against the crowd.
Before diving into the next challenge, he checked his Status Window.
[Status Window]
Level: 5
XP: 150 / 400
Capital: ₩122,000
Stat Points Available: 0
Market Insight: 7
Negotiation: 2
Stamina: 2
Research: 2
Money Update:
Spent ₩100,800 on Chungang Construction
Sold 45 shares at ₩2,480 = ₩111,600
Remaining unspent: ₩10,400 → Total: ₩122,000
That evening, his mom poked her head into his room."Joon, are you working on homework or… whatever this is?"
He minimized the system window quickly. "Yeah. Studying. Economy stuff."
She smiled. "You always did love numbers. Just don't forget to eat."
After she left, Joon stared at the glowing notification in the corner of his room.
The System of Dreams had changed everything. And he was just starting to realize—
It wasn't just a tool.
It was a test.
And every level he reached... would only raise the stakes.