As they walked home, Park Si-woo kept stealing glances at his older brother, the questions bubbling inside him until he could no longer hold them back.
"Hyung, what was that? Did you learn martial arts somewhere?"
"When would I have had time for that?"
It was true. Park Jin-ho had been working part-time jobs just to make ends meet ever since starting high school. Juggling work and classes just to earn his diploma left no time for anything extra, least of all martial arts training.
"Then how did you do all that? Those moves were incredible!"
"Haven't you seen the news? Players can use their abilities in the real world now."
Reaching into empty space, Park Jin-ho’s fingers closed around something invisible. He pulled his hand back, now holding the gleaming Chimgando.
"Whoa, where did that come from?"
He’d almost forgotten the system was invisible to others.
"As a Player, I can use my abilities in real life." He flexed his wrist, and the dagger vanished back into his inventory, disappearing into thin air. Park Si-woo stared, his mind struggling to catch up, but what had happened at the hideout was even more unbelievable.
My brother beat Lee Dae-hyun. The thought was still unreal.
Even high school upperclassmen were scared of Lee Dae-hyun, yet Park Jin-ho had dismantled him with ease, without taking a single hit.
"Do all players move like you, Hyung? How can anyone move like that?"
"My agility stat is 11."
"A stat? Like in a game?"
Park Jin-ho patiently explained the system to his younger brother, who listened with wide-eyed fascination.
"So, did you put all your points into agility?"
"What's the average agility for a person?" Park Si-woo asked.
"For a normal adult, it’s about 3. A professional athlete might hit 10."
That meant Park Jin-ho’s reflexes were already on par with a seasoned boxer.
"Then what happens if you level up and your agility hits 30? Or 50?"
"I don't know," Park Jin-ho lied. "I've never reached that level."
He had. In previous regressions, he'd pushed his agility past 300. At that point, you weren’t just fast; you were a monster. You could dodge bullets. Modern weapons became useless against you.
The only thing that could threaten you was another Player of equal power.
And soon, Players will be causing chaos everywhere, Park Jin-ho thought, his expression unreadable. Murder, rape, arson, kidnapping, theft—twisted individuals would soon discover they had the power to commit any crime they pleased.
This wasn't some distant fantasy. It was the reality that would unfold in just a few short months.
Even inside the game, players will turn on each other. Desperate to survive the rounds, they would prey on one another without hesitation.
I can't let my brother get caught up in that war.
In the 10th regression, Park Jin-ho had told his brother everything, revealing that he was a regressor. As a direct result, Park Si-woo had been kidnapped, targeted simply for being family. And his brother hadn't even boasted about it to anyone.
The kidnapper, Jang Seok-hyun, had a rune that let him read minds. It was as simple and as terrible as that.
Park Jin-ho had eventually gotten his revenge on Jang Seok-hyun. He’d even managed to claim the man’s hidden treasure for himself: the Doksim-ui Rune.
Jang Seok-hyun. Looks like I'll be taking your rune again this time around.
The Doksim-ui Rune was incredibly useful, not just for gathering information and identifying enemies, but for navigating complex situations. It was one of the 18 essential runes on his must-have list.
If I have that rune, my brother won't have to worry about Jang Seok-hyun ever again… but…
Park Jin-ho didn't want to reveal that he was a regressor.
It was my fault my brother suffered like that. Even though it was a past that had been erased, the memory of it, the guilt, still lingered. He felt sorry that his brother had been forced to experience such an ordeal even once.
That was why he would never tell him the truth again.
"Hyung, thank you for helping me… but…"
"You're worried Lee Dae-hyun will go to the police, right?"
"Well, yeah. We don't have money for his hospital bills, let alone a settlement…"
"He won't report us," Park Jin-ho said flatly. "Not if he wants to live."
He was confident in that assessment. In past regressions, Lee Dae-hyun had always proven he wasn't stupid enough to ignore such a direct threat.
"He'll probably tell everyone he got into a street fight. His lackeys will handle it."
A wave of relief washed over Park Si-woo, knowing Lee Dae-hyun wouldn't dare to talk.
But Park Jin-ho didn't care either way. Besides, if worst came to worst, money would shut him up.
Although his finances were currently a disaster, he wasn't worried. Money could always be made.
His brother, however, still looked troubled, his face etched with concern. As they walked, Park Si-woo’s mind kept circling back, unable to settle. For him, this was all new and terrifyingly unpredictable.
He knew Park Jin-ho was confident, saying they had nothing to fear, but Park Si-woo’s worries had shifted to something else entirely.
Is this really the brother I know?
He’d only seen a glimpse of it, but the image was seared into his memory: the cold, ruthless way his brother had broken a man’s finger without a second thought. It wasn't that Park Si-woo was afraid of his brother's cruelty—a part of him had found it thrilling to see Dae-hyun in agony.
The problem, he mused, was that the brother he knew wasn't that cold, that merciless.
Does becoming a Player change a person so drastically? Or is it the experience of the game, of killing and being killed?
He didn’t know the first thing about what it took to survive something like that.
He glanced over at his brother, who caught his stare and looked back with a quizzical expression.
"Nothing, it's nothing," Park Si-woo said quickly, a little bit of tension leaving his shoulders. In that moment, he saw his brother again, not the terrifying fighter.
As long as he's still himself outside of a fight, that's enough for now, Park Si-woo thought, trying to quiet his unease.
Just then, the bright lights of a convenience store appeared ahead of them.