Updated Stats, Sibling Bonding & Next Mission

[Strength: E ---> C]

[Speed: E ---> C]

[Potential: S]

[Intelligence: B]

[Tenacity: S]

"Nice," I remarked while lying back on my bed. It was odd to even think that - that this new body and all it's possessions are now mine. I am Kim Soohyun. I took it quite well at first but the adrenaline from dying twice and the euphoria at getting a second chance had really dulled my reaction to it. Not to mention that soon after I had to brutalise--I mean, fight a delinquent.

...Jeez, I really got lucky with that. If he didn't underestimate me so much he would've pummelled me in an actual fight. I caught him off guard and went for his balls--as such, he was taken down without much effort. Especially after how many times I kneed him in the face.

Only problem is that because I used underhanded methods, he'll be back at some point. Probably with some mysterious fighter or his big brother who just so happens to be a gangster or some shit.

"Ah, whatever!" I ruffled my hair, rolling around on my bed in a fit of frustration before coming to a stop and dismissing my stats. "My strength and speed have seen a massive improvement. If E is below average or just average, then C is someone who's athletically inclined and has done some training before," I paused, lifting my arm and looking at how much more muscle was on it when compared to before, "But compared to some of the monsters out there, it's nowhere near enough."

The muscle mass enhancement was partly an aesthetic change by my Adonis skill and partly because of the stat buff brought on by the Athletic skill. But right now, I need more.

Pulling up the system menu, I called out, "System, explain the stats again."

[Of course.]

[Strength - This stat represents the max physical force the user can output in a lifting, carrying, pulling/pushing and attacking motion. It is a stat that is heavily reliant on someone's overall height, weight and build. So a short and skinny person with S-Rank Strength would still be overpowered by a tall and muscular opponent with similar ranked Strength.]

[Speed - This stat represents the max speed, acceleration and manoeuvrability of the user. It is a stat that is also heavily reliant on someone's overall height, weight and build but in the opposite manner to strength. A tall, bulky person with S-Rank Speed will still be slower and less manoeuvrable than someone with a more average height and slender build.]

[Potential - This stat represents learning speed, adaptability of the body and overall intuitiveness. It is a stat that has no correlation to the user's build. Everyone is on equal standing in this stat as long as they have similar rankings.]

[Intelligence - This stat represents problem solving, deduction and memory. It is a stat that also has no correlation to the user's build.]

[Tenacity - This stat represents willpower, the body's ability to recover from negative effects, overall durability of the body, pain resistance and ability to withstand negative mental effects like fear or despair. It is a stat that is partly related to the user's build due to it's hand in durability but due to it's other effects it is not as correlated as Strength or Speed.]

So I basically have a Shounen protagonists Tenacity and Potential? Good. Probably the best stats to have high in the early game. The ability to take hits, ignore them and then push on. Taking into consideration that I'm going to be 188cm tall after the growth spurt brought on by the cards ends, I don't think I'll be one of those uber fast, speed-orientated fighters. I'll be far from slow but Strength and Tenacity will probably be my favoured stats because of the build endowed to me by the Cards.

Still, looking at my current build and then sizing it up...I should be in the perfect balance between them. Maybe a little bit closer to Strength than Speed but a great balance for a fighter.

Considering that I gained three boxing skills from one mission, I can assume the system isn't as asshole-ish as the original one in 'Quest Supremacy'. That system gave the MC some joke cards like growing 3cm and being able to make really high-pitched noises. Maybe earning bundles of cards means I have a higher chance of those cards being of a similar type? Could be. Guess I'll have to figure out when I next get a mission that offers multiple things.

First things first, time to work out.

Start off easy, need to find my limits. Not surpass them, just find them. Then I can figure out a proper plan to see how hard or easy it is to progress in Stat Ranks. If I see negligible returns from body weight exercises, I'll have to either increase the difficulty of the exercise or find a gym.

Righty-O, then. Push ups.

. . .

"Ah, man, I'm fucking pooped," I gasped for air as I poured some water into my mouth and down my throat. If I get five times the results then I should continue this routine for the next week and see what happens.

I managed 55 push-ups, 49 Triceps dips, 51 sit-ups, 54 squats and 15 jumping jacks between each exercise. Then to cool myself off I did burpees for a straight minute and finished off with a bunch of stretches. And boy did it take it out of me. In both lives I hadn't done a workout like that in ages - one of my lives I was confined to a bed in a hospital and in the other I was a nerdy kid with glasses. So yeah, it'd been a while.

Still, that S-Ranked Tenacity was really showing. I pushed on to the very end, until I couldn't do anything else. Now, even when I'm resting and aching from exhaustion, I'm not thinking about giving up but instead about how I'm going to maximise the efficiency of my workouts. Because if S-Rank Tenacity increases recovery, couldn't I do another exercise session later on? Would that increase my results even further? I guess I'll have to see if I have the energy for it. Right now I just wanna take a shower and have something to eat.

But feeling the drive burning in my chest...I'd say I'll have the energy for it.

Thinking of exercising, I need to find a place where I can do pull-ups. Can't let the biceps be left out when all the other muscles are gonna get worked to high hell.

Pushing that thought from my mind, I forced myself up and trudged my way toward the shower. When I opened my door, I was met by my sister who was peeking out of her room. She gave me a curious look before taking in my sweaty appearance.

"I heard some weird noises from your room and you're so sweaty," she pulled a disgusted look with her face, "Were you jacking off extra hard or something?"

"Yeah," I deadpanned before turning toward the bathroom but before I could enter, a hand on my shoulder stopped me. It was my sister. I turned to look over my shoulder at her and she'd somehow crossed the distance between us ultra fast and completely silently - Flash Step? - and leaned in conspiratorially.

"Hey, bro," she whispered, "Did you really beat the crap out of Choi Changdong?"

"Yeah," I deadpanned again before trying to enter the bathroom for a second time but for a second time, my sister stopped me, "What?" I asked with a frown.

She seemed a bit taken aback by the frown and lack of wittiness from me but I was tired and couldn't be bothered to think up anything funny to blow her off so I just decided to humor her, "Well," she stopped, taking her hand off my shoulder and fidgeting slightly as she looked at me, "I was just wondering, I guess. Doesn't seem like my nerdy brother to be going around fighting people--Besides, did you get taller or something? I swear we were similar-ish heights this morning."

"Growth spurt," I answered the last thing pretty easily. I was seventeen, after all, and while uncommon growth spurts at that age weren't unheard of, "Plus I used to slouch a lot. I'm trying to work on my posture" I grinned tiredly after lying through my teeth. I paused and then shrugged, "And he used to bully the shit out of me, Dahyun. I got tired of it, so I put an end to it. Kinda stupefied me how easy it was, honestly."

"...Really?" she blinked at me, taken aback by the bluntness, "I mean, really? You? Kim Soohyun, beat up a delinquent out of nowhere?"

"Dahyun, you're my sister and I love you, but I was just working out, I'm sweaty and I'm tired as hell. I just wanna shower, so can I do that?" I gave her a tired yet serious look and she nodded her head up and down like a chicken pecking at seeds, "Thank you."

With that done, I turned back to the bathroom and entered. Turning the shower on, I got undressed while the water warmed up and put the stained clothes in the washing basket.

Locking the bathroom door, I turned back to the shower and quickly got into it.

The warm water cascaded over me and I began scrubbing at my body with some soap to get all the grime off of me. Then, once that was done and I'd cleaned every inch of my body, I began alternating between hot water and cold water. This was a little trick taught to me in my past life by my kickboxing trainer.

Cold water makes the blood vessels constrict and then when it stops being cold and instead gets warm, the blood vessels undergo vasodilation as the vessels expand to overcompensate for the earlier constriction.

And as the blood vessels expand, this leads to improved circulation, which means the incoming flow of blood nutrients to help the injured tissues heal.

It's not some magical technique that instantly heals you but it's certainly better than nothing at all.

Once that was over, I stopped the shower and got out to dry myself off. I felt much better than before and a lot of the aching was gone, for now, at least partly confirming a theory I had - that five times results also meant five times faster at recovering from muscle fatigue and damage. After all, how are you supposed to get five times the results without healing at least a little bit quicker and better than before?

That meant that if I workout twice a day, for a week, that's the equivalent of training intensely for ten weeks. Which is a little over two months. If that's the case - which it might not be - than it means I've got a massive advantage over normal people.

I exited the shower with a towel wrapped around my waist and wandered into my room where I got changed into some baggy shorts and a tank-top. These were about the only things that fit me after my new growth but a quick text message to mom ensured she'd be getting me some large clothes soon enough. More specifically, on her way back from work.

With that sorted out, I went to the kitchen and began making myself a good meal. Plenty of protein, plenty of veggies and plenty of natural fats. I finished it off with a few glasses of orange juice and then a final glass of milk.

Workout all you want, if you don't have a good diet it's effectiveness is gonna be pretty shitty.

All the while I did this, Dahyun was watching me discretely from the sofa. Or whatever she thought was discretely because in the end she just took to staring at me while pretending to look at her phone. Finished with my meal, I washed the plates and sighed before turning to Dahyun, "What do you want, sis? Have I got some sort of holy aura surrounding me and you can't help but want to bask in it?"

"You wish," she scoffed before throwing her phone to the side of her, "I'm just curious; how did you change so much in so little time?" she paused and then stopped, looking into empty space as she recalled something, "I mean, this morning you were short and skinny, and now..." she gestured to me while still not looking at me, "You've grown in height, gotten broader and put on some muscle. Are you on steroids or something?"

Putting on a mock fearful face, I covered my chest with my hands and gave a rather girly shriek, "Kya! Are you gawking at my body while I'm not looking or something? Pervert!" my words were rather extreme but the tone I delivered them in was very casual and without any actual heat.

I was messing with her, obviously.

She guffawed in a mocking manner, "The only perv in this house is you, you mentally ill man," she dismissed my teasing and finally looked at me, a seriousness in her eyes I wasn't expecting, "Are you on steroids? Answer me this time, will you?"

I gave her a dismissive expression and kept eye contact with her, "Really? Steroids? Dahyun, steroids don't cause people to grow in height. Besides, where would I even get the money from? I'm as broke as you, you idiot." I leaned against the kitchen counter and looked into the living room where she was still sitting, "What's brought this on, Dahyun? You're usually pretty okay with leaving me to my business while you go about yours. Something troubling you?"

"Who are you and what have you done with my brother?" she jokingly asked before turning her gaze away and propping her chin up with her hands, her elbows resting on her knees as she sat in a hunched position, "Just worried. I don't know what to say to you. Bunch of rumours going around school that you went crazy and beat Choi Changdong so bad he had to be taken to the hospital...that you nearly killed him. Mom doesn't need any more stress, so I thought I'd be the one to ask you about it."

"Dahyun..." I felt myself at a loss for words. All my memories pointed towards Dahyun just being an annoying younger sister but right here, right now, she was showing a maturity the original Kim Soohyun wouldn't show until much later down the line. Smiling, I walked from the kitchen to sit next to Dahyun on the sofa, "You idiot. I didn't nearly kill him. I broke his nose and maybe his balls. Nowhere near enough to kill him," I tried to placate her and pulled her into a side hug.

She stiffened at the hug, blushing in embarrassment, and looked to the side, "When did you become all cool enough to comfort a worried girl, bro?"

"Why don't you try calling me oppa and I'll tell you~" I joked and she cracked a smile before playfully pushing me.

"In your dreams, perv," she broke away from the side hug and sibling bonding and stood up, "Well, if everything's okay, I've got stuff to do. Talk to you later, pervy oppa~" she mocking said and began to walk away before I called out to her.

"Think fast," I underhand chucked her phone that she'd left on the sofa after her and she hurried span on her feet to try and catch it, nearly fumbling and dropping it in the process. She gave me a mock glare and I gave her an innocent smile in reply, "Luv u~!" I said in a sickly sweet voice, to which she replied with a middle finger. Ah, my little sis is growing up into a strong, independent woman. She's even cursing at older boys!

Leaning back into the sofa, I grabbed the remote for the TV with my superior monkey feet and brought it to my hands where I flicked the TV on. Going through the channels until I found a show I could get behind - Zombies! Ah, love this stuff. All the characters are as brain dead as the Zombies.

I continued watching for a few more hours and it was about six in the afternoon when mom got back with my new clothes. Thanking her for them, I want back to my room and held the clothes up against my body. Very baggy and a bit too long in the sleeve and trouser area--but that's good. I need that. Plenty of space to fill out with these.

By that point, I was feeling energised enough for a second workout session and went through the same one I did earlier. This time, however, I tried to break my limits. Tried to push the needle just a little bit further.

And I did. I got three or so more on each of the workouts. Did a few more jumping jacks and burpees as well. Stretches were easier too.

Five times quicker results wasn't bullshit, huh?

. . .

It was the next day and I'd already grown an extra 2cm. So I was now 177cm tall. I was now what you'd consider tall by Korean standards. It was odd, honestly - to be above people in height. Both in my past life and this life as Kim Soohyun, I was shorter than average, so to be able to look down on people shorter than me was a new experience for me.

Not to mention that when I did my exercise routine this morning it'd gone even better than yesterday, so I was in a great mood.

"Is that Kim Soohyun...?"

"...Isn't he, like, way taller than before?"

"He's kinda handsome as well...why was he getting bullied in the first place?"

And of course the biggest factory in the world is still working. What factory? The gossip factory, of course! People looked at me, gave me a wide berth in the hallways and I felt like I was an animal in a zoo. Though, when compared to the utter indifference I was faced with before...this feels much better! Like a soothing palm for my poor, fragile ego! Kim Soohyun is here to stay, bitches!

Before I let the attention get to my handsome head and ruin my good looks, I kept up an indifferent facade of my own and walked through the halls in new shoes. Shame I'd be getting new ones in a day or two. Good on my mom for expecting me to keep on growing an getting a bunch.

I'll use you to your fullest potential, I promise, Shoes-kun. Even if it's only for a day.

While I was off in fantasy land, I felt someone bump into me and unlike before where I was as light as a feather and weak as hell, now the person who bumped into me was forced back like they'd bumped into a metal pole, "Hm?" I hummed as I was knocked out of thinking about my solemn promise to my one true love--

"Kim Soohyun?" the voice drawled and I looked down to see Baek Chaerin. I nearly whistled. The webtoon didn't do her justice - she is Hot. Smoking, as the great Jim Carrey would say. Big chest, thing waist, wide hips and legs for days despite her short height. An absolute short stack. She crossed her arms under her impressive bust and glared up at me, "Did you lose your mind after fighting Choi Changdong or something?"

Unlike the reply she probably expected, I just gave a lazy smile, "How you doing, Baek Chaerin?"

She blinked in surprise, "What--Wait a minute, are you trying to chat with me?" she scoffed in disbelief, "Oh my god, this is hilarious. Fucking weirdo," she spun around and walked away. Success.

Best way to deal with chicks like her? Control the pace of the conversation, don't get flustered and talk with confidence even if you have to fake it.

[Generating new quest...]

Oh here we go again.

[New Quest! Kiss Baek Chaerin by the end of today. Kiss (0/1). Reward: Gold Card (x1) & Silver Card (x1)]

[Will you accept this quest? Yes/No]

Sure~ I hummed to myself as I pressed the 'Yes' and went on my way to class. Just have to wait for PE and then I can try to shoot my shot. Shouldn't really be that hard - I can either leverage something against her like a scumbag, use the same plot hole the original like an indirect kiss or just plain convince her with my Adonis charm. Easy peasy, right?

Skipping along I made my way to class and sat next to my good ol' buddy Yakuza, nicknamed Kuza, and called so because he genuinely looked like a gangster in his late-twenties despite only being seventeen like me. He's also called it because his mom is Japanese, which makes him half-Japanese and apparently that matters enough alongside his appearance for an entire nickname that stuck fully to him like that annoying piece of gum on the bottom of your shoe that won't come off no matter what--

"Hey, Kuza," I greeted him cheerily, putting my bag under my desk and relaxing into my seat, "How you doing, buddy?"

"...You're pretty happy, Soohyun" he noted with a raised eyebrow, "I guess you taking out Choi Changdong has something to do with that. Thanks for that, by the way. Now he won't beat either of us up," he gave a light smile that looked somewhat sinister on his gangster-like face. Then he stopped and looked down at his curled up fist, "Maybe I had that type of power in me as well and just had to fight back like you did?" he muttered to himself in an utterly chuuni way.

I put a hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him, "Sure thing, Kuza. Sure thing. You're strong too, buddy," I comforted (lied to) him and in walked the teacher ready to teach the lesson for today.

How many periods until PE? Ah, whatever, I'll just relax until everyone's gone.

Turns out it was a few hours until PE finally came around. Then I was left alone with Baek Chaerin after bullshitting to the teacher about feeling ill. I'm such a good actor--Don't get big headed, Soohyun. It'll ruin your good looks.

Getting up, I sat in the empty chair in front of Baek Chaerin's and turned it to face her. Seeing she was asleep, I thought about just doing the indirect kiss route but thought against it - what if there's a secret quest waiting to be completed, huh? Huh?! - and just kicked her desk lightly, "Wakey, wakey, Baek Chaerin~!" I cooed and she writhed, seemingly dreaming about something before here eyelids fluttered open.

"...Kim Soohyun. What the hell are you doing this close to me?" she glared in a way she no doubt thought was imposing or intimidating...and yet all it did was make her look cute. Oblivious to my thoughts and with my lack of reply, a vein on her forehead throbbed, "Were you watching me sleep you little perv?"

I chuckled, "Don't flatter yourself, sweetheart," I joked mockingly, "And last time I checked, you're much smaller than me. Anyway, I've got a question for you, Baek Chaerin," I paused and she went quiet, simply raising an eyebrow to tell me to go on. Smiling wide, I leaned against her desk, "Say, what's a guy gotta do to get a kiss from you?" I asked and she practically froze up like a deer in the headlights of a car.

Did I know how creepy I was being? Yep. Did I care? Nope. I mean, after you've died twice you pretty much realise how useless shit like embarrassment and shame are. If you need to do something, just do it. In my past life, before I got cancer, I messed up a date with a real beauty because of anxiety and feeling embarrassed - And? It meant I died without having a proper relationship and a virgin!

Shame. Embarrassment. Useless words with no real meaning besides the meaning we give them. Now, I'm not about to break the law because of that - I'm a law-abiding citizen, of course - but when I need to complete an embarrassing quest? I'll do it without batting an eye.

And with Baek Chaerin? I wasn't really worried about her reaction.

You see, from what I remember, Baek Chaerin, despite acting all tough is actually all gooey inside. She's as pure as can be, actually. So, upon realising what I'd said, she went bright red.

Then she closed her eyes and frowned hard before scowling, "Fucking creep," she turned to grab her bag but I stopped her with my next words.

"I'm being serious. Name your price and I'll gladly pay it," I gave a confident smile, knowing she wouldn't ask for money. Probably just some embarrassing act or the chance to hit me or something else I'd easily be able to humour.

"Really? Anything?" she asked, a dark glint in her eye before turning back to me and giving a triumphant smile, "Okay then. Break your finger and I'll kiss you."

Ouch. Breaking a finger? Must've really pissed off this wildcat for her to request that.

Holding out a hand, I pointed my index finger out and smiled, "I'll do you one better; you can break it. If you can, that is," I challenged provocatively. Baek Chaerin narrowed her eyes at me before reaching out and grabbing my finger and then trying to move it in the wrong direction...and yet it didn't really do anything. It stopped and despite her seeming to really try, it didn't break. I just had a smug smile on my face throughout the whole thing. "What's wrong, Chaerin? Hm~? Fingers right there, just break it~!" I cheered her own and her forehead throbbed as her face went a little red with anger.

"The hell is your finger made of?!" she huffed, stopping her attempt to break my finger. I shrugged in reply before giving a smirk and leaning against the palm of my hand.

"Well, we both seem to have lost. My finger couldn't break but you at least got to try it - how are you gonna repay me, I wonder?" I hummed before snapping my finger, "Ah, how about this! An indirect kiss. That fine? Sure? Okay," I kissed my fingers and then pressed them against her lips.

Before she could reply, I stood up, waved at her and got my bag before booking it. All the while a wide smile on my face as I saw the screen in front of me.

[You have completed the quest.]

[As per the rewards of the quest, you will receive: Gold Card (x1) & Silver Card (x1)]

Ah-ha~! Imma enjoy opening these cards in the bathroom~! Who will be able to stop me after I get even stronger~!?