Questism : The Quest For Eternity

The dim glow of the system interface flickered in the darkness, casting faint shadows across the cracked walls of the abandoned warehouse. Yun Jo sat cross-legged on the cold floor, his sharp, unblinking gaze fixed on the glowing lines of text before him. The numbers reflected back at him like a challenge.

[-Strength: C.

-Speed: C.

-Endurance: C.

+Potential: A.

-Intelligence: S+.]

He studied the stats in silence. His lips curled into a cold, disdainful smirk, though no one was there to see it. "C-class," he murmured, the words dripping with contempt. "Pathetic."

Yet, his gaze lingered on Potential : A and Intelegence: S+, his smirk deepening. Those were his weapons, sharper than any blade. He leaned back slightly, letting the purple glow of the system illuminate his face. The cold air around him bit into his skin, but Yun Jo moved as though he didn't feel it.

"These stats might seem mediocre now," he muttered to himself, his voice calm and steady, "but the one thing no one can match is my mind. Potential can be realized. Intelligence…" He let the word hang in the air for a moment. "…is limitless."

With a flick of his hand, the purple glowing interface disappeared, leaving him once again in the dim, silent warehouse. He stood slowly, dusting off his hands as he turned his gaze toward the makeshift training equipment he had cobbled together over the past week. The sight of it tightened his smirk into something colder, more dangerous.

"I don't need the system to carry me. I know better than to trust something that gives power so easily. It's a leash waiting to tighten, and I've already been chained once before." His tone sharpened as his eyes darkened. "Not again."

---

The warehouse was deathly quiet, save for the occasional groan of rusted metal beams and the faint drip of water leaking from the ceiling. The air smelled of dust and decay, a fitting backdrop for what Yun Jo had turned it into: a crucible. This was where he would burn away his weaknesses and forge himself into something unstoppable.

Yun Jo stood shirtless in the center of the room, his lean frame drenched in sweat. His bare feet pressed against the cold concrete floor, his breathing even and controlled despite the hours of relentless exertion. Around him were crude training setups—wooden poles wrapped in barbed wire, steel beams lined with jagged nails, and weighted bags filled with gravel. They weren't tools for practice; they were instruments of punishment.

His knuckles were raw and bloodied, the barbed wire having bitten into his flesh with every strike. The sharp sting of pain radiated up his arms, but Yun Jo welcomed it. Pain was his ally, a reminder that weakness still existed within him—weakness that needed to be destroyed.

Activating the Adrenaline Surge card, Yun Jo felt the familiar rush of power. His muscles tightened, his movements accelerated, and his senses sharpened. For thirty seconds, his strength, speed, and endurance doubled, pushing his body beyond its natural limits. He didn't waste a single moment.

His punches blurred through the air, each one landing with a bone-crunching thud against a wooden dummy reinforced with steel. The structure groaned under the force of his strikes, but Yun Jo kept going. His kicks followed, precise and devastating, the sound of impact echoing through the empty warehouse like gunshots. His movements were efficient, calculated—there was no wasted energy, no unnecessary flourish. Every strike was meant to kill.

But Yun Jo wasn't satisfied with just hitting harder. His S+ intelligence demanded more of him. He dissected his movements in real time, analyzing every punch, every kick, every shift in his footwork. He wasn't just training his body—he was programming it, rewriting the muscle memory of a lifetime in mere days.

As the thirty seconds of adrenaline wore off, his body screamed in protest. His muscles burned, his lungs begged for air, and his vision blurred slightly from the strain. But Yun Jo didn't stop. Instead, he pushed harder, forcing his body to adapt to the punishment. Pain was temporary. Weakness was unacceptable.

His mind, however, remained razor-sharp. Between training sessions, he immersed himself in martial arts videos, absorbing techniques like a sponge. Grappling from MMA, striking and footwork from karate and taekwondo, defensive strategies from boxing—he studied them all, breaking them down into their core components and rebuilding them into something uniquely his own.

Hours turned into days. The warehouse became a warzone, littered with broken dummies, shattered mirrors, and bloodstains. But Yun Jo didn't care. He was transforming. He could feel it in every movement, every strike, every breath.

On the fifth day, the system chimed—a robotic voice cutting through the silence.

**[Hidden Quest Completed: Show unmatched dedication to training. Reward: Mixed Martial Arts Mastery Card.]**

Yun Jo straightened, his bloodied hands resting at his sides. His lips curled into a dark, satisfied smirk. "A predictable move," he muttered, his voice low and cold. "The system thinks it can reward me. It doesn't understand… I'm not doing this for it."

He claimed the card, letting the knowledge flood his mind. His body moved instinctively, as though possessed by the techniques he'd just acquired. His strikes became sharper, his grapples more fluid. He wasn't just stronger—he was deadlier.

By the end of the week, Yun Jo stood before a shattered mirror, his reflection staring back at him. His body had changed. His lean frame was now layered with hard, defined muscle. His eyes, once cold and calculating, now burned with an intensity that bordered on sadistic. He clenched his fists, feeling the raw power coursing through his veins.

Updated Stats:

-Strength: B.

-Speed: B+.

-Endurance: B+.

-Intelligence: S+.

-Potential: A+.

"A week," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. He tilted his head slightly, the smirk returning to his lips. "It took me a single week to become something they'll never understand. A lifetime for them… and nothing but a warm-up for me."

---

Back at school, the absence of Yun Jo hadn't gone unnoticed. The once-feared predator had vanished without a trace, and Jae-hwan and Seung-min, the self-proclaimed kings of the school, were growing restless.

"Where is he?" Jae-hwan growled, his voice echoing through the hallway as he slammed a trembling student against a locker. The metallic clang reverberated down the corridor, drawing the frightened stares of nearby students. "Talk, or I'll make you regret it."

The rumors began to spread.

"Yun Jo's been missing all week. He must be scared."

"He knew Minwoo was just the beginning. He won't dare show his face again."

Jae-hwan and Seung-min's lackeys roamed the school like wolves, cornering anyone who might have information. Their presence was suffocating, their threats unavoidable.

In the classroom, the chaos escalated further. Desks were overturned, chairs scattered across the floor. Jae-hwan's frustration was palpable as he stormed through the room, his voice dripping with venom. "Tell me where that coward is," he snarled, slamming his fist onto a desk. "Or I'll make you regret it."

Seung-min leaned casually against the teacher's desk, his smirk mocking. "Maybe he's hiding under his bed," he said, earning a few nervous chuckles from the lackeys. "He knows he's done for."

But their taunts were interrupted by the sound of the classroom door creaking open.

---

All eyes turned toward the door as it slowly swung open, the sound cutting through the tension like a knife. Yun Jo stepped inside, his movements deliberate, his presence suffocating. He was calm, too calm, his expression unreadable. His dark eyes scanned the room, taking in the overturned desks, the cowering students, and the sneering faces of Jae-hwan and Seung-min.

The silence was deafening.

Jae-hwan was the first to recover, his sneer widening. "So, you finally decided to show your face."

Yun Jo's lips curled into a mocking smirk, his voice cold and calculated. "I heard you've been barking all week. I hope you're ready to back it up."

Seung-min chuckled, his confidence unshaken. "You've been gone for days. What, did you think training for a week would make you a match for us?"

Yun Jo stepped forward, his knuckles cracking as he flexed his fingers. His smirk widened, his dark eyes gleaming with sadistic amusement. "A week of training, This is going to be fun to test it"

The tension in the room was unbearable. The students watched in stunned silence, their eyes darting between Yun Jo and the two gang leaders. No one dared to move, speak, or even breathe too loudly. They could feel the storm brewing.

Jae-hwan stepped forward, his fists clenched. "You've got a death wish."

Yun Jo tilted his head slightly, his smirk never faltering. "No" he said calmly.

See you again in the next chapter.