Chapter 148: The First District (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 148: The First District (5)
Kkamseul-i, who was so proud of its round, plump body, had suddenly turned into a key.
The very key it had gobbled up when we first met.
“…What the hell is going on?”
Baffled by the unexpected turn of events, I poked the key-turned-Kkamseul-i with my finger.
“It’s hard.”
It hadn’t just changed shape; its material had changed too.
The only thing that remained the same was its color.
“I thought it was just a pet with a big appetite…”
Apparently not.
If I were to guess its ability…
“Can it transform into things it has absorbed?”
But it didn’t seem to end there.
I didn’t have enough information to be certain, but I speculated, based on flimsy evidence, that its transformation might encompass more than just a simple change in form.
“…I really need to run some tests.”
I’d mentioned experimenting on the creature before, since it was such a mystery, but there had been no rush. Now, things were different.
This ability seemed incredibly useful, and I needed to figure it out through proper testing.
That way, I’d get a rough idea of when, where, and how to use Kkamseul-i.
“First, let’s deal with this door.”
This wasn’t a problem I could solve just by standing around and thinking for a moment.
The right thing to do was to finish the task at hand and then go back and think it over at my leisure.
Holding a sliver of faint tension, I pushed the key-turned-Kkamseul-i into the keyhole.
It fit perfectly, as if it had been born to enter this very place.
This confirmed it: Kkamseul-i’s ability was to transform its body into an object it had absorbed.
Slotting a piece of the messy puzzle in my mind into place, I twisted my wrist.
Click!
The door opened.
The sliver of inky darkness I’d seen earlier seemed to beckon me forward.
Adding a piece of anxiety and another of caution to the tension I already held, I took a step.
As my body seeped into the darkness, I felt like I was being sucked in somewhere.
With the sensation of having passed through a long tunnel, I slowly opened my eyes.
“This place is…”
The first thing I saw was a giant statue against the opposite wall.
It was kneeling on one knee, hands clasped in prayer.
A large hood covered its head, and the wings of both an angel and a demon sprouted from its back.
The delicate lines made it look like a woman, yet its firm posture suggested a man.
The praying pose evoked a sense of reverence, but looking at the face, shadowed and blackened by the hood, filled my chest with an ominous feeling.
After finally tearing my gaze away from the enigmatic yet striking statue, I glanced around to clear my head of the strange, churning emotions.
To the left hung paintings of utter despair; to the right, paintings of boundless hope.
Human screams and ecstasy.
The end of the world and peace.
The left and right sides were in perfect contrast, centered on the statue.
“This isn't some patient with symmetry OCD, what the hell is this…”
The level of contrast was enough to make my head spin.
I was about to walk to the left to examine the paintings more closely when a clamorous sound suddenly echoed through the room.
[Come closer.]
[Approach.]
“……?”
Multiple voices—male and female, loud and soft, rough and smooth, strong and frail, cold and warm—assaulted my ears at once.
The source of the sound filling the entire room was the statue in the center.
[You have worked hard to come this far.]
[You did well to find this place.]
“It wasn’t that hard.”
It really wasn’t. I’d used up a bit too much mana threatening Participant No. 496, but that had recovered long ago.
[…….]
[…….]
The voices suddenly fell silent.
[The reason we have called you here is that we have something to give you.]
[Khahaha…! I have something for you.]
“……”
It seemed they’d agreed to just ignore my words.
[Please accept this.]
[Here, take this.]
A faint light began to emanate from the statue’s clasped hands.
The glow seeped through the cracks between its fingers, gathered in front of the statue to form a small mass, and then floated gently toward me.
So this is what they want me to take.
I naturally extended my hand, and the ball of light that had stopped before me moved closer and wrapped around my wrist.
Flash!
A bracelet was now fastened on my right wrist where the light had been.
It was made of colorful threads—red and blue, black and white—tangled and woven together.
At the bottom of the bracelet, two beads, transparent as glass, dangled from the ends of the threads.
“What is this?”
[That bracelet is called the Scales of Karma.]
[Its name is the Scales of Karma!]
[From now on, the karma from your actions will accumulate there.]
[That bracelet will show you what kind of person you are!]
[Save, help, and rescue.]
[Kill, steal, and trample!]
[Goodness (善) will guide you to the right path.]
[Evil (惡) will lead you to the supreme pleasure!]
“So, um…”
My thoughts quickly organized themselves.
“You’re saying that from now on, the results of my actions will be stored in this bracelet, right?”
[That is correct.]
[Indeed.]
“And my fate will be decided by which direction that karma leans.”
[You are very perceptive.]
[Quite clever.]
I doubt it.
I felt like any adult could figure that much out.
“As I understand it, only those who obtained a key can enter the Sanctuary… Does that mean those without a key are eliminated?”
[That is not so.]
[No.]
“Then?”
[All 504 chosen individuals will receive the Scales of Karma.]
[Those with keys can simply accumulate karma faster.]
“Aha.”
So the real advantage of the key was getting a head start on accumulating karma.
Alright, I’ve pretty much got it sorted out. Now to resolve my last question.
“Just one last thing.”
I pointed to the bracelet on my wrist and asked.
“This style is pretty awful. Do I really have to wear it?”
The style was one problem, but the symbolism of the bracelet itself was actually the bigger issue.
Wearing this was no different from announcing that I was one of the 504 chosen people, right?
[If the user wishes, it can be set to be invisible to others.]
[…Try pulling the right bead.]
Hearing that, I immediately gave the right bead on the bracelet a light tug.
A message window popped up before my eyes.
[Invisibility Mode: ON]
“Oh.”
That’s a relief.
“Hmm.”
I think I’d resolved most of the questions in my head.
As I wondered if I was missing anything…
[My message is now complete.]
[That is all I have to say.]
They were suddenly trying to send me away.
“Wait, I’m not ready to…”
[I shall await our next meeting, looking forward to your future filled with goodness!]
[Return next time, having become even more evil!]
“Wh-whoa…?”
Colorful mana poured out of the statue and wrapped around my body.
I felt a sense of floating, as if my body was lifting off the ground.
It was the prelude to teleportation, something I’d experienced several times already.
About four or five seconds passed.
I opened my eyes to the toasty warmth coming from the floor I was now touching.
Hop, hop!
My sideways gaze fell upon a boiling electric heating pad and Kkamseul-i hopping on top of it.
It seemed I’d been forcibly transported back to my room.
“Ugh, hot.”
I turned off the heating pad, threw off the blanket covering it, and sat up.
The feeling was strange.
“I feel like I just woke up from a long dream…”
My senses clearly remembered every moment I had just experienced, but my mind was slightly dazed, foggy, just like when you first wake up.
But I had something that proved it wasn’t all a dream.
Right here on my wrist.
“Hmm…”
It was a strange bracelet in many ways.
It was clearly on my wrist, yet I couldn’t feel it at all.
“The Scales of Karma.”
A strange and mysterious object.
Karma refers to the good and evil deeds that arise from one’s words and actions.
In other words, depending on the words and actions I choose, different kinds of karma will accumulate on this bracelet.
“It’s no big deal.”
I decided not to dwell on it.
I wouldn’t go out of my way to do good deeds, nor would I commit evil ones.
My days were too precious to be spent worrying about a mere bracelet and watching my every move.
The consequences of that?
Isn’t being an adult about taking responsibility for the consequences of your own words and actions?
I’ll simply accept the results and take responsibility for them. That’s all.
“After all the trouble I went through to get this life.”
Uh… well, it wasn’t exactly a life I’d earned through my own efforts, but anyway.
The image management that began with my sudden fame.
The life of a national Hunter that resulted from it.
Hadn’t I already tried to artificially change the trajectory of my life, only to face the worst possible outcome?
So my mind is made up.
My life will never change, not even if someone holds a knife to my throat.
If I’m horny, I fuck. If someone messes with me, I get them back twice as hard. And I repay kindness with interest.
And.
If I’m sleepy, I sleep.
“Kkamseul-i, come here.”
I called to Kkamseul-i, who had evolved from a cute and adorable pet into a completely precious one with no downsides.
Hop, hop!
The little creature bounded over as if it had been waiting and I scooped it into my arms.
Drifting into the psychological comfort provided by its firm, squishy texture, I slowly fell asleep.