I woke up with a heavy head, again. Same morning, same routine. Seriously, life feels like a joke, and I'm the main character. Having an inventory full of overpowered items from an MMORPG, yet working as a regular employee in the real world? Oh come on, author, can't you give me something more exciting than this?
I opened the system window because, well... why not? At least it's a little entertaining to see how ridiculous my status is.
[System Window]
Name: Kim Taemin
Level: 9999
HP: 5,000,000
MP: 3,500,000
Strength: 1,000,000
Agility: 950,000
Intelligence: 900,000
Dexterity: 800,000
Skills:
Divine Blade Mastery (Max Level)
Firestorm Magic (Max Level)
Ultimate Defense (Max Level)
Healing Rain (Max Level)
Inventory:
Divine Sword: Ragnarok
Armor of the Fallen King
Amulet of Concealment
Potion of Immortality
Everything is still there. An inventory full of extraordinary items, absurd stats, but I can't show it off at all. Honestly, life feels like a forced script.
I got ready for work, still thinking about how absurd my life is right now. Why hide all this? If people knew I was practically a god, I might get into trouble. Maybe. Author, seriously, you don't have any more interesting storylines for me?
While brushing my teeth, a notification popped up on the system window. Oh, what now?
[Quest Alert]
Side Quest: Investigate the Awakener Rumors
Objective: Discover the identity of the suspicious figure near the Seoul office.
Reward: 10,000 EXP, Rare Item Drop
Another side quest, author? Seriously, I haven't even had breakfast! Fine, let's see who's behind these Awakener rumors, but please, don't make my life more complicated than it already is.
At the office, my routine was as usual, boring. And yeah, of course, Joon-Ho showed up and started ranting about the latest news. My life is seriously a god-tier plot twist hidden in a boring office drama.
"Taemin-ah, I heard there's an unregistered Awakener around here! They're supposed to be really strong!" Joon-Ho exclaimed, like he picked up the gossip from a radio.
I nodded with a smile. "Yeah, maybe. Who knows, we might meet a real superhero."
"Haha, who knows, bro. If they're really that strong, maybe we'll have guaranteed safety," he said, patting my back.
I just chuckled, thinking, Yeah, if you knew I was the god you're talking about, you wouldn't be this relaxed. But of course, I had to keep it humble. No one knows who I really am. Let's keep it that way... for now.
Lee Hye-Rin sat in a café near the Awakener Association. Her eyes scanned every report meticulously, looking for information about a powerful yet unregistered Awakener. A thin smile graced her lips. There was something intriguing about this mysterious Awakener.
"I'll find you," she muttered with determination.
Her personal informant arrived, handing over a new report. "Miss Hye-Rin, we still haven't identified the Awakener, but their power is definitely no joke."
Lee Hye-Rin smiled. "That's enough for now. They won't be able to hide forever from Crimson Lotus."
That afternoon, after the meeting ended, I returned to my desk. Something felt off today. I didn't know why, but I had a bad feeling. But yeah, maybe I was overthinking. After all, no one knows about me—except... oh, right. Suddenly, the system window popped up again.
[Quest Complete]
Side Quest: Investigate the Awakener Rumors
Reward: 10,000 EXP, Rare Item Drop: Ring of Cosplay
Look at that! This ring allows me to transform into anything I want, even Ultraman if the situation calls for it. But honestly, this is the most ridiculous item I've ever had. Sometimes, it feels like life is a cheat code that got miswritten.
"Looks like it's going to be a long day," I muttered, hoping the author wouldn't complicate my life any more than it already was.
I gazed at the ring that had just appeared in my inventory, the Ring of Cosplay. It can turn me into any character for 30 minutes, with a 4-hour cooldown. Of all the absurd items I've ever gotten, this might be the most ridiculous. Seriously, becoming Ultraman or Darth Vader? Author, what were you thinking?
But before I could enjoy the silliness of this any longer, a new quest notification popped up.
[Main Quest Alert]
Main Quest: Investigate the Rogue Awakener
Objective: Track and neutralize the rogue Awakener causing chaos near Seoul.
Reward: 100,000 EXP, ???
After the new quest appeared, I immediately headed to the location where the rogue Awakener was reported to have been seen. My heart started racing, not out of fear, but more out of anticipation. Tasks like these always got my adrenaline pumping—though I had to keep myself in check and not reveal my true strength.
With these overpowered stats, everything felt too easy. That's why I had to play my part. Yeah, hiding power is an art.
I touched the Ring of Cosplay that I had just received. "Well, why not try something ridiculous this time?" I thought, smiling to myself. In an instant, my body transformed, a black cape billowing behind me, iconic helmet in place with heavy mechanical breathing. I was now Darth Vader, complete with a glowing red lightsaber in hand.
"Ah, this will be fun," I muttered, looking at my reflection in a nearby shop window. For some reason, being Darth Vader made me feel more dramatic.
Whoooosh!
The heavy breathing of Darth Vader echoed from the helmet I wore. Now, it was time to find the rogue awakener who was my target.
From the rooftop of a building, Lee Hye-Rin observed the movements below. According to the information she had received, the rogue awakener had already started causing damage. Several members of Crimson Lotus had been dispatched, but none of them could handle the man.
"I should've stepped in sooner," Hye-Rin muttered, readying her weapon.
However, from her vantage point, she spotted something strange on the street. A large figure dressed in black robes and a helmet was approaching the area where the rogue awakener was. "What is that? A cosplayer?" she thought, confused.
After walking a few blocks, I finally found him—the rogue awakener. His muscles were bulging, and a terrifying aura surrounded the area. I could sense his anger from afar.
Without much preamble, I approached, still playing the role of Darth Vader.
"Ah… finally, a true enemy appears," I said in a deep voice, fully embodying the character.
The rogue awakener stared at me, clearly confused. "Who are you?" he asked angrily. Okay, this guy clearly had no idea he was about to face a gaming maniac with overpowered stats, disguised as the Lord of the Sith.
"I am a force you cannot defeat," I replied dramatically, swinging the red lightsaber in my hand. "Now... bow to the Dark Side!"
The rogue awakener didn't understand my theatrics and instead charged at me with incredible speed.
BOOM!
WHOOOOM!
The rogue awakener was sent flying several meters back, crashing hard into a wall. He looked shocked, clearly not expecting such a powerful hit. But I knew he still had plenty of energy left.
"Do you know who you're dealing with?" I approached slowly, Darth Vader's breathing sound dominating the air. "I am more than just an ordinary awakener."
The rogue awakener rose from the rubble, breathing heavily, his eyes filled with rage. "Damn you! I don't care who you are, I'm going to destroy you!" He charged again, this time his fists glowing with magical power.
WHOOSH!
His punch landed exactly where I had been standing... or rather, where I had just been standing. Before his strike could hit, I'd already leaped back, leaving only a small trace in the air.
"Okay, okay," I sighed, "I was just joking, but you seem to be taking this way too seriously." I raised my hand, toying with the glowing red lightsaber in my grip.
The rogue awakener didn't relent. He unleashed a barrage of attacks, each punch and kick sending small explosions through the ground around us.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
But despite the brute force, none of his attacks even touched me. Every time he swung, I effortlessly dodged.
"Bro, you get tired quickly, huh?" I taunted as I continued moving nimbly. "This feels like sparring against a bot in a game."
Frustrated by his inability to land a hit, the rogue awakener took a deep breath and began gathering energy. A menacing black aura swirled around his body. "I'll destroy you… with this one attack!" he shouted, raising his hands high.
His eyes glowed red, and suddenly, a massive black energy blast shot from his hands, aimed directly at me.
BOOOOOOOM!
I glanced at the incoming blast and thought, "Ah, okay, this is serious."
I stabbed my lightsaber into the ground and activated the Force Barrier around me. A transparent energy shield formed, protecting me from the black energy blast.
ZZZZZTTTT!
The blast slammed into my shield with immense power, causing the ground around me to lift and demolishing a few small buildings nearby. But I stood firm inside the barrier, untouched.
"Are you done?" I asked, sounding a bit bored. I brushed the dust off my cloak and stared at the rogue awakener with a nonchalant expression.
He was gasping for air, clearly exhausted from the massive attack. "How is this possible…?"
I grinned behind the Darth Vader helmet. "It's time to end this game."
Without hesitation, I leaped forward, lightsaber blazing in my hand. The rogue awakener tried to defend himself, but his movements were too slow. In one swift motion, I slashed, cutting his weapon in half.
SLASH!
He fell to the ground, helpless, panic filling his eyes. I placed the tip of my lightsaber against his neck. "You have a choice. Surrender... or die."
The rogue awakener gritted his teeth, trying to suppress the fear that was clearly visible on his face. But before he could respond, the system's voice echoed in my head.
[Quest Complete]
Objective: Rogue awakener neutralized
Reward: 100,000 EXP, ???
I glanced at the rogue awakener one more time, then pulled the lightsaber away from his neck. "Congratulations, you got lucky today," I said flatly.
After that, I walked away, leaving him lying on the ground. "See you in the next quest," I muttered with a small laugh.
From a distance, Lee Hye-Rin, who had been observing from the rooftop, squinted her eyes. "Who is that person?" she wondered. The mysterious figure in the black cloak had easily defeated the rogue awakener, but there were no reports of an awakener like him.
"I need to find out more," she muttered, preparing to head back to headquarters. "This seems bigger than we thought."