Damned System

Chapter 9. Promotion Test (3)

I quickly turned my head and saw that another monster and Ethan were entangled in a struggle.

Ethan had been bitten on the neck, and his side had been torn open. Blood dripped steadily, soaking the ground.

“Is that idiot seriously getting beaten so easily?”

As if anticipating my own doubt, the force tugging at my arm suddenly slackened.

The monster I had been fighting had diverted its attention and leapt towards me.

“Hup!”

I swung my left arm, which was bound by the creature’s long tongue, as soon as it slammed into the ground.

“Kieeeek!”

The creature’s body soared through the air.

With all my might, I swung my arm, managing to strike the monster that was entangled with Ethan.

With a dull thud, the two monsters and Ethan tumbled like pins struck by a bowling ball.

I swiftly swapped my weapon for a longsword and severed the creature’s tongue.

The moment the black blood splattered across my face, I had already begun rushing forward.

By then, my weapon had transformed back into a spear, and I hurled it at the monster that was showing its back to me as it struggled to stand.

Almost simultaneously, the tongueless monster charged at me.

Once more, my focus heightened, and everything seemed to slow down.

I blocked the creature’s upward strike with my left forearm.

In one swift, fluid motion, I retrieved the longsword from my inventory and swung it.

Slish-!

The monster’s chest split open, and black blood sprayed upward.

Without pausing, I pivoted on my leading foot, whirling my body around.

As I slashed horizontally with my sword…

Swish.

A chilling sound accompanied the sight of the monster’s head spinning into the air.

Black blood gushed out like a fountain from the cleanly severed neck.

「Successfully eliminated the enemy…」

Even as the message appeared, I continued moving.

Approaching the monster pinned to the ground by the spear.

As black rain spattered around, my sword plunged towards the creature’s head.

Again, the corrupted Mana began to be absorbed, and the blade pierced through the hard skull.

My body collapsed like a puppet.

「There is corrupted mana within you. Check the Chaos Index.」

「Mental contamination onset.」

「Please purify the corrupted mana.」

Amidst the fallen bodies of monsters, wracked with pain, a voice echoed in my mind.

“Huff, huff…”

Having absorbed twice the Mana, I slumped to the ground.

The process of absorption was excruciating.

In such a state, fighting multiple enemies would be almost impossible.

As there would always be Mana absorbed intermittently during battle.

“What kind of bastard created such a damn game like this…?”

I could not control the bubbling anger.

Never had I felt good about the system before, but this was absurd.

Feelings that were not my own, yet seemed to belong to me.

It was uncomfortable, sickening, and made my skin crawl.

I tried to ignore the voice echoing in my mind.

Perhaps because I had experienced it once before, I could now suppress my homicidal urges somehow.

Turning my head, I saw Ethan applying pressure to his wounds with his hands.

Upon seeing him, the first thing I felt was annoyance.

‘If he can’t even handle a single monster, what’s the point?’

With those skills, moving together would only be a burden.

I concluded a dilemma I’d had since before the monsters appeared.

It’s better to move alone than to carry a load.

I was a little worried about encountering more monsters, but…

‘Let’s run if it seems dangerous,’ I thought, opening my status window. The Chaos Index had increased again.

I had just absorbed 62 and 57 Mana, bringing my total Mana to 311.33.

In such a situation, the Chaos Index was about 38%.

The proportion of corrupted mana in the total Mana was expressed as the Chaos Index.

‘What happens if it gets higher than this?’

Even at barely above 30, emotional control was difficult.

What would happen if the index rose further?

Grinding my teeth as I glared at my status window, I pulled out a purification pill.

‘Wait.’

However, this time, instead of consuming it immediately, I hesitated.

There were only three purification pills.

Having already used one, consuming another now would leave just one.

‘Does it purify everything at once when you take it?’

Or is there a set amount it purifies?

Regardless of the answer, it wasn’t absolutely necessary to consume it now.

I didn’t know how many more monsters I would have to hunt.

Corrupted Mana would continue to accumulate.

Furthermore, I had no idea where to acquire more of these pills.

“Shop.”

I mumbled, hoping for the best, since it was supposed to be after the tutorial period.

「The shop service is not available on the Beta server.」

But the damned System scoffed at me with its expected response.

Looking at the situation, purification pills were essential.

As missions continued, and monsters kept appearing, corrupted mana would inevitably accompany their deaths.

Thus, the natural outcome was a necessity for purification pills.

Yet, the system provided no means to acquire them.

The anger, which had been steadily boiling up inside, wriggled to life.

Attempting to break free of my control at every chance, it seemed.

It was an expression that didn’t feel right, but it was the most accurate.

“Grrrr…”

Suppressing the anger with effort, I glared at the white pill in my hand.

Ironically, the rage trying to burst forth only honed my reason further.

Though I had a tendency to get worked up, I had never been this extreme.

These emotional changes weren’t normal.

I couldn’t give in to the abnormal voices echoing in my mind.

My grip on the purification pill tightened.

‘Not now, let’s consume it once it accumulates more.’

After much consideration, I reached a conclusion and rose to my feet with clenched teeth.

Ethan, too, staggered to his feet with a groan.

Without giving him a second glance, I retrieved my weapons.

Then I drew clothes from my inventory that I had stored and tore them into long strips.

I had a wound on my arm from blocking the creature’s claws earlier.

Though not deep, it was long enough to bleed considerably.

In this uncertain situation of when the mission would end, continuous bleeding could be problematic.

“Tch.”

I wrapped my arm, applying pressure to the wound, and checked the mission window.

My face contorted as soon as I saw the numbers displayed before me.

‘6/13.’

The number had increased while I battled.

Having taken down three monsters myself, it meant that the remaining three were defeated by other players.

If it was the same person who took down all three, my standing matched exactly with them.

I needed to move faster.

Suddenly, I found the situation of having to run around to chase down monsters rather ridiculous.

I wondered how I ended up in such a predicament.

With a deep sigh, I gripped the spear firmly and began to move again.

Yet, barely a few steps in, I had to pause.

There was a presence I felt from behind.

It was Ethan, who had used torn clothes to bandage his wounds, just as I had checked the mission window.

‘This bastard’s trying to freeload.’

I was already struggling to control the rising killing intent and anger due to the corrupted mana.

Thus, my nerves were extremely frayed.

Ethan following me presumptuously made my anger flare.

Without hesitation, I pointed my spear at Ethan.

Visibly trembling, Ethan halted in my steps.

I swallowed hard, my throat bobbing noticeably.

“Don’t follow me.”

Even if language didn’t work, the meaning was conveyed well enough.

As proof, Ethan began hastily speaking in English, begging not to be left behind and asking to be taken along.

His trembling body laid bare the fear he felt.

Unlike me, Ethan couldn’t even handle a single monster.

The current situation must have been terrifying for me.

It was bewildering how I had managed to hunt a polar bear with such skills.

With a frown, I showed Ethan my middle finger.

In this situation, where I needed to secure first place while ensuring my own survival, I couldn’t travel with someone who was more of a burden than a help.

As I turned to leave Ethan behind, I felt a persistent presence following me.

‘Damn, this guy really…’

My rage, which easily slipped from my control, manifested as action.

I hurled my spear toward Ethan, who stood just a few steps away.

Thud, the spear quivered after embedding itself near Ethan’s feet.

“Gasp!”

Watching Ethan fall backward, I approached a step at a time.

“I said, don’t follow me.”

The sound of my breath, echoing intense emotions, felt foreign to me.

I pulled the spear from the ground.

A strong urge to kill Ethan right there surged within me.

To resist it, I had to hold myself back with all my strength.

Leaving Ethan behind, my steps became rougher as I moved away.

Getting away from that imbecile seemed necessary.

Thus, I’d avoid provoking this overwhelming anger.

“Hah!”

However, I had to stop after barely walking far.

I felt a twinge of doubt.

Was it really the right decision to leave Ethan behind?

Leaving behind a burden with injuries who couldn’t handle a single monster?

Based on the words swirling in my mind, it seemed like the right thing.

But why did I feel so anxious and uneasy?

Grinding my teeth, I closed my eyes and took deep, ragged breaths.

Until at one point, unable to suppress the rising fury, I let out a scream.

Thwack, as my fist struck a tree nearby, it snapped with a crack.

I stared at the Mana flickering in my hand.

Its color appeared darker than usual. Could it be my imagination that it looked as if black strands were mixing with the red?

As I watched it, rebellion sparked, turning me around.

I refused to be easily swayed by the corrupted Mana.

Without much wander, I found myself back to where Ethan was.

I hadn’t gone far in the first place.

Finding Ethan sitting in embarrassment and wiping tears away while holding the spear, I approached me promptly.

I noticed the larger man sniffling like that, it was rather annoying or perhaps even pitiful.

“This is driving me crazy…”

It felt as if I had been cursing more ever since this game began.

With a deep frown, I beckoned with a flick of my fingers.

Ethan, amid tears, began making odd noises like sniffling and sputtering.

Despite that, I limped my way over to him.

Almost pitiful in appearance, large compared to me, with tear-streaked cheeks appearing both pathetic and pitiable.

With a long sigh, I tied the cloth around Ethan’s neck and waist again.

* * *

After teaming up with Ethan, we had only encountered one more monster.

Naturally, it was me who killed it.

My record was now four monsters, and the mission count had risen to 11/13.

‘I can’t have anyone else capturing more than me.’

The system had promised tiered rewards.

It was natural that the first place would receive the most.

The system had made it clear from the tutorial that rewards would be distributed based on performance.

I could lose the first place prize if I wasn’t careful.

Agitated, I ground my teeth and moved hurriedly across the terrain.

But progress was slow.

Ethan’s health had rapidly deteriorated due to continuous bleeding.

At a certain point, unable to continue walking on his own, I had to carry him.

“What am I doing right now…?”

I found myself in disbelief, carrying an injured person through this situation.

I could just leave him. Voices in my mind were urging me to kill Ethan and be done with it.

But for some reason, I dragged myself through the struggle.

“Sorry…”

Breathing heavily, Ethan continually apologized.

Perhaps fortunately or unfortunately, his apologies somewhat sated the rising intent to kill.

Though the smoldering anger couldn’t be quelled.

“Damn it!”

Venting my anger out on the surrounding trees, I moved forward.

And then, I had caught the faint sound.

Changing direction, I swiftly moved towards where the sound had come from, soon spotting another monster.

The newly found monster was lingering near a white wall.

‘What’s that?’

It appeared like a cave entrance with rugged rocks forming the outline of the wall.

At that moment, sensing my presence, the monster turned and let out a shriek.

“Keieeek!”

While scanning the monster quickly, I winced.

Near the creature were the stacked bodies of a large furred animal and a human.

Upon closer inspection, there were long trails of blood around them.

It seemed as though they had been dragged here.

‘Why?’

I felt something was off, but there was no luxury to dwell on it.

The hostile opponent wouldn’t wait for me to finish thinking.

I gently laid Ethan down as the monster rushed towards me.

I charged forward toward it.

As the gap closed, the monster’s mouth widened.

Having become accustomed to their patterns of extending their tongues, I felt calm.

Grabbing hold of its tongue, I pulled it closer.

When the creature finally entered my spear’s range, I smirked coolly.

The spear materialized in my empty hand.

If the blade was recognized as dangerous, all I had to do was conceal it until it was time to stab.

Thud.

“Kiiiek!”

The monster couldn’t evade the spear piercing its belly.

But it refused to be defeated easily, clawing its way forward as it grasped the spear’s shaft.

“Persistent bastard!”

Strapped with the spear, its legs swept above, kicking my side.

A heavy blow struck my ribs.

Snap, I heard something cracking.

It must have been my ribs.

“Ugh!”

As my body was thrown aside, my neck was seized.

Mana enveloped my right hand as I brought it down on the creature’s arm.

Crunch.

The bones shattered instantly, protruding through the black fur.

Abruptly, a sensation of being airborne engulfed me.

The creature had wound its long tongue around my leg and lifted me.

My head spontaneously dropped lower as my leg rose.

Thunk, after my back of the head hit the ground, I flew across the air.

The direction I was hurled was where the white wall stood across me.

In just a few seconds, the monster had spun around and was barreling towards me.

Suspended in mid-air, I retrieved a longsword from my inventory.

And at the moment my back touched the white wall…

「A hidden mission area has been discovered.」

「Trait ????? has been detected.」

「Entry conditions fulfilled.」

「Entering hidden mission area.」

「Purification pills (x5) provided.」

What?

The Damned System