Damned System

Chapter 10. Promotion Test (4)

When I fell onto the hard stone floor instead of crashing against the wall, a new mission window appeared.

HIDDEN MISSION

「Mana Acquisition (Beta Test)」

Eliminate the enemies. (0/32)

「Rewards」

• Attribute Mana 10

• Random Box (×1)

My head throbbed momentarily from the impact with the ground, but soon returned to normal. The first word that caught my eye was Mana Acquisition, followed by a number.

“Thirty…?”

Before I was able to fully comprehend the suddenly increased number, the scream of a monster echoed.

“Screech! Screeeech! Ca-caw!”

Intriguingly, anxiety filled those cries. Perhaps it was fear as well.

The amusing part was that I felt no different since Ethan remained on the other side of the wall alone with the monster.

Barely conscious, Ethan hadn’t been able to walk on his own for a few minutes.

“Damn it!”

I rushed to the wall, feeling a cold chill as I pressed my hand against it.

The area felt identical to the white void during the tutorial.

It was apparent that the Damned System was responsible for creating this wall.

No matter how I probed the wall, there was no exit.

My frustration had quickly reached its peak.

“Shit!”

Just as I cursed and kicked the white wall, I froze.

“Again.”

The shifts in emotion were something I could never quite get used to. Every time I felt the surge of violence growing within me, a sense of urgency followed.

Desperate to control my anger, I began taking deep breaths.

“The Chaos stat is at 48 now.”

With 50 within reach and a new mission on my hands! Remembering the number 32 I’d seen earlier, I quickly shoved a one purification pill into my mouth. Facing more than a dozen monsters while clouded by emotion was dangerous.

As the thorn that had been embedded in me started to come out, my Chaos stat dropped down to 13.

The intense fury that had shaken me earlier was finally abating.

Meanwhile, the monster beyond the wall was silent, akin to the calm before the storm.

“Damn…”

Would that creature leave Ethan alive?

It was quiet for now, but Ethan’s screams seemed imminent.

Grinding my teeth, I turned away.

“I need to move before wasting any more time.”

The new mission needed addressing first.

Only then could I leave this place and, at the very least, recover Ethan’s body.

I grabbed the longsword as it lay on the stone floor.

With each deliberate step, my side throbbed where the monster had kicked me earlier.

“Feels like I’ve broken something.”

With no immediate way to heal, it was a maddening situation.

Holding back a sigh, I ventured deeper into the cave.

As expected, what lay beyond the white wall was undoubtedly a cave.

“Thirty-two.”

The likely number of monsters in this cave.

“If they rush at me all at once, it could be dangerous.”

In a cautious assessment, my ability to handle multiple foes simultaneously was limited to two, perhaps three.

As fear gave way to reality, my palms began to sweat thinking about the horde of monsters.

Yet strangely, there were no shadows of the monsters in sight.

I soon reached a fork in the path.

Taking the right, I shortly arrived at a dead-end.

“What in the world…”

I was momentarily speechless at the scene I encountered.

At the dead-end, tiny monsters were huddled together, crawling aimlessly.

“Whimper, whimper.”

These creatures couldn’t even stand on two feet, let alone reach my knees if they could.

“Ha!”

It was the very moment I grasped the behavior of the monster that had been causing havoc outside the wall.

This was a monster’s nest. A nest full of baby monsters that didn’t yet have the strength to resist.

The system was essentially instructing me to kill these beings to Absorb their mana.

* * *

「Congratulations! You have successfully completed the HIDDEN MISSION – Mana Acquisition Beta Test.」

「You received Attribute Mana 10 for successful completion.」

「A Random Box (×1) is provided as a reward.」

I had no qualms about killing the baby monsters after witnessing the one that couldn’t even enter the cave.

It had clearly dragged a human corpse to the cave’s entrance.

It seemed evident that its purpose was to feed the young here.

In such a scenario, delaying or pitying the little ones for not having fully grown wasn’t necessary.

Had I not interfered, these small creatures would have feasted on the corpse.

I steadily eliminated the baby monsters.

The mana absorbed ranged in the thirties, varying for each.

With every breath, my body felt different.

The increase in strength was so sudden that I couldn’t manage it, thrusting my spear into the ground so deeply that I couldn’t pull it out.

It was a rapid shift that made controlling my own body challenging.

However, there was no time to slowly and leisurely adapt to the bodily changes.

As most of the babies were eradicated, an adult monster appeared.

“It must’ve come from the fork.”

When the battle ended, I was utterly exhausted.

“Spit.”

I couldn’t distinguish between saliva and blood as I spat—it had been a chaos compared to the earlier encounter.

I couldn’t avoid wounds, especially considering the attack to my back and the stab near my ribs.

I could feel the hot blood trickling down.

Perhaps my lungs were injured, for breathing brought excruciating pain.

Blue bruises marked my neck, and my arm and leg weren’t spared either.

“Urgh…”

My thigh was nearly torn to the point where bone was visible.

Yet somehow, my body felt lighter.

It must have been because my mana surged past a thousand during the battle.

Each cell in my body felt awakened.

Regrettably, this transformation wasn’t purely beneficial in my current state.

All keen senses felt like piercing agony.

It was as if I could discern separate strands of air brushing against my skin.

Plod, plod—the sound of my footsteps burrowed into my ears like an unwelcome intruder.

Drip, drip—the trickle of blood felt like it was scraping my skin.

My hand pressed against the gaping wound in my chest but quickly released it.

I’d almost broken my ribs from what was an ordinarily applied pressure.

My body, despite being my own, felt drastically different.

Exhaling a long breath, I gingerly pressed the bleeding area.

As exhausting as the situation was, having to be so cautious about even this was troubling.

“I just want to rest.”

Staying up two nights while juggling part-time jobs hadn’t felt this demanding.

The temptation to drop and rest loomed large.

Yet, even if weariness threatened to collapse me, I dragged my feet forward.

Returning the way I came, reaching the entrance was swift.

The white wall had vanished.

At the exposed entrance lay unidentified furry creatures and the corpse of a stranger, a white man, with a spear beside them.

“Sigh…”

I had purified the corrupted mana before coming out.

With a purification pill reserved just in case, my Chaos stat was down to just 5%.

Yet seeing the corpses, something hot was boiling within me.

The distinctive odor of death gnawed at my senses.

It was so vivid, so repulsive, that it drove me to nausea.

Clenching my jaw, I made my way out of the cave.

Intent on checking even Ethan’s remains.

The time I spent inside the cave amounted to about ten minutes.

Not long.

But I doubted Ethan was alive.

However, once outside, I encountered an unexpected sight.

Hearing a rustling sound, I checked and found a black man standing beside Ethan, poised to strike with a raised spear.

Seeing that, I acted before I could think.

“Hey!”

Shouting, I hurled a dagger at the unfamiliar player.

Blood dripped from my swift movement, leaving a trail on the ground.

Thunk.

The dagger flew with an eerie slicing sound, embedding in a tree beside the unknown player.

Even I was surprised by the power behind my throw.

Startled, the man recoiled and looked back at me.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

At that very moment, black blood dripped from my head, tilted askew.

It was from the gore spattered when fighting the adult monster barehanded.

Limping, I approached with a spear in hand, prompting the black man to step back.

Yet I stubbornly tightened my grip on the spear.

I averted my gaze from the man and looked down.

Ethan lay on the ground, my chest moving slowly, but still alive.

And beside me, a monster with a pierced abdomen and broken arm lay, its life extinguished.

“That…”

Apparently, I had underestimated Ethan.

The intruding player hadn’t slain this monster.

If he had, Ethan wouldn’t have been alive by this point.

‘Would’ve died long ago at the monster’s hands.’

Thus, it was plausible that Ethan killed the creature before the player arrived and found him unconscious.

‘The player likely tried to kill Ethan for his mana.’

From the tutorial’s onset, the Damned System had constantly linked killing with mana absorption to players.

Killing something would let one Absorb mana.

It was likely the black man intended to kill Ethan because of this.

“Ugh…”

Faint groans emerged from Ethan.

I silently watched before raising my head.

Exchanging a glance, the black man began shouting.

“———, ——!”

I couldn’t understand the language.

Frowning, I adjusted the spear and swung it.

My target—directly at the black man’s head.

Attempts to defend were there, but sluggish enough to bother.

Sent tumbling to the ground, the man was once more struck.

Hit first by the spear, then by the earth itself, he laid facedown, disoriented.

Looking down at me coldly, I felt annoyed.

“Disgusting.”

Acknowledging mana’s importance to players in this game, I understood others killing to acquire more mana.

Thus, I uprooted plants and gathered mana myself.

Yet, I never considered murder or hunting animals.

Still, I didn’t intend to enforce my standards upon others.

Should a player choose to kill and gather mana, then the ensuing guilt or societal repercussions were theirs alone to bear.

My intervention in Ethan’s potential death boiled down to one reason.

“He’s a person I went to great lengths to save.”

It would be indignantly wasted if Ethan, whom I carried to safety, were to end as fodder for a stranger.

I didn’t wish for Ethan’s demise during this mission.

“Scram.”

With a kick, I sent the unfamiliar player flying.

Then, extricating the dagger from the tree with a click of my tongue, I squatted beside Ethan.

New wounds I didn’t recognize marred Ethan’s abdomen and shoulders.

Inflicted while slaying the monster.

I briefly glanced at the dead beast.

‘At least he wasn’t entirely useless.’

I had broken its arm and punctured its belly, but had Ethan failed to kill it, a fool would not be too strong a term.

However, Ethan was a player who survived the tutorial with flying colors.

It seemed he had enough wherewithal to defend himself when death loomed so close.

“Hey.”

Despite a light clapping of cheeks, Ethan’s eyes remained closed.

Yet he was undoubtedly alive.

‘About 40–50 minutes might have passed since.’

The overall time elapsed since the mission commenced was around an hour.

‘Would anyone realistically survive this long?’

Compression or not, blood had steadily flowed.

For him to still be breathing…

Even amidst inexplicable circumstances, robust life force became painfully evident.

I sighed deeply, reaching to aid Ethan.

Alive, but the present situation favored quick action.

The mission counter read 12/13.

“One monster remains.”

If Ethan was to survive, I had to move fast.

Resolute on finding the last monster, I was about to proceed when—

「MISSION – Promotion Test Beta Test’s conditions have been fulfilled.」

「Results are being tallied.」

The last monster had been slain.

「Result tally complete.」

「Assignment allocated for hall closure. Please specify a codename.」

Releasing Ethan to lie back, I frowned.

“Codename?”

What could the system possibly want now?

“Hall closure?”

Revisiting my initial fall into this forest, the Damned System mentioned something similar.

You have entered a hall.

Intrigued by what constituted a hall, I surmised something similar yet closure seemed its next venture.

“Assignment…?”

Infuriatingly consistent in its lack of guidance from beginning to end, I clicked my tongue, inputting an English initial.

“K.”

No special reason complemented the choice, save for me being a Kang.

While deliberating over spelling it out entirely, lethargy ultimately won as I settled on the initial.

A minute later, another window emerged.

「Closure Assignment」

– K(36) : 201

– Human(4) : 45

– John(2) : 22

– Lily(2) : 22

– Ethan Rembrandt(1) : 10

– ~~Maxim Mihalich~~(0) : 0

– ~~Shota Hisaku~~(0) : 0

Two of the names bore a line across them.

One was associated with Japan.

A realization struck me, clenching my fists tightly.

A diffuse murmur before seeing corpses outside the cave instilled an inkling.

Even so, registering the death of another heightened the impact.

I had survived, and had no intention of dying in the future.

Thus, my gaze settled on the numbers next to my codename rather than any unfamiliar names.

36 and 201.

The significance of 36 was straightforward.

It matched precisely the number of monsters I had killed.

The issue lay with the number 201 trailing behind.

“Assignment…”

My mind traversed the numeric information present in the Damned System.

Soon, a chilling unease crept from beneath my feet.

Surely not.

“Gasp.”

The damning realization dawned.

「Mana is being levied.」

I sensed the mana being drained from my body.

Assignment meant the measure of mana.

In the immediate aftermath, my thoughts blanked, subsequent fury igniting fiercely.

How hard I worked to amass this!

“Grit!”

Grinding my teeth, I braced as mana flow ceased.

From then on, a tug of war ensued.

「Mana is being levied.」

The Damned System pulled,

「Mana is being levied.」

While I clung.

It felt like clinging to the slimmest thread imaginable.

Afraid it would snap if tugged hard, Yet incapable of relinquishing.

Holding on was the sole action I could muster.

Every semblance of sensation converged there.

Amenable to letting the Damned System drain my mana was out of the question.

This mana, painstakingly accrued through arduous labor.

Qualifying for the hidden mission owed thanks to the enigmatic Trait.

That alone comprised one outcome borne from dogged perseverance during Tutorial Phase 1.

Now the Damned System intended to rob my sweat equity using the guise of “Assignment.”

“Think I’d just let you take it?!”

The mana belonged to me!

In a fit of rage, I bellowed.

The mana surged, retreating to the depths of my being, as if finding sanctuary within.

「Mana Manipulation proficiency increases!」

「Trait Adaptability is applied!」

「Trait Tenacity is applied!」

「Mana Manipulation proficiency increased by 10.52%!」

With laconic phrases arising, the tugging sensation halted.

「System supplements the assigned amount.」

「Barrier is deactivated.」

「Hall is being sealed.」

「Congratulations! MISSION – Promotion Test (Beta Test) completed.」

「You are rewarded with Attribute Mana 10 for success.」

「Based on performance, you are promoted to Alpha. Alpha-exclusive Trait Purification (Growth Type) is conferred.」

「According to performance, you are awarded a High-grade Attribute Stone.」

「According to performance, you are rewarded with treasury (10,000,000 won).」

「Tutorial (Beta Test) ends.」

「Community is activated.」

「Main Server (Earth) stabilization initiates.」

「Main Server (Earth) stabilization 0.001%」

More messages filled the air.

“Ha.”

When I opened my eyes, weary breath escaping me, my familiar wallpaper and red afterglows greeted me.

Blood flecks landed on the vinyl bag splayed across the bed.

“Urgh…”

The residual pain in my shoulders, ribs, leg, and neck lingered.

The implications of that pain were evident.

Despite concluding the mission and returning to my room, the injuries persisted.

My uneasy forethought about the non-safe zone proved right.

Recovery halted with the tutorial’s end, it seemed.

Although the near-loss of my mana still infuriated me, there wasn’t even time to nurture resentment.

In haste, my hand reached for the cell phone on the bedside.

Damned System.