[You have died]
[Calculating life performance...]
[Results: PATHETIC]
[Achievements: 0]
[Legacy: NONE]
So yeah, this is how I die.
Twenty-three years old, haven't showered in four days, eating my fifth pack of instant ramen while staring at a computer screen. My heart just... stops. Like it finally got tired of keeping my useless ass alive and decided to clock out early.
Can't even be mad about it, honestly.
My name's Jin Woo-Sung. Or it was, I guess? Right now I'm just some loser having a heart attack in his computer chair at 3 AM because I thought 72 straight hours of gaming was a good idea.
As everything goes dark and my life flashes before my eyes, I have one last stupid thought:
"Man, I wish real life had a leveling system..."
Then dark.
---
I woke up choking.
Like someone had been drowning me and just let go. My chest hurt like hell, my throat was raw, and my entire body felt too small. Too weak. Like I'd shrunk in the wash.
"What the..."
I sat up and immediately knew something was fucked.
This wasn't my room. Where was my gaming setup? My RGB keyboard? My three monitors? My collection of empty energy drink cans?
Instead I'm looking at four wooden walls, a dirt floor, and a straw mat that smelled like it had never been washed. Ever. In the corner there's a cracked wooden sword that looked like it would break if you sneezed on it.
"Okay, this is either a really weird dream or I'm actually dead and this is hell."
Then I saw my hands.
This is not my hands. Too small. Too skinny. Definitely not my hands.
I scrambled over to a bucket of water in the corner—which, gross, but whatever—and looked at my reflection.
Completely different face stared back at me.
Some teenager. Maybe sixteen? Black hair, dark eyes, nothing special. Skinny as fuck, like the kid had been living on air and optimism. Face was kind of plain, honestly. Not ugly, but definitely not main character material.
"Oh shit. Oh SHIT. Did I just get isekai'd?"
And that's when the memories hit me like a truck.
Jin Woo-Sung. Age seventeen. Orphan since birth. Outer disciple of the Jade Mountain Sect. Zero martial arts talent. Zero cultivation talent. Zero anything talent, really. Everyone calls him trash. Gets beaten up regularly. Eats leftovers. Future prospects: absolutely none.
"You've GOT to be kidding me."
I didn't just get isekai'd into a cultivation world. I got isekai'd as the WORST possible character. The guy everyone shits on. The background character who exists just so the protagonist has someone to feel superior to.
This is what I get for wishing to level up in real life. Careful what you wish for, I guess.
Just as I'm processing this absolute disaster, a blue screen pops up right in front of my face.
[SYSTEM INITIALIZATION COMPLETE]
[WELCOME TO THE INFINITY LEVEL UP SYSTEM]
[CURRENT STATUS]
Name: Jin Woo-Sung
Age: 17
Level: 1
Title: Worthless Trash (Yeah we know, harsh)
Qi Cultivation: None (You literally haven't even started cultivating. Most people start at age 10. You're 17. Yikes.)
Combat Power: 5 (A normal adult human is 10. You're weaker than a middle-aged office worker.)
Skills: None (Not even the basics. How are you still alive?)
Reputation: Literally everyone's punching bag
[SPECIAL SYSTEM FEATURES - AKA YOUR CHEAT CODES]
Infinite Leveling: No level cap. You can get as strong as you want. Forever.
100x Growth Speed: What takes normal people 100 days takes you 1 day. Because plot armor.
Instant Skill Learning: See any technique once? Boom. You can learn it. Completely broken, we know.
Quest System: Do quests, get stupid amounts of rewards.
Shop System: Buy OP shit with points. Better than Amazon Prime.
[FIRST QUEST UNLOCKED]
Quest Name: Just Try Not to Die Today
Objective: Survive without getting beaten up
Reward: 100 EXP, Basic Cultivation Manual
Failure Penalty: You get your ass kicked. Again. Like usual.
[Good luck!]
I stared at the screen.
Then I started laughing.
I couldn't help it. This was too ridiculous. I died as a loser gamer and got reincarnated as an even BIGGER loser... but with a cheat system that basically made me the protagonist.
"This is every isekai anime ever," I said to the empty room. "And I'm totally okay with it."
Before I could explore more, my door got kicked open so hard it almost came off the hinges.
A huge dude walked in. And I mean HUGE. Like 6'2", built like he ate nails for breakfast, muscles everywhere. He was wearing the same plain outer disciple robes as me but somehow made them look intimidating.
The memories told me who this asshole was: Kang Min-Ho. Local bully. Loved picking on weak disciples. Made the original Jin Woo-Sung's life a living hell.
"JIN WOO-SUNG!" His voice could probably wake up the dead three provinces over. "Where the fuck were you this morning?! Elder Han's pissed! You were supposed to clean the training grounds before dawn! Get your worthless ass over there before I break your legs!"
Old Jin Woo-Sung would've apologized, bowed, scraped, and ran to do whatever this dickhead wanted.
But I'm not old Jin Woo-Sung.
I'm a gamer who just got an OP cheat system.
"Nah, I'm good," I said, staying seated on my mat.
Kang Min-Ho stopped. Just... stopped moving. Like I'd said something in a language he didn't understand.
"...What?"
"I said nah. Not doing it. Find someone else to boss around. I'm done with this shit."
His face went from confused to red to practically purple. "You little FUCK—"
He swung at me. A big haymaker aimed right at my face.
In the original memories, this is where Jin Woo-Sung would've gotten his shit rocked. Probably lost a tooth. Definitely gotten a black eye.
But something weird happened.
Time slowed down. Like I could see everything in slow motion. His fist coming at my face. The way he was completely overextended. The massive opening in his guard.
A new window popped up:
[COMBAT ANALYSIS ACTIVATED]
[Target: Kang Min-Ho]
[Level: 15]
[Combat Power: 150]
[Analysis: Okay so this guy's strong but dumb as rocks. Look at that form. Terrible. He's putting everything into that punch which means his entire right side is wide open. Also his footwork sucks.]
[Recommendation: Sidestep left, counter-punch to his floating rib. Watch him drop like a sack of potatoes.]
I didn't even think. Just followed the instructions.
Moved left. His fist went past my head so close I felt the wind. Then I drove my fist into his exposed ribs as hard as I could.
[CRITICAL HIT!]
[DAMAGE: 50]
[TARGET STUNNED]
Kang Min-Ho made this weird choking sound and dropped to his knees, clutching his side like I'd stabbed him.
"You... you HIT me?" He looked up at me like I'd just turned into a demon. "How did YOU hit ME?!"
More notifications:
[HOLY SHIT YOU WON YOUR FIRST FIGHT!]
[EXP GAINED: 500]
[BONUS: Defeated enemy 14 levels higher - EXTRA 1,000 EXP!]
[TOTAL: 1,500 EXP]
[LEVEL UP!][LEVEL UP!][LEVEL UP!]
[LEVEL UP!][LEVEL UP!][LEVEL UP!]
[YOU'RE NOW LEVEL 7!]
[COMBAT POWER: 70]
[NEW SKILL: Basic Strike Technique]
[QUEST COMPLETE!]
[Reward: 100 EXP + Basic Cultivation Manual]
[BONUS: You actually WON instead of just surviving! Here's an Intermediate Manual instead!]
Golden light wrapped around me like I was getting a level-up animation in an MMO. I could FEEL myself getting stronger. Muscles tightening. Bones hardening. Like someone was upgrading my character stats in real-time.
It felt fucking amazing.
"This is impossible," Kang Min-Ho wheezed, scrambling backward on his ass. "Your qi... it INCREASED! You broke through! How?! You have no talent!"
I looked at my hands. They didn't shake anymore. Felt strong. Confident. Like I could punch through a wall if I wanted to.
"You know what?" I said, grinning. "I think I'm done being trash."
Kang Min-Ho got up and RAN. Like his ass was on fire. "ELDER HAN! ELDER HAN! JIN WOO-SUNG ATTACKED ME! HE'S GONE CRAZY!"
I sighed. "And here comes the bullshit."
But honestly? Wasn't even worried. I had a cheat system, infinite leveling, and I'd just discovered that beating people up gave me experience points.
This was gonna be so much fun.