The Weapon Genius: Anything I Hold Can Kill-Chapter 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-searching trip."

Jin ignored him. "You check?"

Echo nodded, scrolling through his screen.. "Yeah."

Jin waited.

Joon stretched out his arms with a sigh. "Nothing special."

Jin tilted his head. "Where'd you place?"

Joon tapped his screen.

🔻 [National Rank: 6,141]

Jin exhaled through his nose.

Higher than expected.

Joon hadn't killed anyone.

But he had fought.

That alone was probably enough to place him above thousands of people who had done nothing.

Jin glanced at Echo next.

Echo turned his screen toward him.

🔻 [National Rank: 3,872]

Jin frowned slightly.

That was… higher than him.

And higher than Joon, despite them fighting together.

Jin tapped his fingers against his arm.

Was it just because he had killed?

Or was the system ranking people on more than just body count?

Joon sighed and leaned back against the desk.

"The whole ranking system's a mess."

Echo raised an eyebrow. "Because you're low?"

Joon scoffed. "No, because we don't even know what's affecting it."

He pulled up his stats.

"I mean, look at this crap."

Jin and Echo glanced over.

[Joon-Seok's Stats]

Strength: C+

Agility: B-

Endurance: B

Perception: C+

Intelligence: C+

Willpower: B-

Potential: A+

Jin blinked.

"…Your endurance's better than mine."

Joon rolled his shoulders. "Yeah, well. High school football finally paid off, huh?"

Jin glanced at Echo. "And you?"

Echo shrugged and pulled up his own.

[Echo's Stats]

Strength: C

Agility: C+

Endurance: C+

Perception: B

Intelligence: B

Willpower: B+

Potential: S+

Jin exhaled.

The numbers weren't far apart.

But clearly, something else mattered.

Echo leaned against the desk. "We're all in the same general range."

Joon scoffed. "Yeah. 'General range' meaning we're nobodies."

Jin crossed his arms, thinking.

"…The system ranks people differently. It's not just about stats or kills."

Echo hummed. "Then what?"

Jin frowned slightly.

That was the question.

And they had no answer.

Joon stretched. "Alright, your turn. What'd you get?"

Jin hesitated, then pulled up his own stats.

[Jin Yeong's Stats]

Strength: C

Agility: C+

Endurance: B-

Perception: B

Intelligence: B-

Willpower: A-

Potential: ∞

Echo squinted at the screen.

Joon frowned. "Okay, what the hell is that?"

Jin blinked. "What?"

Joon pointed at the potential stat.

∞

An infinity symbol.

Echo leaned forward. "That's… not normal, right?"

Joon scoffed. "Of course it's not normal! What the hell does that even mean?"

Jin exhaled. "The system assistant didn't even know at first. Said it meant I had no limiter or something like that."

Echo let out a slow breath. "So… you're telling me even the system doesn't know how strong you can get?"

Jin didn't answer.

Because honestly?

He wasn't entirely sure.

Joon clicked his tongue. "Well, that's just unfair."

Jin shot him a dry look. "You jealous?"

Joon sighed dramatically. "Of course I'm jealous. You're a goddamn glitch in the system."

Jin shook his head, closing the screen.

"Yeah, well. Doesn't mean much right now."

Joon clicked his tongue. "Still unfair."

Jin ignored him.

There wasn't much point thinking about potential when he still felt weak.

He glanced at the others in the room. Some were still focused on their rankings, while others sat in silence. Processing. Thinking.

No one had completely fallen apart.

No one broke down.

But the weight of everything was settling in.

Echo let out a short breath and leaned back. "At least now we know where we stand."

Joon rolled his eyes. "Yeah. At the bottom."

Jin exhaled. "We're alive."

Joon scoffed but didn't argue.

Because that much was true.

A voice called out from across the room.

"Hey! We're handing out rations. Get over here if you want some."

Jin turned toward the sound.

People were already moving toward the station's break room, forming a loose line.

Right.

They still had to eat.

Even with everything happening—life kept going.

Jin let out a slow breath.

The world hadn't ended.

It had just changed.

And now?

They had to figure out how to live in it.