Episode 11
Chapter 3 System (1)
It was difficult to maintain consciousness from a certain point, probably because he had lost so much blood.
The sounds that reached my ears faded away one by one, and my vision became hazy.
Then I saw a familiar face.
If it wasn’t for this damn situation, we would have said hello.
Unfortunately, I lost consciousness without being able to move my mouth once.
The senses that had been vaguely maintained were cut off in an instant.
It was like falling down into an endless abyss.
How long did you wander there?
I was able to meet people who I miss and resent.
Those who have now become faded memories of childhood.
‘mom and dad.’
As I faced the two of them, the emotions that had been buried in my chest one day in the past reared their heads.
‘Why did you leave us alone?’
I shot him fiercely, but the two of them didn’t answer.
I know. You two will never give me an answer forever.
Still, I couldn’t stop.
‘I’m having a hard time.’
Why did this happen to me?
How are you now? Aren’t I dead too?
I shouldn’t die yet. When I die, only twins remain.
They’re only 17 now.
I still have to stay by your side.
I want to protect him until he goes to college and gets a decent job.
I was going to pass on everything you two did to me.
Because I’m a lacking older brother, because I’m a lacking older brother, I couldn’t do much.
The two quietly listened to my endless complaints.
Then he hugged me tightly and patted me on the back.
It was as if he had returned to being a weak and helpless child.
Too bad the tears won’t stop.
* * *
The first thing I felt when I woke up in the single-person hospital room was relief.
I’m glad you didn’t die.
But I couldn’t help but feel relieved.
Because of the people who stare at me with terrifying eyes.
“So, can you explain?”
“… … for now.”
“under!”
Seo Jae-hyeok was the one who let out a laugh as if he was full of energy.
Thanks to my parents’ ties, I’ve been hanging out with him every day since I was five or six.
Most of my friends naturally drifted away after dropping out of school, but Jaehyuk was different.
My parents knew each other, and we got along pretty well from before.
It wasn’t like they were going to be estranged to the extent that their family’s circumstances had deteriorated.
He was a friend I could pick without hesitation if I had to pick a few precious people in my life.
To the point where he rushed over to me as soon as he received my phone call without even explaining the reason properly.
“Then don’t talk about me first.”
Instead of Jaehyuk glaring at me with glaring eyes, the person standing next to him opened his mouth.
It was Seo Jong-hoon, Jae-hyeok’s father.
He was a college classmate with his late father and once worked at the same university hospital.
He was also the one who helped me and the twins, who almost ended up on the street, when a man called my uncle sold the house we lived in and jumped out.
“I have contacted your siblings. I barely told you to come.”
My body trembled at Jong-hoon’s words that followed.
It means that I said that I was hurt.
I’m already worried about what else I should explain to my younger siblings.
Still, I wondered where I was alive, so I said thank you first.
“… … Thank you, mister.”
“I cleaned your room. I haven’t seen the kids.”
“… … thanks.”
The room became a mess because the blood didn’t stop.
I was carried out by Jaehyuk who ran after receiving a phone call.
A rattling car and a loud clanking noise.
Even the group of lights I saw the moment I entered the operating room.
I could only recall fragments of the situation before I lost consciousness.
But it was enough to know that it was because of these two that I am alive now.
That’s why I notice in a situation where I can’t even explain anything.
I glanced at the rich man standing next to the bed and scratched the nape of his neck.
‘How the hell do you explain this.’
In the first place, this problem bothered me, so I called Jaehyuk instead of 119.
Because I couldn’t think of a way to explain the injury.
But even with people I’ve known for a long time, it was the same.
‘I can’t say that I came here after fighting a monster.’
I’m really going crazy.
They are the only people I could lean on after my parents died.
Seeing those people looking at me with worried eyes, a corner of my heart felt heavy.
Nevertheless, I hesitate to explain my circumstances.
It doesn’t matter that the story I have to tell is unrealistic.
They both know that I can’t talk nonsense about life and death.
I’m not hiding it for fear they won’t believe my story.
Right now, even I was close to not being sure because there was so little I knew.
‘The amount of information is limited, and there are few confirmations.’
In this situation, can I tell the two of you about the game?
Then what if the two of them get caught up in this and it goes wrong?
The afterimage of the monster I killed flickers before my eyes.
It seemed to them that they could see a dead body.
‘no.’
Let’s hide it for now.
Two people without magical powers shouldn’t get caught up in this.
Until you’re sure you have to say something, you’d better be cautious.
I kept my silence in front of the two people who were giving me hot stares.
Maybe my patience was worn out by my attitude.
“It was about your life. Still can’t talk?”
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Jong-Hoon’s voice became more severe when he opened his mouth again.
I answered while looking straight into his eyes.
“Now.”
He said it in a hard tone, but the sighs that followed caught his attention.
It’s because I know that this questioning now stems from worry.
“i get it.”
Fortunately, Jonghun accepted my decision after a brief silence.
“You’re not a mindless guy, just wait.”
I finally put my mind at ease. It would have been quite difficult if I had tried to pry on skewers.
It was possible because there was enough trust to wait even though he chose silence instead of explanation.
“But let’s check the affected area.”
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Jonghun muttered in a desperate tone and came closer.
Then he took off my hospital gown and began examining my chest and sides.
After a while, he let out a long sigh and murmured.
“It was strange to be fine without an oxygen mask… … .”
I glanced at the oxygen mask dangling beside the bed.
As soon as I woke up, I was stuffy and tore it off.
It got a little messed up in the process. very little.
Fortunately, Jong-hoon did not show much interest in the oxygen mask.
There was nothing more eye-catching than a half-crowned oxygen mask.
I followed him and sighed as I looked at the open wounds.
“… … Are you sure it’s only been a day?”
“It has been about 22 hours since you brought me to the hospital.”
Still, the wound was already healing.
It could be seen with the naked eye.
‘For sure… … .’
When I got back to my room, it was quite painful to breathe.
But now that I’m fine, I’m going crazy and jumping around.
‘I guess it wasn’t just about getting stronger.’
The effect of magical power seemed to be greater than expected.
‘Is it because of this kind of resilience that Edan was alive in that state? … .’
When I thought of Ethan, who was barely breathing before the mission was over, I sighed.
Until now, I didn’t know because the injury was recovered as soon as the mission was over.
“Is this too hard to explain?”
Unlike me, who let out a sigh, Jong-hun asked in a calm tone.
“… … yes.”
“When you operated, another teacher came in with you. that?”
“I don’t think it would be nice if things got bigger.”
“Then don’t put it in my line. Of course, medical records will remain. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of the hospital bills.”
I silently nodded.
“… … thank you.”
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Jonghun didn’t dig deep as if he was conscious of my answer.
There was only heavy silence in the hospital room for a while.
“Discharge, let’s observe the condition a little longer. rest.”
“Yes, mister.”
After a brief silence, Jong-hun left the hospital room saying he had to go to work.
When he disappeared, Jaehyuk, who had been quiet all along, brought a chair and said,
“Can’t you talk to me too?”
Maybe because we’ve been together since childhood, he and I knew each other better than our parents.
I couldn’t tell Jong-hoon, but I confided in Jae-hyeok a lot.
Especially right after my parents died.
But not this time.
“… … Let’s do it later, when it’s a little more organized.”
I waved my hand.
“Whoa, if I was the kind of guy who would say it out loud, I would have said it already.”
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Jaehyuk clicked his tongue briefly and washed his face dry.
“Then let’s ask something else.”
“what.”
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Jaehyuk’s expression became more serious when he answered in a drooping voice.
“Could this happen again?”
I replied with a light nod.
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Jaehyuk let out a deep sigh.
“If you’re going to get hurt, do I get hurt after becoming a doctor? What is it?”
It was a bit of an annoyance, but it didn’t make me feel bad.
It’s because I know that it’s his own joke, and he’s worried.
‘My expression is not good.’
That guy is trying to loosen this atmosphere somehow.
So I responded with a lighter heart.
“When are you waiting for that? Because I haven’t even done an internship yet.”
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Jaehyuk is now a medical student.
What about a guy who didn’t even pass the national exam?
“Is it soon? Can’t we just wait a few years and get hurt? Then I’ll treat you all.”
“It’s bullsh*t.”
After exchanging unkind words with Jaehyuk, the tension that had remained unnoticed began to unravel.
It seemed that I had finally returned to my daily life.
Even so, a corner of my heart felt heavy and frightening.
「Main Server (Earth) Stabilization 2.039%」
Because of that sentence that has settled in the corner of the field of vision.
I felt frustrated when I remembered the moment I first started the tutorial.
‘Activate following stabilization.’
The beta server went through two phases.
So the main server is likely to take the same steps.
At that time, the same thing as today can be repeated any number of times.
I made up my mind thinking about the parents I met in my dreams.
No matter what happens in the future, you must persevere
‘Never die.’
Because I can’t step on their train.
I would never do anything to die over twins.
* * *
When Jaehyuk left his seat and was left alone in the hospital room.
I opened the locker and clenched my fists.
Because there were two bundles of 50,000 won bills.
‘Ten million won.’
i took it out
‘Is it real money?’
It was perfect to see right away.
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Just in case, I searched for anti-counterfeiting devices on my cell phone, but it didn’t look like counterfeit currency.
I swallowed dry saliva and caught my breath.
If this was real currency, it was worth getting bitten by a monster, rolling over like a dog.
It was money that I could earn by working for 4 months while cutting down on my sleep.
‘I need to buy a laptop for the kids.’
Apply for the academy or personal lecture you want.
You should use it without going through a bank if possible.
Rarely did I feel good after starting the damn game.
I put the money back in the locker and took out a small box the size of a fist.
‘Random box.’
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Just by looking at the name, it looks like a lottery item from a common gacha game.
[Do you want to use a random box (×1)? (Y/N)]
After a brief hesitation, I pressed the Yes button, and the box lit up.
Right after that, what was left in my hand was a piece of paper.
“Shop Free Pass (×1)”
My expression went cold.
‘The shop isn’t even open, so I’m giving out vouchers?’
It wasn’t that he wanted to eat it raw, but that the reward was an item that he couldn’t use right away.
“ha… … .”
I let out a long sigh and shoved the ticket into the locker.
I have no choice but to check this when the store opens later.
After shaking my head, I opened the status window.
Player Hyunwoo Kang (Beta tester)
mana: 1439.53 (attribute mana: 33)
Chaos Level: 12.68%
Affiliation: Earth
Race: Human (player)
Rating: Alpha
property : –
Attributes: ??????, Assimilation, Tenacity, Mana Management (11.09%), Sense Expansion (0.14%), Purification (lv.1 – 0.00%)
Compared to the last time I saw it, it had lost about 30 mana.
They endured, but it seems that some of them were robbed by the system.
“Tsk.”
I clicked my tongue briefly and looked at the other contents.
I still don’t know what fairy tales and obsession are.
‘Looking at the system message, it seems to be related to the skill of mana management… … .’
Nothing is clear.
At least, I think I understand the newly acquired sensory expansion.
‘Time seemed to slow down when it was activated.’
If you practice consistently, it will be of great help in battle.
I took one last look at the chaos numbers and the records of the tainted magic I’d absorbed so far.
According to what I have experienced so far, contaminated magical power causes the urge to kill or kill.
Other than that, it seems to be doing something to incite anger.
Probably because I couldn’t control my anger when the chaos level was high.
After checking the chaos level of 10% or so, the first thing I noticed was the grade and characteristics.
‘Alpha and purification.’
Among the rating descriptions in the manual, all that was complete was about Delta.
There was no information about Alpha other than that it was the highest grade.
Today, I found out a few things.