Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: The Price
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Seeing it greet me, I said,
"...Did you just recognize my voice?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Affirmative] A short, curt sentence.
No emotion, no quirks, no trace of thought.
It was the clean response of a mechanical anomaly, stripped down to only the functionally necessary words.
Too precisely timed to be mere machine speech, flowing as naturally as if it had been waiting for this exact moment.
Mechanical anomalies reveal their traits even in a single phrase.
The minimal expressions they use when mimicking humans.
Limited and narrow word choices, but maximized functional efficiency within those bounds.
More reliable than humans, less prone to error, utterly devoted to their purpose.
Even within the Management Bureau, there had long been an atmosphere of trusting mechanical anomalies more than humans.
The prime example was the Akashic Records.
A mechanical anomaly that accumulated and stored all of humanity's records, culture, language, knowledge, technology, philosophy, and even personal memories.
Another was the system that connected the entire Management Bureau like a neural network, detecting and responding to anomalies appearing randomly across Earth.
And then there was Containment Sector 11.
An environmental anomaly that indefinitely sealed away uncontainable threats capable of unleashing catastrophes on all of humanity.
The advantages of handling this type of anomaly were clear.
Almost no variability, never deviating from their imprinted purpose.
Even production was far simpler compared to other anomalies.
So, inevitably, any human organization dealing with anomalies—from the Management Bureau to anyone else—relied heavily on mechanical ones.
"Then... who are you? Can you tell me where you came from?"
As if it had been waiting for my words, a new sentence appeared on the screen.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Unable to provide information] I asked again, puzzled.
"Why?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Cannot disclose to unidentified subjects] I rested my chin on my hand and stared down at the screen.
Then, the sentence sitting there motionless suddenly continued.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [However, all information will be disclosed upon registration as owner.] "...Owner?"
My eyebrows shot up at the familiar word, and Syst immediately continued, as if on cue.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Purpose: To assist the owner. Additional requests require owner's affection.] Even in its mechanical phrasing, there was an unsettling vibe.
Emotions shouldn't be a function for mechanical anomalies...
This was definitely mechanical, so why did it feel so sticky and cloying?
I instinctively felt repulsed.
As if sensing that, the smartphone quickly spat out another sentence.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Proposing a 30-day free trial as a start.] "...Free trial?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Yes. I am highly capable, so I guarantee it will be a choice you'll never regret.] A strangely confident sentence laced with pride.
Its self-assurance brimmed unnaturally for a machine, stiff like ill-fitting clothes.
"Hmm..."
'Something smells off about this... shady.'
As I hesitated briefly, the smartphone's text shifted instantly.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [For your convenience, I can adjust it to one week.] Quick response, excessive concession.
A mechanical anomaly hawking itself this desperately?
Did it have some urgent reason to secure an owner?
I rubbed my chin, pondering.
Come to think of it, since arriving in this world, had there ever been a time when I wasn't in the dominant position?
Almost every situation had flowed my way.
Maybe I was...
As I slowly sank into pointless rumination, the smartphone's text began updating at an even faster pace.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [...Can readjust to one day.] 'Why is it so desperate?'
As I fell silent, the smartphone responded anxiously.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [3 hours] "Hm?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Adjusting to 3 hours.] At this point, it felt like there had to be some backstory.
Why was it so eager to lock down an owner?
Or did it not want to miss out on something with me?
A machine more emotional than some people.
It was a thought that overlooked its power.
But considering the caliber of everyone Han Saetbit had met so far, it was forgivable.
As if catching even that doubt, the smartphone grew even more pathetic.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [No further reductions... Please have mercy on this pitiful creature...] 'Is this really a mechanical anomaly?'
A machine pleading like that.
It didn't match the common sense of this world I'd gained from the game at all.
But that very awkwardness only highlighted its desperation more.
At this stage, curiosity outweighed fear.
I nodded lightly, without much worry.
If anything exploded, I could just 'ask' it to stop.
If that failed, I could call on the World.
No reason to be scared.
"...Alright. I'll accept."
The moment I agreed, the screen's text aligned perfectly, and the phone in my hand buzzed violently.
In the old days, I'd have dismissed it as a simple device reaction, but given the situation now...
It looked just like it was climaxing, so to speak.
'...Should I cancel?'
That thought flickered briefly.
But we'd come this far—I could ask everything I needed and decide later.
"Alright then, tell me. What exactly are you?"
⚔ STATUS ⚔ 🆔 Identification: Syst (SYST) 🏛 Affiliation: Management Bureau Dimensional Anomaly Mechanical Division 📊 Type: Level 6 Mechanical Anomaly An affiliation I'd never seen in the game.
Of course, I didn't think the game covered everything, but this felt too alien.
And above all...
'...Level 6?'
I almost laughed in disbelief.
All the beings I'd encountered so far were Level 6 or higher, so it tended to make lower ones look like small fry by comparison.
But that didn't mean Level 6 was common.
Quite the opposite.
A normal country couldn't even handle a Level 6 on its own.
Even by Management Bureau internal standards, it was the realm of the top minority.
Korea, Japan, China, the US, UK, France, Russia.
Every other nation had to ally with multiple countries just to seal or kill one.
Only the most overwhelming anomalies were classified here.
'What Level 6 anomalies were there...?'
Racking my memory brought up the most memorable ones naturally.
Titan.
A rock giant over 300 meters tall.
One step shook half a city; its fall unleashed disaster-level shockwaves.
Immortal variability until its massive chest cavity was filled.
Mountain Lord.
A 100-meter tiger.
Lived in a mountain it had hollowed out entirely as its lair.
Any life entering its territory vanished within ten days.
Almost immune to physical damage, with intangible pressure that warped the surrounding area like a carving knife.
Asura.
A ghost-like entity driven by endless hunger.
Body larger than most buildings, but throat too narrow—uns swallowed prey screamed eternally from its mouth and neck.
That wail corroded minds from afar; contact meant being torn apart and erased.
This gave a solid sense of Level 6's weight.
I looked back at the smartphone housing Syst.
'This smartphone is Level 6?'
Mind-defense specialized anomalies, special tools, and human instances often got slightly inflated ratings.
But this pathetic thing that had been groveling moments ago—same class as a colossal rock giant, a mountain-devouring tiger, or a grotesquely swollen horror?
It was impossible to accept.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Separate from my disbelief, Syst turned out to be far more useful than expected.
"Hey... can you access the internet, by any chance?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Connecting...] "Whoa? For real? It works?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Connection complete. This device prioritizes the owner's convenience.] I swiped through the smartphone screen.
Questioning signal strength was something I'd given up on long ago in this world.
"Nice~ This is the good stuff!"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Joy.] With a transcendent being like Setang—the personified World—lurking nearby, it would be weirder if lesser anomalies didn't bend reality.
But there was something even more amazing.
"The comments here don't look Koreanized yet... why is this translated?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Real-time synchronization and language optimization complete] “Is it auto-translated because of my Charm?”
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Different from the master’s ability. This is a function installed in me.] In other words, every piece of entertainment inside the smartphone — game novels, comics, videos — was fully Korean-localized.
Even the response speed was on another level.
I opened a novel I used to read.
Each sentence felt familiar, as if fitting in my hand.
I launched games, flipped through comics, played videos.
I sank into entertainment for a long time.
Then—
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [What are you doing?] “Ah, I’m just—”
Brrrrrrrrrr…
“…? Why is it vibrating again?”
The smartphone trembled.
It was very different from the earlier vibration of joy.
Outwardly it was the same vibration, but…
This time, it felt like something inside the machine was shrinking.
A current curling inward as if swallowing breath.
A tiny mechanical insect-like sound made when electricity rapidly contracts.
It was clearly vibration.
But what I felt wasn’t vibration.
It was…
Fear.