As the soft moonlight spilled through the dorm window, See-hoo sat alone on the edge of his bed, fists clenched and jaw tight. Rage brewed behind his dull, sunken eyes—the same rage he buried every day behind fake smiles and quiet nods.
"Muhan... Ji-hoon... always ahead. Always better."
His thoughts spiraled, looping through the same bitter truth he couldn't escape. No matter how many hours he trained, no matter how hard he pushed himself, the gap between them never closed—it only widened. And that fact suffocated him like a vice.
He forced himself into his daily system quests, each movement more agonizing than the last. A hundred squats became a battlefield. He took breaks nearly every ten reps, each pause hammering in his failure. When it came to push-ups, he collapsed at twenty. His arms trembled, not from strain—but from loathing.
"Why… Why am I so damn weak?" he hissed through clenched teeth.
Then her voice echoed in his mind.
> "Sorry, but you're too weak. I'm not into weak boys. That's why I'm crazy in love with Muhan."
Mi-cha's words cut deeper than any blade, and they played on loop—again, and again. See-hoo's breathing grew ragged. His vision blurred with a hot sheen of tears and hatred. That line… that smug look on her face… the way she said Muhan's name.
Something snapped.
Suddenly, the air in the room grew heavy. Shadows coiled at his feet, writhing like living smoke. The system screen blinked red.
[Demi-God of the Leveling Realm requests a direct link.]
A figure emerged from the shadows, cloaked in demonic aura and crowned by a halo of black flame. Piercing crimson eyes bored into See-hoo's soul.
> "You crave revenge?" the demon's voice slithered into his mind like venom.
See-hoo couldn't speak. He only nodded, desperation etched into every line of his face.
> "Then accept this power. Carve your vengeance with blood, and prove your worth with ruin."
The system screen flared open:
[Do you accept the Forbidden Power of the Leveling Realm?]
[YES] [NO]
His finger trembled—but only for a second. He slammed it onto YES.
A violent surge of energy exploded through his body. Every cell ignited. Every nerve screamed. His veins glowed with a dark crimson light as raw, forbidden power coursed through him.
He gasped, stumbling to the mirror—only to freeze.
His reflection was unrecognizable.
His system pinged again:
[LEVEL UP!]
[LVL 70 → LVL 250]
His eyes widened. His hands trembled, but not from weakness—from overwhelming, uncontainable power.
A grin twisted across his face, slow and savage. Laughter erupted from deep within his chest—maniacal, unhinged, triumphant.
"Muhan… you're done."
He flexed his fingers, and the air rippled with pressure. His power was intoxicating, maddening. This was no longer the See-hoo who lagged behind. This was a new creature—reborn in hatred and forged in vengeance.
"I'll tear down your world, Muhan. Ji-hoon... Mi-cha... Soo-ah... I'll break every one of you. And when I stand over your broken bodies, only then will I feel alive."
His voice dropped to a whisper, laced with venom.
"I'm not weak anymore."
With that, See-hoo stepped out of the dorm, shadows curling around his feet like obedient servants, eyes gleaming with the promise of blood.