Chapter 30: Revelations and New Strength

Ji-hoon stood up, surprising Soo Won with his sudden movement. She couldn't believe her eyes – they had seen the extent of his injuries, and there was no way he could have healed so quickly in less than a day.

"Let's go and meet the others. I have something important to tell all of you" Ji-hoon said, determination evident in his voice.

Soo Won could only stare in shock as he led them out of the room. She couldn't shake off the feeling of disbelief at Ji-hoon's sudden recovery. It seemed impossible, yet here he was, walking alongside her as if he hadn't been injured at all. The questions swirled in her mind, but she decided to wait until they were with the others before seeking answers.

As they approached where the others were gathered, they could see the sad looks on their faces, which quickly turned to shock as Ji-hoon came into their sight. Soo Won had told them about Min-jae's fate, and they were clearly not expecting to see Ji-hoon up and about so soon.

Their expressions shifted from sorrow to bewilderment as Ji-hoon entered the room, seemingly healed from his injuries in a miraculously short time. Soo Won could sense the questions bubbling up in their minds as they exchanged glances, searching for an explanation.

"When did you wake up? Wait, why are you not in bed? How are you even walking already? Are you okay? " So Mi was the one to ask the questions on everyone's mind as the bombarded him with them.

"So Mi, calm down," Mr. Park interjected, trying to maintain order amidst the barrage of questions. "Let Ji-hoon answer one at a time."

Ji-hoon took a deep breath, trying to gather his thoughts before responding. "I woke up not too long ago, and I'm feeling much better, I feel better than before infact. And yes, I'm okay, thanks to all of you."

His answers only served to confuse them further as they all exchanged puzzled glances, clearly struggling to comprehend the sudden turn of events.

"How is that even possible?" Mr. Park asked. "We saw your injuries, there's no way you're already healed."

"I guess I must have been roughed up really bad then" Ji-hoon replied with a shrug. "Well, there's a reason I'm already healed anyways, and that's what I want to explain now."

They all stared at him in silence as he took his seat and they waited for his explanation.

"So first, did anyone ever read novels or stories before this all began?, like webnovels?" Ji-hoon asked trying to find a way to explain.

Ji-hoon noticed Soo Won nodding, indicating she was the only one familiar with the concept. "Well, that will make it easier for Soo Won to understand then. For everyone else, imagine the concept of a game system, where a character can level up, has stats, and gains abilities." He paused, observing their reactions, and could already see a look of shock on Soo Won's face.

"You can't possibly mean ....you have a system right?" Soo Won asked, her voice laced with disbelief.

Ji-hoon nodded "Exactly. It seems that way. I woke up to find a system interface in front of me, showing my stats, abilities, and even titles. That's why I'm completely healed now"

"Wait, Ji-hoon can now level up like a game character?" So Mi asked struggling to process this revelation just like the others.

"Yes, that's what I mean. And it seems like, its not just me, it seems like every human on the planet had a chance of unlocking the system as well as long as they meet the requirements." Ji-hoon answered.

The gravity of Ji-hoon's words sank in as the group absorbed the implications. The thought was both thrilling and unnerving, adding another layer of complexity to their already tumultuous lives in this post-apocalyptic world.

"So, what exactly do you mean by requirements?" Mr. Park interjected, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Well, I received a notification stating that I met the requirements for integration before gaining access to my system, right after I killed the monster we faced earlier" Ji-hoon explained.

"So we have to kill a monster like that as well?" Min-ji interjected, seeking clarification.

"Not exactly" Ji-hoon clarified, "the system mentioned that it was a special infected, so I believe the requirement is to kill any special infected, not that monster in particular."

"Wait, that was a special infected?" Soo Won asked, her eyebrows furrowing in concern. "Weren't special infected just smarter and stronger infected?"

Ji-hoon nodded. "Yes, but it seems this one was more than just that. That was what the system said anyways." he explained.

Mr. Park looked intrigued. "You said that you received a notification from the system, could you show us how it looks?" he asked.

Ji-hoon nodded and focused his mind, bringing up the system interface in front of him. However, to his surprise, the others couldn't see the screen, despite his efforts to show it to them.

"It seems like only I can see it," Ji-hoon explained, slightly disappointed. "But I can read out the notifications for you if you'd like."

The others exchanged puzzled glances, clearly unsure of what to make of Ji-hoon's claims. They seemed skeptical, but Ji-hoon was determined to prove the existence of the system to them. He began by explaining everything that had been in the notifications, including his tier advancement and his title gain.

"So, you're saying, you are now superhuman?" Mr. Park asked skeptically.

"Most likely. That should be enough to prove the existence of the system to all of you, right?" Ji-hoon responded, hoping to convince them and they nodded in affirmation.

Clearing a space around him, they decided to test out all his physical stats. If the system was real, then he should be better than a human in every stat now.

Ji-hoon walked to a nearby door, intending to test his physical strength first. He decided to hold back his strength after all, he wasn't sure how strong he was and he wouldn't want to overdo it because he's too strong. Using about half the strength he could muster, he punched the door and before they knew what was happening, the metal door flew off its hinges and hit a wall before it came to a stop.

They all stared in shock including Ji-hoon at this. The amount of strength that would be needed to punch a metal door flying was something a normal human couldn't possibly muster especially with a punch.

The others didn't know that, Ji-hoon had only used about half his strength but Ji-hoon knew that so he was even more shocked that they were. If this was the strength of a 1 strength stat Tier one, then how strong could he get with 10 stats in strength or even 100, what about a Tier 2 or 3 then. How far would the tiers even go.

Ji-hoon's realization about his newfound strength left him contemplating the potential of the system and what it could mean for his capabilities in the future. The prospect of increasing his stats to higher levels and advancing to higher tiers filled him with both excitement and apprehension. If he was already this powerful at tier one, the possibilities for further enhancement were staggering.

"Damn, that was crazy" Mr Park was the first to talk still shocked by what he had seen "Let's test out other things then" he said, getting excited about the prospect of a system and what this could mean for all of them and the entire world infact.

The others agreed with Mr Park and Ji-hoon decided to check out his reaction speed next. There were not a lot of things they could test inside the room except they went out so they decided that since this was just a test. They didn't have to check out everything now.

Ji-hoon walked to the middle of the room and Mr Park went to one end of the room holding a couple of things to throw towards him while Soo Won went to another end. They asked if Ji-hoon was ready and simultaneously threw one of the things they were each holding.

To Ji-hoon, it felt like they were moving in slow motion when he really tried to concentrate on them, it felt like it took an eternity for the them to actually let go of what they were throwing and it felt even slower for the things to reach him so it was really easy for him to dodge both of them.

He decided to test himself by catching both the objects thrown at him from his front and back. Just when it seemed like the objects were about to touch him, to the others, Ji-hoon suddenly blurred and before they knew what was happening, he had the two objects in his hand.

Ji-hoon's companions stared at him in astonishment, their mouths agape as they processed what they had just witnessed. So Mi was the first to recover, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Ji-hoon, how did you... how is this even possible?" she stammered.

Ji-hoon gave them a reassuring smile. "I know it's hard to believe, but it seems like this system has granted me these abilities. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it myself," he admitted. "But for now, I think we need to focus on understanding this system and how we can use it to our advantage."

The others nodded, still reeling from the demonstration of Ji-hoon's newfound powers. They all began to anticipate what would happen after they all unlocked the system. They would no longer need to run away from the infected and be afraid for their survival everyday.