The aroma of sizzling meat and rich broth filling the air, but Eun-ak was barely noticing it. He was tapping his fingers over table recklessly, his mind lost in the glowing Quest System screen hovering befor him.
[ Main Quest - Defeat Ha-jun ]
[ Time - 3 Days ]
[ REWARD : One Platinum Card ]
[ Failure Consequences - ??? ]
For every second, the ticking of clock tightened the knot in Eun-ak's stomach. He had no plan, no way to reach and defeat Ha-jun. And more over, the unknown punishment looming over him like a storm cloud.
Across the table was Min-jee, who propped her chin over her hand, watching Eun-ak with a raised brow. " You are zoning out again, Park! "
Eun-ak blinked, quickly closing the screen only he could see. "Huh? Oh... Just thinking. "
Min-jee narrowed her eyes, as she was unconvinced with Eun-ak words. "You have been like this whole time. What's up? Family problems ?"
Eun-ak shook his head. "No, they are all fine."
"Have you even called them recently?" Min-jee pressed. "Your parents? Your siblings?"
Eun-ak hesitated. His older brother is in Spain, busy with his academic and gaming achievements. His younger sister is in Japan, Training in martial arts. He barely spoke to them anymore. "They all are doing there own things. " He answered vaguely.
Min-jee sighed. "You really Suck at talking, you know that? "
Eun-ak shrugged. It wasn't like he could tell her the real problems — the fact that he had a system, the fact that he had three days to face Ha-jun or face an unknown punishment from the mysterious system, that no one else could see except him.
Sensing his reluctance, Min-jee leaned in. "Come on. What is really on your dumb mind?"
Eun-ak thought about lying again, but Min-jee was too sharp. Instead, he deflected. "Just thinking about what to do next now that i have dealt with Song jae-hyun. "
At this, Min-jee expression brightened. "Oh, that's easy. You should aim for the school ranking system. "
Eun-ak frowned. "Ranking System? "
"Yeah", Min-jee nodded. "In every school, there has a hierarchy system for every year. If they climb the Top, they get access to special fights — including underground matches between the top students. "
As Eun-ak listened to it, he sat straight over his chair. This was it. A perfect opportunity to reach Ha-jun within three days. "How do I become the first year Leader? "
Min-jee smirked. " You have to beat the other class leaders. Your First year have eight classes, 1-A to 1-H. In that you already defeated Song. Now if you take down all seven leaders, you will become the head of first-year students. And once you are at the top, you can enter the underground matches."
Eun-ak felt a spark of excitement. "That is exactly what I needed! " Without thinking, he reached across the table and grasped min-jee's hand tightly. "Min-jee, you're a genius! "
As because of this sudden incident, Min-jee froze over her chair. A deep blush spread across her cheeks, her heart pounding fast. But on the outside, she kept her cool. "... Obviously. " She muttered.
Eun-ak let Min-jee hand and go and stood up. " I need to start preparing. " He hurried towards the exit.
As soon as he left, Min-jee exhaled sharply, covering her face with her hands. He held my hands... Her mind replayed the moment over and over.
- × - × - × - × - × - × - ×- × - × - × - × - × - × -
Next Day —
As the night went and next day come, Eun-ak prepared himself and went to school.
Stepping into the classroom, Eun-ak immediately noticed the sudden change. Conversations hushed as students avoided eye contact. Even the usual loudmouth shrank in their seats. His reputation after defeating Song jae-hyun had spread.
Despite the cold atmosphere, a group of girls were still whispering among themselves, giggling.
"He is so cool... "
"Should we confess to him? "
"He looked so scary yesterday, but in a hot way!"
Eun-ak ignored the chatter and took his seat. He pulled out his history notebook but found himself staring out the window, lost in thought. He had only three days left to defeat seven leaders. And he had no idea how strong they are.
Just as he was considering his approach, a voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Eun-ak."
He turned to see a scrawny boy with glasses standing nervously besides his desk.
"Ji-ho, right? " Eun-ak vaguely recognized him.
Ji-ho nodded quickly. "I... I just wanted to say thank you. "
"And for what?", Eun-ak asked.
"You are the reason Song jae-hyun isn't bullying me Or anyone else anymore. " Ji-ho said earnestly.
Eun-ak blinked. He had been so focused on own his goals that he hasn't considered the impact his fight had on others.
Ji-ho straightened his glasses. " I know I'm not strong, but if you ever need help with anything, I will do my best!"
Eun-ak hesitated. Then an idea struck him. "Actually... Do you know anything about the other first-year class leaders? "
Ji-ho's eyes widened. "Of course. I have memorized the entire first-year Hierarchy. "
Eun-ak felt like he had struck gold. "Meet me at lunch. Tell me everything you know. "
Teacher came in class and everyone sat over their places like usual. Eun-ak was now confident for a moment that he have a got a chance now to finish this matter fast.
- × - × - × - × - × - × - ×- × - × - × - × - × - × -
During Lunch —
Eun-ak and Ji-ho sat in a quiet corner of the Cafeteria as Ji-ho laid out the rankings.
"The weakest was Song jae-hyun from 1-C, " Ji-ho began. " Above him is Yejun from 1-E, then the twin brothers Dong and Bong from 1-D."
Eun-ak listened carefully as Ji-ho continued listing names, each one stronger than the last.
"And finally, " Ji-ho concluded. "The strongest first-year Leader is from 1-H. No one has ever beaten him in a fight. He is at the top of the food chain. "
Eun-ak clenched his fists. Seven fights in two days. It is insane. But it was his only way to reach Ha-jun.
He smirked. "Sounds like a pain in ass. "
Ji-ho gulped. " You are really going to fight all of them? "
"You think I am here to just joke with you? " Eun-ak spoke. His eyes gleamed with determination. " I have no choice. "
And so, his climb to the top began.