Damn System

Episode 37

Chapter 9 Capitalism (1)

Aside from the removal of the barriers, the 3rd level missions were different from the previous missions in several ways.

The first difference you can see is that there is no limit on the number of people entering.

In addition, the content of the mission has also changed.

MISSION

[03-143]

Destroy all the mediums connected to the scepter.

• Medium (0/1)

[compensation]

Choose from the rewards below.

• Magic 60, Fame 3

• Property Magic 30, Fame 6

(※ 1st place in the reputation ranking, rewards are doubled when the mission is successful.)

It was expected that fame would be added to the reward.

Because there is a sentence in the public list that says ‘any action that directly contributes to the closure of the hall’.

In fact, at the time of the reputation-related update, my reputation increased by the number of missions I cleared.

Now that the update is over, of course it should be on the reward list.

So, there was no need to pay attention to this part.

I skipped over what I expected and looked at the unexpected.

‘Intermediary.’

What is this? I used magic detection for reconnaissance and repeatedly checked the contents of the mission.

‘There is no count to eliminate the enemy… … .’

However, before he could ponder over the changes in detail, he felt the magic around him.

Compared to the magical power of the monsters seen in level 2, the size is smaller, but the number of heads is large.

‘Six from the start.’

The exact location is below me.

At first, I thought there was a monster in the ground.

But when I turned my gaze to check the direction the monster was, I realized that I was mistaken.

‘pond… … .’

No, it would be more accurate to call it a swamp.

It was more difficult to secure the view than the previous mission site, which was full of trees.

A grass as tall as me was poking its head out of the water.

It was a plant with leaves shaped like a round fan.

‘It looks like a lotus leaf.’

I looked down at the waterside where the root of an unknown plant was submerged.

To be precise, on the surface of the water that is dyed black with darkness.

Something in the shape of an inverted triangle was floating in the direction of the monster affected by magic detection.

Red eyes with no distinction between white and pupil.

Leather that is as smooth as a reptile.

A long tongue that occasionally protrudes from the water.

‘Is it a snake?’

I put strength into the hand holding the spearhead and confronted the guy with only his head slightly above the water.

In the meantime, other guys caught in magic detection approached me.

Due to the quiet surroundings, whenever the monsters moved, the sound of the water lapping was particularly loud.

The location of the monsters is inside the swamp to the left of the mud road exposed out of the water.

So one, two, three, until the last six.

All the monsters within a 300m radius of me poked their heads out of the water.

Close enough to see them with the naked eye.

Six pairs of red eyes perched among the tall grass were staring at me, tongues flicking.

Unless you know what that monster looks like, it’s a handshake to enter the water where movement is restricted.

If it had a shape similar to that of a snake, the body might be wrapped around itself.

A javelin is also not a very good option. The risk of losing a weapon is great.

‘If I can’t go in, I’ll have to make them come.’

When I lowered the spearhead that I was holding so that I could stick it in at any time, the surface of the water moved a little more dynamically.

The monsters started to move around in the water as if they were preparing to attack me.

It was not easy to track their location with the naked eye because of the thick stems of plants and the shaking of the water surface.

‘If it wasn’t for magic detection, I’d have had a hard time.’

The terrain and surroundings were not in my favor.

While I clicked my tongue inside, I slightly dipped the cross-bladed spear blade into the water.

‘Learn firsthand why short circuit accidents are dangerous, you bastards.’

Sparks from the fingertips wrapped around the spear in an instant.

“Shaaak!”

As a result, the monsters hiding in the water began to flutter like fish pulled out of the water.

* * *

A triangular head, a slightly forked tongue at the tip, and a mouth that opens 180 degrees.

Four legs, webbed feet, sharp claws, and a tail as thick as my thighs.

The appearance of the new monster resembled a crocodile.

However, it was difficult to say that it was a complete crocodile.

They were able to walk upright on two legs.

It was about the size of my chest when I stood up.

‘Bouncing in the water is annoying.’

I clicked my tongue and shoved the dagger into the mouth of the monster that had just jumped out of the water at terrifying speed.

And taking advantage of that gap, I kicked the guy who was running from the side to bite my hand.

When the monster died, the contaminated magic power was absorbed without fail.

“You have succeeded in eliminating the enemy.”

「27 contaminated magic power is absorbed.」

“You have succeeded in eliminating the enemy.”

「29 contaminated magic power is absorbed.」

The impression was crumpled. The message about collecting mana does not appear.

I glanced at the message window with a mixed feeling.

But looking at it like this, I can’t figure out why.

In the end, I have no choice but to brush it off now.

Their magical powers are in their late 20s to early 30s.

‘It has more magical power than a polar bear.’

Just looking at the amount of magical power they possess, it means that these creatures are stronger than polar bears.

Ordinary human beings will die before they can grapple.

I didn’t relax and carefully sorted out the guys that jumped out of the water like arrows.

The guy who just climbed up to the ground bit his calf, so he raised his foot and stepped on it.

puck.

There was a monotonous sound, and the skull of the one whose head had been stepped on by me sank completely.

“Whoa.”

In just a few minutes after the battle started, all six monsters that were aiming at me were dead.

‘The level of chaos is about 0.4%.’

Thanks to the increase in magical power possessed, the increase in the level of Chaos decreased significantly.

There wasn’t even a sudden emotional change like he experienced in the promotion test.

Based on my experience so far, the threshold at which I am directly affected by mental pollution is from the early 30%.

From then on, hallucinations and violence begin to stand out.

When it goes up to 50%, I use violence, such as kicking, without even realizing it.

‘There’s still room for it, but there’s no need to leave the tainted magic alone.’

I turned the cleanser and brushed the black blood off the long sword and dagger.

And instead of leaving immediately, I examined the monster’s corpse.

The corpse of the man who died from a dagger stuck in his throat was the most intact.

The monster I saw in the promotion test and level 2 was full of thorny teeth in the roof of the mouth.

These guys had teeth only at the edges of their mouths like alligators.

After checking the overall appearance, it was time to find the weak points.

‘Because I have to keep writing the guidebook.’

While I was preparing for the 3rd level, Ethan and Lily had already completed the 2nd level mission.

It was the time to graduate from the first level of the leader who quickly hit and climbed up.

It was time to write a sequel to the guidebook with higher level missions.

If you want to steadily collect reputation, you must not be lazy to collect information.

‘Let’s stab it first.’

I started stabbing the monster’s corpse here and there with my dagger.

However, I couldn’t find a particularly weak part of the leather.

The back skin, stomach skin, and dagger had similar power when they were stuck.

When I lifted the tail, it was heavy. If it hits the head properly, concussion is the same as reserved.

Clearly, these guys are stronger than normal humans.

‘But it’s not comparable to the monster I saw in level 2.’

These guys can cut both sides in one knife cut without using materialization.

Maybe that’s why it was easier than the battle I experienced at level 2.

‘The reaction speed is slow, and the strength is weak.’

After examining the monster’s corpse, I pondered over the previous battle.

‘Even though there were six of them, they didn’t strike first.’

I ran after provoking him first.

Of course, it didn’t move randomly even when it ran.

‘Are they accustomed to group hunting?’

I’ll have to pay more attention to this part in the next battle.

I got up from my seat after briefly organizing information.

As I looked through the corpse of the dead monster in my hand, my impression naturally wrinkled.

‘It would be crazy if the number increased.’

They are obviously weak, but it seemed like it would be difficult if dozens of them attacked at once.

As long as you don’t have enough hands, you might have to endure being bitten a few times.

I even checked the precautions in preparation for the next battle and moved on.

Even so, he pondered over the sense of incongruity he felt while examining the monster.

‘Strange… … .’

In normal games, as the level goes up, the main hunting ground is divided.

And the level of the monsters coming out of that hunting ground also went up.

Like climbing stairs, it is normal for the level of difficulty to be progressively more difficult.

‘But the level 3 monster is weaker than the level 2?’

The level difference was too great to simply say it was because of the number of heads.

Compared to the fox monster right now, isn’t there a difference of nearly 50 in magic power?

Furthermore, unlike me, who plays solo, other players basically play in a party.

If you fill up 15 people, you can never say it’s a difficult level.

‘Rather, the fox cub is more picky.’

It’s hard to kill if you can’t materialize it.

Objectively, level 3 is easier for the average player.

‘What is it? The structure is strange.’

According to what I have felt so far, level 1 is a section that raises the basic physical.

Level 2 is the section where character building begins in earnest.

There is a huge variety of low-cost assistive skills in the shop, and most players will probably have a different position, such as dealer or tank, at 2nd level.

If you look at this part, the system of the game is clearly caught.

However, the difficulty configuration is strange. As I pondered over what the reason was, there was one thing that bothered me.

“Intermediary… … .”

This is an element that could not be found in the previous levels 1 and 2.

Could this strange structure be related to the medium?

‘Maybe the level isn’t divided according to the level of the monster.’

Do you think it has something to do with the system message indicating that levels 1 and 2 are beginner sections?

Even today, a question for which I cannot find an answer has piled up in a corner of my mind.

‘It’s frustrating.’

I swallowed a sigh that almost spilled out of habit and started moving.

The land that was not flooded was so narrow that one person could barely walk.

Because of that, my feet sometimes slipped and when I fell into the water, I heard a loud splash.

Moving along the narrow road was more cumbersome and slower than expected.

To make matters worse, it was so densely packed with wild plants that it was impossible to see.

I could barely see under my feet.

It feels like walking through a field of reeds.

If it had stopped there, the curse wouldn’t have come out.

Blocking my way was not an ordinary plant.

The stem was full of sharp thorns, so clothes kept getting snagged.

‘It’s not to the point of being hurt.’

When I was stabbed, I felt a stinging pain.

Eventually, I cut the plant with my sword to secure my way.

In the meantime, one by one, the monsters began to gather.

I looked around, but couldn’t find the monster with the naked eye.

You can only see it with your own eyes after approaching it from close range.

‘If the same field continues to appear, magic detection is essential.’

This field has way too many places for monsters to hide than in previous missions.

I continued to move forward, focusing on the movements of the magical powers that began to surround me.

When about 10 monsters gathered like that, their preemptive attack began.

‘These guys only do group hunting.’

It was the moment when I was sure that they would never come running alone.