Joon scrolled through economic articles, industry forecasts, and opinion threads. The System's latest quest was unlike anything he'd attempted before.
Quest Active: Sector Rotation
Objective: Identify the next hot sector before it spikes. Invest in a company within it and hold for 3 days.
Reward: +80 XP
Bonus: +1 Stat Point if return exceeds 20% in 3 days.
He knew the concept. Sector rotation was the flow of investor money from one group of industries to another—like a tide shifting across the market. Smart traders didn't chase momentum. They anticipated it.
The System wasn't just rewarding prediction.
It was teaching foresight.
Joon opened a whiteboard he'd pinned beside his desk and began listing sectors:
Green Energy
Real Estate
Biotech
Semiconductors
Automotive
Logistics
Entertainment
Each sector got its own line, and below each, he scribbled recent news headlines, interest rates, and public sentiment notes.
Green Energy had been hot two months ago. Cooling now.
Biotech had stuttered after a few big approvals fizzled.
Semiconductors were flattening after three quarters of strong returns.
But Logistics—that was interesting.
A recent surge in port congestion had pushed shipping times back across East Asia. Freight companies were quietly increasing capacity. And news had just broken of a major rail strike in western China, disrupting supply chains.
Joon turned his attention to Gukha Logistics, a midsized freight company he'd studied earlier during the Watchlist Project.
Their CEO had recently mentioned a fleet expansion in a low-key interview. Their stock had been flat for weeks—boring to the public, but loaded with tension.
Gukha Logistics – Current Price: ₩3,550
Available Capital: ₩129,700
Purchase: 35 shares @ ₩3,550 = ₩124,250
Remaining Capital: ₩5,450
He confirmed the trade.
Purchased 35 shares of Gukha Logistics
Quest Timer: 3 Days Started
Remaining Capital: ₩5,450
Day 1
Nothing.
The stock moved a mere ₩10. Flat volume. No momentum.
But Joon wasn't discouraged. He'd seen this before. Sector rotations didn't roar in—they whispered, at first.
He kept watching the news.
That night, he read that Yeongnam Maritime, one of the largest port operators, had just issued an urgent call for more freight partners due to port congestion.
Day 2
Morning open: Gukha Logistics up 3%.
Then noon: 6.2%
Joon's heart skipped.
By market close:
₩3,990 per share
+12.3% in one day.
Day 3
Pre-market chatter was everywhere now.
TV analysts: "Logistics may be the next sector surge."
Investors were piling in.
By mid-day, Gukha hit ₩4,320
Then closed at ₩4,310
He sold.
Sold 35 shares @ ₩4,310 = ₩150,850+₩26,600 profit
New Capital: ₩150,850 + ₩5,450 = ₩156,300
Quest Completed: Sector Rotation+80 XP
Bonus Achieved: +1 Stat Point (Return exceeded 20%)
XP: 280 → 360 / 400
Stat Points Available: 1
Joon opened his Status Window, watching the numbers update like a progress bar in an RPG.
[Status Window]
Level: 5
XP: 360 / 400
Capital: ₩156,300
Stat Points Available: 1
Market Insight: 7
Negotiation: 2
Stamina: 2
Research: 2
He took a deep breath, feeling the momentum.
The market had whispered—and for the first time, he'd heard it clearly.
The bonus stat point hovered, waiting.
He assigned it without hesitation.
+1 to Market Insight
Market Insight: 8
He felt a light jolt behind his eyes. A strange clarity. He swore he could almost visualize price movements. His intuition was sharper—almost like he could feel sentiment before the numbers moved.
Money Tracker:
Bought 35 Gukha @ ₩3,550 = ₩124,250
Sold @ ₩4,310 = ₩150,850
+₩5,450 leftover
New Capital: ₩156,300
That evening, he sat in silence, staring at the moon rising over Seongcheon's hills.
He wasn't rushing anymore.
Every trade, every insight—it was a building block.
He was still a village boy with a dream.
But now, he had a system that sharpened him each day. And a world of possibilities that no longer felt far away.