Damned System

Chapter 49. Interaction (3)

「Chat message received from codename Im Namkyu.」

Unlike Kim Yul, Namkyu and I had never exchanged messages before.

Since I had entrusted him to the National Intelligence Service, I hadn’t cared for him at all.

‘Actually, it was Kim Yul and Yang Hyewon who took care of him instead.’

Because of the ten-day grace period, Namkyu had no choice but to partner with Kim Yul’s party for the mission.

It was said that Yang Hyewon had been the first to bring it up.

‘If the kid had died during the mission, it would’ve weighed heavily on my mind.’

Fortunately, I was relieved to a certain extent, even if it wasn’t enough for me to express gratitude directly.

‘Just having my name mentioned in relation to him was enough.’

That seemed enough for a kid I had never met before.

Namkyu was young and already in trouble.

Helping him resolve it didn’t only stop at that; I had provided him with a role as a connection to prevent him from being openly ostracized.

It was truly everything I could do for a child I had never met before.

So, there was no need to feel sorry for not caring for him further.

Swallowing discomfort, I read through Namkyu’s strings of messages.

Yet, my resolve to be detached quickly dissolved.

– Im Namkyu: I’m sorry I didn’t thank you back then, sir. Thank you so much for helping me. I wasn’t sure if I could reach out first, so I didn’t text you.

The misspellings and lack of proper spacing in his message struck me.

– Im Namkyu: I’m doing well. The people here are teaching me thoroughly, and I’m learning diligently.

– Im Namkyu: People here ask about you, but I didn’t say anything. I’ll keep quiet in the future too.

My eyes shook subtly. I had never seen spelling this awful before.

When the twins were younger than Namkyu, they weren’t this bad.

‘Originally, those two are good at studying because they take after me.’

Their test scores had never dipped below 80.

‘Poor kid… He probably isn’t even going to school. Is he not studying on his own?’

With worries that any parent would have, I clenched my hand anxiously.

Meanwhile, Namkyu’s messages continued.

– Im Namkyu: Yang Jochul-hyung says he has something important to share. I’ll write it down as he told me.

– Im Namkyu: Hello, K. This is the squad leader Yang Jochul who greeted you the other day. Hope everything has been peaceful at home. I’ve heard you recently started a Level 3 mission…

It was evident an adult penned the introduction.

It was quite lengthy, and the main message beyond it was even longer.

I skimmed through the introduction as swiftly as I could, focusing primarily on the main content and results.

These were not light matters, causing my expression to harden slightly.

I had to turn my back on my companions and retreat to a corner to hide it.

– Im Namkyu: The stated reason for their entry into the country is tourism, but the situation seems suspicious. In the course of surveillance, the term ‘player’ has been mentioned multiple times.

– Im Namkyu: Moreover, for nearly two weeks, over half of them have been deliberately hiding their accents. Previously, they used American English, yet three hours ago, two individuals suddenly started using British accents. It seems to be an effort to conceal their origin.

– Im Namkyu: Reports have been noted about frequent posts regarding K’s actions in the community. We determined it was better for you to know than not, and decided to inform you.

The message didn’t narrate every step of how the National Intelligence Service discovered and began monitoring them.

But it clearly mentioned that British-accented individuals had entered Korea and they were speaking of players.

“Britain, then…”

Perhaps David. They tend to be quite proactive in locating players and securing information on them.

“Tsk.”

I clicked my tongue briefly and sent a message to Ethan.

I asked if there were any targeted movements towards Korea or regions in Asia.

Ethan soon replied that he would look into it.

A momentary silence fell afterward. In that quietude, I blinked slowly twice before closing my eyes.

“Ha.”

A hollow laugh slipped out, born from a sudden surge of helplessness.

All I had done just now was ask Ethan to investigate the situation.

Beyond that, nothing else came to mind.

Unconsciously, I rubbed my frozen expression on my face to loosen up.

‘I can’t just sit around doing nothing until I get an answer.’

If the individuals Yang Jochul discovered had any ties to David, my identity shouldn’t be revealed.

‘It’s already confirmed that they’re looking for me.’

This conclusion was objectively deduced from what Ethan had told me.

He had already classified players as ‘dangerous’.

And as such, he was obsessed with keeping them under surveillance.

“To try to control them, I guess.”

The inability to control danger would naturally make him anxious.

Therefore, the moment my name appeared in the open, he would likely target my family first.

‘The same way he did with Ethan.’

Capturing hostages was an effective strategy for both him and me.

Just imagining a gun aimed at Yeonwoo and Jinwoo had a fire burning fiercely inside me.

‘Don’t get excited.’

I steadied my breathing and calmed myself.

‘It’s unlikely they’ve tracked down individual targets yet.’

No matter how many times I reviewed it, there was no leeway for that to happen.

At best, rumors in the community spoke of an Asian, that’s all.

Besides the potential threat factor, any nationality exposure would be due to traces left inadvertently in the guidebook.

I was still hidden among the crowd.

So, there was room to maneuver before my face or name became issues.

‘Should I hide even deeper?’

I hadn’t revealed myself while moving before, so what else could I do now?

‘Or should I make them shift their focus elsewhere?’

How exactly would I do that?

‘Perhaps I should request protection from the government?’

But if that turns out to be walking into the tiger’s den?

A heavy and deep sigh escaped me.

‘If I was alone, none of this would concern me.’

I might’ve considered moving more boldly.

If the risks were mine alone to bear, I wouldn’t have needed to be this cautious.

Maybe I would have even considered targeting David’s family in turn.

But knowing that those dear to me could be entangled because of me, it made me become more cautious.

Perched on a nearby rock, I clasped my hands in serious contemplation.

Then, a rustling sound prompted me to turn around hastily.

“Oh, excuse me.”

A man with a slight build, for a male, approached. His height was around my shoulder.

Despite the darkness, my enhanced perception allowed me to catch a glimpse of his orange hair.

His eyes beneath were probably grey.

Just like they had mentioned regaining consciousness a while ago, it was Ahel.

He was the ally I rescued first and had remained unconscious until now.

“I’m called Ahel.”

He approached with an outstretched hand, as if for a handshake.

“It looked like you were thinking about something. I apologize if I interrupted.”

There wasn’t much to be interrupted. Even had no one interrupted, I would have found no solution.

“I’m K.”

I shook my head, grasping Ahel’s offered hand.

“Are you okay to move already?”

His complexion was so pale that it stood out in the darkness, and it naturally raised such a thought.

Directing my gaze towards the rest of the group to gauge their mood, I saw every eye directed my way, excluding Ahel.

Even Ahel, upon looking back, caused them to disperse quickly.

Except for Rashar, she remained fixed on Ahel and me, almost as if she were monitoring us.

Was she still affected by the wariness towards me?

Before I could ponder how to resolve that, Ahel spoke.

“Could I trouble you for a moment?”

“… That’s not a problem.”

I didn’t hesitate to accept his proposal.

Since we hadn’t exchanged any words until now, I was curious.

Additionally, I wondered why he had come seeking me so soon after regaining consciousness.

With a soft groan, Ahel sat at the far edge of the rock where I was sitting.

As he moved, a shackle under his loose hoodie briefly revealed itself before disappearing.

While he settled in and caught his breath, I felt a sense of incongruity.

He appeared as pale as a patient, yet was smiling as if he had all the happiness in the world, making it seem like a mismatch.

“I heard you were the one who saved me…”

It was Ahel who initiated the conversation.

“I’m terribly late in thanking you. I really appreciate it.”

“I’m not unreasonable to expect gratitude from someone who was unconscious.”

Ahel’s eyes widened slightly at my straightforward response.

I lightly scanned him up and down, adding more words.

“Seeing you safe makes the effort worth it.”

Despite having used the most potions on Ahel, I didn’t feel it was wasteful.

Especially since I had gained much more mana than I had used.

“You have a frank demeanor.”

“I dislike pointless actions.”

“Then getting straight to business even during a first meeting wouldn’t make me seem rude?”

“Yes, indeed.”

Ahel subtly implied that after basic civility, he preferred diving into the main topic.

“Seems like we’ll get along well.”

Excessive courtesy is just a waste of time.

It’s better to just get to the point and be done with it.

I awaited silently for Ahel to speak his intentions.

Seeing him take a deep breath and relax his face into a smile, for a split second, his eyes seemed to glisten while looking at me.

A shiver ran down my spine.

“Would you be interested in exchanging mana with me?”

“… What?”

“My attribute is a rank 3 spatial type, you see.”

He lifted the pendant hanging from his neck to show me.

For a moment, I alternated between looking at Ahel and the pendant silently.

How he interpreted my action was unclear, but Ahel proceeded more quickly, as though easing my brewing thoughts.

“It’s for utility. Not comparable to yours, of course.”

“… What isn’t comparable to mine?”

“Hm? Your mana.”

What was he talking about?

I just stared at him without responding, causing Ahel to rub his cheek with an awkward chuckle.

“Am I wrong?”

“….”

“Does it bother you? If so, I apologize. The residue felt vivid, so I assumed you weren’t masking it.”

“I don’t understand a word you’re saying, though.”

“… It wasn’t just visible to me, then.”

I understood his meaning, yet it felt akin to hearing a foreign language.

“Rank, spatial type, element, mana, residue…”

As I mulled over these unfamiliar terms, I recalled Rashar’s earlier words.

“Fire attribute mana.”

During our discussions about whether or not the parasitic disturbance had formed, she had definitely referred to it as mana, not magic.

Almost as if types of mana were categorized differently.

“Are you referring to attribute mana by any chance?”

Contemplating alone was endless, so I chose to ask directly.

“What does being rank 3 or spatial type precisely mean?”

Ahel’s demeanor held such inherent goodwill.

This stemmed not simply from his liking or gratitude toward me but more like an intentional display to win favor.

‘Because he desires something.’

He explicitly mentioned exchanging mana.

While the exact nature of it remained unclear, nor how it’s accomplished.

But because his goal was yet unachieved, he wouldn’t ignore my question.

“The term mana essentially implies ‘nature’.”

As expected, after a brief silent observation, Ahel responded with a bright smile.

“And this mana divides into ranks based on its attributes.”

“…”

“More specifically, based on the degree to which it can interfere with or defy nature, mana is ranked.”

With a raised index finger, he continuously and gradually explained, drawing my focus.

“Mana without specific attributes is deemed rank 1; academies estimate 90% of non-magic races fall into this category. To nature.”

Within them, over half inherently have so little mana they can’t even sense it.

“Of course, there are those who can indeed sense mana among them. But it’s difficult for them to become mages. Most opt for the path of a knight.”

Without attributes, you can’t interfere with or defy nature.

Ahel’s choice of words encompassed substantial information.