As sunlight streamed into the hospital room, Jinwoo slowly opened his eyes. The soft beep of machines and the sterile white ceiling welcomed him with a strange familiarity.
He sat up, the sheets rustling. His body—whole. No pain. No broken bones. No missing limbs.
He moved his toes.
Check.
He rolled his shoulders.
Check
And then he remembered. The trial. The statues. The surge of raw, monstrous strength. Garp's power flowing through his veins like cannon fire.
And before that, he remembered everything else.
Aaron—the infamous assassin, 'The Devil' himself.
He chuckled under his breath. "Guess I really can't die that easily."
He looked around to make sure no nurses were peeking in.
"Alright, let's see what the hell's going on here... Systems—show me the goods."
DING!
Two panels blinked into existence before him.
First, a sleek, blue-hued interface with cold, mechanical precision:
[System:v1.02 – Tutorial ]
> Initial Scan Complete.
Blessing of the Great Spellcaster Kandiaru: [Longevity] – Status Abnormality Immunity: ACTIVE
Skills Acquired:
– [Tenacity]
– [Will of the Undying]
Stat Evaluation: Higher than expected. Adjusting parameters.
Welcome, Player. Initiating growth protocol.
Voice flat. Robotic. Efficient. No chaos. No errors.
Then—
BOOM! A second screen slammed into view with a dramatic flair—deep red, stylishly chaotic.
[Gacha System Online]
> Welcome back, you chaotic gremlin.
Trial: Peak Garp Template – Trial Use COMPLETE
Integration Progress: 7%
Note: To experience again, complete full integration.
Pulls Remaining: 0
Inventory: (1/???) Template Shard:0
Luck Rating: [Unholy]
Jinwoo blinked at the two hovering systems.
Blue screen: stoic and stiff like a military officer.
Red screen: loud, dramatic, and probably caffeinated.
"Well... this is going to be fun," he muttered.
He was just about to dive into the menus like a kid at a candy store when—
Click.
The hospital door opened.
"Excuse us," came a sharp voice. "Hunter Association. We need to ask you a few questions regarding the double dungeon incident."
Jinwoo turned, the glowing red and blue screens hovering like spirits behind him.
He offered the newcomers a perfectly casual smile.
"Sure thing," he said, "but, uh... mind if I finish installing my software updates first?"
-------
Jin-Woo blinked at the deep, authoritative voice echoing from the corner of his hospital room.
"I apologize if we startled you. But we couldn't wait any longer."
Two guys in black suits stepped into view like they owned the place. Classic government types—one looked like he ate protein shakes for breakfast, the other wore sunglasses indoors like he was auditioning for a spy movie.
Aaron—no, Jin-Woo now—tilted his head lazily.
"Cool entrance. You guys rehearsed that?"
The guy with the buzzcut didn't even flinch. He walked over and handed him a business card.
> Woo Jin-Cheol
Section Chief, Monitoring Division
Korean Hunters Association
Jin-Woo raised a brow. "Fancy title. So, what's the Monitoring Division want with a half-dead guy like me?"
Woo Jin-Cheol dragged a chair forward, his partner standing behind him like a silent wall. The tension in the room cranked up, but Jin-Woo just shifted slightly in his bed, keeping it casual. He'd faced worse pressure… from toddlers with grenades.
"We need to ask you some questions, Mr. Seong Jin-Woo. You've been unconscious for four days."
Jin-Woo blinked. "Four? Damn, did I miss anything cool?"
"Do you remember what happened in the dungeon?"
He nodded slowly. "Yeah. Most of it. Giant statues. Screaming. My legs kinda gave up on me. I passed out before it got fun."
He left out the part where he beat two stone titans half-dead with no legs, or the systems, or the weird-ass Architect. No need to let the suits in on that party just yet.
Woo Jin-Cheol leaned in. "And that's all? Nothing strange before you lost consciousness?"
Jin-Woo shrugged. "Define strange."
They exchanged looks. He could tell they were trying to piece something together.
"Well… here's the thing. When the White Tiger Guild and our agents arrived at the scene, everything was already over."
"Over?" Jin-Woo narrowed his eyes. "You mean—?"
"There was nothing left. The stone statues, the god statue… gone. The survivors swore you were still inside, but all we found was you. Alone. Alive. Not even a pebble left."
Jin-Woo leaned back into his pillow, eyes wide. "Whoa. Spooky."
Woo Jin-Cheol stared hard. "Frankly… we don't know what to make of it. We've never seen a situation like this before."
Jin-Woo chuckled internally.
Yeah, well, you've never met a guy like me either.
---
Woo Jin-Cheol exhaled as if bracing himself, then leaned forward a little, voice cautious.
"We've asked other Guilds. Checked with Associations abroad. No one's seen anything like what happened in that dungeon."
Sung Jin-Woo raised an eyebrow. "Shocking. It's almost like something insane happened down there." He said it flatly, keeping a perfectly unreadable expression.
"That's why," Woo Jin-Cheol said slowly, studying him closely, "we've come up with a theory."
"Oh?" Jin-Woo tilted his head slightly, casual but sharp. "Do enlighten me, Chief Woo."
"There were clearly powerful entities in that chamber. But they were neutralized. Efficiently. And no monsters escaped before the Gate closed. Not even rubble left behind."
He hesitated, then finally dropped the bomb.
"We suspect you may have undergone… a second Awakening."
Jin-Woo blinked once. Then again.
"…Come again?"
"Re-Awakening," Woo Jin-Cheol clarified, voice weighty. "It's rare, but it happens. A Hunter can experience another Awakening after their first. Their rank and power jump significantly. A C-rank could leap to A. A B to S. Maybe even beyond that."
He glanced at Jin-Woo like he was trying to peer into his soul.
Jin-Woo kept a perfectly cool expression… then slowly smirked.
"A second Awakening, huh…" he said, the corners of his mouth twitching like he was fighting the urge to laugh. Sure. Let's call it that. Definitely not the Garp-flavored beatdown I dished out down there.
Woo Jin-Cheol leaned back slightly, visibly unsure. He had more questions—probably a hundred—but Jin-Woo's laid-back, unreadable attitude made it feel like trying to read tea leaves during an earthquake.
Still smirking, Sung Jin-Woo folded his arms, his bandaged fingers tapping lightly.
"Well, if I did go through something... Awakening-y," he waved a hand vaguely, "I'll let the Association know."
Eventually.
The room was silent but heavy with tension—well, for everyone else anyway.
Jin-Woo leaned back slightly against the hospital bed, eyes calm, even a bit amused. He already knew what was coming.
Magic energy measurement device, huh? Ah, right. This is the part where they try to confirm my "Re-Awakening."
He almost laughed at how theatrical it all felt. The god statue had been known to disintegrate rank C Hunters with just its glare, and here he was—one-legged and grinning—after headbutting it into gravel with nothing but borrowed power and guts.
He could tell Woo Jin-Cheol's heart was practically doing cartwheels in that pressed suit of his.
The man's voice was calm, but the tremble of barely-contained excitement betrayed him. "Bring it here."
The subordinate, still trying to act cooler than a fridge, moved to a corner and opened a sleek briefcase. Inside was the infamous billion-won magic crystal—dark as the abyss, sparkling with promise.
Woo Jin-Cheol cleared his throat. "This device measures your magic energy. Miniaturized, yes, but it's just as accurate as what we have back at HQ."
He stepped forward, his expression as serious as a priest at confession.
"All you have to do is place your hand on the crystal."
Jin-Woo looked at the thing like it owed him money. A black hole of mana, sure. But to him, it looked more like a novelty paperweight now.
Still, he played along.
"Of course," he said smoothly, slipping his hand over the magic crystal, internally hoping it didn't explode from sheer drip.
He already had a good guess. With the Garp template trial under his belt, and his stats boosted beyond what the Architect expected, there was no way this thing wasn't going to cause a scene.
And deep down, a familiar smirk tugged at his lips.
Let's see just how much chaos we can cook up today.
As Sung Jin-Woo's hand settled on the obsidian-like crystal, everyone in the room held their breath.
The crystal pulsed once.
Then… again.
Then it made a pathetic, sputtering fizz sound.
A dull blue light blinked on the side like a dying firefly.
Woo Jin-Cheol blinked.
The subordinate looked confused.
The crystal beeped.
[Magic Power: 150]
Silence.
"…Eh?" Jin-Woo squinted at the number.
"…One-fifty?" he repeated, his voice rising an octave like his dignity was trying to flee his body.
A familiar red screen popped up in front of him, bright and smug as ever:
[Gacha System: Hehehe… Looks like Grandpa Garp doesn't believe in your silly 'mana' nonsense.]
[PS: At least you still punch good, right?]
[PPS: D-Rank detected. Elite disappointment acquired!]
Jin-Woo's eye twitched.
"You absolute scam artist of a system! I used my legs as sacrificial offerings to bust statues and THIS is what I get?!"
[Gacha System: You asked for Garp, bro. He throws fists, not spells.]
[Also, you're welcome.]
Jin-Woo muttered something unrepeatable under his breath while Woo Jin-Cheol leaned forward, concerned.
"Uh… is everything okay?"
Jin-Woo cleared his throat and forced a straight face. "Yeah. Just… disappointed in the lighting."
Woo Jin-Cheol exchanged a glance with his subordinate.
Was this kid always this weird…?
Meanwhile, the red screen glowed again:
[Temporary Template Trial expired. Integration at 7%. Pull again to be disappointed in style!]
Jin-Woo was ready to strangle the system.
He flopped back on the bed, muttering, "First chance I get, I'm pulling a mage next. Fireballs. Big ones."
The screen flickered one last time:
[Good luck. With your luck, you'll probably pull 'Discount Gandalf.']
Woo Jin-Cheol stared at the magic crystal again, then back at Jin-Woo.
"…One-fifty," he repeated, just to make sure his brain wasn't hallucinating.
The subordinate coughed awkwardly, trying and failing to hide his smirk.
"I mean," Jin-Woo said with the last shred of his pride, "I was a bit dehydrated. Mana gets shy when I'm parched."
Woo Jin-Cheol cleared his throat and stood up, maintaining the kind of polite face reserved for toddlers who proudly show you dirt and call it treasure.
"Well, uh… thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Sung. Please rest well."
The two suits walked out of the room as calmly as they could… until the door shut behind them.
Laughter.
Muted at first, then increasingly uncontrollable. The sound of Woo Jin-Cheol wheezing like a deflating balloon echoed in the hallway.
"One-fifty, he says… Legendary solo dungeon survivor… Pfft!"
Back inside, Jin-Woo lay on the bed, one eye twitching.
The red Gacha screen flickered again, glowing with schadenfreude.
[Mood: Humiliation. Would you like to pull a tissue?]
"…I swear," Jin-Woo muttered, glaring at the ceiling, "the next thing I punch is going to be you."
------
Jinwoo was now staring at the beautiful view of Seoul.
As the hospital room fell into silence once more, Jinwoo shifted his attention back to the red screen that was still floating in his vision. The Gacha system hadn't said a word since his cheeky interaction, but now it flickered back to life with a slightly more serious tone.
[Gacha System: Oh, don't look at me like that,Host . It's my first time talking to you freely, so here we go.]
Jinwoo raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
[Gacha System: First off, let's get you acquainted with how this all works. You get one pull a day. Just one. It's like a gift, you know? Like Christmas, except you'll probably only get socks and a mug. But hey, who doesn't love socks?]
Jinwoo smirked. "Sounds like my kind of luck."
[Gacha System: Now, don't go crying just yet. The real fun starts after a while. Here's the breakdown:
Every week, you'll get at least one Uncommon pull. Yep, no skipping that. It's your 'freebie.'
Every month, you'll get an Epic one. Not too shabby, huh?
Every three months, bam! A Unique. Bet you didn't see that coming.
Six months? Legendary time. Let's hope you can hold your excitement till then.
And then, drum roll… Transcendental pulls. But these? Yeah, these will take a whole year. A year. But I promise, it's worth it. You'll be the king of whatever you pull. Probably.]
Jinwoo leaned back against his pillow, letting the information sink in.
[Gacha System: Oh, and about the Mythical stuff? You're not getting one of those by just being cute. You've gotta pull 100 times at the same time. You've got a 2% chance of something crazy happening. But hey, 2% is better than zero, right?]
"100 pulls, huh?" Jinwoo chuckled darkly. "Guess I'll be busy."
[Gacha System: That's the spirit! Now, don't go getting too greedy. You'll get what you're meant to get, in time. But remember—patience is key, and I'm not known for being gentle. I only give what's deserved, kid.]
Jinwoo smirked. "Yeah, I've got time. But I'll be making my own luck in the meantime."
The screen flickered again, a touch more smug than before.
[Gacha System: Oh, I'm sure you will. But, just so you know… you better be ready for some weird stuff. You think socks are bad? Wait until you get a Template for, I don't know… 'Grumpy Chicken Farmer.' Who knows? Anyway, time will tell.]
Jinwoo couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, I'll keep that in mind."
[Gacha System: Alright, alright, enough of that. Now let me give you a little heads-up about some other tabs we've got here. First up, the Shop.]
A new menu popped up in front of Jinwoo, showcasing a clean, neat grid of empty slots. No items. Just gray.
[Gacha System: See this? This is your future Shop. But don't get too excited just yet. It's locked up tighter than my personal vault until you hit level 35. Until then, it's just an empty screen of hopeful potential. But don't worry. Things get interesting soon enough.]
Jinwoo smirked. "Level 35, huh? Guess I've got a bit of grinding to do."
[Gacha System: You'll manage. You're already a pro at this. But for now, let's talk about the next tab. Quests.]
A new window flickered to life, showing a list of blank, gray objectives.
[Gacha System: Here's where things get a little more… structured. These quests will pop up from time to time, and you'll get some juicy rewards for completing them. Think of it as your daily to-do list, but with a lot more explosions and power-ups. And, of course, no quest can be completed without a little sweat and effort. The rewards are random—could be a template, could be something else. Who knows?]
"Sounds like fun," Jinwoo muttered.
[Gacha System: Oh, you'll be fine. Just don't go expecting free lunch. Work for it, and the rewards will taste a hell of a lot better. Keep an eye on it. Quests can pop up at any time.]
Jinwoo absorbed the information, and just like that, the chaos of the system faded back into a silent, almost mischievous hum. Now he had a clearer picture of what was to come.
[Magic Power: 150] [Pulls Remaining: 0] [Inventory: (1/???) Template Shard: 0] [Quest Tab: Inactive] [Shop: Locked until Level 35]
Jinwoo grinned. "I'm getting the hang of this."
The system seemed to settle, and the new rules of his Gacha fate were clear. Now, Jinwoo had something new to occupy his thoughts. Sure, the pulls were random, but he was confident. It was only a matter of time before he started collecting the powerful templates.
And just like that, the next phase of his rebirth began.
Next chapter: Pervert hugs and Galaxy fists
Author's Note:
Hey everyone! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! 😎
Jinwoo's got some serious power-ups coming his way, it's only a matter of time before he starts causing some serious damage. 👀 I can already imagine the chaos that's about to unfold!
I'd love to hear what you guys think! Do you like the way the Gacha System's been shaping up? Got any ideas for more hilarious interactions between Jinwoo and the system? Or any epic skills you want to see him unlock? 😆
Drop your thoughts, suggestions, and comments below – I'm all ears! 🔥
Let's make this story even more epic together!
Until next time, keep the ideas coming!