Chrono Pervert — I Pause Time, Then I Play

After reading the Chrono Lock's description and grasping the potential of his newfound power, Jeffrey remained silent in the dim room. His heart was pounding—not out of fear, but out of excitement. A burning desire to surpass the limits of who he used to be. One thing was clear—he couldn't stop here.

"I have to level up..." he whispered.

But a big question surfaced: How?

Before he could think further, the blue screen before him flickered. The digital letters blinked, then rearranged themselves into a new interface:

░▒▓[CHRONO SYSTEM QUEST – DAILY]▓▒░

QUEST: "Confront Your Physical Weakness"

RANK: E

TYPE: Daily / Physical Training

STATUS: Refreshes every 24 hours

OBJECTIVE:

Train your pathetic body with the following exercises in a single day:

🔹 Run 5 kilometers

🔹 100 Pull-Ups

🔹 150 Push-Ups

🔹 200 Squats

REWARD:

🔹 +3 Stat Points

🔹 +100 EXP

DEADLINE: Midnight

FAILURE PENALTY:

🔸 Vitality -1

🔸 Intelligence -2

NOTE:

This quest will be locked for 7 days if failed.

Jeffrey read it carefully.

At first, he felt fired up when he saw the rewards. +3 Stat Points and +100 EXP—enough to level up immediately and invest in the stats of his choice.

But then…

His breath caught as he read the failure penalties.

"Minus one Vitality… and minus two Intelligence?" he murmured, horrified.

He swallowed hard. Intelligence was his highest stat. Losing even a couple of points—especially during battle—could prove fatal. Just one point could be the difference between life and death.

His eyes narrowed. Something inside him hissed—frustration, maybe even anger. The system offered no shortcuts. If he wanted power, he had to pay the price.

"I have to move," he muttered, glancing at the wall clock. 7 PM. Only five hours left before the quest expired.

A thought crossed his mind—Is this the only way to gain EXP? Or... are there other quests?

As if answering him, the screen changed again.

A low, mechanical hum echoed as a new set of letters appeared:

░▒▓[CHRONO SYSTEM QUEST – DUNGEON]▓▒░

QUEST: "Clear an E-Rank Dungeon"

RANK: E

TYPE: Combat / Dimensional Rift

OBJECTIVE:

Locate and enter a minor dimensional rift dungeon. Eliminate all monsters within until the rift collapses.

REWARD:

🔹 +1000 EXP

🔹 +10 Stat Points

🔹 UNLOCK SKILL: Predator's Eye

DEADLINE: None

FAILURE PENALTY:

🔸 If you exit the dungeon or die, the Chrono System will be permanently deleted, and you will return to your previous powerless self.

Jeffrey froze.

The screen blinked slowly in front of him, like a siren's light from another world, tempting him to step into the abyss.

+1000 EXP. +10 Stat Points. A new skill. It was incredible. Just one dungeon, and he could level up multiple times. Not enough yet to face Liana head-on—but a huge leap forward.

But the penalty…

If he failed, the Chrono System would vanish.

In other words: everything would end.

His face stiffened. The old him would've backed away. Would've played it safe. Pretended none of this ever happened.

But now—after facing death... After realizing how meaningless he was without this power... There was no going back.

He clenched his fists. His breath came heavy.

He stared at the screen—with conviction, even as his heart trembled.

A voice rang out in his head, cold and sharp:

"You want to change your fate, don't you? Then choose. Stay a loser. Or rise... and destroy their world."

.

.

.

The night sky crept closer to midnight, but Jeffrey Cain hadn't stopped. Sweat dripped heavily from his chin onto the dark, empty park grass. His legs trembled, breath short, and every muscle in his body screamed in agony. But he didn't care.

His hands clung to the cold metal bars in the corner of the public park—where he forced himself through 100 pull-ups that nearly tore his arms off. Then 150 push-ups that turned his limbs numb. And now… he was on the last stretch of that insane quest.

200 squats.

"…ninety… one…"

Jeffrey bit his lower lip. Each breath felt like knives, slicing through his lungs. His ears rang. His vision blurred. Yet his body kept moving, bending down and rising, over and over like a broken machine forced beyond its limits.

"…ninety-eight…"

His face was pale. His body trembled. But he kept going.

"…two hundred…"

The moment he whispered that number, his body crumpled like a sack of bricks. He collapsed backward, his back slamming into the cold, damp grass.

"UGH—!"

A half-scream burst from his throat. Every joint felt ripped apart. His muscles burned. His heart pounded wildly, the beating so loud it echoed in his ears.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

He lay there, chest heaving like a dying fish. His hands trembled. His vision was swimming. And yet… there was a smile on his face.

He did it.

And just then, the blue screen returned, soft lights glowing gently in the night air:

░▒▓[CHRONO SYSTEM QUEST – DAILY COMPLETED]▓▒░

🎉 QUEST "CONFRONT YOUR PHYSICAL WEAKNESS" COMPLETED!

STATS UPDATED:

✔ +3 Stat Points (Now available to allocate)

✔ +100 EXP (Level progress increased!)

PHYSICAL CONDITION:

"Your once pathetic body is beginning to change! Muscles feel stronger, stamina has improved, and your mental resilience is growing. But don't be content just yet—this is only the beginning!"

WARNING:

"Extreme training like this can cause injury without proper recovery. Rest well and nourish your body!"

NEXT QUEST AVAILABLE:

This quest will refresh after midnight.

MOTIVATION:

"A true warrior never stops at one victory. Continue your fight!"

Jeffrey looked at the screen with a crooked grin. His hand trembled as he tried to raise it, but failed.

"God… I feel like I'm gonna die," he mumbled.

But before he could even close his eyes, the system had one last surprise. A brighter light burst across the screen, followed by a rumbling sound and a vertical beam shooting upward—like the heavens themselves rewarding his struggle.

Maybe that was just his oxygen-deprived brain hallucinating.

░▒▓[CHRONO SYSTEM – LEVEL UP!]▓▒░

🎉 YOU HAVE LEVELED UP!

[LEVEL 1 → LEVEL 2]

LEVEL-UP REWARDS:

✔ +2 Stat Points

✔ Vitality +1

✔ Strength +1

✔ Agility +1

TOTAL STAT POINTS NOW AVAILABLE: 5

Jeffrey lay motionless, staring wide-eyed at the display. The exhaustion suddenly felt a bit lighter. Though his body was battered, pride swelled in his chest.

Level up.

"So this is what it feels like… to grow," he whispered.

He turned his eyes to the sky. The pale moon hung above, like an old eye watching his struggle from afar. The night breeze whispered through his damp hair.

And then… a feeling slipped in. Quiet. Subtle.

Longing.

Not the kind tied to warmth, or love, or laughter.

But the longing… for revenge.

The longing to see Liana's face again—not in awe, but in fear. To watch her eyes when she realized that Jeffrey Cain—the scholarship reject she once trampled and mocked—had returned… as a monster ready to tear her body apart and destroy her mind.

"Liana…"

Her name sounded like poison on his tongue—sweet, and deadly.

The hell she gave him… he would return a thousandfold.

Jeffrey let out a shaky breath. In the midst of his broken body, he had never felt more alive.

He stared at the moon once more.

"…Wait for me."