Daniel woke up to the sound of his cheap alarm clock screaming like it owed him money.
He smacked the snooze button, missed, smacked again, missed again, then finally grabbed the whole clock and placed it gently on the floor like a dangerous animal.
He rubbed his eyes, sat up, and stretched.
New world.
New life.
Same terrible morning routine.
He reached for his phone—
and stopped when a soft blue glow pulsed at the corner of his vision.
[STATUS PANEL UPDATE AVAILABLE]
"…Right. The system."
He hadn't looked at his stats since waking up here, mostly because he feared they were going to confirm what he already suspected:
He was weak.
Very weak.
Weak enough to lose an arm-wrestling match against a toddler.
But he took a deep breath.
"Okay… let's do this."
He tapped the icon.
A large status window opened—
but this time something new appeared at the top.
Daniel woke up to the sound of his cheap alarm clock screaming like it owed him money.
He smacked the snooze button, missed, smacked again, missed again, then finally grabbed the whole clock and placed it gently on the floor like a dangerous animal.
He rubbed his eyes, sat up, and stretched.
New world.
New life.
Same terrible morning routine.
He reached for his phone—
and stopped when a soft blue glow pulsed at the corner of his vision.
[STATUS PANEL UPDATE AVAILABLE]
"…Right. The system."
He hadn't looked at his stats since waking up here, mostly because he feared they were going to confirm what he already suspected:
He was weak.
Very weak.
Weak enough to lose an arm-wrestling match against a toddler.
But he took a deep breath.
"Okay… let's do this."
He tapped the icon.
A large status window opened—
but this time something new appeared at the top.
[NUMERIC LEGEND — ATTRIBUTE SCALE (1–100)]
1–10 = Very Weak (well below normal adult level)
11–20 = Weak
21–30 = Below Average
31–40 = Average
41–50 = Above Average
51–60 = Good
61–70 = Trained
71–80 = Skilled
81–90 = Expert
91–100 = Peak Human / Grandmaster
(Use the legend to interpret the numeric values listed below.)
Daniel winced.
"Oh no… this is gonna hurt."
[ STATUS PANEL — DANIEL PARK ]
────────────────────
BASIC ATTRIBUTES (1–100)
────────────────────
Strength: 19 (Weak — 11–20)
→ Struggles with heavy lifting.
Speed: 17 (Weak — 11–20)
→ Slow for his age group.
Endurance: 18 (Weak — 11–20)
→ Tires quickly from exercise.
Agility: 20 (Below Average — 21–30 borderline)
→ Coordination slightly lacking.
Reflex: 19 (Weak — 11–20)
→ Slow reactions.
Vitality: 30 (Below Average — 21–30)
→ Overall health is average.
Focus: 33 (Average — 31–40)
→ Decent concentration.
Memory: 32 (Average — 31–40)
→ Normal recall.
Willpower: 22 (Below Average — 21–30)
→ Low mental durability.
Stress Tolerance: 15 (Weak — 11–20, borderline Very Weak)
→ Highly prone to panic.
Intuition: 18 (Weak — 11–20)
→ Misses subtle danger signs.
Charisma: 24 (Below Average — 21–30)
→ Not very socially magnetic.
Composure: 16 (Weak — 11–20)
→ Easily flustered.
Luck: ?? (Unmeasurable)
→ No reading available.
────────────────────
SKILLS (Beginner Tier)
────────────────────
Basic Trash Sorting — Beginner (0%)
→ Slight improvements in organization.
Basic First Aid — Beginner (3%)
→ Basic bandaging & emergency care.
Brick Hitting Technique — Beginner (1%)
→ Improvised blunt-object attack; effective but humiliating.
────────────────────
RESOURCES
────────────────────
SP: 0 (earned from missions)
FP: 10 (fame points from the viral brick video)
SYSTEM SHOP: LOCKED
(Unlock through a future mission)
────────────────────
NOTES:
• Attributes rise through training.
• Skills rise through practice or SP.
• The descriptive panel appears only this chapter for reader clarity.
Daniel stared.
He didn't breathe.
"…I am… beyond average. I am BELOW average. I'm… bargain-bin human."
He clutched his hair.
"My Stress Tolerance is FIFTEEN. I'm like… two bad days away from a meltdown."
He swiped the panel shut and collapsed onto his floor.
"Why did the system reincarnate a fragile chicken?!"
A knock on his door.
"Danny? Is everything okay? I heard a thud."
"I'm fine, Mom! Just… stretching!"
"Ah… okay. Don't forget to drink water!"
He groaned.
He'd barely recovered emotionally when another notification appeared.
[Daily Mission: Improve Yourself (Part 1)]
Objective: 10 minutes of morning exercise.
Reward: +1 Endurance
Bonus Reward: +1 Strength (no breaks)
Penalty: None
Daniel glared at the floating text.
"…So the system is bullying me now."
But… he needed to get stronger.
He gritted his teeth and started.
Push-ups.
Squats.
Jogging in place.
By minute four:
"I regret EVERYTHING."
By minute eight:
"I can see God—"
At minute ten, he collapsed face-first onto the carpet.
The system chimed cheerfully.
[Mission Complete]
Endurance +1
Strength +1
He checked.
Strength: 20
Endurance: 18
Daniel blinked.
"Wait… it actually works?"
He touched his arm, impressed.
"…Huh. I'm still pathetic. But I'm slightly less pathetic."
He smiled for the first time that morning.
Maybe… he really could rebuild himself.
Campus was another story entirely.
People stared.
A few whispered.
Someone pointed.
"That's the Brick Kid!"
"Nah, bro swung that thing like a medieval peasant."
"He's with those two girls again?!"
Daniel nearly curled into a ball.
"I hate this I hate this I hate this—"
Emily appeared on his left like a stern guardian angel.
"If anyone throws a brick at you," she said flatly, "I'm starting a war."
"That doesn't comfort me!"
Olivia limped over with a bright smile.
"Daniel! Good morning!"
He relaxed a little.
"Morning, Olivia."
Then he noticed a group of guys glaring at him.
He frowned.
"Why do they look angry?"
Emily pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Daniel… Olivia is very popular."
"Huh? For being nice?"
Olivia blushed.
"I-It's a bit more than that…"
Emily sighed deeply.
"She's one of the campus belles. So am I."
Daniel stared.
"…What's a belle? Is this… French?"
"It means we're popular!" Emily snapped.
"Oh. That's it?"
Emily stared at him like she was reconsidering her life choices.
"You are unbelievably dense."
Olivia giggled.
"It's okay. It's cute."
Daniel blinked.
"What's cute?"
"Nothing," they both said at the same time.
He had no idea what just happened.
In Business Fundamentals, Professor Kessel looked directly at Daniel.
"Mr. Park. Your viral experience will be an excellent addition to your group project."
Daniel wanted to sink into the floor.
Emily elbowed him.
"Look at you, contributing."
"I didn't choose this contribution!"
Olivia whispered, "It's okay… we'll help."
He melted a little.
After class, Daniel checked his phone.
DING.
[Fame Increase Detected]
Your brick video appeared in 6 new threads.
FP +3
Total FP: 13
Daniel groaned.
"I hate this video."
Emily smirked. "Too late. You're a meme."
Olivia giggled softly. "People really like you."
Daniel almost choked.
"LIKE?! They're laughing AT me!"
Olivia smiled warmly.
"Liking someone and laughing at them aren't always separate."
Daniel blinked.
"…Huh???"
Emily rolled her eyes.
"He's hopeless."
Lunch was… manageable.
Daniel tried to pick something healthy, but his arms were still jelly from working out.
Emily raised an eyebrow.
"You're trembling."
"I'm fine!
"You don't look fine."
Olivia leaned toward him.
"You're sweating too…"
"I'M FINE!"
He absolutely was not.
He quickly changed the subject.
"What are you guys eating?"
Emily smirked.
"You're avoiding the topic."
"Correct."
Olivia giggled.
But the system had terrible timing.
While Daniel ate, another notification appeared.
[System Note]
Your recent physical effort has awakened a new potential:
"Skill Evolution Path: Athletics" discovered.
(Requires mission to unlock)
Daniel stared in disbelief.
"…Athletics? Me?"
Emily noticed him freeze.
"You good?"
Daniel nodded too fast.
"Yep! Just choking on rice!
Olivia patted his back gently.
"Eat slowly… you might hurt yourself."
He turned red.
Across the street, inside a dark sedan, Rocco Varelli watched the trio.
Daniel laughing awkwardly.
Emily teasing him.
Olivia smiling shyly.
Rocco raised an eyebrow.
"So that's the kid."
He sent a message.
He's stable. Still watching him.
A reply came:
Good. No contact yet. Observe only.
Rocco smirked.
"This kid's day is coming."
He reclined in his seat and kept watching.
Inside the cafeteria, Daniel wiped his mouth.
He looked down at his hands.
Weak numbers.
Beginner skills.
Embarrassing viral fame.
But…
He had a second chance.
And two people who, for some mysterious reason, cared.
He stood up straighter.
No more dying-in-a-cubicle future.
No more regret.
This time…
he was going to build himself up.
Brick by brick.
Maybe not literally.
Hopefully not literally.
Olivia smiled at him.
Emily raised an eyebrow.
And Daniel had no idea his life was about to become ten times more complicated.