Damned System

Chapter 36. Monitor (4)

“What about the party member?”

“Oh, Bunny nuna? She’s downstairs. There’s no need for both of us to come up together, right?”

“That’s true.”

“Nuna has been eagerly waiting for you, hyung.”

“For me?”

Before I could even ask why Kim Yul had arrived at the door on the first basement floor and flung it open.

“Nuna, the benefactor is here!”

Benefactor? What was he talking about? Before I could crumple my face further in confusion, I met eyes with a woman beyond the door.

A bob haircut that barely touched her jaw.

Lips pressed shut with stubborn tightness.

Standing about 170cm tall.

Overall, she gave off a cold and rigid impression. However, the way she looked at me felt inexplicably intense.

‘What the…’

Why was she looking at me like that? It was a completely incomprehensible situation.

Thanks to that, my already crumpled face showed no signs of relaxing.

Following behind Kim Yul into the mirror room, my mood remained unpleasant.

Even though I wore a hat and mask, I wasn’t pleased with being stared at so blatantly.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Yang Hyewon. My code name is Bunny Girl, and I’m 23 years old this year.”

As the distance closed, Yang Hyewon reached out first to introduce herself.

“Ah, yes.”

I replied with a curt voice and shook her hand lightly.

Soon after, Yang Hyewon, who had been staring intently at me, began rummaging through her pocket.

“You may find this surprising, but I wanted to express my gratitude when we met.”

Suddenly, she talked about gratitude which puzzled me further.

While my expression crumpled more, Yang Hyewon suddenly thrust something into my hand.

In her hand was an ID card and some piece of paper.

Peering at it, I saw a completely unexpected word.

‘Family Relation Certificate?’

Why was this coming out of her pocket?

Almost immediately, my eyes caught on one of the names on the family relation certificate.

“…… Yang Baejun?”

Muttering the familiar name, Yang Hyewon replied.

“He’s my oppa.”

Once again, the opportunity to curse at the Damned System presented itself.

* * *

Yang Baejun, code name Asura.

A player who resisted until the end and was shot dead by Han Changshik.

Silence followed the revelation that Yang Baejun and Yang Hyewon were related.

“I heard that it was Mr. K who brought the video capturing Han Changshik. Thanks to you, I learned what happened to my oppa…….”

“Let’s start the materialization practice immediately. I want to finish quickly.”

I didn’t listen till the end to Yang Hyewon’s heartfelt explanation.

In this game, having a family member die was undoubtedly a pitiable matter, but there was nothing I could do for her.

‘Expressing condolences won’t bring back the dead after all.’

Moreover, the topic of Han Changshik was something I wanted to avoid.

“…… I realize now that my thoughts were short-sighted. Let’s begin.”

As I clicked my tongue and diverted my gaze, Yang Hyewon directed her focus without further objection.

“You’ve activated Mana Manipulation, yes?”

After we settled into position, Yang Hyewon sat within my reach.

“Yes.”

“What’s your proficiency level?”

“It’s just over 2% now.”

It had only been two days since Kim Yul had recounted Yang Hyewon’s tale late at night; it wasn’t a bad achievement.

‘Looks like she’s been practicing consistently.’

I beckoned for Yang Hyewon to come closer.

Although I offered to teach, my own experience had only been theoretical.

All I had done was instruct Ethan through private comments or post on the community.

Some trial and error would be necessary.

Nevertheless, I wasn’t too worried.

I had faith in the Mana Manipulation proficiency I had painstakingly raised.

“You know how to focus mana into one area?”

“I practiced after seeing your post, but there weren’t any results. I can circulate it entirely, but…… I can’t control specific parts.”

While she seemed adept at circulating it within her body, concentrating it in one spot still seemed beyond her expertise.

Pondering over the teaching method, I grabbed Yang Hyewon’s shoulders.

I then attempted to push my mana into her body.

The result was a failure.

‘The resistance is quite strong.’

Instead of going inside, the mana scattered to the sides.

It felt like a rejection stemming from the fact that the entity possessing the mana was different.

‘After all, mana is akin to vitality, a life force. Allowing another being’s power into one’s body isn’t natural.’

Indeed, absorbing mana after killing something generates considerable resistance. Although I had adapted enough not to be perturbed during battles, the process of absorbing mana wasn’t a pleasant experience.

‘Directly feeding mana into someone’s body is implausible, huh.’

In that case, I’d have to find another method.

I spread my mana broadly over Yang Hyewon’s body.

Perhaps aware of something foreign, Yang Hyewon’s shoulders twitched.

‘As expected.’

Since Transparency involved overlaying mana, I had anticipated that this would work.

“Can you feel it?”

“Yes, it’s like something’s moving across my skin…….”

The ability to sense my mana even in this manner was a good sign.

Today’s session wouldn’t be too taxing, it seemed.

“Focusing mana on a specific area feels like thrusting it to one side, but….”

That didn’t mean recklessly channeling it to one spot.

Circulation should continue even in the part to be enhanced.

One had to understand the basic premise that mana’s movement never stops once the operation begins.

“It’s not about recklessly forcing it into one spot. It’s about controlling it to move only in the desired area.”

Imagine walking in the desired direction while juggling.

“Let’s start with the left arm.”

It took Yang Hyewon just over an hour to emulate my mana flow.

“Think of this mana circulation as air rotating within a taut balloon.”

“Yes.”

Despite the sweat dotting her forehead, Yang Hyewon concentrated on my explanation.

“Materialization is akin to puncturing that balloon.”

“A puncture?”

I nodded, raising my hand to shoulder height.

Letting the mana whirling swiftly within the body escape through a hole I made.

That was the basic principle I had established for materialization.

“If you make the hole small, like this.”

Red mana began creeping out from my right index finger.

“Wow.”

Kim Yul, who was sitting nearby watching them, expressed admiration.

“Conversely, if you make the hole large.”

The mana that emerged only from my fingertip gradually covered my entire hand and then flowed from my whole body.

“You can materialize through the entire body like this.”

However, there was an important aspect to remember during materialization.

“The speed of mana operation inside must not decrease even in this situation.”

If a hole opened beside the whirling mana in a tightly shut space, the mana would escape, naturally reducing internal pressure.

To put it metaphorically, it would feel like losing the propulsion force that sent the mana out.

I placed my hand back on Yang Hyewon’s shoulder, demonstrating once more.

“Uhh…….”

She was sweating profusely as she endeavored to mimic me.

Though she appeared to struggle, I was confident she would succeed.

‘She has more talent than Ethan.’

Initially floundering from not knowing what to do, once shown the method, she quickly caught on.

It seemed the speed at which she’d raised her Mana Manipulation wasn’t mere happenstance.

After instructing Yang Hyewon on what to practice, I turned to Kim Yul, who was perched nearby.

“You come too.”

“Huh? Me too? Weren’t you only teaching nuna?”

If Yang Hyewon had struggled to keep up, I’d have thought that way.

I didn’t want to invest too much time in them.

However, Yang Hyewon was keeping up rather well with just a demonstration.

Thankfully, this would likely finish sooner than expected.

Therefore, I decided also to teach Kim Yul about Mana Manipulation, closing this chapter cleanly.

‘I should investigate the content about indirectly or directly contributing to survival rates.’

There had been no notification during my session with Yang Hyewon.

‘No need to explain the reasoning explicitly.’

Without further words, I beckoned silently, and Kim Yul approached eagerly.

After guiding Kim Yul in Mana Manipulation similarly, I opened the auction window.

It was to check if I could resell the potion I’d bought at a discount.

‘Previously, selling it to Ethan for 1 mana was possible.’

Unfortunately, the system appeared smarter than to fall for it.

“Products purchased at a discount price cannot be registered in the auction window.”

‘Thought I’d turn a quick profit in mana.’

They’d already blocked that avenue. I closed the auction window after confirming the registration prohibition message.

Objectively, it was a fair restriction for balance adjustment.

Regardless, the system sniping left a sour taste.

‘Damned system.’

I muttered out of habit and began my personal training.

I demonstrated again if Kim Yul or Yang Hyewon lost their grasp and required assistance.

While they each practiced and honed their skills, I repeatedly worked on extending the duration of materialization.

After approximately three more hours had passed.

“It popped up!”

Kim Yul leapt from my seat with a shout.

「You’ve directly contributed to increasing a player’s survival rate. Reputation increases by 0.5.」

Following that, a system message appeared.

‘This is the difference between directly and indirectly contributing to increasing a player’s survival.’

There’s a distinction in reputation scores.

‘In terms of time efficiency, indirect contributions are better.’

The community posts target unspecified masses.

The larger the player base, the more reputation one can accumulate through distributing the guidebook.

There’s no need to dash around trying to contribute directly.

‘Let’s continue writing the guidebook.’

Maintain the lead and consistently provide information.

Reaching a reputation of over ten thousand would be swift.

That day’s session proved quite successful.

By the time I got up to leave, Yang Hyewon managed to faintly materialize her mana, and an additional 0.5 was added to my reputation.

Essentially, I had taught both Mana Manipulation and materialization as promised.

With that, my role came to an end.

Before parting ways, the two contacted the National Intelligence Service in my presence.

I watched as the agent I had seen at the café previously took them away before turning on my heel.

* * *

On the ninth day since Han Changshik’s death, a countdown appeared at dawn.

≪Important Notice≫

If the mission isn’t progressed within 24 hours under the new regulation, it will commence forcibly.

Timer: 24:00:00

It thus became certain. From now on, all players would have to undertake at least one mission every ten days.

I felt no need to wait the full 24 hours.

I had waited simply to confirm that the ten-day regulation applied to me as well.

Therefore, I embarked on a level 3 mission as soon as the sun rose.

「The hall is opening.」

「Entering the mission area.」

「This location is not a protected zone for players.」

「You are the first to pass through the novice section. Reputation increases by 5.」

Upon entry, I immediately wielded my cross-bladed spear.

The first thing that hit me was the thick scent of brine.

Followed by a chirping sound of insects somewhere.

The faint popping sound of water bubbles bursting.

The sough of rustling underbrush.

However, instead of immediately scanning my surroundings, I focused on the message that popped up.

It had been a while, yet the mission entry message was slightly different.

‘Where’s the Barrier message gone to?’

Setting aside the unfamiliar sentence for now, the absence of the usual Barrier notice when entering missions caught my attention.

Furrowing my brow while examining the message window, I began to have an uneasy feeling, causing me to look up.

When I looked past the dense unknown vegetation surrounding me and toward the sky.

“Ha!”

A voice of complicated perplexity slipped out.

I distinctly remembered starting the mission after seeing the sunrise, but the sky here was pitch-black.

Thanks to this, I could confirm the hypothesis I had developed during my first foray into a level 2 mission.

This wasn’t Earth.

As evidence, two differently sized, icy-blue moons hung in the dark sky.

Damned System.