Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: Chapter 12 Exchange (3)
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"A chat message has arrived from code name Im Nam-gyu."
Unlike with Kim Yul, this was the first time I'd exchanged messages with Nam-gyu.
I'd handed him over to the NIS and hadn't checked on him once since.
'Kim Yul and Yang Hye-won were the ones who looked after him instead.'
I'd heard that Nam-gyu, desperate with the ten-day grace period burning at his feet, had joined Kim Yul's party and tackled missions.
Yang Hye-won had been the one to bring it up first.
'If the kid had died on a mission, it would've left a bad taste in my sleep.'
Thanks to that, I could breathe a little easier. Not enough to go out of my way to say thanks, though.
'They just needed to put my name on it.'
That was plenty for a kid I'd never met before.
Nam-gyu was young, and he'd screwed up big time.
Not only had I fixed that for him, but I'd also given him a role as my connection to make sure he wasn't outright shunned.
I'd done everything I could for a total stranger.
So there was no need to feel guilty for not looking after him anymore.
I swallowed down the uncomfortable feelings as I read Im Nam-gyu's string of messages.
But my resolve to be heartless didn't last long.
- Im Nam-gyu: Uncle im sorry i culdnt say hi back then thx so much for helping didnt text first cuz didnt no if ud reply
It was because of the message with its mangled spelling and spacing.
- Im Nam-gyu: im doing good here the uncles r teaching me good im studyin hard
- Im Nam-gyu: i wont tell anyone bout uncle kid stuff promise wont say from now on too
My eyes trembled faintly. I'd never seen such a mess of a transcription before.
Even when the twins were younger than Nam-gyu, it wasn't this bad.
'They take after me and do well in school anyway.'
I'd never seen a score below 80 on their tests.
'The poor kid probably hasn't even gone to school. Does he not study on his own at all?'
I clenched my hands anxiously, feeling like a worried parent.
Meanwhile, Nam-gyu's messages kept coming.
- Im Nam-gyu: Uncle Yang Jo-cheol says he gots sumthin important to say gonna write it like he told me
- Im Nam-gyu: Hello, K. This is Yang Jo-cheol, the team leader who greeted you before. I hope your household has been well. I've heard that you've recently started 3rd level missions...
It was clearly an adult's writing from the opening alone.
And it was fairly long, but the main point beyond it was even longer.
I skipped the preamble as fast as I could and read only the core and conclusion.
My expression hardened slightly at the weighty content.
To hide it, I turned my back on the group and retreated to a corner.
- Im Nam-gyu: Surface entry purpose is tourism but it's suspicious now. After starting wiretap, word "Player" mentioned several times.
- Im Nam-gyu: Moreover, for nearly 2 weeks more than half deliberately hid accents. Clearly used American English before, but 3 hours ago two suddenly used British accents. Seems like hiding origins.
- Im Nam-gyu: Since community has frequent posts about K's movements, reporting this. Better you know than not.
It didn't detail the full process of how the NIS discovered and started surveilling them.
But it plainly stated that people using British accents had entered Korea and mentioned Players.
'Britain...'
Could be David. They're aggressive about finding and securing Players.
"Tsk."
I clicked my tongue briefly and messaged Ethan.
Asking if there'd been any moves targeting Korea or Asia.
Ethan soon replied that he'd look into it.
A brief silence fell after. In that quiet, I blinked my eyes shut and open a couple times.
"Ha."
A hollow laugh escaped. A surge of helplessness hit me all at once.
All I'd done was ask Ethan to check the situation.
Nothing else came to mind.
I roughly rubbed my face to loosen the frozen expression I hadn't noticed.
'Can't just sit idle waiting for a reply.'
If those people Yang Jo-cheol found were connected to David, my identity must never be exposed.
'He's already searching for me—that's confirmed.'
This was an objective conclusion from what Ethan had told me.
He'd classified Players as a 'threat.'
That's why he obsessed over keeping them in his sights and under surveillance.
'Wants to control them.'
It'd make him anxious if he couldn't control a threat.
So the moment my name surfaced, he'd go straight for my family.
'Just like he did with Ethan's.'
Taking hostages was effective for him—and for me too.
Just imagining guns aimed at Yeon-woo and Jin-woo made bile rise in my gut.
'Don't get worked up.'
I took a deep breath to calm myself.
'They haven't narrowed it down to individuals yet.'
No matter how I chewed it over, there was no sign of that.
At worst, the community chatter pinning it on an Asian.
Even other risks topped out at my nationality leaking from traces I'd unwittingly left in the guidebook.
I was still hidden in the crowd.
So I had time to act before my face or name got flagged.
'Hide deeper?'
I hadn't exposed myself moving around as it was—what more could I do?
'Or divert their eyes elsewhere?'
How exactly?
'Ask the government for protection?'
What if that was walking into the tiger's den?
The sigh that leaked out was deep and heavy.
'If it was just me, I wouldn't worry like this.'
I'd have considered bolder moves.
If only I had to bear the risks, I wouldn't be this cautious.
Maybe I'd even prepare to target David's family in return.
But knowing my actions would drag precious people into it made me careful.
I sat on a nearby rock, fists clenched, face grim as I pondered deeply.
Then I heard a rustle and hurriedly turned around.
"Ah, sorry."
He was a man whose height came up to my shoulder, slight for a guy.
Even in the dark, my superhuman vision caught faint orange hair.
The eyes below were probably gray.
Ahel, the one who'd just regained consciousness.
The first ally I'd rescued, who'd been unconscious the whole time.
"I'm Ahel."
He approached, extending a hand like for a handshake.
"Seemed like you were thinking. Sorry if I interrupted."
It wasn't an interruption. Even without him, I wouldn't have found a proper solution.
"K."
I shook my head and took Ahel's hand.
'Can he move already?'
His face was strikingly pale even in the dark, making me wonder.
I glanced at the group to check the mood—Ahel aside, everyone was watching us.
They scattered the moment Ahel looked back.
Rasha was the exception. She fixed her gaze on me and Ahel like she was surveilling us.
Was her wariness toward me still affecting her?
Before I could ponder how to ease that, Ahel spoke.
"Could you spare a moment?"
"...No reason not to."
I accepted without hesitation.
Curiosity stirred since we'd never spoken.
And I wondered why he'd sought me out so soon after waking.
Ahel groaned softly in pain as he sat at the edge of the rock I'd been on.
As he moved, shackles peeked from under the wide hood sleeve then vanished.
In that brief moment as he caught his breath after settling, I felt a sense of wrongness.
His face pale enough to evoke a sick patient, yet beaming like he'd taken on all the world's joy—something was off.
"I heard you saved me..."
Ahel started the conversation.
"Sorry for the late thanks. Really grateful."
"I wouldn't hold that against someone who was passed out."
My plain reply made Ahel's eyes widen slightly.
I gave him a quick once-over top to bottom and added,
"Good to see you're safe. Worth the effort."
No regrets about the potions he'd used most of. I'd earned back more mana than spent.
"You're straightforward."
"Don't like pointless gestures."
"Then you won't think it's rude if I cut to the chase right away?"
"Yeah, sure."
Ahel signaled he wanted minimal courtesy before the main topic.
'We'll get along fine.'
Excess courtesy is just wasted time.
Better to handle the point and be done.
I waited quietly for what he'd say.
Ahel took a deep breath, then smiled with a relaxed expression.
For a split second, his eyes gazing at me seemed to gleam.
A chill ran down my spine.
"Any chance you'd trade mana with me?"
"...What?"
"My attribute is 3rd rank, but it's spatial."
He lifted the pendant on the necklace around his neck.
I stared wordlessly at Ahel, then the pendant, back and forth for a while.
Not sure how he read that, but Ahel continued a bit faster than before.
"It's pretty versatile. Not as much as yours, though."
"...What do you mean not as much as mine?"
"Hm? Your mana."
What the hell.
I just stared without responding, and Ahel scratched his cheek with an awkward smile.
"Not?"
"..."
"Unpleasant? Sorry then. The afterimage felt so strong, thought you weren't hiding it."
"I don't understand a word of this."
"...So it's not just in my eyes."
I got the meaning, but it felt like hearing a foreign language.
'Rank, spatial, element, mana, afterimage...'
Repeating the unfamiliar words, I recalled what Rasha had said earlier.
'Flame attribute mana.'
When we talked about the parasite colony forming or not.
'She said mana, not magic.'
As if mana types were divided.
'Is it attribute mana?'
Instead of ruminating alone, I decided to ask.
"3rd rank, spatial—what exactly does that mean?"
Ahel's words and actions carried basic goodwill.
Not just from liking me or gratitude.
More like deliberate to gain my favor.
'He wants something.'
He'd said it himself. Trade mana.
I didn't know what or how.
But with his goal unmet, he'd answer my questions.
"Mana basically means 'nature.'"
As expected, Ahel smiled brightly after gazing at me silently for a moment.
"And it's ranked by the attributes it holds."
"..."
"More precisely, think of ranks as levels of interfering with or defying nature."
I focused on him as he explained step by step, index finger raised.
"Attribute-less mana is 1st rank. Academia says about 90% of non-humans fall here. Tied to nature."
Over half of those couldn't even sense their scant innate mana.
"Of course, some sense it. But becoming a mage is tough. Most go knight route."
Attribute-less can't interfere or defy nature.
Ahel's word choice packed a lot of info.
Goddamn System