{Look at those kids outside.}
“Yeah. There were a ton of them.”
{In the process of doing my research, they were born as a byproduct...... failures.}
Right.
This thing had said something like that before, too.
{My goal is to achieve the eternal life and immortality that I was originally promised—what should have been mine. And for that, I need a great deal of research, and research materials.}
“Hm.”
{But unfortunately, I’m a doctor. I’m well-versed in medicine, but...... combat isn’t my specialty. So.}
And.
It wasn’t hard to guess what it was about to say.
“You need combat-types. That’s what you’re saying.”
{People who know this land well...... and it would be even better if they also have force. And besides.}
“Besides?”
Its gaze stabbed into me.
{If they’re the native species of this land...... there couldn’t be anything better.}
“......?”
Native species.
Meaning.
The fact that we’re human is connected to us trying to look good to it.
{Like I said, I’ve conducted a lot of research...... but most of it failed. I did gain something, but I haven’t achieved my goal even once, not a single time, up to now. And...... to be honest, for a while I couldn’t even come up with the next research topic.}
“So?”
{But...... not long ago, I found a new research subject.}
Slick.
The monster’s finger pointed at me.
{The system...... is what they called it.}
“......!”
And.
Hearing that, I couldn’t help but be shocked.
{The native species of this land were, by nature, weak beyond belief. Their civilization seems to have been quite prosperous, though. But...... for some reason, among them there were those who showed power and growth to a degree I couldn’t understand.}
As it happened.
Not long ago, I’d gotten advice about this part.
{After treating the native species, I obtained information as the price. Their power, and their growth...... I learned then that it originates from something even they don’t know, called the system.}
But to think—
{After that, as the price for yet another deal...... I gained the opportunity to research them. And then I became certain. If I dig into that power that protects the native species...... the system, then my objective.......}
That I’d hear this story here.
{—I’ll be able to take one step closer to a perfect lifeform that doesn’t have to fear something like death!}
To think I’d hear it.
I’d never even imagined it.
*****
“You......!”
I had already sat up, my body nearly finished recovering.
Eyes wide, I asked it.
“You know about the system?”
{I don’t know a lot. Like I said, I received a little cooperation as the price for a deal, but I didn’t have many chances like that.}
Cooperation.
It said it had treated other humans, and received payment.
And it said it received things like information as that payment.
“You wouldn’t have said you received cooperation for system research.”
{Hm? Well.......}
Then,
it tilted its head and answered.
{Because the Legion Commander didn’t ask what kind of payment I received.}
“.......”
......That was also true.
It was just that I hadn’t asked, so it hadn’t answered.
‘It said everyone it dealt with returned safely.’
If I think about it,
even the fact that it was revealing this to me now—
I could tell it hadn’t deliberately hidden that from me.
Still.
What was a little unsettling was—
‘The system.’
The reason it had been friendly to us.
It was because of this.
{But unfortunately, the ones who received treatment didn’t return alive and well. My research also slowed down. But.......}
RIIIP.
The corner of the monster’s mouth split grotesquely.
{Hahaha. Looking at your reaction, it seems the Legion Commander is very interested in that part as well.}
“.......”
{Right. Since it seems it’ll take time until your body fully recovers anyway.}
THUD.
The grotesque-looking monster sat down on the crude chair in front of me.
{One thing each.}
“......?”
{How about we exchange information about this system, Legion Commander.}
The situation we’re in right now.
To resolve it, the first thing we have to do is dig into the identity of the system—the only thing that’s helping us.
“......Information exchange.”
Originally, the goal here was just to treat my body.
After healing, I planned to meet humans from other regions and draw out information about the system.
But—
“Not bad.”
*****
“The day the world ended.......”
{So you mean the day a hole was torn in this world.}
“Yeah. That was when the system appeared at the same time.”
One of this thing’s objectives was research into the system.
For that, it wanted to build a friendly relationship with us, the native-species forces.
And.
That objective overlapped with mine, too.
“People who hunted monsters could awaken through the system and gain power.”
The one-thing-each information exchange it proposed.
This was probably also—
an intention to let us experience, in advance,
what effect the friendly relationship we’d build going forward would have.
“After that, if you hunted monsters you could gain experience points and points. We could get stronger through that.}
{Hmmm.}
And so.
I told it what I knew about the system.
{Those are the most basic pieces of information.}
But.
Hearing that, it didn’t look satisfied at all.
{I’ve already obtained that much from those I traded with before. I expected that if it’s the Legion Commander, you would know more.}
Just like it said,
what I’d told it was basic of the basic.
‘Even if it’s an honest thing that doesn’t lie, it’s also the type to be quietly knife-sharp when it comes to deals.’
I had to hold onto the information I had.
“If you want more, shouldn’t you start by telling me what you know first?”
I planned to listen to what it had to say first—
then tell it the next part.
{......Even so, you have to hand over something of value for me to respond to the deal as well.}
“How would you know whether the information you have will mean anything to me?”
{I’m confident.}
Among humans, I’m the kind who knows a lot about the system.
And it said the information it had was obtained through other humans’ “cooperation,” so—
I thought there was a high chance it was something I already knew.
{It seems that a lot of the information you natives obtain about the system comes from experience.}
“Huh? Well, yeah.”
{Then I’m certain you wouldn’t have obtained the information I have.}
But.
It seemed to be thinking a little differently.
{I investigated the system through my own research method.}
“.......”
{You can trust me, Legion Commander. Since the method of obtaining information is different, the results will be very different too.}
......That thing doesn’t lie.
And it was sincere about being confident in its information.
‘Hm, in that case.’
After a brief moment of thought,
I put into words what came to mind the moment I looked at it.
“The system doesn’t lie.”
{......What do you mean?}
“This thing is the type that’s weirdly talkative, and it explains a lot. At first, there were plenty of times I doubted what it said. But...... like you said, I realized through experience. This thing doesn’t lie.”
Even if there are cases where there are exceptions or something like that,
the system basically always speaks only the truth.
As if the very concept of lying doesn’t exist for the system at all.
“Did you know that too?”
{No, I didn’t.}
“Then that’s good.”
For me,
it was just something I thought of because it doesn’t lie.
It was a bit of a waste as information, but it wasn’t information I couldn’t let go.
{Ah...... the Legion Commander is right.}
“......?”
{Truly, that’s a good thing. It doesn’t lie, huh.}
But.......
What did it feel from my words?
{That is, how should I put it.}
RIIIP.
The corners of its mouth split wide in a bright grin.
{It sounds incredibly...... ideal.}
From it,
a level of “the taste of joy” I’d never seen before was overflowing.
{Ah...... truly. I heard excellent information. To the point I feel certain that deciding to form a good relationship with the Legion was a truly splendid choice.}
“......Now it’s your turn.”
{Mm, yes. I know. Since the Legion Commander gave me precious information...... it’s only right that I also give you information I was saving.}
For me it was information that fell into the “not much” category.
But it was so happy I almost wondered if it made sense to be that happy over this.
{You said you can grow stronger by hunting monsters.}
“Yeah. There are different methods depending on the job, but for everyone, the only way they can grow through the system is that method.”
{No, that’s something the Legion Commander doesn’t know.}
“Huh?”
And since that information was extremely valuable to it,
just as it had been confident—
{According to what I found through my research. The native species’ power...... what influences the system isn’t only killing other life.}
It looked like it was about to tell me something even I didn’t know.
“What does that mean? Are you talking about getting experience points by doing job-related actions?”
{No, it’s not that. However...... I understand why the Legion Commander didn’t notice.}
To think there was a method of growth even I didn’t know.
It was too out of the blue for me, but—
{Because it isn’t a factor that directly increases an awakened person’s martial force.}
“What?”
{That’s why it seems awakened people didn’t notice...... heh heh. But you can’t fool me.}
With confidence, it continued.
‘What the hell.’
If it doesn’t increase an awakened person’s martial force,
then it isn’t growth.
I had no idea what it was trying to say.
{Not the awakened person...... the system.}
“Huh?”
{That existence that gives power to the awakened.}
At the words that followed,
I couldn’t help but stare with my eyes wide open.
{There exists a factor that strengthens the system itself.}
“What is that—”
That system has given power to us awakened ever since the day the world ended.
So some awakened people thought it might be something with infinite power, but—
‘The system...... can get stronger?’
If what it said was true,
then the system’s power, just like us awakened—
meant it was gradually growing.
{This is something I discovered through my research, so I’m certain. And the power of that thing called the system is.}
It extended a finger.
That finger bent at a right angle, pointing downward.
{It’s being influenced by the land.}
“......The land?”
{I don’t know the exact reason either. But the system’s power is originating from this land. And.}
RIIIP.
It formed a grotesque smile.
{The wider the land placed under the system’s influence becomes, the stronger that power seems to get.}
“.......”
Blankly, mouth hanging open, I thought.
‘Influenced by the land.’
At those words,
two things came to mind first.
The first was—
‘The [Green Mane].’
That [Borjin].......
The [Green Mane]’s spirit arts.
‘Those guys mainly contracted with earth spirits.’
And.
The wider the land placed under their influence became, the stronger the earth spirit’s power became.
And as the earth spirit grew stronger, it would grant blessings to the entire tribe, strengthening the species itself—
that’s what I’d been told.
If I go by what Borjin said, the earth spirit was supposedly some messenger of the prairie god they served, or something like that.
The [Green Mane] took conquest wars unusually seriously compared to other monsters.
That was exactly why.
And.......
The second was—
[World Event - Conquest War is in progress.]
[Affiliated Region - Major Region ROK]
[Steel Legion (6%)]
“......Conquest war.”
What every awakened sees the instant they first awaken.
The system’s...... one and only indicator and command.
Now changed so that it applies to the entirety of the Republic of Korea.
It was this conquest war.
‘The system told us to carry out this conquest war.’
And.
Hearing the doctor, I felt a chill run through me.
That conquest war—
at first, I didn’t know why it was making us do something like that.
I didn’t know what would change by carrying it out, either.
But now it wasn’t like that.
The reason it made us do the conquest war was one thing.
‘To increase the system’s own power.......’
Just like the [Green Mane] expanded territory to increase the spirits’ power,
it was to increase the system’s own power.
{It seems the Legion Commander also has something in mind.}
As I sat there with my mouth open in shock at that fact,
the “doctor” looked at me and spoke in a voice full of interest.
{What on earth is that thing’s true identity...... to be influenced by the land like that?}
The system is—
an existence whose power changes according to this land’s conquest map.
I still didn’t really know.
But it felt like I’d gotten even a little closer...... to the system’s identity that had been hidden behind a veil.
