Chapter 330

Chapter 330. Trap (7)

“Why all of a sudden? What’s going on?”

Kim Yul immediately asked after abruptly ending the broadcast.

He had shut it down without complaints due to the previous incident involving Rice Cake and the fairy, but in this situation with nothing particularly out of the ordinary around, it seemed he was curious about why it was necessary.

I had no reason not to answer.

I had intended to explain what had happened to me in the first place.

However, I didn’t want to provide that explanation here.

“Let’s go home first.”

Due to my current state, I felt extremely on edge.

I wanted to quickly reach a comfortable place and relax.

“Ah, Yul, can I ask you to handle the administrative process?”

“Yes, I’ll take care of it with the best of my abilities.”

“Then I’ll be off first.”

“Yes, guildmaster. Please go ahead.”

After receiving a greeting from a guild employee, I headed straight for the vehicle.

It was as I naturally opened the driver’s side door.

“You should sit in the back. If something happens, it seems better for me to be holding the wheel.”

Yang Taeho stepped in to block me and nudged me gently on the back.

Recalling my current state, I complied without a word and moved to the back seat.

Ethan took the passenger seat, while Kim Yul sat next to me and the vehicle immediately set off.

As soon as we exited the underground parking lot, paparazzi stationed in front of the guild thrust their cameras at us.

Passing through the bustling avenue despite it being a weekday night, with the flashlights faintly visible through the heavily tinted windows, it took about twenty minutes to finally arrive home.

Since Dennis along with the fairies and Rice Cake had events outside, the house was utterly empty.

Upon entering the house, the first thing I did was add Ethan’s name to the list of those allowed by the guard tree.

He would be coming and going from the house for a while.

Looking at the list of people allowed within the influence of the guard tree, the tension that had been wound up unknowingly ever since returning to Korea seemed to gradually release at once.

“Sigh.”

I let out a deep breath mixed with relief and frustration and headed for the sofa.

As I plopped myself down with a thud and glanced around, I inquired.

“Didn’t you set up cameras in the house today?”

In response, Kim Yul reacted like a panicked thief.

“Ah, really! How long are you going to milk that story? You’re also to blame for not realizing it, too!”

“Can’t I just ask for confirmation?”

Kim Yul pouted and took a seat on the floor opposite me.

Meanwhile, Ethan and Yang Taeho entered.

While the two settled in their spots, Kim Yul leaned on the knee-high table and spoke.

“So, why is Ethan here? What about the Bureau of Investigation? Isn’t it a busy time with the issues surrounding the deaths of politicians lately?”

Having curbed his curiosity during the journey here, he started pouring out questions as soon as we settled in.

I answered Kim Yul’s question straightforwardly and truthfully.

“Ethan is here for my protection.”

“The Bureau of Investigation will be fine. There’s more than just a few affiliated players, so my absence won’t cause a major issue.”

Ethan added to the explanation.

However, Kim Yul didn’t seem to understand our explanation at all.

He blinked his eyes and began mumbling to himself all of a sudden.

“Protection? Pro, tec, tion?”

It seemed like he was trying hard to understand the situation by wondering if he had misheard or if the word had a different meaning than what he knew.

He even went as far as cleaning his ears as if doubting what he had just heard.

For someone with player senses to act like that despite knowing it was impossible, he must have been astounded and surprised.

“What did I just hear? Who’s protecting who?”

His attempt at confirmation led to another question.

Leaning against the sofa, I repeated the same words.

“Ethan is protecting me. Taeho hyung will also be sticking with me for the time being, so keep that in mind.”

“…… Two tanks with authority from Temoria affiliated with the earth attribute, for protection? But why do you need protection in the first place?”

The answer to that puzzling question was simple.

“Because I can practically be regarded as a non-player right now.”

“…… Huh?”

This wasn’t some ambiguous expression with a different meaning.

In the literal sense, it was difficult to see me as a player at the moment.

「You have succeeded in eliminating the enemy.」

「You have seized the opponent’s status.」

「The title Nimble Tree evolves into Tree of Divinity.」

「Starting to reconstruct the character to fit the new status.」

「During the reconstruction process, player stats are restricted.」

「Progress 0.01%」

…….

All the accumulated stats were now restricted.

While the evolution of the Nimble Tree into a Tree of Divinity was a remarkable achievement.

‘I didn’t expect to suddenly become so feeble.’

Even now, recalling the moment when that message appeared sent chills down my spine.

Right after seizing control over a nemesis-rank, my body seemingly grew heavier, dispersing the mana I had been balancing on.

If it hadn’t been for Yun Jihye holding me as I plummeted, I might have ended up as a snack for the Evolved Species.

‘Enduring with the magic stones on hand would have had its limits.’

I had asked Yun Jihye to retreat from the battlefield.

She headed towards the gathered fleet of warships.

– Hey, this bastard feels weird.

– Excuse me?

Ethan happened to have momentarily visited the ship Yang Taeho was protecting.

He was there seeking assistance due to the breach on the other side’s defenses.

Because of this, Ethan witnessed me helplessly being dragged around by Yun Jihye.

Upon realizing my weakened state, Ethan adamantly insisted that he couldn’t let me go like that, and he accompanied us all the way to Korea.

Claiming that he wanted to repay a past life debt.

‘If he hadn’t brought it up first, I would have asked myself.’

Honestly, I wasn’t in a position to refuse his generosity.

I couldn’t hide my condition perfectly forever.

When someone, who was actively moving around the battlefield, suddenly secludes themselves, rumors are bound to spread.

Relying on those rumors, people will likely try to test me.

It would only take a single successful attempt for my life to be in jeopardy.

Therefore, it seemed wiser to openly secure my safety.

‘I’ve made plenty of enemies, so I might as well use what I have.’

Throughout, anyone who appeared to hinder my desired path was either stepped on or removed.

All those swept aside for my own goals could essentially be considered adversaries.

In this context, refusing Ethan’s help was reckless.

“So, right now… you’re just a civilian? Pretty much like regular people?”

“Not even ‘pretty much’—just a completely ordinary human body.”

With the stats restricted, I realized anew.

A human body is annoyingly heavy and dull.

It’s vastly different from a player’s body, which required forceful relaxation and sensory dulling to navigate daily life.

Despite sharpening my senses and maintaining alertness, I couldn’t feel anything around me.

I was astonishingly weak.

In this state, even mustering all my strength wouldn’t allow me to dream of battling an Evolved Species.

‘At best, I might get exhausted facing a few trivial monsters.’

It seemed almost trivial.

If a monster appeared out of nowhere or if there was an assassination attempt against me or my family, I wouldn’t be able to prevent it.

Remembering this fueled my dread and frustration.

Yet, to move forward, I had to endure it.

The situation was unavoidably clear.

‘I must tackle it head on.’

Thus, I decided to have the two unique Platinum-rank players as constant companions.

I thought I had provided all the necessary explanation, but it seemed Kim Yul still had questions.

“But did you really have to bring Ethan here? Couldn’t you just quietly wait it out until the progress hits a hundred?”

It seemed he didn’t entirely comprehend my decision.

The reply I gave him was simple.

“Since we’re openly doing this, it would be good to make the most of it.”

“Hm?”

Given that rumors would spread and that someone would try to test me…

“It wouldn’t be bad to give a bit of a nudge to heat things up even more.”

I intended to dangle a tempting bait, easing those who might take the bait into taking action.

* * *

The day after relaxing back in Korea, I ventured out of the house.

‘The most effective way to spread rumors about my current state is by going out.’

Today’s outing was planned to instill doubt in people.

‘Raise doubt about the anomaly that occurred to me.’

Another way to say it is to spawn anxiety.

The goal today was to spread the narrative that something might be happening to me.

To that end, I secured the most effective partner.

“K!”

Walking towards me while jumping excitedly holding Rashar’s hand was Berta, a tiger beastfolk.

The problematic effective partner was indeed highly effective.

I couldn’t handle Berta who was dashing towards me after springing off the ground.

My body couldn’t keep up with Berta’s movement.

It felt like a soccer ball forcefully kicked toward me.

The moment I instinctively flinched, Berta had already arrived.

“Oof!”

The moment of crisis I anticipated came sooner than I expected.

Unable to withstand Berta’s momentum, I ended up rolling backwards.

A sharp pain struck, making me question whether my ribs were damaged.

“Hey, aren’t there three of you? Couldn’t you help catch a kid?”

As I pointed out the deficiency in security, those who came with me seemed to realize their mistake.

“Ack! It’s such a familiar sight I didn’t even consider it!”

“A-are you alright? We just assumed you’d dodge or take it.”

“Ay, well, it’s dangerous now.”

The creeping sense of unease about entrusting my life to these individuals consumed me.

Whether they knew I was feeling distrust or not, Ethan and Kim Yul stepped up to try and pry Berta off me.

Unfortunately, Berta wasn’t someone who would easily be pried off.

“Nooo!”

“Argh!”

A shriek escaped my lips, borne from pain experienced after a long while.

The more Berta resisted to stay in contact, the harsher the pain grew.

“Don’t pull, don’t pull! Just leave it be!”

Fearing my skin might tear off, I decided to forgo trying to pull Berta away.

In a roundabout way, after a while, I managed to stand on my own two feet once again.

Kim Yul was muttering with a face that was neither completely smiling nor crying.

“It really doesn’t suit you. A fragile version of you…”

With the way his mouth twitched, one might think he was imagining something unpleasant.

But with my own mess to deal with, I didn’t have the leisure to explore what was going on in Kim Yul’s mind.

‘This sucks.’

Who would have thought he’d be injured from a collision with Berta, not even a monster?

It was clear from the burning sensation in my abdomen that a bruise was bound to form.

However, the effect was good, thanks to this.

The area near Lotte World in Jamsil, set as the meeting location for the weekend morning just before year-end, was buzzing with people.

Every person present had their phones out, pointing them at us.

Even if I returned home now, achieving my initial purpose wouldn’t be an issue, but…

“Amusement park! It’s an amusement park!”

Seeing Berta, who had only experienced Lotte World through video media, so thrilled made it difficult to suggest turning back.

I could vividly imagine being dragged around by Berta in this feeble body and the mess that would ensue.

‘No choice.’

As I had initially planned all of this, I had to take responsibility.

Having come this far, I resolved to enjoy the outing to the fullest.

Damned System