"Jiho? You good?" Daniel asked, settling into the seat beside him as Jiho blinked, shaking off the remnants of a dream during the bus ride.
"Ah… yeah, yeah." Jiho rubbed his face and leaned against the window. "Just had a weird dream. Like… really weird."
A beat passed.
"Daniel," Jiho muttered.
"Yeah?"
"Why are you staying with me and Eunhee?" Jiho's voice came out rough, low.
"…What?" Daniel's expression tightened. Behind Jiho's back, his eyes narrowed. "Am I killing your vibe with her or something?" he asked, a subtle growl laced in his tone.
"Uh, no?" Jiho raised a brow, watching the blurred, rain-soaked scenery roll by. "You've got tons of friends, right? Doesn't it get… boring?"
Daniel's body relaxed slightly. He let out a breath.
"Ah… Haha. You meant it like that." He chuckled. "Nah, I'm not bored. It's chill, man."
"…You sure?" Jiho glanced at him.
"Yeah, yeah. Jesus, Jiho," Daniel laughed, easing back in his seat. "You need to be more specific when you talk."
He leaned his head back.
"Because not everyone's like me," he added, quieter now. "If someone else heard you say that, they might think you're accusing them of something."
"…O-kay…?"
Daniel's gaze drifted out the window. "Some people," he murmured, "just aren't willing to listen. No matter what you say."
A silence fell between them before Daniel added under his breath—
"Some people can't listen to reason."
-------------------------------------------------
Groggy. Jiho woke up. His vision swam, but the cold floor beneath him felt familiar.
'You didn't answer my question.. Daniel. Why did you even stay with us?'
This was his house.
Next to him lay Jang—bloody, beaten, barely breathing. Each breath came out as a strained wheeze, blood bubbling at the corner of his mouth.
'Hyung...' Jiho's heart clenched. Jang looked barely alive.
"Ah, your son's awake!" a cheerful voice rang out from across the room.
Jiho slowly turned his head. Every motion felt heavy, foreign.
[PARALYZATION: YOU ARE NOW UNABLE TO MOVE!]
The living room. That man—the one who attacked him—sat neatly on the couch. Across from him,
Jiho's mother sat trembling. Unharmed… but paralyzed by fear, her wide eyes locked onto Jiho.
"Ji...ho…" she whispered, her voice cracked with dread.
"Now we can start." Joon-Seok grinned, licking his lips as he stared.
'Some people can't listen to reason...'
'Yeah. I'm one of them, Daniel.'
'Because even if there was anything… I wouldn't hear it right now. Not you, not mom, not Pooch would be able to change my mind.'
'I've decided.' Jiho's gaze sharpened.
'This bastard isn't making it out of here alive.'
Joon-Seok tilted his head. "What's that look for…? Don't make me be more forceful than I need to."
[CHOOSE SUBCLASS.]
🔻 Subclass: The Untriggered
Subclass Mechanics:
🧠 Active Skill – Everyone's Got a Choice
"You decide. But you only get one chance."
COST: None
DURATION: 30 seconds
COOLDOWN: 3 hours
Upon activation, time halts before a hostile encounter. You are presented with two paths:
▸ [FIGHT] – LV.1
Lock into a lethal encounter. Grants a temporary stat boost scaling with skill level.
Failure to kill the target = instant death.
Success = EXP + unique subclass bonus.
▸ [DISARM] – LV.1
Attempt to...
Jiho didn't bother reading the rest.
'Untriggered.' He locked the word in his mind.
[YOU ARE NOW "THE UNTRIGGERED." More skills are now available!]
His eyes met Joon-Seok's.
'Use skill… Everyone's Got a Choice.'
[ACTIVE SKILL: EVERYONE'S GOT A CHOICE – ACTIVATED.]
Time stopped.
Two options appeared before him—etched into glowing stone like commandments:
▸ [FIGHT]
▸ [DISARM]
Jiho didn't hesitate.
'FIGHT.'
[BACKGROUND MUSIC: Rammstein - Sonne [SLOWED] Best Part]
[STAT BOOST GRANTED. LETHAL PATH LOCKED.]
[YOU MUST NOW KILL YOUR OPPONENT OR DIE.]
[GODSPEED, PLAYER.]
Level: 50
Stat Points Available: 280
[Strength]: 100 (+10)
[Agility]: 100 (+10)
[Vitality]: 100 (+10)
[Perception]: 100 (+10)
[Intelligence]: 25 (+10)
[YOUR VITALITY HAS SURPASSED 100!]
[STATUS EFFECT ATTACKS ARE NOW USELESS ON YOU!]
[YOU ARE NO LONGER PARALYZED.]
Jiho began to rise.
"What…?" Joon-Seok muttered, tilting his head, watching Jiho stand like something had gone terribly wrong.
'Activate Rage Mode,' Jiho commanded silently.
His body ignited—violent, unholy flames tinged with red engulfing him. Skin melted from his lips, his eyelids, his cheeks. Flesh peeled away in sheets, revealing blood-slick muscle beneath.
But his body didn't dissolve.
The flesh remained—charred, seared, and grotesquely clinging to him.
It wasn't disintegration.
It was mutation.
Like a…
"ZOMBIE…!" Joon-Seok shouted, his voice cracking.
"̶̳̻̦̓G̸̭̙̦̓͊R̵̡̖̥̝̔̓̈́̂.̶̢̟̞̙͋́͌R̵͓͐.̴͈̠̈̀.̷̺̪͙̟̎.̵̤̚.̶̮̙̱̄̀̚.̴̣͒R̶̙̫͚͑̈́͗͂.̵͙͔̳̦̽Ŕ̴̨̝̰.̷͕̥̼̜̈.̵̭̅̄.̵̘̠̈́̋̋.̶̼̣͖͊̐̕"̷̗̻̲͒͂͠͝
Jiho growled—more static than sound—as the last fragments of skin fell to the floor.
Across the room, Jiho's mother clamped her hands over her mouth, eyes wide, her breath caught in her throat.
Jang, barely conscious, turned his head. Through the blur of blood and haze, he saw Jiho—ablaze, skeletal, barely human.
His lips trembled.
'...Twink... You used Rage Mode… here…?'
A single tear slipped down his cheek.
'That's… so badass.'
"Kill…" Jang wheezed. "Him… t...wink…"
[IMAGE]
Jiho snarled through what remained of his teeth, voice fractured and distorted—no longer his own—as his burning eyes locked onto Joon-Seok.
It was then—
—for the first time in his life...
Joon-Seok felt fear.
"SKILL!" he shouted, instincts firing. His high Perception screamed at him—you won't survive unless you act now.
"BLOOD BARRIER!"
A crimson dome surged around him and Jiho's mother, pulsing with power.
[NO ONE CAN BREAK THIS SHIELD FOR AT LEAST 1 MINUTE—]
Glass shattered.
Jiho's flaming fist punched straight through the barrier——and clamped around Joon-Seok's throat like a vice.
A message flickered before Jiho's eyes:
[YOUR STRENGTH HAS SURPASSED 100.]
[ALL PHYSICAL ATTACKS ARE NOW GUARANTEED TO HIT.]
"Shit… Get… GET AWAY FROM ME!!!" Joon-Seok screamed, his skin searing as Jiho's flames licked across his body.
[IMAGE]
Jiho didn't move.
His burning eyes locked on Joon-Seok, who flailed—striking, kicking, thrashing——but couldn't escape.
Jiho's voice cracked through the distortion, barely recognizable:
"̶̗̙̞̼̓̓͛.̴̳̮̓̉.̸̡̛̹͉̙̎͛.̵͉͚̣̃̈́͘͝.̴̦̲̰̈́̓"̶̵̵̢͕̥͙̩̰̜̣̘͇̙̺̓̄̑̑̓̔̊̇͂͠͝"̴̖̓Ĩ̵̩̬̑ͅ ̷̰̫͓̥̽̂̓͊Ạ̷̡̱̎̂M̶̱̦̂̂ ̴̫̯́̇͂̿ͅS̶̖͙̼̓̓̔̈́O̸̖̾Ŕ̵̙͖̭̙͑Ŗ̸̘̿͘̕Y̶̡͑,̴̫͔̕ ̸͕̳̏M̴͖̫̤̊O̴̬̫̬͆͝M̷͈̓͐̃.̵͈̳̠͂̌̃̃"̵̶̴̡̢̛̬̺̥̤̰̤͔̹̼̉̋͊̂̓̎̃̓̒͠"̴̨̧͓́̒̾̈́.̵̪̥̤̒̊͘.̵̻̫̝̐͜.̵̨̑̇͋̂ ̷̹͖͛ͅI̸͈̺̱͚̽̆ ̵̙̝̰̳͒̇̈͐W̵̖̓̔̊͠Ï̵̤͖̥L̷̹̣̣̣͐́́̊L̷̡̺̈ ̷͚̦͈̜̃͂̕͝K̶̖̖̞̞̓̏I̸̩͎̓̑̕L̷̹̉̃L̷̳͆̉͆ ̴͎̌H̷͍̤̭̋ͅÍ̸̝͖M̸͓̖̏̀̓̊ ̴͉͋̾̿Ŝ̵̹̞̔͊L̵̨̖̐O̶̱͕͝ͅẆ̵̺̓͝L̴͔̫̜̟͌Y̵͓̦̤̻̏̊.̸̨̮̏"̴͕͓̚
Ji-Yeon gasped.
Jiho was suspended midair, clutching Joon-Seok by the throat like a demon reborn.
Joon-Seok flailed helplessly, his fists pounding against Jiho's burning body—useless. Hopeless.
Ji-Yeon's legs buckled beneath her as she looked down, tears cascading freely down her face.
"Just…" she whispered, voice trembling.
Jiho turned to her, his flaming body a smoldering ruin—but his eyes, somehow, still recognized her.
"Come back to me after that… okay?" she asked, her voice cracking, eyes pleading through the tears.
He stared at her for a long, burning second.
"̷.̵.̵.̴.̷.̶"̶"̴A̵L̵W̶A̸Y̵S̴.̷.̴.̷"̶
Ji-Yeon let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding.
Crying, smiling, breaking—
"I'm so happy..." she whispered.
Jiho looked back at Joon-Seok.
He gripped his trembling hand—and then his fingers.
"̸͍͆͝Ţ̶̙́̓h̶͐ͅr̶̝̟͐̓o̶̪̩̓̀ú̵̫̇g̸̦̹̿h̶͉̃ ̸̝͝t̵̬̉̍h̴̳͐e̶̩͓͒s̵͉͛̀e̸̦̝͗ ̶̧̀͒̓p̴̟̣̌a̸̢̜̅̔l̴̡̬̈́ṃ̸̛͇̏s̴͖̑,̸̟̠̃ ̸͖̰̽y̴̗̩͂o̶̲̹̓͗u̶̯̍ ̵̧͚̿d̸̊ͅa̸̢̝̓r̷̬͍̓ë̶́ͅd̸̘͊̾ ̵̢̨͝t̸͉̯̊h̴̬̀͋r̵̖̾e̸͇͈̊a̶̮͊t̷͙̞̃e̷͍̔ṉ̴̥̔͗ ̴̙̦̚ẖ̴̨̈́e̶̢̹̕r̸̻͔̐͝.̴̻̔"
He snarled, slowly curling Joon-Seok's index finger back until—
POP.
"̷A̵n̵d̵ ̴t̷h̶r̸o̷u̸g̶h̴ ̶t̸h̶i̵s̴ ̷p̷a̷l̵m̸,̸ ̴y̴o̸u̸ ̶s̷h̴a̴l̶l̸ ̷f̶e̷e̶l̸ ̴t̵h̶e̷ ̵c̷o̸n̴s̸e̶q̴u̷e̴n̸c̴e̶s̸.̷.̴.̴"
Jiho's burning hand gripped Joon-Seok's throat tighter, flames now searing the skin directly into his flesh. Joon-Seok howled—
"GRAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!"
Tendons snapped. Muscle tore.
The exposed flesh hissed under the flames as Jiho's palm pressed harder.
"̷Y̸o̶u̷ ̷s̴o̴u̶g̸h̶t̵ ̷t̴o̷ ̶s̸u̷l̷l̷y̶ ̸h̶e̴r̵ ̵d̷i̶g̷n̷i̶t̸y̷.̶.̸.̵ ̴T̷H̶R̶O̸U̴G̶H̶ ̴T̴H̶I̷S̷ ̷O̶R̷G̶A̵N̴.̴"
Jiho's free hand dropped to Joon-Seok's crotch. His eyes widened in disbelief.
Then—grip.
A breathless scream tore out of him, more raw than before.
Flames bit into sensitive tissue. Nerves caught fire. His body twitched uncontrollably.
"̷T̶h̵r̴o̷u̷g̵h̴ ̶T̶H̶I̸S̶ ̸Y̶O̶U̶ ̴S̷H̵A̷L̶L̵ ̸F̵E̷E̸L̸ ̵M̴Y̷ ̶P̸L̸E̵A̸S̷U̴R̵E̵.̶"
Joon-Seok screamed again—shrill, high-pitched, choking as his vision blurred.
His head tilted back. The fire had reached his gut.
Jang stared through the blood and haze, crying.
"Yes... yes... haha..."
His laughter choked through tears. "Kill him… kill him… Aah…"
He sobbed. He saw the face of his dog.
Below them, flesh cracked. A charred stump remained.
Joon-Seok's crotch was gone. His body trembled violently—shock overtaking his system.
"̴A̴n̵d̴ ̸t̸h̵r̷o̴u̸g̴h̸ ̷t̵h̸i̴s̷ ̸o̵t̷h̴e̸r̷ ̶f̸i̵s̵t̴.̷.̸.̴"
Jiho raised his flaming hand again—ready to strike.
But then—a sob.
His burning eyes turned.
His mother, Ji-Yeon, was still sitting there.
Sobbing. Frozen. Watching.
Jiho paused. He looked down at Joon-Seok's charred body—unconscious. Barely alive.
Quietly, without a word, Jiho twisted his wrist—
SNAP.
The neck cracked.
Joon-Seok died.