Damned System

Chapter 53. Main Scenario (2)

Wrinkles formed between Rashar’s brows.

The previously increased mana had now decreased again? Such a phenomenon had never occurred before.

While she was frozen, confused by this sudden situation, something emerged right in front of K. He picked it up with an indifferent expression.

“Armor…plate?”

She muttered reflexively, wondering why it had suddenly appeared. But she quickly composed herself, knowing K had a space of his own.

As if responding to her thoughts, K spoke.

“Did you call me an Outsider?”

“What?”

“You and your kind refer to people like me as Outsiders, right?”

Rashar remained silent instead of replying. She was not yet certain that K was truly an Outsider.

“Well, it seems that’s how you refer to us, at least.”

“Us?”

“There are quite a few people like me. They haven’t all made it here yet, though.”

Holding her breath, Rashar clenched her fists tightly.

“Anyway, we absorb mana too. But we don’t draw it from this Messeo; we absorb it by killing monsters.”

“…….”

“With the mana we absorb, we can buy things like this.”

He raised the armor plate in front of him, stating this plainly.

“Or we can purchase things like this.”

Thud, thud, thud.

Several potion bottles, about the length of a finger, rolled off onto the floor.

After the fall of the Magic Tower, such potions became impossible to produce en masse. A stable supply was critically needed for exactly this kind of potion.

She had sensed he possessed many of these potions, but purchasing them… from where?

“The bread I gave to you was also obtained this way, by trading mana for it.”

As the number rose from 10 to 20 to 50, the amount of mana emanating from K decreased little by little.

“If it were only a increase in mana from killing monsters, do I need to explain further?”

K asked in a light tone, as if seeking her opinion. Rashar’s mouth opened slightly, though she found no words coming out.

The events unfolding before her eyes left her that bewildered. Yet soon, her bewilderment was replaced by a surge of hope.

“Us…”

Another kind, similar to him, capable of absorbing mana while retaining intelligence, existed.

Seeing the rising hope within herself, Rashar tightly shut her eyes. She thought her life, long drained by war, left her barren. Foolishly, she dared to hope once again.

While Rashar swallowed her mirthless chuckle, K, who was scrutinizing the armor plate, remarked,

“Ah, geez, but how do you put this on?”

* * *

There may be monsters that absorb mana from a Connection called Messeo, but none that spit it back out.

‘Probably.’

They wouldn’t have a system, after all.

‘Furthermore, giving back mana implies becoming weaker.’

So, I decided to show them how the abnormally increased mana had started to decrease over the past few days.

I had purchased the armor when I was browsing for it, and along with it, I acquired potions that I would need in abundance in the future.

Perhaps it was these actions that eased some of their suspicion?

“Would it be alright if… if I helped?”

Rashar sheathed her sword and approached. She calmly began to teach him how to wear the armor.

“Here, you need to open the seams.”

The item I purchased was armor that protected the left shoulder and chest. It managed to cover vital areas and offered greater mobility than full-body armor.

Additionally, there was a familiar term in the item description.

「Jeber Elite Recon Light Armor (7,343 Mana)」

• Category: Defensive Gear.

• Material: Black Iron.

• Description: Light armor designed to protect vital areas while maintaining the necessary mobility and agility for a reconnaissance squad. An attachment for an mana accumulation tool is available.

‘Mana Accumulation Tool.’

There was a groove on the left shoulder, where a beast, possibly a lion or a wolf, had its mouth open wide.

It appeared something could be inserted there. Since it arrived with this piece open, it seemed I would need to obtain an Mana Accumulation Tool separately.

Yet, I had never seen such a tool in the shop before.

‘It’s certain these exist somewhere in this world.’

I thought I could ask Ahel later or find out elsewhere.

“This first?”

“Yes.”

With Rashar’s assistance, I put on the shoulder armor and fastened the leather strap. Next, I donned the chest armor, which emitted a clicking sound as it compressed against my torso.

‘Fits perfectly…’

Does this come sized to the purchaser from the start? While I was familiarizing myself with the unfamiliar armor, Rashar mumbled in a hushed voice.

“To clarify, it wasn’t done with ill-intention.”

“Uhm?”

“I might have been too complacent just seeing the blessing and putting my doubts aside…”

Hearing her speak of complacency and such, everything finally made sense.

‘I see, she overlooked what ordinarily would warrant suspicion because I’d used authority then.’

Receiving authority, basically a blessing from a god, would make it hard to perceive someone as an enemy.

‘In a world governed by the 7 Great Virtues, it’s expected.’

There could’ve been an oracle, or something akin to one. Just as I needed to reach the temple, they had reasons to escort me there.

Hence, they had readily volunteered to guide me to it without questioning my reason.

Judging by her inclination to inquire about my purpose at the temple, it was clear over the few days of accompaniment.

Still, seeing me absorb mana like monsters must have been perplexing to her.

‘Good.’

I’d assessed the situation. Now, the issue was whether Rashar fully dispelled her doubts.

“Even if there’s no ill-will, it doesn’t mean it wasn’t wrongdoing, does it?”

I returned Rashar’s own words to her. Her face flushed red immediately.

“That, that, that’s…”

“To begin with, I’ve been granted authority—the blessing, right? So why suspect me as enemy allied to monsters?”

“… I have no face to show. I momentarily entertained irreverent thoughts.”

“Irreverent thoughts?”

In this context, what could constitute irreverence? After selecting several possibilities, I soon arrived at a plausible one.

‘Did she think a god colluded with the enemy?’

Just to confirm, I queried Rashar, and she did not deny it. She merely averted her gaze with an embarrassed expression.

‘For an Apostle to doubt a god, their internal cohesion must be shaky.’

Or perhaps the trust towards them in Finelpenia’s region is particularly lacking.

I was momentarily lost in thought before opening my inventory to retrieve an item inside.

「Karlos’ Authority 1-time Usage Voucher」

“If you’re so uneasy, want me to use another authority, I mean, blessing? Would you believe that I have no relation to monsters then?”

“What…?”

“Surely you wouldn’t think two gods could be traitors, would you?”

Intended to follow them to the party’s outpost, Rashar’s eyes widened in surprise.

“There are more blessings?”

“Yeah, it says Karlos here.”

Rashar explained that the 7 Great Virtues are governed by gods, each possessing unique authority. Their Apostles teach or embody the virtues represented by these gods.

Of the 7 authorities, I had direct experience with only one.

‘Finelpenia.’

The power to read pasts. In a way, it matches the title of diligence. By seeing someone’s past, you can judge how they’ve lived. It helps bring those with idle pasts onto paths of diligence.

‘Most likely, it’s a power meant for the masses.’

The Apostles of Diligence are likely to see the pasts of all those they meet. This fate truly makes them duty-bound to be diligent, forever having to both practice and preach diligence.

Conversely, Palao, the God of Charity, appears to focus on a select few rather than many.

Palao seeks to reveal salvation’s paths to those whose lives might otherwise wither tragically.

They are said to be instruments for Palao to find and save deserving individuals.

‘They see colors around people.’

‘Gold, silver, and bronze.’

The closer to gold, the more a person is inclined to express charity toward others.

At times, they see this color among objects too.

Yet, Rashar noted such observations aren’t abundant.

She had seen about half a dozen bronze hues, most of which were on objects or sites, like weeds in forests before an outbreak or areas with underground water during droughts.

‘Only twice seeing silver.’

Both times it was on people. Other Apostles of Palao were safeguarding them.

‘Lastly, the golden hue…’

That’s associated with life-saving heroes able to save entire nations.

Within the long chronicles of their order, ten instances of the golden color haven’t even occurred.

In any case, Palao’s Apostles use this gift to save people.

‘Rashar is Palao’s Apostle.’

And I possess Karlos’ Authority.

Karlos is the only god among the 7 Great Virtues capable of healing.

‘Converting the negative into positive energy.’

The Authority of Kindness, Karlos’ gift.

I needed multiple explanations to grasp this.

‘It swallows misfortune and returns happiness.’

Imagine someone unhappy due to lost limbs. The traded misfortune returns as happiness to balance this.

‘It implies regaining lost limbs.’

It’s not solely a healing gift, but healing operates within its unique framework.

‘The flaw lies in the Apostle’s discretion over misfortune, not the recipient’s.’

Karlos’ Apostle evaluates the misfortune. If it’s insignificant, the happiness returned is lesser.

Even replaying the given explanation, it remains vague.

‘Do I have to be unfortunate to use this?’

No, it’s cast upon others, right?

‘Hmm… must I rely on others’ casting for personal benefit?’

Honestly, utilizing this power feels unclear. Yet, proving I’m not linked with monsters might warrant its use.

“No, never! His blessing is exceedingly rare. Don’t frivolously waste it.”

Rashar rejected vehemently.

“… Rare?”

“He doesn’t bestow authority casually to non-Apostles.”

“Oh, really?”

Said with such importance, it indicated I should preserve it.

Reluctantly, I slipped the Authority back into my inventory.

“So how can I persuade you? It seems I’m indeed an Outsider.”

“Uhm.”

“I must reach the temple, you know? What method will assure my passage? Only then can I pursue an approach.”

Rashar hesitated again, avoiding direct answers.

‘Is she taking me or not?’

I needed to reach the temple for my conversation with the Damned System.

Yet the one person capable of bringing me hesitating fuels agitation within me.

“Could you answer, please?”

“I, I promised to ensure your safety to the base, didn’t I?”

At least she wasn’t retracting that plan. The small mercy eased me somewhat, though anxiety knotted inside.

“Hey, if you have any conscience, you shouldn’t say that. Just a moment ago, you tried to kill me.”

“You must be confused! I, I merely, aimed to find clarity, hopefully helping…”

Her excuse trailed off as Rashar clasped her hands, bowing deeply.

“I truly apologize… I was overly hasty. A more calm explanation and request for understanding were needed, though my anxiety interfered…”

Startled by her change in demeanor, I found myself suddenly uneasy.

‘Whoa, why go to such lengths…?’

Did you commit mortal sin? Caught off guard by an unexpected reaction, I veiled my perturbation and quickly strategized.

‘There’s an opening now.’

The guilt deepened in Rashar. It was now possible to address boundary-pushing questions.

“Whew.”

Upon seeing my exaggerated exhale, Rashar flinched slightly.

“We should candidly discuss matters now.”

Adopting a more solemn tone, Rashar nodded, monitoring my reaction.

“First, could you enlighten me about the concept of an oracle? It’s driving me insane with frustration.”

A cautious glint in her eyes, Rashar chose her words carefully.

“Remember when I mentioned we were at war?”

“Yeah, the monsters spontaneously appeared.”

Abruptly ignited, the war obliterated half the kingdoms housed within the continent. Rashar’s homeland, the Kingdom of Perrell, was ruined alongside its royal line.

The remaining upper nobility had only compiled resistance factions to endure.

“To be truthful… the past few years haven’t favored us.”

I contributed no extraneous comments, absorbing Rashar’s statements.

Damned System