NOVEL NEXT Chapter 3: The System
Chapter 2 - The System
Ever since Frenchie discovered the nun's body hanging in front of the monastery gate, strange incidents plagued the nearby villages over the past three days.
Someone, in broad daylight, set themselves on fire.
A local family was found at home—the wife and children had all taken their own lives.
There were even cases of sudden blindness with no apparent medical cause, baffling doctors.
Rumors of these bizarre happenings spread like wildfire in the surrounding area.
Frenchie suspected Roy wanted to leave for precisely this reason.
Sure enough, Roy nodded when Frenchie brought it up.
"Don't you think these things are too strange?" Roy pointed out.
"And it all started right after that incident at the monastery."
"Maybe something evil is at work. Better to get out of here before things get any worse."
Frenchie admitted Roy's words made sense, but he still interjected, "Don't rush off yet. I heard the Church sent a nun and a priest to deal with this—figure out exactly what happened at the monastery."
"They're supposed to arrive this afternoon."
"How do you know?" Roy asked, curious.
Frenchie grinned. "I'm the one who found the hanged nun, remember?"
"I've been delivering supplies to the monastery for a while now, so I know the route well."
"The village chief and the others asked me to guide the clergy when they get here."
Roy nodded, feeling a pang of sympathy for Frenchie.
In his mind, he knew this poor guy was bound to get tangled in the looming chaos.
Sensing Roy's pitying gaze, Frenchie frowned.
"Hey, what's that look for?"
Roy shook his head. "Nothing. But as a friend, I'll give you a piece of advice—if you have a chance, try not to go to the monastery."
It was a mere suggestion, and Roy left it at that.
They had only known each other a short time, and Roy wasn't keen to get involved in the supernatural.
If Frenchie followed his advice, maybe he'd be spared.
Of course, it wouldn't matter much if he didn't—Roy recalled from memory that in the movie, Frenchie was a good-hearted soul.
Even suspecting that Sister Irene and Father Burke might face danger at the monastery, he insisted on helping them.
Although his role didn't seem huge, Sister Irene and Father Burke likely wouldn't have defeated the demon nun so easily without him.
When it came down to it, Roy had no intention of risking his life.
Even if the three of them failed to exorcise the nun, Roy figured the Church surely had other means to deal with Valak.
Ordinary folk like him were better off avoiding such perils.
"Is it really as serious as you say?" Frenchie swallowed hard.
Something in Roy's words resonated with him, stirring a deep sense of unease.
Roy shrugged. "Believe me or not—it's your call. Either way, it's out of my hands." He glanced at the stall piled high with produce.
"By the way, you're free now, right? Help me hand these out to the villagers."
With that, Roy gathered up the belongings he had already packed and headed home, leaving the entire vegetable stall behind.
"What?!" Frenchie yelped. "You're giving them away for free?!"
Stunned, Frenchie stared after Roy's retreating figure, still juggling the tomatoes he bought for a song.
Roy planned to distribute all the vegetables to the villagers for nothing—yet he charged Frenchie for his own tomatoes!
"That jerk," Frenchie muttered. "I even thought we were friends!"
***
Roy soon returned to his modest wooden house.
Although he somehow wound up with a local identity upon arriving in this world, his economic circumstances were clearly humble.
After packing his luggage and dropping it in the living room, he was about to secure a ride into the nearest city when something wholly unexpected happened.
A strange, monotone voice suddenly echoed in his mind:
[The host is about to encounter a supernatural event. System activation in progress…]
[System successfully activated!]
[First-time activation detected. Issuing a novice gift pack. Would you like to open it?]
Roy froze in place, mind racing.
A system? As a transmigrator, he was more than familiar with such tropes—though he never imagined it would appear a month late.
But it was still good news, right?
Then he recalled the system's wording: "activated because you're about to encounter a supernatural event."
Did that mean he was fated to deal with the demon nun?
A chill snaked down his spine at the thought.
He shuddered just watching the movie.
Facing Valak in real life would be another matter entirely.
"…Might as well see what's inside this so-called novice gift pack," Roy muttered with a resigned sigh.
At his mental command, the system chimed again:
[Novice gift pack opened!]
[Congratulations, host. You have obtained: The Stigmata.]
"Stigmata?" Roy echoed, puzzled.
The moment the system imparted this so-called stigmata, a sharp pain pierced his palm.
It felt as though a massive nail was being driven through his hand.
Roy doubled over in agony, clutching his right palm, his face contorted and pouring with sweat.
Several torturous moments later, he finally recovered enough to look at his hand.
A blood-red, cross-shaped wound now marred his palm.
Legends spoke of the stigmata as the miraculous marks of Christ, bestowed upon devout believers.
Such wounds supposedly held tremendous power to ward off demonic forces.
As Roy stared at the cross-shaped injury, the system's voice interrupted once more:
[New Mission Issued!]
[Seal the demon nun and banish her back to hell!]
[Time Limit: 3 days.]