Damned System

Chapter 47. Interaction (1)

– Can’t we maintain the barrier any longer?

Right after the barrier disappeared, Rashar asked if I could manifest it again, but I had to shake my head.

– Lacking mana?

Without explaining in detail, I was hesitant to buy a skill stone worth more than 2,000 mana at that time.

‘My body might weaken.’

Entering a Level 3 mission with mana dropping below 3,000 could result in unforeseen circumstances.

I couldn’t afford to take risks in a world teeming with monsters.

Instead of buying a new barrier skill stone, Rashar and Raul took turns keeping watch.

Fortunately, most people regained consciousness that night.

Only one person hadn’t awakened; the man with orange hair whom I had first rescued.

Apparently, it was due to that black rod that had impaled his body.

– The last I saw, a kerak was lodged in his body. It’s a weapon made from their blood.

– If absorbed into the body, it not only obstructs natural healing but also dissolves organs.

– If you hadn’t treated him, he would have died. Thank you very much.

The effort to stop the bleeding by pouring potions like water seemed to have helped.

After that, those who awoke began to gather themselves.

And after searching the area throughout the night, Rashar determined there were no additional survivors.

Therefore, as soon as dawn broke, departure was declared, and combat erupted less than an hour later.

The opponents had similar mana to the ones I’d faced in the swamps.

Occasionally, tricky ones showed up, which seemed to be the evolved species Rashar mentioned.

Whenever a battle started, at least a hundred monsters perished.

Yet, not even injuries occurred, let alone casualties.

The combat was stable.

On my own, managing 20 to 30 monsters was overwhelming.

But Rashar’s team hunted far more numbers efficiently.

It wasn’t solely because they were stronger than me.

Despite the saying of ‘one against a hundred’, there is a limit to what a person can do alone.

For more than a day, I fully experienced the advantages of party play.

In the process, I watched Rashar and others destroying connections.

「03-112 Connection(1) is being destroyed.」

「04-1848 Connection(2) is being destroyed.」

「03-224 Connection(1) is being destroyed.」

「04-1848 Connection(2) is being destroyed.」

……

Every time a message appeared, I touched the shield at my waist.

It was a message I hadn’t seen when the shield had a hole.

I didn’t know the reason then, but watching Rashar destroy a connection made me understand.

“It’s pointless to destroy just the physical form.”

The important thing was to disrupt the flow of mana stored in the connection and block it with your own mana.

Only then would the connection be destroyed.

I began to understand why there was no mana collection from Level 3 onwards.

There were no connections at Levels 1 and 2.

The system seemingly closed the hole directly.

Thus, it likely allocated mana to players.

But from Level 3, the players had to do it themselves.

There was no need to collect mana forcefully.

“I would have struggled for a while if I hadn’t seen that.”

Following Rashar’s group was beneficial in many ways.

Not only did I safely gain combat experience, I learned how to destroy connections and gathered information about this world through conversation.

Of course, the biggest advantage I gained from accompanying them was different.

「The Trait Capitalism is activated.」

「The system is switched to support mode. Supported player Kang Hyunwoo.」

Three days after meeting Rashar’s group.

The Capitalism Trait, which had been dormant since it displayed the hidden mission called the main scenario, was activated again.

「There is unregistered user-generated mana within a radius of 100m.」

「Searching for a registered user for alternative absorption.」

「Player Kang Hyunwoo confirmed.」

「The corrupted mana is being absorbed. Absorption rate is decreased due to lack of direct causation.」

“Huh…?”

While still carrying Ahel, who hadn’t regained consciousness, I uttered a dazed sound as I watched the battle unfold.

The message had appeared at an unexpected timing, and its content was utterly surprising.

But I couldn’t stay dazed for long.

The Chaos Index began to climb rapidly.

The speed was incomparable to when I hunted monsters alone.

Each time Rashar swung her sword, five or six monsters perished at once, naturally increasing the rate.

Without the Purification Trait, I would have been helplessly swept away by mental corruption.

I hurried to use Purification to steady my breath.

Yet, my efforts to maintain composure did not bear fruit.

Thump, thump.

I felt my heart beating madly.

With eyes trembling slightly, I scanned the surroundings.

The first one my eyes sought was the greatest mana source in this group, Rashar Bennett.

‘Over there, her movements are too fast to follow.’

The two people with the next highest mana, Rodwell and Sigram.

‘Here, I can barely see afterimages.’

Next were Raul and Hesserma.

‘Their actions are relatively clear.’

I had no confidence in winning if facing them singly.

Rashar’s group wielded enough power to overwhelm me.

That’s why I always maintained a minimal level of vigilance.

I believed their power could pose a threat to me at any time.

But the issue was different at this moment.

‘These good people!’

Subconsciously, my breath started to falter.

My heart was pounding so fast that it almost hurt.

I had to clutch my chest tightly.

‘I went through so much trouble, at least this was worth it.’

Memories of running around in the high-level hunting ground-like forest to save them came flooding back.

Only today did I feel compensation for the hardships I went through back then.

‘Yes, if it has a conscience, it should at least offer this.’

After driving me so hard, it’s absurd to offer shabby vouchers as rewards.

Although I briefly questioned the system for doing something I liked this time, I didn’t have time to dwell in suspicion.

Watching the pile of monster corpses grow, my grin kept widening uncontrollably.

So, I shut my eyes tight and even gritted my teeth to prevent laughter from bursting forth.

‘Laughing in the middle of a battle is way too suspicious.’

Even without another reason, Rashar occasionally observed me with a peculiar gaze.

Despite feeling over the moon, I had to refrain from laughing amidst the ongoing monster combat.

“K?”

Huff, huff.

Was it because I was trembling, clutching my chest with my head down?

Raul, standing nearby, reacted to me.

His voice brimming with concern called my name.

Not only Raul, but also Sigram and Rodwell responded sensitively to my behavior.

While engaging in their own battles, they cast glances my way now and then.

“Are you hurt somewhere?”

Hesserma even sliced through the half dozen monsters before him and dashed to my side.

“I’m, no, I’m not hurt, I’m fine…”

「The corrupted mana is being absorbed. Absorption rate is decreased due to lack of direct causation.」

「The corrupted mana is being absorbed. Absorption rate is decreased due to lack of direct causation.」

Darn, I’m not fine. Suddenly, an enormous amount of mana poured in.

It was because Hesserma had annihilated a large number of monsters all at once while others continued their battle.

Corrupted mana entered in large units.

In that scenario, I had to focus on both Purification, leaving me frantic.

“K!”

Stumbling momentarily, I was supported by a panic-stricken Hesserma, who steadied me.

He seemed about ready to discard Ahel, whom I had been carrying.

I waved a hand to indicate I was okay and stood up.

“Sometimes they do these burdening acts.”

After gaining consciousness, they must have heard from Raul that I might be an Outsider.

What implications that carried, I did not know.

However, since then, the group’s demeanor had become awkwardly polite, adding a slight discomfort.

They were so agitated and near tears over my mere stumble. No wonder it felt uncomfortable.

Both Hesserma and others looked at me with concern-filled gazes.

“Really, I’m okay. Please, continue. It seems it could become dangerous for others if you stay here…”

However, Hesserma didn’t easily back away.

Instead, he stayed firmly by my side, seemingly keeping a watchful eye on me.

‘You have to hunt for me to absorb mana for free!’

Eventually, I opened my eyes wide and clearly showed my discomfort.

Only then did Hesserma step back and rejoined the fight.

Though he occasionally glanced my way, I didn’t sense it at all.

My entire focus was elsewhere.

「The corrupted mana is being absorbed. Absorption rate is decreased due to lack of direct causation.」

Today, the incessant notifications were tolerable.

I concentrated on Purification, controlling the tingling sensation enveloping my whole body.

I wasn’t sure how much time had passed like that.

「04-1848 Connection(3) is destroyed.」

「MISSION – All connections of 04-1848 have been destroyed. The hole is being sealed.」

「Due to a lack of direct contribution, mission rewards will not be given.」

The battle entered a lull, and Rashar destroyed the connection.

Immediately, a message announced that the hole had been sealed.

Had it been my former self a few hours ago, I might have puzzled over this, checking the mission log.

But today, I bit my lip with a sense of lack.

“It ended already?”

Until the fight before, swordplay lasted at least a couple of hours.

Why did it end so quickly this time?

But no matter how regretful I felt, the monsters didn’t come back surging.

While I clicked my tongue internally, a message from Kim Yul arrived to which I replied briefly.

– K: Caught a bus. I’ll share the details later.

Right after, I checked my status window.

Although I couldn’t quantify the absorbed mana, I could palpably sense the fiery mass swirling inside.

There had to be a considerable accumulation.

‘Even so, it’s like a candle flicker compared to Rashar.’

Torn between anticipation and curiosity, I checked the status window.

Player Kang Hyunwoo (Beta Tester)

Mana: 6078.13 (Attribute Mana: 205)

Chaos Index: 17.88%

Affiliation: Earth

Race: Human (Player)

Rank: Alpha

Attribute: Lightning

Skills: Mana Manipulation (59.26%), Sense Expansion (43.16%), Mana Detection (lv.1 – 92.72%), Invisibility (48.43%), barrier (22.84%)

Traits: Capitalism, adaptability, tenacity, Purification(lv.1 – 29.61%)

Title: Bounty Hunter

Reputation: 3024

No matter how many times I checked, the numbers remained unchanged. It wasn’t a mistake.

My mana, which had dropped into the 3000s after buying potions and skill stones, had surpassed 6000 once again.

All I did was stand and breathe!

In a daze, much like someone under the influence of drugs, I released a languid breath.

At that moment, sigram severed the neck of a monster that hadn’t been completely vanquished.

「The corrupted mana is being absorbed. Absorption rate is decreased due to lack of direct causation.」

“Ah.”

The shiver trailing up my back made my body wobble.

“K!”

Raul dashed over like the wind to support me.

While gripping his arm tightly, I shivered.

This bus ride, its thrill was exhilarating beyond measure.

* * *

It had dog-like folded ears and a bulldog-wrinkled face. Its height barely reached up to my waist.

Rashar’s group called those dwarf monsters ‘Omby’.

I stabbed my spear into the stomach of such a creature.

“Squeal!”

I had killed 15 Omby by now.

In contrast, the number of creatures killed by Rashar’s group was beyond count.

The path they had taken was riddled with Omby carcasses.

This was my third ride on the bus they were operating.

Two Level 4, one Level 3.

In half a day, my name had been etched onto the mission completion list three times.

Thanks to that, my mana increased exponentially.

While glancing at my status window with a bewildered yet proud heart, a familiar call reached my ears.

“Kay.”

It was Rashar, approaching from where she should have been leading at the forefront.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

At Rashar’s question, I nodded obediently while wiping monster blood off my spear.

The others were also wrapping up the battle, gathering their respective weapons.

It didn’t take long to regroup and get ready.

“I wish to depart immediately, are you alright with that?”

“Of course.”

“Then let’s go.”

After crossing the ground littered with monster corpses, we resumed moving.

The camping site Rashar chose for the night was about two hours away from the scene of the last battle.

It lacked the lingering stench of blood, had tall trees for watching out for intruders, and had rocks where we could hide overnight.

Gasping for breath after keeping pace with their speed, I plopped down onto the earth.

Damned System.