Jayden Kwon woke up like every morning: absolutely convinced today was the day he'd become a legend.
He sat cross-legged on his bed, the curtains drawn shut like he was meditating in a hidden dojo. In front of him? A battered paperback titled Fists of Heaven, Volume 12. The cover depicted a bare-chested warrior punching a meteor so hard it exploded into cherry blossoms.
Jayden closed the book with a satisfied nod. "Yes. This… this is the energy I will embody today."
He got up, stretched his thin arms (which looked like they'd snap if someone threw a harsh glare at them), and shadowboxed toward his desk chair. In his mind, he was already ducking under attacks, weaving in and out of danger like the hero he was destined to become.
In reality, his pajama sleeve got caught on the chair arm and he stumbled into his desk, knocking over a half-empty glass of water onto his math homework.
"Nice," he muttered, wringing out the paper.
Downstairs, his mom called, "Breakfast! And put on deodorant this time, Jayden!"
Ah yes, the ever-encouraging mentor figure.
At the breakfast table, Jayden spooned cereal into his mouth like a warrior consuming the fuel for his next battle. His mom scrolled through her phone, giving him the occasional side-eye.
"You look like you didn't sleep," she said."I was training.""By reading comic books?""They're manga. And yes."
She shook her head, muttering something about "kids these days" before heading to the kitchen.
The bus ride to Westfield High was, in Jayden's head, the march toward enemy territory. He sat in the middle seat, hood up, staring out the window with the solemn intensity of a man about to face his destiny.
In reality, the kid behind him was playing mobile games with the volume on full blast, and someone spilled apple juice down the aisle, which ran right under Jayden's shoe.
He didn't react. A true martial artist didn't flinch at such minor provocations.
Walking into Westfield High was like stepping into The Gauntlet. If this was an RPG, each hallway was a different zone filled with mini-bosses.
By the lockers: The Freshman Hyenas — three underclassmen with braces and too much energy, famous for shouting "L" at random students.Near the vending machines: The Jock Squad — human refrigerators in letterman jackets.And, guarding the central hallway like the final dungeon? Kevin "The Locker King" Walters.
Kevin was a legend. Not because he was smart, or even particularly athletic, but because he had single-handedly invented and perfected a bullying technique that involved shoving victims into lockers with the grace of an Olympic sport.
Jayden had already been "locker'd" by Kevin four times this semester.
And today, Kevin struck again."Yo, nerd!" Kevin barked.
Before Jayden could even react, his backpack was yanked from his shoulders, hoisted like a trophy, and—slam—dropped into a nearby trash can.
Jayden stared. He had prepared for this moment for months in his mind… but all his "training" was just memorizing fight quotes from novels.
He retrieved his backpack, dusted it off, and muttered under his breath, "One day."
Kevin didn't hear. He was already busy chest-bumping another jock.
The rest of the day followed the usual script:
Shoved into a locker (once).
"Accidentally" tripped in the hallway (twice).
Publicly called "Discount Sasuke" in the cafeteria by the Freshman Hyenas.
By the final bell, Jayden was trudging through drizzle on the walk home. In his head, the scene was like an anime episode where the protagonist has just suffered crushing defeat and must now endure his lonely journey back to the training grounds.
In reality, he was mostly just avoiding math homework.
That's when he saw it.
Something shiny glinted in the gutter.
Jayden stopped.It was a ring — not some cheap plastic thing, but heavy, gold, and covered in strange little carvings. It looked like it belonged to either an ancient wizard… or a really intense cosplay enthusiast.
Naturally, Jayden picked it up.
The moment the ring slid onto his finger, the world… slowed.
Not paused — slowed.
Raindrops froze midair, suspended like tiny glass marbles. Cars crawled past like they were buffering on bad Wi-Fi. Even the sound of rain stretched out into a low, bassy hum, like the world itself was yawning.
Jayden blinked.
The world stayed slow.
He reached out and gently flicked a raindrop. It drifted away in the air, wobbling like jelly.
Then—snap—everything sped back up, and the rain splashed against his hood in a single, heavy drop.
Jayden's jaw dropped.
"No… way…"He stared at the ring. "Did I just unlock… anime protagonist mode?"
That night, Jayden tested his new ability like any responsible, intelligent young man would: with complete recklessness.
First test: slow time and grab a soda from the fridge before the light turned off. Success.Second test: slow time and eat instant noodles dramatically. Failed. (Apparently, food also moved slower, and he ended up burning his tongue on still-hot broth.)Third test: slow time to dodge his cat, Mr. Nibbles, when he tried to pounce. Success — though Mr. Nibbles got very confused and now avoided him entirely.
At one point, Jayden tried to do push-ups in slow time, thinking it would make him feel superhuman. It didn't. Push-ups were still push-ups, and he still collapsed after three.
But the power worked. It wasn't all in his head.
By midnight, Jayden was sprawled on his bed, staring at the ceiling, the ring still on his finger.
If he could slow time, he could dodge every attack. Land every hit. Beat every bully in school. He didn't even have to be strong — he just had to be smarter than them.
For the first time in his life, Jayden thought:I can win.
And tomorrow, he was going to start.
Kevin "The Locker King" Walters was about to be Boss Battle #1.