Reality Quest: Questism

Pain.

A deep, throbbing ache ran through my skull, settling behind his eyes like a migraine about to burst. My body felt heavy, my limbs stiff as if I'd been sitting in one position for hours. My fingers twitched slightly against warm, hard plastic.

My fingers?

My eyes shot open.

A classroom. 

My desk was covered in phones. Phones and phone stands, the stands dented from years of use. I could hear the loud laughs of students, the occasional scuffle of shoes against tile, the thump of someone leaning back too far in their chair.

This wasn't my school.

My breath hitched.

Slowly, cautiously, I looked down at himself. My hands, leaner, smoother. My arms, skinny. My uniform, black and white, slightly wrinkled.

"Oh right! Thanks, Dowan!"

The voice made me turn towards the front, the door. It had come from a pretty dark haired girl leaving the classroom and it was aimed at… me? She looked at me strangely and then left, following a girl in a red jacket.

Dowan? That didn't sound right. That wasn't my name. Was it?

I struggled to remember, but my thoughts slipped like sand through my fingers. Before I could think further, a shimmering blue window flickered into existence before my eyes.

I barely suppressed a yelp, jerking back in my chair so hard I nearly toppled over.

[System]

Quest Window activated.

My eyebrow twitched. "Um…"

The floating window remained, glowing softly.

Would you like to begin the Quest?

Yes No

My frown deepened as I hovered my finger above the Yes option. Nothing was making sense right now, maybe this would help? At the point of contact, light blue ripple spread outwards, as if the screen was made of water.

Yes.

The window shifted..

Initialising Quest System.

Once you complete a Quest, you will receive a Card.

A Card? Like in that webtoon? What was it called… Questism?

Generating Tutorial Quest.

Defeat CHEOLWOO MIN [0/1]

Reward: 1 Gold Card

Cheolwoo who? Do I have to beat him up in a fight? The questions ran through my mind as the confusion racked up even further. What was even going-

"Dowan, you shit."

A hand slammed down on the back of my head, driving my face into the desk. Hard. Hard enough to rattle the phones and send them clattering to the floor. A sharp metallic tang bloomed in my mouth. Blood?

I turned as much as I could, craning my neck to see the bastard who had just blindsided me.

A pair of narrowed eyes met mine, filled with barely contained irritation.

"Dowan, you little shit."

The voice was low, simmering with annoyance.

"I told you to focus on my phone."

His expression twisted like he'd just watched me puke all over his shoes.

What the fuck was his problem?

"Hey Dowan… are you glaring? At me?"

I spat out the metallic taste in my mouth. "What the fuck-" my voice was hoarse, burning with rage, "-is your problem, asshole-"

His hand flashed out. Crack. A sharp slap whipped my head sideways.

I froze. For a moment, my breath caught in my throat. The sting spread like fire across my cheek as a mix of saliva and blood dripped from my lips.

He didn't stop. The grey-haired fucker reared back, aiming a knee straight for my gut.

Not happening.

I shoved him mid-motion, throwing us both off balance. We crashed to the floor in a mess of limbs, knocking over desks and chairs alike.

For the first time, he hesitated.

Not angry. Not mocking. Just confused.

He blinked at me.

Should I not be fighting back?

Then his expression twisted. That hesitation turned to rage.

"You little-"

He scrambled to get on top of me, swinging a wild punch, but I twisted out of the way, grabbing the first thing my hands landed on, one of the phones that had dropped.

Crack. I slammed it into his ear. 

He let out a sharp grunt, head jerking sideways from the impact. I barely gave him time to breathe before I snatched another phone off the ground and whipped it straight into his face.

A direct hit to the eye.

He let out a sharp hiss, staggering back as he clutched his face.

I wasn't done.

I lunged, tackling him to the ground. He fought back, shoving at my chest, but I caught his wrist and bit down hard on his ear.

Hard enough to taste blood.

He howled, thrashing violently beneath me. His elbow struck my ribs and I winced, instinctively jerking back.

"Fucking—!" His voice was a mix of pain and fury. He shoved forward, ramming his shoulder into me, driving me back toward the teacher's desk.

We slammed into it, papers and books scattering to the floor.

The fucker recovered first. His fist buried into my stomach, knocking the air from my lungs. I coughed, my vision spotting for a second-

His hand reached for my collar.

I lunged forward and bit down on his shoulder.

Hard.

He screeched, shoving his palm against my face, fingers clawing at my eyes.

Fine. He wanted dirty?

I reared my head back and smashed my forehead straight into his nose.

A wet, sickening crunch filled the air. Blood splattered across my face.

He gasped, hands flying to his face, finally backing off, his breath ragged, thick with pain.

I panted, my own blood dripping down my chin, my heart hammering like a drum.

The classroom door creaked open.

"Dowan, I came to get my…?"

A voice. Soft, female.

I turned.

The dark-haired girl from before stood in the doorway, her eyes locking onto mine, then shifting to Cheolwoo… broken, bloody, and barely standing.

Her gaze flickered.

"Phone…?"

Huh. Why did she come ba-

His fist crunched into my face. I was sent flying backward, smashing straight into the teacher's desk. The force knocked the entire thing over, scattering the remaining papers, books, and pens in a chaotic spray. My vision blurred from the impact, the ringing in my ears drowning out everything for a moment.

I barely registered her shouting.

"Cheolwoo! What are you doing, stop it!"

Her voice was desperate, trying to break through the noise of our fight. She rushed forward, trying to separate us.

The grey haired fucker, Cheolwoo apparently, however, wasn't done.

With a violent snarl, he shoved her aside, his hands darting out to grab her by the hair. Her yelp of surprise filled the room as he yanked her off her feet and threw her to the floor like she weighed nothing.

He spat. "You think you can tell me what to do just because you have a pretty fa-"

I scrambled to my feet and launched myself at him.

In a blur of motion, I dove straight at Cheolwoo, my forehead crashing into his face again.

The impact was brutal. Cheolwoo staggered, his knees giving out beneath him, and he crumpled to the floor with a muffled thud, blood splattering from his broken nose.

His body went limp as he hit the floor, unmoving.

I stood there for a second, panting, my own blood still dripping down my face, mixed with the sweat from the fight.

The girl on the floor, still looked dazed, but she was slowly pushing herself up, her hand clutching at her scalp where Cheolwoo had grabbed her.

I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, glancing at her.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded, though her eyes still held that hesitant look of concern… maybe even fear. But it wasn't for me, not anymore.

She looked down at the still, unconscious form of Cheolwoo. "Is he…"

"Out cold." I answered, taking a step back, finally catching my breath.

The girl finally whipped her head back around as she took in my sight, blood dripping down my face, not all of it was mine.

"Dowan! Oh my god, you hit your head didn't you?!"

I tried to frown but it hurt a bit too much. "Well he hit it not m-"

"Stay right there! I'll call the school nurse!" She scrambled up to her feet, darting out of the classroom.

I would've responded but I was busy staring at the new windows that had popped up in front of me.

Tutorial Quest complete!

As a special reward for completing the Tutorial Quest, you've received a Gold Card!

I stared at the message, the frustration bubbling in my chest. A tutorial? What part of that fight was a tutorial? There was no goddamn warning, no clue about what the hell was going on! I'd been thrown into chaos without a single lesson.

Anger boiled through me as I opened my mouth to yell, to scream-

But everything hurt too damn much.

I stumbled, my legs giving way beneath me. The floor was a sudden, cold welcome.

Holy shit, why did it hurt so much more now? My head felt like it was going to split open. My ribs screamed in protest as I tried to shift.

The window shimmered again.

I wasn't sure if it was the blood loss or the confusion, but I swear the words floated in front of me like they had a life of their own.

I mumbled, voice hoarse, "Claim Card…"

Suddenly, a glowing Gold Card materialized in front of me, hovering in midair as it flipped over with a soft hum.

Attack Card

Boxing - Jab

You are able to throw a jab, (a type of punch used in boxing).

Current skill rank: F (0/100)

I blinked, my brain trying to make sense of it. Was this… real?

I reached out, my fingers trembling, and as soon as I made contact with the card, a strange, buzzing sensation filled my chest.

I couldn't help but grin, even through the pain, the blood in my mouth making the smile crooked.

"So, that's what this is."

The headache pounded against my skull, but a strange clarity washed over me. I had no idea what the hell was happening but…

… I'd take it.