LRAB Chapter 21 - 21: The Weight of Power
Chapter 21 - 21: The Weight of Power
Jin's gaze flicked over the screen.
???? [Would You Like to View the Current National Rankings?]
He hesitated.
Did it really matter?
He already knew he wasn't near the top.
Hell, he doubted he was even close.
But…
He exhaled through his nose and pressed [YES].
The interface flickered.
Then—
???? [National Ranking – Top 10]
1. Kang Tae-Won
2. Nam Kyung-Ho
3. Choi Hyun-Seok
4. Jung Hae-Rim
5. Shin Jae-Woo
6. Im Da-Yoon
7. Hwang Do-Yun
8. Seo Jun-Ho
9. Kim Young-Min
10. Baek Seong-Min
Jin's eyes locked onto the last name.
Baek Seong-Min.
His stomach clenched.
That name—he had seen it before.
Not in some underground fighting circuit.
Not on a list of decorated soldiers.
On the news.
Just a few days ago.
He swallowed.
He hadn't paid much attention to it at the time—just another headline in passing.
But now?
It came back in full detail.
"Baek Seong-Min – National Fugitive and Serial Killer Still at Large."
"Authorities Warn Citizens to Be Cautious – Suspect Considered Extremely Dangerous."
"Multiple Confirmed Killings. Suspected of More."
Jin's grip on his wrist tightened.
And now, just 24 hours after the system appeared—this guy was in the Top 10?
His eyes flicked to the names above.
None were familiar. But that didn't matter.
Because that meant—
Even a known, wanted murderer wasn't ranked high enough to be in the top five.
His pulse ticked up slightly.
What kind of people were above him?
He exhaled slowly, pushing that thought aside.
There was no point in worrying about the monsters he couldn't see.
Not when the one he could was bad enough.
His gaze drifted lower.
???? [Current Rank: 4,287]
Jin let out a dry breath.
"Figures."
He hadn't expected much, but seeing the number spelled it out clearly.
He wasn't strong.
Not compared to the people who really mattered.
Not compared to the ones at the top.
Not yet.
He clicked his tongue.
"...Close it."
The screen flickered out.
And for the first time since the system updated, a different kind of weight settled over him.
Then—
"Do you have any further questions?"
Jin blinked.
The system assistant was still floating nearby, its form flickering like static in the air.
He hadn't realized it was waiting.
Jin opened his mouth, then hesitated.
There were a dozen things he could ask.
About the rankings. About the people at the top. About what was coming next.
But the words that left his mouth were—
"...My potential stat."
The assistant flickered.
"Elaborate."
"You said it was an anomaly," Jin muttered. "Did you check it?"
A pause.
Then—
"I have."
Jin's stomach tensed.
"And?"
Another pause.
Then—
"It is real."
Jin's breath hitched slightly.
"Your potential is undefined. There is no upper limit."
A beat of silence.
Jin's fingers curled into his palm.
The assistant continued.
"This is not something I have encountered before."
Jin exhaled through his nose.
"...So even the system doesn't know what to do with it."
The assistant flickered one last time.
Then—
"This concludes the tutorial."
And just like that—it was gone.
Jin stared at the empty space where it had been.
The words lingered in his mind.
"There is no upper limit."
He wasn't sure how to feel about that.
But something told him—he was going to find out what that meant really soon.
Jin let out a slow breath.
The system assistant was gone, but its words still clung to him.
"Your potential is undefined. There is no upper limit."
He didn't know what that meant yet.
But he knew one thing for sure—
It wouldn't mean anything if he stayed weak.
Pushing the thought aside, he turned toward the main hall.
As soon as he stepped inside, he could feel it—the shift.
It wasn't silence.
Not like before.
People were talking in hushed voices. Not in fear, but in contemplation.
There wasn't a sense of hopelessness in the air.
More like… realization.
They had made it through the night.
They had fought back.
Some had killed. Some had saved others.
And now the system had put them all on a scale.
For the first time, people understood.
They weren't just fighting to survive.
They were competing.
Jin's gaze swept across the room.
Some people sat alone, staring at their screens with narrowed eyes.
Others huddled in small groups, whispering.
No one was panicking.
But no one was celebrating, either.
Because while surviving was one thing—
Knowing where you stood was another.
Jin spotted Joon and Echo near one of the desks, screens still open.
He made his way over.
Joon was the first to look up.
"Ah. Look who's back from his soul-