PMEVBO 77
I finished another cold water shower. This time, I dried my body with a towel and put my top back on properly.
It’s almost time for medicine, so….
Ding!
My heart skipped a beat when I heard the electronic sound.
Six years ago, a main quest appeared right after I cleared three sub-quests. I had just finished the third sub-quest during yesterday’s medicine time. I knew what that notification meant.
…What if the same quest from six years ago drops again?
▝▚ Kill ‘Iser Hayut’ ▚▗
Success!
The quest where I had to kill Iser….
I immediately turned the faucet back on. An ice-cold stream of water flowed from the top of my head down my spine, soaking my prison uniform. Only then was I able to let out the breath I’d been holding. I closed my eyes under the water to catch my breath before I found the courage to face the status window.
────【 Main Quest 】────
Hunt the monster!
(0/1)
D-?
Reward: Level up, Deactivation of ‘ ████ ’ Location Lock
────────────────
“…Hunt a monster?”
I brushed my wet hair back from my face and checked the status window again. Nothing changed.
Now that I think about it, there was a monster in my inventory….
It was that strange herb that looked like ginseng but wasn’t edible.
D-?
D-0 (3m)
…What?
“No, what kind of monster do I have to catch in three min—!”
At that moment, something brushed against my ankle. I kicked my leg back. I turned around and pinned the thing to the floor with my foot.
“Squeak!”
A large ginseng root lay beneath my foot, flailing arms made of side roots. Even at first glance, I knew this was the monster I was meant to hunt.
“What…? Where did you come from?”
“Kyuuu, kyuuu….”
At the sound of its pitiful sobbing, I quickly released the strength I had been holding onto. Then, the ginseng monster’s body glowed white and vanished without a trace.
────【 Main Quest 】────
Hunt the monster!
(1/1)
D-0 (2m 21s)
Success!
────────────────
“…Is that it?”
It’s so different from the main quest from 6 years ago…
A hollow laugh escaped my lips. I crouched on the floor, staring blankly at the status screen indicating the quest had been completed.
“But where did that thing go….”
Ah… is it in the inventory?
I was about to open the inventory window to check.
─────【 Inventory 】─────
Saving ‘Root.txt’.
────────────────
The ginseng icon that suddenly appeared in the inventory was named ‘Root.txt’. It seemed the ginseng monster I just hunted was also saved in the inventory under the same name.
“Wait, is it dead then…?”
I didn’t think much of it when it was just an icon, but the system turning a living, moving thing into an icon and storing it was uncomfortable. Even if it’s a monster… is this really okay?
─────【 Inventory 】─────
The same name already exists.
Do you want to overwrite it?
Yes/No
────────────────
I figured things were ending too easily. Since the existing one and the new one are both named ‘Root.txt’, it’s asking whether to merge them or not….
It sounds like a prompt for saving a computer file.
If a prompt like that appears when saving a new file, choosing ‘Yes’ is the end. If you overwrite it with a new file, the old one disappears forever without any way to recover it. …I didn’t want to know that from experience either.
After a moment’s hesitation, I chose the most conservative option.
‘No.’
─────【 Inventory 】─────
Saved as ‘Root_(1).txt’.
────────────────
…Since I said no to overwriting, it saved it with a number in the name?
I let out a dry laugh and checked the monster category in the inventory. There were two ginseng icons. Fortunately, the save went through.
I clicked the first ginseng icon to try and read it.
────【 Root.txt 】────
뷁웱긁□퀧댉툵□슭뫍켫□
•
•
•
────────────────
“How stubborn….”
Root.txt still contained characters that were a million years too early for humanity. Even the help text was the same. It just said reading was impossible and told me to try again after securing more specimens.
Look, I secured a specimen and tried again. What’s the problem?
I tried reading Root_(1).txt just in case, but it was in the same state as Root.txt. It seemed I needed to hunt even more ginseng monsters to unlock the text.
If that’s the case, I’d rather the future main quests keep being monster hunts.
Killing a monster is better than killing a person….
I felt bad for the monsters, but I didn’t have a choice.
Then, a new window popped up.
────【 System Notification 】────
Level up requirements met.
Would you like to level up now?
Yes/No
(Location Lock for ‘ ████ ’ will automatically deactivate after leveling up)
────────────────
“Why is it asking this…?”
A window like this never appeared six years ago. Back then, it just gave the main quest and then showed a window saying I cleared it. …Or was it just that I was so out of my mind from the surge of divine power that I don’t remember?
Level up now?
I had no reason not to press ‘Yes’. I needed to level up to expand my inventory, improve skill efficiency, and fix the ████ location lock. But strangely, I didn’t want to press it.
Like someone who had been badly burned by that choice before.
But hesitation only delays the level up. I wanted to return to my original world as soon as possible, so I couldn’t give up on leveling up.
I took a breath and pressed ‘Yes’. In the next moment, I could vaguely guess where that ominous feeling came from.
────【 System Notification 】────
Starting system update for level up.
(※ New features included.)
The player will temporarily fall unconscious during this process.
Progress: 0% (0/100)
This process may take several hours.
────────────────
“No, hey! You should’ve told me this in ad—!”
I couldn’t even complain properly because the because the bathroom floor was quickly approaching.
Ah, you son of a bitch system….
I lost consciousness like that.
***
Iser stood before the prison instructor’s desk.
“I heard you called for me.”
“Ah, yes. I called you regarding the 9th-floor operating cost report.”
The instructor placed the documents he was holding onto the desk. He spoke after scanning Iser once.
“Can you hand over even just a draft by the day after tomorrow? The schedule is tight because I need to finish the review before the banquet.”
“I’ve already finished the draft and I’m currently reviewing it.”
“…Already?”
“I’ll deliver it today after I finish the final check.”
The instructor stared at Iser for a moment before turning back to the papers.
“…Alright. I’ll expect it today. You may leave.”
“Yes, sir.”
When he left the instructor’s office, medicine time was approaching. Iser headed straight for Cell 1004, where Lucariel was.
Iser arrived at the door of Cell 1004 soon after. Since there was still time before the scheduled hour, the apothecary hadn’t arrived yet. He opened the cell door without waiting for her. However, Lucariel was nowhere to be seen.
Iser stepped into the cell and walked toward the bathroom without hesitation. He opened the door and finally found the person he wanted to see. Lucariel lay on the bathroom floor, soaking wet.
“Lucariel…!”
Iser knelt on the floor and carefully pulled Lucariel’s body up. As he supported the limp body, an icy chill transferred to him. Iser’s hands trembled as he cupped Lucariel’s cheek and funneled life energy into him.
The apothecary arrived shortly after. She saw Iser and Lucariel through the half-open bathroom door and ran inside, startled.
“Wh-what happened?”
Iser spoke without taking his eyes off Lucariel.
“He seems to have lost consciousness. Could you take a look at him?”
“Yes…!”
The apothecary quickly approached and began checking Lucariel’s condition. However, Iser had already realized through his ability that nothing was wrong with the body. He wasn’t injured or illn. The reason he lost consciousness was likely….
‘It must be because of that.’
Iser stared at the panel floating in the air while holding Lucariel tight.
─────【 Report 】─────
‘Weapon of Order’
Restoring
(2/7)
Note: Upon reaching restoration stage 2, the mission performer will regain consciousness.
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