Damned System

Chapter 115. Party Play (6)

In the northwestern region of the former Kairoth Kingdom lay the city once known as Timal, surrounded by a modest outer wall.

The castle walls, devoid of initial plans for a moat, were simple and unfortified.

Resultantly, Timal Castle with its size and construction was ill-suited for defense, and it was one of the regions that fell easily when the Kairoth Kingdom collapsed.

The demi-humans vanished from Timal Castle, and as the number of Messeos increased, a significant corrupted area took form.

In this place, where monsters had been residing, expanding their numbers by preying on each other, an extraordinary event occurred one dawn.

Just as the sky began to clear from the dark, a brilliant burst of light erupted near Timal Castle.

It was a large-scale teleportation magic, usable from the forward base.

Players who had been transported through this magic saw the same system window appear before their eyes.

RELIGION MISSION – PALAO

「PURIFICATION OF THE CORRUPTED AREA ★★★★(06-2333)」

Eliminate all enemies within a specified range and destroy the Messeos.

• Messeos(0/18)

Retrieve the lost relic of the Order of Palao from the corrupted area.

• Relic – Staff of Gilon(0/1)

「REWARDS」

Participation Reward: Please select one of the following rewards.

• Mana 120, reputation 6

• Attribute Mana 60, reputation 12

Ranking Reward: Rewards are distributed differently depending on the rank (1st-10th).

• Random Chest?

• Achievement?

※ The ranking is calculated based on the contribution to the mission.

「Would you like to participate in the mission? (Y/N)」

Joseph was unperturbed by the different procedure and pressed the Yes button.

Perhaps others were the same, as numbers began to appear at the top of the mission window shortly thereafter, seemingly tracking the number of players participating in the mission.

The numbers, which had been rapidly increasing, steadied a few minutes later, reaching approximately two hundred.

About 20% of those affiliated with the order had responded to the call to gather.

‘More came than I thought.’

He had privately estimated around a hundred. Perhaps it was because it was the first mission of the order that the participation rate was unexpectedly high.

After confirming the number of players, Joseph slowly reviewed the mission details.

‘Relic, ranking, random chest…….’

It seemed one needed to rank to get a random chest.

‘The competition is fierce, isn’t it?’

Being among the top 10 out of around two hundred players was quite a challenge, Joseph clucked his tongue at the tough competition.

Of course, that did not mean he intended to lag behind due to a difficult competition.

Joseph and the other players began to slowly warm up their mana for the impending battle.

Around this time, a post was made on the order’s homepage to announce the commencement of the mission.

「Title: Viceta RELIGION MISSION – PALAO(06-2333) Status Update – Writer: Francesco

Content: This post is for updating the war situation in real-time. Players participating in the mission, please refer to it.

– Avoid idle chatter
– Comments abusing will be deleted without notice
– Blacklisted for providing false information (future 5x increase in order point accumulation rate)」

The post was quickly followed by comments.

– Jane Austin: Information, 6th Exploration Team found a hole in the eastern side of Timal Castle.
– Foie Gras: Information, 2nd Exploration Team found a large Meseo cluster in the southern side of Timal Castle.

These were the leaders of the exploration teams who had begun scouting Timal Castle upon arrival.

Attack team leaders, pre-designated the previous night, also joined the commenting.

– Millionaire: Status, attack teams 1-3 plan to enter from the south.
– Foie Gras: Information, evolved species found in the southern part of Timal Castle. Estimated 300 specimens.
– Chess King: Status, attack teams 10-11 plan to enter from the south.
– Onion Soup: Status, attack teams 17-20 plan to enter from the south.
– Conan Doyle: Information, 1st Exploration Team started the battle in the east of Timal Castle.
– Squid: Status, 9th Attack Team plans to support the east.
– Olive: Status, support team deployment complete. Blocking internal access of external evolved species and monsters.

Those with slower growth and no attribute mana or skills were charged with hunting external monsters in other corrupted areas, blocking the internal access of external monsters.

The mission, proceeding methodically from each respective position, seemed to be on track.

‘Not bad.’

Joseph decided to remain calm, waiting for information on the north side of Timal Castle.

He had ventured for hunts in corrupted areas countless times, yet the nerves were unavoidable.

The place he stood at was sufficient to heighten such tension.

The number of monsters distributed in the corrupted area was similar to a level 2 mission, yet their caliber differed vastly.

‘Those 2,000 are all evolved species?’

They were difficult foes to handle even individually.

The concept of advancing mission attacks in groups was because of this, wasn’t it?

The moment Joseph swallowed nervously, an anticipated comment was posted.

– K: Information, meseo cluster found in the urban area northwest of Timal Castle.
– K: Information, evolved species found around the northern castle gate. Estimated 200 specimens.
– K: Status, 0th Attack Team plans to secure the northern advanced route inside Timal Castle.

This player was K, who was assigned as a solo attack team.

Not only proceeding with battles alone, he even volunteered for the exploration role.

Given his wide range of action, K seemed the most threatening competitor in the ranking war of this mission.

Soon after his comments, a loud explosion near the northern castle gate supported this.

‘Fireball.’

Merely a level 2 basic elemental magic, but its power varies drastically according to the amount of mana infused. The raging flames naturally left spectators in awe.

‘I can’t even imitate that.’

Although Joseph also possessed fire-attribute mana, he couldn’t manage even half of that power with his mana reserve.

“That’s flashy from the start. He’s drawing aggro so we can enter inside, right?”

Girish, standing nearby, whistled in admiration. Regardless, Nadia, who became the representative of the attack squads gathered in the north, calmly announced.

“K says he’s securing the entrance. Let’s move out.”

Subsequently, comments were registered for attack teams 15 and 16, indicating their northward entry.

Soon after, other standby attack teams in the nearby area also posted entry comments.

“Reform the ranks and prepare elemental magic starting with the fire element followed by the wind element!”

Just as magic was being prepared at Nadia’s lead from the front, a shimmering light poured out from behind the fallen gate, revealing the inside.

The closer they approached the gate, the more intense the light became. Joseph, who confirmed the source of that light, shook his head in awe.

‘He’s really flying.’

Indeed, K was darting through the air, evading the evolved species that crowded the ground there. Energetically stepping on red barriers formed mid-air.

‘How on earth did he create those?’

Among Joseph’s acquaintances, only K could fragment barriers like that. Watching such a marvelous spectacle naturally captivated his attention.

Every time K’s spear thrusted, the flashing light was almost blinding.

He was facing an evolved species that would typically require three or four players to herd—singlehandedly. Several, at once, no less.

Not many creatures were being killed. However, he was certainly diverting aggro and holding the evolved species in place.

It was known that he could spar with the holy knights of the order, but witnessing K’s movements firsthand evoked new admiration.

‘Every time I see him, he leaves me speechless.’

Joseph himself had grown as an elite, following a prestigious course.

He had studied at a famous university in the U. S. and, upon returning home, became a lawyer for a top law firm.

So rarely did he fall behind in competition.

But why did he always lag when facing K?

As he pondered this faint frustration, Joseph watched the tip of K’s spear, raised his sword, and gritted his teeth.

‘I can’t lose this.’

At that moment, when three evolved species surrounded K, he swung his spear horizontally in a wide arc. Two were knocked back, while his spear lodged into he last one’s eye.

“Kkiaeek!”

Immediately afterward, a vortex of flames began to whirl around K. It was a third-grade magic, Flame Storm, manifested by combining fire-attribute and wind-type mana. Fueled by wind, the intensified flames swallowed the evolved species whole.

Seizing this chance, Joseph and the other players successfully penetrated the castle.

From then on, the direct clash between the two forces commenced.

“Burn them all!”

“Don’t engage them alone!”

Different attack squads from various positions shouted their war cries as they brandished their weapons. Joseph too slashed vertically with his flame-cloaked sword.

Kaang-!

The monstrous arm blocked his sword, appearing as if hooked.

“Hyaap!”

Girish, who had been chasing closely behind, embedded a hammer into the monster’s side. The crunching sound of leather squishing was heard.

“Keeeek!”

This disrupted the stance of the evolved species.

“Stab it now!”

“You don’t have to tell me!”

While Joseph held onto the monster’s arm and Girish upset its posture, another player circled behind and stabbed a sword into its back.

“Kkiaeek!”

Had it been a regular monster, its chest would have been pierced instantly.

Unfortunately, the body of a four-star evolved species was somewhat tougher and thicker.

Generally, the level of mana materialization needed to penetrate was high enough for a substantial Condense skill.

Only around three or four players, including K, could materialize mana to that degree.

Consequently, the player’s sword breached the monster’s backhide but didn’t completely pierce the chest.

But it wasn’t a big issue.

The designed attack squads existed to compensate for such shortcomings.

A gap appeared as the pained monster flailed, and Joseph thrust his flame-covered sword through this opening.

His sword drove deep into the mouth, piercing the roof of its mouth of the screeching monster.

The moment the convulsing evolved species collapsed.

‘Got one!’

Confidently emboldened by a successful hunt amidst the chaos, Joseph felt reassurance swell within him.

“Support at the 8 o’clock direction!”

“More coming from the 3 o’clock direction! Tanks, block them!”

As players systematically collaborated to kill the evolved species, a rumbling sound from afar signified something had collapsed.

The ground trembled, suggesting a wall had likely fallen in another battle area.

‘South, probably.’

Attack squads stationed there were known for having a particularly formidable tank line.

Indeed, as Joseph checked the order’s webpage, it appeared that the southern attack squads had treated the wall as an obstacle and cleared it entirely.

Joseph clicked his tongue at the aggressive actions of the southern squads from the outset.

He could clearly see why players in the south were advancing the mission so aggressively.

‘Are they trying to get ahead from the start?’

Competition among those vying for ranks seemed fiercer than he had anticipated. He couldn’t afford to fall behind if he wanted the random chest.

Gritting his teeth, Joseph tightened his grip on his sword and summoned his mana.

“Huh? Why are the Messeos numbers decreasing already?”

“What?”

Girish, who had just crushed the head of an evolved species with a hammer, muttered in shock. Joseph’s eyes wavered as he opened the mission window.

Only then did he realize the light, previously visible in his field of view, had vanished.

Looking around urgently, the person he sought was nowhere in sight. At some point, K had vacated his position.

It seemed K no longer felt the need to remain, as the attack squad had entered the castle without hindrance from the evolved species.

Hardly had this realization dawned when the numbers on the mission window changed again.

• Messeos(2/18)

In a brief span, another Messeo had disappeared.

With battles raging around the castle walls, how many could approach the messeo and destroy it?

In Joseph’s mind, there was only one possible candidate.

‘That guy?’

Recalling a familiar face, Joseph yelled in exasperation.

“Hey, you bastard! Leave some for us!”

Unfortunately, the person meant to hear his outburst was not present there.

***

The battle that began the morning before continued over the night and concluded only after dawn today.

When the mission ended, the rewards in my possession were five random chests and 100 achievements.

Rewards exclusive to the first rank, with second rank onwards receiving reduced achievements and random chests.

Among these, random chests were uniformly one piece from 5th to 10th place, differing only in achievements.

‘It’s really stingy.’

With around 200 participants in the mission, the scale of the rewards naturally made one frown.

From four-stars onwards, additional rewards and relics left inside the castle would become more significant.

‘Those have dedicated managers anyway.’

The relics within the castle after a order mission had dedicated administrators for distribution.

It was akin to appointing an administrative role to collect, classify, and equitably distribute the loot.

‘With the system measuring contribution, it will minimize disputes.’

Allocation of relics, based on the contributions used for ranking, would occur within days. As a result, there was no need to linger at the mission site post-clear message.

Thus, I returned to Viceta Castle immediately, where I could meet the priests who had come out to the castle gate to await the players’ return.

Damned System