Chapter 196
Chapter 196
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 196
Chapter Title: Wandering Footsteps (4)
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“Eyepatch, it’s ripping! Mom’s gonna bite me…….”
She had clearly expressed her refusal.
‘Ripping, huh…….’
Honestly, it wasn’t impossible.
Velta had said she was being gentle when we first met.
‘And yet I still ended up with scratches and bruises.’
If that’s what a Player endured, what would happen with little kids?
‘Velta’s still young.’
It meant she lacked practice in handling weaker beings.
From what I’d heard occasionally, she was getting disciplined by her mother, Ramon, for that very reason.
‘Even poking me at first was probably her testing my durability.’
In her own way, she was trying to be careful and practicing how to handle things gently.
So, playing with the kids right now would just interfere with that practice.
If Velta had judged it that way, I had no intention of forcing her to play with them.
“Alright, then.”
“Ung.”
After that, I greeted the kids I hadn’t seen in a while and pulled out sports gear like soccer balls, volleyballs, and jump ropes.
Once I handed them out to the children, I met with the Palauan priest managing the place.
Starting with delivering the snacks and toys I’d grabbed in bulk from the mart, I checked the operational expenses.
We talked for quite a while about various issues.
By the time I’d confirmed everything that needed checking, two hours had flown by.
After the priest left the office, I stared out the window at the kids.
Without exception, they were all running around the open lot, kicking soccer balls.
Watching the scene quietly, a phrase I’d buried deep and tried not to think about suddenly resurfaced.
- The kids were making Kretol.
By my principles, those kids were just accomplices in crime.
They didn’t deserve pity, and their crimes shouldn’t be tolerated.
So why was my heart still churning like this?
“Hoo…….”
A sigh I couldn’t swallow settled heavily.
‘The U.S. is extracting Players’ families from China without leaving traces.’
The orphans conscripted into Kretol production weren’t the U.S. government’s problem.
Whether the kids were addicted to the drug wasn’t their concern either.
Of course not. They weren’t a charity.
I understood all the calculations underlying their motives.
And I agreed they were rational.
Moreover, there was nothing I could do about this issue.
‘Even just the kids found in the Kretol factories in Beijing number nearly 200.’
I couldn’t take responsibility for all of them.
That’s why I’d tried to bury it and look away.
But the moment I failed to ignore it, the backlash hit harder than expected.
Probably because of those words I’d once said myself.
- You think saying that makes you feel better?
- If you wanted peace of mind, you should’ve stayed a victim forever.
Did I even have the right to say that?
Just hours ago, I’d blackmailed Colonel Kim Jong-hwa with illegal recordings.
Even if he wasn’t a saint, that didn’t justify my crime against him.
On top of that, I was letting hostage situations play out across countries with “no choice.”
What made me so high and mighty to spout that crap?
‘Did I think I was different?’
Such an arrogant notion. In reality, I wasn’t much better.
“Damn…….”
If Agnatia’s authority scanned me now, I’d be covered in black graphite.
The image of that graphite writhing ceaselessly like it was alive flashed vividly.
Imagining the unseen scene made my stomach churn.
Self-loathing mixed with bitter helplessness, pulling me back into that swampy sensation.
What kept me from sinking was an unexpected intervention.
- Strange guy.
Kerax’s spear in my inventory.
The thing hadn’t said a word since rescuing the human trafficking survivors. Why speak now?
The already tangled mess in my head felt even more nauseating.
“Shut up.”
Maybe I’d been under more stress than I realized—my voice came out sharper than intended.
- As you command.
Leaving Kerax silent again, I had to cup my face with both hands.
I didn’t want to think anymore.
“K?”
Fortunately, before I sank deeper, Velta called me.
“Hoo.”
Forcing a breath, I turned to her.
“Do whatever you want from now on.”
“Really? Can I really play?”
“What do you want to do?”
“That!”
Excited, Velta pointed at the soccer balls rolling around the kids’ feet.
She wanted to try it herself but held back because she couldn’t get close to them.
Thinking of Velta’s athleticism made my vision go dark for a moment.
Swallowing a sigh half resignation, half regret, I muttered inwardly.
‘Think of it as stamina training.’
With this “solo parenting” schedule—read: endurance workout—I messaged An Ki-jun.
If nothing urgent, send a bulk shipment of soccer balls to Earth.
It was a wise call. Over fifty balls burst under Velta’s kicks that day.
* * *
A few days after Somol Castle’s repairs finished and the Order’s army began moving.
As Lily tipped me off, the new main scenario started.
But this main scenario differed slightly from previous ones.
MISSION
[Main Scenario Act 1 Chapter 6: Territory Recovery]
The Order’s army, allied with Players, succeeded in pushing back the front lines. Now it’s time to purge the remnants of contamination scattered across the forward front lines. Players, continue purification until not a single trace of contamination remains in the front-line areas.
[Rewards]
Participation Reward: Choose one of the following
• Mana 600, Fame 30
• Attribute Mana 300, Fame 60
Ranking Reward: Rewards distributed by rank (1st~200th)
• Order Points
• Achievements
• Divine Blessing
• Random Box
* Rankings based on contribution to the mission.
Especially in the rewards section.
First, I cut the utterly useless victory ceremony attendance reward.
‘Meaning: hunt more instead of clowning around at parades.’
Watching major parties jostle for spots at the ceremony was infuriating.
So I axed it entirely.
Next, I removed the shop free-use voucher, which wasn’t hugely beneficial to me.
In its place, I added random boxes and converted Order rewards to points instead of items.
‘Use those to pre-empt good contamination zones as Order-exclusive missions, boosting Order Players’ growth.’
A balanced adjustment, if I say so.
As a result, the reward rankings expanded from top 50-60 to a whopping 200.
‘Guess the free voucher was more valuable than thought.’
Skills and magic are “knowledge.”
Unlike items that end once owned, knowledge offers endless potential for analysis and refinement.
Possessing it likely defied causality to a significant degree.
Removing the voucher ballooned the reward pool by three or four times.
All this stemmed from negotiations with the System during the investigation team’s formation.
‘And there’s still divinity left over.’
Back then, the System messaged me directly, like during the seven gods’ secret talk.
It said the divinity returned for demolishing two of the three original gates was substantial.
I suggested saving it as a spare instead of using it right away.
‘To ponder more efficient uses.’
The game needed fixes everywhere.
And just now, I found that efficient use.
Before the flash of insight faded, I needed to organize what to tell the System.
Lost in thought, jotting notes—
“Hyung.”
Kim Yul called, dropping from the sky.
His hair, dyed pink after getting inspired by my red—cotton candy or cherry blossom bright.
‘Deciding on that color is weird enough.’
Weirder: it suited him perfectly.
Staring at the pink that stole my gaze every time, Kim Yul spoke again.
“Not checking chat?”
“……Just thinking for a sec.”
“Should I wait? Prep’s all done, though…….”
Straightening from leaning on the mossy rock, I shook my head.
“Let’s start.”
No need to delay with prep finished.
I’d mostly sorted my thoughts anyway.
“Okay!”
Kim Yul Wind Walked back into the air, mana surging.
Watching him prep his AoE spell, I glanced at my left hand.
Transparent water gathered in my palm.
Soon, it poured down with a whoosh.
“Hoo…….”
A sigh escaped before I could hold it.
Ever since the orphanage, controlling water attribute mana had grown harder.
‘Damn.’
About to sigh again, something tugged my pants.
“K, K, piggyback ride.”
Looking down quick, Velta clutched my leg, gazing up.
‘This one too, huh.’
No Horpe or Ramon to pick up the kid—neither parent.
You’d think they’d send someone if busy, but only a letter asking me to watch her for a bit.
I’d gritted my teeth and gone to Bennett mansion to drop her off.
Velta resisted fiercely.
Tantrums were cute; she even unleashed her mana in a show of force for the first time.
The mansion’s hall got half-demolished.
Frowning slightly, I recalled my talk with Rashar then.
- Seems Velta won’t give up this time…… If you’re okay with it, how about staying together awhile? Our house will compensate for this issue.
- What? I have to hit contamination zones. Can’t take a kid to the battlefield.
- It won’t be unfamiliar to Velta.
- What?
- Lady Ramon took Velta along to battlefields.
momentarily speechless, but not shocked.
I knew beastkin thought differently from humans.
And having seen Velta fight, it made sense.
For various reasons, minding Velta fell to me temporarily.
No way to pry off a stronger kid.
Thus, Velta tagged along to the contamination zone.
Swallowing today’s accumulated sighs, I grabbed her scruff and stepped aside.
“Stay with Ahel.”
I handed her to Ahel’s arms.
“Until when?”
“Until we finish here…… No, until I say rest.”
“Then you’ll play?”
“Yeah.”
“Velta can wait!”
“Be good.”
“Can be good and wait!”
Patting her head after the promise, a sharp glare hit me.
Looking up, Ahel stared with dissatisfaction.
“What’s that look?”
“Unlike you, K, I’m faint-hearted. Holding this beast scares me. I wanna put her down now. My life’s precious.”
“Just deal with it. You’ve got nothing to do during our hunts anyway.”
“Honestly, even putting her on your head mid-fight wouldn’t hinder. Unless she helps.”
Couldn’t deny it, thinking of the Bennett mansion incident.
Velta’s power would make hunts easier.
But I excluded her completely from hunting.
Not personal bias about her being a kid.
‘Beastkin aren’t registered System users.’
Confirmed from past hunts with Breche.
Without capitalism trait buffs, mana from monsters they kill dissipates entirely.
In this pinch, no thanks to inefficient hunting.
“Then consider it your bodyguard duty.”
Ahel quit grumbling when I didn’t budge.
Right then, Kim Yul’s aerial AoE finished.
‘Still takes forever.’
Clicking my tongue inwardly, I gripped my spear tighter.
The hunt to sweep Chapter 6 main scenario contributions began.
Damn System