Chapter 2
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: But I'm Strong? (1)
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Am I not strong?
No.
How could I be a Powerless?
If you've entered the world of a game, shouldn't you at least get some useful ability?
'This is what they mean by hard mode in life.'
Without any abilities, I couldn't even grasp how I was supposed to survive from here on out.
'For a Powerless, my strength is way above average...'
Superpower measurement machines don't malfunction or misread unless they're broken.
The numbers might be off, but they detect the presence of energy perfectly, so the doctor had hammered it into me multiple times: I was definitely a Powerless.
Even though the machine certified me as a Powerless, I'd just shattered that door frame earlier, so probably...
'The Stat Cheat is in effect?'
That was the only explanation that made sense.
One or two times might be coincidence, but every time I used strength, something weird happened. There was no way I couldn't suspect it.
"Looks like I need to test the extent of my power to avoid any accidents..."
The problem was, I had no way to test it.
Finding a secluded spot where no one would see was hard enough, and I couldn't just show off in front of people either...
Plus, showing this strength and claiming I wasn't a Powerless felt risky.
I didn't know how the superpower measurement machines worked, but they'd never been wrong about presence or absence before.
They could misidentify the type, but detection was nearly 100% accurate.
If I acted rashly without knowing anything about this game's world, I might attract attention from the government, the association, or who-knows-how-many villain organizations.
I had no one to trust, no money— it was a high-risk gamble for someone like me.
For now...
'I should head to work.'
Part-time job time first.
Luckily, I did logistics work pretty often.
Normally, I'd hate going, but right now, it was a great chance to roughly gauge my strength and learn to control it.
Specifically, I'd start with minimal force and gradually increase it.
I could practice control without causing a big incident.
"Oh, Do-yoon's here?"
"Yeah, hyung."
"Finish up quick and let's grab some soup together."
He said that, but then his eyes scanned my body.
"Huh? You look bigger somehow. Was your face always like that?"
"Like what?"
"Ah, must be my imagination."
I watched the uncle head inside first, saying we'd talk after work, then made my way to my workstation.
Boxes everywhere.
I could handle this volume before, but I'd collapse exhausted at home afterward. Wonder how it'll be now.
Feeling the omnipotence surging through me, I approached the heaviest-looking one first and lifted it.
Krunch.
'Uh...'
My fingers dug into the box when I gripped it.
I pulled them out quick, but...
'This'll be fine, right?'
There were slight dents from my fingers on both sides. I just hoped no one noticed...
Anyway, the weight felt...
'Oh.'
Light.
Objectively, it was definitely heavy.
But to me, it was like a feather.
I wasn't even sure if I was applying any force.
'This isn't even real effort?'
No wonder it's called a Stat Cheat.
'This is my chance...'
Yeah, for sure.
I could master control here.
Moving items of varying weights would naturally make me proficient.
With that thought, I threw myself into shifting the boxes.
I was starting to get the hang of fine-tuning my strength.
At first, matching force to each box was tricky, but now I was handling them smoothly.
'Whoa... what the hell?'
The supervisor, who'd mocked me for struggling with one box, was now staring blankly at my work.
I finished my entire quota in a flash, oblivious to the shocked stares around me.
'Whoa... insane...'
The supervisor was floored. He'd grumbled at first, but now he was even suggesting I go full-time.
'Oops...'
Got too carried away.
"Hey, what are you? Kid changed overnight..."
"Tell me about it..."
"Hey, did you finally decide to use your superpower? You had super strength all along? Never showed it, so we didn't know what it was."
As if.
I'd just gone to get tested this morning.
"Kid? Hey, you never know... maybe you newly awakened? You're free anyway, go get checked. Ha... I'm struggling with my useless power... so jealous..."
That's what I did today.
"Man... this Ha Do-yoon punk... when you first came, you were all scrawny, and now... Honestly, thought you were Powerless since you never showed anything, but nah? Don't forget me when you make it big, yeah?"
Like I'd forget.
But I couldn't say that.
"Feels like I can control my strength pretty well now."
The logistics shift had a bigger impact than expected.
At first, I was scared to touch stuff at home, but now I could manage it.
Though the already-broken door handle wouldn't magically fix itself.
"Time to head to the cafe shift..."
Just the shift?
Weekend today, so closing shift and done, but tomorrow university starts again.
Thinking about it gave me a headache.
'At least the most urgent issue's solved, so I can just live normally now...'
Unlike before, my body wouldn't tire from daily life, so no real hesitation.
Just...
'Heroes make bank, though... why not me...'
Not being able to fully use this Stat Cheat power felt tragic for once.
I hadn't researched everything yet, but this world was basically the age of superpowers.
Heroes were almost all insanely powerful.
You needed a superpower to be a hero, so a Powerless like me had no shot with the Hero Association.
Stepping forward boldly and saying "Powerless but super strong" wasn't easy either.
It'd be gambling with my life.
I knew nothing about this world.
No clue on organizations or the government.
Hero game or not, the story involved dangerous world-level threats, so government and heroes weren't guaranteed clean.
Maybe overthinking, sure.
But gambling on a whim to become a hero? Better to observe first.
So, no legal way to use this power right now.
"Guess I'll head to the shift..."
Work till night again.
.
.
.
*Ding-a-ling*
"Welcome... oh, Do-yoon?"
"Yes, hi, Yoon-ah sunbae."
My senior here.
"Uh... yeah... you're Do-yoon, right?"
Huh?
Why the uncertainty?
"Something wrong?"
"No, just... you look really different..."
"Ah, must be your imagination."
Probably not, though.
Even I could tell I looked quite changed. Others must notice more.
Luckily, they still see me as Ha Do-yoon, like collective cognitive dissonance since entering the game.
"Really? Heh... haaa..."
Jung Yoon-ah answered dazedly, then checked the time, stretched, and stood.
"Alright, I'm off then. Bai~."
"Sure, take care."
I watched her bounce out excitedly, then sighed.
'Entered a game world, and nothing's changed...'
Usually, you'd triumph, attract heroines, that sort of thing, right?
If I'd gotten a superpower, I could've been a hero, but Powerless means no dice.
'For a Powerless, my jobs stuck around.'
They said social views weren't great.
If this was a worldline where I was truly Powerless, most part-times would've fired me.
Boss is nice?
Cafe's fine since superpowers don't matter much, but logistics is weird.
'Wonder what her power is.'
Most people had superpowers.
Obviously, that woman from earlier did too.
Mostly minor ones, but having one was normal, so no issues for them socially.
Me? Already stressing as a Powerless.
'Just work...'
Didn't want heavy thoughts.
Working eased future worries a bit, so not all bad.
Reality escape, basically.
Something felt off.
'More stares than before...'
Customers glanced at me weirdly way more than usual.
Imagination...? Nah.
'Looks improved that much?'
Even I thought my face was handsome now.
Before, boy-next-door; now, sharp-featured hottie?
Just face shape and overall vibe shifted, but huge difference.
Makes sense—gaining weight changes even handsome faces a lot.
"Wanna clock out already."
Small cafe, alone after handover. Lonely.
Didn't get barista cert for this.
Lost in thought at the counter.
- Kyaaah!
- M-Monster!
Sudden screams jolted me. I whipped around.
"No one else in the cafe but me?"
From outside then...
What? Villain?
That thought barely formed...
- Grk? Grrrk...
A bipedal monster with a dog's head on a human body walked in.
"What the..."
Monster?
'Saw this in Noble Heroes Beginning playthroughs...'
Original had only villains, no monsters like this.
No way, really...
'This really is the game world...'
I'd half-doubted.
Maybe not the game world, but the original?
Nope.
- Grk! Grrrk!
This was the game.
- Graaarrgh!!
"Ah..."
I muttered as the monster spotted me behind the counter, drool spilling from its tongue, and charged.
Why does life suck like this.
Fuck, seriously.