Joon sat on the veranda of the small family house in Seongcheon, sipping barley tea while the hum of cicadas filled the air. His laptop was closed for once. The sky had begun to darken into a soft indigo hue.
But floating quietly before him was the ever-present System window, faintly glowing in the twilight.
System Notification:
New Attribute Insight – [Risk Appetite] Unlocked
Explanation: Determines your comfort with high-volatility trades. Influences access to certain quests and affects passive gain/loss tolerance.
He leaned forward.
"So now the System is judging how bold I am?" Joon whispered, half to himself.
There were five attributes now. This latest addition intrigued him. Until now, he'd been cautiously strategic. But every trader eventually faced this question:
"Are you ready to take bigger risks for bigger gains?"
Joon clicked into the stat explanation. Beneath Risk Appetite: 2, a tooltip popped up:
0–2: Conservative
3–5: Balanced
6+: Aggressive
He was at the conservative end. Made sense. Most of his wins so far came from patterns, patience, and slow-and-steady analysis.
But the System had just nudged him toward thinking bigger.
That night, as stars filled the sky and his tea cooled, Joon received a new quest.
⚡ QUEST UNLOCKED: High-Stakes Entry ⚡Objective:
Choose a high-volatility stock.
Hold through one full earnings report cycle (min. 7 days).
Journal thoughts and emotional reactions daily.
Exit within 48 hours of report release.
Reward: +100 XP
Bonus: +1 Risk Appetite (if journal entries meet reflection quality threshold)
Warning: Losses are possible. No System safety nets apply.
Joon stared at it for a long time.
This wasn't like previous quests where the System guided him to safer plays or even offered suggestions.
This one was wide open.
He had to choose.
He spent the next day scanning the market like a hawk. He filtered by volume, price swings, and upcoming earnings. Dozens of companies came up, but one kept catching his eye:
BlastTech Semiconductors
Known for producing experimental chipsets for AI applications, the company was a favorite among short-term traders. Rumors said they had a new contract with a U.S.-based cloud giant, but nothing official had dropped yet.
Their earnings were due in 9 days.
The price had been volatile for weeks—swings of 5–8% daily.
Joon clicked into the financials, read forums, double-checked volume patterns, and finally opened his journal.
Chosen Stock: BlastTech Semiconductors
Current Price: ₩3,350
Position Size: 80 shares = ₩268,000
Capital Remaining: ₩74,600
Why This Stock?
High volatility, fits quest
Earnings soon
Rumor momentum, but no hard leak
Price fluctuating in narrow band. Consolidation before breakout?
Plan:
Enter on next dip
Hold 9 days
Exit window: 48 hours post-report
He watched price movement through the late morning session.
Just before 12 PM, the price dipped to ₩3,325.
Joon clicked Buy.
Purchase: BlastTech – 80 shares @ ₩3,325 = ₩266,000
Remaining Capital: ₩76,600
System Notification:
Trade Executed – Quest Initiated: High-Stakes Entry
That evening, as he walked along the rice paddies outside his house, Joon dictated into the voice-to-text function on his phone.
Journal Day 1:Emotion: Uneasy excitement. I know this one's outside my usual zone. But the setup looks tight. Risk is real, but so is reward.Mental Note: Don't obsess. Don't over-check the chart. This is a test of control as much as strategy.
System Notification: Journal Entry Saved
+5 XP (Reflection Bonus)
XP: 65 → 70 / 600
The next morning, the stock was down to ₩3,280.
He took a breath.
"Expected. This is how volatility works."
He logged the second journal entry:
Journal Day 2:Emotion: Slight worry. But I reminded myself: no fundamental change. Holding.Lesson: Discomfort is part of growth.
System Notification:
+5 XP (Reflection Bonus)
XP: 70 → 75 / 600
And so it continued.
Day 3: Price up to ₩3,400 → Journaled +5 XP
Day 4: Sharp dip to ₩3,220 → He panicked for ten minutes, then reread his notes. Journaled: "Felt real fear today." → +5 XP
Day 5: Flat → No change
Day 6: ₩3,480 → He smiled but didn't exit
Day 7: Final day before report → Journaled calmly
By now, his daily reflections weren't about numbers—they were about himself.
He wrote:
"Today I felt power not from control, but from acceptance. Win or lose, I'm no longer gambling. I'm testing a process."
Total Journal XP: +35 XP
[Status Window]
Level: 7
XP: 75 + 50 (quest) + 35 (journal) = 160 / 600
Capital: ₩76,600 (plus current BlastTech holding)
Attributes:
Market Insight: 10
Negotiation: 2
Stamina: 3
Research: 4
Risk Appetite: 2 → (Pending +1 upon quest complete)
Titles:
Beginner Trader
Pattern Seeker
Value Seeker
Contrarian Initiate
Disciplined Analyst
Skills:
Long-Term Perspective (Passive I)
Momentum Read (Active I)
Features:
Trade Journal
Weekly Market Forecast
Quest Log
The earnings report would come the next day.
And Joon would find out just how much he had grown.