Chapter 223: First Time Here, But… (2)
One B-rank, four C-ranks, and two F-ranks. Just like monsters, the people had their names, ranks, health, and mana displayed above their heads. What surprised me was this:
[F-Rank Ma Wairen
Health: 141/141
Mana: 1,523/1,523]
The mana amount for an F-rank was absurdly high. The other F-rank, who was riding behind a guard, also had close to 2,000 mana. Meanwhile…
[B-Rank Je Sumin
Health: 3,055/3,055
Mana: 591/591]
The lone B-rank had high health but relatively low mana for his rank. Considering the added effects of his equipment, it seemed like B-rank stats were the general standard compared to monsters. Among the remaining C-ranks, one had high mana like the F-ranks, while the other three had high health but low mana.
‘Are they divided into melee, ranged, and support roles? Even so, the differences are way too extreme. That mana amount is insane. With that much, their magic stat must be at least A-rank.’
Something was definitely off.
“The weather is nice today. Not too cold, not too hot. Perfect for a night stroll.”
I deliberately raised both hands to show I wasn’t holding anything.
“Which group are you with?”
The B-rank, Je Sumin, asked. His name sounded Korean, though he looked like a foreigner.
“I’m just an ordinary citizen of Medsang City. Would you mind giving me some directions?”
If possible, I wanted to gather some information, too. Normally, at this point, an NPC should pop up and start explaining the setting. Brave adventurer, our city of A is currently at war with city B. The battle began many years ago, and so on and so forth…
“A regular citizen?”
“Team leader, he’s an awakened C-rank.”
One of the C-ranks tattled to the B-rank. Seemed like they had the ability to check others’ ranks. Je Sumin stepped down from his bike.
“Are you fuel or support?”
…What the hell does that mean? What an unfriendly NPC.
“Sorry, but this is my first time here. I’d really appreciate a kind and detailed explanation. If you could even pull up keyword selection options, that would be even better.”
[What is a Guard?] [Goldberg Park] [Medsang City] [City Defense Agency]—something like that. I waited, half-hoping a system prompt would pop up, but of course, nothing appeared. Instead, an existing sub quest started flashing.
[There’s Someone Here
Gather information through conversation!
Information Acquired: 0/5
Reward: 500L, 500P, Grade 3 City Pass]
Yes, yes. I get it. I’ll do it. I turned back to Je Sumin, who was looking at me like I was crazy, and asked politely again.
“Esteemed sir, where exactly am I? If you tell me, I will engrave your kindness in my family’s memory for three generations to come.”
Now he was looking at me like I was even crazier.
“…This is the Central District of Sorgone.”
With his answer, my acquired information count went up by one. Goldberg Park was supposed to be at Central Road No. 7 in Sorgone, right?
“Then, what’s the number of this road?”
“You… Are you unregistered?”
“Ah, yes. I just awakened recently. I’d be grateful if you could also tell me where the City Defense Agency is located.”
At my response, Je Sumin chuckled. The three other C-ranks also smirked in amusement. On the other hand, the F-ranks and the high-mana C-rank looked oddly sympathetic.
“A C-rank fuel tank? Jackpot. Hey, we might be able to get off work early today.”
Je Sumin cracked his knuckles as two of the C-ranks dismounted from their bikes.
‘Yeah, this is definitely not turning into a peaceful conversation.’
Well, there were plenty of them.
“Let’s just—”
Bang! The B-rank’s head exploded.
Drawing my gun from my inventory and firing took only a split second. A 50-mana bullet didn’t take long to charge, and at point-blank range, it had more than enough power to blow apart the unguarded B-rank’s head.
The recoil pushed me back. But this time, I was prepared, so my feet only skidded slightly instead of knocking me over.
I quickly steadied myself and threw a dagger at one of the C-ranks. Caught off guard, the man let out a strangled groan as the blade buried itself in his leg, causing him to collapse.
By the time the gun’s barrel was aimed at another C-rank—
Thud.
The B-rank’s headless body crumpled to the ground.
“Y-You crazy bastard! What the hell?!”
“Don’t blame me too much. I’m usually a pacifist.”
I didn’t like killing people—well, unless they were monsters. But these guys weren’t real people. They were just part of a virtual world, mere data.
…Still, it felt disturbingly real. Was there a PG-15 mode for this? At least when I fired the gun, some kind of automatic protection seemed to activate, like a force field blocking the splatter. Just like when I took down the leopard earlier, no blood or flesh hit me.
“This is an A-rank gun, everyone. Even B-ranks go down in one shot.”
Technically, it was S-rank, but there was no need to reveal that a C-rank like me was carrying an S-rank weapon. A-rank was a more believable lie—enough to make them cautious, but not enough to paint a target on my back.
“If you answer my questions properly, I won’t attack anymore.”
“We’re just fuel tanks!”
The high-mana C-rank shouted, and the F-ranks quickly nodded in agreement.
“What exactly is a fuel tank?”
They’d been mentioning fuel this and fuel that, but I had no clue what it actually meant. After glancing nervously at the other C-ranks, one of the F-ranks hesitantly spoke.
“It refers to awakened individuals used for mana replenishment. We serve as energy sources for our assigned guards when they run low on mana.”
“So… you’re saying they’re used as a substitute for mana potions? But why not just use actual mana potions?”
“Because mana potions are incredibly rare. Only high-ranking guards carry them, and even then, only for emergencies.”
The F-rank answered as if it were common sense. Mana potions were that rare? Did this place not have the technology to produce them? That explained why they were absurdly expensive in the points shop. I’d have to use mine sparingly.
“Then, those with abnormally high mana stats… wait.”
Hold on a second. That B-rank had called me a C-rank fuel tank and said they’d hit the jackpot—right after I mentioned I was unregistered.
“…Don’t tell me the moment you register as an awakened, they decide whether you become a fuel tank?”
“Yes. Unless a C-rank or lower has a particularly special or useful skill, they are required to undergo mana engraving surgery. Their entire growth potential is funneled into increasing their mana pool. That way, even as they level up, their stats and skills don’t grow—only their mana does.”
Wow. They were basically living mana potions. This place was completely messed up. And from the way they were treated, it was clear that fuel tanks weren’t respected at all.
“A C-rank should at least be useful in combat. This seems excessive.”
“Real guards start from B-rank.”
This time, it was the high-mana C-rank who spoke, looking dejected.
“C-ranks can only be support at best. Those three over there are support as well. They have weak offensive capabilities, so you don’t need to be too wary of them.”
So fuel or support was asking whether I was a human battery or an actual combat asset. And they only considered B-ranks and above as real guards? This place was brutal. Meanwhile, I was thrilled just to be a C-rank. They were wasting manpower to a ridiculous degree.
As we talked, my quest log updated with more acquired information. Now, I had to decide whether I should register as an awakened or not. If I wasn’t careful, I might be classified as an unaffiliated fuel tank and forced into mana engraving. I needed to observe this city a bit more before going to the Defense Agency.
Next, I asked about the locations of Goldberg Park and the Defense Agency. Fortunately, neither was too far from here—though they weren’t within walking distance either.
“Is there public transportation here?”
“Of course there is.”
The guy looked at me like I had asked whether the sky was blue. Yeah, I was acting suspicious. I claimed to be a citizen but was fumbling around like I had been dropped here from another world.
Just then, my quest was marked as complete. If a city pass suddenly popped out of thin air, that would definitely raise some eyebrows, so I didn’t claim the reward yet. I was about to continue my questioning when—
Rumble!
A distant thunderclap echoed. Instinctively, I looked up at the sky. A massive, round moon hung in the darkness. Aside from its size, the sky wasn’t all that different from home—few clouds, no signs of rain.
‘Lightning from clear skies? Guess my partner is making it easy to find him.’
A sharp crack followed, and a flash of light flickered in the distance. Yeah, yeah, I’m coming.
I quickly climbed onto an abandoned bike. …Well, I got on, but—
“…How do you even drive this thing?”
It was different. Of course it was. The frame and handlebars were similar, even the brake levers were the same, but the dashboard and buttons were completely unfamiliar. The high-mana C-rank approached and explained.
“This starts the engine. These control the front and rear lights, these are the turn signals, and this switches it to combat mode. Speed is adjusted by twisting the right handle.”
“Combat mode?”
“It temporarily enhances the bike using stored mana. You can ram into C-rank monsters with it.”
Oh, that’s nice. Looked like this world commonly integrated mana with machines. Even the guards carried guns. Considering no one had reacted to my firearm, it seemed like mana-powered guns weren’t unusual here either.
“My apologies for the trouble. Have a good night~”
I hurriedly started the engine before Seong Hyunjae could move elsewhere. Since this was a B-rank’s bike, it picked up speed almost instantly. I shot down the road toward the lightning strike, turning a corner as my notification panel blinked.
What now?
[!WARNING!
You have ambushed and killed a non-hostile individual.
If you kill multiple innocent citizens, you may receive penalties and become a wanted criminal. Proceed with caution.
Current Kill Count: 1]
…What do you mean non-hostile? That’s ridiculous. Was I supposed to wait for them to punch me first? Or give them a warning like, Hey, I’m gonna shoot you now!? What, did they expect some Old Western-style One, two, three—bang! duel?
System, get your act together! That guy literally tried to capture me and turn me into a battery!
‘Is there a customer support center? I want to file a complaint.’
At least stabbing them seemed to be fine. Maybe I’d have to aim for limbs when ambushing from now on. Of course, if things got dangerous, screw the kill count—I’d just blow their heads off again.
The streets remained eerily silent. Occasionally, I heard the low growls of monsters, but they weren’t fast enough to keep up with the bike, so they faded into the distance.
The buildings I passed were largely intact, and despite monsters roaming around, the roads were in surprisingly good condition. There were a few broken sections here and there, but for the most part, everything was still functional.
But wherever Seong Hyunjae was, it wouldn’t be that peaceful.
‘If he’s using skills flashy enough to cause a scene, he’s probably not fighting mid-tier monsters.’
I pulled out a mana potion, drank it, and activated my stealth skill. If monsters attacked, they’d go for the bike rather than me. I slowed down a little in case I got thrown off.
A road sign came into view.
[Road 9
Burmadil Grand Library – 5JU
5-B Residential Zone – 11JU]
JU was probably a unit of distance, but I had no clue how far it actually was.
As I rode further, the first signs of battle began to appear. The road was cracked, streetlights lay toppled, and a building ahead had a massive chunk torn away, as if something had ripped through it. The deeper I went, the worse the damage became. Debris blocked sections of the path, forcing me to weave around obstacles.
Eventually, I had no choice but to stop the bike in front of a completely collapsed building.
Rumble.
Somewhere nearby, a rock tumbled down. Keeping my stealth skill active, I leaped onto the rubble. Tap, tap. I climbed higher, stepping across the jutting debris until I reached the top.
‘Whoa.’
A massive monster’s corpse came into view. Nearly half of its body had been obliterated, and the remaining parts were charred black, making it impossible to determine its species or form. Even from what was left, it was roughly the size of a four- or five-story building.
It had to be at least S-rank. A creature like that appearing inside the city instead of a dungeon—was this place even safe to live in?
My surprise quickly faded as I noticed a familiar figure standing near the corpse.
Seong Hyunjae.
For something that was supposedly a possession or a clone, I had expected his appearance to be at least slightly different, but he looked nearly the same.
Well, almost the same—his hair seemed just a shade darker. Maybe it was just the nighttime lighting. His outfit, however, was different. He was dressed in a sleek black uniform that looked like something out of a special forces unit. There were no bulletproof vests or protective gear, just a fitted suit of fabric. But knowing him, it was probably high-grade equipment.
And yet…
‘…He looks oddly faint.’
Maybe it was the distance, but his presence, which usually stood out so strongly, felt muted.
In any case, I’d found one of my people. Ideally, I wanted to find Yuhyun first, but teaming up with Seong Hyunjae would be a huge help. He was probably the fastest to adapt among everyone here.
I was about to drop my stealth and call out to him when he suddenly turned and locked eyes with me.
Exactly.
Even with my stealth skill active, which should have made it difficult for even an S-rank to notice me, he spotted me without hesitation.
Still caught off guard, I was a second too late in checking his status window.
[SS-Rank]
That was all it displayed.
Wait, what? Why SS-rank? His name, health, and mana weren’t visible—was it because his rank was too high? It couldn’t possibly be someone else. The face, the skills, everything was the same.
I figured I’d just ask him directly and dropped my stealth.
And then—
Thud!
A powerful impact struck my abdomen, sending me tumbling across the ground.