Chapter 5
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Lookism (1)
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Things had really blown up.
Not only had the parents gotten involved, but so had the cops and an ambulance.
I'd done every single thing a teacher hates doing.
Filing complaints with the Ministry of Education.
Uploading the video to a popular video site at the time.
Tipping off every major news outlet and small-time one with all the evidence.
"Do you know about the dangerous game called One Punch?"
"Gyeonggi Province S Middle School student breaks his own arm trying to punch classmate."
"School violence still not improving—homeroom teacher covers it up by forcing reconciliation with perpetrator?"
School violence was always a hot-button issue back then, so the media jumped on it right away with huge headlines.
Of course, that didn't solve the school violence problem.
The news outlets just wanted to pump out clicks.
The government was the same, just posturing for show.
But it was more than enough to take down one old perv teacher.
Teachers had iron rice bowls, so forced resignation was off the table, but suspension, transfer, pay cut? Yeah, that'd happen.
This was good enough for me.
Hell, the teacher was just icing.
The perp, Lee Ho-kwon? He'd never properly use his right wrist again.
His mom didn't flip out?
She lost her shit, obviously.
So before she could call threatening to sue, I'd already gone to the prosecutors and filed first.
Claiming her kid's attack left my arm in so much pain I couldn't live normally.
Was I milking it?
Damn right I was.
But I knew they wouldn't punish him anyway.
He was the one hurt, and a juvenile under the Youth Protection Act.
But the law cut both ways.
Plus, I had solid video evidence.
We never paid his hospital bills or settlement.
And that wasn't all.
I'd saved countless future victims of his One Punch game.
Lucky me, I transferred out.
Heard after I left, a kid in my grade killed himself from bullying.
So Lee Ho-kwon got his karma early.
Living life with a crippled right arm forever.
Wait, did I just get him out of military service? Did I do him a favor?
Starting to regret this...
Nah, screw it.
Even better.
Why?
"Feels fucking great."
I was in an insanely good mood right now.
Am I a psychopath?
Who gives a shit.
Feels great.
"What'd you say?"
Finally wrapping everything up, in the car heading home.
Mom caught the words that slipped out in my glee.
"Oh, nothing. Just in a good mood."
"Hah, no kidding! You caused a huge incident right after starting middle school!"
Dad jumped in on my reply.
Dad seemed pretty shocked I'd pulled this off.
Up till elementary, I'd been the perfect obedient kid.
Then suddenly demanding to go to the prosecutors, filing like a pro.
Chatting better with the prosecutor's aide than he did? No wonder he was stunned.
In my past life, suing my ex-wife, her old boyfriend, Officer Hwang, and the state so much...
I'd gotten used to this crap.
But unexpectedly...
Mom's words hit me right in the feels.
"I actually felt relieved. Why? Those punks who tried to beat up my son got what they deserved."
"Still, ruining one kid's life..."
"Since when are you such a softie worrying about someone else's son? Flip it around—our boy almost had his life ruined by that brat! What'd our son do wrong? He just took the hits."
"Well..."
Dad couldn't counter Mom's machine-gun rant.
I get Dad's side.
This era had pointless notions of justice and romance.
Plenty thought like Dad, all thorny and principled.
But no husband beats his wife.
"Right, our boy did good!"
Dad flipped like a game character.
"A man has to crush enemies strong sometimes! But remember—facing foes bravely matters, but not making them in the first place..."
I let Dad's lecture go in one ear and out the other.
Didn't annoy me.
Because...
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[Sub Quest 'Easy Pickings' cleared successfully.]
The situation settling down, at least.
But the Status Window didn't stop there.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[Performed an act comparable to a singularity in life.]
"Holy shit."
My eyes went wide checking the Status Window.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[Assa Force decreases by 37.]
[Assa Force: 87 → 50]
Assa Force dropped nearly in half in an instant.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[Inssa Force: 1]
Made sense.
Blasting a delinquent in front of everyone? Not exactly Inssa behavior.
But not thug stuff either.
Just unprecedented for any middle schooler.
So Assa Force dropped 37 instead of Inssa rising.
Ding!
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[Inssa Force & Assa Force changes trigger reevaluation.]
Assa Force drop wasn't just numbers.
Current evaluation of me.
The nickname they called me by changed.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[※ Evaluation: Loser → Scary Guy-...-]
"..."
...Way better than loser.
And scary guy? Totally get it.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[※ Evaluation: 'Loser' → 'Scary Guy-Ugly-']
"...What's with the ugly?"
"What?"
"Nothing. Haven't had beef liver lately?"
"Huh? Beef liver?"
"Want some blood sausage, sweetie?"
"Kyung-jun, you hated it when Dad called it sausage meat."
Still in the parents' car.
I bullshitted my way through till we got home.
"Phew."
Soon in my room, alone.
Finally checked the updated Status Window properly.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[Main Quest 'Inssa Life']
[Description: Escape loserdom and become an Inssa.]
[※Assa Force at 100 = Death.]
[new! ※Assa Force 80+ = Loser status.]
[Escaped loser status. Perceptions around you have changed.]
New condition added.
And the changes that followed.
With the Status Window stating it outright...
Tomorrow, school life would be totally different.
"...But the root problem hasn't changed."
My ugly mug.
Whether a middle schooler hiding power that wrecked delinquents.
No more open ignoring.
Even plastic surgery.
Couldn't fix my genetic face.
But.
"Not anymore."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[Quest clear reward: Acquired 1 Life Point.]
Grabbed the Life Point and opened the 2nd Life Special Shop immediately.
This time, scrolled straight to:
[Physique Boost Potion x1: 1p]
[Intelligence Boost Potion x1: 1p]
[Charm Boost Potion x1: 1p]
Focused on the shop's basics.
Target from these three:
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[Purchased Charm Boost Potion x1.]
[Life Points: 1p → 0p]
"All you pitiful, ugly bastards with nothing but skills—I'll vicariously live your dreams."
Charm.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Not all KAIST guys are ugly.
Sometimes there are handsome studs with top schools and skills—total cheats.
But we all know now.
God gives one gift...
And takes another.
My cohort, seniors, juniors.
And me.
We got 'academics'—lost most masculine charm to God.
Prime growth spurt middle school, my pathetic Charm of 3.
Used to think bullies targeted me 'cause I seemed easy.
Deeper truth: it starts with the face.
Amazingly.
Face gets handsome? 'Easy' drops fast!
Put differently: us ugly fuckers must pull every stunt to not seem easy.
"...Like me last week."
Maybe 'cause I went big last week.
New semester two weeks in—no one talks to me.
They flinch and look away if I pass or eyes meet.
That...
Like 1st round—no fights or bullying is nice...
"(Whoa, I just eye contact with Han Kyung-jun...) "
"(Dude... you gonna get murdered?) "
"(What do I do...) "
Suddenly, I was the school killer.
Rumor: Beat up several, in and out of juvie 6 times since elementary.
6 times? Elementary 1st to 6th all in juvie?
Juvie starts middle school, no?
"...First time treated like this. Weird and novel."
Way better than constant bullying.
Old me? Satisfied, studied.
Now? Can't let it slide.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[Another day with zero interactions.]
[※Exception: Vice Class President 'Han So-mi' collected signed parental notices.]
[Assa Force +1.]
[Assa Force: 52 → 53]
Wednesday today.
Monday, Tuesday, today.
Daily Assa Force ticks up.
"...At this rate, dead in under two months."
I tried struggling.
Used last points on Charm stat.
But just +1.
Trash Charm 3 to 4? Still ugly as sin.
That ugly power stacked with 'scary guy' = murderer.
"This won't do."
Scraaape.
Muttering, I pushed my chair back to head home.
"Eek?!"
"Hic!"
"Guh..."
Area went dead silent with gasps.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[Students fear you more.]
[Assa Force +1.]
[Assa Force: 53 → 54]
Fuck this shit.
I ignored them and left the classroom.
After school, left bag behind.
Not heading straight home.
"Huff, huff."
After running around the school about five laps to exercise—
“That should be enough.”
I returned to the classroom.
Most students had already gone home.
Only cleaning duty students should have remained.
"..."
Sweep, sweep.
However—
Only one student was cleaning.
A female student.
And someone I knew very well.
Her name was—
『Han So-mi』
As the Status Window showed once before, she was the Vice Class President.
And the only student who spoke to me in the past week.
That was to collect signed notices.
Of course, the Status Window didn’t count that as interaction and only increased Assa Force.
“Tsk. This is why kids are like this.”
As you can see from her cleaning alone,
She was an outcast.
Unlike me, she wasn’t a loser because she was ugly.
She had a fairly cute appearance.
But because of her timid personality,
She became an outcast among girls.
Her Vice Class President position was half forced bullying.
Unlike boys,
Among girls, being pretty can make you a target.
Vice Class President Han So-mi was exactly that case.
I don’t know why,
But that’s how middle school girls worked.
Anyway—
It was unfortunate news for her,
But—
A huge opportunity for me.
Ding!
📜 NEW QUEST 📜
[Do a Good Deed ①]
📍 Description: Help Vice Class President 'Han So-mi', cleaning alone due to girl bullying.
🎁 Reward: 1 Life Point
System supports my will and actions, as expected.
Awesome.
Do good deeds, clear sub quests.
Fix bottom image, recover Assa, farm Life Points.
"Han So-mi."
Called her with good intentions.
"...?"
She saw me and...
"If it's okay, I'll help with clea..."
"Eek...?!"
Plopped to the floor.
Legs gave out, probably.
Not the end.
"H-H-Here... this is all of it..."
Her Hello Kitty wallet.
Tiny thing now in my hand.
And then...
⚔ ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED ⚔
'Extorting a Middle School Girl'
[Achievement reward: Acquired 1 Life Point.]
"...Holy shit, jackpot."
Wait, fuck?
Hold up.
This ain't it?