Damned System

Chapter 76. Laying the Foundation (1)

The summary of her incoherent rambling was simple.

She saw the notification about the initiation and went to the temple to find me, but since I wasn’t there, she spent the entire day roaming around Habon Castle trying to locate me.

There was a certain tone of regret in her voice that made me feel a bit awkward.

‘Is meeting me really that big of a deal?’

Of course, as the first initiate, there was a certain novelty…

‘But it’s not that extraordinary, is it?’

I’m still considered unique for the moment, but I won’t remain the only one forever.

The number of players joining the order would only grow.

I just happened to be a bit earlier than the rest.

So why did she go to such lengths to find me?

Feeling dazed, I listened to Rashar’s lamentation momentarily.

I decided to interrupt her stream of words.

“It seems our paths were crossed; I was touring the temple and then went to the Resistance.”

I said this in a calm voice, which caused Rashar, who had been excitedly speaking, to flinch and tremble.

Her breath, which had been hasty while she spoke, gradually became steady.

It seemed she was finally calming down. I then acknowledged our reunion after nearly a week apart.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Have you been well?”

Did she realize she had been speaking non-stop without even a greeting?

Rashar’s face turned a shade of red quite quickly.

“Oh, it’s been a while, hasn’t it? I was just so flustered… Have you been well?”

“More or less.”

It appeared she had indeed calmed down.

“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. Have you eaten? If not, I’ll have something prepared right away…”

“Chandler took good care of me.”

Not just well taken care of—I had devoured a whole three slabs of beef.

“Oh, I see? That’s a relief.”

“And you?”

“Huh?”

“Have you eaten?”

“Oh, not yet…”

I had a suspicion since she spent the whole day searching for me.

After all, what’s the point of doing anything if you don’t eat?

“It seems you have something to discuss since you’ve been looking for me. Why don’t we talk over a meal? It’s late, so I should stay the night, right?”

“You can stay for eternity if you like!”

When I casually mentioned my purpose without asking Chandler, an unexpected declaration of hospitality ensued.

Caught off guard, I stared at her without saying a word.

“No, I mean, what I intended to say is, I’d always welcome you….”

Rashar murmured with her reddened face buried in embarrassment.

“Let’s, let’s go inside.”

Quickly turning away, it looked as if she wanted to run away in embarrassment.

I chuckled softly and followed her.

* * *

“If you have any particular preferences in dishes, please let me know.”

It was already late at night. While the meal was being prepared, Chandler offered me some wine.

‘Wine, huh.’

I was usually too busy working to drink unless I wanted to relieve some stress.

But today’s conversation with Rashar might take a while.

‘From tomorrow, I probably won’t have such leisure.’

I rubbed my neck gently and spoke.

“I don’t usually drink, so I wouldn’t say I have a taste for anything specific.”

“Then allow me to make some recommendations!”

Chandler suggested.

“Yes, please do.”

Soon after, a selection of fruits, cheeses, and finger foods was prepared alongside the wine.

“Wow.”

As soon as I tasted the wine Chandler had poured, I couldn’t help but exclaim in amazement.

It couldn’t even compare to the cheap wines sold at convenience stores; its acidity and flavor were far superior.

Not overly sweet, with a slightly heavy yet refreshing taste.

“Why is it that there’s nothing bad I’ve tasted here?”

As what started as a cup of tea ended up being a full pot, I sipped at the wine.

With each sip, Rashar released more information.

“A portal, you say?”

She continued discussing features that were alien to the people of Bihar, like managing the homepage, missions exclusive to the order, and general announcements—features familiar to me—and then mentioned a portal.

“Indeed, I used that feature to get to Habon in a flash. Anyone affiliated with Palao can use it.”

“Hmmm…”

A teleport exclusive to the order—so it was like a gate.

Naturally, having it was better than not having it.

But the part about the portals being segregated by order was puzzling.

“Why do that?”

All the temples were gathered in one place, after all.

It seemed wasteful, yet necessary functionality given the divided headquarters.

While pondering these ambiguous doubts, Rashar continued her story.

This time, she talked about the buff effects supported by the Order of Palao.

“That’s the most expensive one.”

“Expensive, you say?”

What could it be? I asked immediately at her sudden comment, and Rashar paused to gather her thoughts.

Finally, an oddly familiar answer emerged from her mouth.

“Basically, you need what’s called Order Points to do anything on the homepage. Increasing attack power is the most point-consuming option.”

That was why she used the word expensive.

“Points, huh…”

Was she talking about getting mana from hunting monsters?

If that was what was being collected, I could understand.

However, the system indicated that mana was inefficient when it’s corrupted.

‘Do they purify it before handing it over to the order?’

Or is it purified directly? Maybe it’s okay because the Seven Gods are involved on this server.

It wasn’t something I could confirm for now.

“Tsk.”

This was yet another mystery to shelve for later.

Unless I have another chance to speak with the system.

While organizing my thoughts, Rashar wiped her mouth and continued.

“I’m unsure about other churchs, but it seems that points keep accumulating based on the activities of the Outsiders. With those points, one can increase the number of initiates and install more portals.”

I thoughtfully fiddled with my half-full wine glass.

I wasn’t sure of the exact logic, but the idea of refining and strengthening the order using points players earn…

‘A strategy simulation game? Is that how I should see it?’

If I was to categorize it, it seemed to fit.

Though player assistance was needed, you could effectively grow the order…

“Ah!”

Suddenly, a realization struck me, and I exclaimed reflexively.

“K?”

Instead of answering Rashar’s call, I reciprocated with a question.

I needed to confirm whether the conclusion I arrived at, by connecting scattered dots, was correct.

“The Resistance.”

“Um?”

“What happens to the Resistance from now on?”

“… Each Resistance division will proceed with the disbandment process sequentially.”

“Rather than complete disbandment, they’ll be restructured under different churchs, right?”

Rashar’s eyes widened slightly.

“… Yes, it’s already been agreed upon. The choice of order membership will be left to the disciples’ discretion.”

The Resistance, which was originally based on national units, would be brought under the influence of the churchs.

In such a situation, the players’ bases were set in three locations.

Surely, not all churchs would be concentrated in one base?

“Is there anyone else besides you and the division commander among the apostles stationed in Habon?”

“… No.”

“And none are planning to arrive in the future?”

Rashar nodded in affirmation.

“Then it seems Palao and Temoria are the only ones stationed in Habon.”

As I suspected, the apostle’s status confirmed through the organizational chart was indeed high within the order as well.

Above them were the High Priests and the gods who effectively oversee the order.

A city where such apostles reside—what does that signify?

“The order, like the players, has chosen its bases.”

As I expected, Rashar soon provided confirmation.

“… Indeed.”

“So that’s why the portals are separated.”

As I murmured in a small voice, I drained the remaining wine in one go.

The clarity of understanding flowed through me, dispelling the nebulous mystery.

The reason for dividing the portals of temples gathered in one location—

It was because the operational areas of each order would be separated from henceforth.

Previously, the Resistance’s responsibility was to clear monsters congregating around corrupted areas near the frontline garrison.

“They referred to that as purification work.”

Now, each order would conduct that purification instead of the Resistance.

Forces composed of Bihari and players would don the name of the order to purify the corrupted areas.

The idea was to steadily reclaim the lost lands of the Demi-humans by tearing apart scattered Connections within the corruption.

“And eventually, they’ll reach the temples left in the deserted lands.”

Establishing new outposts by connecting additional portals here would be feasible.

Once the surroundings were cleared, these locations could become new front-line garrisons.

By continuously expanding operational areas, the main scenario could become a reality.

Treasures and temples abandoned by their masters—first come, first served.

“In other words, it’s a territory-grabbing game.”

I breathed a sigh of exasperation due to the sheer absurdity.

Developing characters through battles seemed obvious enough, but having to also cultivate the order one joins and conquer territories like in a war—

This outrageous game couldn’t even keep its identity straight.

Deep inside, I wanted to unleash a storm of curses at this jumbled mess of a game.

But I held back. Rashar was watching, and throwing a tantrum wouldn’t rid me of this game.

This, too, had to be shelved for now.

‘At this rate, I’ll develop pent-up rage.’

I’ll really have to find a bamboo forest someday to vent out everything that’s built up inside.

“By the way…”

While steadying my bubbling turmoil, Rashar cautiously inquired.

“Did you hear everything at the temple?”

“Where did that come from all of a sudden?”

“You just seem to know too well about our situation.”

“I didn’t receive any detailed explanation… I’ve just picked things up from here and there.”

I replied dismissively while refilling my glass.

When you have the information at hand, not piecing together such a picture would indeed mean an empty head.

After addressing Rashar’s question, it was my turn again to inquire.

“By the way, that point thing—is it deducted from us?”

“Wait, just a moment… So, um…”

As Rashar hesitated and fumbled with her hands, a transluent window appeared before her.

“Huh.”

“Is it working…? Can you see it?”

“Perfectly.”

「Order Homepage (Administrator Mode)」

The text was flipped, but it was exactly as it was: I could see it very clearly.

Being able to share views related to the system was possible.

I should have guessed from the message saying status windows could be shared.

“Homepheny views can be shared with those registered as Chief Officials and Base Administrators, making coordination with High Priests easier.”

“It’s homepage, not homepheny.”

While taken aback for a moment, I corrected Rashar and stood up.

“Oh, right, homepage. It’s not something I’m familiar with… Anyway, let’s see… Earnings record? Is it here…?”

As I stood beside her, trying to peer at the administrator’s homepage more clearly, Rashar kept mis-clicking multiple times until I pointed with a finger.

「Order Points」

– Points Usage/Earnings History
– Points Configuration/Management

“Below the history.”

Though it was clearly visible to me, Rashar took a while to find it.

“Ah! Yes, here it is.”

Elated, Rashar clicked the tab at my fingertip.

Soon, the Points Configuration and Management tab appeared.

As we steadily perused the details, among them was the points earnings ratio that Rashar mentioned before.

Seeing the set earning ratio confirmed by Palao, I furrowed my brow.

“…0.1?”

“Apparently, a portion of the Outsider’s generated mana is converted to points… Didn’t you mention before that people like you absorb mana to grow stronger?”

“Oh.”

“That’s why I insisted on setting the lowest possible rate. I didn’t want to burden you.”

Rashar added that she advocated strongly for this, visibly pleased.

“I wanted to eliminate it entirely, but that turned out to be impossible.”

I found myself speechless. Or rather, it felt as though my vision went dark.

While staring mutely at Rashar’s side profile, I had a fleeting epiphany.

Damned System.