Reality Quest: Lookism

Jin glanced at Jihan, who sat frozen, his hands trembling on the table. With a calm expression, Jin pointed at him. "Think about it for now." he said, his tone carrying an air of finality.

Then, turning to Jaemin and Dowan, Jin stroked his chin mockingly, pretending to ponder. "Hmmm…" he muttered before smirking. "Alright, Dowan, Jaemin. When I come back, I only want to see one of you still standing."

Dowan's face paled, his hands gripping the edge of the table as he trembled slightly. Jaemin blinked in confusion, his bruised face still contorted in anger, but he didn't dare protest.

Jin's smirk widened, and without another word, he turned on his heel and walked toward the exit. "I've got some mobs to farm." he muttered under his breath, loud enough for the others to hear as he pushed open the door and left.

The corridor outside was dimly lit, the sound of muffled voices and music coming from the various rooms around the building. Jin walked confidently, his footsteps echoing off the walls. He stopped in front of a random door, the noise behind it suggesting a small group was inside.

With no hesitation, Jin pushed the door open.

Inside, three bullies were lounging around, two sitting on a worn couch while the third leaned against the wall. They all turned to look at him, their expressions ranging from confusion to annoyance.

"Who the hell are you?" one of them asked, standing up and puffing out his chest in an attempt to sound threatening.

Jin didn't answer. Instead, he stepped forward, closed the distance, and unleashed a swift kick to the guy's neck. The thug's eyes rolled back as he crumpled to the ground, unconscious before he hit the floor.

[+10 Credits]

The system notification flashed in his vision, and Jin's grin widened. "Perfect." he muttered, turning to the other two.

The remaining two bullies stood up, one grabbing a bottle and the other cracking his knuckles. "You're dead meat." the one with the bottle growled, charging at Jin.

Jin sidestepped the attack effortlessly, grabbing the guy's wrist and twisting it before landing a quick elbow to his temple. The thug collapsed instantly.

[+10 Credits]

The last one hesitated, glancing between his fallen friends and Jin, who was now walking toward him with a predator's grin. "Wait, I-"

Before he could finish, Jin's knee connected with his gut, forcing the air out of his lungs. A quick follow-up punch to the jaw sent him sprawling onto the floor.

[+10 Credits]

Jin dusted off his hands, his grin never fading. "Three down. Let's see how many more are hiding in this place."

....

The next minutes were a blur of fists, kicks, and bruises. Jin moved from room to room, each door revealing more thugs.

In one room, a group of five bullies surrounded him, jeering and shouting insults. Jin didn't waste time. His movements were fluid, dodging their attacks while delivering precise strikes. A well-placed punch to the kidney here, a kick to the ribs there. Within minutes, they were all sprawled on the floor.

[+50 Credits]

In another room, seven thugs armed with pool sticks tried to corner him. Jin smirked, sidestepping a swing and grabbing one of the sticks mid-strike. He twisted it out of the attacker's hands and used it to deliver a series of sharp blows, knocking out two more. The others hesitated, their confidence wavering.

"Come on." Jin taunted, spinning the pool stick in his hand. "Don't stop now."

The remaining five rushed him, but it only ended with more notifications.

[+70 Credits]

Eventually, Jin's actions caused enough noise that the rest of the building's occupants began pouring out into the hallway. The narrow space became a chaotic battlefield, with thugs coming at him from all directions.

Jin dodged and countered, his fists and legs working tirelessly as he took them down one by one. Occasionally, he used Blind Spot Strike, stepping into their blind spots to deliver devastating blows to their necks or temples. Each time he activated the skill with mana, his movements felt sharper, faster, but he was careful to conserve his resources.

[Blind Spot Strike Activated: -20 MP]

[+10 Credits]

[+10 Credits]

....

The hallway was littered with groaning bodies by the time I was done. My breathing was heavy, and every inch of my body ached, but I couldn't stop grinning.

[+730 Credits]

The notification popped up in my vision, and I couldn't help but chuckle. "That's what I call farming." I muttered, leaning against the wall to catch my breath.

I opened my Stats Panel briefly to check my condition.

[HP: 630/1000]

[MP: 60/100]

Not bad, considering I'd just taken out 73 thugs in one night. My legs felt like lead, my bruises stung with every movement, but the satisfaction of earning those credits outweighed it all.

As I wiped some sweat off my brow, the door to the main room creaked open. Dowan stumbled out, his face swollen and battered, but his expression held a victorious gleam. In his hand, he clutched a shimmering Gold Key, the light from it reflecting faintly off the hallway walls.

He looked at me, his swollen lips curling into a proud, shaky smile. I smirked back, nodding in approval.

"Not bad, kid." I muttered to myself, surveying the aftermath of the chaos. The hallway was a warzone, and I'd come out on top.

I leaned against the wall, catching my breath as I pulled up my Stats Panel.

---

[CHARACTER INFORMATION]

Name: Jin Lee

Class: Normal Student

CURRENT STATS

HP: 630/1000

MP: 60/100

Attack Power: 4

Defense: 4

Agility: 4

Mentality: 14

---

The glowing numbers floated before me, and I couldn't help but smirk. I'd made progress, but I wasn't satisfied. My stats were still all over the place. It was time to fix that.

I opened the Credits Balance and stared at the number: 730 Credits.

"Alright." I muttered. "Let's do this."

I began distributing the credits carefully, watching the stats change as I invested.

---

Credits Spent:

Attack Power: Increased from 4 to 15 = 110 Credits

Defense: Increased from 4 to 15 = 110 Credits

Agility: Increased from 4 to 15 = 110 Credits

Mentality: Increased from 14 to 15 = 10 Credits

HP (Max Capacity): Increased from 1000 to 1600 = 60 Credits

MP (Max Capacity): Increased from 100 to 330 = 230 Credits

---

When I finished, I let out a slow breath as a strange energy coursed through me. My body felt stronger, lighter, and sharper. The slight imbalance I'd noticed earlier was gone. Everything felt… right.

I glanced at the remaining credits, but there were none.

[Remaining Credits: 0]

"Spent it all." I muttered to myself, closing the panel. "Worth it."

---

[CHARACTER INFORMATION]

Name: Jin Lee

Class: Normal Student

CURRENT STATS

HP: 1230/1600

MP: 290/330

Attack Power: 15

Defense: 15

Agility: 15

Mentality: 15

---

I straightened up, rolling my shoulders as I adjusted to the changes. My body felt different, tougher, stronger, but I knew I wasn't invincible. I still had work to do.

With a smirk, I pushed off the wall and started walking. The groans of defeated thugs echoed faintly behind me, a reminder of what I was capable of.

"Now." I muttered: "Time to figure out what's next."

----

1207 words.

I hate when they don't even their stats, it just makes me tweak the fuck out, so i felt satisfied when i did this chapter, don't mind the MP, at least it has a 0 at the end...

Drop your stones and comment.