Hyuk’s face was a mask of boredom. To him, this was just another "clean-up" job. His hand moved with the practiced ease of a man who had broken a hundred collarbones.
"The Young Miss is coming with us," Hyuk growled. "You're just—"
Snap.
The word died in Hyuk's throat. Gray hadn't flinched. He hadn't backed away. His hand had shot up, catching Hyuk’s wrist in mid-air.
To the observers, it looked like a child catching a giant's arm. But the sound that followed was unmistakable: the groan of leather gloves and the sickening creak of bone under immense pressure.
[ ATTRIBUTE IN USE: STRENGTH (38.5)]
[ CRITICAL OVERPOWER DETECTED]
"You were saying?" Gray asked.
Hyuk’s eyes bulged. He tried to pull his arm back, but it was like his wrist was bolted to a steel beam. Gray’s grip didn't just hold him; it began to crush.
"Let... go... you little rat!" Hyuk roared, swinging a massive left hook at Gray’s head.
[ SKILL ACTIVATED: BASIC MARTIAL ARTS LV. 1]
[ PREDICTING PATHWAY...]
With 29.7 Effective Agility, Gray didn't even need to let go of the wrist. He simply leaned his torso back an inch. The wind from Hyuk’s fist whistled past his nose.
Before Hyuk could reset, Gray twisted the captured wrist downward and drove his own shoulder forward.
CRACK.
Hyuk screamed as he was forced to his knees, his face slamming into the hot asphalt of the school parking lot. The "Level 7 Brawler" was pinned by a single hand.
The second enforcer, a leaner man with a facial scar, drew a telescopic baton. "Hyuk! You idiot, get up!"
"I... I can't!" Hyuk wheezed, his face pressed against the ground. "His grip... it's like a hydraulic press!"
[ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
[ FAME INCREASED: +10]
[ SUB-QUEST TRIGGERED: THE GATEKEEPERS]
Objective: Defeat both enforcers without releasing San Gah’s hand.
Reward: +1 Skill Point, +200 XP.
The second enforcer, a man named Min-Soo, didn't hesitate. Seeing his partner pinned to the ground like an insect, he flicked his wrist, extending the telescopic baton with a lethal clack.
"Let him go, kid!" Min-Soo lunged, the steel rod whistling toward Gray’s temple.
Gray didn't let go of San Gah. Instead, he stepped forward, pulling her gently but firmly behind his back. He was her shield, her wall. As Min-Soo entered his striking range, Gray’s 11 Intelligence calculated the trajectory, and his 27 Agility executed the response.
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Gray shifted his weight to his left leg and snapped his right foot out in a straight, piercing thrust.
[ SKILL ACTIVATED: BASIC MARTIAL ARTS LV. 1]
[ POWER MULTIPLIER: 1.5x (MOMENTUM)]
The tip of Gray’s sneaker buried itself into Min-Soo’s solar plexus with the force of a high-speed collision.
THUD.
The sound was hollow, like a hammer hitting a drum. Min-Soo’s eyes rolled into the back of his head instantly. All the air left his lungs in a silent wheeze, and his body folded in mid-air. He didn't just fall; he was launched backward, skidding across the pavement until he hit the tires of the black SUV.
[ DAMAGE DEALT: CRITICAL HIT]
[ TARGET 'MIN-SOO' IS NOW: UNCONSCIOUS]
Gray retracted his leg and stood tall; his hand still perfectly laced with San Gah’s. He looked down at Hyuk, who was still pinned under his other hand, trembling.
"Next time," Gray said, his voice dropping an octave, "bring more people."
[ SUB-QUEST: THE GATEKEEPERS]
Status: COMPLETED
- Reward: +1 Skill Point (Current Total: 1)
- XP Gained: 200 (Current XP: 200/500)
Gray stood in the centre of the parking lot, the silence of the stunned student body weighing heavy in the air. Min-Soo was a heap of limbs against the SUV, and Hyuk was still groaning on the ground, his wrist purple and swollen.
Gray felt the 1 Skill Point humming in the back of his mind, a golden spark waiting to be ignited. He tucked it away, refusing the urge to spend it on his Martial Arts.
Not yet, he thought. I need to see what else this System can do.
San Gah stepped out from behind him. She didn't look scared; she looked... satisfied. She walked over to the groaning Hyuk and looked down at him as if he were a stain on her shoes.
"Tell my brother,” She said, her voice cold enough to frost the windows of the SUV, "that if he wants me back, he shouldn't send dogs. He should come himself."
She turned back to Gray, and the coldness vanished, replaced by an intense, burning curiosity. She reached up and brushed a stray hair from his forehead.
"You're a fast learner, Gray. But we can't stay here. The Blood Moon Gang doesn't like losing, and my brother, Kang-Dae, is already on his way. He’s not a Level 7 Brawler. He’s something... different."
Hyuk scrambled into the SUV; his broken wrist cradled against his chest. He didn't look back as the tires screeched out of the parking lot. Gray watched them disappear, his heart finally slowing down.
"They're going to tell him," San Gah whispered, her eyes fixed on the horizon. "My brother won't come tonight—he thinks you’re below him. But tomorrow, he’ll send his 'Twins.' The Left and Right Hands."
[ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: NEW MAIN QUEST]
Title: The Twin Pillars of Blood Moon
Objective: Defeat 'Jin' and 'Ryu' (The Enforcer Twins).
Reward: +10 Attribute Points, +1 Skill Point, Hidden Item.
The Next Day
Gray spent the night feeling his body knit together, his 22 Stamina making his recovery nearly instant. But when he walked to school the next morning, the air felt heavy.
In the narrow alleyway behind the gym, they were waiting.
Jin and Ryu. Unlike the thugs yesterday, these two were lean, wearing matching tracksuits, and moving with the synchronized precision of professional assassins.
Gray used Appraisal immediately.
- Target: Jin (Right Hand) | Level: 12 | Class: Striker
- Target: Ryu (Left Hand) | Level: 12 | Class: Grappler
Gray’s 35 Strength was high, but their teamwork was a nightmare. Every time he swung at Jin, Ryu was there to catch his arm. Every time he tried to dodge, they cut off his exit. Gray was taking hits. His HP bar, visible for the first time, was flickering.
THWACK.
A kick caught Gray in the ribs, sending him skidding into a brick wall. He coughed, his vision blurring. They were too fast together.
"Is this it?" Jin sneered, spinning a butterfly knife. "The 'Monster' Hyuk cried about?"
Suddenly, the scent of vanilla cut through the metallic smell of the alley. San Gah stepped around the corner, her eyes flashing with a violet light.
[ SYSTEM ALERT: GODDESS’S PROTECTION ACTIVATED!] [ ALL STATS INCREASED BY 10%]
[ HIDDEN BUFF: 'WRATH OF THE BONDED' — SPEED +15%]
Gray felt a surge of electricity. His 29.7 Effective Agility jumped to nearly 35. His 38.5 Strength felt like it could shatter the bricks behind him.
He moved.
It wasn't a fight anymore; it was an execution. In a blur of motion, Gray caught Jin’s knife hand, snapped it, and delivered a spinning back-kick that sent Ryu through a wooden fence.
[ QUEST COMPLETE: THE TWIN PILLARS]
[ REWARDS: +10 ATTRIBUTE POINTS, +1 SKILL POINT]
The Allocation
Gray stood over the defeated twins, his chest heaving. He had the points. He needed to be smarter and stronger.
Gray allocates his 10 Points:
- Strength: +4 (Total: 39)
- Agility: +3 (Total: 30)
- Intelligence: +3 (Total: 14)
San Gah walked over to him, but she wasn't smiling. She looked at the horizon where a black helicopter was descending toward the city's tallest skyscraper—the Blood Moon Headquarters.
"You're growing fast, Gray," she said softly. "But look."
She pointed her finger at the air, and for the first time, she shared a "System Vision" with him. A massive holographic screen appeared, comparing Gray's current power to the man waiting for him.
Gray’s blood ran cold. He had just struggled against Level 12s. The man at the top was a Level 25 monster with double his strength.
"He's coming for us tonight," San Gah said. "And 39 Strength won't be enough to stop him from taking me back."