Jin waited.
And waited.
Still, no response.
No voice. No pop-up. No sarcastic remark from A.
"Tch. Must be taking his sweet time. What's that smug bastard thinking about now?"
With nothing to do, Jin heard faint sounds coming from the living room.
Cartoon voices. Music. Laughter.
He got up and wandered with a tired face.
sometimes in this new life, everything felt like a simulation—like he was watching it unfold through a tinted screen. He wasn't in it, not really. More like… playing through someone else's save file.
like all of this feel unreal .
He leaned on the doorframe.
"Ki-chan, what are you watching?"
Ki turned to him instantly, her eyes lighting up with excitement.
"It's Doraemon! Nobita got a shrinking ray and now he's in trouble again!"
"Classic Nobita," Jin said with a small smile. "Hmm… what would you do if you had a shrinking ray?"
Ki tapped her chin, then grinned.
"Hmm… I'd shrink you down! Then we could go to the playground together!"
Jin chuckled dryly.
"Oi, I'm old, you know. You should make friends your own age and play with them instead."
At that, Ki's smile faltered. She looked down, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt.
"…I want to. But they don't want to play with me. They say I'm poor. That my bag and shoes are old-fashioned."
Jin's gaze softened slightly.
He remembered.
She went to one of those prestigious schools—the kind filled with polished uniforms and kids who never had to look at price tags.
Her father, Uncle Muten Okami, was doing everything he could. Multiple jobs. Running on fumes. Last Jin heard, there was debt too.
"Alright then," Jin . "How about this—we play some RPG here, just until your dad comes home?"
Ki's head shot up. "Really?!"
"Yeah."
As he turned to grab the game controller, a loud rumble echoed in the room.
He paused.
Then slowly looked back.
Ki stood frozen, cheeks flushed pink, hands clutched over her stomach. She laughed nervously.
"…Sorry."
Jin raised an eyebrow, but his expression stayed deadpan.
"Okay. RPG later. First, I make ramen."
===
Ki had gone home after their little RPG session.
The apartment was quiet now. Dim. Still.
The clock read 11:00 p.m.
And still—nothing from A.
"That bastard's really taking his time," Jin muttered, lounging on the bed with one hand behind his head. "What's he even planning to give me?"
A familiar pop echoed in his ears.
A: "Hello~! Missing me again?"
Jin: "This mother— I swear…"
A: "You swear what? Hmm? Scared I'll screw you over?"
Jin: "…This can't be a recording."
A: "It is a recording."
Jin narrowed his eyes at the glowing interface, expression deadpan.
A: "You must be thinking, 'How?'
Of course you are. How could a little ant like you ever guess how someone like me behaves or thinks?"
Jin: "Well, I wasn't really thinking that far ahead… Scoff."
A: "Or maybe you weren't thinking at all."
Jin stared at the interface,not speaking.
A: "Alright, alright. Here's your result:
You got [TAE-SIK CHA] from The Man from Nowhere. Congrats."
The screen pulsed briefly, confirming the template.
A: "Here's how it works.
You say 'Status,' and a pop-up will appear. It'll show your current progress. You'll unlock the next template once you hit 95% on this one."
A: "Now, why 95%? Good question—allow me to rant."
A: "Take Tae-sik Cha, for example. A natural-born killer—or at least, shaped into one.
When he fights seriously, he doesn't hold back. He kills."
A: "That final 5%? It's all that intent. That instinct. That edge.
If you're someone with a 'no-kill' rule like Batman, or just some normie who wants power to protect others… you'll never reach it for tae-sik template."
A: "It's a trade-off. To keep your moral compass, you sacrifice full assimilation.
The system respects choice."
A brief pause.
A: "There's more to it, of course.
Like how human behavior could regress the progress bar… but we're not talking about that tonight."
A: "Sayonara.
And hopefully, I won't have to talk to you again for a while."
The pop-up window flickered once more… then vanished.
Silence returned.
Jin blinked.
"…Didn't feel any different."
He sat up and muttered, "Status."
========
TEMPLATE:
[TAE-SIK CHA] — 0%
========
Jin scoffed.
"This system is barebones. The most basic of basic.
No tutorials. No fancy HUD. Just raw progress tracking."
He leaned back, thoughtful.
"So… how do I increase the percentage?"
He tapped his chin.
"Maybe I should start running from tomorrow.
Build a stronger body. Practice martial arts. Move toward the kind of skillset Tae-sik had."
His gaze shifted back to the floating screen.
========
TEMPLATE:
[TAE-SIK CHA] — 1%
========
"Huh. Looks like I'm on the right track."
"So it's experiential.
The more I train, fight, and live like him, the more I sync."
He reached over and turned off the bedside lamp.
Darkness settled in.
With one last glance at the empty ceiling, Jin closed his eyes and drifted off.