The city outside the hospital window shimmered in silver and amber hues, Seoul's skyline alive with blinking lights and pulsing neon. Jinwoo stood shirtless by the glass, the soft hum of distant traffic blending with the occasional beep of hospital monitors. His shadow stretched across the floor, tall and steady—like a monument left behind by a storm.
He rotated his shoulder slowly, testing the new sensations humming through his frame. His body, once lean but unimposing, now carried a refined strength beneath the skin. It wasn't bulky like a bodybuilder's—it was sculpted, balanced, built with function and deadly intent. Like something carved by design rather than labor.
His muscles had definition now, his core tighter, chest broader. His reflection in the glass was almost unfamiliar—his face still his, but refined. Sharper cheekbones. A jaw that looked like it had never lost a fight. Even his eyes, once dulled by exhaustion, gleamed with an edge of steel and curiosity.
[System Notification: Your discharge has been scheduled for tomorrow. Please do not injure anyone else before then.]
The voice that pinged through his head carried a teasing lilt, half deadpan, half amused.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Jinwoo muttered under his breath, a slight smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
[I've seen toddlers with more impulse control than you when you're bored.]
"Try being clinically dead, waking up with six packs, and a video game system whispering sarcasm into your brain. See how you hold up."
[Tempting offer. I could always take your place. You just stand in the void and monologue for eternity.]
He chuckled softly, shaking his head. The hospital gown was folded neatly on the bed behind him, discarded after the nurses left for the evening rounds. The room had fallen quiet. Peaceful. But peace didn't come naturally to someone like him.
That was when the door clicked open.
He didn't move. Just let his gaze flick to the reflection on the glass.
Nurse Choi Yoora stepped in holding a clipboard, her expression as practiced as ever—calm, kind, slightly tired. Her brown hair was tied back, her scrubs slightly wrinkled from the long shift. She looked up, expecting to see her patient lying in bed.
She saw abs instead.
Her brain stalled.
She stared for half a beat longer than she should have. Her mouth opened slightly as if to speak, then didn't.
"Oh—uh... Mr. Sung?"
Jinwoo turned slowly, posture relaxed, eyes calm.
"Evening, Nurse Choi," he said, voice smooth and composed. "Sleep rounds already?"
She cleared her throat, looking anywhere but at his torso.
"I—yes. Just doing last rounds before shift ends. I came to inform you... you'll be discharged tomorrow. Ten o'clock."
"Ten sharp? You planning to throw me out if I oversleep?"
A tiny breath caught in her throat. She looked up, meeting his eyes—and instantly regretted it. There was something unsettlingly focused in his gaze, like being watched by someone who saw more than they let on.
Not creepy. Just... aware.
She fought to hold the clipboard steady.
"Well, if you're up by then, you might beat the traffic downstairs," she said quickly, turning slightly toward the bed. "And I'll bring the paperwork by in the morning. It's mostly just—ah—signatures and release waivers—"
"You sure you don't want to check if I'm healthy now?" Jinwoo said, a faint tease curling into his words. "Could give you a demonstration."
Her eyes widened a fraction. He smiled—not smugly, not lewdly—just enough to suggest he was enjoying the moment.
[Smooth. Five seconds in and you're already breaking the HR handbook.]
He ignored the system.
Nurse Choi's ears were visibly pink now. She clutched the clipboard like a lifeline.
"I'll, uh—I'll come back tomorrow morning," she mumbled, turning for the door with practiced urgency. "Please get some rest, Mr. Sung."
"I'll do my best," he replied, voice calm, trailing behind her as she practically power-walked to the hallway.
The door closed behind her with a soft click.
Jinwoo let out a quiet exhale and walked back toward the bed, stretching lightly. His movements were precise, almost feline. He didn't bother putting on the hospital gown again.
He liked the way the air felt against his skin.
Free. Untethered.
He sat on the edge of the bed, hands resting on his knees, eyes flicking toward the system interface that floated lightly at the edge of his vision.
A breath passed.
"I think I could get used to this," he said to no one.
[Used to what? Making nurses run away or looking like a Greek statue in a war drama?]
"I meant living."
There was silence from the system for a moment. Then:
[...Touché.]
Jinwoo leaned back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. The hum of the fluorescent lights above was faint now. He tuned it out. Tuned everything out.
Tomorrow, the real game would begin.
But tonight?
Tonight, he was just a man recovering in a room built to keep people alive. And for once, he didn't have to worry about orders, lies, or what came next.
For once, he was the one writing the mission.
Jinwoo walked and leaned against the window, one hand pressed lightly to the cool glass as the lights of Seoul flickered across his eyes like a thousand silent stars.
But his mind had drifted far from this room.
Beyond the electric skyline, beyond the walls of this hospital, beyond even the identity he now wore… his thoughts reached deep into a life that wasn't his—but had become part of him.
The name Sung Jinwoo wasn't just a mask. It carried weight. Memory. Legend.
He remembered it all.
The Cartenon Temple. The awakening. The brutal crawl from the weakest E-rank hunter to the apex predator of existence.
He saw again the Dungeon he barely survived, the betrayal of comrades, the awakening of the System—and the long, grueling path it forced him down. He saw blood on his hands, black flames wrapped around his arms. He felt again the heavy crown of the Shadow Monarch settle on his head.
He would have to fight monsters. Then Monarchs. Then gods.
And through it all... he remembered Jinah.
Her eyes wide with fear the night he didn't come home. Her tears when he reappeared stronger, colder.
His mother, lying in a hospital bed. Comatose, then awakened through miracles he bought with blood.
His father—long lost, returned as something unrecognizable. Then gone again, swallowed by war.
Those memories weren't just echoes. They were choices. Sacrifices. Love repaid with pain, and duty shouldered with the weight of a world.
He took in a slow breath.
This body bore that name now.
Jinwoo.
And if he had the chance to carry it again...
"I'll be a better brother this time," he whispered. "A better son. I won't let them go through that alone again."
The words weren't dramatic. They were quiet, ironclad.
"And maybe... I'll pick up a few girls on the way," he added, the faintest smile twitching at the edge of his mouth.
Johee's laugh. Cha Hae-In's steady gaze. The way they looked at Jinwoo in the last life...
He'd buried too much of that emotion in favor of war. Of survival. Of inevitability.
But this life? It wasn't written yet.
Why not have some fun along the way?
[Emotional declaration detected. 60% sincerity. 30% confidence. 10% hormone-fueled optimism.]
He exhaled in amusement. "Did you just run an emotional diagnostic on me?"
[That wasn't diagnostic. That was just me judging you.]
"Noted."
A silence settled again, but this time, it wasn't heavy.
It was full of promise.
Then, with a faint hum, the System flashed gently before his eyes. Sleek. Familiar.
---
[Daily Quest]
Daily Quest:Become Stronger!
Time Remaining:00.02
Objectives:
Complete 000/100 push-ups
Complete 000/100 sit-ups
Complete 000/100 squats
Run 00/10 kilometers
Rewards:
+1 to All Stats
1x Normal Loot Box
100 System Coins
Penalty for Failure:Immediate teleportation to the [Penalty Zone].
---
He stared at the holographic text for a second, then laughed quietly under his breath.
"I know this one..."
Even in this world, even with this power, the grind hadn't changed. The System still demanded sweat.
But for the first time in his life, he wasn't resisting the demand. He welcomed it.
[Let's see if those shiny new abs can handle the heat, demigod.]
"I'll show you just how far I can go."
---
The room's clock ticked with infuriating normalcy.
Jinwoo sat calmly on the hospital bed, one leg propped up, arms folded across his bare chest. The digital blue glow of the System's interface hovered at the edge of his vision like an impatient assistant. Two minutes. That's all he had before the Daily Quest expired.
And he wasn't moving.
The System, of course, was the first to break the silence.
[01:57 left. Are you going to do anything besides look broody and hot?]
Jinwoo tilted his head slightly, a smirk playing at his lips. "Tell me something, System."
[As long as it's not about tax returns, go ahead.]
"You knew I wouldn't finish the quest in time. You wanted me to land in the Penalty Zone."
There was a pause—just long enough to confirm it.
[Correction: I calculated a 99.8% chance you wouldn't do a single squat.]
"You wanted me to feel the heat," Jinwoo said, more amused than annoyed. "Test the waters. Let me know where I stand."
[No offense, but 'stand' implies you weren't going to get pancaked the moment something bigger than a chair looked at you.]
Jinwoo chuckled. There was no resentment in his voice, only certainty. "Good. Because I would've entered the Penalty Zone myself anyway."
Silence.
A beat passed. Then:
[...You're serious.]
"Deadly."
The System almost sounded affronted.
[You'd willingly throw yourself into a high-threat simulation filled with mana-draining monsters while fresh out of a coma? For what? A sweaty cardio session?]
"Experience," Jinwoo replied casually. "Training. Real-time adaptability. Most of all…"
He smiled, slow and confident. "Because I will have to fight Gods. A few overgrown worms don't scare me."
A different kind of silence followed now. Not stunned. Not calculating.
Almost… entertained.
[So that's how it is.]
[You're a battle maniac.]
Jinwoo raised a brow. "Took you this long to figure that out?"
[No, I figured it out when you flirted with a nurse ten minutes after nearly dying. I just hoped I was wrong.]
"You weren't."
[Great. So I've been assigned to a shirtless lunatic with a god complex and a death wish. Perfect.]
"Don't act like you're not enjoying it."
The System snorted.
[Fine. But don't blame me when you're half-eaten and still trying to dropkick a desert worm.]
Jinwoo's grin widened.
Then the countdown hit zero.
[Daily Quest Failed.]
[Activating Penalty Zone.]
A white flash engulfed the hospital room. The city skyline vanished, the walls of sterile safety pulled away like peeling wallpaper.
And Jinwoo dropped into hell.
The heat hit first—dry, suffocating, raw. Sand exploded around his feet as he landed with a crouch, absorbing the impact like a trained predator. Golden dunes stretched in every direction, broken only by jagged rock outcroppings and the occasional bone-pale ribcage of something once massive.
Jinwoo rose slowly, eyes scanning the horizon.
"Same place," he muttered. "So even if the Architect's gone, his sandbox still works."
[Technically speaking, this is my sandbox now.]
"...You've inherited some of his sadism."
[Only the charming parts.]
The sky overhead was a red-orange smear, like a sunburnt bruise. There was no wind—only the dull shimmer of heatwaves crawling across the desert floor.
And then came the rumble.
Soft at first. Then louder. Ground vibrations slithered up Jinwoo's calves.
He didn't tense. Didn't flinch.
Instead, he stood tall and said calmly, "Show me my skills."
A crisp chime answered his request.
[Skills]
[Armament Haki – Lv. 1]
Allows the user to coat parts of their body with hardened spiritual energy, increasing offense and defense. Can bypass physical and magical defense.
[Observation Haki – Lv. 1]
Heightens sensory awareness to detect hostile intent and predict attacks within a short radius.
[Soru – Lv. 1]
A high-speed movement technique allowing instant repositioning up to 10 meters in a straight line.
[Moonwalk – Lv. 1]
Allows mid-air movement via explosive force released from the legs. Maximum of 3 consecutive jumps before touching ground.
[Tempest Kick – Lv. 1]
A powerful compressed air slash delivered via a kick. Effective at mid-range. Current Output: Medium.
[Iron Fist – Lv. 1]
Delivers reinforced physical strikes with 10x strength scaling. Can stagger enemies.
"Where's Conqueror's Haki?" Jinwoo asked.
[Locked.]
"And Galaxy Impact?"
[Also locked. Haki infusion techniques, signature attacks, and advanced fusion styles require a higher sync rate.]
"Let me guess. 'Train harder, punch faster, die less'?"
[That's the spirit.]
Jinwoo's smile didn't fade. In fact, he seemed to grow calmer with every word.
He closed his eyes for a moment, letting the instincts kick in—not the system-given ones, but the buried battle memory of the man whose power now flowed through him.
He knew how to breathe now. How to stand. How to let pressure coil in his gut and release through his limbs like a detonated spring.
The air around him shifted.
[Wait—]
The System's voice was sharp now.
[You Got Company It Seems.]
"I know."
Jinwoo's eyes snapped open, glinting like onyx.
Observation Haki flared.
A soft ring echoed in his head as the world shifted. His perception expanded, outlining vibrations beneath the sand, hostile auras threading through the dunes like veins of fire.
Thirty meters south.
Another burst—ten meters west.
They were circling.
Hunting.
Sandworms.
[You really plan to take them all on?]
"No."
[Oh thank Go—]
"I plan to make them wish they never crawled out of the dirt."
[Of course you do.]
The sand to his left exploded.
A monstrous, segmented creature erupted from the earth, screeching with a maw big enough to swallow a car. Its armored scales gleamed with crimson venom, dozens of serrated teeth spiraling inward like a meat grinder.
Jinwoo didn't move.
He smiled.
"Let's begin the lesson."
---
Author's Note:
Yo, awesome readers! 😎 Jinwoo's out here flexing those shiny new abs and throwing shade at sandworms like it's just another Tuesday! Seoul's skyline is quaking, Nurse Choi's clipboard is in love, and the System's got more sass than a reality TV judge. We're diving headfirst into the Penalty Zone, and Jinwoo's ready to school some oversized crawlies with his Haki-fueled swagger. You hyped for the chaos? 'Cause I sure am! 🔥Let's make this interactive, shall we? Drop your answers in the comments—I'm dying to see what you think!
1.What's Jinwoo's next move in the Penalty Zone?
A) Punch the sandworm into next week with Iron Fist.
B) Dance around it with Soru and slice it up with Tempest Kick.
C) Go full Armament Haki and tank the hit like a boss.
D) Other (tell me your wild ideas!).
2.Who's stealing the show so far?
A) Jinwoo, the shirtless legend.
B) Nurse Choi and her blushing clipboard.
C) The System's savage roasts.
D) The sandworm, 'cause it's got drama.
Oh, and let's crank up the love!
💪 Drop some Power Stones to fuel Jinwoo's grind—those Monarchs and Outer Gods ain't gonna punch themselves!
Leave a comment with your thoughts, theories, or just to yell about how cool this is. And yo, add this book to your library so you don't miss Jinwoo's next glow-up or the System's next burn. 😏
Thanks for riding with me—let's keep this epic train rolling! 🚂