Damned System

Chapter 78. Laying the Foundation (3)

The types were categorized. Into general skills and magic.

General skills ranged from mana manipulation to swordsmanship, spear techniques, shield techniques, and other various kinds of knowledge that had been updated.

Magic, on the other hand, was split again into permanent and one-time use magic, and they even displayed the types and ranks of attribute mana.

And that wasn’t the end. Purchase options were divided by rank.

This meant there were separate tabs for the Bronze rank and the Silver rank.

While at the Bronze rank, the Silver tab was locked and could not be accessed.

Potions were also further detailed. The price difference for potions categorized into low, middle, and high was as much as tenfold.

“No, a hundredfold.”

A low-rank potion cost 150 mana for 10, whereas a mid-rank potion was 1,500 mana each.

This hinted that lower-tier potions would be insufficient at higher-level hunting grounds.

I briefly fiddled with the ring, reviewing the new changes.

“First, let’s freshen up.”

It was time to get moving for today’s schedule.

Concerned that Berta might wake while I was out, I quickly washed my face and brushed my teeth.

Fortunately, the kid awoke only a little later.

“Mm…”

Twitch, twitch.

The ears that had been drooping helplessly while sleeping began to perk up and move.

Still rubbing her eyes drowsily.

“… Cute, indeed.”

Watching the tail swinging back and forth, I could understand why Yeonwoo wanted to keep a pet.

“Not that I’d allow it.”

I carried the half-asleep little one to the bathroom.

Since she was awake, it was time to wash her face.

Half-asleep, still in my arms, she finished washing up and then quickly ran out of the bathroom after shaking her face clean.

I followed a step behind and returned to the bedroom.

But unfortunately, in that brief moment of transitioning from the bathroom to the bedroom, Berta was trying to nibble on the bottle of skin lotion placed on my bedside table.

Stories Chandler had told me about the Beastfolk flashed through my mind.

“Beastfolk are born with naturally strong bodies, so it’s expected.”

If it was rumored that she had the strength to crush a human skull, breaking a glass bottle should be easy.

As that thought crossed my mind, my voice inevitably grew louder.

“Hey!”

Startled, Berta leaped off the bed and hit her head on the ceiling.

Yet, she landed-nimbly on the ground, and in that gap, I managed to catch the bottle falling from the bed.

When I shifted my focus, I found Berta lying flat on the floor, eyes wide with dilated pupils like an excited cat.

Her gaze was fixed on my hand.

Before she could leap again, I quickly stored the skin lotion back in the inventory.

Almost instantly, my hand felt heavy.

“Huh?”

The spot where she had just been sitting was empty.

Berta was already hanging onto my hand, rattling and demanding.

“It’s gone! Why’s it gone?”

Had I hesitated for even a second, that skin lotion would have been in Berta’s hands.

Berta’s speed, which had exceeded my perception, was shocking.

Though the face of the one who gave me this shock was extraordinarily innocent.

The inconsistency it caused was quite unsettling.

During my brief stillness, Berta snuggled into my hand and began sniffing.

“Give it to me! That smelly thing!”

She even raised her voice, becoming insistent.

That moment of applying skin lotion after washing my face floated around in my mind.

“Could it be that what’s been following me all this while was…?”

Apparently, it wasn’t my hair Berta was after, but my face. She liked the smell.

Having understood Berta’s strange behavior, my expression turned wry.

Having untangled the mystery that had been bugging me made me feel relieved somehow.

And yet, it seemed ridiculous that she had cried and searched for me all night just for a scent.

Moments before Chandler knocked.

“K, did you call?”

* * *

“Give it! Give it to me! I said give it to me!”

The motive behind why Rashar, who invited me for breakfast, kept glancing upwards was clear.

Berta had clambered up onto my shoulder, relentlessly yanking at my unfortunate hair.

“… This unruly brat.”

I was almost in a state of letting go, wishing I’d made a different choice a moment ago.

“Should’ve just given it to her.”

A few minutes earlier, I had removed not just the skin lotion bottle but also the lotion from the bedside table just to be safe, following Chandler.

What if I had just handed it to her?

“At least she wouldn’t have climbed onto my head to protest by the time I reached the dining room.”

Resigned, I let out a deep sigh at the unwanted hassle on my hair.

“Despite being a nuisance, I can’t hand over something that might be harmful to a kid.”

This is technically a chemical product, after all.

It wasn’t suitable to hand over to a kid who’d just start chewing on the bottle immediately.

So I maintained a poker face, denying any acknowledgment of her behavior.

No matter how insistent, she couldn’t have it, and I stuck to my resolve.

Finally, after much grappling between me and Berta, Rashar tried to calm the child with awkward gentleness.

“Berta, you shouldn’t behave like this to our guest…”

“Give it to me!”

If she were the type to listen when spoken to nicely, she wouldn’t have even caused this mess.

Reportedly, Berta was precisely four years old.

‘Well, isn’t she the rebellious four.’

Was this her proof of the notorious phase? Berta started crying again.

Bawling as if the world had collapsed, the sorrowful crying brought memories of the previous night.

I opened my mouth with a slightly fed-up heart.

“Hey.”

“Huh?”

Rashar, who was vacillating between watching me and Berta, flinched and answered.

But I, maintaining a candid demeanor, said only what needed to be said.

“Are Beastfolk particularly susceptible to things like poison? Is there something they should specifically avoid consuming?”

Due to my lack of knowledge about this mysterious creature, I sought his advice.

“Poison… huh.”

Peering at Berta thoughtfully, Rashar gave a strange smile and replied.

“Unless the poison is concentrated to about six times the lethal dose for humans, they won’t be affected.”

“Huh.”

“Though rare, some Beastfolk might die from poisoning, but it’s uncommon.”

In conclusion, beastfolk were resistant to dietary mishaps.

His somewhat reassuring words swayed me a bit.

“I guess tasting a little won’t be a big deal?”

Though a chemical product, many modern people come into contact with cosmetics.

It’s not uncommon to end up ingesting the facial products while licking one’s lips.

“Supposedly, the amount of lipstick a person consumes in a lifetime is quite a bit.”

Judging by her persistence, she was unlikely to give up on pestering me.

Wouldn’t it be easier to just hand it over and be done with it?

After hearing Beastfolk were particularly sturdy, I could have handed it over.

Since I’d brought extra, missing a bottle wouldn’t inconvenience me either.

Yet, still apprehensive about potential accidents, I couldn’t bring myself to do so.

“Better to just let my hair get pulled.”

If the skin bottle got broken, the aftermath could become problematic.

Therefore, I considered it safer to sacrifice my hair rather than risk it.

I continued to pretend the child on my head didn’t exist and picked up a spoon.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t enjoy a spoonful of soup.

A blinding light suddenly flashed, and the next thing I knew, someone’s foot landed on the dining table with a bang.

“This is discrimination!”

Unfortunately, it landed right where my soup had been, which now lay pathetically on the floor.

“Ha…”

The day had barely started, and already it was chaotic.

After staring wistfully at the spilled soup, I lifted my head.

The unmistakable orange head that barged in with a loud voice was undoubtedly Ahel.

“… Ahel, have you come?”

Rashar, who was facing Ahel, now turned to face me and barely spoke two words before Ahel rattled off ten in return.

“Come? Yes, I came! You probably hoped I wouldn’t, but what can you do? I’m here anyway!”

“…”

“Just because I’m not part of the order, I can’t use the portal? This is what you call discrimination! No wonder all those mages rebelled!”

“…”

“I should have fled with my mentor back then. What riches did I expect to gain by staying here!”

Ahel’s voice echoed sharply, filling the room.

“It was too sudden back then…”

However, Rashar’s counter was so faint it took concentrated focus to hear.

“In sudden situations, does this mean leaving me behind? I guess you’d abandon me on the battlefield, too!”

“… Still, you returned safely.”

Unable to meet Ahel’s eyes, Rashar mumbled.

“Of course I returned safely! I dangled in the air all night to avoid enemies, dying only in my imagination!”

“…”

“Every time I fell into an aerial monster’s zone, my heart nearly stopped! Right now, I’m living on the edge of life and death!”

For some reason, the more the conversation dragged on, the more Ahel appeared to grow, and Rashar seemed to shrink.

Listening to this one-sided interaction between the two, I soon grasped the situation.

I had already heard they could now travel between temples through portals.

“The necessary condition for land conquest among the temples.”

And Ahel had just confirmed non-affiliated members couldn’t utilize these portals.

Following the dialogue’s context, Ahel apparently fought his way back last night through manual teleportation all the way here.

“It’s understandable why he’s upset.”

Of course, understanding Ahel’s plight didn’t mean excusing his actions, not after what he did.

My soup-covered hands were annoyingly sticky for that.

While overhearing their one-sided exchange, I cleaned my hands.

“By the way, betrayal…”

A quick glance toward Ahel revealed the collar on his neck.

“Is this connected to a particular incident?”

The betrayal of mages, I needed to look into that when the opportunity arose.

At the moment, I had no intention to openly inquire.

The subject might be forbidden, regarded as a taboo here.

“Betrayal isn’t exactly a positive term.”

It’s something to cautiously probe later when the timing seemed appropriate.

Whatever thoughts spun inside my head, the lopsided dialogue between Ahel and Rashar endured.

“Give me the smelly thing!”

Berta’s whining only added to the chaos, fitting the literal meaning of “all hell breaking loose five minutes early.”

“This place might not be as nice as it seems.”

With a sigh, I resumed eating the newly served soup.

Finishing quickly was necessary to avoid being late for the appointment.

* * *

Ahel was so occupied reprimanding Rashar that he only noticed me shortly afterward, promptly altering his expression.

– Oh my, K?! You’re here!

The swiftness with which he switched faces seemed almost insincere.

I received his greeting with a lack of interest, somewhat distracted by attempting to pry Berta off of me.

With the help of Rashar, I eventually managed to remove the child, leaving me with a sense of guilt.

Berta cried heavily, flailing around as Rashar carried her away into the mansion, leaving me with a tinge of melancholy.

Yet, today’s engagement wasn’t something that could be put off, as it had been scheduled long before the server linked.

Pausing briefly to glance back at the distant sound of crying, I stepped into the carriage prepared by Chandler and left the estate.

Before long, I reached my destination.

Upon dismounting from the carriage after bidding the coachman farewell, I sensed every gaze focusing on me.

Ignoring these stares, I approached the person who had arrived earlier.

“Could it be… K hyung?”

“Yes.”

It was Kim Yul. After sizing me up, he clicked his tongue.

“Such an attention seeker, as always.”

Having only my eyes visible under the mask, his remark was understandable.

Nonetheless, I had no intention of removing my mask in this situation.

“You go ahead and flaunt your face; I’m not up for it.”

Letting too many players catch wind of my identity was not ideal.

Yesterday, it didn’t matter who saw me. I had nothing on me, nor was I involved in anything notable.

Today, however, I’d be equipped with gear and likely draw on attribute mana while hunting.

“I should always assume I could run into Korean players.”

I had encountered over five while commuting between Seoul.

Why carelessly reveal my face under these circumstances?

Moreover, today I wasn’t only meeting Kim Yul.

Looking at the person standing beside Kim Yul, I initiated the conversation.

Damned System