Damned System

Chapter 21. Player (1)

A sophisticated office, filled with antique furniture and expensive office supplies. The room stood in silence, without its owner.

However, that silence was soon broken when the office door abruptly swung open, and two men stepped inside.

One was a giant man in his forties, likely weighing over 100 kilograms, and the other was a young man in his early thirties, of average build.

They were Choi Seongwu, an executive from an organization involved in smuggling precious metals for the past three years, and his secretary, Ha Gwonchan.

Choi Seongwu, with his massive build, walked over to the desk and spoke.

“How did it go?”

“As planned, the goods have been disguised as car parts.”

While Choi Seongwu settled into his chair, Ha Gwonchan stood on the opposite side, answering in a calm voice.

“And the inspection?”

“We’ll pass without causing a fuss. The customs official was very confident.”

Choi Seongwu gestured with his chin for more details as he poured himself a drink from the spirit decanter on his desk.

“The goods are worth 1.5 billion won, and if sold in Japan, the profit could be close to 200 million won.”

“Two hundred million… every time I do this, it really is a hassle.”

“But the gains are substantial, aren’t they?”

“That’s why I keep doing it.”

Choi Seongwu promptly emptied his glass and continued speaking.

“Until the goods are disposed of, keep a close watch. If we get caught, it’ll be a headache.”

“Understood.”

Ha Gwonchan then exited the office, and just as Choi Seongwu was about to pour himself another drink into his now-empty glass—

“Does smuggling yield a profit of 200 million won?”

A voice, unfamiliar and unexpected in this solitary space, echoed throughout the room.

Choi Seongwu’s body shuddered, gripping the bottle of whiskey tightly.

As he turned around quickly, his eyes widened almost to the point of tearing.

“The amount exchanged is larger than I expected.”

A man stood behind the chair. He wore a baseball cap pulled low and a mask. He was dressed in a simple white T-shirt, cargo pants, and military boots.

His height, which was in the high 180s, broad shoulders, and the imposing muscles that showed even through the fabric, all contributed to a sense of intimidation.

“You, you bastard, what…”

As the startled Choi Seongwu attempted to rise from his seat—

“No need to be so surprised. I come with good intentions.”

Spoke the man who had stifled Choi Seongwu’s words with a firm hand.

‘What strength!’

Choi Seongwu struggled to escape, but the man’s grip was so strong he could not break free.

“Nice to meet you, President Choi. It’s awkward to reveal my name, so let’s keep the introductions short.”

The man then began to press heavily on Choi Seongwu’s shoulders.

“Ugh…”

Trying to resist, but the pressure bore down with incredible force.

In the end, Choi Seongwu groaned as he was forced back into his chair.

Just when he thought his shoulders were free, the man’s hand suddenly slipped inside his jacket. Choi Seongwu could only shiver, unable to react in time, as the man successfully retrieved a small knife from his inner pocket.

“I’d like to resolve this quietly. Can we talk? Or…”

As a pop sound accompanied the sudden extension of the blade from the handle, Choi Seongwu’s eyes began to tremble.

“Should we use force?”

The mysterious man smoothly folded the blade in half, showing his strength.

Once the hand muffling Choi Seongwu disappeared, he swallowed dryly and answered.

“Let—let’s talk.”

“I think that would be best, too.”

The mysterious man’s eyes, visible above the mask, arched softly.

* * *

About three weeks had passed since the main server had been activated. New players had joined the community five days ago.

In that time, I cleared the level 2 mission four more times.

In the total of five missions I completed, I encountered bipedal fox monsters twice.

In such cases, the number of monsters was around ten. When other monsters appeared, their numbers sometimes rose to 30 or 40.

I had faced various creatures: a cow with a 30 cm horn on its head; a 12-legged spider that spun webs as tough as wires; a two-headed bird beast.

After going through several missions, I accumulated a significant amount of mana and could afford to shop.

「Invisibility (7.19%)」

• Category: Permanent Skill

• Description: Allows you to conceal your form by using mana.

Recalling the cost of this skill made my neck stiff.

‘1090 mana.’

Since it felt wasteful to use a free ticket, I paid for it outright.

‘I’ll use the ticket only after I’ve saved at least 3,500 mana.’

The ticket required my mana to be five times the amount of a skill in order to buy it. I’d have to save up more to buy the skills I’d set my sights on.

Choosing to pay full price for the Invisibility rather than use a ticket left my mana wallet quite empty.

Fortunately, the skill proved to be effective, which quickly dissipated any regret.

Unlike mana detection, this skill had only a proficiency level without any other ranks.

Though it consumed more mana than other skills, its impact was worthwhile.

I could completely vanish from sight. Though traces like scent, breathing, and footsteps remained, they could easily be managed if careful.

People rely more on their visual senses than they realize.

Perhaps, in a dire situation, I wanted to have a way out, and this purchase seemed worthwhile.

Thanks to this skill, it also became easier to conceal my identity in the real world.

It allowed me to follow Choi Seongwu and Ha Gwonchan unnoticed when they entered the office, courtesy of my invisibility.

I waited in the CCTV blind spot until Ha Gwonchan left, then released my invisibility just moments ago.

‘I’ve established dominance.’

Now, the real negotiation needed to commence. Glancing down at the anxious Choi Seongwu, I recalled the investigation I’d conducted over several days.

His name was Choi Seongwu, 47 years old, an executive in a relatively large-scale smuggling organization. After tirelessly tailing jewel dealers known for making some money for over nine days, he was the target I finally marked.

“Just to be clear, I have no intention of reporting you. I’m here because I want to be a customer.”

With this, I tapped Choi Seongwu lightly on the shoulder while setting down the bag I’d brought.

“Disregard the origin, can you process them?”

When Choi Seongwu hesitantly opened the bag, his eyes widened.

“May I take a closer look…?”

“Of course.”

Examining the bag’s contents, Choi Seongwu’s demeanor shifted.

Inside were one earring, a necklace, rings, six gold coins, and a single 1kg gold bar.

Though the gold bar was a bit deformed, its weight was unquestionable.

After a brief inspection, Choi Seongwu spoke with an awkward smile.

“May I take out the appraisal equipment…? It’s in the desk drawer.”

I nodded in agreement, but my eyes never left his hands.

It wouldn’t make sense not to keep watch on someone who could easily become an adversary.

‘Who knows what he might try.’

Luckily for him, Choi Seongwu merely took out the equipment from the bottom drawer.

He examined the various jewelry pieces with a monocle and scraped the gold bar and coins against a stone before applying a solution to them.

As the process continued, his trembling calmed considerably.

‘I see he’s not just another thug.’

His actions suggested he had a degree of expertise regarding precious metals. Observing Choi Seongwu, I waited patiently.

Minutes passed before Choi Seongwu put down the magnifying glass and spoke.

“They’re all pure gold.”

“What’s their value when sold?”

“If you sell everything, including the jewelry, it’ll total about one large note and five or six small ones.”

I paused momentarily before replying. “150 million won?”

With eight diamonds and a 1kg gold bar, I didn’t doubt that the estimate was in the millions, so I named a higher figure.

“Yes.”

Naturally, Choi Seongwu nodded.

‘Holy!’

His agreement made me nearly exclaim out loud. Suppressing the urge to clench my fists, I silently endured a thrill that resonated deep within my chest.

I hadn’t held such a significant sum since my parents passed away. A wave of excitement surged through me.

Overcoming that sensation required a significant silence.

Misperceiving my pause, Choi Seongwu, dripping with cold sweat, hurried to justify himself.

“Though the gold is pure, these items need to be remelted due to their irregular forms. Considering that process, 60 to 70 million is the limit.”

Having him raise the amount independently couldn’t have been better.

Determined to keep my rising excitement from showing, I maintained a composed facade as I responded.

“In that case, let’s settle at 170 million. Oh, I forgot to ask, are you interested in purchasing?”

“Of course. Would you like to sell them immediately? How would you like the payment arranged?”

Not digitally, that’s for sure.

“I prefer cash.”

“Well, within a few days—”

Before Choi Seongwu could finish, I shook my head and gestured to my left.

Next to his desk, in the direction of the safe.

“It should suffice.”

Two days ago, during one of my reconnaissance visits, I saw him open that safe. It was packed with bundles of 50,000 won notes.

‘There’s definitely more than a billion in there.’

Choi Seongwu should be thankful I hadn’t taken everything and run after seeing what was inside.

Even in the midst of transactions with a smuggling felon, I found keeping this moral compass amusing.

Selling something I had earned versus stealing without effort—two entirely different concepts.

It wasn’t about considering others’ perspectives. It was about being true to myself in front of my younger siblings.

That was why, despite having access to it, I left his safe untouched. But Choi Seongwu seemed reluctant to move. I could almost hear the gears turning in his mind.

I wasn’t about to wait patiently.

“We’ll be seeing each other often, so let’s keep it simple.”

As soon as I finished my sentence, I grabbed Choi Seongwu’s shoulder with such force that it felt like it might break.

In that moment, I sensed a crack in his shoulder bone.

“Gah!”

“Oh…”

Since becoming a player, I hadn’t used my power on another person. I didn’t know my own strength. Though unintentional, it had caused Choi Seongwu to move more efficiently.

Soon, plenty of cash in 50,000 won notes was stacked before me.

‘I should take my siblings to the department store.’

With the prospect of substantial earnings before me, I began planning a luxurious shopping spree.

I hadn’t been able to give them much beyond a new laptop for the new semester.

‘Money went into their clubs and activities.’

At their age, new shoes, bags, and clothes were all necessities. I’d take them out as soon as this weekend.

Humming a tune, I cheerfully packed the cash into the bag where I’d stored the loot.

I was reaching for the last stack when the system made a pinging sound. Reflexively, I glanced at the minimized message window.

「Progress: 100%」

Just before, there had been two simultaneous updates. One had started during the level 2 mission I’d embarked on.

The other had begun when the first tutorial phase for players concluded.

The patch that had just finished was the former. Judging by the completion rate of the latter (99.9%), it seemed today would see the end of that patch as well.

After ensuring the completion percentage remained at the bottom of my view, I opened the message window.

「Patch completed.」

「Item management program executing.」

「Information on physical items now accessible.」

I found an unexpected term staring at me.

‘Item?’

The patch from the mission area was related to items being updated?

Halting my packing with the cash, I reached out urgently.

“Wait!”

My hand grasped Choi Seongwu’s wrist just as he was about to pack away the loot.

“Gah!”

Alarmed, he tried to pull away.

“Wait, let me check the goods again.”

Instead of releasing him, I tightened my grip and pulled the loot back towards myself.

Hoping for the best, I picked up the nearest item. Unlike before, a translucent window popped up.

「Expensive Necklace」

A necklace crafted from pure gold and diamonds. Can be sold for a substantial price.

‘This is considered an item?’

These weren’t store-bought; they were picked up from a mission area.

Momentarily stunned, I proceeded to inspect the remaining loot.

「Delicate Gold Coin」

A gold coin crafted with precision. It has a high likelihood of having been used as currency somewhere.

「Half Earring」

An expensive adornment crafted by a jeweler. The intricately crafted emerald would fetch a high price.

After checking the necklace, gold coin, and earring, I picked up a ring.

「Mysterious Ring」

A sapphire containing someone’s mana. Seems to hide a special function. Let’s keep it.

A completely unexpected sentence appeared. What on earth was this?

Damned System.