Lee Seung's eyes fluttered open to a brownish ceiling. The steady beep of the heart monitor pierced through the fog in his mind. He took a deep breath, wincing at the dull ache in his chest. The antiseptic smell was sharp, almost harsh.
He attempted to sit up, his entire body tensing with pain. With a determined grimace, he leaned against the wall. "Ow," he muttered softly. His eyes lingered on the clock above. It was 9:00 PM. "It was 5 o'clock when I was taken to the Domain; I got back after two hours and woke up two hours later. Gosh, what a worrisome experience I had!"
"But…" his voice grew louder, eyes fixed on the bedspread, "…the training seems worthwhile. My leg is less stiff now compared to when I woke up from the coma, and I even learned a big lesson while battling the robots. If not for the challenge I faced, my punch wouldn't have become this powerful. I mastered that controlling the energy in one's hand can heighten the damage one's hit makes, and ammunitions aren't the best weapons. As long as I continue to learn how to be stronger, I will continue to complete my daily mission."
He clenched his fist, reaffirming his newfound determination. He knew he couldn't give up on saving his sister, even after six long years.
Brim!
A mechanical sound echoed in the ward, and the system screen appeared at Seung's eye level. "Let's see what you have for me, buddy," he said.
[You have three unread messages.]
"Show the content of each," he commanded, his eyes fixed on the screen. The system had saved him countless times, and he had grown a keen bond with it.
[You have received 500 skill points and gold for completing the mission. Skill points can be generally used for all aspects of upgrade while items can be purchased from the Store with gold. You are short on a thousand points to gain access.]
Seung raised his eyebrows. 'I was about to check it out, thanks to the last sentence,' he thought. He gave the go-ahead, and the next message appeared.
[An additional SP has been gifted as a resting reward. This is a kind in which you can get just by either taking a nap or a sleep. Your resting duration was two hours; thus, you got a supplementary prize of 100 SP.]
Seung shrugged. "In summary, the system says I can gain SP from training in my Domain as well as resting…Hehe. Golds can only be gotten from training; so, I would probably do some upgrades before accessing the Store. I seem like a game character to be honest."
Just like in action video games, characters got rewarded with skill points and golds. These could be used for improvements or to purchase materials from the game store. Mostly, skill points led to leveling up, and golds had implications for purchasing better weapons and gear.
"Everything is similar, except the resting reward. I haven't heard of a game that has that kind of feature. Or perhaps, this system will be a popular game in the future?" he murmured and simpered. "Honestly, it can change everything. The way humans interact, get healed, battle crimes, and all those things, can be altered by the item inside me. It really is very important as the director said."
BRIM!
[Last message: Complete the next mission. This is urgent.]
[Mission: Use your clones to take down an E-rank dungeon. They must do this alone.]
The message was clear; there was a reason why only his clones were allowed to carry out the mission. Something was different. Something was about to happen.
Seung placed his feet on the floor and put on a pair of slippers. He stood up, summoning his clones. His muscles tensed, and a sharp pain shot through his side. Sweat beaded on his forehead, but he clenched his teeth and pushed through.
Thud!
The clones appeared, each wearing a face mask. First wore a blue T-shirt with shorts, while Second wore a black jacket with long pants. Seung had given them these clothes for easy differentiation.
"Find an E-rank dungeon and hunt. Be careful," he commanded, his voice hoarse but determined. The clones nodded, their expressions mirroring his resolve, and left the ward.
Two men guarding the door reacted to the masked clones. They were both wearing uniform black outfit, and both of them appeared to be in their 30s. They tried to stop them, but the clones moved too fast.
"Damn! How did they get inside?!" one of the guards cursed, kicking the door open.
SLAM! Phew!
Seung remained calm. He deduced immediately that they were the director's boys. He waved at them and grinned widely. "Hello. No need to worry about me, those are my summons."
"Summons?!" the guard shouted, his mouth agape.
Seung continued smiling. "Yeah, I can't stand losing that much hunting profit because of my condition, so I managed to summon them. They will be back in a jiffy…"
The second guard's voice was loud and prickling, "What if they lose control, like ghost clones, and hurt innocent people in the city?! Will you be responsible for everything?!"
"Ha-ha. So that's what you are worried about," Seung said. "My summons aren't like that. They won't do anything out of my order."
"Looks like you guys are having a discussion," an external voice interrupted.
Mr. Choi, Seung's manager, stood outside, his usually sharp suit slightly rumpled, a rare sign of stress. His eyes softened when they met Seung's.
Seung smiled and waved back, "It's so good to see you!"
***
The scene transitioned to a cavernous passage. The floor was paved with black rocks, which absorbed the dim light from the flame lamps fixed to the walls. The walls were damp, adorned with moss and sporadic plant growth. Droplets of water dripped rhythmically from the concave ceiling, creating a haunting melody. The air was thick with the scents of decay and rust, contributing to an almost suffocating atmosphere.
Seung's clones emerged from a bud-shaped entrance, stepping into the passage. Moss and black flowers clung to the entrance, hinting at the clones' journey through the penumbral darkness outside.
Snarl!
An icy draft swept past them, accompanied by the angry snarls reverberating through the cavern. The flames flickered violently before stabilizing. A goblin emerged from the shadows, charging towards them with thundering steps that made the ground tremble.
First stepped forward, fists clenched, eyes narrowing at the approaching creature. As the goblin leaped towards him, he met it mid-air with a powerful punch to the throat. The force of the blow decapitated the goblin, its body crumpling to the ground in a bloody heap.