— Master? What the heck is this thing ?
The window expanded and revealed a new sentence.
[The masters are responsible for developing the potential of the players]
It must have been a joke. The universe was playing tricks on him; now Si-woo was sure of it.
— Already struggling to find mine, he grumbled, how am I supposed to do that?
[The masters run a system of quests, rewards, and penalties. By completing them, the players develop their potential.]
— Like a video game programmer?
This time, the screen didn't respond. Instead, the question returned:
[Do you wish to become a master?]
Decidedly, this interface was quite stubborn. He had refused her proposal three times, but she kept forcing him into her strange game.
— What happens if I refuse?
No answer.
Si-woo had almost wanted to say no just to annoy that ghostly entity. The only thing holding him back was a small bubble of hope that was sprouting deep within his mind.
If I become a master, I could help Il-seong develop his potential, he thought.
He wouldn't be completely useless in his friend's rise. He could even take some pride in it. They would work together to escape the hell their life had become.
With this idea in mind, Si-woo lifted his head and faced the translucent screen.
— I accept!
The interface started to burn. Blue flames burst forth and surrounded him. They climbed up his legs, sinking fiery fangs into his clothes. His flesh was on fire. Si-woo rushed to his soup and splashed it on himself. The flames were still crackling on his skin and seeping into his blood. He was literally boiling from the inside. Si-woo would have liked to lament, to tell himself once again that he was good for nothing and that nothing good ever happened to him in life. But the pain was so intense that all he could say was:
— Arghhh.
He was really going to die like this, charred by a fiery apparition. Despite his efforts, the flames climbed up to his face and penetrated his eyes.
— Aaahhhhh !!!
The agonizing scream that Si-woo let out tore his throat.
Blind, he struggled, threw himself to the ground, and rolled to extinguish the flames. Sparks crept into his open mouth, suffocating him under a layer of smoke. His entire body was liquefying like wax.
I'm going to die, this is the end, he thought in a sudden jolt of awareness.
And then, everything stopped.
The calm.
The void.
Si-woo gradually regained his sight. The living room was still bathed in a blue halo. Only the splashing of the spilled soup disturbed the silence. Everything was intact.
Si-woo straightened up, sore from the experience. He tried to get back up but slipped on a sticky puddle. The one he had created during his debacle. The distorted reflection in the soup sent back a strange image. He was safe and sound, but his brown eyes had turned blue.
— Interface?
The screen reappeared before his eyes. A flicker in the corner of his eye indicated a new message:
[Please choose your master name]
That task wasn't very complicated, especially when compared to the immolation just before. He had the same nickname since middle school. Following a stupid joke, it had been decreed that Si-woo was like the rain, Rain, and Il-seong a summer sun, Sun. A reflection based on their two names and the characters that composed them. Si-woo wrote down his pseudonym with a tender smile.
[You commit to respecting the Masters' rules:
Use the system to develop the potential of the players.
Prohibition on revealing your Master status
Stay courteous with the interface at all times.]
He wouldn't be able to say anything to Il-seong. It didn't matter, his friend was smart enough to figure it out on his own. This secret wouldn't last long between them.
— I promise, Si-woo vowed.
[Please enter the player's name]
Keep his face in mind.
Si-woo closed his eyes and focused on Il-seong's face. His smile despite the injuries and his excitement at discovering the system. "Il-seong Park" floated above his head for a moment before disappearing, replaced by a new notification.
[The Player accepted his status]
Si-woo let out a slight sigh of relief. Even though he had no doubt his friend would jump at the chance, the risk still existed. After all, he himself had turned down the offer. The screen pulled him out of his thoughts by displaying a new text:
[Here you are, Master level 1 ]
Skills acquired
Authority level 1:
• 20% chance that others will listen to you when you speak
• 10% chance they will obey if you make a request
Master's Eyes Level 1:
• ability to see the aura of players and masters
Si-woo looked again into the puddle — which really needed cleaning — and saw that a bluish steam bubble was outlining the contours of his body. He amused himself by moving his hand to see the aura followed it. The screen appeared before his eyes, as if to reprimand him for his inattention.
[Do you want the player to keep their status secret?]
Yes No
Good question.
Il-seong could get into trouble if he spoke recklessly about the system. But he had read enough stories to know how to handle it. Ultimately, keeping it secret would be more a means of control to isolate him than to protect him. Si-woo read that the punishment for violating this rule was the cancellation of the system for the player. A rule far too harsh in his opinion.
Besides, he knew Il-seong. He had never been able to keep a secret for long before telling him. They had always shared everything. Their anger, their sadness, their joys. One time, Il-seong had wanted to prepare a surprise party for her. He couldn't hold out a single morning before revealing his intentions to him. His integrity was one of the things Si-woo liked most about his friend.
He checked the "no" box. Another reason : when Il-seong would talk to him about the system, Si-woo could find a way to reveal his own status.
They were going to make a great team!
[Would you like to start the tutorial?]
— Of course!
It was like a video game. In any case, that's what he told himself to calm the rising nervousness within him as he saw the amont of information the interface was bombarding him with. If a player, like in manhwas, let themselves be guided by the system, more or less kindly; Si-woo, on the other hand, had to create everything by himself.
[Please define the progression system]
The icon to create his own progression was locked.
I haven't reached the level to select it yet, thought Si-woo.
Something was bothering him, however.
— Can the player progression system be modified along the way?
[Every choice is final]
— So why impose limitations on me, knowing that I won't have access to this choice later?
No answer.
Obviously.
Si-woo decided to play along while waiting to learn more. Once he had mastered the system, he could slowly trace his way back to the source. He would have plenty to keep him busy in the meantime.
The diversity of systems offered by the interface was dizzying.
A system in RPG format
another with card games
others were enhanced gambling games
There were even ones for vampires.
magician
magical girls
or even zombies.
— They don't know what else to come up with, snorted Si-woo.
A system caught his attention. They were collectible badges. The memories of a conversation with Il-seong came back to him. It was just after their meeting, the first time he visited her room.
— What's all this ? Si-woo had ask, with all the curiosity of an eleven-year-old child.
He pointed to a framed scarf like a painting. A bunch of badges with drawings were embroidered on it.
— My badges! Il-seong had replied.
He was beaming as he explained that before moving to Seoul at the beginning of the year, he was part of a scout troop. Every time they completed specific missions, they received these badges to sew onto their scarf.
— I had more than the others, I was going to become a leader next year, Il-seong boasted before darkening. There isn't a scout group in our neighborhood. Besides, we have to go to the forest. It's going to be more complicated now.
Indeed, he had never brought it up again after the discussion. But the disappointment that came from him had always left a mark on Si-woo. It was surely for this reason that he chose that system.
Quest type:
Title:
Condition(s):
Reward(s):
Hidden condition(s) (optional):
Hidden reward(s) (optional):
Penalty(ies):
Time limit:
He could already add hidden quests.
— I would have bet it would take more experience to unlock them.
Decidedly, this strange interface followed its own logic. Si-woo raised his hand to fill in the blanks when a terrible feeling struck him on the spot. It took him a few minutes to figure it out, but to his utmost horror, he realized he was suffering from writer's block.
Writer's block !
The writer's greatest nightmare.
The overwhelming excitement he had felt until then deflated like a burned cake. His mind was completely blank.
— Where do I start? he kept asking himself.
In the stories, everything seemed so fluid and natural... Now, he had the occasion, he couldn't disappoint his friend's hopes. This pressure paralyzed him. With his hand frozen in the air, Si-woo heard time flowing through the clock.
Tick Tock Tick Tock
— Write, for heaven's sake, he pleaded, anything!
The system was definitely going to get fed up with him even before it had even started.
Proof: the window disappeared.
— It's over, I'm really good for nothing!
As he lamented again, a blue flame danced around him. He brought his index finger closer, and the screen materialized.
— It was in sleep mode, he muttered, incredulous.
His own defeatist attitude made him cringe.
Just calm you down man!
Then, he smirked at the screen:
— You really do like to scare me, don't you?
A wave passed over the interface screen like a little virtual laugh.
[Would you like to activate the quest demonstration mode?]
— Show me what you've got, Si-woo replied with an air of defiance.
The response came without delay:
Quest type: reinforcement – standard
Title: The way of the Immortal
Condition(s):
• 100 sit-ups
• 100 squats
• 10 km run
Reward(s): Mortal in progress Badge
• 10% improvement in physical constitution
• 1 extra cm
Hidden condition(s): None
Hidden reward(s): None
Penalty(ies): system deactivation
Deadline: 3 hours 05 minutes
Si-woo glanced at his watch.
— Basically, you give him until midnight. He'll never make it. Can I make some changes?
The screen moved forward until it reached his fingers.
— Il-seong, the player, he specified, is asthmatic. The 10 km, that's not going to work. Besides, 100 each, that's not possible! We're not in an anime. He's going to slip through our fingers at 70.
Si-woo reduced the abs and squats by 50 and added jumping jacks. He took the opportunity to add a zero to the physical constitution percentage. The screen turned red.
[Error! The level of rewards did not match the level of conditions.]
Si-woo sighed. The higher the reward, the tougher the conditions to obtain it.
— Logic, he muttered.
[The interface awarded a point for "misplaced curiosity" to Master Rain.]
Si-woo couldn't help but burst out laughing.
— It was just a little test to know the limits of my abilities, that's all. You can call it caution.
[The interface awarded a "rudeness" point to Master Rain.]
Another burst of laughter.
— So... The system has its little quirks ?
[The interface awarded a "sly" point to Master Rain.]
He raised his hands in the air as a sign of peace.
— Sorry, sorry. I won't do it again.
A moment of silence, then the screen again:
[The interface assigned a "docility" point to Master Rain.]
— You're not the only one who thinks so.
Si-woo still wondered about the meaning of these points. Was it his way of progressing to become a more advanced master? Or what did its mean by "being courteous with the interface"? He couldn't find the history of these points anywhere...
While waiting for this answers, he agreed to set the constitution to 10%. He cast an amused glance at the extra centimeter.
— Il-seong will be happy to finally reach 1.60 meters.
It was certain that with his 1.70m, Si-woo was much less self-conscious. Unfortunately, he didn't know how to use it as well as his classmates. He was rather a tall, clumsy guy. Satisfied, Si-woo validated the quest.
— All that's left is to wait...
To overcome his apprehension, he completed the quest conditions on his own.
50 sit-ups
50 squats
50 jumping jacks
Si-woo thought he was going to faint halfway through the exercises. Covered in sweat and out of breath, he finished the conditions with a side stitch and blurred vision. He looked at the clock: more than thirty minutes had passed.
He collapsed to the ground, exhausted. Il-seong, on the other hand, still hadn't finished the quest.
— What is he up to?
Boredom quickly set in. It wasn't fun to wait. He reopened the interface and created several badges with hidden conditions. A "The early bird catches the worm": Il-seong had to wake up five times before 6 a.m. The reward was a complete recovery of his body and mind.
— It's going to encourage him to get up early. He won't be late to class anymore after his discovery.
He realized that, for the creation of level 2 of a badge, the requirements to obtain it had to be higher.
— Of course, the challenge must intensify to help him progress.
[The interface awarded a "rudeness" point to Master Rain.]
It was the third one he had received. This new interruption in his thoughts gave him an idea. He created the "Misplaced Curiosity" badge: if Il-seong tapped ten times on a badge icon, he could see a random hidden quest.
— This one's for you, he smiled at the screen.
[The interface awarded a "sly fox" point to Master Rain.]
Si-woo stuck his tongue out at him and continued his setup until he fell asleep on the couch. The evening had been so eventful that he forgot to set his alarm. He bitterly regretted it the next morning.