Chapter 7
The next morning.
Due to his ingrained habit, Seong-jun Lee woke up very early and went to the living room, but his family members were nowhere to be seen.
They were all still sound asleep in their rooms.
"They're leaving for work earlier than I expected."
As he muttered to himself and walked towards the refrigerator in the kitchen, he noticed a note stuck to it.
[Son! We're leaving for work so early in the morning that we felt bad about waking you up, so we're just leaving this note. We've prepared breakfast on the table, so heat it up in the microwave and eat.
We'll leave money on the table for lunch, so buy whatever you want to eat.]
He understood his family's situation and feelings.
Living day to day worrying about tomorrow's livelihood, they couldn't afford to take unpaid leave due to practical reasons.
"I need to get moving as soon as possible."
Yesterday, after the tearful reunion he had longed for with his family, Seong-jun made a firm resolve in his heart once again.
'I will live happily with my family.'
To achieve this long-cherished dream, what he needed most right now was money.
Of course, money wasn't everything for happiness.
But there was a reason for the saying that generosity comes from a full storehouse.
For Seong-jun's family right now, striving for happiness while living a life worrying about next month or even tomorrow, unable to guarantee proper food, clothing, and shelter, was an extremely arduous task.
Fortunately, the current Earth was in an era of great change.
Awakened ones and Returnees, collectively called 'Hunters', could earn annual incomes of billions by dealing with monsters or gates.
Of course, not all those active as Hunters received high salaries.
It was a perfect meritocracy, with income entirely dependent on one's abilities and skills.
From Seong-jun's perspective, this could be seen as a good thing.
Considering the power and abilities from the time when he was hailed as a Demon God, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he would soon be sitting on a pile of money.
The only regrettable point was that it was difficult to earn a large sum of money right away in the current situation.
'...I never thought I'd feel regret about losing the power of a Demon God.'
From the highest SSS-rank to the lowest F-rank, it's common knowledge on the current Earth that Awakened ones and Returnees use the same ranking system as Hunters.
Naturally, with his current physical condition having lost all his power, it was impossible to register for a high rank.
However, there was no need to feel impatient.
He was confident that he could regain his lost power given enough time.
With the experience and knowledge he had accumulated in the past, he clearly knew the path he needed to take, and striving to become stronger was a daily routine for Seong-jun.
Moreover, there was no need to worry about immediate living expenses.
Although it was an F-rank, there would be no lack of skill.
The average annual income earned by an outstanding F-rank Hunter amounted to hundreds of millions of won.
This meant that his family would no longer need to work as if being chased by something as they were now.
Of course, Seong-jun, who wished to live happily laughing together with his family, would not be satisfied with just this level of income.
'I need to start training quickly... no, wait a moment...'
As he stood up, ready to begin disciplining himself, something occurred to Seong-jun's mind.
The system window, also known as the status window, a special power of Hunters composed of green hologram.
It was something familiar in the current Earth, so he had dismissed it calmly.
But now that he needed strong power, it was a different story.
'I should check it out.'
It's widely known that the system window is quite similar to existing games in many aspects.
Basically, Hunters level up by hunting monsters, and bonus points are given upon leveling up.
And just yesterday, he had hunted a D-rank monster, a troll.
Although he hadn't been able to check yesterday due to the hectic situation, he should have leveled up quite a bit.
[Status]
Name: Seong-jun Lee
Job: None
Title: None
Level: 6
Strength: 5, Agility: 4, Vitality: 5
Blood Energy: 5
Active Skills Possessed
S-rank, Blood Shadow Asura Divine Technique 1 star.
Bonus Points: 5
A faint smile appeared on Seong-jun's lips as he scanned the green hologram window with his eyes.
'Not bad.'
Level 6, he had gained a full five levels.
'This was probably possible because my level was so low to begin with.'
As the basic framework was similar to games, the growth system was also the same.
The higher the level, the exponentially more experience points required for leveling up.
Nevertheless, those with status windows make painstaking efforts to raise their levels.
The reason was the bonus points given as a reward for leveling up.
'So this is what they call bonus points?'
It's said that one can become stronger just by using points to increase their stats.
This was why those with status windows were so eager to level up.
However, these were all stories circulating in communities or among the public.
Without direct experience, Seong-jun couldn't easily believe it.
'Can I really become stronger with such a simple method?'
There was no need to rack his brains alone over this.
With half doubt and half expectation, Seong-jun conveyed his will to the status window as he had seen on the internet.
'I will use 5 bonus points on Blood Energy.'
For a brief moment, the external energy flowing around him fluctuated.
Immediately after, the energy floating in the air took on a familiar form and was quickly absorbed into his body.
Ding-!
[The status 'Blood Energy' increases by (+5).]
Blood Energy: 5 (+5)
Feeling the Blood Energy filling his body exactly doubled, Seong-jun let out a small exclamation.
"...Amazing."
Even for Seong-jun, who had vast knowledge and experience to the point of reaching the realm of a Demon God, this was a growth method he had never seen before.
Originally, to gain strong power, one had to either consume rare elixirs or repeat grueling training every day through countless years of endurance.
But this status window brought about immediate physical changes just by using the bonus points given upon leveling up.
This meant that if one had a status window, they could become stronger without any special training or cultivation.
'No, that's not right.'
There was no reason to exclude training.
As mentioned earlier, striving to become stronger was like a daily routine anyway.
What if he continued his usual training while hunting monsters and leveling up?
'I could become stronger than when I was hailed as a Demon God.'
Adding a completely new power to the already strong power that had earned him the title of Demon God.
He might even be able to step into a new realm.
It's not simply 1+1 equals 2, it could be 3 or even 10.
This meant he had gained an incredible growth foundation that was hard to accept even after seeing and experiencing it directly.
'Good.'
This was inevitable because although he was hailed as a Demon God, Seong-jun's foundation was that of a martial artist.
As he had purely admired martial arts, it was natural for him to feel great joy at becoming stronger.
"Hehehe..."
Thump! Thump! Thump!
His heart naturally began to pound violently, and an unmistakable smile was forming on his lips when suddenly, a question lingered in his mind.
'But who created this system, and for what purpose?'
The amusement of a high god?
Or to create their own agent?
Or an intention so dark it couldn't be predicted?
Whatever the reason, it didn't matter.
The important thing was that, for now, it seemed to be providing power without any special conditions or cost.
'There's no reason to refuse what's being given.'
But when they try to take it back, it won't be so easy.
Although it was an unfamiliar method he had never experienced before, it was ultimately a change applied to his body and his own power.
'Even if it's a high god, they won't be able to easily take away the power that has settled in my body.'
Using the experience and knowledge engraved in his soul, he wouldn't be overwhelmed even if the opponent was a high god.
If they try to impose some kind of oppression, he will struggle with all his might, and eventually shake it off and break it.
In fact, Seong-jun had proven this countless times through battles with forces or gods who tried to antagonize him.
Therefore, he accepted this status window as it was for now.
"I like it."
Thanks to this status window, he could progress his growth much faster than expected.
Seong-jun shook his head, suppressing the smile that was about to bloom on his lips.
'This is not the time to be so pleased.'
Just because he had seen a path he could take didn't mean he had arrived.
He had to take steps forward himself to reach the destination.
It was time to start making painful efforts.
* * *
Seong-jun immediately started exercising.
From early dawn before sunrise until early evening, he ran in the park without rest, lifted and pushed the provided equipment.
He didn't forget to consume as much protein as possible whenever he ate meals or supplements with the money his parents left him.
Of course, given that money was not very plentiful, the taste of the meals and supplements he could buy was truly the worst, to say the least.
However, Seong-jun calmly accepted these hardships.
'As they say, muscles grow by eating pain and discomfort.'
Although it might seem like a somewhat foolish method, it was the most effective way to change his currently unimpressive physique.
Knowing this fact, Seong-jun had silently walked this arduous path of asceticism.
After about a week of this...
Ding-!
[Tremendous effort.]
[The stiffened and shrunken muscles have recovered to some extent.]
[Strength, Agility, and Vitality stats increase by 2 each.]
A smile spread across Seong-jun's lips as he scanned the green hologram that appeared before his eyes.
'Not bad.'
The effect of increasing a total of 6 stats was tremendous.
The pain that felt like he would collapse from exhaustion just a moment ago was melting away like snow.
He felt a sudden surge of vitality in his body.
He had finally reaped the sweet fruits of his week-long effort.
But Seong-jun didn't stop.
He didn't start this training to be satisfied with just this much.
One step, ten steps, a hundred steps, a thousand steps, ten thousand steps.
Hot blood surging from his pounding heart quickly spread throughout Seong-jun's body as he ran through the park.
"Huff... huff."
Although he was out of breath from the incessant steps, Seong-jun continued to move forward.
He had to endure.
Only then could he overcome.
That's why he couldn't stop.
Just a moment ago, his body that had regained vitality began to scream once again.
His heart started to pound violently.
It was a signal that he had reached his limit, and a warning that if he didn't stop now, it could have adverse effects.
But Seong-jun still ran.
Sweat poured down like rain, soaking his entire body.
It felt as if a fierce current like a waterfall was pressing down on his body, but Seong-jun continued to take steps.
'Just a little, just a little more.'
He could see the desired goal point.
Thump, thump.
His heart grew so large it wouldn't be strange if it burst right then.
Finally, at the moment when he felt blood circulating freely throughout every corner of his body, Seong-jun's eyes gleamed with a strange light.