Chapter 35
Chapter 35. Monitor (3)
‘The system watching me might not be related to the Trait.’
I pondered continuously, but no answers emerged.
For now, I decided to stash away my suspicions about the question mark Trait in a corner of my mind.
‘Step by step, from what I can do now.’
Putting aside my thoughts, I moved to return home when a chat message arrived.
– Kj: I’m going to make a prediction.
– Kj: New posts cursing this game and you, hyung, will pop up every day.
– Kj: Can’t control mana aaaaagh!!
– Kj: Why is this so hard? T_T_T_T_T_T Thanks to you, hyung, I can feel mana, but it won’t move! It absolutely won’t move!
From the mention of mana manipulation, it seemed a decision had been made.
– K: What’s your answer?
– Kj: Hehe, if I accept your proposal, hyung, you’re going to teach just me, right?
– K: Then?
– Kj: Umm… can you teach Bunny nuna too?
My forehead crinkled.
‘Asking to teach someone else?’
Kj and I was connected because they each needed something from the other.
I provided game information, while on the other side, stories from the National Intelligence Service were shared.
Now, even though I had shared that information with other players, I hadn’t revealed the full story of the events that happened at the service.
Moreover, teaching mana manipulation and materialization was something offered in exchange for being my eyes and ears within the National Intelligence Service.
And now, to teach someone else as well?
Before I could respond, a consecutive chat message popped up.
– Kj: Just teach Bunny nuna, not me!
Why was he asking to teach someone else?
Before I could dwell on this question, an unexpected explanation came.
– Kj: There’s someone called Bunny Girl; she’s the one taking care of us since my hyung died, and she just succeeded at mana manipulation today. It’s properly visible on the Skills tab! The service agreed for nuna and me to join together.
‘Since someone showed faster results, he want to focus the efforts there.’
Since they were party members, he might learn through her later.
From a standpoint of efficiency, it was a wise decision.
Yet, it felt uneasy to accept it right away.
‘Should I just teach materialization now that she had mastered mana manipulation?’
Initially, I intended to teach Kj both mana manipulation and materialization.
It was a natural decision back when he didn’t know how to control mana.
But now, just teaching materialization without mana manipulation feels incomplete.
Given that the suggestion to teach someone else came from their side, I couldn’t shake the unease.
‘Of course, teaching one person is easier.’
Teaching two would take more time.
But I wanted to avoid any potential risks from taking the easy route for now.
‘He seems to be a clever one.’
Despite thinking I wouldn’t be petty about it, he couldn’t be sure.
You couldn’t fully understand someone based on just a few conversations.
‘These things have to end cleanly to avoid problems later.’
I decided to assess Bunny Girl’s capabilities and then make a judgment.
If time permitted, I would teach mana manipulation to Kj too; if not, I’d save my time even if it felt uneasy.
‘And simultaneously verify the part involving player survival.’
Recalling the phrase from the public records, I sent a reply.
– K: Whatever. When?
– Kj: We’ll match your schedule, hyung! When’s good for you?
– K: The day after tomorrow.
– Kj: Got it! Perfect! Wanna come to my place? Everyone is out so no one’s around!
It was not something I needed to refuse.
A location would be necessary for teaching.
‘They’re just players who’ve completed one or two missions. I could easily handle both.’
I planned on wearing a hat and mask to avoid recognition in case of any cameras.
I accepted Kj’s offer.
However, instead of wrapping up the conversation, the messages kept coming.
– Kj: I have one more thing to ask… hehe
– K: What is it?
– Kj: Have you heard anything about someone named Han Changshik? Hehehehe.
My hand slightly shook.
Memories I had been trying to set aside started swirling through my mind.
Even amid this, the chat messages continued.
– Kj: There’s no special intention. Actually, all the party members who came out unscathed from missions were thanks to my bro, Yang Baejun hyung. He saved me several times.
– Kj: So when I get out of the low-level status, I want to repay him, even if it’s later at the mission site. Do you know anything about that guy? Could you tell me?
Taking a deep sigh, I sent a reply.
– K: Already killed him.
– K: See you the day after tomorrow.
– Kj: Yup.
After confirming the quick response, I closed the chat window and found myself before my house.
Finally, it hit me. The bounty mission was indeed over.
* * *
While reviewing and practicing the skills I had learned, like barrier, the day I promised meet Kj arrived.
I gathered my usual mask and hat and left the house.
Instead of using public transportation right away, I moved a considerable distance while using Invisibility.
This was to prevent the path of my movement from being traced and revealing my place of residence.
I boarded a bus only after reaching a bus stop more than 3 km away.
About 20 minutes passed when a system alert rang out.
The fourth update, which had started while I slept, was complete.
「Progress: 100%」
「Patch completed.」
「A mission is now assigned by the system’s authority.」
However, unlike previous updates, the explanation was brief.
Authority? Assignment? Why is there no proper explanation?
Previously, it informed about any new features or changes, but this time it was different.
To find answers, I turned to the community.
Thankfully, due to other individuals who had received more detailed instructions unlike himself, I quickly found out what the system had done.
「Title: Am I the only one who sees the timer? – Author: Villain」
Most of the new posts were similar. A timer had appeared with an important notice.
Curious about the content of the notice, I checked the posts one by one.
‘A mission will forcibly proceed….’
It was information that indeed rattled the community.
The timer attached to the notice showed about 17 hours remaining.
My past decision to face the mission voluntarily, overcoming fear, was proven right.
If I was just idling around, I might have been dragged in against my will.
I might have died meeting those monsters unprepared.
Breathing a sigh of relief alone, I pondered over this latest update.
‘That’s around 5 a.m. tomorrow.’
At that time, players who hadn’t participated in missions so far would be forced into mission fields.
As I pondered the significance of that timing, I quickly found my answer.
‘It’s the tenth day from the end of the first tutorial.’
The system was limiting the mission-free period.
It seemed determined to push players into missions if they hadn’t engaged for a certain period.
‘Is completing missions important to the system?’
Indeed, if it is, urging idle players is a natural reaction.
From the system’s viewpoint, those officially made players weren’t putting in the work.
Of course, the players’ opinions weren’t considered at all.
‘Perhaps the grace period is ten days.’
Whether that deadline applies only to the first mission or all missions isn’t certain.
Fortunately, this was something I could find out by enduring for ten days himself.
‘Until the timer appears, focus on training.’
This update had little impact on me.
My circumstances were different from those players panicking due to the impending mission.
As such, the jittery and frightened chatter amongst the players didn’t really affect me.
Instead, another aspect of the update caught my attention.
‘The role of the question mark Trait….’
The resolved issue from this update lay within my field of perception.
‘Amongst the players, more are not participating in missions than otherwise.’
This was evident from the contributor code names for completed missions.
The list had grown, but many code names repeated.
‘At most a few hundred.’
Of the nearly 10,000 players, only a few hundred were participating.
I was able to recognize this point in advance.
Could this knowledge be linked to why the question mark Trait hasn’t activated?
“Click.”
Deducing the role of the question mark Trait remained elusive.
The only option was to continue observing this matter.
‘By the way, there’s still no modification regarding notification sounds.’
I had put in so much emotional energy cursing out of frustration, wanting an update badly.
Yet, the settings related to notification sounds remained unchanged.
Given the current state, the thought of the system monitoring me seemed like mere paranoia.
‘Unless it’s intentionally excluding updates to mess with me?’
Though the thought occurred, it swung towards disbelief.
After all, it was the entity managing the game; surely, it would maintain a basic level of professionalism.
‘Or not.’
Since it was unclear if the system was even a person, emotional speculation like this wasn’t constructive.
‘Maybe there are constraints on how updates can be done.’
Perhaps certain conditions must be satisfied to carry out these updates, indicating some restrictions might exist.
Reflecting on the system’s actions always brought about a multitude of thoughts.
And naturally, the amount of insults would increase as well.
‘Annoying thing….’
While habitually badmouthing the system, a message from Kj arrived.
– Kj: Feels like this game updates really often lol we’re here!
Already? There were still about 20 minutes left until the appointed time.
– K: You arrived early.
– Kj: Wanted to clean up a bit! Let us know when you arrive; we locked up and came in.
– K: Yeah.
Just as I sent this brief reply, my mana detection identified a substantial amount of mana, greater than a normal person’s range.
The location was to my right, moving swiftly past me.
I peered outside the bus for a look.
A middle-aged man with a serious expression walked by.
‘A player.’
The mana detection was something I did habitually to increase proficiency.
Yet, I didn’t expect to encounter a player like this.
‘So, players with mana detection could discover me too.’
It’s better to mutually confirm presence than to be discovered unilaterally.
I decided it was necessary to have mana detection in constant operation during outings, pressing the stop bell as I thought.
I wasn’t planning to follow this new player.
It was simply time to disembark.
‘He isn’t the person I’m looking for anyway.’
There was no need to acknowledge them first.
For now, it sufficed to recall the player’s appearance a couple of times instead.
Disembarking from the bus, I made my way toward my scheduled meeting place.
Initially, we had planned to meet at Kj’s house.
But his family unexpectedly returned home this morning.
As a result, we had to find another suitable venue.
Luckily, Kj had a decent alternative in mind, so we quickly agreed on a new location.
Having received the address beforehand made finding it simple.
The structure I arrived at was a neat-looking three-story building.
‘Is this the suitable location?’
Arriving at the destination, I sent a chat message.
A mass of mana started to move from the basement to my opposite side.
‘Where is he going?’
As I followed the detected mana, the sound of a door opening reached me.
It wasn’t the front door I faced, but another entrance located on the building’s left side.
“Hyung, over here!”
The voice and the location of the mana matched.
I moved towards the direction, discovering the emergency exit door left ajar beside the building.
As I approached, Kj quickly scanned me.
I couldn’t help but do the same. Kj bore a noticeable bruise on his left eye, unlike when they last met a few days ago.
It was clear someone had struck him.
‘… He has over a hundred mana, yet he got hit?’
Did he get into a fight with my party member?
Kj, noticing my gaze on the bruise, flashed a grin and spoke.
“I let them hit me on purpose. It’s faster to end that way.”
Although suggestive, I wasn’t in the mood to pry.
“Haven’t seen you in person until now. I’m Kim Yul, and you?”
Kj, or rather Kim Yul, who introduced himself, extended his hand for a handshake.
Even as I accepted the handshake, I avoided the question.
“Prefer not to say.”
“Wow, super secretive much, aren’t you? Well, if you don’t want to say, I’m not gonna push. Anyway, come in. The CCTV is turned off. This place is shut down.”
“That’s reassuring.”
Despite saying this, I had no intention of removing my mask and hat.
After stepping inside, Kim Yul locked the door and led the way.
“Do you happen to hate dust or have a cleanliness obsession?”
“Not really.”
“Good to know. I cleaned up just enough to be sit-able.”
As they descended the short staircase, Yul continued talking without pause.
“This was originally a practice room rental place; it closed last month. Since the building hasn’t been sold yet, I asked if I could borrow it a bit.”
“A practice room?”
“Yeah, I was an idol trainee. I used to come here before joining the agency.”
“I see.”
His flashy appearance suddenly made sense with that explanation.
“The venue change today is also because of that. The agency might have tipped off representative Kim about my disappearance.”
The mention of ‘representative Kim’ caught my ear.
‘Was he referring to a member of the National Assembly?’
Of course, the curiosity was brief. Better to stay ignorant to avoid entanglement, like with Namkyu.
“They suddenly barged in at home, throwing a fit.”
However, unless interrupted, Yul seemed ready to spill endless tales of my situation.
Therefore, I chose to cut off Yul’s narrative.
Damned System
