[Morning Scene — The Existential Kitchen]
Rion stood in the kitchen, hair messy, boxer shorts featuring tiny dragon cartoons, holding a mug that said "World's Okayest Son."
He stared at his parents' wedding photo — framed heroically on the wall.His mother, radiant in silver armor, smiling like she knew the future.His father, dashing and tall, eyes like they carried entire novels.
Then there was him — standing in front of that photo, sipping instant coffee, muttering:
"There's… no way I'm biologically related to these people."
He squinted at the photo."Mom's jawline: sharp. Dad's aura: radiant. Me? I look like a background NPC in my own life."
Rion stood in the kitchen, hair messy, boxer shorts featuring tiny dragon cartoons, holding a mug that said "World's Okayest Son."
He stared at his parents' wedding photo — framed heroically on the wall.His mother, radiant in silver armor, smiling like she knew the future.His father, dashing and tall, eyes like they carried entire novels.
Then there was him — standing in front of that photo, sipping instant coffee, muttering:
"There's… no way I'm biologically related to these people."
He squinted at the photo."Mom's jawline: sharp. Dad's aura: radiant. Me? I look like a background NPC in my own life."
The fridge beeped. A voice came from behind.
"You talking to the wedding picture again?"It was Rin, his older brother — still in his knight uniform, still sparkling for no reason.
"No," Rion lied."You sure? Because you did the same thing yesterday.""It's called self-reflection, Rin.""You're talking to inanimate objects.""It listens better than you do."
Breakfast at the Kwak household was a national event.
Min Jae, still impossibly handsome in his forties, made perfect sunny-side eggs using mana flames.Yurina read the morning paper, occasionally correcting magical formulas in the headlines out of habit.
The twins, Haru and Hana, were levitating pancakes while arguing about who could conjure syrup from air first.
Rin arrived, fresh from knight training, tossing his sword like it weighed nothing.
"Morning, everyone!"
Rion stumbled in behind him, yawning.
"Morning, disappointment of the household reporting in."
Min Jae didn't even look up.
"Son, we've talked about positive affirmations.""Right. I'm barely disappointing. Better?""Progress," Yurina murmured, sipping tea.
Hana giggled.
"Big bro Rion, you're just special in other ways!""Yeah?""Like how you can sleep standing up!""...That's not comforting, Hana."
Rion's current job title was:"Assistant to the Assistant Researcher at the Institute of Mana Behavioral Studies."
Which basically meant:
He fetched coffee for geniuses.
He held the clipboard.
He sometimes pressed buttons he didn't understand.
And worst of all, everyone at the lab adored his older brother, Rin — who was featured on all the "Heroic Bloodline" posters around town.
One time, a coworker said,
"You're Rin's brother?! Wow, must be so inspiring working under his legacy!"
And Rion had smiled like a man dying inside.
"Yeah. Super inspiring. Every. Single. Day."
[Scene 4 — The Destiny That Refused to Arrive]
That night, Rion walked home under the glowing branches of the Baby Trees. The air shimmered faintly, peaceful and quiet.
He sighed, thinking:
"Mom's a hero. Dad's a legend. My siblings are borderline demigods. And me? My greatest accomplishment this week was not microwaving metal."
He kicked a pebble.The pebble ricocheted… hit a lamppost… and somehow knocked down a floating mana crystal.
The crystal blinked twice.
[ERROR: Activation Trigger Detected][New System Awakening Detected — User: Kwak Rion][Initializing...]
Rion froze, coffee still in hand.
"...No way."
He blinked — and a faint, glowing panel flickered in front of him.
[SYSTEM ONLINE. WELCOME, USER.]
[Class Assigned: ???]
[Skill: "Procrastination Resonance" — Converts laziness into passive mana regeneration.]
Rion stared blankly.
"...I finally awaken."He raised a brow."And my power is laziness?"
Somewhere in the cosmic distance, the Observer spat out his tea laughing.That night, Rion burst through the door, panting.
"Mom! Dad! I finally awakened!"
The entire family turned dramatically.
Rin: "Congratulations! What's your class?"
"Uh… Unknown?"
Haru: "Your skill?""Procrastination Resonance."
Hana: "So… doing nothing makes you stronger?"
"Exactly!"
"Son, I'm so proud."
Yurina: "Finally, someone inherited my work ethic."
Everyone stared at her.She looked up from her teacup.
"What? I worked very hard to appear calm and lazy."
Later that night, Rion stood by the wedding photo again.The system flickered faintly above his head, still trying to calibrate.
He stared at his parents' smiles, then his own reflection in the glass.
"Okay," he muttered."Maybe I'm not adopted. Maybe I'm just… the next evolutionary step in doing absolutely nothing and still winning."
He clinked his coffee mug against the photo.
"Cheers, overachievers."
The system pinged softly.
[Daily Quest: Continue Being Average — Reward: 1 XP]
[You have completed your first mission.]
He grinned.
"Finally, a system that gets me."