Chapter 40
Chapter 40
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Chapter 9 Capitalism (4)
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Shlick-!
「You have successfully eliminated the enemy.」
「459 units of contaminated mana are absorbed.」
It was only after the monster's head had completely separated from its body that the system notification appeared.
There was no time to savor the sensation of the mana being absorbed.
I practically discarded my spear and sword as I retreated backward.
White smoke began rising from the soles of my shoes as they melted, but I didn't even notice.
The flesh where the monster's bodily fluids had touched had melted away almost completely, exposing the bone stark white.
Cold sweat poured down from the unbearable pain.
“Ugh…….”
My left arm and hand, where the flesh had melted off, were visible down to the bone.
With a trembling hand, I hurriedly poured a potion over the wound.
But for some reason, the recovery speed was slow.
It was only after gritting my teeth and dumping three bottles that new flesh began to grow.
By the time I escaped the area covered in green liquid, the pain was no longer the issue.
It itched so badly I thought I’d go mad.
I’d once heard that intense itching could feel like torture, and it was true.
I felt an impulse to shove my hand into my skull and scratch my brain.
Clenching my wounded hand tightly didn’t help; the horrific sensation refused to fade easily.
I dropped to my knees and slammed my head against the ground, enduring it as best I could.
How many minutes passed like that?
“Haa, haa…….”
The pain and itching gradually subsided.
Lifting my head to check the wound, I saw it had recovered quite a bit.
After lying there utterly drained for a while, I confirmed that the injuries weren’t too severe.
My cheek and ear had also been splashed with the fluids, melting the flesh there.
Treating every little scrape took four potions.
“Haha…….”
This was the first time I’d been hurt this badly since my second tutorial.
The agony that had dominated me just minutes ago was still vividly etched in my memory.
My hands shook from the aftereffects, but I couldn’t afford to stay slumped over.
Creeping in.
It was because mana signatures were starting to slink into my detection range bit by bit.
As if they’d realized the boss mob was gone, they gathered without giving me a moment’s rest.
I purified the large amount of contaminated mana I’d absorbed and heaved my heavy body upright.
Then I approached the boss mob’s corpse.
Using my dagger to flip the soil and clear a path, I could now move without sacrificing more shoes.
「……Now I’ll even have to pay for equipment.」
The longsword that had fallen beside the monster’s corpse was half-melted.
The hilt was bubbling and dissolving, making it unusable.
Giving up neatly on recovering the sword, I shifted my gaze.
There lay my spear, standing firm despite being drenched in the monster’s fluids, completely unscathed.
‘What’s the difference between it and the sword that it’s fine?’
Pushing aside yet another growing mystery, I pulled a ragged cloth from my battered inventory and gripped the spear shaft.
It was originally meant for changing into after the mission ended.
But sacrificing a cloth was better than touching it barehanded.
Sizzle.
The cloth touching the spear shaft began to melt.
Only after going to a nearby puddle and washing off the fluids could I finally hold the spear with my bare hand.
While I was reorganizing, the smaller monsters had drawn much closer.
The renewed battle didn’t last long.
After clearing them all out, I approached the water’s edge again.
All I sensed in the water were swirling mana and a few tiny mana signatures.
‘At this size, they’re plants.’
There were no dangerous lifeforms in the reasonably deep water.
I waded boldly into the water.
No matter how much my body had changed, I couldn’t surpass the fundamental limits of a human.
Securing visibility in the muddy water was impossible.
A normal person would struggle to find anything in there without gear.
Fortunately, I had a skill that could substitute for high-tech equipment.
Closing my eyes, I relied on mana detection.
Diving toward the bottom, I newly realized just how deep this swamp was.
‘At least 20 meters, feels like.’
A depth I couldn’t have dreamed of diving into in my old body.
The water grew colder the deeper I went, but I pressed on without much trouble.
Fighting the constant buoyancy trying to lift me, I finally touched the bottom.
I reached out toward the swirling mana.
I grabbed something slimy and hard, whatever it was.
Securing it, I ascended again.
“Pha!”
Breaking the surface and opening my eyes, I saw what I’d retrieved.
[Conduit]
A medium connected to Hole 03-143.
Destroying it will close the Hole.
Beyond the system window was an iron shield, rusted here and there.
Left in the water, it was covered in aquatic plants, and at the end of those plants was a white clump tangled up.
“Wow, surprising…….”
At first glance, it looked like a human skull.
Staring at it speechless for a moment, I roughly tore the skull free.
“It’s not like it’s a free gift or anything.”
Why did something so ominous have to come attached?
In near self-abandonment, I shoved the skull into my inventory.
I planned to appraise it along with the rotten hand I’d picked up a few hours ago.
After gathering everything, I stripped away the plants covering the shield.
The embossed pattern on the outside resembled a bird.
‘A raptor?’
The gold coin had a mammal, but this was avian.
The ornament on the inside was also a bird.
A small decoration the size of a fingernail, but likely gold.
Staring at it for a bit, I pried off the gold ornament from the shield’s inside and headed to land.
I wanted to search for the spear sunk in the water too, but it’d likely just waste time.
‘Unless I had goggles or something.’
Finding the spear sunken in that depth by touch alone would be tough.
Emerging from the water, the droplets cascading off me soaked the surroundings.
“Whew.”
Kneeling on dry land, I mulled things over.
The system and its updates, the question mark trait.
Add in item descriptions, code names, bounty missions, forced mission progression.
And the ordeal I’d just gone through.
“I’m so sick of it, really…….”
I had no idea why I had to go through all this.
Forcing sacrifices on me without even telling me what it’s for.
Every time I’m dragged around, I have to risk my life, and I’m fed up.
I can’t keep piling up questions anymore.
Since starting this game, how many things have become clear?
At least in my mind, I had the right to know why I’m suffering like this.
But the system shoves me into the jaws of death without any explanation.
I couldn’t forgive that selfish behavior.
‘It’s using me, after all.’
Looking back at everything so far, the system was using players.
‘Closing Holes is definitely one of the system’s goals.’
Realizing that allowed me to glare coldly at empty air even now.
“Haa.”
Whenever I thought of the system that had bulldozed into my life, anger always surged.
My hostility toward whatever lay beyond that empty void was unwavering.
And today, contempt joined the rage.
The bastard that barged into my life on its whim and used me.
Unfortunately, I didn’t know how to escape this game.
Not even the choice to skip missions was allowed.
No matter how much I refused, every ten days I had to return to this alien land.
Did that mean I had to keep taking it lying down?
Let this system use me however it wanted?
‘Don’t make me laugh.’
A chilling grind escaped between my teeth.
If this fucking system was going to use me, then I’d use it right back.
How could I exploit this fucking system?
Thinking it through step by step brought a good idea.
‘I haven’t gone to work in nine days.’
Right now, I had 160 million won intact from selling loot, but realistically, it wasn’t that much.
For our family of three, it’d run out in a year or two.
‘Even with investments, I need additional income.’
I had a duty to support my family.
But as the game levels rise, balancing work will be impossible.
Even splitting 24 hours into minutes for training leaves me like this.
Adding work would just threaten my life.
The time I’ve poured into this game so far.
The time it’ll steal from me ahead.
And what I’ve missed, and will miss because of it—tallying it all cleared my head.
‘Three years will be gone in a flash.’
If I keep letting the game take my time, scraping together college tuition for the kids is a pipe dream.
I need to prepare a path for them in case I drop dead.
‘I’ll try not to die, but I have to plan for the worst.’
That realization made clear what I needed to extract from the system.
Prying off the gold bird ornament from the shield’s inside, I wiped my face.
‘If the system is really watching me.’
If all my assumptions so far were right, it might hear me out.
This was also a chance to confirm if the system was truly observing me.
“Hey.”
Fiddling with the half gold bird ornament in my hand, I opened my mouth.
“Don’t you have more of these?”
No answer came to my question. But I wasn’t one to back down.
“You bastard, not answering?”
The system had foolishly revealed a weakness to me.
I had no intention of overlooking it with some kind noble heart.
So I added in a taunting tone.
“You wanna see me do missions just once every ten days?”
The system had already clearly shown interest in my missions.
In that situation, I declared I wouldn’t cooperate properly, exploiting the game’s rules.
If its obsession with missions was real, it had to react.
‘What’re you gonna do.’
Depending on its response here, I’d learn at least one thing.
If it ignored my threat and forced missions anyway, it’d update again.
Shorten the grace period or something.
But if it didn’t update?
‘It’d mean there are constraints.’
Confirming the suspicions I’d harbored since the fourth update.
I mapped out several scenarios based on the system’s reaction.
Time passed in the meantime.
But the system still gave no reply.
Contempt, rage, and frustration piled up in that silence.
Gripping the small gold ornament tightly, I murmured.
“Answer me.”
The emotions built up from the one-sided sacrifices weren’t light.
“Who the hell are you to use me however you want.”
My low, suppressed voice trembled with emotions I couldn’t hide.
And it grew increasingly agitated.
“If you want to use me, then pay the appropriate price for my effort and time!”
Unable to hold back anymore, I unleashed everything pent up inside.
「Trait ?????’s name has been changed to Capitalism.」
「Trait Capitalism has been activated.」
「The system has switched to support mode. Support target: Player Kang Hyun-woo.」
「Beginning search.」
「Progress: 1%」
…….
「Progress: 100%」
「Recommended mission list suitable for the support target has been provided.」
Finally, an answer came.