Monday morning hit different than usual. I woke up before my alarm, which was weird because I'm usually terrible at mornings. But I guess all this routine stuff was actually working.
"DAILY QUEST AVAILABLE"
"QUEST: FINAL PREPARATION"
"DESCRIPTION: COMPLETE LAST-MINUTE REVIEW FOR MIDTERM EXAMS"
"REWARD: +1 INTELLIGENCE, +1 WISDOM, 15 SYSTEM POINTS" "TIME LIMIT: 3 HOURS"
"ACCEPT? YES/NO"
I accepted it while stretching. My body felt stronger now, which was cool. A month ago I couldn't even do ten push-ups without dying.
After my workout and shower, I went downstairs. Mom was making my favorite breakfast - scrambled eggs with toast. She'd been doing this all week, trying to make sure I ate well before the big tests.
"How are you feeling about today?" she asked, putting the plate in front of me.
"Pretty good, actually. I studied everything I could. Now I just have to trust that I know it."
Dad looked up from his newspaper. "That's the right attitude. You've put in the work, so have confidence in yourself."
"Thanks, Dad."
"DAILY QUEST COMPLETED"
"REWARD: +1 INTELLIGENCE, +1 WISDOM, 15 SYSTEM POINTS"
"CURRENT SYSTEM POINTS: 300"
Wait, 300 points? That seemed like a lot. I wondered if I could spend them on something useful.
"SYSTEM STORE UNLOCKED"
"AVAILABLE PURCHASES:" "TEMPORARY FOCUS BOOST (50 POINTS) - INCREASES CONCENTRATION FOR 2 HOURS" "MEMORY ENHANCEMENT (100 POINTS) - IMPROVES RECALL FOR 24 HOURS" "CONFIDENCE BOOST (75 POINTS) - REDUCES TEST ANXIETY FOR 1 DAY" "STAT BOOST (150 POINTS) - PERMANENTLY INCREASE ANY STAT BY 2 POINTS"
This was new. The system had a store now? I thought about what would help me most during the exams. The memory enhancement seemed useful, but maybe the confidence boost would be better. I got nervous during tests sometimes.
I decided to save the points for now. I wanted to see how I did on my own first.
At school, everyone looked stressed. People were cramming in the hallways, flipping through notes frantically. But I felt calm. Prepared.
"Jinhyuk!" Sujin ran up to me, looking worried. "Are you ready for the math test?"
"I think so. Are you okay? You look nervous."
"I'm fine with the material, but I hate tests. What if I freeze up?"
"You won't. You know this stuff better than anyone. Just breathe and take it one question at a time."
She nodded, but still looked anxious. "Will you sit with me at lunch? I think I need someone to keep me calm."
"Of course."
"RELATIONSHIP PROGRESS: KANG SUJIN (CLOSE FRIEND → BEST FRIEND)"
The first test was Korean Literature. I sat down and looked at the questions. They were about the poems we'd studied, the historical contexts, and some analysis stuff. A month ago, this would have been impossible. Now, I actually understood what they were asking.
I started writing, and the words just flowed. I wrote about how the poet used nature imagery to express his feelings about war. I explained the historical significance of the reform movements. I even added my own thoughts about how the themes related to modern life.
"TIME REMAINING: 10 MINUTES"
I looked at my paper. I'd answered everything, and I felt good about it. Really good.
"SKILL LEVEL UP: LITERATURE ANALYSIS (LEVEL 3)"
"INTELLIGENCE +1"
"CURRENT INTELLIGENCE: 50/100"
Fifty intelligence points! That was crazy. I'd gone from being a total slacker to having average intelligence in just a few weeks.
At lunch, I sat with Sujin like I promised. She was picking at her food, still nervous.
"How was the literature test?" she asked.
"Better than I expected. How about you?"
"I think I did okay. I just hate waiting for results."
"Don't worry about it. You're the smartest person I know."
She smiled a little. "Thanks. You always know what to say."
Yerin came over to our table. "Hey, how did everyone do on the first test?"
"I think it went well," I said. "How about you?"
"Pretty good. I'm more worried about the math test tomorrow."
"You'll be fine. We studied everything in the group sessions."
"That's true. Those study sessions really helped. Thanks for suggesting we include Sujin. She explained calculus better than our teacher does."
Sujin blushed. "I just like math. It makes sense to me."
"Well, you helped all of us understand it better," Yerin said. "You should consider tutoring. You'd be really good at it."
"QUEST PROGRESS: PROVE YOURSELF (20% COMPLETE)"
Tuesday was math day. I woke up feeling confident, which was weird because math used to be my worst subject. But all those study sessions with Sujin had really helped.
The test was hard, but not impossible. There were algebra problems, geometry proofs, and some basic calculus. I worked through each problem carefully, checking my work twice.
There was one problem that stumped me at first. It was about calculating the area under a curve. But then I remembered how Sujin had explained it, using the example of finding the area of a weird-shaped park. Once I thought about it that way, the solution became clear.
"SKILL LEVEL UP: MATHEMATICAL REASONING (LEVEL 2)"
"INTELLIGENCE +1"
"CURRENT INTELLIGENCE: 51/100"
Wednesday was science - chemistry and physics combined. This was actually fun because I'd been reading ahead in the textbooks. The questions about chemical reactions and basic physics made sense to me now.
There was a bonus question about advanced chemistry that most students probably couldn't answer. But I'd been studying with Sujin, and she'd taught me about molecular structures and reaction rates. I wrote out the answer carefully, showing all my work.
"SKILL LEVEL UP: SCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS (LEVEL 2)"
"INTELLIGENCE +1"
"CURRENT INTELLIGENCE: 52/100"
Thursday was English. This had always been one of my better subjects, but now I felt really confident. The reading comprehension questions were easy, and I could analyze the grammar patterns without any trouble.
The writing section asked us to write an essay about overcoming challenges. I wrote about how I'd changed my approach to school and life. I didn't mention the system, obviously, but I wrote about learning to be disciplined and setting goals. The words just flowed onto the paper.
"SKILL LEVEL UP: ENGLISH COMMUNICATION (LEVEL 3)"
"INTELLIGENCE +1"
"CURRENT INTELLIGENCE: 53/100"
Friday was the last day - history and social studies. I'd always been decent at history because I liked stories, but now I understood the connections between different events and time periods.
The test covered everything from ancient Korea to modern politics. I wrote detailed answers about the causes of historical events, the development of government systems, and how past events influenced modern society. I even included some insights I'd learned from talking to my dad about business and economics.
"SKILL LEVEL UP: HISTORY ANALYSIS (LEVEL 3)"
"INTELLIGENCE +1"
"CURRENT INTELLIGENCE: 54/100"
When I finished the last test, I felt amazing. Not just because I was done, but because I knew I'd done well. Really well.
"QUEST PROGRESS: PROVE YOURSELF (80% COMPLETE)"
"MIDTERM PERFORMANCE EVALUATION IN PROGRESS..."
At lunch, our whole study group met up to talk about how the tests went.
"I think we all did pretty well," Yerin said. "Those study sessions really paid off."
"The math test was brutal," Sungjin said. "But I think I got most of it right."
"The science test had some tricky questions," added Minhyuk. "But nothing we hadn't covered."
Sujin was quiet, but she looked relieved. "I'm just glad it's over."
"We should celebrate," I said. "How about we all go get ice cream after school?"
Everyone agreed. It felt good to have friends who actually cared about doing well in school.
"RELATIONSHIP PROGRESS: STUDY GROUP - CLOSE FRIENDS"
That afternoon, we went to the ice cream place near school. It was fun just hanging out without talking about tests or homework for once.
"You know," Yerin said, "I never expected you to become such a good student, Jinhyuk."
"Thanks. I just decided I was tired of being lazy."
"It's more than that," Sujin said. "You actually understand the material now, not just memorizing it."
"She's right," Sungjin added. "You ask really good questions in our study sessions. You think about things differently than most people."
"CHARISMA +1"
"CURRENT CHARISMA: 17/100"
We talked about our plans for the weekend and what we wanted to do over spring break. It was nice feeling like I belonged somewhere.
When I got home, my parents were waiting for me with big smiles.
"How did the last test go?" Mom asked.
"Really well. I think I did better than I ever have on any test."
"That's wonderful!" Dad said. "We're so proud of how hard you've worked."
"Thanks. I couldn't have done it without your support."
"What do you want to do this weekend?" Mom asked. "You've earned a break."
"Actually, I was thinking about starting to prepare for the final exams. I want to keep this momentum going."
They both looked surprised, but happy.
"RELATIONSHIP PROGRESS: PARK YEONHEE (MOTHER) - STRONG BOND"
"RELATIONSHIP PROGRESS: PARK JINSOO (FATHER) - STRONG BOND"
That night, I looked at my stats before going to bed.
"CURRENT STATS:" "STRENGTH: 18/100" "AGILITY: 20/100" "INTELLIGENCE: 54/100" "CHARISMA: 17/100" "LUCK: 5/100" "ANGER CONTROL: 13/100" "WISDOM: 3/100"
"SYSTEM POINTS: 300"
My intelligence had gone up so much. I was actually above average now, which was crazy to think about. A month ago, I was failing most of my classes.
Monday morning came with test results. I was nervous but excited. Our homeroom teacher, Mrs. Kim, had all the score sheets ready.
"I'm very impressed with this class's performance," she said. "Several students showed remarkable improvement."
She started calling out names and ranks. I held my breath.
"10th place: Lee Minhyuk - 87.2 average"
"9th place: Park Sungjin - 87.8 average"
"8th place: Kim Jinhyuk - 88.1 average"
Wait, what? I got 8th place? Out of 40 students? I couldn't believe it.
"QUEST COMPLETED: PROVE YOURSELF"
"REWARD: +5 INTELLIGENCE, +2 CHARISMA, ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT SKILL, 60 SYSTEM POINTS"
"CURRENT SYSTEM POINTS: 360"
"SKILL ACQUIRED: ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT (LEVEL 1)"
"INTELLIGENCE +5"
"CHARISMA +2"
"CURRENT INTELLIGENCE: 59/100"
"CURRENT CHARISMA: 19/100"
I was in shock. 8th place. I'd gone from being in the bottom half of the class to the top 10 in just a few weeks.
"Congratulations, Jinhyuk," Mrs. Kim said after class. "This is the most improvement I've ever seen from a student. Keep up the excellent work."
"Thank you, Mrs. Kim. I will."
At lunch, everyone was talking about the results. Sujin got 2nd place, which wasn't surprising. Yerin got 3rd. But everyone was amazed that I'd gotten 8th.
"Dude, you got 8th place!" Sungjin said. "That's incredible!"
"I can't believe it either," I said. "I was hoping for maybe top 15."
"You deserved it," Sujin said. "You worked harder than anyone."
"We all worked hard. Those study sessions helped everyone."
"True, but you had the biggest improvement," Yerin said. "You should be proud."
"CHARISMA +1"
"CURRENT CHARISMA: 20/100"
That afternoon, I went to the teacher's office to pick up my detailed score breakdown. I'd gotten 95 on literature, 87 on math, 89 on science, 92 on English, and 91 on history. Every single score was higher than any test I'd ever taken.
"NEW QUEST AVAILABLE"
"QUEST: MAINTAIN EXCELLENCE" "DESCRIPTION: STAY IN TOP 10 FOR REMAINING SCHOOL YEAR" "REWARD: +10 INTELLIGENCE, +5 CHARISMA, LEADERSHIP SKILL, 100 SYSTEM POINTS" "TIME LIMIT: 3 MONTHS"
"ACCEPT? YES/NO"
I accepted without hesitation. I'd proven I could do it once. Now I had to prove I could keep it up.
When I got home, my parents were over the moon.
"8th place!" Mom said, hugging me. "I'm so proud of you!"
"This is amazing, son," Dad said. "You've really turned things around."
"Thanks. I want to keep improving. I think I can do even better next time."
"With this kind of dedication, I'm sure you can," Dad said.
That night, I lay in bed thinking about everything that had happened. A month ago, I was angry, failing school, and had no friends. Now I was in the top 10 of my class, had a great group of friends, and my family relationships were better than ever.
But this was just the beginning. I still had so much room to grow. My intelligence was approaching 60, but there was still a long way to go. My other stats needed work too.
"SYSTEM NOTIFICATION"
"MAJOR MILESTONE ACHIEVED: ACADEMIC TURNAROUND"
"SPECIAL REWARD: SKILL POINT MULTIPLIER ACTIVATED"
"ALL SKILL GAINS DOUBLED FOR NEXT 2 WEEKS"
"ADDITIONAL REWARD: UNLOCK ADVANCED QUESTS"
This was huge. Double skill gains meant I could improve even faster. And advanced quests sounded interesting.
"ADVANCED QUEST AVAILABLE"
"QUEST: SOCIAL BUTTERFLY" "DESCRIPTION: IMPROVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH 5 NEW PEOPLE" "REWARD: +3 CHARISMA, +2 WISDOM, SOCIAL SKILLS UPGRADE, 80 SYSTEM POINTS" "TIME LIMIT: 2 WEEKS"
"ACCEPT? YES/NO"
I accepted this one too. It was time to work on my social skills.
Tuesday morning, I decided to put the social quest into action. Instead of just saying hi to people I knew, I started actually talking to classmates I'd never really spoken to before.
"Hey, Minji," I said to a girl who sat near me in chemistry. "How did you think the science test went?"
"Oh, hi Jinhyuk. I thought it was pretty hard, but I think I did okay. How about you?"
"I felt pretty good about it. You're really good at chemistry, right? I remember you always know the answers in class."
She blushed a little. "Thanks. I want to study medicine, so I try to focus on science."
"That's really cool. My study group meets at the library on weekends if you ever want to join us."
"Really? I'd love that!"
"RELATIONSHIP PROGRESS: CHOI MINJI (STRANGER → ACQUAINTANCE)"
"CHARISMA +1"
"CURRENT CHARISMA: 21/100"
At lunch, I sat with my usual group but also invited a few other people to join us. There was Junho, who was really good at art, and Hyerim, who was on the volleyball team.
"This is nice," Hyerim said. "I always wanted to get to know you guys better, but I thought you were too smart for me."
"Don't be silly," Sujin said. "We're just regular students who like to study."
"Plus, you're really athletic," I added. "I bet you could teach us about discipline and training."
"That's true! Sports and studying aren't that different. They both require consistent practice."
"RELATIONSHIP PROGRESS: PARK HYERIM (STRANGER → ACQUAINTANCE)"
By the end of the week, I'd started conversations with seven new people. Some were from my class, others were from different grades. I learned that Donghyun from the class next door was really into computers, and Sojeong from the year above was starting a book club.
"QUEST PROGRESS: SOCIAL BUTTERFLY (70% COMPLETE)"
"CHARISMA +2"
"CURRENT CHARISMA: 23/100"
The skill point multiplier was working. I was gaining stats faster than before.
Friday afternoon, Yerin approached me after class.
"Jinhyuk, I have a proposition for you."
"What's up?"
"The student council is looking for new members. With your recent academic improvement and your natural leadership skills, I think you'd be perfect for it."
"Leadership skills? I don't know about that."
"Are you kidding? You organized our study group, you help everyone understand difficult concepts, and people naturally listen to you. That's leadership."
"I never thought about it that way."
"Will you consider it? We meet next Tuesday after school."
"Okay, I'll think about it."
"QUEST PROGRESS: SOCIAL BUTTERFLY (85% COMPLETE)"
"RELATIONSHIP PROGRESS: CHOI YERIN (CLOSE FRIEND → TRUSTED FRIEND)"
That weekend, I had my usual study session, but this time our group had grown to include Minji, Hyerim, and two other students. I found myself naturally taking charge, organizing how we divided up the subjects and making sure everyone understood the material.
"You're really good at this," Minji said. "Have you thought about becoming a teacher?"
"Not really. I just like helping people learn."
"That's exactly what teaching is," Hyerim said. "You explain things in a way that makes sense."
"SKILL LEVEL UP: TEACHING ABILITY (LEVEL 2)"
"CHARISMA +1"
"CURRENT CHARISMA: 24/100"
"WISDOM +1"
"CURRENT WISDOM: 4/100"
Sunday evening, I was reviewing my progress when I got a new notification.
"QUEST COMPLETED: SOCIAL BUTTERFLY"
"REWARD: +3 CHARISMA, +2 WISDOM, SOCIAL SKILLS UPGRADE, 80 SYSTEM POINTS"
"CURRENT SYSTEM POINTS: 440"
"SKILL LEVEL UP: SOCIAL SKILLS (LEVEL 3)"
"CHARISMA +3"
"WISDOM +2"
"CURRENT CHARISMA: 27/100"
"CURRENT WISDOM: 6/100"
"NEW QUEST AVAILABLE"
"QUEST: STUDENT LEADER" "DESCRIPTION: JOIN STUDENT COUNCIL AND MAKE POSITIVE IMPACT" "REWARD: +5 CHARISMA, +3 WISDOM, LEADERSHIP SKILL, 120 SYSTEM POINTS" "TIME LIMIT: 1 MONTH"
"ACCEPT? YES/NO"
I accepted the quest. It felt like the natural next step.
Tuesday after school, I went to the student council meeting. There were about fifteen students there, ranging from freshmen to seniors.
"Welcome, everyone," said the president, a senior named Kim Taejoon. "We're looking for new members who want to help improve our school."
Yerin introduced me to the group. "This is Jinhyuk. He's shown amazing leadership in organizing study groups and helping other students."
"Tell us about yourself, Jinhyuk," Taejoon said.
"Well, I'm in my second year. I've been focusing on my studies lately, but I also want to help make our school a better place for everyone. I believe that when students support each other, we all succeed."
"That's a great attitude. What kind of projects interest you?"
"I'd like to help create more study resources for students who are struggling. Maybe peer tutoring programs or better study spaces."
"Excellent ideas. We actually have a project like that in the works."
"QUEST PROGRESS: STUDENT LEADER (20% COMPLETE)"
"CHARISMA +1"
"CURRENT CHARISMA: 28/100"
After the meeting, several council members came up to talk to me.
"I really like your ideas," said Minseo, a junior. "I think you'd fit in well here."
"Thanks. I'm excited to contribute."
"The next meeting is Thursday. We'll vote on new members then."
Walking home, I felt proud of myself. A month ago, I never would have had the confidence to speak up in a group like that. Now it felt natural.
"RELATIONSHIP PROGRESS: STUDENT COUNCIL - POTENTIAL MEMBER"
"CURRENT STATS:" "STRENGTH: 18/100" "AGILITY: 20/100" "INTELLIGENCE: 59/100" "CHARISMA: 28/100" "LUCK: 5/100" "ANGER CONTROL: 13/100" "WISDOM: 6/100"
"SYSTEM POINTS: 440"
Looking at my stats, I was amazed at how much I'd changed. My intelligence had gone from 15 to 59. My charisma had nearly doubled. Even my wisdom was starting to develop.
But more than the numbers, I felt different inside. Confident. Purposeful. Happy.
For the first time since getting this second chance, I felt like I was truly living up to my potential.