Damn System

Episode 14

Chapter 4 Main Server (1)

3 months passed.

In the meantime, my daily life has undergone many changes.

I quit my part-time job and went to a construction site.

It’s something I would never have done in the past.

‘Because it’s dangerous.’

Even if there is an accident on the spot, you can die.

I’ve never shied away from hard work, but I’ve stayed away from dangerous work like a knife.

However, thanks to magic, the situation changed, and he had to somehow make up for his reduced income by quitting the work of loading and unloading parcels.

It was nice to have free time in the evening thanks to that.

I filled all that time with training.

I learned everything that I could learn, such as practical martial arts, dagger skills, spear skills, and martial arts that special forces learn.

I spent most of the 10 million won I earned in the promotion test because of that.

After spending more than 2 million won per month for three months, it ran out quickly.

My stomach hurt, but I couldn’t help it. I had to do anything to lower my chances of dying.

‘Let’s be content with buying one of the kids’ laptops.’

It was money that came unexpectedly anyway.

The money spent was also good, so I was able to shake off the regrets before long.

I was already in a state where I could control my body to near perfection, so my skills were unrivaled.

It was to the extent that I could engage in sparring directly with the director, so I said everything.

“Stop, stop!”

The leader, who had been hacked to death by a sponge dagger while down, declared surrender.

I, who was riding on his body, took a deep breath and got up.

“You worked hard.”

“Ah, why are you getting more and more bloody?”

The enema, who stood up holding my hand, clicked his tongue and said.

‘I want to live.’

I swallowed the answer with a bitter smile.

The director, who was looking at me with strange eyes, said in a stiff voice.

“Just in case, I’m telling you, can’t you have an accident?”

Is it because of the sparring that has become increasingly rough lately?

The director’s gaze at me was quite ferocious.

“Because there is no such thing. You said you weren’t learning in a bad way.”

“… … okay.”

The answer was yes, but the eyes of suspicion were still there.

But I had no intention of trying to clear up the misunderstanding.

More precisely, it was not necessary.

Glancing, I lowered my gaze and saw the reason.

「Main server (district) activation 99.997%」

There’s not much left now.

It is unknown when the remaining numbers will rise.

So, I was thinking of quitting going to the gym as of today.

Anyway, today is also the last day of registration for this month.

As always, I finished the rest of my workout and left the gym.

I checked again, but the text at the bottom of the field of view was the same.

‘activate… … .’

The main server went through stabilization and immediately entered activation.

At the time of the beta test, it was a different step from starting the tutorial right after stabilization.

‘It could be that the tutorial message just didn’t pop up for me.’

It wasn’t without possibility. Because I finished the tutorial.

But what if that’s not it?

It could be that the system has reversed the order of operations.

After the first tutorial, there was a slight delay before external access was possible.

The main server is definitely larger than the beta server.

That delay is bound to get longer.

If this assumption is correct, the implication of the stabilization and activation sequence is clear.

‘I’m correcting the error.’

The system is improving issues based on information obtained from beta testing.

Is there a GM who manages the system like a normal game?

Or does the system itself have an ego?

‘What the hell are you?’

I threw a question that has been steadily leading for the past 3 months today.

「99.998% activation of the main server (district)」

As always, the system responded with the number at the bottom of the field of view.

It was as if he was saying that he would be able to give an answer soon.

‘soon.’

After repeating that short word, I started running.

I always run like this when I leave the gym and go home.

It was part of my physical training.

After running out of breath for a while, I slowed down before long.

It’s because the person I got to know when I started going to the gym saw it.

“Grandma.”

“Oh, bachelor!”

“You’ve collected a lot today.”

It was an old woman who made a living by giving away waste paper.

“A lot of times, these days, scraps of paper are all over the place.”

“There is no such thing as an asshole.”

I looked back at the rickshaw my grandmother was pulling.

Perhaps there was even a bona fide place, the grandmother’s rickshaw was always so crowded that it formed a small hill.

‘Seeing that she carries this every day, even her grandmother has good strength.’

He was a very well-groomed old man, without stooping.

But just watching it made me feel uncomfortable.

It reminds me of my grandparents who died when I was little.

So, every time we ran into each other, we would take her home.

“Ah, get up quickly. I have to go home.”

“It’s okay Ancana, I can do it myself.”

“I think I just caught on.”

I put my grandmother on my back and pulled the rickshaw with one hand.

“Your strength is a business again today, business man!”

At that, the grandmother started singing a savory cheering song.

“Isn’t it because there aren’t many people stronger than me?”

The nervousness was diluted a little as he spat out unreasonable words and giggled.

It is 10:00 when I return home after taking my grandmother to her house.

When I wash off my sweat and return to my room, my last routine awaits me.

mana training.

Over the past 3 months, I have raised my magic skill proficiency to the 40% level.

It was the result of hard work every single day, and the result was not meaningless.

I concentrated as I watched the red mist over the blade of the dagger.

But it was gone in less than 10 seconds.

“Whoa.”

I brushed my dry hair and sighed.

‘It’s filthy difficult.’

Putting magic on things was several times more difficult than simply taking them out of the body.

Even if I tried to cover it up, the mana kept getting pushed back.

Even so, the reason I didn’t give up and practiced repeatedly was because I was convinced that this would save me.

If red magic power was applied to the blade, its power was beyond imagination.

‘Is it strange that the rock is pierced like tofu?’

I concentrated again and started using my magic power.

I couldn’t say the retention time was too long, but it was fine.

Because it is slowly but surely increasing.

After a couple of hours of training, it was time to sleep.

But instead of closing my eyes right away, I murmured softly.

“locker.”

What I took out of it was something I couldn’t use no matter what I did in the past three months.

An attribute stone that is one of the rewards of the promotion test.

I took out a rainbow-colored stone and poured out my magic.

「Inject attribute magic.」

However, for three months, only the sentences that I had been sick of seeing appeared.

Looking at the message, it seems that you can only use attribute magic by injecting it.

The problem is that I still can’t differentiate between just mana and elemental mana.

‘The attribute mana I have right now is 33.’

Maybe 50 is the minimum number to really feel the magical power.

If so, you will only be able to use it after restarting the game.

“Whoa.”

I let out a long sigh and put the attribute stone in the storage box.

Now is the time to really get some sleep.

It wasn’t until two days later that a new system message appeared.

* * *

I woke up early in the morning to go to the construction site.

After eating breakfast, washing and changing clothes, preparations for departure were over in no time.

The moment she was about to go out wearing her bridal suite.

“Aurabang… … .”

Yeonwoo came out of the room rubbing her eyes.

“Why are you awake already?”

I rubbed Yeonwoo’s eyes and laughed.

“Go with caution.”

Seeing Yeon-woo send me off, I felt energized.

“Hey… … .”

The moment I was about to speak out with a smile on my face, I heard an unpleasant notification sound after a long time.

「The main server (district) is activated.」

I startled and shivered.

“Aurabang? what’s the matter?”

But then he smiled as if nothing had happened.

“nothing. It’s reassuring to see you off, but don’t come out and sleep more. Sleep in class.”

“Yes… … I woke up to go to the bathroom.”

“Okay, I’ll be back, so go in.”

“huh… … .”

I left the house after seeing Yeon-woo go into the bathroom.

What I immediately checked was a changed view.

‘The interface has changed.’

There were several icons on the left side of the field of view, and a thumbnail of the message window in the lower center.

New messages kept popping up there.

Previously, the message kept popping up in front of my eyesight.

‘I think this might be better.’

I pulled out every single weed I found along the way.

‘It’s great.’

It was June, the time when spring passed and summer approached.

Unlike around February and March, it was overflowing with greenery.

Thanks to this, it became easier to gather mana whenever I had a chance.

‘I think I’ve accumulated over 100 in 3 months.’

It is not for nothing that there is a saying, “Mount Taesan”.

I murmured as I saw the message that mana had been absorbed.

“Message window.”

When I called up the records, I was able to confirm the messages that I had not been able to examine in detail.

「Main server (district) activation 100%」

「The main server (district) is activated.」

「The beta server is closed.」

「System instruction manual (modified) is provided.」

「The player status window function will be updated.」

「The player development program (absorption and purification) will be updated.」

「The player management program (summon and recovery) will be updated.」

「The Player Support Program (Cache and Shop) will be updated.」

「The player exchange program (community and party) will be updated.」

「The hall management program (allocation and closing) is executed.」

「The mission list is updated.」

「The first player selection is in progress. (10,000/10,000)」

「Absorbs 0.9 mana.」

「Absorbs 0.4 mana.」

「Absorbs 0.5 mana.」

That was the end of the message that popped up for me.

I was speechless for a moment because of the number that stood out among them.

‘… … Ten thousand?’

100 players played with me in the beta test.

This time, a hundred times that number joined the game.

‘how… … .’

What are you going to do with all these people? I automatically clenched my hands tightly.

I tried to suppress my agitation and carefully checked the message window.

As soon as I saw anything related to the program, I felt it.

Development, management, support, and exchange programs are modified based on information from the beta test.

However, this is the first time I have seen a hall management program.

‘It’s okay… … .’

Magical collection in the promotion test mission.

At that time, I couldn’t get rid of the thought that it had something to do with it.

‘This bastard… … Are you planning to use your magic somehow?’

When the next mission starts, I’ll have to be careful not to lose my mana.

“Tsk.”

After a brief click of the tongue, I opened the user manual for the modified system.

I was expecting it just in case, but it was not very different from the damaged version.

The level of just removing all the broken letters and organizing them.

As a result, the contents of the store that I was curious about were also the same.

[shop]

• Help players maintain and sell items that support their growth.

• You can conduct trades between players in the Auction tab.

• Craft items for players in the Customize tab.

It was all I had read once.

Now that you’ve seen enough of the description, it’s time to check out the real thing.

“shop.”

As I mumbled softly, one of the icons lined up on the left enlarged.

Unlike before, it was a white window.

There are 5 tabs in total. Technology, equipment, pharmaceuticals, customization, auctions.

Custom-made and auctions came to a rough sense.

So I decided to check the contents of the other tabs in turn.

When I clicked on the technology tab, the first thing that came to my mind was price.

‘… … It’s magical power.’

All prices are measured in mana.

Does it mean to set the equipment with absorbed mana?

I was browsing the first page thinking about the system’s intentions.

I saw a familiar word.

“How to use magic power.”

“huh?”

I have 4 traits in total.

It was a question mark, purification, and the mana operation that I was seeing now.

As the main server became active, it moved to the skill category rather than the characteristic, but the fact that I had it did not change.

I never thought I’d see that in the store.

I hurriedly turned on the status window wondering what the hell was going on.

Player Hyunwoo Kang (Beta tester)

mana: 1563.48 (attribute mana: 33)

Chaos level: 0.00%

Affiliation: Earth

Race: Human (player)

Rating: Alpha

property : –

Skills: Mana Management (41.19%), Sense Expansion (11.17%)

Attributes: ??????, Assimilation, Tenacity, Purification (lv.1 – 15.11%)

Some of the things that were classified as attributes have been moved to the skills tab.

‘Come to think of it, did I say that the status window function was updated?’

Just in case, I clicked on the item in the status window and a new window popped up.

[Fairytale]

• Classification: Trait (talent)

• Description: Because there is no prejudice against unfamiliar things, the speed of acquiring new knowledge is fast. Acquiring new skills becomes easier and you can quickly adapt to them.

• Effect: 100% increase in player’s own skill acquisition rate, 30% increase in skill proficiency rate.

[Concentration]

• Classification: Trait (Habit)

• Description: Once started, the habit of biting and dragging until the end improves concentration. While concentrating, you can quickly build proficiency in multiple skills.

• Effect: Increases mastery level by 20%.

It was the moment when the doubts that had lingered in me until now were resolved.

I’ve been trying to teach Ethan how to use magic for the past three months.

And after over a month of hard work, Edan finally succeeded in mana management.

No matter how much I explain it in words, I thought it was strange because it took so long compared to me.

‘I finally understand.’

This characteristic of assimilation increases the possibility that players can acquire skills on their own without the help of a system.

Since Edan did not have this characteristic, it was difficult for him to learn how to use magic on his own without assistance from the system.

Let’s understand one. The next was the classification of characteristics.

I don’t know the standard for distinguishing talent from habit, but I could tell the difference.

‘Talent is a higher quality than habit.’

Just look at the numbers listed in the effect, it’s clear.

Assimilation has other functions besides the skill level increase effect, but the rate of increase is 30%.

On the other hand, tenacity only increases by 20% even though there are no other effects.

‘Is it like an upward compatible version?’

The question was brief. I have already confirmed the effect, and the effect is beneficial for me.

‘I kept bothering about it because I wanted to know what effect it would have, but now I feel relieved.’

I pressed sensory expansion with a more relaxed mind.

[Expand your senses (11.17%)]

• Classification: permanent technology

• Description: The senses become sharper and the cognitive domain expands.

• Effect: Expansion of the five senses (perception ratio 1:2)

Basically, it seemed to mean that in addition to making the five senses more sensitive, it makes one second feel like two seconds.

It matched what I found out through my own experience.

The last thing I pressed was the question mark feature, but nothing came up.

“Tsk.”

After checking the status window, I paid attention to the store again.

But it wasn’t long before I had to look away.

Excluding the mana management method, most of them start at a thousand units.

The worst thing was that there were more digits than that. It was a tab that had nothing to do with me yet.

‘Let’s slowly check later and check something useful.’

I went through the technology tab and then the equipment tab, but the expensive ones were the same.

I sighed and went straight to the medicines tab.

This time, unlike what I had seen before, the low-priced products immediately caught my eye.