Chapter 11
Chapter 11
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Chapter 3: The System (1)
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I must have lost too much blood, because at some point it became impossible to stay conscious.
The sounds reaching my ears faded one by one, and my vision grew hazy.
Then, amid all that, a familiar face appeared.
If not for this damn situation, I would have at least said hello.
But unfortunately, I couldn't even open my mouth before blacking out.
The faint sensations I'd been clinging to cut off in an instant.
It felt like plummeting into an endless abyss.
How long did I wander there?
I encountered people I both longed for and resented.
People who had become faded memories from my childhood.
‘Mom, Dad.’
Seeing them brought back emotions I'd buried deep in my heart from some day in the past.
‘Why did you leave just us behind?’
I spat the words bitterly, but they didn't respond.
I knew that already. They would never give me an answer, not now or ever.
And yet, I couldn't stop.
‘I’m struggling.’
Why did this have to happen to me?
What happens now? I’m not dead, right?
I can’t die yet. If I die, the twins will be left alone.
They’re only just seventeen.
I still need to be by their side.
I want to see them through college, until they land proper jobs.
I wanted to pass on everything you gave me.
I wasn’t a good enough brother, a good enough oppa, so I couldn’t do much for them.
They listened quietly to my endless rambling.
Then they pulled me into a tight embrace, patting my back.
It felt like I’d regressed into that fragile, helpless child again.
Pathetically, the tears wouldn’t stop.
* * *
The first thing I felt upon waking in the private hospital room was relief.
Relief that I hadn’t died. That I’d made it.
But I couldn’t just bask in that relief.
Not with those fierce glares fixed on me.
“So, you can’t explain?”
“……For now.”
“Ha!”
The one letting out an exasperated laugh was Seo Jae-hyuk.
We’d been inseparable since we were five or six, thanks to our parents’ connection.
Most friends drifted away when they dropped out of school, but Jae-hyuk was different.
Our parents knew each other, and we’d always gotten along well anyway.
No amount of family hardship would drive us apart.
He was one of the precious few I’d name without hesitation when listing the most important people in my life.
The kind who’d rush over the moment I called, even without a proper explanation.
“Then let me start by telling you what happened.”
While Jae-hyuk glared daggers at me, the man standing beside him spoke up.
It was his father, Seo Jong-hoon.
He’d been my late father’s college classmate and had worked at the same university hospital.
When my uncle sold off even the house we lived in and vanished, leaving me and the twins on the brink of homelessness, he was the one who helped us out.
“I’ve contacted your siblings. I barely talked them out of coming.”
My body jolted at Jong-hoon’s words.
If he’d talked them out of it, that meant he’d told them I was hurt.
I was already worrying about what to tell the kids.
Still, surviving was a blessing, so I offered my thanks first.
“……Thank you, Uncle.”
“I cleaned your room. The kids didn’t see it.”
“……Thanks.”
The room had been a bloody mess, the bleeding refusing to stop.
I’d been carried out piggyback-style by Jae-hyuk, who’d rushed over after my call.
The jolting car ride, the blaring horns.
The glow I’d seen as they wheeled me into surgery.
The memories before passing out were fragmented.
But it was more than enough to know I was alive thanks to these two.
That’s why I felt awkward not being able to explain anything.
I scratched the back of my neck, glancing at the father and son standing side by side by the bed.
‘How the hell do I explain this?’
That’s why I’d called Jae-hyuk instead of 119 in the first place.
I couldn’t think of any way to explain my injuries.
Even with people I’d known forever, it was still a wall.
‘I can’t exactly say I fought a monster.’
This was driving me insane.
These two were the only ones I could lean on after my parents passed.
Seeing their worry-filled eyes made my chest feel heavy.
And yet, I hesitated to explain my situation.
It wasn’t a big deal if my story sounded unrealistic.
They knew I wouldn’t spout nonsense when my life was on the line.
I wasn’t hiding it because I thought they wouldn’t believe me.
It was closer to not being sure myself, knowing so little.
‘The info I have is limited, and even less is verified.’
Could I tell them about the game in this state?
What if they got dragged into this and something went wrong?
The afterimage of the monster I’d killed lingered before my eyes.
I could almost see the corpses it had slain.
‘No.’
For now, keep it hidden.
They had no mana—they couldn’t get involved.
Until I was certain I had to tell them, caution was best.
I stayed silent under their heated stares.
My attitude must have worn down their patience.
“This involves your life. And you still won’t talk?”
Jong-hoon’s voice grew sterner when he spoke again.
I met his gaze straight on.
“Not right now.”
My tone was firm, but his following sigh made me cringe inwardly.
I knew this grilling came from worry.
“Fine.”
Thankfully, after a brief silence, Jong-hoon accepted my decision.
“You’re not the type to act without thinking. We’ll wait.”
I finally relaxed. If he’d pressed harder, I’d have been in real trouble.
The fact that they’d wait despite my silence showed the trust between us.
“Still, let’s check the wounds.”
Muttering in a resigned tone, Jong-hoon stepped closer.
He pulled off my patient gown and examined my chest and side.
A moment later, he let out a long sigh.
“No wonder it seemed odd that you’re fine without the oxygen mask…….”
I glanced at the oxygen mask dangling by the bed.
I’d ripped it off right after waking because it felt suffocating.
It had gotten a bit damaged in the process. Just a bit.
Fortunately, Jong-hoon didn’t pay it much mind.
Something else drew his eyes more than the half-crumpled mask.
Following his gaze, I sighed at the sight of my fully exposed wound.
“……You’re sure it’s only been a day?”
“About twenty-two hours since we brought you in.”
And yet the wound was already healing.
Visible to the naked eye.
‘Definitely…….’
Back in the room, breathing had been excruciating.
Now I was fine, which was enough to make me want to lose my mind.
‘It’s not just raw strength, then.’
Mana’s effects seemed bigger than I thought.
‘Is this the recovery that kept Ethan alive in that state……?’
Remembering Ethan, barely clinging to life before the mission ended, drew another sigh from me.
I hadn’t noticed until now because injuries healed right after missions.
“This hard to explain too?”
Unlike my deep sigh, Jong-hoon asked calmly.
“……Yeah.”
“Another doctor assisted in surgery. About that?”
“Better if it doesn’t blow up.”
“I’ll handle it on my end. Medical records will remain, of course. Don’t worry about the bills—I’ve got them.”
I nodded silently.
“……Thank you.”
Jong-hoon didn’t pry further, as if respecting my response.
A heavy silence settled over the room for a while.
“Discharge—we’ll monitor your condition a bit longer. Rest.”
“Yes, Uncle.”
With that short silence broken, Jong-hoon left for work.
Once he was gone, Jae-hyuk, who’d been quiet, dragged a chair over and spoke.
“You won’t tell me either?”
Having grown up together, we knew each other better than we knew our own parents.
I’d confided in him more than Jong-hoon, especially right after my parents died.
But not this time.
“……Later, once I’ve sorted it out.”
I waved him off.
“Whew, if nagging would make you spill, you would’ve by now.”
Jae-hyuk clicked his tongue briefly and rubbed his dry face vigorously.
“Then let me ask something else.”
“What.”
My limp response made his expression grow even graver.
“Could this happen again?”
I nodded lightly in reply.
Jae-hyuk let out a deep, earth-shattering sigh.
“If you’re gonna get hurt, wait till I’m a doctor. What is this?”
His words dripped with irritation, but it didn’t bother me.
I knew it was his way of joking, of showing worry.
‘My face must look bad.’
He was trying to lighten the mood.
Feeling a bit lighter myself, I shot back.
“What era are we waiting for? You’re not even an intern yet.”
Jae-hyuk was still in med school.
As if a guy who hadn’t passed the national exam could do anything.
“It’s soon. Can’t you hold off getting hurt for a few years? I’ll treat you then.”
“Shut up.”
Trading nonsense with Jae-hyuk eased the lingering tension without me realizing.
It felt like I’d returned to my normal life.
And yet, a corner of my heart remained heavy and uneasy.
「Main Server (Earth) Stabilization: 2.039%」
Because of that line plastered in the corner of my vision.
Remembering the moment the tutorial began made my chest tighten.
‘Stabilization comes before activation.’
The beta server had gone through two phases.
So this main server would likely follow suit.
When that happened, today’s events could repeat endlessly.
I steeled myself, thinking of the parents I’d met in my dream.
No matter what came next, I had to endure.
‘I absolutely won’t die.’
I couldn’t follow in their footsteps.
I’d never leave the twins behind.
* * *
Once Jae-hyuk left and I was alone in the room,
I opened the storage locker and clenched my fist.
Two bundles of 50,000-won bills were inside.
‘Ten million won.’
I pulled them out.
‘Real money?’
It looked perfect at a glance.
Just to be sure, I searched counterfeit detection on my phone—it didn’t seem fake.
Swallowing hard, I steadied my breathing.
If this was real currency, getting mauled by that monster like a dog had been worth it.
It was four months’ worth of work, skimping on sleep.
‘Gotta buy the kids laptops.’
Let them sign up for whatever academies or online classes they want.
I’d have to avoid banks to use it, but still.
For the first time since this cursed game started, I felt good.
I stuffed the money back in the locker and pulled out a small box about the size of my fist.
‘Random Box.’
The name sounded like loot from some gacha game.
[Would you like to use the Random Box (×1)? (Y/N)]
After a brief hesitation, I hit yes, and the box glowed brightly.
What remained in my hand was a scrap of paper.
「Store Free Usage Voucher (×1)」
My face soured.
‘The store isn’t even open, and they give a voucher?’
Not like I was freeloading—it was a reward I couldn’t even use yet.
“Haa…….”
I sighed deeply and shoved the voucher into the locker.
Nothing to do but check it later when the store opens.
Shaking my head, I opened my status window next.
Player Kang Hyun-woo (Beta Tester)
Mana: 1439.53 (Attribute Mana: 33)
Chaos Value: 12.68%
Affiliation: Earth
Race: Human (Player)
Rank: Alpha
Attribute: -
Traits: ?????, Assimilation, Tenacity, Mana Operation (11.09%), Sensory Expansion (0.14%), Purification (lv.1 - 0.00%)
My mana had dropped by about thirty since last time.
I’d endured, but apparently the system had taken its cut.
“Tch.”
Clicking my tongue, I scanned the rest.
Still no clue on Assimilation or Tenacity.
‘The system messages suggest they’re tied to Mana Operation proficiency…….’
Nothing concrete.
Sensory Expansion, at least, I had an idea about.
‘That’s what made time feel slower when it activated.’
Steady practice, and it’d be huge in fights.
Finally, I checked my Chaos Value and the record of corrupted mana I’d absorbed.
From what I’d experienced, corrupted mana sparked murderous impulses or killing urges.
It also seemed to stoke anger.
When my Chaos Value was high, I couldn’t control my rage, so probably.
After noting the 10%ish Chaos Value, I focused on rank and traits.
‘Alpha and Purification.’
The guide only fully explained Delta ranks.
Alpha info was nil beyond it being top-tier.
Until today, when I learned a few things.
Damn system.