The streets were quiet, lit by the amber glow of streetlamps. Jinwoo and Johee walked close—fingers already laced together like it was the most natural thing in the world. There was no more hesitation, no more "maybe." They had said what needed to be said earlier. Now? It was just… peace.
Johee leaned gently against his arm as they walked, their footsteps echoing in rhythm. She hadn't flinched at a passing car or the sudden rustle of a breeze. Her trauma still lingered, but she was no longer drowning in it.
Jinwoo glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "She's getting stronger."
And then, an idea struck. A raid. A safe one. Low-tier, no stakes. Just enough to light that fire in her again. Maybe even reawaken the hunter buried beneath the fear.
"You know," he started, "if you're up for it... maybe we could try a raid. Together. Nothing too crazy."
Johee looked up at him, surprised—but not in fear. More like a spark had been reignited.
"You'd go with me and just the two of us?" she asked softly.
He squeezed her hand. "Yes..Every step."
She smiled. "Then yeah. I'd like that."
They stopped at her gate. She turned to him, still holding his hand. The air between them was charged with something soft, something warm.
"I don't think I've ever said this properly," she murmured, voice low. "But... thank you. Not just for today. For everything."
He didn't reply immediately—just looked at her, really looked. Eyes filled with something rare for him.
"I meant what I said earlier, Johee," he said, voice deep but gentle. "You matter to me. And whatever this is… I want it to grow."
Johee's cheeks turned a bit red, but she didn't shy away. She stood on her toes, leaned in—and planted a kiss on his cheek, slow and firm. Her lips lingered just a beat longer than surprise.
When she pulled back, she grinned. "I'm brave now, remember?"
He stared for half a second before chuckling softly.
[DING! System Alert!]
[New Debuff Acquired: "Goofy Smile Syndrome." Cause: Cute Girl's Surprise Kiss.]
[Rebooting Cool Assassin Persona… Reboot Failed.]
Jinwoo just shook his head, laughing under his breath.
"You're insufferable," he muttered to the System.
[You're Welcome, Loverboy.]
Then his eyes flicked to his watch.
4:50 AM.
A smirk tugged at his lips.
"In ten minutes, I'm gonna be knee-deep in chittering death beetles, aren't I?"
[Correction: Horned chitterfang reavers and at least one boss monster who skipped leg day but made up for it with fangs. Enjoy!]
Jinwoo exhaled, still smiling, and turned to walk back into the darkness.
Ten minutes till war.
And somehow, his heart had never felt lighter.
------
The timer blinked ominously red. [00:00:00]
Penalty Zone: Reinitialized.
The familiar lurch of spatial displacement pulled Jinwoo through the void, and he was spat out onto another scorching dune.
But this wasn't the same desert.
The air was drier, the heat more intense, and the sky above seemed choked by a veil of dust. There were no sandworms wriggling beneath his feet this time—yet something in the wind told him this place was far from merciful.
The System chimed in, voice smug and cheerful:
[System: "Welcome back to 'Cooking with Jinwoo,' Desert Edition! This time: no worm buffet. You want drops? Hunt for them, battle boy."]
A translucent screen blinked into view.
[New Objective: Explore and Defeat the Boss Monster.]
Rewards:
5 Gacha Tickets
Cloak of Invisibility (Artifact – Deathly Hallows Replica)
Jinwoo blinked, surprised.
Jinwoo: "Wait, where's the usual 'survive for four hours'?"
[System: "Oh, we scrapped that filler arc. This season's all boss fights and fanservice."]
He couldn't help but chuckle. Johee's kiss still tingled faintly on his cheek, and with his mood soaring, he activated Observation Haki.
His field of perception rippled outward, and faint signatures began pinging—small, quick movements beneath the sand.
Then came the hiss.
A flash of black scales burst through the dunes. The Fangcoil Serpent reared up, twin fangs glistening with glowing blue venom, its coiled body covered in cracked obsidian scales, runes pulsing faintly.
[Appraisal: Fangcoil Serpent – Mana Class E – Venom Type
Drops: Venom Glands (Mana Catalyst), Hide (Excellent Mana Conductivity), Fangs (Infusion Material)]
It lunged.
Jinwoo didn't flinch. He vanished in a swirl of fire—Flame Burst Dash—and reappeared midair.
"Flame Tempest Kick!"
A blazing arc tore through the air, slicing the serpent in half. The twin halves crashed into the sand and evaporated into shining loot.
[System: "Damn, bro. You just speedran that snake like a spicy noodle challenge."]
Further ahead, the desert trembled again. Jinwoo's Observation Haki warned him a second before a bulky shadow exploded out of the ground.
Steelhide Terrorfiend—a behemoth encased in jagged metal plates, its fists like boulders and back bristling with spiked ridges.
[Appraisal: Steelhide Terrorfiend – Class B – Armor Beast
Drops: Steelhide Plate (Weapon/Armor Grade), Magma Core (Rare Material), Monster Heart (High-grade Mana Battery)]
Jinwoo: "Guess I'll need to bring out the heavy hands."
He launched forward with Soru, reappearing behind the beast, then used Geppo to gain height.
"Iron Fist: Bullet Barrage!"
A hailstorm of haki-imbued punches slammed into the creature's back, clanging against its armor like a drumline of explosions.
The beast roared, spinning around with an earth-shaking slam of its wrecking-ball fists. Jinwoo dodged with Flame Spiral Dash, reappearing just under its chin.
"Flame Tiger Lariat!"
Flames wrapped around his shoulders like a comet as he crashed into the monster's midsection, lifting it off the ground with sheer force and hurling it into a dune.
[System: "Okay, that was hot. Literally. You're grappling living tanks now?"]
Jinwoo: "Arm day, baby."
-----
The desert stretched for miles, a vast, empty landscape of scorching heat and endless sand. The sun blazed mercilessly down on the land, but Jinwoo remained unfazed. With one hand still casually tucked into his pocket, he scanned the horizon for the creature he was meant to hunt.
His eyes landed on it—a massive, multi-headed wyvern, its wings spread wide as it flapped them with a thunderous beat, sending gusts of sand flying into the air. It was huge—a perfect apex predator of the desert. The Sand Wyvern.
[System: Quest activated. Explore and defeat the Boss Monster: Sand Wyvern. Rewards: 5 Gacha Tickets and the Cloak of Invisibility. Survive, or make it exciting. Your choice.]
Jinwoo didn't answer. He simply let his lips curl into a small smirk as the creature's heads snapped in his direction. Its venom-charged gaze locked onto him, and it let out an ominous screech.
[System: Oh, look at you. Ready to dance with a boss-class monster while barely even stretching. No warm-up, huh?]
Jinwoo's expression didn't change. He took a step forward, his pocket still casually occupied with his hand.
[Appraisal:
Name: Sand Wyvern
Class: A (Boss)
Type: Sand
Status: Agitated. Hungry. Venom-charged.
Abilities:
Poison Breath: Shoots a concentrated cloud of toxic gas from its multiple mouths.
Sandstorm Wingbeat: Flaps its massive wings, generating a deadly sandstorm capable of blinding and disorienting foes.
Multi-bite Combo: The Wyvern's heads work in unison to launch a devastating multi-bite attack.
Hive Call (???): Unknown. Possibly related to summoning or controlling sand-based creatures.
Drops: Venom Heart, Ghidoran Scale (Artifact Material)]
[System: You've got a multi-headed wyvern that spits poison, kicks up sandstorms, and has a bite combo that could make your bones feel like paper. And we're sure you're just going to breeze through it, huh?]
Jinwoo didn't answer. He was going to breeze through it.
The Sand Wyvern let out a roar, its wings flapping powerfully as a massive sandstorm erupted around it, obscuring everything in a haze of dust and sand. Jinwoo wasn't bothered. His Observation Haki flared up, letting him sense the movements of the creature even through the chaos.
As the sandstorm enveloped him, the Wyvern struck, unleashing its Poison Breath toward Jinwoo. The toxic cloud rushed at him with terrifying speed, but Jinwoo didn't flinch. Instead, he activated Geppo—Moonwalk. He shot into the air, rising above the poison cloud effortlessly as he glided on the air currents.
[System: Nice move. But can you keep dodging forever?]
Jinwoo didn't respond, his body flipping mid-air as he zoomed toward the Wyvern. His foot extended out, and he unleashed a devastating Flame Tempest Kick. The force of the kick imbued with devil flame tore through the wyvern's wing, causing it to howl in pain. The creature screeched, its wings faltering for a moment.
[System: Well, that was cool. You're basically a walking firestorm. Still, don't forget, it has three heads. Good luck with that.]
But Jinwoo didn't need luck. As the Wyvern swung its other heads toward him, he pulled his body into another Soru, blurring forward at breakneck speed. His fist cracked through the air, striking the Wyvern's middle head and sending it reeling.
Its venomous fangs snapped dangerously close, but Jinwoo was already gone, his body fluid and effortless in movement. The Wyvern's remaining heads looked frantically for him as it tried to launch a Multi-bite Combo, its jaws snapping viciously at the empty air.
[System: Huh. I guess that multi-bite combo isn't all that impressive when your opponent's too fast. Maybe you should take it slow so you can enjoy the fight a little more. But no, you've got that speed thing going on.]
Jinwoo ignored the System's taunting. He was enjoying the fight.
[Skill Tactical Insight Activated ]
Now jinwoo caught sight of the wyvern's weaknesses
The Wyvern's Sandstorm Wingbeat struck next, the beast flapping its massive wings with the force of a tornado. The air grew thick with sand, making it almost impossible to see. But Jinwoo, using his Observation Haki, could still sense every movement, every twitch of the creature's body.
With a burst of speed, Jinwoo shot through the storm, his body leaving a trail of fire behind him as he flew toward the final remaining head.
As the Wyvern attempted to back away, clearly trying to escape from Jinwoo's relentless assault, he smirked. "You're not going anywhere."
His free hand finally emerged from his pocket as he pulled it back, preparing for his finishing move.
[System: Oh, you've got that look in your eye. What are you planning now?]
Jinwoo cracked his neck, letting the tension build. "Get ready to feel something you won't ever forget."
With a single, effortless motion, he punched forward. Fist of the Sea King.
The air around his fist distorted with force, a supersonic shockwave crashing forward like an unstoppable tidal wave. It slammed into the Sand Wyvern with bone-shattering power, the creature's final head disintegrating from the force. The shockwave ruptured the Wyvern's body in an instant, and the air around them shook with the sheer intensity of the strike.
The remaining head—once the mightiest—hung limp for a second before it, too, exploded into sand and fragments.
The battle was over.
[System: Holy hell. You really didn't hold back, did you? I mean, damn. I thought you were just gonna... you know, poke at it a little bit, but instead you wiped it out in a single punch. Impressive.]
Jinwoo let out a breath, wiping a speck of sand off his sleeve. "It's just another day in the desert."
[Loot Dropped]
Venom Heart x 1 (Could enhance poisons or become a powerful catalyst)
Ghidoran Scale x 3 (Artifact Material for crafting)
[Obtained Elite Mana Stone Rank (A)].
"System: Welp, the desert's been turned into a BBQ pit. Congratulations, Boss Slayer. Rewards incoming!"
[5x Gacha Tickets received!]
[Item Acquired: Cloak of Invisibility (Artifact – Deathly Hallows Replica)]
[LEVEL UP]
[LEVEL UP]
Skill Level Up:
Flame Burst Dash(Lvl 1->2)
Rokushiki: Geppo (Moonwalk) (Lvl 1->2)
Observation Haki (Lvl1-> 2)
Iron Fist: Bullet Barrage (Lvl 1->2)
Template integration increased (25->26)
Enhanced Status Updated.
-------
[Status]
Name: Sung Jinwoo
Level: 29
Template Fusion: Peak Garp (26%)
Race: Human (Blessed by Kandiaru)
Title(s): Beast Blender, The Mad Theorist(New)
HP: 74,236 MP: 177,656
---
Stats:
Strength: 265
Agility: 257
Stamina: 276
Intelligence: 392
Sense: 300
Unspent Stat Points: 18
-------
Author's Note:
Okay, okay… real talk for a second.
I had a plan. A very serious, very emotional, beautifully tragic character development arc for Johee. Slow healing. Subtle growth. Delicate pacing.
And then she hit us with "I'm brave now" and kissed our boy on the cheek like a rom-com final boss and I had to go lie down.
Meanwhile, Jinwoo—former cold-blooded assassin, part-time devil, full-time danger magnet—gets hit with the most powerful attack in the multiverse: Affection. His System crashed harder than Windows XP in 2004. Dude went from "I'll burn the world" to "what if I protect this cinnamon roll and also destroy some snakes?"
Also, shoutout to the System, who has officially entered their sassy commentator arc. At this point, it's less of a guidance and more of a roast channel with passive-aggressive patch notes.
And yes, yes—I could have made the desert penalty zone another filler arc full of running from bugs and eating sand, but let's be honest: we're here for boss fights, emotional damage, and loot that makes MMORPG players cry.
Next up: Jinwoo develops character depth. Stay tuned.
—Your resident chaos architect,
Definitely Not The System (probably)
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