Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Charm
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After that, there wasn't much change in my daily life.
The only additions were a new form of entertainment called Syst, and the fact that the completion of the pathway to Earth that Eemo was preparing had been slightly delayed.
If Syst helped, preparations to head to Earth could be finished in no time.
But before that, there was one problem I absolutely had to address.
"What? You can't do it anymore?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Yes. Strengthening the curse further than this is impossible. "...Is this supposed to be weakened?"
Ugly Laurel Wreath.
The tool that sealed and weakened my Charm.
My current Charm was Level 6.
A number that paled in comparison to the old Level 11, but still insufficient.
Considering the ripple effects caused by Charm Level 4 characters depicted in the game, it was obvious that just showing up on Earth in this state would cause a massive uproar.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ It would go beyond mere uproar—human society itself would collapse. Syst's words weren't an exaggeration.
So, I decided to fix the problem I'd known about but left alone until now.
That was handling the Charm stat.
One might ask how to handle such an abstract concept as Charm.
But given how the game portrayed it as a stat that could manipulate not just the body, but mind and even Luck at will, it made sense that Charm could be handled similarly.
To that end, I recalled the stat I knew best: Physical.
Once Physical surpasses Level 6 and reaches the threshold of Level 7, the Promotion Layer inevitably opens.
Passing the trial there allows ascension to the next stage.
This holds true not just for Physical, but for Mental and Luck as well.
Charm is the only exception—there's simply no depiction of a Promotion Layer for it in the game.
For reference, succeeding in promotion doesn't automatically raise the stat to Level 7.
More precisely, it grants the qualification to reach Level 7.
The Physical Promotion Layer features lengthy scenes where the protagonist becomes aware of their body, converses with it, or fights themselves—but that wasn't what mattered to me.
What caught my eye were the myriad techniques that unlocked afterward, allowing free manipulation of the body.
'After that, options like 'Erase the presence of your muscles to hide' or 'Contract your muscles to shrink your frame and feign weakness' popped up in droves, right? I tried them once but never again.'
Because they were all duds.
No matter how plausible or intriguing the technique descriptions sounded, if the results were things like 'But your massive bulk was too big to fit through the door. You had no choice but to drop the stealth, and the enemies who spotted you fled in terror,' or 'The master saw through your actual musculature at a glance. The master found you intriguing. Master's favorability +1,' they were useless.
Anyway. The conclusion was clear.
First, I needed to figure out exactly what power Charm was.
Dictionary-wise, Charm is the power that draws people in.
And in my case, its scope wasn't limited to humans.
Inanimate objects, Systems, even transcendental beings across dimensions.
My Charm affected them all.
Mulling that over sparked a sudden curiosity.
Even in this weakened state... would nature itself—wind, water, earth—still react to me?
"Wind, are you there?"
As I whispered, a gentle current slowly drifted in from the empty air.
A faint presence, barely qualifying as a form, brushed past me, asking why I'd called.
Back in the day, it would've charged at me full tilt like a dog in heat, cooing sweetly—but now it was slow, hazy, half-hearted.
I actually preferred it this way; it felt just right, so I wasn't displeased.
'Good.'
Exchanging a few words was no trouble.
And time was plentiful.
Repeating tests like this would surely yield clues to handling Charm eventually.
At that moment, Syst glanced toward the wind and spoke.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ You can even command spirits? "Spirits?"
'Oh, right. Those guys existed too.'
Spirits were more like frequent allies from the Management Bureau than enemies.
Agents with Mental or Luck attributes mainly commanded them, and since they were beings I'd created myself, they hadn't come to mind immediately.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ We call them spirits, but what you're seeing now is closer to a purer concept. Though that doesn't mean it's not a spirit. Hearing that, I intuited immediately.
This could be one of the keys to figuring out how to handle Charm.
Something clicked, and I turned to Eemo with a question.
"Come to think of it, you said cursing the Laurel Wreath has gotten progressively easier lately, right?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Yes. That's correct. And she added,
that it wasn't my power weakening, but my ability to control Charm that was growing stronger.
'In that case... this might be a far simpler issue than I'm making it out to be.'
With my thoughts sorted, I decided to try just one more test that had come to mind today, then set the matter aside for now.
"Eemo, can you watch Syst for me?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ ? Why...? Syst asked reflexively, sounding anxious.
I reassured him.
"I'm going to take off the Laurel Wreath for a bit. Just in case."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [...Understood.] Syst obediently nestled into Eemo's embrace.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Ugh... I sense something unpleasant. "Hang in there. It'll be quick."
I turned back to Eemo.
"You can keep an eye on Syst, right?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ If my guess is right, it should be fine. ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [...What are the odds?] ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Ab... about fifty-fifty? Hearing that, Syst was surprisingly calm.
In fact, he seemed resolute.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Hoo... Worth steeling myself for. Even if I turn into an idiot from seeing Saetbit's true form, it's no loss. ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Hehe. Agreed. "Hey, I'm taking it off now?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Oho. ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Oho. "Guys?"
I couldn't fathom why these machine- and Cthulhu-like entities overflowed with humanity more than actual humans.
I placed my hand on the Laurel Wreath and steadied my breathing slowly.
"Hoo... Hoo..."
'No, why am I this nervous over something like this?'
As tension built until sweat beaded on my palms, I finally caved and asked Eemo behind me.
"This won't do. You take it off for me."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [...Ahem. Understood.] I closed my eyes.
Time to return to Han Saetbit at Charm Level 11.
"Ready, Eemo?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [...Truth be told, I couldn't wait and already took it off.] "What?"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The secretary quietly spoke up.
"...Director General. Are you saying you're going to follow SYSTEM-00's judgment as is?"
The Director General let out a short, dry laugh.
"Yeah. You heard it too. It left because of the potential for cooperation with the Level 11."
The secretary swallowed hard.
"Surely... you're not thinking of actually establishing a cooperative relationship with it, as it said?"
The Director General flicked the red ring on her finger.
A light metallic clink rang out.
"Exactly. If the path the System left open is this one, we have no choice but to take it. Even if it fell to mental corruption, it wouldn't spout nonsense."
The secretary fell silent for a moment, then gazed at the reports on the desk.
Black covers, sealed emblems within, paper that seemed to breathe on its own.
All of it mocked the Management Bureau's impotence in swirling circles.
"...How about handling the reports—er, the higher-ups?"
"In progress."
The secretary spoke lowly.
"We've isolated a few with weak mental defenses."
She bowed her head deeply.
"Damage this minimal is practically a miracle."
The Director General smirked and ran a hand through her hair.
"True enough. But the real clusterfuck is that this happened at all."
Mental corruption from a regular Anomaly was one thing, but a non-human System succumbing to emotional loyalty—and shaking the entire bureaucratic organization in the process—was unprecedented.
This wasn't a miracle; it was a catastrophe barely grazing past.
The secretary didn't press further.
Noticing, the Director General continued first.
"We're at a crossroads now."
"...A crossroads?"
"Yeah."
The Director General tapped the report with a finger.
"Pull out and wash our hands of this, and we're done for. The Management Bureau's very reason for existing gets called into question."
"..."
"On the flip side, if we build a cooperative relationship with that thing?"
The Director General inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly.
"We'd have to brace for bankruptcy. Risks, burdens, political fallout—all on us. Hell, humanity's survival becomes iffy."
The secretary gulped.
"So... we all go down together."
"Pardon?"
"But if we play it right..."
The Director General's eyes gleamed brighter.
"We hit the jackpot. We rake in the whole pot. Nothing beats gambling with someone else's money."
She cackled.
The secretary nodded gravely, figuring the Director General was forcing levity.
Moments later, her expression hardened as she spoke firmly.
"It's decisions like these throughout history that allowed the Management Bureau to exist."
The secretary smiled.
"Honored to share this historic moment with you, Director General."
The Director General silently stroked the report's cover.
Contact with the Level 11 entity was now an unavoidable choice.
She murmured softly.
"...I hope this is the last time."