The sun had barely managed to crawl into the sky, dragging its light through the grimy clouds, when Kim Byeol-ha sat cross-legged in Park Jun-ho's tiny kitchen, gnawing on a spiritual apple and trying to act like he wasn't thinking about dismantling half the planet's magical infrastructure.
Beside him, Park Jun-ho sipped lukewarm tea with the weariness of someone who had seen way too much and slept way too little.
"Hey," Byeol-ha said casually, mid-crunch. "How do people get powers these days?"
Jun-ho stared at him like he'd just asked whether grass was still green.
"Where have you been living, under a rock?"
Byeol-ha smiled pleasantly.
"Worse. Remote island. Coma. Ten years."
Jun-ho blinked.
"...What?"
"Yup," Byeol-ha said, stretching his arms dramatically. "Woke up last week. Totally lost. Earth's like a new mobile game now."
Jun-ho squinted suspiciously.
"You're saying... you were in a coma. On an island. For ten years. And now you're just back?"
"With a hoodie and an apple," Byeol-ha added, holding up the half-eaten fruit as if it proved his story.
Jun-ho looked at him long and hard.
Then shrugged.
"Not the weirdest thing I've heard."
Byeol-ha raised a brow. "Really?"
"Some guy last year claimed a dolphin taught him magic," Jun-ho muttered, sipping his tea. "Things are weird now."
Fair enough.
"Alright, Grandpa Exposition, tell me how the system works," Byeol-ha said, leaning forward. "What's the power meta these days?"
Jun-ho gave him a flat look but answered anyway. He did love a good monologue.
"There are three main ways people get powers now," he said, raising three fingers. "First — the Zenos System. It showed up around eight years ago. Popped into people's heads like a tutorial screen. Some call it a gift. Others say it's a control mechanism."
Byeol-ha tilted his head.
"Zenos System… sounds like someone named their startup after an anime villain."
Jun-ho ignored him and continued.
"It gives people skills, stats, even an inventory system. Kinda like... a game interface."
Byeol-ha narrowed his eyes.
Game mechanics? Interface windows?
He internally screamed.
Who the hell gamified Earth?!
"And then," Jun-ho said, lifting a second finger, "there's the Star Contracts. Those showed up maybe five years ago. People started looking at the sky, and sometimes... the sky looked back."
Byeol-ha froze mid-apple.
"...You mean the Outer Gods."
Jun-ho nodded slowly. "We just call them 'Stars.' Makes it easier to sleep at night."
"You're not wrong," Byeol-ha muttered.
Jun-ho's tone turned grim.
"Make a contract with a Star, and you'll get power. Big, fast, powerful. But it's unstable. Temporary. Some say the Stars can take over your body. Use you like a puppet."
"True," Byeol-ha said, slightly distracted as he bit into the apple again. "Saw that happen once. The guy started glowing, then exploded into moonlight and ego."
Jun-ho blinked.
"...What?"
"Coma dreams," Byeol-ha said smoothly.
Jun-ho decided not to pursue it.
"And finally," he continued, holding up the third finger, "we've got Inheritances. Left behind by ancient heroes, celestial beings, or awakened titans from the early days. If you're lucky enough to find one and it accepts you, you get to build your power slowly — the old-fashioned way. Training. Growth. Foundations."
Byeol-ha nodded thoughtfully.
So basically:
Zenos System = Gameboy Powers. Easy, structured, but probably secretly sketchy.
Star Contracts = Chaos roulette with eldritch horror DLC.
Inheritances = Hard mode, but stable and personal.
"Which one's the most reliable?" Byeol-ha asked, tossing the apple core into the trash with divine precision.
Jun-ho shrugged. "Depends who you ask. Most people say the Zenos System is the most stable — it's everywhere, has accessory systems, support features, class upgrades. It's built to last."
"Sounds like a mobile game subscription," Byeol-ha said.
"Yeah. Except if you die, you don't respawn."
"Ah. So... Dark Souls edition."
Jun-ho ignored him again.
"But the returnees — the real strong ones who survived ten years in hell dimensions — most of them say that Inheritances are best. No strings attached. Just you and the power you earn."
"And the Stars?" Byeol-ha prompted.
Jun-ho frowned.
"High risk, high reward. Also high chance of waking up one morning and not being in control of your own body. Some Stars... descend into their host. Override them completely."
Byeol-ha nodded slowly.
He knew that part all too well.
He'd seen entire civilizations crumble under a Star's influence. Seen planets rot because one vessel gave in too far, let the wrong thing in.
He leaned back in the rickety chair, arms behind his head.
"So basically," he said, "Earth's current power system is just three flavors of disaster: the gacha game, the cult hotline, or the ancient RPG questline."
Jun-ho stared at him.
"...What?"
"Coma dreams," Byeol-ha repeated.
Again, Jun-ho let it slide.
The old man stood up, stretching his stiff back.
"Anyway, kid, if you're planning to survive here, you'd better figure out which path suits you. 'Cause this world doesn't hand out second chances."
Byeol-ha grinned, eyes twinkling.
"Don't worry, Mr. Park. I've already got my build. Custom. Overpowered. Absolutely illegal in all dimensions."
Jun-ho rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah. Just don't bring trouble to my house. Again."
"No promises," Byeol-ha sang.
Jun-ho walked away, muttering about weird kids and spiritual apples.
Byeol-ha leaned back further, resting his head against the wall, and stared up at the ceiling.
The Zenos System... He hadn't been tagged by it. Probably couldn't be. He wasn't "standard human" anymore. Not by a long shot.
The Stars?They already had his scent. He was marked. Claimed. Watched.
And Inheritance?
Well, he was technically carrying the blood, soul, and power of two of the highest-ranked beings in the multiverse — who also happened to be in love with each other and in denial about whose child he was.
So... he was the Inheritance.
"I guess that makes me the final boss and the tutorial NPC all in one," he muttered.
He cracked a grin.
Still, Earth's systems were useful.
Predictable. Fragile.
If the Zenos System had a source... he could tap into it.
If the Stars were making moves... he'd intercept them.
And if Inheritances were rare...
Well, maybe it was time to leave one or two of his own behind.
You know. Just in case.