Damned System

Chapter 62. To the New World (1)

Jonghun, having finished his outside duties, returned to his lab and collapsed into his chair with a thud.

It had been nine days since Hyunwoo entered the ‘mission’.

During that time, Jonghun hadn’t had a single night of restful sleep.

Even on his off-duty days, he lingered at the hospital, pacing around the lab.

As a result, his skin became dull, and dark circles formed under his eyes, but he couldn’t leave his spot.

Hyunwoo, who had disappeared enveloped in white light, had yet to return.

With a sigh deep enough to sink the ground, Jonghun pulled out his phone from his pocket.

He searched the call records for a peculiar word.

“Player”

It was the number he had saved on the day Hyunwoo began his new mission, when they were contacted without any prior notice.

– The person who entered the game is safe. That’s what they said to pass on.

The brief message from the call ended abruptly, with no caller ID displayed.

However, verifying the number through the telecommunication company was swift.

From that point on, Jonghun found himself reaching out to the other person more frequently.

He did so again today.

Overcome by anxiety, Jonghun made the call.

The phone barely rang twice before the other person answered.

『What now?』

“Is there any other news?”

『Didn’t I tell you? I’d know immediately if he died in the mission. I’ll inform you if anything changes.』

“… Sorry for the inconvenience.”

『Tsk.』

Though the response was grumpy and annoyed, they never hung up first or raised their voice.

There was something peculiar about that, but Jonghun had no mental space to ponder it deeply.

Every time he confirmed Hyunwoo’s well-being through someone else’s words, only one thought filled his mind.

‘Stop him.’

Once Hyunwoo returned, no matter what he had to do, he needed to make him stop.

He absolutely couldn’t let Hyunwoo continue with these ridiculous tasks.

What if he really died in that “mission site”?

How could he tell the twins, who were barely holding it together, that Hyunwoo had passed away?

‘He must be stopped.’

Hyunwoo was the child of a friend who had saved Jonghun from a life entrapped by his abusive father.

He couldn’t continue to ignore a situation that might be dangerous.

Moreover, if anything happened to Hyunwoo, what about the twins? They shouldn’t have to lose their brother after their parents.

He must persuade Hyunwoo to ignore this strange ‘game’.

As Jonghun repeatedly resolved this in his mind, a now-familiar voice came through the phone.

『You seem unaware, but the person who entered the game is doing quite well here. Everyone’s clamoring to establish connections with him.』

Whenever they communicated, they seemed irritated, but why?

‘It’s because of Hyunwoo.’

Even amidst all this, he’s doing well?

‘He’s always had a personality where, once he started, he would see things through to the end.’

Who would’ve thought he’d excel even in such perilous things?

He couldn’t decide whether to be proud or to scold Hyunwoo for diligently involving himself in dangerous tasks.

What kind of attitude should he adopt towards Hyunwoo?

Everything felt so chaotic.

“… Is that so?”

With a long sigh, Jonghun closed his eyes and rubbed his tired face.

『Yes, absolutely. He’s alive and well, so there’s no reason to fret like a restless dog…….』

Just then, as Jonghun listened to the voice over the phone, a bright light penetrated through his shut eyelids.

As soon as Jonghun burst open his eyes, he stood up with a start.

Thunk-!

A heavy thud filled the lab.

Jonghun found himself frozen on the spot.

There was a creature with a shaggy brown pelt, its limp body slumped.

Its joints had completely dislocated, the head hung low, its jaw split into two.

Three daggers were embedded where its eyes should be, and in its forehead.

Black fluid oozed from where its claws and nails should be.

The massive being, easily over two meters tall.

‘Monster…’

There was no better word for it.

It was the same type of monster Hyunwoo had described with such a dismissive expression.

How, after seeing a thing like that, could he possibly remain so calm?

While jolted by the shock, Jonghun overheard a mutter.

“I hoped it wouldn’t happen…”

Hyunwoo muttered something incomprehensible and stood, pressing his eyes with his hands.

『The mission just ended now. It’s clear. He’ll probably contact you soon… by the way, could you say Yokai reached out consistently and cared a lot……』

Jonghun was too dazed to pay attention to the voice over the phone.

Enraptured by the sight of the monster, he stood there for some time.

Startled by a rustling sound, Jonghun shivered as he snapped to his senses.

Hyunwoo, who had been gripping the monster’s neck, was suddenly standing right in front of him.

He quietly took the phone that had been pressed against Jonghun’s ear.

Hyunwoo glanced at him momentarily before checking the phone.

Jonghun involuntarily held his breath.

The eyes of the kid he’d known for over twenty years had changed color.

The eerie, golden eyes seemed to pierce through him with an intangible force.

In that moment, Jonghun found himself truly unable to do anything.

“Hello?”

Hyunwoo took the call in his stead and exchanged a few words.

“I heard the codename is Yokai, is that correct?”

“Yes, thank you for your help. I’ll treat you to a meal sometime.”

“Hunting, you said? That’s doable. Just need to set a date.”

“Ah, hold on a moment. I blocked requests from unknown people. I’ll send a friend request from my side.”

“Yes, of course. Reach out whenever you’re free.”

“Thank you.”

Hearing a conversation like this from Hyunwoo felt unfamiliar.

As Jonghun absorbed what he was seeing, Hyunwoo soon ended the call and spoke.

“I’m back. Sorry it took so long.”

With a light-hearted smile and greeting, Jonghun found himself unable to respond.

He intended to scold him as soon as he returned.

He needed to persuade him to stop this dangerous business immediately.

Yet his words stuck in his throat, and not a single sound came out.

Before seeing Hyunwoo himself, the waiting felt long, agonizingly so.

But upon seeing Hyunwoo return, his perspective shifted.

‘It’s only been nine days.’

What had he experienced in such a short period?

The person before him was indeed Hyunwoo, yet he felt like a stranger.

“And this number, I’ll block it. I’ll make sure it stays away from anyone around you. It’d be best if you changed numbers, too.”

Hyunwoo blocked the number he had just spoken with and returned the phone to Jonghun.

Then he pointed to the abandoned monster behind him.

“I’m sorry to ask right after returning, but could you acquire… what do you call it, a body bag or something?”

Those? On closer inspection, there was a smaller monster next to the large one.

Monsters lying unconscious in a hospital lab?

It was so surreal it seemed like a dream.

“Uncle?”

“… Just wait a moment.”

That day, Jonghun left the lab without saying a word of what he had intended.

* * *

During the time in Bihar, Kim Yul had mentioned that a player named Yokai seemed somewhat aware of the situation.

That their communications seemed related to K.

‘It was natural since I was undergoing the same mission.’

At the time, Jonghun had to keep his communications consistent via Yokai, so he left it as it was.

“Heh.”

Even so, hearing the term Yokai through the phone didn’t leave him feeling good.

The thought that Jonghun had been exposed to a player because of him lingered unpleasantly.

But there was nothing better he could have done at the time.

‘I have time to fix this.’

Jonghun wouldn’t be exposed to a player without plans to remedy it.

‘I memorized the number; I can find them.’

In today’s world, securing personal information with just a phone number is quick.

The other party would know that too.

If they had Jonghun’s information in their grasp, then I could hold theirs in return.

There were plenty of methods at my disposal; thus, I wasn’t overly concerned.

What did trouble me was noticing the call logs when I memorized the number labeled Player.

‘The outgoing calls were more than the incoming ones.’

Jonghun must have been reaching out to an unfamiliar person to inquire about something.

The answer to those queries was obvious, weighing down my heart.

Seeing Jonghun’s back as he left the lab added to the complexity.

The visibly shaken expression and pale complexion indicated he’d been through a shock.

His eye color changed unexpectedly, and he showed up with obvious monsters; it was to be expected.

‘I came back because there wasn’t much time left.’

Even without a better option, I worried I might be overburdening Jonghun.

Yet I would make the same choice if I went back a few months.

During my Level 2 days, injuries requiring more than simple potions were frequent.

They weren’t severe, but I lived with injuries.

Without Jonghun’s help then, I would’ve faced many difficulties.

And I would still need his assistance moving forward.

‘Long stays will become routine once the server connects.’

At the end of the conversation, the system mentioned that connecting the server would create official gates for travel.

‘Missions concepts will inevitably adapt.’

Previously, I had to reach the mission site directly through the Hole.

Without specifying a location, I had been dropped right in the middle of corrupted zones brimming with monsters.

In the future, I would enter Bihar through fixed gates to secure areas.

Safe zones like Habon Fortress would be prime examples.

Once a secure location was established in Bihar, my entire agenda would focus on growth.

Having decided on this course, I would remove all distractions and pursue my goals relentlessly.

There would be few days on Earth.

The only person I could rely on during my absence was Jonghun.

‘Well, until the server connects, it’s just a waiting game for now.’

Nonetheless, I couldn’t idly waste time until then.

I planned to conclude any business I could on Earth while the server was set up.

That included bringing over those monsters.

“Grrr…”

The creature that was unconscious and limp whimpered as if in distress.

‘They have sufficient visual impact.’

When I previously captured the identical creature types, they contained a mana of 92.

‘There weren’t any Connections nearby, so they aren’t evolving types.’

These monsters inherently carry pure mana in the 90s range.

‘The smaller one was around the 50 mark.’

To capture those two, I enlisted Greg’s help.

– May I capture some monsters nearby?
– Having living evidence could aid in assessing additional troops.

I had basic awareness of Bihar’s circumstances, but Greg knew nothing of Earth’s.

I framed the request in a way Greg couldn’t refuse.

Thanks to that, everything proceeded smoothly.

Greg brought a mage of a higher rank than Ahel, skilled in spatial-type mana, who transported Greg and me to a monster-infested wilderness.

Finding and capturing creatures that matched my criteria took about 30 minutes.

I took the precaution of removing all claws, breaking the jaw, and stabbing out the eyes to eliminate its vision.

After cutting the tendons of its limbs, I rendered it unconscious to prepare for the transfer to Earth.

After securing the monster to my body, I destroyed the Connection.

As a result, the monster transitioned with me to Earth.

Keeping them alive rather than dead seemed more beneficial overall, despite the hassle.

‘No one can claim manipulation now.’

I reviewed what I could gain through these monsters and checked the message window.