The morning mist curled low over the hills of Seongcheon, whispering through the trees as Joon sat alone inside the small storage room he'd converted into a personal trading den. His laptop screen glowed dimly in the gray light, stock charts dancing like lines of fate. And on the side, always floating—his system window, waiting.
Current Status:
Level: 3
XP: 10 / 200
Capital: ₩110,250
Stats:
Negotiation: 2
Market Insight: 5
Stamina: 2
Perks:
Instinct Pulse I: Chance-based insight while browsing undervalued stocks.
Stat Points Available: 0
It had been three days since he invested ₩54,000 into Daeyang Robotics. The stock hadn't moved much yet—hovering around ₩1,820—but Joon didn't panic. He watched the order book daily, noting volume trends, price resistance, and emotional patterns of buyers and sellers.
"Don't force it," he muttered, sipping instant coffee. "The market isn't a race."
Then came the ping.
[QUEST AVAILABLE]
"Discipline Before Greed"
Avoid checking your portfolio or system for 24 hours. Trust your analysis and wait patiently.
Reward: 30 XP
Joon blinked. A strange quest. But then again, it made sense. So many traders panicked because they couldn't wait.
He hit Accept and snapped his laptop shut.
And just like that, the hardest part began.
The hours dragged. He couldn't trade. Couldn't even glance at the charts. His fingers twitched toward his phone more than once. But he forced himself to wait. He helped his mother with greenhouse work. Took a walk through the village. Tried to read a novel—though his mind kept drifting.
At one point, the system window hovered temptingly in the corner of his vision, glowing softly.
He turned his head away.
By the time the sun rose again, Joon was staring at the clock, hands clenched tightly around a pencil. 7:00 a.m.
Exactly 24 hours.
[QUEST COMPLETE: DISCIPLINE BEFORE GREED]
+30 XP Earned
XP: 40 / 200
The first thing he did was check Daeyang Robotics.
₩1,870 per share.
He let out a breath—not because it had risen, but because he'd waited. For the first time, he truly felt like a trader.
He scanned the news—nothing new. But as he opened the market again to look for other opportunities, the system flickered.
[INSTINCT PULSE TRIGGERED]
Possible Undervalued Stock Detected:MoonSeong Energy Corp
Last Close: ₩2,350
Sector: Clean Energy
Spike in Institutional Buying (source: Public disclosure)
Recent government subsidy passed for green startups
Joon's heart jumped. The perk had activated.
MoonSeong was not on his radar, but the data was clean. He triple-checked the numbers, the subsidy news, the buying trends.
This time, he didn't hesitate.
[MONEY TRANSACTION]
Invested: ₩70,000 in MoonSeong Energy Corp
Remaining Capital: ₩40,250
He didn't expect instant gains. He just wanted exposure in a promising sector.
As he leaned back, proud of his work, the system pinged again.
[NEW QUEST CHAIN UNLOCKED: THE LONG GAME]
Part 1: Build a Diversified Portfolio
Hold shares of at least 3 different companies at once
Reward: 50 XP
Joon now held Daeyang Robotics and MoonSeong Energy.
He needed one more.
The rest of the day was spent researching carefully, thinking through angles and industries. After six hours, one name stood out: Heungjin Media, a media distribution company acquiring drama licenses for a new streaming platform.
It was risky—but high potential.
[MONEY TRANSACTION]
Invested: ₩35,000 in Heungjin Media
Remaining Capital: ₩5,250
Now his portfolio had three components:
Daeyang Robotics (Tech/Automation)
MoonSeong Energy Corp (Clean Energy)
Heungjin Media (Entertainment)
And that meant—
[QUEST COMPLETE: THE LONG GAME – PART 1]
+50 XP Earned
XP: 90 / 200
Joon smiled to himself.
This wasn't gambling anymore.
It was strategy.
It was becoming real.
Post-Chapter Summary (After Chapter 8):
XP: 90 / 200
Capital: ₩5,250
Investments:
₩54,000 – Daeyang Robotics
₩70,000 – MoonSeong Energy
₩35,000 – Heungjin Media
Stats:
Negotiation: 2
Market Insight: 5
Stamina: 2
Perks:Instinct Pulse I
Stat Points Available: 0