The battlefield was silent, save for the slow, satisfying crackle of burning flesh. Gorehorn's colossal body, scorched and split wide open, lay in a heap of smoldering ruin.
Jinwoo stood there, flexing his fingers, watching faint sparks of fire dance around his knuckles. "Man... punching people into chunks never gets old."
A beat passed.
Then his gaze shifted to the monstrous corpse. It was still radiating power—blood rich in mana, bones dense with durability, and a horn sharper than most S-Rank weapons separated from the monster's body.
His eyes gleamed.
"Hey, System... can I store that thing?"
[SYSTEM ALERT: Warning—Query suggests suspicious activity. Elaborating: 'Store that thing?']
"Yeah, yeah. The Gorehorn corpse. I've got... ideas."
[SYSTEM ALERT: Calculating suspiciousness level...]
[Conclusion: 99.97% chance this lunatic is planning something insane.]
[...System approves.]
[Monster Corpse: 'Gorehorn the Ruinbringer' — Successfully stored in Inventory.]
The System paused, almost as if it was thinking.
[Also… Just how far ahead are you thinking, battle junkie? A corpse like that's worth a fortune, and you're treating it like a project asset?]
Jinwoo smirked, flicking off a bit of charred ash from his sleeve. "Future insurance. I'm gonna need a big boom down the line."
[...System is honestly scared of you. In a good way.]
Just as he grinned, the world shimmered. The trees, blood, and battlefield dissolved into a whirling mass of color—
—and he was back.
His body crashed softly onto his bed in the hospital room. The stale white walls greeted him like an old friend. Moonlight leaked through the blinds.
11:03 PM.
He sat up slowly, stretching with a groan. "That was one hell of a penalty round…"
His gaze dropped to his hands. No injuries. Not a burn, not a bruise. Just fists that had shattered monsters.
He leaned back, staring at the ceiling.
"Hm... based on the anime, I'm probably at the point when OG Jinwoo stepped onto the 75th floor of the Demon King's Castle."
A long pause.
"...Except, I haven't even got a class yet."
[SYSTEM INTERJECTION: That's right! You absolute clown. You're running around with no official class, no Monarch of Shadows cheat code—just vibes, fire, and fists.]
[You've somehow caught up to OG Jinwoo's mid-game strength by playing gacha, doing science experiments mid-battle, and punching monsters into metaphors.]
[System isn't sure whether to file this under 'Genius' or 'What the Hell.']
Jinwoo chuckled. "If I'm doing this much without a class... imagine what I'll do once I get one."
[System just felt the multiverse flinch.]
Jinwoo, still lounging in his hospital bed like he hadn't just committed arson on a monster the size of a bus, opened his [Inventory] with a lazy swipe through the System interface.
[Opening Inventory…]
A grid of shimmering icons expanded before him like a gamer's dream. Glowing boxes, swirling artifacts, and materials that looked like they came from a fantasy blacksmith's fever dream.
He whistled.
"Not bad for one night of cardio."
His eyes scanned the list. Then something thick, twisted, and sinisterly cool caught his attention.
[NEW ITEM ACQUIRED – Horn of Gorehorn (Boss-Grade)]
Description: The massive, mana-conductive horn of Gorehorn the Ruinbringer. Known for its durability, sharpness, and high mana resonance. Can be used for forging legendary-grade weapons, or… whatever nonsense you're planning.
Passive Trait: Instills fear in lesser monsters when displayed.
Rarity: Unique
Status: Stored. Waiting to be turned into something terrifying.
"Hell yeah," Jinwoo muttered. "Looks like I just found my future blade… or cannon."
[SYSTEM COMMENTARY: You were eyeing that thing mid-fight, weren't you? This is what happens when a battle junkie doubles as a part-time weapons engineer.]
He grinned like a kid on Christmas.
His eyes flicked to the rest of the inventory:
4x Gacha Tickets
1x Skill Upgrade Card
1x Cursed Loot Box
10x Gorehorn Blood Vials (condensed with curse-neutralized mana)
1x Gorehorn Corpse (Because apparently he collects bosses now.)
Jinwoo crossed his arms, satisfied.
"All I need now… is a lab, a forge, and some insane blueprint I'll probably sketch on the back of a ramen wrapper."
[SYSTEM: Already preparing a 'Do Not Let Him Near Alchemy Stations' warning.]
-------
Jinwoo closed his [Inventory] with a satisfied nod, then rose to his feet like a man about to conduct a ritual… or maybe commit a sin.
He glanced toward the ceiling, exhaled slowly, and placed one hand over his heart.
"Dear sweet, snarky Goddess of Death," he said in mock reverence, "your humble servant has survived a boss monster with more muscles than sense. I come to you now, battle-scarred, half-dressed, and fully fabulous… asking for your divine favor in the form of loot."
He paused, then added:
"And not the useless kind. Don't you dare give me another mug. Or a fork."
[SYSTEM: Oh boy, she's listening. I can feel the petty.]
A circle of crimson light bloomed beneath his feet, the gacha interface booting up in his mind. Digital flames danced around the edges, a roulette wheel beginning to spin with obnoxiously triumphant music.
[GACHA PULL INITIATED]
[Number of Pulls: 4]
Jinwoo grinned. "Alright, RNGesus. Let's roll."
First spin.
> Ding!
[NEW ITEM ACQUIRED: Rusty Kitchen Knife]
"…Are you serious?"
[SYSTEM: Dead serious. It smells like onions.]
Second spin.
Ding!
[NEW ITEM ACQUIRED: Classic Ballpoint Pen]
"…Is this some kind of culinary combo drop? Do I look like a budget Gordon Ramsay to you?"
[SYSTEM: I mean, with that attitude—]
Third spin.
Ding!
[NEW ITEM ACQUIRED: Recipe – 'Sweet Crimson Blaze Tart']
Description: A dessert that causes minor burn damage if overcooked. Popular in demonic cafés.
Jinwoo stared at the glowing recipe card in silence.
"...If I ever meet that goddess, I'm making her eat this damn tart. Raw."
Final spin.
Ding!
[NEW ITEM ACQUIRED: Skill Card – "Advanced Computer And Technological Knowledge"]
Description: Grants deep understanding of computer systems, digital logic, programming, hacking protocols, and network manipulation and eveything about techs.
Passive Effect: Sharply boosts Intelligence growth when using or creating tech.
Jinwoo blinked. "Wait. That's actually… really good."
[SYSTEM: Congrats. You've gone from Assassin to Tech Wizard. Next stop: cyber war.]
He held the glowing card in his hand as streams of data surged into his brain. Encryption protocols, source code structures, memory compression, Technological inticracies and everybit of advanced blueprints—his mind expanded like a thousand tabs opened at once… and none of them lagged.
His eyes widened. "I just understood six programming languages in three seconds."
[SYSTEM: You're now the guy who hacks military satellites for fun.]
"…I was joking about becoming Google with abs, but now that it's real… kind of hot."
He dropped onto the bed, tossing the useless kitchen knife onto the nightstand with disgust.
"Man, all I wanted was a cool sword. But noooo. Here's a knife from a gas station. Thanks, Goddess."
[SYSTEM: She says 'you're welcome.' With middle fingers.]
--
After all the chaos, explosions, hacking skills, and goddess-tier trolling, Jinwoo finally lay down. The hospital bed creaked slightly beneath his weight as he stared at the ceiling.
"Yesterday, that nurse really tried to touch me, huh…" he muttered to himself.
His thoughts wandered—not to missions or contracts like in his past life, but to actual possibilities. The idea of normal human connection. Of not having to manipulate someone for an advantage. Maybe… it wouldn't be too bad to start taking life's offers more casually. No masks. No plays. Just being Aaron—er, Jinwoo.
With a half-smile and one hand behind his head, he drifted off into a well-deserved sleep.
---
Morning: 8:00 AM
Hospital Room 207
Nurse Yoon stood outside the door, holding her clipboard like it might shield her from embarrassment. Her face was already red. Her ears practically glowed.
"You will not touch him today. You are a professional. You are—"
She opened the door… and promptly lost all professional thoughts.
There he was—half-naked, blankets thrown lazily aside, abs on full display. The soft morning light made the ridges of his torso gleam like carved marble. Jinwoo lay there like a living sculpture, tousled black hair and a slight smirk curling his lips even in sleep.
He looks like a demigod fallen from heaven to flirt with mortals, she thought.
Biting her lower lip, she tiptoed in. Just check his vitals. Don't—don't look at the abs. Oh no, they're right there.
One hand moved. Hesitantly. Almost involuntarily. She reached out… and her fingers grazed the edge of his toned stomach.
No reaction.
She swallowed. Her hand traced up to his chest, slow, reverent. So firm. So warm. So—
"I hope you're having a good start to your morning," Jinwoo's voice rumbled, low and lazy, without even opening his eyes.
The nurse froze.
Then she squeaked.
Then she panicked.
"OH MY GOD I—! I was—! I didn't—!"
Jinwoo finally opened one eye, smirking devilishly. "It's fine. I don't bite. Unless requested."
Internal screaming intensifies....
------
Author's Note:
Ladies, gentlemen, and Gacha gremlins—
We've reached the end of Chapter: Jinwoo Becomes Google With Abs™.
Our boy just punched a boss monster into barbecue, looted a corpse like it was Black Friday, got tech wizard powers, and roasted an actual deity in the form of gacha trolling. Oh, and also casually turned a hospital bed into a runway for Greek god cosplay.
I'm just temporarily ghosting the comments like an assassin with social anxiety. Will be back to reply, laugh, and plot multiversal chaos on May 2nd!
So until then, wish me luck as I fight off sleep, stress, and the urge to write fanfic instead of solving equations.
And remember—if Jinwoo can solo a raid boss while shirtless, I can probably survive physics.
Probably.
– Author-sama, currently stuck in Exam Hell but still fabulous
(PS: Leave your comments, chaos, and cursed loot suggestions below. I live for them.)