Damn System

Episode 42

Chapter 10 Traces (2)

The more you do something, the better your skills will be. The tracking was the same.

I kept crawling on the ground looking for bloodstains, and on the second day I could tell where the grass was pressed.

From then on, the pursuit accelerated.

‘It’s not four, it’s six.’

Traces of bonfires, traces of weeds pressed down as if people were lying down, and even traces of turning the ground to remove excrement.

Every time I found the footsteps of those who went before, I could be sure that I was on the right track.

Occasionally, their tracks would cross areas teeming with monsters.

At that time, he ran like crazy while wearing the invisibility.

Because of the focus on tracking, collision was avoided as much as possible.

There were guys chasing even that, so I did some grappling.

There were no critical moments.

Five days like that, I left the meadow and set foot in the mountainous area.

On the slope, there were many footprints thanks to the relatively forward shift of the center of gravity.

This made tracking easier.

Then, when they reached the deep forest, they suddenly stopped walking.

Because what looked like a human leg was sticking out next to the bush.

gulp.

I swallowed my saliva and moved cautiously.

Many situations were hypothesized while continuing the pursuit, which was unknown when it would end.

What would you do if you were filthy lucky and met those who left these traces?

If the other side reacts hostilely to me.

Conversely, if favored.

And if words don’t work.

if they are not human.

Even if you don’t meet them, if you arrive at a place where people live together.

I pondered over my thoughts, recalling the number of so many cases.

In a place where there was no one to talk to, he only received messages from Ethan and Kim Yul from time to time, so he had plenty of time to think.

Even so, I get nervous thinking that so many families might come before my eyes.

However, that tension did not last long, and it dissipated.

While I closed the distance, the bridge I could see over the bush didn’t move even once.

As soon as I realized that fact, my steps quickened.

“ha.”

And when I finally arrived at the place where I saw the dried up and twisted corpse, I let out a sigh.

Let’s count the corpses left in the place where traces of intense struggle were left. A total of six.

It matched the number of the party I followed.

Upon further inspection, blankets and backpacks were scattered, crumpled and torn.

Their trail ends here.

‘Was it a waste of time?’

In addition to relief and dejection, complex emotions arose that cannot be accurately expressed in words.

I wiped my face and lowered my posture next to the corpse and sat down.

Compared to the swamp, where there was only one hand left, there was much to explore.

His eyes, nose, mouth, limbs, ears, and even his hair were all similar to mine.

‘The appearance resembles a human.’

I removed my hand from the corpse and swallowed a sigh.

‘What is this mummy like?’

What the hell did you go through to be like this?

‘It’s not simply because of the passing of time.’

If there is no special process, it is normal for the body to decay.

But instead of rotting, it dried up and twisted, and the skin was filled with small holes.

It seems that the whole body has been stabbed with something as thin as a toothpick or needle.

I teased my hand, meticulously examining the exterior of the corpse.

It was to check their belongings.

Four musty canteens.

Three sparsely chipped longswords and five daggers.

Among them, there were two daggers that were slightly longer than the one I had and had curved blades.

‘Is this okay?’

The two daggers that one person had had the same shape.

I gathered my weapons in one place and infused them with magic.

‘do.’

A total of eight weapons were able to materialize magic power.

Weapons obtained from Earth did not accumulate magical power, but only scattered.

Because of that, I have continued to use the weapon I received in the tutorial.

Fortunately, the weapon obtained from the mission paper could be materialized even by injecting magic power into it.

I kicked two curved daggers around my waist.

‘There’s also a leather belt, that’s nice.’

The rest should be posted on the auction window.

The rest of the loot was crammed into the locker.

After taking the weapon, he continued to check the corpse’s belongings.

‘paper… … .’

When I lifted the jacket, there were several sheets of thicker and rougher paper than A4 paper stuck inside.

‘… … I don’t know what it is.’

There was something written on it, but I couldn’t read it.

‘Let’s take it for now.’

I emptied all my pockets and swept everything that could be information.

Even the leather pouches the corpses were wearing could not escape my touch.

When I opened the pouch, miscellaneous things were inside.

Hard dough and several pieces of beef jerky.

And two colorful, rainbow-colored stones.

I knew what it was.

[Attribute stone (lowest grade)]

A stone containing a small amount of elemental magic.

The amount of mana is too insignificant to bestow attributes.

‘Why is this coming out here?’

The size was smaller than I knew.

The superior attribute stone was the size of my fist, but it was the size of a pebble the size of a finger or two.

However, the attribute stone he received as a reward for the promotion test is correct.

‘The lowest level… … .’

As I held the attribute stone in my hand, a thought flashed through my mind.

‘I already have attributes.’

What will happen if you use the attribute stone in such a situation?

After a brief hesitation, he injected attribute magic into the attribute stone.

“Use attribute stone (lowest grade).”

「Determine the attributes that are suitable for the user.」

“The user already has the appropriate attributes.”

「Absorbs 34.8 attribute mana.」

A message popped up that made me clenched my fists.

‘If a person who already has an attribute uses an attribute stone, it will be replaced with magical power.’

I also used the remaining attribute stones.

“Use attribute stone (lowest grade).”

「Determine the attributes that are suitable for the user.」

“The user already has the appropriate attributes.”

「Absorbs 37.2 attribute mana.」

As a result, in addition to mission rewards, there is a way to secure attribute magic.

However, the attribute stone sold in the shop has a whopping 30,000 mana.

‘If the elemental magic that can be obtained there is small, I have to lose.’

Let’s assume that you can get 100 elemental mana by spending 30,000 mana.

Can it be said to be efficient?

‘I think it would be better to buy technology or equipment for that amount of money.’

It is true that elemental magic greatly contributes to combat power, but it is difficult to ignore other things.

‘I can’t use my magic power carelessly.’

It should be consumed in the most efficient way.

Of course, this was not a matter that had to be decided right away.

In the first place, I can’t buy attribute stones with the magic I have now.

The problem of securing attribute magic is still a state in which a fundamental solution has not been established.

It is frustrating because there is nowhere to turn for advice.

“Whoa.”

Almost immediately after letting out a heavy sigh, the sky flashed.

what was it

I hurriedly climbed a nearby tree.

As I scanned the sky, I saw a dot that was falling at a high speed in the distance.

‘It’s not a bird.’

A bird might move across the air, but that one just falls down.

‘One, two, three… … .’

When I counted up to five, one more flash, and the sky shone.

Spots of different sizes appeared at much higher elevations.

“her?”

It suddenly appeared from the clear sky.

‘What, can I teleport?’

Scared to feel doubt, I opened my eyes.

A lump of flame formed on the side of the spot that had just appeared, and it fell down.

“That crazy… … .”

It was unrealistic to see red flames flickering and flying in a clear, cloudless sky.

If it was like usual, I would have been stunned and lost my eyes at the sight.

A ball of fire collided with the dots below and caused a massive explosion.

As the hot wind blew, I reflexively raised my arms to cover my face.

“Big!”

The aftermath of the explosion was beyond imagination.

Standing on a tree branch, I bounced off easily like a sheet of paper.

As he hurriedly raised his magic power, a red plate appeared in the empty space where there should be nothing.

I stepped on them, grabbed hold of them, and controlled my body as they flew at formidable speed.

It was the result of tenaciously biting into the magical structure of the shield over the past five days.

A way to compensate for the disadvantage that I cannot attack if I use a shield.

It is to create a shield of the required size where it is needed.

Of course, the hardness of the fragmented shield is weakened.

But it was enough to keep my body from flying away.

After a while, the aftermath of the explosion subsided.

“Whoah.”

As I breathed in and calmed myself, I heard a series of bangs, thumps, and loud noises coming from the direction of the explosion.

The sound got louder. No, it’s getting closer.

Although it had not yet entered the detection range, a mysterious presence was slowly approaching.

It was not difficult to infer what was going on.

The point that just appeared in the sky is a living intelligence.

And that I’m being hit and run with a force I can’t even imagine.

I lowered my posture and hid among the branches and bushes with my invisibility on.

In the meantime, another explosion was heard, and this time the earth shook and the vision turned upside down.

“Cough, Cough!”

There was already acrid smoke all around.

I don’t know what that roar and flames were, but they were constantly colliding at close range.

It was when I covered my mouth with clothes to avoid inhaling carbon monoxide.

His body stiffened like a stiff branch.

It was because the masses of magical energy came into the detection range.

Among them, two stand out.

It was simply not a level that can be expressed in words.

It was a huge magic power that I couldn’t even compare to anything I’ve ever seen.

If you saw it with your own eyes, it was gorgeous enough to burn your eyes, and it was entangled with hot magic.

My body started to tremble by itself. It was a visceral fear.

In front of that huge magical power, I am nothing but a small creature.

The lamp in front of the wind will not be more dangerous than me standing in front of them.

‘If you interfere with that plate, you will die.’

It wasn’t a class I could handle.

I, who had been completely consumed by fear, came to my senses after I heard a terrifying sound like Kwajajak, Crackle, and so on.

There was a thump, and the ground shook slightly. I shuddered and turned my head in the direction of the sound.

It felt different from the shock of an explosion. Feels like something heavy has fallen.

A cloud of dust was rising from not far away.

There was a dangerously swaying mana all over the place.

A roar that began to recede little by little, dust that bloomed nearby, and magical energy that gradually diminished.

I moved cautiously, but quickly.

Soon after arriving, I was speechless for a while.

A tree with a smooth section as if it had been cut by something sharp, dents as if a huge rock had been dragged past, and even small embers left here and there.

He hesitates before taking one more step.

No matter how I looked at it, it didn’t look like a trace left by a person.

‘It’s a law to see as much as I know.’

At least I don’t have the strength to create this spectacle. That one thing was very clear.

When I faced a situation that far exceeded my limits, my legs, which had been moving forward all along, stopped moving.

It was the first time since I started playing that I tried to step back instead of forward.

“Ouch… … .”

But before I could even lift my foot, a faint sound penetrated my ears.

My body and consciousness, which could not accept the unfamiliar sight, reacted to the familiar sound.

How many steps did you take past the broken tree?

“Cool, Cook… … .”

A person’s back was visible. yes, it was a person

It was definitely a person, with orange hair and a black cloth, hanging limply with three long sticks sticking to each of the back, shoulders, and thighs.

When I found him and stopped, the system, which had been silent for days, moved.

「Speciality capitalism is activated.」

「The system will switch to the support type. Kang Hyeon-woo, the target player.”

The mission window blocked my view with the dreaded notification sound.