Chapter 228 - City in the Day (3)

"Are there many monsters outside the wall?"

Thank you for your hard work in working in a remote place, and it's very comforting to think that the guard is protecting the wall. I asked questions with a mixture of praise and admiration.

"Of course there are. We have to deal with monsters that originate within the city or cross the defense wall. Occasionally, the byproducts of monsters, especially when there's a shortage of meat, may venture out to hunt."

Meat... Wait a moment. Could it be that the meat in sandwiches and dishes at restaurants is monster meat? In my world, we treated edible monster meat as a special ingredient, but here, it seemed like the main source of food could be monster meat.

"Is the city mainly sustained with monster meat?"

Outside, it's wasteland, and although the city is large, I haven't seen any farms on the way here. Raising livestock for meat requires a large amount of land, and the feed consumption for their diet is significant. If monsters grow naturally and provide meat, it could reduce a substantial part of the facilities needed to maintain the city.

"The sandwiches seemed to lack vegetables compared to the quality of the meat."

Fresh vegetables are expensive due to the scarcity of farmland. Monster meat is cheap, and if energy is obtained from mana stones or similar sources, energy facilities can be relatively small.

In essence, this city could be a small, self-sufficient nation.

'In the end, is going to another city similar to going to another country?'

Looking at it, it seems like there won't be frequent interactions. The world is made up of several city-states. Solemnis here seems relatively peaceful, but I have no idea how it would be in Akates City where Yoohyun is.

"Your weapons look impressive! Does it work with magic?"

Asked, looking at a weapon that looked like a large caliber cannon. The guard nodded and said it requires a lot of mana.

"A direct hit can damage even S-class monsters."

"Wow. Do S-rank monsters appear frequently here?"

"Not very often. Usually, it's from B to A rank."

"What about rank C and lower?"

"From rank C and lower, at night, they become prey to B-rank monsters and above. They disappear when the sun rises, so it's quite rare to see them."

Disappear at dawn? I almost asked if they were vampires. It seems like rank C and lower monsters can't withstand sunlight.

Knowing that fact, I thought it would be best to consider only B-rank guards and above. If there are no rank C or lower monsters, or something similar, using them for mana recharge might be more efficient... Well, it still feels bad.

At least treat us equally. What about the fuel can designation?

Beyond that, I asked about the details of the defense wall, asking if it's a simple wall, if there are devices to counter monster climbing, and if there are hidden traps like traps under the wall. The kind guard explained everything in detail, and I was grateful.

"It's impressive. Oh, by any chance, do you know Akates City? I heard it's relatively close to here."

"Next to Ranchea, it's the second closest. Still, it's a two-day journey by car. We don't receive much news from other cities, but I've heard that the treatment of guards in Akates City isn't as good."

"Really? Is it different from here?"

"Each city has its own way. I've heard rumors that the muse in Medsang City is revered as a deity."

Muse in Medsang City. Rather, since Akates City mistreats guards, is it okay if the alpha is really Yoohyun? Anyway, I'm sure he'll be good at SS rank.

...But if I see my younger brother getting into trouble, I'll really turn things upside down.

'I'm also worried about Yerim and Noah. I'll have to find them quickly.'

Even if it's not a real body, it still feels the same. There's nothing good about experiencing something bad.

After finishing the tour of the defense wall, a B-rank guard personally drove the car and took me back to the city. Everyone was so kind that I felt regretful.

The next place I headed to was none other than the Solemnis Historical Records Center. Upon entering the archive building, I saw a group of children on a tour gathered in the lobby. They were around six or seven years old, preschool age by Korean standards.

"Hey! Are you the C-rank guard uncle from TV? Right?"

A girl shouted, and a boy followed suit clapping.

"Yes! The one with black hair, black eyes, and red ears!"

The children flocked to me and said, "He's real, he's real." Is it surprising that I didn't even appear directly on TV, but was only mentioned? Is this the Sigma effect?

"Kids, don't do that."

"Listen to the teacher."

The guards stopped the children. Interestingly, two out of three were awakened individuals, and one was B-rank. As for the size of mana, D-rank was a fuel tank. Are guards assigned to protect the children? Perhaps, to survive the night if there are still unprocessed monsters?

"There might be monsters left that we can't deal with during the night."

Will even C-rank and lower survive as long as they avoid sunlight?

So they've reinforced the doors and windows of the building at night. Curious eyes full of energy shone everywhere. Despite being ordinary children on a field trip, there were no signs of fear or unease. Their round, chubby cheeks were full of life.

In a world that has already been destroyed.

Although I thought it was just past information, it feels strange. It's too realistic. I can't know how much longer this world will last. Despite the well-established system and the peaceful daytime city, it unexpectedly could have avoided destruction for a long time.

‘Anyway, it's not real.'

I don't have to worry about it. Even though I consider this fake world that I'll soon leave, the smiling faces of the children still pricked my heart for no reason.

...Games are probably better behind a monitor. Virtual reality could lead to a massive appearance of mental problems if not careful.

"Ahjussi, have you really seen Sigma?"

The children asked, pulling at my clothes. The other children also seemed curious.

"Of course! The first encounter is still alive. Sigma approached me first, worried that I was walking alone at that hour, saying it was dangerous. And then, he even dusted off my sleeves."

That's how we met, amidst the sticky mix of rewards, shopping, and bills fluttering about.

"I've never seen him!"

"Me neither!"

"Because you usually go out at night. It's time for good babies to sleep soundly."

"I'm not a baby, I'm seven years old now."

"Yeah, I'm seven years old, so I don't sleep early. My younger brother is a baby, so he sleeps a lot."

Babies are really cute, and their hands are so small and fascinating. Especially their hands, which move and grasp despite being so small.

Suddenly, I remembered old times. Even when I was their age, I thought I had to take care of my younger brother because he was such a small and cute baby who couldn't do anything on his own.

How did they grow bigger than my hands? I miss Yoohyun.

Listening to the lively chatter, it seemed that Sigma rarely revealed his appearance. He mentioned that appearing on television was a long time ago. Shelters provided individual rooms for each family, but they found them lonely and cramped, about the size of a bed, they said.

Without asking, the children enthusiastically shared details of their lives. Except for being confined in the shelter during the long nights, it seemed surprisingly abundant.

"Goodbye, ahjussi!"

"Goodbye!"

After parting ways with the children, I entered the inner part where the historical records and exhibits were. Admission was free. A large display of the city's landscape hung prominently, slightly distorted but mostly square. To the east of the city, farmland occupied a considerable amount of space.

'Solemnis City. I think it's the 27th year.'

I walked slowly, exploring the exhibits. In the center of the spacious exhibition area was a large model. In a hollowed-out floor, a giant blue sphere took its place, emitting a twinkling light.

[Mana Hall]

When I touched the touchscreen in front of the model, explanations began to flow.

[The Mana Hall was first discovered 31 years ago. It began when fierce beasts, later known as monsters, started to appear. Two years later, the first mana reservoir appeared near the old Insidema border.]

Data photos appeared on the screen.

Initially, handling monsters classified as D or lower was manageable with the armed forces. However, as their numbers increased, a crisis emerged.

[Individuals awakened from rank A and below began to appear. Although they easily hunted monsters, they often fell into a mana deficiency state.]

The voice explained that awakened individuals here had a very low inherent mana recovery. Even for high-rank awakened individuals, their recovery was not much different from lower ranks.

‘At that level, there's almost no inherent recovery, right?’

In our city, once your mana stat reaches rank S, you can conquer dungeons up to rank A without using mana potions much if you don't waste skills. But here, mana stats didn't seem to correlate with mana and energy.

'...I wonder if other people know about this.'

The kids might not realize and keep using mana recklessly as usual, encountering difficulties.

Especially Yoohyun and Yerim, who have high mana stats and swing fire and water freely.

Fortunately, it was revealed that Mana Halls could replenish mana and, at the same time, convert it into everyday energy like electricity. Cities were established around Mana Halls as centers to build high walls for monster defense.

[As a result of Mana Hall research, the average rank of awakened individuals increased. With the prevalence of awakening through Mana Halls, limits were placed on the number of awakened individuals generated annually. Half of the awakened subjects prioritize fitness, and the remaining half are chosen by lottery.]

Especially during the "Special Rite" held for outstanding potential awakened individuals, it was said that rank SS awakened individuals could be born from the beginning.

The Special Rite probably applies once or twice a year. A basic rank S awakened individual is born.

Then, among the rank SS awakened individuals existing now, there are people who were originally rank S but became rank SS thanks to the power of the Mana Hall.

I wonder if Alpha is a case of this. It would be a challenge to ascend to the SS rank in just four years.

After the basic explanation of Mana Halls, a detailed table of contents appeared on the screen. Among them, I pressed the article on Awakenings.

[Mana Awakening]

[Protection Awakening]

First, I reviewed Mana Awakening.

[Pure mana, not converted into energy, cannot be stored in inanimate objects. Currently, there is no way to carry mana personally, except for rare mana potions that come as system rewards.

With the appearance of higher-ranked monsters, the issue of mana replenishment became prominent. The need for mana replenishment during battles increased, leading to active research on methods of using living beings as mana fuel.]

Initially, livestock was the target, but no matter how well domesticated they were, they tended to panic and flee in front of higher-ranked monsters. Additionally, it was a challenge to carry unconscious animals as pack animals. Ordinary animals, unlike awakened humans, had a low mana storage capacity, resulting in low efficiency.

[Therefore, mana imprints began to be applied to awakened individuals of rank C and lower who found it difficult to serve as guards. Although mana flow routes in the human body are diverse, the spine is the largest and main route.]

An image of a spine appeared, with a concentrated bright area at the back of the neck.

[When an imprint is engraved in a part where mana extraction is easy, the fuel tank can transmit mana from one to nearby awakened individuals. This mana imprint can be configured for public, team, or personal use.]

It was mentioned that even if you receive a mana imprint, it's possible that the fuel tank won't increase in size. In such cases, one might revert to being a common citizen.

Mana transfer usually relies on mutual agreement, but guards can unilaterally extract mana. Since overloading the fuel tank is considered illegal unless it's an emergency, it wasn't allowed unless urgent. Honestly, even if it's illegal, it seems that guards targeting higher-rank individuals could result in fines or something similar.

I also reviewed Protection Awakening.

[Protection Awakening is intended to prevent mana leakage and is engraved in the same place as mana imprints.]

Even without mana imprints, the back of the neck is a vulnerability, and monsters or awakened individuals with special abilities could steal mana. To minimize mana leakage when depleted, guards often engrave protection imprints as a security measure.

There were various types, and it seemed there were effects when combining protection imprints with mana imprints.

[Higher-rank guards sometimes insert reciprocal mana imprints into protection imprints to replenish mana for others.]

If you trust your team, it would be useful in case of emergencies. It's a challenge to have lower-rank fuel tanks nearby while facing higher-ranked monsters. Anyway, it seemed odd that guards didn't have imprints. It might seem suspicious. Should I get an imprint? But I entered this body. Will it still be the same even if I leave the dungeon? Can it be erased?

I briefly looked at other city information. The city is managed by markets and municipal officials, elected by vote once every five years, with reelection allowed, etc. Guards play a crucial role in ensuring the city's security, so they have many privileges and are respected.

And Sigma.

"Most personal information is confidential."

Is it for protection? The only thing that was said was that the original Sigma died five years ago and was relieved by the current Sigma.

What's his real name? It can't be Sung Hyunjae.

‘Well, anyway, I'm not going to see him after today.’

Do I need to think deeply? I've already learned quite a bit about monsters and guards on this side of the city.

I should eat well and rest before leaving.

***

The darkness fell over the city. There were no dazzling lights scattering from the buildings, just solitary streetlights remaining quietly. The once bustling streets were now deserted, and the howls of beasts echoed in the empty streets.

With a swift motion, I drove my sword into the head of a D-rank monster, pressing my foot onto its body, and then pulled it out.

After accumulating the points, I effortlessly jumped over the broken bench. The park was well-maintained.

As the silence descended, the sound of insects, once halted, quietly resurged.

"I wonder if there are other animals too."

Surviving in this environment must be tough for wild animals. I wonder if there are rats or stray cats in the city. They might have been devoured by monsters. Keeping livestock seems impossible.

Having a pet should be a privilege for those in the higher ranks. Bringing a dog or a cat into the shelter is probably a special privilege.

The fountain had stopped working. The moonlight shimmered over the tranquil, stagnant water.

Goldburg Park Fountain. The mission window is here! It flickered as if saying, "Wait, wait. Not yet."

"I'll start when the guest arrives."

Preparations are done. You put on new clothes and neatly stored the precious S-rank equipment in the inventory. Just in case, I still had the pendant.

I walked along the edge of the fountain, opened the package of something resembling a sausage bar, and took a bite. It's a two-day journey to the city of Akates. I'm already feeling sentimental. Oh, there's cheese in it. Tastes good.

"Do you want one?"

There's another one still unopened. I waved the sausage bar toward the man who appeared in the darkness. However, I bought it with my own pocket money.

"Hello, Sir Sigma."

"Hello, C-rank."

"Don't come any closer from there."

He wasn't the only one. Oh, an S-rank. I offered the sausage bar and my cash card. Sigma's hand received them lightly.

"You start with 100 million L."

"The bill that came to me today was 320 million L."

Around 4 billion in Korean won.

"Did you bother to calculate that amount? If you don't have that much money, it's disappointing."

When I said he probably chose the wrong job, he smiled and handed my card to the S-rank person beside him and manipulated something like a machine.

The S-rank looked at me with mild curiosity, their gaze fixed on the coins. They probably wanted to see what I was going to do. Since I'm just a non-threatening C-rank.

"The payment has been processed."

"Thank you. Please handle it with care, I'm already a fragile C-rank."

The cash card returned to my hand. Carefully, I tucked the card into my pocket and took out a coin.

A slightly curious glance was directed at the coin. It seemed they were watching to see what I was going to do. After all, I'm just a non-threatening C-rank.

"This is my gift to you."

With a kind smile, I pressed the center button of the coin. Immediately, I felt a distortion sensation in space. The golden coin also slightly distorted.

"From the bottom of my heart, thank you for purchasing."

But now it's time for us to part.

Roar!

A fierce growl filled with power echoed behind me.