"Are there many monsters outside the wall?"
I praised and admired the guard for working in such a remote place while throwing questions.
"Of course, there are. We have to deal with monsters that either originate inside the city or cross the defense wall. Occasionally, monster by-products, especially when there's a shortage of meat, may venture out for hunting."
Meat... Wait a moment. Could it be that the meat in sandwiches and restaurant dishes was monster meat? In our neighborhood, we treated edible monster meat as a special ingredient, but here, it seemed like the primary food source might be monster meat.
"Is the city mostly sustained by monster meat?"
Outside, it's a wasteland, and although the city is large, I haven't seen any farms on the way here. Raising livestock for meat requires vast land, and the consumption of feed for their diet is significant. If monsters grow naturally and provide meat, it could reduce a substantial portion of the facilities needed to sustain the city.
"Sandwiches seemed lacking in vegetables compared to the quality of the meat."
Fresh vegetables are expensive due to the scarcity of farmland. Monster meat is cheap, and if the energy is obtained from mana stones or similar sources, the power facilities might be relatively small.
In essence, this city could be a small, self-sufficient nation.
"Eventually, going to another city is like going to another country."
Looking at the appearance, it seems there won't be frequent interactions. The world is made up of several city-states. Sollemnise here seems relatively peaceful, but I have no idea how it would be in Akates City where Yoohyun is.
"Your weapons look impressive! Do they operate with magic?"
I asked while looking at a weapon resembling a large crossbow. The guard nodded, mentioning that it could deal damage up to S-rank monsters with a direct hit.
"Wow. Do S-rank monsters appear frequently here?"
"Not very often. Usually, it's B to A-rank."
"What about C-rank and below?"
"C-rank and below, at night, they get preyed upon by B-rank and above monsters. They vanish when the sun rises, so it's quite rare to see them."
Vanish at sunrise? I almost asked if they were burned. It seems that C-rank and below monsters can't withstand sunlight. Knowing that fact, I thought it might be better to consider only B-rank and above as guards. If there are no C-rank or below monsters, or something similar, using them for mana recharge might be more efficient... Well, it still feels bad.
"At least treat us the same. What's with the fuel can designation?"
Beyond that, I inquired about the specifics of the defense wall, asking whether it's a simple wall, if there are devices to counter monsters climbing, and if there are hidden traps like pitfalls below the wall. The kind guard explained everything in detail, and I was grateful.
"It's impressive. Oh, by any chance, do you know about Akates City? I heard it's relatively close from here."
"Next to Lanchaea, it's the closest. Even so, it's a two-day journey by car. We don't get much news from other cities, but I've heard that the treatment of guards in Akates City is not that great."
"Really? Is it different from here?"
"Every city has its own way. I've heard rumors that the Muse in Medesang City is revered like a deity."
Muse in Medesang City, huh? But more importantly, if Yoohyun is in Akates City, I hope they treat him well. If I see my younger brother getting into trouble, I'll really turn things upside down.
"Yerim and Noah, I'm worried about them too. I need 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 defense wall tour, a B-rank guard personally drove the car and took me back inside the city. Everyone was so kind that I felt apologetic.
Next, I headed to none other than the Sollemnise Historical Records Center. As I entered the archive building, I saw a group of children on a tour gathered in the lobby. They were around the age of preschoolers, judging by Korean standards.
"Hey! Are you the C-rank guard uncle from TV? Right?"
A girl shouted, and a boy followed by clapping his hands.
"Yeah! The one with black hair, black eyes, and red ears!"
It's true. They swarmed around me, even though I had only been mentioned on TV and didn't directly appear. Is this the Sigma effect?
"Kids, don't do that."
"Listen to teacher."
The chaperones stopped the children. Interestingly, two out of three were awakened individuals, and one was a B-rank. Looking at the mana size, the D-rank was a fuel tank. Are they assigned guards to protect the children? Perhaps, to survive the night if there are still unprocessed monsters?
'If C-rank and below can survive by avoiding sunlight.'
So they've strengthened the building's doors and windows at night. Curious eyes full of energy twinkled everywhere. Despite being ordinary children on an outing, there was no sign of fear or unease. Their round and chubby cheeks were full of life.
In a world that has already perished.
Even if I think of it as mere 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 might have avoided destruction for a long time.
"Anyway, it's not real."
I don't need to worry about it. Even though I consider this fake world I'll soon leave, the smiling faces of the kids still touched my heart.
...Games are probably better behind a monitor. Virtual reality could potentially lead to a mass occurrence of mental issues.
"Ahjussi, have you really seen Sigma?"
A child tugged at my clothes, asking. Other kids seemed curious too.
"Of course! The first meeting is still vivid. Sigma approached me first, worried about me walking alone at this hour, saying it's dangerous. And then, he even brushed off the dust on my sleeves."
That's how we first met, amidst the sticky mixture of rewards, shopping, and fluttering bills.
"I've never seen him!"
"Me neither!"
"He usually comes out at night. It's time for good babies to sleep."
"I'm not a baby, I'm seven years old now."
"Yeah, I'm seven, so I don't sleep early. My younger sibling is a baby, so they sleep a lot."
Babies are really cute, and their hands are so small and fascinating. Especially their hands, which move and grasp despite being so tiny. How did they become bigger than my hands? I miss Yoohyun.
Listening to the lively chatter, it seemed Sigma rarely revealed his appearance. He mentioned appearing on TV was a long time ago. Shelters provided individual rooms for each family, but they found it lonely and cramped, roughly the size of a bed, they said.
Without asking, the kids enthusiastically shared details of their lives. Except for being confined to the shelter during the long nights, it seemed surprisingly abundant.
"Goodbye, ahjussi!"
"Goodbye!"
After parting ways with the kids, 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, a bit distorted but mostly square. To the east of the city, farmlands took up a considerable amount of space.
'Sollemnise City. It's the 27th year, I think.'
I strolled slowly, exploring the exhibits. In the center of the spacious exhibition area stood a large model. In a hollowed-out ground, a giant blue sphere took its place, emitting a twinkling light.
[Mana pool]
When I touched the touchscreen in front of the model, explanations began to flow.
"The Mana pool was first discovered 31 years ago. It started when ferocious beasts, later known as monsters, began to appear. Two years later, the first Mana pool appeared near the old Insidema border."
Data photos appeared on the screen. Initially, handling monsters rated D or below was manageable with armed forces. However, as their numbers increased, a crisis emerged.
"A-rank and below Awakened individuals began to appear. Although they easily hunted monsters, they frequently fell into a state of mana deficiency."
The voice explained that Awakened individuals here had very low inherent mana recovery. Even for high-rank Awakened individuals, their recovery wasn't much different from lower-rank ones.
'At that level, there's almost no inherent recovery, right?'
In our town, once the mana stat reaches S-rank, you can conquer dungeons up to A-rank without using mana potions much if you're not wasteful with skills. But here, mana stats seemed unrelated to mana and energy.
'...I wonder if other people know about this.'
Kids might not realize and keep using mana recklessly as usual, running into 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 simultaneously, 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 Halls 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 aptitude, and the remaining half is chosen by lottery."
Especially during the 'Special Rite' conducted for outstanding potential Awakened individuals, it was said that SS-ranked Awakened individuals could be born from the beginning.
'The Special Rite is probably applicable once or twice a year. A basic S-rank Awakened individual is born.'
I wonder if Alpha is a case of this. It would be challenging to grow into 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 item about Awakenings.
[Mana Awakening]
[Protection Awakening]
First, I checked Mana Awakening.
[Pure mana, not converted into energy, cannot be stored in inanimate objects. Currently, there is no way to personally carry mana, except for rare mana potions that come as a reward from the system.
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 were the target, but no matter how well-tamed, they tended to panic and flee in front of higher-ranked monsters. Moreover, it was challenging to carry unconscious animals like pack animals. Ordinary animals, unlike awakened humans, had low mana storage capacity, resulting in low efficiency.
[Therefore, mana imprints began to be applied to C-rank and below awakened individuals who found it challenging to serve as guards. Although the mana flow paths in the human body are diverse, the spine is the largest and main route.]
An image of a spine appeared, with a glowing area concentrated in the back of the neck.
[When an imprint is engraved in a part where mana extraction is easy, the fuel tank can transmit one's mana to nearby awakened individuals. This mana imprint can be set for public, team, or personal use.]
It was mentioned that even if you receive a mana imprint, the fuel tank might not increase in size. In such cases, one could return to being an ordinary citizen.
Mana transmission is generally based on mutual agreement, but guards could unilaterally extract mana. Since over burdening the fuel tank is considered illegal unless it's an emergency, it was not allowed unless urgent. Honestly, even if it's illegal, it seems like guards targeting higher-ranked individuals might result in fines or something similar.
I also checked the Protection Awakening.
[Protection Awakening is intended to prevent mana leakage and is engraved in the same location as mana imprints.]
Even without mana imprints, the back of the neck is a vulnerability, and monsters or awakened individuals with special skills could steal mana. To minimize mana leakage when mana runs out, guards typically engraved protection imprints as a safety measure.
There were various types, and it seemed that there were effects of combining protection imprints with mana imprints.
[Higher-ranked guards sometimes insert reciprocal mana imprints into protection imprints to replenish each other's mana.]
If you trust your team, it would be useful in emergencies. It's challenging to have lower-ranked fuel tanks nearby while facing higher-ranked monsters. Anyway, it seemed rare for guards not to have any imprints. I might look suspicious. Should I get an imprint? But I entered this body. Will it stay the same even if I leave the dungeon? Can it be erased?
I glanced over other city information roughly. The city is managed by markets and city officials, elected by votes once every five years, with one re-election allowed, etc. Guards play a crucial role in ensuring the city's safety, so they have many privileges and are respected.
And Sigma.
'Most of the personal information is confidential.'
Probably for protection. The original Sigma died five years ago, and the current Sigma took over. There was not much information beyond that. What's his real name? It can't be Sunh hyunjae. Well, I won't see anyone after today anyway.
'Do I need to think deeply? I've learned enough about monsters and guards on this side of town.'
I should eat well and rest before leaving.
---
Darkness fell over the city. There were no dazzling lights scattering from buildings, just lonely streetlights standing silently. The once bustling streets were now deserted, and the howls of beasts echoed through the empty streets.
With a swift motion, I thrust my sword into the head of a D-rank monster, pressing my foot on its body, and then pulled it out. After collecting the points, I effortlessly jumped over the broken bench. The park was well maintained. As the silence descended, the sound of insects, once paused, quietly resurfaced.
'Are there other animals around?'
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 eaten by monsters. Keeping livestock seems impossible. Having a pet should be a privilege for those on the upper levels. Bringing a dog or cat into the shelter is probably a special privilege.
The fountain was not working. Moonlight shimmered over the stagnant water.
Goldburg Park Fountain. Quest window is right here! It twinkled as if saying, "Wait, wait. Not yet."
'I'll start when the guest arrives.'
Preparations are all done. Changed into new clothes and stored precious S-rank equipment neatly in the inventory. Just in case, I still had the earring.
I walked along the edge of the fountain, opening the packaging of something resembling a sausage bar and taking a bite. It's a two-day drive to Akates City. I'm already feeling sentimental. Oh, there's cheese in it. Tastes good.
"Want one?"
There's another one still unopened. I shook the sausage bar towards the man who appeared in the darkness. I bought it with my own pocket money, though.
"Hello, Mr. Sigma."
"Hello, C-rank."
"Don't approach me there."
He wasn't alone. Oh, an S-rank. I offered the sausage bar and my cash card. Sigma's hand lightly received them.
"Start with 100 million L."
"The bill that came in front of me today was 320 million L."
About 4 billion in Korean won.
"Did you bother to calculate that amount? If you don't have that much money, it's disappointing."
It seems I chose the wrong job position. He smiled at my words, handed my card to the S-rank standing next to him, and manipulated something like a machine. The S-rank looked at me with a faint curiosity, his gaze fixed on the coins. He probably wanted to see what I was going to do. Since I'm just a C-rank, there's no threat.
"This is my gift to you."
"It has been processed."
"Thank you. Please gently throw it since you're a fragile C-rank."
The cash card returned to my hand. I carefully placed the card in my pocket and took out a coin. A lightly curious gaze was directed at the coin. It seemed like they were observing 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 middle button on the coin. Immediately, I felt a sensation of distortion in space. The golden coin is also slightly distorted.
"Sincerely, thank you for the shopping."
But now is the time for us to part ways.
- Roar.
A fierce growl filled with power echoed behind me.
---