A soft buzz, then another, and another. Jin groaned, his hand fumbling blindly for his phone on the rickety nightstand. The notifications wouldn't stop. With his head buried under a pillow, he finally gave in and sat up, squinting at the bright screen.
6 notifications.
Still groggy, he scrolled through them, his eyes struggling to focus. It was a mix of news alerts and social media updates, but one headline immediately caught his attention.
"A-Class Harmonics Defeat Four Mega Monsters in the Ruins of Pyre Valley!"
Jin rubbed his eyes and sat up straighter. He clicked on the article, and the first thing he saw made his blood boil.
Tae Joon.
The grinning face of his former tormentor was plastered across the screen, standing triumphantly with his squad, holding a gleaming sword that looked more ceremonial than practical. The caption below read:
"Tae Joon, rising star among A-Class Harmonics, demonstrates his strength and skill in the successful subjugation of Pyre Valley's threats."
Jin stared at the screen, his stomach twisting. "Of course it's him," he muttered, his voice heavy with bitterness.
He threw the phone onto the bed, running a hand through his disheveled hair. "Mega monsters…" he whispered.
Everyone in the world knew about them. Beasts of unimaginable size and power, often the result of a rift between dimensions. Harmonics—the chosen few blessed with strength, skill, and wealth—were the only ones capable of dealing with them. To the common man, they were seen as heroes. To Jin, they were something else entirely.
"People like Tae Joon," he said to himself, his voice laced with frustration, "They're the ones who get to fight monsters and live like kings while people like me… I'm just another cockroach to them."
His thoughts drifted to the Abyssal Pit, to the moment Tae Joon and his squad laughed as they threw him in. His fists clenched at the memory.
"What am I supposed to do now?" he muttered, staring at the floor.
As if answering his question, the screen from the system suddenly blinked into existence before him.
[Daily Tasks Available]
Jog 5 kilometers: 0/5
Perform 200 pushups: 0/200
Drink 2 liters of water: 0/2
Practice basic hygiene (brush teeth, shower, etc.): 0/2
[Complete these tasks to receive rewards and increase Ascension progress.]
Jin's mouth fell open. "What the hell? Jog five kilometers? Two hundred pushups? What kind of sick joke is this?"
He looked down at his skinny arms and frowned. "I can barely do five pushups. Two hundred will kill me. And jogging? I'd collapse halfway through."
The system's screen didn't respond, its glowing text unwavering. Jin sighed and flopped back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling.
"Why did I even say yes to this thing?" he muttered. But deep down, he knew why. After years of being powerless, of being ordinary, this was his chance to become something more.
"Fine," he groaned, forcing himself to sit up. "I'll do your stupid tasks."
He stood outside in the early morning air, dressed in a loose hoodie and track pants that he'd owned for years. The city streets were still quiet, save for the occasional car passing by. Jin stretched awkwardly, feeling stiff and unprepared.
"Five kilometers," he muttered. "This is going to suck."
He started jogging, his steps uneven and slow. The first few blocks were manageable, but by the time he reached the half-kilometer mark, his legs felt like jelly.
"Why… did I agree… to this?" he panted, leaning against a lamp post to catch his breath.
But the thought of giving up now made him angry. Tae Joon's smug face flashed in his mind, and the memory of being tossed into the Abyssal Pit reignited his determination.
"Not this time," he muttered, pushing himself forward.
By the time he reached two kilometers, he felt like collapsing. His hoodie clung to his back, drenched in sweat, and his breathing was labored. He stumbled into a small park, sitting on a bench to catch his breath.
As he sat there, a soft laugh caught his attention. He glanced up and saw a girl jogging past him. She was beautiful—long black hair tied into a neat ponytail, her athletic outfit emphasizing her fit figure.
For a brief moment, their eyes met. Jin quickly looked away, embarrassed.
But the girl stopped, tilting her head. "Are you okay?" she asked.
Jin hesitated, unsure how to respond. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine," he stammered.
She smiled faintly, glancing at his soaked hoodie and flushed face. "You look like you're pushing yourself too hard."
"I'm just… trying to get stronger," Jin said, his voice quiet.
The girl nodded. "That's good. Don't give up."
With that, she jogged off, leaving Jin sitting there, stunned.
Jin pushed himself through the rest of the run, his legs trembling by the time he returned to his apartment. He collapsed onto the floor, staring at the system screen that appeared before him.
[Daily Tasks Progress Updated]
- Jog 5 kilometers: 5/5
- Perform 200 pushups: 0/200
- Drink 2 liters of water: 0/2
- Practice basic hygiene (brush teeth, shower, etc.): 0/2
Jin groaned. "I'm going to die before I finish all of this."
Back at the girl's home, she entered through the front door, wiping sweat from her forehead.
"Dad, I'm back," she called, setting her water bottle on the counter.
An older man in a suit looked up from his laptop, giving her a warm smile. "Welcome back, Sae rin. How was your jog?"
"It was fine," Sae rin said, grabbing her phone and scrolling through an app absentmindedly. "I met someone interesting, though. He looked like he was about to pass out from jogging, but he was really determined."
Her father chuckled. "You always notice the strangest things, Sae rin."
She smiled, but her amusement faded as she continued scrolling. Her eyes widened as she stopped on a news article.
The headline read: "Executed Thief Identified: Jin Seo Ryun, a Second-Class Citizen."
Below the headline was a picture of Jin, the very same face she had just seen earlier that day.
Her heart raced as she stared at the screen. "That's impossible," she whispered to herself. "Isn't he supposed to be dead…"