Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: System Interface and a Sudden Quest
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Disconnecting from Barathrum, Lee Si-woo returned to reality. He scanned his surroundings, and seeing no one, let out a sigh of relief.
Lee Si-woo touched the smartphone's screen. Before, touching it would have sucked him into Barathrum, but now, things were different.
The system's upgrade to Tier 1 had brought a significant improvement to the user interface.
Such a big change from just one Anetium?
It was thrilling to imagine what would happen once Barathrum became fully functional.
‘The interface looks just like a regular smartphone. It’s great because I can understand the system intuitively.’
The smartphone's home screen had several apps installed: a key-shaped login icon, a house-shaped village management icon, a mountain-shaped mine management icon, a book-shaped library, and finally, a circular building icon for the Hall.
When Lee Si-woo touched the mine icon, a spider with charming graphics appeared, mining inside a cave.
Seeing the text "1 Copper per hour" floating in the top right corner, Lee Si-woo clicked his tongue.
‘This mining rate is pathetic, isn't it? Well, it's a shame, but it can't be helped. You can't expect to be full from the first bite.’
Next, Lee Si-woo tapped the Hall icon.
In the center of the Hall, represented by a grand circular building graphic, stood a 3D character model of Lee Si-woo. Below it was an adorable icon—an emoticon version of Anetium's face.
It was reminiscent of a hamster, so cute that it made him forget the grotesque face of its actual body.
When Lee Si-woo touched Anetium's emoticon, its status window appeared in the center of the screen.
「Anetium」 ★★
Level: 21
Species: Tarantula
Talent: [1] Danger Sense (Shared), [2] Rock Carapace
Technique: None
The Butler had said that the currently unlocked features of Barathrum were merely the tip of the iceberg.
But what had been revealed was more than enough to boost Lee Si-woo's morale.
Leaving aside the mine, which helped develop his physical abilities, the usefulness of the other facilities was beyond words.
First, the Library.
Here, the knowledge from the Cells consumed through Gluttony was stored in the form of books, and Lee Si-woo could absorb all of that knowledge just by reading them once.
However, it wasn't without its limitations.
He could only absorb knowledge up to the limit of his ‘brain capacity.’
The problem was that his brain wasn't a computer; he couldn't just delete knowledge once he had absorbed it.
Therefore, he had to use the Library carefully.
It would be a disaster if he used it recklessly and couldn't absorb the knowledge he desperately needed later on.
For instance, the two things the Butler said he should prioritize acquiring.
Things like a Physical Technique and a Mana Technique.
Second, the Hall.
There were two things Lee Si-woo could do here: check the stats of the Cells he had consumed and ‘Talent Sharing.’
It was known that each species had between one and nine Talents, which were, in most cases, fixed.
In other words, if there were several 6-Star humans, eight out of ten would possess the same Talents.
This was because Talents were ingrained in the species itself.
Of course, there were exceptions: the variants known as ‘Mutants.’
A Mutant's Talents could change or be altered due to innate factors like natural aptitude, or acquired factors like a stroke of fortune or a curse. In any case, they were rare, which made them highly sought after by summoners.
‘In a way, I guess I could be considered a Mutant, too. Since I can freely use the Talents of the Cells I’ve consumed through the Hall’s sharing feature.’
If summoners ever found out about this, they would stop at nothing to get their hands on him.
Not only was his star rating a 9-Star, a typically unchangeable factor, but his potential to freely swap Talents—despite various restrictions—was limitless.
‘The only downside is that I haven’t unlocked my 2-Star Talent yet… Ugh, though even if I did, I don't have anything I could use right away.’
Although Lee Si-woo was a 9-Star, he couldn't acquire all nine Talents at once.
Talents could only be unlocked through ‘Quests.’
No one knew the principle by which Quests were generated, or what kind of Quest a person would receive.
The only certainty was that a portal would appear before a qualified individual, and a white hand would emerge to deliver a letter containing the Quest.
‘I can’t do anything about my Talents right now, so that's that, but the problem is my level.’
Lee Si-woo touched his character in the center of the Hall, and his status information appeared on the screen.
「Lee Si-woo」 ★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
Level: 2
Species: Human
Talent: [1] Danger Sense (Anetium)
Technique: None
In this world, Level was a measure of an individual's specs.
It wasn't a concept that increased by committing murder or killing monsters; instead, it was determined by one's physical abilities and mana levels.
Furthermore, since Level was merely a numerical representation of specs, it couldn't be seen as a perfect reflection of a person's skill.
What skills a person possessed, what items they owned, and what kind of mentality they had were not reflected in their Level at all.
‘By Earth standards, Level is probably just a numerical value for how much weight a regular person can lift at the gym. It's true that someone who can lift a lot has a body that's far more trained than an ordinary person, but…’
Lee Si-woo tapped his chin with his index finger, organizing his thoughts.
‘That doesn’t guarantee they could beat a martial artist, and if their opponent, despite having a weak body, was holding a gun, their chances would be next to none. Hmm, it probably won't be that extreme here, since there's the incomprehensible factor of mana… but that's something I'll find out in time.’
Wasn't that why the Butler had warned him?
He had said that Level was merely a reference, and pleaded with him not to make the mistake of judging a person's skill based on a number.
Not that it mattered much to Lee Si-woo, who, at Level 2, was basically an amoeba in this ecosystem.
‘My level was originally 1, but it went up to 2 thanks to Anetium mining copper in the mine, right? Ha, my situation is truly pathetic. Still… it's a positive change that I swapped the human species' 1-Star Talent, ‘Community,’ which the Butler called useless, for Anetium's Danger Sense.’
Community, a mental Talent that boosted morale and prevented despair the more people gathered, seemed useful at a glance, but for an individual like Lee Si-woo with virtually no combat ability, it was as good as trash.
What he needed right now wasn't a mental Talent like Community, but a combat-oriented Talent that would help him survive, even if only by a little.
‘First, what I need right now is mana.’
The most urgent prerequisite for Lee Si-woo's survival in the pit was mana.
The moment he obtained mana, which strengthened and vitalized the body by its very existence, his level would naturally skyrocket. Moreover, if he got lucky, completed a Quest, and obtained the 2-Star Talent Physical Enhancement, he could even become an equal to Martin.
Kiiiiing.
“Hm?”
A piercing noise split the air as a blue portal opened in front of Lee Si-woo.
A hand of white mist emerged from within and dropped a letter before him.
It was the messenger for Quests that the Butler had told him about. The White Hand.
“A Quest already? Do they usually come this quickly?”
The White Hand vanished, leaving only the letter behind. Lee Si-woo picked up the letter that had fallen at his feet and checked its contents.
[2-Star Quest]
※Survive for the next 24 hours.
‘Twenty-four hours. And the Quest is just to survive… What on earth is about to happen?’
Tatatat.
Just then, the sound of frantic footsteps reached his ears.
As Lee Si-woo tucked the letter into his clothes and straightened his attire, a man who had been running down the alley spotted him and grumbled.
“Ah, damn it! What the hell! You were here? Shit, I've been looking all over for you.”
Having just finished organizing his thoughts, Lee Si-woo stood up and asked.
“You were looking for me? What for?”
The man grew irritated at Lee Si-woo's nonchalant attitude.
“What for? Martin told me to find you and pass on a message. He said he'll grant all your requests, so you should go see him.”
Hearing that all his demands had been met, Lee Si-woo's eyes lit up.
“Martin did? Yes, I understand.”
Lee Si-woo's eyes gleamed as he followed the man.
‘It seems my request to have Martin as my bodyguard was approved. That's a bit surprising. I thought they’d just give me a few more nobodies instead of Martin… Hmm, does Rei have some ulterior motive, or is she just that bold? Well… I guess I'll find out which it is in time.’
***
“Team Leader Kyle, don't stress out too much. Even if that brat has a mage behind him, as long as we're careful from now on and don't give him any reason to come after us, he won't make the first move.”
The words from his team member, with whom he was usually close, did nothing to smooth Kyle's expression.
His face filled with anxiety and worry, Kyle clenched and unclenched his fists before speaking.
“Have you ever seen a mage before?”
“No. I was… nothing but a small fry on the surface. What chance would I have to see an upper-class person like a mage? I've only heard rumors.”
“Have I ever told you… the reason my brother and I were thrown into the pit?”
“…You've never once spoken a word about that.”
Kyle spoke in a dry voice, a self-deprecating smile on his lips.
“I suppose not. Because there's no grand story behind it. Think about it. Who would I tell that I got thrown into the pit just for smelling bad while walking down the street? It's too humiliating.”
“Smelling… bad, you say?”
A hollow, chuckling laugh escaped from between Kyle's teeth.
“Just my luck. Who would've thought we'd run into a mage on our way home, unwashed after a day of hard labor? And in front of a bastard who was pissed off for God knows what reason that day…”
Kyle snapped his head up. His bloodshot eyes, a result of excessive stress, stared directly at his team member.
“How many people here do you think were thrown into the pit after falling to the criminal class like you? No, almost none. We were thrown in here because we smelled. Because we were ugly. Or because they were just in a shitty mood that day. That's how we ended up here. Heh… like food scraps.”
Overwhelmed by exhaustion, Kyle rubbed his face wearily.
Suddenly, he remembered his brother's last moments.
The death cry as he was torn to shreds because of some newbie's mistake. And the look of terror on his face.
Nausea rose from his stomach along with a surge of emotion, and Kyle finally let out what he had been holding back.
“We're ants on the side of the road. Insects that can't even make a peep when we're stepped on, our corpses left stuck to the pavement like gum without anyone noticing we're dead. What? We just have to be careful from now on? It'll be fine as long as we don't get caught? Don't give me that shit!”
“Team Leader Kyle…”
“I messed around near something a mage had claimed. That alone is more than enough reason to die. Got it? The moment I knew there was really a mage behind that kid, I had no choices left.”
Sensing the ominous air around Kyle, the team member swallowed dryly and asked.
“…What are you going to do?”
“Bring me the box.”
The team member asked back in surprise.
“What? The box? But that's…”
“Shut up and bring it.”
The team member awkwardly got to his feet and hurried off somewhere. Left alone, Kyle ground his teeth and muttered.
“Everyone makes mistakes. But not here. Here… one little slip and you fall into the abyss. And yet… I made one, didn't I? A mistake.”
Messing with Lee Si-woo was a mistake, and his handling of the aftermath was also a mistake.
The saying that mistakes are a part of life didn't apply here.
The pit was the edge of a cliff, and losing your footing here meant falling.
So, if he didn't want to fall, he had to push someone else off the cliff in his place.
He had to bet everything he had—his life, whatever it took.
Kurururung.
Suddenly, the walls of the labyrinth began to shake as if in an earthquake.
Knowing what this omen meant, the color drained from Kyle's face.
“The Harvest? No way, the cycle isn't due yet!”
The violently trembling labyrinth wall suddenly cracked open. From the gash in the wall, a tentacle emerged, squirming like thousands of earthworms.
Seeing it, Kyle was so startled he fell backward on his butt, but he quickly scrambled back to his feet.
“This can't be! The Harvest has really started! What? What the hell is happening? Dammit… everything, everything is a mess!”
Screaming at the top of his lungs, Kyle saw the tentacle coming for him and shot off like a startled animal, kicking off the ground and running for his life.
He knew that even a moment's hesitation now would be his end.