Damned System

Chapter 54. Main Scenario (3)

“Supplying the materials consumed at the forefront has become burdensome, and with no end in sight for the purification work, there’s a trend of fewer soldiers voluntarily enlisting.”

Even if they risked their lives, nothing improved, so those willing to risk it began to disappear.

“No one wants to die a dog’s death, do they?”

“… That’s the essence of it.”

The voice that affirmed was filled with self-mockery.

“So perhaps it’s no wonder that a year ago, everyone was half out of their minds over the oracle that came down.”

“What was that oracle, anyway?”

“The Outsider will visit with the seed of hope, turning despair into salvation.”

It was Raul who answered, rather than Rashar, who stood a little away.

As quickly as I turned to look at him, Sigram, next to Raul, took over the words.

“Before leaving, leave a footprint in the divine land.”

Only then did Rashar sigh deeply and add a sentence.

“Then, and only then, will hope sprout.”

My eyebrows twitched.

“Hope…”

That single word irked my nerves.

Since then, the word oracle hovered above other thoughts.

Hope, outsider, war, hole, enemy and ally, game, monster, and mission.

The words I knew slowly intertwined, forming a big picture.

And when I recalled the actions of the party that, after hearing I might be the Outsider, paid excessive attention to me.

“It is the prophecy and will left by the apostle of the former Meferoseta.”

Rashar spoke in a heavy voice.

As far as I know, the authority of Meferoseta is foresight.

But unusually, there is only one apostle of that god in any era.

And they rarely speak of the future they see.

If spoken, it would undoubtedly be treated as an oracle.

There was even an apostle who lived a lifetime without giving a single prophecy.

“Seeing the future is a realm not allowed to creations. Speaking of it deviates from the norm. It’s breaking the rule of restraint.”

“… What happens if you break it?”

“Meferoseta is quite stern.”

When attaching the word will to that, I could roughly understand the situation.

“Foresight is an enormous power.”

The rights you could gain from providing that information would be beyond imagination.

Therefore, they could prove their self-restraint by not speaking of what they saw.

The point here is that the apostles of Meferoseta don’t speak of the future not because they can’t, but because they choose not to.

If they are prepared to face death, they can say it whenever they want.

“They die the moment they speak of a future others should not know.”

Rashar smiled faintly, as if my words were correct.

“Authority is a power that defies causality. Thus, it’s the power of god. It makes no sense that there would be no rebound for those using god’s power without divinity.”

It meant that other apostles too received penalties if they failed to abide by their constraints.

“Whew.”

Honestly, I wasn’t getting used to it.

A world where divine miracles could be verified, and the existence of gods directly interfering in human affairs with reason, was unfamiliar.

Yet, instead of denying, the reason I stubbornly continued to think was that I had already used that power.

“I definitely saw it.”

It was a time without any CCTVs or cameras around.

A time that should only remain in Rashar’s memory that had nothing to do with me.

I wasn’t foolish enough to deny what I experienced firsthand.

Therefore, I had no intention of treating this thing called the oracle lightly.

“Something so significant as an oracle declared it. If you bring the Outsider to the Divine Land, there will be hope.”

When the previous apostle died after declaring those words, everyone searched the continent intensely to find the Outsider.

Just for the sake of finding the Outsider.

Even after ten days, a month, half a year, and now a year since that day, many still held onto that hope.

The moment I understood the demeanor of those who became extraordinarily polite after mentioning I might be the Outsider.

“Whew.”

Tap, tap-tap, tap-tap.

I folded my arms and tapped my foot, lost in thought.

“If the Divine Land is somehow related to gods.”

Thinking of it as a temple, the reason Rashar agreed to take me there became clear.

Through the oracle, they were instructed to take me to the temple.

And that was a whole year ago.

“Hope, they call it hope…”

If I was indeed the Outsider they spoke of.

That meant my visit to the temple was their hope.

‘Why?’

Because I was a Player.

‘All Players are combat units.’

Though over 90% of us are still low-level, we can surpass human limits.

That’s why we’re hope. Since in a retreating battle situation, adding additional troops is beneficial.

‘Monsters are the enemies, Rashar is an ally.’

Judging by that stark division, with high probability.

This Damned System was trying to push the Player into the world’s war under the guise of a game.

And the people of this world were ready to welcome the system’s decision.

‘Damn it…’

The conclusion reached was so simple that a curse escaped me before I could hold it back.

I hadn’t even enlisted, and yet I was on the verge of being deployed!

Grinding my teeth, I scrubbed my face harshly.

‘Calm down, think calmly.’

I began to take deep breaths to control my agitation.

Then, subconsciously, when I took a quick glance to the side, I bit the inside of my cheek.

Had it been too long a silence after suddenly blurting out vulgarity?

Everyone was looking at me.

Their eyes seemed both terrified and filled with strange heat.

Escaping their gazes by turning my head, I found my hands sweating.

‘Is it right to head to the temple like this?’

At the start of the conversation, I only meant to gather information before heading to the temple.

But as the conversation progressed, the thought of going to the temple began to waver.

‘The moment I step foot there, I might be thrust into a war entirely unrelated to me.’

An urgent sense of needing to destroy the Connection and flee rose within me.

I asked after clenching my eyes shut and then opening them.

“You said many nations have perished? How many?”

Rashar hesitated momentarily, then finally replied.

“Eight countries lost their territories and ceased to exist.”

“And those remaining?”

“Only two, the Atar Empire and the Heilas Principality, maintain their sovereignty, people, and territory.”

“And including those who lost their governance?”

“There are three factions like Ferrell that transformed into divisions supported from the rear.”

“When you include all the forces that can be mobilized, what’s the accurate number?”

Rashar faltered at my fierce voice.

But as I silently pressed with my stare, he soon continued.

“With all the rear forces mobilized, it would be… about 500,000, I speculate.”

This was a losing game. The numbers I saw through the mission proved it.

“I have no reason to lend a hand in a war destined to lose.”

It was time to pull out immediately.

As soon as I reached that conclusion, I grabbed my shield.

I intended to destroy the Connection right there and then.

But absurdly, my hand wouldn’t move.

“Damn…”

The Mana in this Connection held me back.

The thing beyond the Hole, where Mana seeped through, kept tugging at my feet.

Because I was gritting my teeth, a chilling sound escaped, ‘kadak.’

“Hole…”

If what lay beyond was truly Earth.

If this Hole allowed me to move back and forth through the Missions.

Monsters crossing into Earth through this Hole was certainly possible.

“You said the war started suddenly?”

Rashar mentioned that the monsters, originally nonexistent in this world, suddenly appeared.

As I mulled over that conversation repeatedly, a thought struck me.

What if monsters from another world punched a Hole into this world?

“The fact they clung to the Connection and consumed Mana couldn’t possibly be a coincidence.”

If I think this way, I can’t casually watch the Hole between this world and Earth.

That would equate to saying their next target is Earth.

Gulping, swallowing hard, I opened the mission window with trembling eyes.

When I scrolled all the way to the bottom, I saw numbers larger than what I remembered.

12,354,973

13,608,154

18,154,320

…

If those numbers represented the number of monsters.

If they could cross over to Earth through the Hole.

“No.”

I clenched my hand tight enough to turn it white.

“Whew.”

The trembling and hesitation were only temporary.

The worst is better dealt with by preparing rather than not.

Even if the worst scenario I assumed turned out to be entirely unfounded, letting things pass without any issue.

And even if all the effort, time, and money spent avoiding the worst became meaningless.

It was better to prepare excessively than to watch passively, thinking, ‘I’ll be fine.’

My life until now proved that.

Thus, the words from my mouth were calmer than I expected.

“You said we’d set off once Ahel’s Mana recovers, right?”

“… Indeed.”

“When does it recover?”

Rashar, who was staring at my face, swallowed dryly and spoke.

“We could leave right now. It was just that I wanted to confirm you were a person we could trust first.”

“And have you confirmed it?”

“… It’s more like, I’d like to believe.”

“Then stop dilly-dallying and let’s go at once. I think I’ve gotten a bit urgent.”

Completing the hidden mission created things to confirm.

For planning ahead, swift action seemed wise.

At my composed urging, Rashar nodded and turned first.

I quickly followed behind Rashar.

“Are you done with the talk?”

Upon hearing Rashar’s response, Ahel, who had been sitting next to Raul waiting, dusted off his backside as he stood.

“Yes, you can head off right away.”

Despite Rashar’s answer, Ahel scrutinized me from head to toe with folded arms.

“If you go as you are, you’ll certainly have a headache…”

Then he murmured words I couldn’t understand.

“Just for a day.”

Ahel didn’t give any proper explanation but spouted whatever he wanted.

Then he suddenly stretched his hand toward my head.

I quickly grabbed his wrist and stopped him.

“Hey, don’t avoid it. This is all for your sake, really. I swear it!”

For a moment, there was a silent standoff with Ahel, who smiled brightly with playful fingers.

I let go of Ahel’s hand, resolving to observe for the time being.

Given that he needed my Mana, it didn’t seem like he would do anything harmful to me.

Ahel’s hand, once freed, swiftly reached me.

Soon after, a slender finger poked my forehead.

As I frowned at the sudden contact, a transparent barrier enveloped my body.

“… It feels like a soap bubble.”

It wasn’t uncomfortable, but I could sense being isolated.

Half-curious and half-cautious, I asked.

“What is this?”

“It’s to prevent the resonance of Mana from leaking out.”

Resonance? Now that he mentioned it, Ahel had used the word resonance when he first approached me.

“Learn how to conceal it quickly,” he warned.

There seemed to be a distinctive trace from the attribute Mana.

While observing the phenomena occurring in my body for a moment, I intended to ask more details and raised my head.

“How does one conceal that resonance…?”

But as I met Ahel’s eyes, I failed to finish the question, freezing in place.

This was because he was gazing at me with a satisfied smile.

His gray eyes sparkled brightly, evoking a sense of déjà vu, as if I’d seen it somewhere before.

Where was this feeling of familiarity coming from?

As I carefully scrutinized Ahel’s face, the face of the twins suddenly came to mind.

“When they’re with sweet and sour pork.”

The eyes they have when they excitedly gulp before delicious food.

“So, to that guy, I’m equivalent to sweet and sour pork, an appetizing dish?”

As I looked at Ahel, my eyes dulled with distaste.

“If we’re trading, it should be with me first, right?”

It felt uncomfortable being approached by a guy flashing cute, smiling eyes.

“… Could you back off a little?”

“Aw, why are you acting like that with us?”

You and I, we barely talked for a few hours until now?

With incredulity, I merely stared, and his words were quite audacious.

“So, are your questions all answered now? Abandoning me after having your fill, it’s too much!”

I stared grimly at Ahel and took a step back from him.