Seongho returned to the hospital room where he had spent the night alone.

As soon as he sat on the edge of the bed, he noticed a blinking prompt in his field of vision.

**[View Fate Intervention Reward.]**

Blink, blink.

The blinking prompt kept vying for his attention, sparking a series of thoughts.

It seemed that intervening in fate offered additional rewards, unlike simply hunting zombies.

After a moment of deliberation, Seongho finally voiced the command.

"View Fate Intervention Reward."

**[Mandatory Rewards]**
- Contribution Points: 10
- Stat Point: 1

**[Optional Rewards]**
- Fortune Cookie (×1)
- Invisibility Candy (×1)

**"Please select an optional reward."**

**A stat point…!**

He had been troubled by the fact that his physical abilities hadn’t improved, even with leveling up.

It seemed that he could finally enhance his physical capabilities with the Fate Intervention reward.

The mandatory rewards, such as Contribution Points and a stat point, were straightforward enough.

However, the optional rewards were a different matter.

**"Fortune Cookie…? Isn’t that the thing used for fortune-telling?"**

He had never seen one himself, but he remembered hearing it was a cultural artifact from another country.

When he pressed down on the text, a prompt appeared asking if he wanted to select this reward, but it offered no explanation about what the Fortune Cookie actually did.

The Invisibility Candy was equally mysterious.

It seemed that he had to choose based solely on the names.

Frowning slightly, Seongho muttered under his breath.

"I’ll choose the Fortune Cookie as the optional reward."

**"The optional reward has been confirmed."**
**"You have received the Fate Intervention reward."**

His Contribution Points were updated, and an unallocated stat appeared in his status window.

Then, with a bright flash, something dropped into his hand.

He instinctively caught it, hearing a crinkling sound as a new message appeared.

**[Fortune Cookie]**
- Predicts the near future.
- Restores both injuries and supernatural abilities when consumed.
- Increases physical ability by 100% for one hour upon consumption.

Seongho read the description with a slight sense of anticipation, only to chuckle bitterly.

He had hoped it might reveal something about his future, perhaps whether he could return to his original world.

He had chosen the reward on the chance it could provide him with insight into his destiny.

But the description in the Fortune Cookie’s details shattered that naïve hope.

**"The near future…"**

No matter how he thought about it, returning to his original world didn’t seem likely in the "near future."

**"But at least it’s not completely useless."**

The healing and stat-boosting effects would definitely come in handy, whether he stayed in the hospital or left.

Suppressing a wry smile, Seongho put the cookie into his pocket.

He then turned his attention back to the status window to check the mandatory rewards.

After pressing a few options in his mind, he received the prompt he wanted.

**"Would you like to allocate the unassigned stat to Physical Ability? (Y/N)"**

When he confirmed, his physical ability stat increased to 5.

Seongho immediately tested his body.

He threw a few jabs and hooks at the wall, and even kicked at the bed’s frame.

The result was clear and undeniable.

**"This feels like my prime."**

The speed of his punches and the force of impact against the solid wood reminded him of his fitness peak.

**"Previously, it was at 4, right?"**

Even though it had only increased by one point, the difference was stark.

If he could continue boosting his physical ability with Fate Intervention rewards, he could likely manage to protect himself.

Feeling a surge of confidence, Seongho let out a long breath.

However, even after allocating his stat points, his gaze lingered on the status window.

But it wasn’t the increased physical stat or the additional Contribution Points that held his attention.

**"Discord Score…"**

It was still over 50.

If the administrator hadn’t interfered, it would likely be lower by now.

**"That damn administrator seems to be messing with me."**

Why? Wasn’t the system supposed to act as a neutral mediator?

Seongho frowned deeply, lost in thought.

From his experience, the Fate Pioneer team and the world were at odds with one another, each with conflicting goals.

**"One side wants to prevent destruction, while the other aims to carry it through. Their objectives naturally clash."**

And the system, as Seongho understood, was meant to act neutrally, serving as a mediator and issuing rewards.

At least, that’s how it seemed.

Yet, the system’s administrator appeared openly hostile to him.

**"Not once, but twice now this has happened."**

There was nothing to prevent it from happening a third time.

With his thoughts sorted, Seongho spoke aloud.

"Pioneer’s Cradle."

As he finished speaking, a massive book materialized with a loud, imposing sound, flipping open before him.

Seongho addressed the Cradle directly.

"What should I do if I suspect the system’s administrator is intentionally penalizing a Fate Pioneer?"

**"To receive an answer, 50 Contribution Points are required. Would you like to proceed? (Y/N)"**
**"Insufficient Contribution Points."**

"Damn it."

Why did the answer have to be so costly?

Sighing, Seongho considered for a moment before trying a different question.

"Is it possible to change a Fate Pioneer’s system administrator once one has been assigned?"

**"To receive an answer, 30 Contribution Points are required. Would you like to proceed? (Y/N)"**
**"Insufficient Contribution Points."**

While this question cost less than the previous one, it was still beyond Seongho’s reach.

Realizing he couldn’t resolve this issue now, he reluctantly turned his focus elsewhere.

The next pressing matter was…

"What exactly does the Discord Score represent?"

**"To receive an answer, 3 Contribution Points are required. Would you like to proceed? (Y/N)"**

Out of his remaining 14 Contribution Points, 3 wasn’t a small amount to spend.

**"But it’s better to know for sure."**

He couldn’t afford to keep feeling anxious over an unknown score.

He would soon need to exert a lot of energy, so it was best to clarify things beforehand.

After a brief moment of hesitation, he chose "Yes."

New text began to appear on the previously blank pages of the Cradle.

**"The Discord Score represents the degree to which events that should not exist in this world have occurred."**

It was an unexpected explanation, but Seongho understood the implication immediately.

His very existence, along with the powers he wielded, wasn’t meant to be in this world.

But he was here, roaming around, influencing people and events.

Killing zombies, curing the infected, and saving those who should have died.

The Discord Score essentially quantified all these activities, tracking them as numbers.

**"So that’s why it’s called the Discord Score. My power itself is an anomaly."**

A high score likely indicated a significant amount of unnatural occurrences.

Understanding this, Seongho asked his next question.

"How can I reduce the Discord Score?"

**"To receive an answer, 5 Contribution Points are required. Would you like to proceed? (Y/N)"**

Seongho hesitated, then shook his head.

Spending 5 points felt like too much.

He had already observed instances where his Discord Score had decreased.

He could likely deduce the answer from those experiences.

**"The Discord Score represents discord, essentially."**

A reduction likely indicated some form of alignment or harmony.

Considering this, he felt he understood why the score had dropped when he used his power in front of others.

**"The system message said the world’s inhabitants acknowledged my actions and were influenced by them."**

The Discord Score dropped as people witnessed Seongho’s actions and recognized his presence.

In other words, it likely represented influence, or perhaps recognition.

There was even a system message indicating a slight increase in influence whenever he used his abilities around others.

**"The reason this reduces the Discord Score…"**

The people in this world weren’t supposed to see such powers or events, but witnessing them made them real.

**"They become believers in the impossible—a miracle, you could say."**

This meant he would have to continue using his abilities openly, letting people see his power.

**"It was the right call to offer treatment to those in the hospital after seeing the Discord Score decrease."**

After organizing his thoughts, Seongho decided to address another question that had been bothering him.

"Who can detect my location if my Discord Score is high?"

**"To receive an answer, 50 Contribution Points are required. Would you like to proceed? (Y/N)"**
**"Insufficient Contribution Points."**

"Ugh."

He ran a rough hand through his hair, sighing in frustration.

Though the thought that someone could be tracking or pursuing him worried him, there was nothing he could do about it for now.

**"I’ll just have to save up more Contribution Points and ask later."**

It was time to look into information related to drugs, cannibalism, and the New Humanity Cult.

**"I’ve already intercepted the drug case involving Butterfly, so that’s out of the way."**

That left the cannibalism case and the New Humanity Cult’s activities.

"What’s the starting location of the cannibalism camp?"

**"To receive an answer, 6 Contribution Points are required. Would you like to proceed? (Y/N)"**

This was essential information, and he had the 11

 Contribution Points needed to cover it.

But instead of immediately answering, he reflected on what he’d just learned.

**"I’ve asked about the administrator twice, yet the Contribution Points required for each answer were different."**

Why was that? What determined the required points?

**"The specificity of the answer, perhaps."**

After a moment’s thought, Seongho rephrased his question.

"What district is the cannibal camp located in?"

**"To receive an answer, 3 Contribution Points are required. Would you like to proceed? (Y/N)"**

By broadening the scope of his question, he managed to reduce the points required.

It seemed the more general the information, the fewer points were needed.

He considered reducing the scope further but decided against it.

**"If it’s too vague, it’ll be hard to locate."**

He confirmed the answer without changing the question further.

He then immediately asked about the area where the New Humanity Cult was operating.

**"Cannibalism in Myeong-dong, and the New Humanity Cult in Seogang-dong."**

With their locations pinpointed, it was time to plan his next moves.

**"I’ll need to think about this a bit more."**

Deciding to save the remaining Contribution Points for future questions, Seongho closed the Cradle.

And at that very moment—

**Knock, knock, knock.**

Almost as if someone had been waiting, a knock sounded at the door.

Startled, Seongho looked up quickly.

Through the frosted glass of the door, he could make out a shadow.

"Who is it?"

When he opened the door, he saw Im Chan standing there, his face swollen from crying.

"Ah, hello, Mr. Seongho. I’m so sorry for disturbing you while you’re resting, but… I just had to come and thank you. If you have even a moment to spare, could we speak?"

Holding a bag in his hand, Im Chan bowed deeply.

Seongho tilted his head in confusion.

He had been the one to call for a private conversation, so why was Im Chan acting so humble?

And then, as if sensing Seongho’s thoughts, Im Chan’s eyes shifted subtly to the side.