A loud click! echoed in the still morning air as Jinah locked the apartment door behind her, moving with the delicate precision of someone trying not to wake a bear—or in this case, her usually nocturnal, grumpy brother. She took a moment to admire the sunrise blazing over the city skyline, a confident smirk tugging at her lips.
Today was the day.
Her new phone—a sleek, ultra-luxury model with more features than a spaceship—rested proudly in her bag. She could already hear the stunned gasps of her classmates, especially those who used to snicker at her outdated model that struggled to open even a weather app without freezing.
"Let's see them laugh now," she thought, pumping a fist in silent triumph.
Before leaving, she had woken early, as usual, to make breakfast and lunch. She packed her tiffin neatly and set aside an extra box for her brother, placing it on the kitchen counter along with a handwritten note:
> "Eat well or I'll cry. – The Cutest Sister Ever™"
P.S. Don't burn the kitchen down reheating this. Also, buy me ice cream later.
With a mischievous smile, Jinah pulled her hoodie up and made her way toward the bus stop, humming a cheerful tune. But as she walked down the familiar road, she came to a sudden halt.
There, running smoothly along the sidewalk, was a tall, muscular man in a tight black shirt and athletic pants. His hair, tousled by the wind, gleamed with sweat. His face was chiseled, his gait confident and balanced like a martial artist.
Jinah blinked.
Then blinked again.
"Wait… is that… no… no way."
As the man slowed his run and came closer, she got a better look. Her jaw dropped.
"Morning, Jinah," said Jinwoo casually, as if it were totally normal for him to be up before 10 a.m. and looking like a Calvin Klein model post-sparring session.
Jinah nearly tripped over her own shadow. "What… how… are you awake before me?! Who are you and what have you done with my brother!?"
Jinwoo smirked. "Oh, you know. Early bird gets the dungeon loot."
She stared at him like he'd just walked out of a portal. "This is the eighth wonder of the world."
"Be nice or I'll eat your tiffin too," he teased, tapping the lunch bag in his hand that she'd packed.
She gasped dramatically. "You found it?"
"I find everything. Assassin perks."
"…What?"
"Nothing."
They chatted briefly before Jinah hurried off toward school, occasionally glancing over her shoulder like she still couldn't believe the transformation. Meanwhile, Jinwoo jogged the last few steps home and pulled up his system window.
---
[Daily Quest: Prepare to Become Stronger!
100 Push-ups: 100/100
100 Sit-ups: 100/100
100 Squats: 100/100
10 km Running: 9.98/10 km
Status: 99% Complete]
[Complete it or face the Penalty Zone.]
He raised a brow and shook his head, chuckling. "Again, huh?"
[SYSTEM]: Honestly, I've stopped being surprised. You've turned the Penalty Zones into your personal hunting grounds. It's criminal, really.
[SYSTEM]: At this point, I'm convinced you prefer getting punished. Masochist assassin confirmed.
"Not punishment," Jinwoo muttered, finishing the last 20 meters of his run with ease. "Efficient resource farming."
[SYSTEM]: You use the Penalty Zone like a Costco. Just walk in, slay a few monsters, pick up meat, loot, a few thousand mana stones, and dip. You even bring your own bags.
"And don't forget the mileage bonus," he added smugly.
[SYSTEM]: You're insane. And somehow I'm stuck being your glorified sidekick. I used to be feared. Respected. Revered!
Jinwoo shrugged. "Now you're my punchline. You've been downgraded."
[SYSTEM]: Whimpering binary noises
[Note: The System is currently coping. Please wait...]
He walked into the apartment, tossed his jacket on the hook, and headed straight to the kitchen. The note from Jinah made him pause, a rare warmth blooming in his chest. He gently picked it up, rereading her message with a small, genuine smile tugging at his lips.
"Eat well or I'll cry…"
He chuckled softly. "You're cute little Sissy."
A buzz from his phone snapped him back.
[Message: Johee] Good morning! I'm feeling better today. Thought about our talk. I might try out a small raid u agreed to take me on. No pressure, just… felt like telling you. Thanks, Jinwoo... And Love You...!]
His fingers hovered before he typed back:
Glad to hear that. You're stronger than you think, Johee. Take it at your pace. I've got your back—always.Love U.....
He placed the phone down, the moment lingering. The man who once lived in shadows and blood now felt something unfamiliar stirring in him- Emotions.
Not bad for a devil in disguise.
Suddenly, a notification chimed.
[System Notice: Shadow Corps - Deployment Duration Expired. All constructs successfully withdrawn.]
Jinwoo exhaled, stretching his arms. The Corps—shadow labor constructs he'd purchased from the store originated from Jackie Chan Adventures universe—had been building out his secret underground lab for a day now. They weren't true undead or manifestations of death. Just loyal, silent workhorses. Still, seeing them withdraw left a vacuum in his aura.
"I want more," he whispered. "The real thing. The dominion over shadows... not these constructs."
[SYSTEM]: Tsk. Greedy bastard. Can't even wait to become Death's middle manager, huh?
"I'm not interested in being middle anything. I want the throne."
[SYSTEM]: Bold words, but hey—your levels back you up.
Jinwoo's eyes gleamed. "Level 27."
[SYSTEM]: You do remember what happens at 40, right?
"Job Change Quest." Jinwoo smiled. "But that was in the original world—this one's different. No Architect watching. No chains around my growth."
[SYSTEM]: So what, you think your 'devil' aura will trigger the quest early?
"Not just that. I've changed everything. My battle style, my powers, my mindset. You and I both know this system isn't what it used to be. Gacha's taken over, baby."
[SYSTEM]: Ugh. Don't remind me. That guy's worse than you. He's chaotic. He eats data. He made me wear purple.
"Look on the bright side." Jinwoo flexed. "You're now part of the strongest cheat in any reality."
[SYSTEM]: I miss the Architect. At least he paid for therapy.
Jinwoo walked over to the mirror, cracking his neck and grinning at his reflection.
The Devil was wide awake. And hungry.
--------
Jinwoo stood in his room, towel slung across his neck, muscles still humming with residual heat from the morning workout. The city outside had fully awakened, but he wasn't done with his plans just yet.
He walked over to the back corner of his room where an old K-pop poster hung—an ironic leftover Jinah refused to let him tear down. With a faint smirk, he reached forward and slid his hand behind the poster, pressing against a small hole in the wall. His fingers lit up in a soft golden flame before his entire body shimmered and phased through the wall like a ghost made of fire.
Fwoosh!
Just like that, he vanished.
On the other side, a metal-lined tunnel greeted him with glowing lights and smooth, curved walls.
His secret entry point.
One of many, really, but this one connected directly to their home. It was built with a singular purpose: if anything ever happened to him while he was stuck in a dungeon or an entirely different world, Jinah would have a hidden safe zone with every fail-safe in place.
He had made sure of it.
As his boots echoed softly along the floor, a voice chimed in overhead with that smooth, confident sass that had become familiar over the last few days.
[Aria]: Well, well, well… Look who finally decided to grace us with his flaming entrance. Good morning, Jinwoo. Or should I say, Boss Inferno of Awesomeness?
"Just Jinwoo is fine," he said with a slight grin. "Report."
[Aria]: Hmph. No 'hi Aria, you're the best AI in the multiverse, I love your voice and analytical supremacy'? Fine. Be that way. You'll start missing me soon.
"Aria."
**[Aria]: Alright, alright. Project Abyssal Core is currently at 89% total integration. Base construction complete. Energy grid stabilized. Internet data access synced and running at 99.98% capacity. Also, I rewired your entire cyber-security system with something so good even the NSA would cry in shame. You're welcome."
Jinwoo raised an eyebrow, impressed despite himself. "And the emergency trigger?"
[Aria]: Active and waiting. Any unique mana signature breaching this residence or any panic-phrase from Jinah will activate full lockdown, system override, and trigger teleport recall if you're inside any dimensional rift I can reach. Oh—and yes, it works from this world and the next. Because I'm amazing.
He nodded approvingly. "Show me the new layout."
The hallway lights flickered blue as Aria activated the base's smart lighting and opened the security gates. She guided him through the updated base with pride in her tone.
[Aria]: Section A—living quarters and rest chambers, in case you get tired of looking broody.
Section B—training area, now equipped with mana-reactive dummies. You're welcome. Section C—artifact vault, magically shielded and system encrypted.
Section D—lab and fusion chamber. You'll like that one.
"And the important part?"
They stopped in front of a sealed titanium door that slid open with a hiss, revealing a massive domed chamber pulsing with light. At the center floated a spinning holographic globe, dotted with red, blue, and gold lights.
**[Aria]: Welcome to the Monitoring Room. High-density mana scans are now active across The world specifically, Korea, Japan, Russia, and—by your order—UK. Each ping marks a gate forming or increasing in pressure. The gold ones? Potential S-Rank anomalies. Want to zoom in?"
Jinwoo stepped forward, eyes gleaming. "Hell yes."
As he began rotating the globe with a flick of his hand, a familiar voice buzzed in his ear like a grumpy ghost from an old horror flick.
[SYSTEM]: Oh wow. Look at that. The assassin turned strategist. How precious. What's next? Building Iron legion in the garage?
[SYSTEM]: I'll give credit though. That AI's got flair. Not nearly as legendary as me, but she's got style.
Jinwoo smirked. "Jealous?"
**[SYSTEM]: Of a snarky glorified search engine with no knowledge of my existence? Please. I'm the original cheat code, baby. She's just a well-decorated Alexa."
"I think she'd kill you for that."
**[SYSTEM]: And fail. Gloriously. I'd delete her code with a chuckle."
Unknown to both, Aria had no idea about the System's presence.
**[Aria]: Something amusing, Jinwoo?"
"Just arguing with the voices in my head."
**[Aria]: If they tell you to burn things, tell them they're late to the party."
Jinwoo chuckled, eyes still scanning the globe. Gates were rising—fast. And with the Architect's grip severed, reality itself was shifting.
He exhaled slowly, his tone turning serious.
"The world's about to change."
**[SYSTEM]: And you're planning to stand at the center of it, aren't you? You lunatic."
-------
Author's Note:
Hey Folks!
Thanks for sticking through Chapter 22—this one was packed with banter, emotional beats, and a peek behind the curtain of Jinwoo's evolving power and growing ambitions. We're starting to see the full shape of what "The Devil" looks like when he's not just surviving, but planning, building, controlling. With the Penalty Zones now loot runs and the Shadow Corps replaced with high-tech flair, it's safe to say we're way past the original script.
Johee's healing, Jinah's glowing, and Aria… well, Aria's being Aria. And the System? Still salty, still hilarious.
Next chapter, we dive deeper into the supernatural shake-ups, new players entering the scene, and the long-awaited first real signs of shadow power. Things are about to escalate. Big time.
As always, thanks for reading. Your feedback, theories, and hype fuel this journey.
— Stay sharp, stay chaotic.----Your Missing Author..