Cup noodles stacked in teetering towers.
Empty energy drink cans littering the floor.
The cold blue light of the monitor slicing through the darkness, reflecting off sweat-streaked walls.
This was my kingdom.
A ten-by-ten room that smelled like processed cheese and stale sweat.
Click. Click. Click-click-click.
My fingers moved across the mechanical keyboard like possessed spiders.
"Heal! Heal me, you useless priest! Tank, hold aggro!"
I shouted at the screen, my voice cracking.
On the monitor, the Raid Boss, a colossal dragon of molten lava, roared and wiped out half the party.
The words GAME OVER flashed in red letters.
"Ah, damn it!"
I slammed my fist on the desk. The tower of empty cans wobbled and crashed to the floor.
My name is Han Suyou. Age 26. Jobless.
But in the virtual world of Arcane Online, I was 'SlayerGod', the rank 1 player on the server.
Well, I was until today.
"I need better gear," I muttered, rubbing my bloodshot eyes. "I need to grind more. Just a few more hours."
I had been awake for forty-eight hours straight. My heart fluttered strangely in my chest, but I ignored it — after all, that's what caffeine was for."
I tabbed out to check the forums.
Suddenly, a pop-up appeared. It wasn't the usual flashy game ad with elf girls.
Just a simple black box with white text.
[Would you like to log in to the hidden server?]
[Yes] / [No]
"Hidden server?"
I scoffed. It sounded like a virus — or a scam.
But my cursor hovered over it.
As a gamer addict, the words 'Hidden' and 'Server' triggered a primal instinct. Exclusive loot. Being the first.
"Probably just a beta test for a spin-off," I rationalized.
I clicked [Yes].
Zzzzt!
A spark jumped from my mouse to my finger.
"Ouch! What the—"
My vision went white. The sound of the computer fan roaring filled my ears, getting louder and louder until it sounded like a waterfall.
Then, silence.
"...Young Master?"
"Young Master, please wake up!"
A voice. An old man's voice.
I groaned. My head felt like it had been split open with an axe.
'Did I fall asleep at the keyboard again? Mom is going to kill me.'
I opened my eyes.
I expected to see my messy room. I expected to see the glow of my dual monitors.
Instead, I saw a wooden ceiling.
And an old man with a long white beard, wearing... robes?
"Oh! The Heavens have shown mercy! The Young Master has opened his eyes!"
The old man grabbed my hand. He was crying.
I pulled my hand back.
"Who are you? And why are you cosplaying in my room?"
"C-Cosplaying? Young Master, is your memory muddled? I am your loyal servant, Elder Gu!"
I sat up.
This wasn't my room.
The room was traditional, like something out of a historical K-Drama. Paper sliding doors. Wooden floors. A faint trace of incense in the air.
I looked down at myself.
I wasn't in my stained t-shirt. I was in silk robes. My hands… soft, no calluses from endless hours at the mouse.
'What is this? A dream?'
I pinched my cheek. Hard.
"Ouch!"
It hurt.
Suddenly, a familiar sound rang out. The sound I had heard a million times in Arcane Online.
Ding!
A semi-transparent blue window floated in the air right in front of the old man's face.
[Login Complete.]
[Welcome to the World of Murim.]
[Synchronizing with character 'Jin-Ho'...]
My jaw dropped.
Text. Floating text.
I looked at the old man. He couldn't see it. He was just wiping his tears with his sleeve.
"Young Master Jin-Ho, the Clan Leader was so worried when you fell into a Qi Deviation during your cultivation..."
I stopped listening.
I stared at the blue window.
Another line of text appeared.
[Name: Jin-Ho]
[Title: The Trash of the Jin Family]
[Level: 1]
[Strength: 3]
[Agility: 2]
[Stamina: 2]
[Qi: 0]
"Trash of the Jin family?"
I read the title out loud.
The old man flinched.
"Young Master! Do not say such things! Even if your meridians are blocked, you are still the third son!"
I ignored him. A grin started to spread across my face.
It wasn't a dream.
It was a System.
I knew it. I'd read a thousand web novels like this. Played a million games like this.
I looked at my stats. They were garbage. Absolute trash tier.
But that didn't matter.
I was a gamer. A grinder. A min-maxer.
Give me a health bar and an EXP bar, and I could kill a god.
"Elder Gu," I said, my voice changing. The confusion was gone.
"Yes, Young Master?"
"Where is the training hall?"
The old man looked shocked.
"The... training hall? But you hate training. You said sweating is for peasants."
I swung my legs off the bed and stood up. I wobbled a bit. This body was weak. Pathetic.
I looked at the System window again.
[Quest Generated: The First Step]
[Swing a wooden sword 1,000 times.]
[Reward: Level Up, Beginner's Box.]
1,000 swings? That was the tutorial quest?
I laughed.
In my last game, I killed 50,000 slimes just to get a 0.1% drop chance ring.
"Lead the way, Old Man," I said, cracking my neck. "It's time to grind."
***
***
The sun was beating down.
The Jin Clan training hall was enormous. Dozens of disciples in white uniforms moved through their forms, their shouts echoing off the walls.
"Hah!"
"Hoh!"
They moved with precision. Sharp. Powerful.
And then, there was me.
In the corner, holding a wooden sword that felt like it weighed a ton.
Whoosh.
I swung it. It was clumsy.
[1 / 1,000]
The disciples whispered.
"Isn't that the Third Young Master?"
"Why is he here? Did he get lost on the way to the brothel?"
"Shh! He might hear you."
"Look at that form. It's pathetic. A child could swing better."
I heard them.
Every word.
My arms trembled with every movement. My lungs felt like they were on fire, each inhale sharp and ragged. Sweat poured down my face, stinging my eyes. This body had zero stamina — every step felt like lifting a mountain.
Whoosh.
[50 / 1,000]
'Shut up,' I thought, glaring at the counter floating in my vision. 'Just watch. Give me a week.'
I didn't care about their mockery. To me, they were just NPCs — background noise.
The only thing that mattered was the number going up.
Whoosh.
[51 / 1,000]
"Young Master," Elder Gu approached nervously. "You have been at this for ten minutes. Perhaps you should rest and have some tea..."
"No," I grunted, sweat stinging my eyes.
"But..."
"I said no."
I gritted my teeth.
This was the grind. The one thing I was actually good at.
Reality was messy. Reality was painful.
But this? This was simple.
Input effort. Output reward.
Whoosh.
[100 / 1,000]
Ding!
[Hidden Stat Unlocked: Tenacity +1]
I smiled like a maniac.
"Sweet."