Reality Quest: Questism

The first few days were brutal.

I stuck to the simple strategy, push myself to the absolute limit, eat a Healing Bean, repeat. It was a cycle of pain and relief, a constant back and forth between breaking myself and being restored like nothing had ever happened.

The basics, sets of push ups until I couldn't actually push anymore, even doing drop sets by doing push ups with my knees. I did squats until I physically couldn't get up off the floor. Healing bean. I started punching the wooden post outside in my garden, my knuckles cracked, bled. I think I broke a finger once. Healing bean.

At first, it felt like cheating. My muscles burned, my body screamed, but the second the Bean kicked in, I was back to square one, like none of it even mattered. It was kind of addictive in a way—no soreness, no downtime, just pure, uninterrupted gains. It helped that the pain didn't even feel real with how it disappeared instantly.

And yet… something felt off.

I wasn't an idiot. I knew grinding like this was effective, but was it efficient? If people in this world could reach the level of punching through concrete and shredding through steel, then surely there was a smarter way to train than just throwing myself at a wall and hoping I broke through it.

So I did what any rational person would do… I Googled it.

I really should've expected all the dumb responses.

"Just lift bro."

"Do push-ups every day."

"Train like Goku fr."

Right. Thanks, internet. Super helpful.

Still, I kept scrolling, and after diving deep into some forums, I realized something even weirder; people here really did get stronger just by doing basic workouts. Like, insanely stronger. Some guy in the comments was talking about how his uncle could break bricks with his bare hands after just a year of training as an MMA fighter. Another guy swore his cousin punched someone through a car after hitting the gym for a few years. And no one even cared!

That was not how human biology worked.

...Or, at least, not how it should've worked.

Frustrated, I shut my laptop and rubbed my face. There was only one person I could think of who might have an actual answer to this.

I needed to find Jihan.

***

Jihan sighed, crossing his arms as he leaned back in his chair. We were at some small café near school, sitting across from each other. He was stirring his coffee absentmindedly, giving me that look… the one that said he was seriously reconsidering being my friend.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Dowan."

"Look, I know it's not the best way, alright? That's why I'm asking you. You know all this training stuff, don't you?"

"Yeah, but I thought you'd have some common sense." He let out another sigh, then frowned slightly. "Why are you even doing this, anyway?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean," he gestured vaguely at me, "you're just suddenly trying to get stronger out of nowhere. You're getting into fights left and right. You're throwing yourself into this without even knowing what you're doing. Why?"

I hesitated.

I could tell him the truth.

That I needed to be strong because I knew damn well that just talking wasn't going to get me anywhere. That the only way to get answers. The only way to figure out what was actually going on… was to fight my way to them.

But saying all that out loud just sounded… crazy.

So I shrugged. "I just think it's necessary."

Jihan studied me for a long moment, then exhaled. "…Alright. If you're serious about this, I'll help you."

"Really?"

"Yeah. But not like that," he said, pointing at me. "That's not training, that's just self-destruction with extra steps."

"Harsh," I muttered. 

He ignored me. "The way I see it, you've got two options. First, you could get a gym membership and follow a structured program. Strength training, endurance, technique… actual, proper training. Second, you could go full caveman and just start lifting heavy stuff at home."

I frowned. "Don't have any equipment at home."

"Exactly. Which is why there's a third option."

Jihan took a sip of his coffee before saying casually, "You could train at my place."

I blinked. "…Huh?"

"My house," he repeated. "I have a home gym. You can use it."

That was when I remembered… Jihan was loaded. I didn't know all the details, but I knew his family was stupidly rich. The guy basically lived in a mansion, and since his dad wasn't around and his mom was still in the hospital, the only other person there was the housekeeper.

"Are you serious?" I asked.

Jihan shrugged. "Yeah. You need equipment, I have equipment. It's not a big deal."

"…Damn. Must be nice being rich."

"I mean, my mom's in the hospital, so."

"…Damn."

We sat there in awkward silence for a second before I cleared my throat. "Anyway. You sure you're okay with this? Letting me use your place?"

Jihan rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't okay with it. Just don't break anything."

"Can't make any promises."

"Dowan."

"Fine, fine."

Jihan shook his head, muttering something under his breath before finishing the rest of his coffee. "Come over after tomorrow. I'll text you the address."

"Got it."

I leaned back in my chair, grinning. This was way better than my original plan.

Later that night, as I was lying in bed, my phone buzzed.

[Mom]: Dowan.

[Mom]: Why is there a sudden charge for 200,000 won on your card?

[Mom]: What are you up to?

I winced.

…Okay. Maybe going on a mini shopping spree for workout clothes and protein powder was a bit much.

[Me]: Uh. Just getting some exercise.

[Mom]: Exercise?

[Me]: Yeah. Trying to get in shape.

[Mom]: …Are you in trouble?

I sighed. She really knew me too well.

[Me]: No, Mom. I'm fine. Just trying something new.

There was a pause. Then—

[Mom]: Alright. Don't overdo it.

[Mom]: And call me soon, okay?

I exhaled, staring at my screen for a second before replying.

[Me]: Yeah. Will do.

I tossed my phone onto my nightstand and closed my eyes.

***

Jihan's house was insane.

I'd always known he was rich, but standing in front of the massive two-story mansion really put things into perspective. The front yard alone was the size of a small park, with an actual stone pathway leading to the entrance. The place had high walls, security cameras, and a sleek, modern design that looked like something out of a magazine.

And apparently, Jihan's entire bedroom was the second floor.

Yeah. Must be nice being rich.

The only other person in the house was the housekeeper, who had seemed way too happy at me being there. Apparently Jihan hadn't brought anyone over for a while.

But I wasn't here to admire the interior design. I was here for the gym.

And holy shit.

It wasn't just a gym. It was a private gym, filled with state-of-the-art equipment. Treadmills, squat racks, dumbbells ranging from light to "how-does-a-human-lift-this," resistance machines, punching bags, medicine balls, even a boxing ring in the corner.

"…Damn," I muttered, staring. "You could open an actual gym with this."

Jihan shrugged. "My dad used to train a lot."

That was all he said.

I didn't pry.

I wanted to, because Jihan never talked about his dad, but the look on his face made it clear he didn't feel like explaining.

And then training started.

At first, it was simple. Follow Jihan's plan. Stick to the basics.

Jihan wasn't just throwing random workouts at me… he'd actually structured everything. Strength training, endurance drills, explosive power exercises. A mix of weightlifting, calisthenics, and combat-specific training. 

"You need a good foundation," he explained, setting up a barbell for me. "Doesn't matter how fast you recover if you don't have the right habits. My old teacher wouldn't let me start learning until I could recite that in my sleep."

So, I went all in.

Squats. Bench presses. Deadlifts. Pull-ups.

Weighted punches. Sandbag drills. Core training.

The goal wasn't just to get stronger… it was to get efficient. Every movement needed to have purpose. No wasted energy. No bad form. 

Jihan drilled that into me.

"Stop rushing," he'd say, fixing my stance. "You're not just trying to lift more… you're trying to lift right."

Easier said than done. Apparently it took a few weeks or even months for people to get used to the form and to start doing it naturally.

I thought I had a high pain tolerance. I'd fought people. Taken hits. But weight training was different. It wasn't a sharp pain… it was a deep, lingering ache, like my muscles were screaming at me.

The kind of soreness that made you reconsider your life choices.

But the Healing Beans changed everything.

I didn't have to wait for recovery. No muscle stiffness. No fatigue. The moment I ate a Bean, it was like I'd never trained at all.

Which meant… I could just keep going.

And that was where things got interesting because…

Where was the limit?

A single Bean could restore my body to peak condition no matter how much damage I'd taken. But what if I used two? Would it stack? Would I get stronger faster?

I wasn't about to chug a handful and hope for the best… that sounded like the start of a very stupid death. So, I started small.

I dropped two Beans in a cup of water and left them overnight.

The next morning, the water had a faint green tinge to it, like chlorophyll water. It didn't seem any different otherwise.

Experiment time.

I let a random delinquent punch me a few times… he was way too happy to help with that… until my ribs ached, my arms felt heavy, and I had a fresh collection of bruises. Then, I dipped a cloth into the infused water overnight and in the morning when all the water had been infused into the cloth, I pressed it against my skin.

The bruises lightened. Not completely, but noticeably.

I took a sip. Nothing. I took a mouthful. Nothing. I took another mouthful.

The pain vanished.

I stared down at the cup, heartbeat picking up.

So, ingestion was the key. Direct contact worked, but drinking it was way more effective.

I had an idea.

Every morning, I'd fill a bottle with Bean-infused water, letting the new Beans partially dissolve overnight. They didn't disappear immediately… seemed like they had around a week before they disappeared if they weren't used. The water stopped having an effect, at least from what I could tell, after I'd diluted it too much. 2 beans could only give the healing effect to one and nearly a quarter cups of water. Any more water and the effect was too diluted to be useful.

And just like that, I had a way to stretch the effects even further. I could replicate the healing beans effects 5 times a day.

More workouts in a day. More training done in a week than most people did in a month. Of course that didn't mean anything if the training wasn't effective but with Jihan's help… he'd made me a plan that he'd gotten from one of his old coaches or something… I was definitely seeing results. 

The weights I was using basically increased in weight every day, both for lifting and weighted punches. Jihan was mumbling to himself on the side as he wrote something down in notebook, muttering something about an Extraordinary Body. Weirdo.

I wasn't buff all of a sudden or anything… but there was noticeably more definition, noticeably a bit more full looking. Nothing that anyone else could see. Muscle needed to be built so I was eating a lot more… Jihan made sure to give me a post workout meal every single time even though I said not to. 

He just liked taking care of people I suppose.

And that's how the days went. I worked out twice a day at Jihan's house and then the other three times I hardened my knuckles and my fists. The wooden post had slowly become dented over the hours of my battering and I'd soon moved onto the next one. Calluses had formed faster than anything that should've happened

And just like that… the two weeks blinked by.

***

First day of the second year, Shinan High school. 

It was too hot for the blazer so I'd just slung it over my shoulder whilst walking through the basically empty school to get to my newest class. I needed to sleep.

The class number hadn't changed, just the room and the desks. I glanced at the class 3 seating chart, faintly smiling as I saw that Jihan was supposed to sit directly behind me.

I frowned as I noticed that someone else had come into school before even I had and then I nearly choked when I saw that grey hair peeking out from where he was sleeping at the desk. There's… no way right?

Peek at you.

Your Peek at You level is too low.

My stomach twisted. Too low?

That skill was Rank C now… I'd been grinding it for two weeks straight. And it still wasn't enough?

Yeah, that was definitely Han Eunsung.

The realization hit me at the same time he stirred.

His head lifted from his arms, eyes opening, no grogginess, no slow adjustment to the room. Just sharp, alert focus, like he hadn't been sleeping at all.

And then he stood.

Holy fuck.

It was one thing to know someone was tall, but it was another to feel it.

Han Eunsung wasn't just tall… he loomed.

His build was packed with the kind of power that wasn't for show, every inch of him balanced between coiled patience and absolute violence. His expression, neutral at first, shifted into something that made my instincts scream at me to move.

And then, finally, his lips curled into something that was unreadable.

"Hmm… come to think of it… maybe I should beat your ass right here."

Putting down my bag, I rolled up my right sleeve with deliberate ease. 

The air shifted as he took a step forward. His weight settled differently, shoulders relaxing, but not in a way that meant he was letting his guard down. No, this was something else.

Two weeks wasn't long, but I'd pushed myself to the breaking point every single day. My body had been torn apart, rebuilt, torn apart again. Again and again, until pain wasn't something I avoided anymore. It was just a fact of life.

I flexed my fingers. The adrenaline settled into my limbs, sharp but controlled.

"Oh yeah…?" My voice was steady.

I was going to find out what happened with my father.

And if that meant fighting the final boss right here?

I stepped forward, meeting his gaze head-on, unflinching.

"…Then try it."

[Name: Ha Dowan]

[Height: 178 cm]

[Weight: 75 kg]

[Strength: S+] up!

[Speed: SS-] up!

[Potential: ???]

[Intelligence: B]

[Endurance: S-] up!