LOOKISM: LIFE SKILL SYSTEM
Chapter 1 – A Skill Worth Living For
Daniel Park hated mirrors.
Not because of vanity—but because mirrors never lied.
The boy staring back at him was still fat, still slow, still weak. His school uniform clung awkwardly to his body, buttons stretched just enough to remind him that no matter how much he wished otherwise, reality didn’t bend for people like him.
Bullies bent him instead.
The hallway buzzed with noise as Daniel walked with his head down, fingers gripping his bag straps too tightly. Every step felt heavy, like the floor itself was judging him.
“Hey, pig.”
The word hit before the shove did.
Daniel stumbled forward, barely catching himself on a locker. Laughter followed instantly—sharp, cruel, effortless.
He didn’t turn around. He already knew who it was.
“Don’t ignore me when I’m talking to you.”
A foot hooked behind his ankle. Daniel fell.
The sound of his body hitting the floor echoed louder than the laughter. Books scattered. His phone slid across the tiles, screen cracking as it stopped near someone else’s shoe.
Daniel closed his eyes.
Again.
No dramatic anger. No righteous rage. Just exhaustion.
Someone kicked his notebook back toward him. “Pick it up.”
Daniel obeyed.
By the time the bell rang, his hands were shaking—not from pain, but from humiliation. When the hallway finally emptied, Daniel stayed on the floor a second longer, staring at his reflection in the cracked phone screen.
Ugly.
Weak.
Useless.
That night, Daniel lay on his futon, staring at the ceiling of their tiny apartment. His mom was asleep already, exhausted from another double shift. The smell of instant ramen lingered in the air.
Daniel clenched his fists.
“I don’t want to live like this,” he whispered.
Not rich. Not popular. Not handsome.
Just… not this.
His phone buzzed.
Daniel flinched, expecting another message mocking him. But the screen didn’t show a name.
Instead, it showed blue text.
[Life Skill System Initializing…]
Daniel blinked.
Once. Twice.
He sat up so fast the futon creaked beneath him.
“What…?”
The text didn’t disappear.
[User Detected: Daniel Park]
[Condition: Low Self-Efficacy / High Stress / Poor Physical Health]
[Compatibility: ACCEPTED]
Daniel rubbed his eyes.
“Okay,” he muttered. “I finally snapped.”
He slapped his cheek lightly. It hurt.
The screen changed.
[Life Skill System]
This system specializes in non-combat life skills.
No instant power.
No shortcuts.
Growth requires effort.
Daniel stared at the last line.
No shortcuts.
For some reason, that made his chest feel tight.
A menu appeared.
[Available Skill Categories]
Physical Conditioning
Nutrition & Cooking
Learning & Focus
Social Interaction
Daily Discipline
There were no flashy titles. No “Martial God” nonsense. No strength stats or power levels.
Just… normal things.
“Is this some kind of self-help app?” Daniel whispered.
Another message appeared.
[Starter Skill Available]
Basic Habit Formation (Level 1)
Improves consistency by 3%
Reduces task avoidance slightly
3%.
Daniel laughed quietly.
“That’s it?”
No answer came.
He hesitated, then tapped Accept.
[Skill Acquired: Basic Habit Formation – Lv.1]
[Note: Results require repetition.]
Nothing exploded. No surge of energy flooded his body.
Daniel felt exactly the same.
He lay back down, disappointed, embarrassed for believing even for a second that something would magically change.
“Figures,” he murmured.
But as he closed his eyes, a small notification appeared at the edge of his vision.
[Daily Task Generated]
• Make your bed
• Drink one full glass of water
• Walk for 10 minutes
Completion Reward: +0.1 Skill EXP
Daniel stared.
“…That’s it?”
He rolled over, facing the wall.
Yet something bothered him.
The tasks were… doable.
Painfully simple.
No running. No dieting. No transformation montage.
Just small things.
Daniel sighed and turned back.
“Fine,” he said quietly. “I’ll play along.”
The next morning, Daniel woke up earlier than usual.
Not because he felt motivated—he didn’t.
But because the notification was still there.
Unfinished.
He sat up, groaning, and looked at his wrinkled blanket.
Making the bed felt pointless. Nobody would see it. Nobody would care.
But…
He did it anyway.
It wasn’t neat. It wasn’t perfect.
But it was done.
[Task Complete: Make your bed]
EXP +0.03
Daniel stared at the message longer than he expected to.
He went to the sink, filled a glass with water, and drank it slowly.
[Task Complete: Hydration]
EXP +0.03
By the time he stepped outside for his ten-minute walk, the sun had just started rising. The air was cool, quiet—different from the noise of school.
Daniel walked awkwardly, breath slightly heavy. His legs felt stiff.
Ten minutes felt longer than he thought.
But when the timer ended—
[Daily Tasks Completed]
Skill EXP +0.1
Nothing dramatic happened.
But Daniel felt something unfamiliar.
Not confidence.
Not strength.
Just… completion.
That day at school, he still got shoved.
Still got laughed at.
Still avoided eye contact.
But when he sat alone at lunch, staring at his reflection in his spoon, something had changed.
Not his body.
Not his face.
But the thought in his head.
I did something today.
That night, the system updated again.
[Progress Recorded]
Consistency Streak: 1 Day
Reminder:
Small actions compound over time.
Daniel lay back, staring at the ceiling again.
For the first time in a long while, he didn’t hate the mirror in his mind.
He didn’t love himself.
But he didn’t feel completely worthless either.
And for Daniel Park—
That was enough to keep going.