Damn System

Episode 16

Chapter 4 Main Server (3)

“… … Maybe.”

Contrary to the ambiguous answer, Ethan was sure they were dead.

Because there was a time when he almost died and Kay said he saw a body in the mission magazine.

If the six people who entered the mission four days ago failed to use their magical powers, they would have no choice but to die.

If you don’t have that characteristic, no, skill, you’ll lose in physical.

If those who don’t even know how to fight properly get pushed back physically, there’s no way to win.

“I see, it happened in a place I don’t know about, but people died… … It’s unfortunate.”

Ethan couldn’t help laughing at David’s words.

‘On the subject of whether or not to kill me.’

David saw Ethan as a threat from the time of the beta test.

The more players absorb mana, the stronger they become.

He wanted to cut off the power that was escaping human limits before it became a threat to his country.

However, it was not implemented because the prime minister cited human rights and blocked it.

In that situation, an additional 10,000 players were selected a few days ago.

David must have guessed it because he reported the fact that it was the first selection.

The scale of this game is getting bigger and bigger.

Saying sorry just now would be a change due to that.

‘He’s probably trying to be friendly now.’

I hope Ethan won’t hostile me among the players.

‘But it’s already too late.’

It was a twisted relationship from the time he held the gun while mentioning his family.

Ethan longed for the future and hid his intensified emotions deep inside.

“Ah, I called today to ask for your opinion, but the conversation has gotten longer.”

In the meantime, David continued.

“A proposal for cooperation came from the United States.”

Ethan’s body trembled.

“I thought it would be nice to go on a mission together.”

I didn’t even have to ask who I was with.

Code name lily, Lily Evans of the CIA.

“You probably want to reduce the risk too.”

It was expected since the number of players displayed in the community decreased.

There were also instructions to wait and not enter the mission.

It was because I received a message from an agent from MI5 with whom I had become quite close in the past three months.

Cooperation with Lily was also good news for Ethan.

Aside from being able to use magic with Kei’s help, I couldn’t help but be afraid.

But instead of answering right away, Ethan paused for a moment.

This is because he originally promised to go on a mission with Kei.

However, an incident four days ago made it known what the third number representing the mission meant.

When Kei and he enter the mission together, the United States can be confirmed through Lily.

If only it could reach David.

‘They’ll ask who I went in with.’

The excuse of not meeting anyone at the mission magazine will have limits.

David might torture you to find out the truth.

Will he be able to keep Kay’s secret even under that circumstance?

The answer was negative.

‘It’s better to have no contact at all.’

He is already an identity and everything has been exposed, but Kay is not.

That means there’s plenty of room to hide.

What if Kay stepped out for herself and something happened.

‘That’s not allowed.’

Then Ethan would not be able to forgive himself.

In a way, the U.S. proposal for cooperation was a good thing.

Because while hiding the point of contact with Kei, you can share the risk in the mission in half.

‘Because Lily is also in beta.’

There will be no trouble for each other because of contaminated magical power.

After thinking about it, Ethan put an end to the troubles he had repeated over the past few days.

Giving up on entering the mission with Kay.

Ethan, who came to a conclusion, immediately shook his head.

“I will.”

“They wanted us to come. When can we leave?”

Ethan replied with a smile.

“Either that side or this side, it seems like they haven’t adapted yet. We don’t have to physically move.”

“… … .”

“Because we just have to set the same mission and enter.”

Ethan said as he stood up from his seat.

“Miss Evans and I discuss and decide which mission to do.”

Right before Ethan finished speaking, opened the door to the director’s office and went outside.

“Does Kay still appear in the community?”

David caught his step.

Ethan turned around and answered with a frown.

“If you showed up, you would have told me.”

Immediately after, he slammed the door shut.

His gait across the corridor was rough.

At first glance, he seemed angry, but in reality, his nervousness was greater.

‘A tenacious child.’

David is still looking for Kay after three months.

It’s not just to ask for cooperation.

Now, David is trying to find Kay because he is the most dangerous person among the players.

Ethan gritted his teeth and made a promise.

‘It only prevents his personal information from being revealed.’

He will never see his lifesaver become a lab rat like himself.

* * *

Ethan said that he was going on a mission with Lily.

It also came with the unpleasant news that David was still looking for me.

But realistically, there’s no way for it to find me.

What was urgent right now was to prepare for the mission.

I spent all my time preparing for the mission, ignoring external problems.

And at dawn on the day exactly ten days after the system was activated, I left the house.

The destination is Korea University Hospital, where I was briefly hospitalized three months ago.

It was a quiet time, so I was able to arrive quickly.

But instead of going inside the hospital, I paused.

My footsteps did not fall.

‘I feel like I’m looking for a place to die.’

I can’t be bothered.

Obviously I did everything I could.

I am confident that I have not been lazy for a single moment.

Turning back time wouldn’t do it any better.

Furthermore, it was concluded that this method was the best.

Even so, I have to doubt persistently until the end.

‘Is this really the best?’

It’s natural to feel anxious when you don’t know the future.

Still too heavy Anxiety that has bloomed like a haze runs through the feet, calves, knees, thighs, and waist, then down the chest and tightens the neck.

It wasn’t time to stop like this, but I couldn’t shake it off.

I consciously exhaled a long breath, holding my hands tightly together.

And I reflected on the reason I decided to enter the mission today.

‘I have to gather my magic.’

If the cycle is the same as the beta test, today is the second tutorial day.

I was thinking of preoccupying magic power as much as possible until the tutorial was over.

Because the number of missions is limited.

Of the more than 8,000 lists right now, more than 70% are high-level missions.

Level 3 or higher missions with only two marked numbers.

Level 1 and 2 missions are less than 30%.

Of course, if you look at the ratio, there are many low-level sections.

‘It’s not infinite.’

In such a situation, what would happen if 10,000 new players were introduced?

Mission papers that can obtain magical powers may be exhausted.

I have a chance to get out of the low-level section before that.

That was the biggest advantage beta testers had, and it was an opportunity.

‘It’s not the time to hesitate.’

After taking one, two, and then three deep breaths, finally.

The legs that seemed to never move moved.

I pushed my baseball cap on deeper and moved on.

After entering the hospital, I used the passage Jong-hoon had given me in advance.

It was to avoid CCTV as much as possible.

‘just in case.’

As they moved forward, the twins’ faces shimmered.

‘It’s still quiet.’

After hearing their conversation ten days ago, I immediately contacted Jong-hoon and Jae-hyeok.

never tell me what happened to me

It’s time to catch up with nothing.

Then we ate dinner as if nothing had happened.

It’s the first time I’ve been so uncomfortable with my younger siblings since my parents died.

Both of them acted as usual, pretending not to know, but it was clearly visible to me.

Such a strange atmosphere continued for several days, but I did not explain anything.

It will be the same in the future. It’s something these guys don’t need to know.

“Whoa.”

I let out a sigh of frustration and arrived at my destination before I knew it.

A familiar name was written next to an unfamiliar door.

「Seo Jong-hoon」

The place I arrived at was Jong-hoon’s private laboratory.

Before opening the door, I knocked and a familiar voice greeted me.

“come in.”

I immediately opened the door and entered.

“Mister, did you sleep well?”

“I couldn’t even sleep.”

Jonghun let out a sigh and pressed his temples with both hands.

But he got up before long.

“Come in, come in and let’s talk.”

“yes.”

I went inside and sat down on the sofa.

After waiting for a while, Jonghun, who had brought coffee, sat down across from me.

“How about breakfast?”

“i ate it. What about you?”

“I didn’t eat. Because it didn’t go through.”

As I was accepting the mug Jong-hoon gave me, my hand trembled.

I said with an awkward smile.

“I’m sorry for asking you a difficult request. You must be in trouble… … .”

“It’s not that I’m in trouble, it’s that I’m disturbed.”

Jonghoon put down his glass and frowned.

“When you were picked up by Hyuk while covered in blood… … .”

Unable to finish his sentence, Jonghun buried his face in his hands.

The sigh he let out weighed heavily on a corner of his heart.

I remember the moment I visited him three months ago, a few days after being discharged, and told him about the game.

– I know it’s unrealistic, but to me it’s real.

– Please help me.

– You know I shouldn’t die like this.

I was also taken aback by the unbelievable story.

I was surprised to see the spear and sword appearing out of thin air.

The fact that I was frightened at seeing my abnormal power.

I remember everything.

‘Your complexion is really bad.’

Three months ago, I thought about it even before I spoke to Jong-hoon.

I wonder if he’s dragging him into something worthless. I’m afraid that something unexpected will happen and he will go wrong.

Even so, the reason I kept saying it was because I couldn’t think of any other way.

As long as the mission continues, injuries are inevitable.

‘I’m not a special forces soldier.’

Even though my body has changed, I don’t have much practical experience.

To make matters worse, monsters even have intelligence.

It was far more dangerous than simply grappling with animals.

In fact, I was injured in almost every mission.

I will never forget the day I returned to my room covered in blood.

There may come a moment when you are hurt worse than then.

‘At that time, the kids must have come home like yesterday.’

would have stayed silent. I needed a place to escape the twins.

A place where I can be treated right away in case of an emergency without worrying about being caught by the two.

Could there be a place as perfect as a hospital?

‘There was also a medical record problem.’

Jonghun was the best option I could choose now.

‘Is this right.’

If I could go back to that period, I would make the same decision.

But I couldn’t help but feel apologetic because I felt like I had caused unnecessary concern.

When I swallowed a sigh with a heavy heart, Jong-hoon said with a pained sound.

“I heard that you might end up like that again, but there’s no way it’s possible to sleep soundly and eat.”

“… … I will be careful.”

I responded as calmly as possible.

Jonghoon wiped his face with a pale complexion.

It takes a few minutes to let out a deep sigh.

“When are you planning to start?”

“If you are ready, uncle.”

“… … okay.”

Jong-hoon went to the desk and took out a tripod and camera.

It was what I asked for. To record the summoning process of the system.

By any chance, if all of this is my delusion, it will all be recorded over there.

At that time, I was thinking of putting myself in a psychiatric hospital right away.

Did you not let go of your last hope even though you knew it wasn’t already?

I was hoping that I wouldn’t disappear to be caught on video.

While Jonghoon was manipulating the camera, I opened the storage box and the mission window.

The locker was full like never before.

Now that the main server is active, the program is updated, and there is a mention of items that can be brought into the mission.

According to the revised manual, firearms or electronic devices with complex structures cannot be brought into the mission site.

I brought both a second hand watch and an electronic watch just in case, but I didn’t expect much.

Instead, hope remained for a few items other than electronic devices.

Things like clothes, food, emergency medicine in case.

Of course, the storage box was not perfect.

’10Kg per room.’

A total of 50 kg of items may be carried in the locker.

When I checked the contents, I packed everything I could prepare on my own line.

Things like food, medicine, and clothes.

And today, I put the bag that Jonghun gave me.

It was an emergency kit used by doctors in a disaster situation.

On how to use the contents, I have been constantly receiving training from Jong-hoon.

All of these preparations might go to waste once again, but I decided to take it for now.

I checked the locker one last time and then the clock on the wall.

Apparently, the one in Jong-hoon’s lab is a digital clock.

It seemed like I could hear the ticking of the hour hand somewhere.

I swallowed my saliva and took out the spear.

When I pressed the level 1 mission window while holding it tight.

[Do you want to enter the mission site? (Y/N)]

A system window popped up. Instead of pressing the button right away, I turned to Jonghun.

“I’m coming.”

Jonghoon, who had been looking at me with a hard complexion, shook his head.

Right after that, I pressed the Yes button without hesitation.

However, my body did not move to the mission site.

Instead, a not-so-long warning message popped up.

「Entrance is restricted because it exceeds the magic standard.」

What bullsh*t is this again?