Kenji's school was a modest public institution in our district, the kind of place where teachers were overworked and students fell through the cracks unless they made trouble. I'd attended here myself before dropping out, knew every hallway and shortcut. Walking through those familiar doors felt like visiting a past life one where my biggest worry had been passing exams, not surviving monster-filled dungeons.
The principal's office was on the second floor. I found Kenji sitting outside on a bench, his head down, glasses slightly crooked on his face. He looked so small sitting there, so defeated. My heart clenched.
"Hey," I said softly, sitting beside him. "Want to tell me what happened before we go in?"
He didn't look up. "I hit someone."
That surprised me. Kenji was the quiet one, the kid who internalized everything. Violence wasn't his style. "Why?"
"They said things about Mom and Dad. About how they died. Called them failures who got what they deserved." His hands clenched into small fists. "I told them to stop. They wouldn't. So I hit Park Min-Soo in the face."
Of course it was Park Min-Soo. That kid's father was a C-Rank Hunter with the Dragon Guild, one of the mid-tier organizations that acted like they owned the city. The family had money and connections, which meant this situation was about to become complicated.
"Did you get him good at least?" I asked.
Kenji finally looked up, surprise flickering across his face. "His nose bled. A lot."
"Good." I ruffled his hair, earning a small smile. "Don't tell the principal I said that. But between us? I'm proud of you for standing up for Mom and Dad. Just... maybe use your words first next time, yeah?"
"They don't listen to words. Not from kids like us."
Kids like us. The poor ones. The ones without Hunter parents to protect them anymore. He was eleven and already understood how the world worked. That broke something in me.
The principal's office door opened, and Vice Principal Kim poked her head out. "Stefan Hirogi? Come in please. Your brother can wait outside."
The office was small and cramped, files stacked on every surface. Behind the desk sat Principal Choi, a tired-looking man in his fifties. And standing beside him, looking furious in an expensive suit, was Park Dae-Jung Min-Soo's father and a C-Rank Hunter.
This was going to be worse than I thought.
"Mr. Hirogi," Principal Choi began, his tone formal and uncomfortable. "Thank you for coming on short notice. We have a serious situation. Your brother attacked another student unprovoked"
"It wasn't unprovoked," I interrupted. "My brother told me what was said about our parents."
Park Dae-Jung stepped forward, and I felt it his Aura, pressing down on me like physical weight. A display of power meant to intimidate. Before yesterday, it would have worked. I would have crumbled under that pressure, felt small and helpless.
But I wasn't the same person anymore.
My enhanced stats held firm against his Aura. I met his eyes without flinching, and I saw surprise flicker across his face. He'd expected a normal, unawakened teenager to fold immediately.
"Your brother broke my son's nose," Park Dae-Jung said coldly. "That's assault. I could have him arrested, charged as a juvenile offender. His future would be ruined before it even started."
"Your son insulted two deceased S-Rank Hunters who died protecting this country," I shot back. "My parents sacrificed everything. If your son can't show basic respect for the dead, maybe he's the one whose future should be in question."
The temperature in the room dropped. Park Dae-Jung's Aura intensified, actual heat radiating from his body as his anger grew. Papers on the desk rustled from the energy he was putting out.
"How dare you"
"Mr. Park, please," Principal Choi interjected nervously. "Let's all stay calm. Violence is never the answer, from adults or children."
"My son wants to press charges," Park Dae-Jung said, never taking his eyes off me. "Unless... compensation is provided."
There it was. The real reason for this meeting. Not justice, not discipline money. He'd seen an opportunity to squeeze the orphaned kids of dead Hunters and took it.
"How much?" The words tasted like poison.
"Three million won. For medical expenses, emotional trauma, and to ensure this incident doesn't go on any permanent records."
Three million won. Almost exactly what I'd just earned from selling the dungeon core. It couldn't be coincidence someone must have told him about my family's financial situation, made sure he knew exactly how much to demand.
The smart move was to walk away. Tell him to press his charges. A juvenile offense for a schoolyard fight wouldn't ruin Kenji's life, and we couldn't afford to pay anyway.
But the look on Kenji's face outside that office... the way he'd defended our parents' honor with his fists because words hadn't worked... I couldn't let him think that was wrong. Couldn't let this C-Rank bully win just because he had power and money.
"Fine," I said. "Three million won. But I'll need three days to get it together."
Park Dae-Jung smiled, predatory and satisfied. "Two days. And if you don't pay, my lawyer will have paperwork filed by Monday morning." He turned to Principal Choi. "I trust this resolves the matter?"
"Y-yes, of course. Thank you for being so understanding, Mr. Park."
Understanding. Right. The man had just extorted three million won from a sixteen-year-old orphan and everyone was treating him like he'd done us a favor.
After Park Dae-Jung left his Aura finally withdrawing, leaving the room feeling less oppressive Principal Choi sighed heavily. "Stefan, I'm sorry. I tried to handle this internally, but when a Hunter from a major guild gets involved..."
"I understand." And I did. The world bent around people with power. Always had, always would. "Is Kenji suspended?"
"Three days, starting tomorrow. I'm required to enforce discipline, even if..." He trailed off, looking genuinely apologetic. "Your parents were good people. Heroes. For what it's worth, I think they'd be proud of how you're taking care of your siblings."
The words were kind, but kindness didn't pay extortion money.
I collected Kenji from outside and we walked home in silence. Yuki met us at the door, taking one look at our faces and knowing something was wrong.
"What happened?" she asked.
"Nothing we can't handle," I lied, forcing a smile. "Kenji's got a few days off school. How about we order pizza tonight? Celebrate."
Her eyes lit up. We hadn't ordered delivery in months. "Really? Can we get the one with extra cheese?"
"Absolutely."
After she ran off to call the pizza place, Kenji grabbed my arm. "Stefan, I heard what that man said. Three million won? We don't have that. You don't have to pay"
"Yes, I do." I knelt down to his level. "You stood up for Mom and Dad. That wasn't wrong. And I'm not letting some bully with a Hunter license punish you for it."
"But where will you get the money?"
That was the question, wasn't it? I'd just sold everything from my dungeon raid. Going back into a dungeon so soon was risky my body needed rest, and I wanted to spend my stat points wisely, maybe buy proper equipment first.
But I didn't have time for caution anymore.
[New Quest Available!]
Emergency Quest: Protect Your Family
Objective: Acquire 3,000,000 won within 48 hours
Reward: Title "Guardian" (+5 to all stats when protecting family), Skill Book (Random)
Failure: Consequences for your family
The system had created a quest for my situation. That was new. Until now, it had only offered the daily training quest. But this... this was acknowledging my real-world problems and offering real rewards.
The rewards were insane. Five points to all stats would make me significantly stronger. And a skill book? Those were rare even for professional Hunters, containing knowledge of advanced techniques that usually took years to learn.
The system was pushing me forward again, demanding growth through adversity.
"I'll figure it out," I told Kenji. "Don't worry about it. Just... try not to hit anyone else for a while, okay?"
He nodded, but the guilt in his eyes killed me. This kid shouldn't have to worry about money or bullies or dead parents. He should be playing video games and complaining about homework.
That night, after pizza and forced smiles, after putting the kids to bed and making sure they were asleep, I sat in the dark living room and opened my status window.
[STATUS WINDOW]
Name: Stefan Hirogi
Level: 6
Title: Solo Player
Available Stat Points: 13
Thirteen points to distribute. I needed to be smart about this. If I was going back into dungeons immediately, I needed combat effectiveness. But I also needed to think long-term about my build.
I allocated the points carefully:
Strength: +4 (19→23)
Agility: +4 (18→22)
Sense: +3 (14→17)
Vitality: +2 (19→21)
The familiar rush of power flooded through me, stronger this time because of the larger allocation. My muscles felt denser, my reflexes sharper, my awareness of my surroundings more acute. I was becoming something beyond human, step by step.
I pulled up the map app on my phone and searched for nearby dungeon gates. There were three D-Rank gates within the city, all monitored by guilds. E-Rank gates appeared randomly and usually got cleared quickly by training teams.
But there was one listing that caught my eye an unverified report of an E-Rank gate in District Nine, posted to an underground forum that Chen Wei had told me about. No official confirmation, no guild claims. Just coordinates and a time stamp from six hours ago.
If it was real, it was my ticket to the money I needed.
If it was a trap, well... I'd deal with that when I got there.
I texted Chen Wei: "Need info on District Nine gate. Real or fake?"
His response came five minutes later: "Real. Nasty one though. Different mob type than normal. Recommend party of four. You're not seriously thinking solo again?"
I typed back: "Have to. Need the money fast."
"You're insane. But if you're going, take this advice: bring fire. And don't get cornered."
Fire and don't get cornered. Cryptic, but better than nothing.
I looked at my father's sword, still stained with dried goblin blood. Then at the money hidden under my mattress barely two hundred thousand won left after paying bills this month.
Two days to earn three million won. One dungeon standing between my family and disaster.
The system had made me stronger, but now it was time to prove I was smart too.
Tomorrow, I'd raid another dungeon. Tonight, I'd prepare. Because failure wasn't an option anymore.
To be continued...