Gray stared at the floating text: [POINTS ALLOCATED]. He waited for a transformation—for his muscles to bulge or his skin to glow—but nothing happened. He still felt like the same scrawny kid who skipped breakfast. He still felt the cold sweat on his neck.
"You really are a freak, aren't you?" Min-Ho growled, stepping into Gray's personal space. The bully’s shadow loomed over him. "Kissing San Gah? You just signed your death warrant."
Min-Ho pulled his fist back. To everyone else, it was a blur. To Gray, it felt like he was watching a movie in slow motion. He didn't feel stronger, but he could suddenly see every flaw in Min-Ho’s form.
Min-Ho’s fist swung with the sound of a whip cracking. It was a "hospital punch"—the kind he used to break jaws and egos.
Gray’s brain screamed at him to run, but his feet felt rooted to the floor. Instinctively, he threw his left arm up in a desperate, shaky block. He squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for the sickening thud and the familiar flare of white-hot pain.
CLANG.
The sound wasn't flesh hitting flesh. It sounded like a sledgehammer hitting a steel girder.
Gray opened one eye. His arm hadn't moved an inch. He didn't feel a pulse of pain; he didn't even feel a sting. It felt like a toddler had tapped him with a plastic toy.
"AAAGH! MY HAND!"
Min-Ho wasn't gloating. He was clutching his right fist, his face turning a ghostly shade of white. The sound of his knuckles cracking had been audible throughout the silent library. It looked like he had punched a brick wall at full speed.
"What... what are you made of?" Min-Ho hissed through gritted teeth, tears of pain blurring his vision.
Gray stared at his own forearm. There wasn't even a red mark. A small, blue notification pinged in his ear.
[ DAMAGE NULLIFIED]
[ STAMINA CONSUMED: 0.1]
[ REFLECTIVE IMPACT DEALT: 15 DAMAGE]
"Get him!" Min-Ho screamed, cradling his broken hand. "He’s wearing something under his clothes! Trash like him can't be that hard! Kill him!"
Jin and Dae-Sung didn't wait. They were bigger than Gray, and they’d spent years throwing him around like a ragdoll. They charged from both sides, aiming to tackle him into the ground and stomp the "freak" out of him.
Gray saw them coming. Usually, he’d curl into a ball. But now, his brain felt... sharp.
[ SKILL ACTIVATED: BASIC MARTIAL ARTS LV. 1]
[ INITIATING: COUNTER-FLOW FOOTWORK]
As Jin lunged for his waist and Dae-Sung swung a wild hook from the right, Gray’s legs moved with a mind of their own. He stepped backward, then pivoted on his heel in a blur of motion.
Whoosh.
The two bullies collided where Gray had been standing a millisecond ago. Their heads knocked together with a hollow thwack, and they stumbled, dazed.
Gray didn't stop there. As they tried to regain their balance, his hand shot out. It was a simple palm strike to Jin’s chest—just a nudge, or so he thought.
BAM.
Jin didn't just stumble; he flew backward, his feet leaving the floor as he crashed into a rolling book cart. The metal cart shrieked as it rolled across the library, carrying a dazed Jin with it until it slammed into the far wall.
Gray looked at his palm, then at Dae-Sung, who was now shaking so hard his teeth were chattering.
"My turn?" Gray asked. His voice was calm, but there was a new, dangerous edge to it.
Dae-Sung dropped to his knees. He didn't even try to fight. The sight of Jin being launched across the room like a toy was enough to break his spirit. He scrambled backward, away from Gray, nearly tripping over his own feet.
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"I-I’m sorry! Gray, I was just following Min-Ho! Please!"
Gray stood over them, his chest rising and falling slowly. The "electric" feeling in his muscles was fading, replaced by a strange, cold calm. He looked at Min-Ho, who was still on the floor, his face twisted in a mask of pain and disbelief.
Before Gray could say another word, a soft, familiar scent of vanilla and expensive perfume filled the air.
A slender, warm hand slid onto Gray’s shoulder.
The library went from "quiet" to "deathly silent." Every student held their breath. San Gah stepped up beside him, her silk-like hair brushing against his arm. She didn't look at the bullies. She didn't look at the wreckage of the library tables.
She looked at the crowd, her eyes cold and regal.
"He’s mine," she said. Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried to every corner of the room like a royal decree. "If any of you touch him again, you aren't just dealing with a 'loser.' You’re dealing with me."
She turned to Gray, her expression softening into that mysterious, heart-stopping smile. "We’re leaving, Gray. We have things to discuss."
[ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
[ HIDDEN CONDITION MET: PUBLIC ACKNOWLEDGMENT]
[ FAME INCREASED: +50]
[ WARNING: HOSTILITY FROM 'KANG-DAE (THE OVERLORD)' HAS REACHED LEVEL: CRITICAL]
As San Gah led him through the parting crowd, Gray felt like he was walking on air. The students who usually tripped him in the halls were now pressing themselves against the lockers just to stay out of his path.
Just as they stepped out of the library's double doors and into the quiet hallway, a golden light flickered in his peripheral vision. This notification was different—it wasn't the usual blue.
[ QUEST COMPLETE: THE FIRST LESSON]
[ REWARDS DISTRIBUTED...]
- XP Gained: 200 (Level Up! 1 -> 2)
- Bonus Stat Points: +5 (For a 'Flawless' Victory)
- Hidden Reward Unlocked...
Gray’s heart hammered against his ribs. A new window, glowing with a soft white aura, superimposed itself over San Gah’s back as she walked in front of him.
[ NEW PASSIVE SKILL: GODDESS’S PROTECTION (LV. 1)] Description: You have been claimed by a high-ranking existence. Her presence stabilizes your burgeoning power.
Effect: While within 5 meters of San Gah, all Physical Stats (STR, AGI, STA) are increased by 10%.
Hidden Effect: Soul-Bonding progress: 1%
Gray nearly tripped. Soul-Bonding? High-ranking existence? He looked at the back of San Gah’s head—at the way she carried herself with more grace than any normal high schooler should have.
"Gray?" she asked, stopping and turning to look at him. "You're staring again."
"I... uh, sorry," Gray stammered, his face heating up.
She stepped closer, her eyes scanning his face. "Don't be. You did well back there. But Min-Ho was the easy part." Her expression turned serious, and she leaned in, whispering into his ear. "My brother knows. And he doesn't like sharing his toys."
[ ALERT: STAT POINTS AVAILABLE (5)]
[ CURRENT LEVEL: 2]
Gray looked at the points, then at the girl who had just changed his life. The "System" was giving him power, but it was also pulling him into a world he didn't understand. And if he wanted to survive the night, he needed to get a lot stronger, fast.
As the library doors hissed shut behind them, the notification light in Gray’s vision pulsed one last time. He felt a sharp, crystalline clarity wash over his mind—the result of his final point distribution.
[ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION] Attributes updated. Neural pathways optimized. New Skill Unlocked: [Basic Appraisal Lv. 1]
Gray looked at San Gah. For a split second, the world felt transparent. He didn't just see his beautiful classmate; he saw a golden haze radiating from her, a power so vast it made his own 35 Strength feel like a candle next to a sun.
"Don't look so surprised, Gray," she whispered, her voice like silk. "The world is much larger than this school. And it’s about to get much more violent."
They reached the school's main gate. Two black SUVs were parked horizontally, blocking the exit. Men with the cold, dead eyes of career criminals stood waiting.
Gray looked at the leader—a man named Hyuk. His eyes flickered.
[ TARGET: HYUK]
[ LEVEL: 7]
[ CLASS: BRAWLER]
Gray didn't flinch. He tightened his grip on San Gah’s hand, feeling the Goddess’s Protection surge through his veins. For the first time in his life, he wasn't the prey. He was the one waiting for them to make a mistake.
How should Gray focus his future attribute points?