The rain tapped gently against the windowpane, steady and rhythmic. Joon sat at his desk, a cup of instant coffee growing cold beside his elbow. The glow of the system window bathed his room in a soft azure light.
New Quest Active:
The Contrarian: Invest in a company currently being dumped by most investors, but with solid fundamentals.
Reward: +70 XP
Bonus: +₩7,000 if stock rebounds within 5 days.
Joon cracked his knuckles.
This wasn't about momentum anymore. He had to step into the storm and find a drowning company still gasping with value.
He began by filtering the Market Archives using several tags:
"Investor Sentiment: Negative"
"Earnings Growth: Positive"
"Insider Holdings: Stable"
A list of eleven companies appeared. He narrowed it further by adding a final tag:
"Recent Selloff: >10%"
The list shrank to three.
He studied them one by one:
Kyonglim Biopharma – biotech with volatile swings
Shinhwa Industrial Motors – a component supplier caught in a supplier scandal
Haemil Foods Ltd. – a traditional food company, recently dumped due to rising grain import prices
Number three caught his eye.
Haemil had consistent quarterly revenue, rising online sales, and a loyal customer base across rural Korea. It wasn't flashy, but Joon knew something most people overlooked: consistency beats flash in times of fear.
A recent viral post had accused the company of using low-quality imported rice. The stock had plummeted by 18% in three days. But deep in the System's Archives, Joon found this:
Internal Audit Memo (Haemil Foods): "All rice imports confirmed to be within quality standards. False rumors identified; press conference scheduled."
So the crash wasn't real—it was perception. That was the gap the System had trained him to exploit.
Haemil Foods Ltd. Current Price: ₩2,120 per share
Available Capital: ₩122,000
Purchase: 55 shares at ₩2,120 = ₩116,600
Remaining Capital: ₩5,400
He confirmed the trade.
Purchased 55 shares of Haemil Foods
New Capital: ₩5,400
The following days crawled by.
Day 1: ₩2,120 → ₩2,080
Day 2: ₩2,080 → ₩2,000
Day 3: ₩2,000 → ₩1,960
Joon's chest tightened. He'd gone all-in on fundamentals, but the dip wasn't slowing.
Then, on Day 4, the news dropped:
"Haemil Foods Clears Audit; Prepares Legal Action Against Defamation."
By noon, the market had responded.
₩1,960 → ₩2,020
₩2,080₩2,160
₩2,210
By closing:
₩2,260 per share
That was an exact +6.6% gain from his entry. Not enough for the bonus.
But still a clean rebound. A contrarian bet, validated.
Quest Completed: The Contrarian Path+70 XP
Bonus Not Achieved (Required +10% within 5 days)
XP: 150 → 220 / 400
He sold.
55 shares x ₩2,260 = ₩124,300
Capital: ₩124,300 + ₩5,400 (leftover) = ₩129,700
Joon leaned back in his chair. The room felt quiet again. He wasn't elated, but he wasn't disappointed either.
This trade hadn't been about thrill. It was about conviction.
It was his most grown-up trade yet.
New Quest Available: Build a Watchlist
Objective: Track five companies for 3 days and write detailed analyses on each.
Reward: +60 XP
Bonus: +20 XP for choosing at least one future multibagger (30% rise in next month)
He smiled.
No sudden trades. No fast clicks. Just long hours, deep reading, and writing his own thoughts.
This was discipline training.
He glanced at the stats.
[Status Window]
Level: 5
XP: 220 / 400
Capital: ₩129,700
Stat Points Available: 0
Market Insight: 7
Negotiation: 2
Stamina: 2
Research: 2
Money Update:
Bought 55 Haemil shares @ ₩2,120 → ₩116,600
Sold @ ₩2,260 = ₩124,300
+₩5,400 leftover → Capital: ₩129,700
Joon opened a new notebook, flipping past old stock entries.
He titled the page:
Watchlist Project – Day 1
He didn't need cheers. Didn't need fast rewards. What he had now was something far rarer—momentum born of clarity.
And the System, always glowing in the corner of his vision, was still watching.