The system issues a warning.
Appearance conditions have not been met.
“Appearance conditions, my ass. If I really put my mind to it, that’s nothing. Have you ever seen a demon follow the rules?”
Crunch! In a single motion, I tore off the chain wrapped around my neck.
“Think carefully. If you’re truly prepared to fight me…”
The system is considering the proposal of the “Destroyer of Worlds”.
“…Hmph.”
You should’ve come around sooner.
I tossed the shattered chains away into the infinite void.
…I should probably tone down the bluffing.
The skin on my fingers, where I’d ripped the chains apart with my bare hands, had melted away, leaving nothing behind. No matter that I was a demon, within the rift of this dimension the system had summoned me into, I was clearly at a disadvantage. It was true that I hadn’t met the appearance conditions required to fully manifest as a demon.
Even invaders have minimum conditions they must adhere to.
Of course, if I truly intended to settle things here and now, that would be another story, but my goal was to reach a compromise where the system would accept me.
That damn brother of mine. I should make him buy me beef later.
The system is considering the proposal of “Destroyer of Worlds”.
This process will take some time.
Deriving a conclusion.
Judging by how seriously the system was taking this, my show of force must have worked pretty well.
By the way…
“Hey… could you stop calling me ‘Destroyer of Worlds’? It’s seriously cringe.”
My hands and feet felt like they were curling up from embarrassment. A title I’d once accepted without a second thought in my past life now felt so humiliating that it made me want to kick my blanket off in my sleep.
“Just call me Jeong Daon. That’s my name now.”
The system agrees with your statement.
The system recognizes you as “Jeong Daon”.
A conclusion has been reached.
Taking into account your potential for rehabilitation, the system will manage “Jeong Daon” by assigning quests.
"Oh."
It actually worked. I’d expected some progress after flexing a little, but I hadn’t thought it’d reach a conclusion this quickly.
For a bunch of idiots, they’re oddly competent.
“A quest, huh. Let’s hear it.”
Since the system had shown a willingness to compromise, I was genuinely prepared to consider its proposal…right up until the quest details appeared.
The system does not acknowledge synchronization between the abilities of “Jeong Daon” and the “Destroyer of Worlds”.
“Jeong Daon”’s abilities will be restricted.
“Hm.” I glanced at the chains still bound around my limbs.
That part, fine. I’d expected it. No ruler would willingly hand weapons to a destroyer with a proven track record. Honestly, if I were to regain all my original power right now, even the S-rank Hunters this Earth’s system recognizes would be no better than dead seaweed drifting on the ocean’s surface.
But the next condition was the real problem.
If “Jeong Daon” engages in behavior that meets social standards, restrictions will be applied to “Jeong Daon”.
If “Jeong Daon” engages in behavior that does not meet social standards, the system reserves the right to take “Jeong Daon”’s life.
I shouted immediately, “Are you insane?! You dare talk about taking my life?”
From its perspective, I might look like a pest that suddenly appeared in its carefully tended garden. But even pests have their limits.
I’m offering to become a beneficial organism of my own accord. And “Jeong Daon” is an ordinary human. For the system to directly erase such an existence would be an act that directly contradicts its own purpose.
“I’m willing to live as a petty creature that hasn’t accumulated any evil karma, and you dare bring me a proposal like this? If I were going to accept a quest like this, I might as well start piling up evil karma right now. What, do you want to try me?”
The system states that it is willing to compromise.
…Still, the fact that this blockhead even brought a quest like this to the table was a huge step forward. If I truly intended to live as an ordinary person for my blood relative’s sake, then I’d have to compromise to some extent as well.
Let’s think this through. If you set aside the part about taking my life, the conditions the system proposed weren’t entirely bad.
Behavior that does not meet social standards…
A phrase full of room for debate; far from absolute. That ambiguity, in fact, was exactly what I liked about it.
Social standards, huh…
Typical of a collective intelligence made by foolish humans. It brought something quite interesting to the table. After all, demons thrive on exploiting loopholes like these.
Of course, I couldn’t let that show, so I changed the subject. “If I accept this ridiculous quest, then you’ll be gaining one of the most capable guard dogs in all dimensions, one that will protect your world. In that case, shouldn’t the human side offer me some convenience in return?”
?
“If you’re planning to punish me when I violate the standards, then conversely, when I act in ways the majority of society approves of, you should reward me.”
The system expresses confusion.
“When the majority of humans agree… Meaning, actions that benefit humans, right? In that case, loosen my ability restrictions. If you want me to help humans hunt monsters, fully restricting my abilities only hurts you.”
It was a reasonable argument. After all, now that I’d already been evaluated as having S-rank potential in the Supernatural Test, I was obligated to engage in Hunter activities. If the system restricted my abilities, it would obviously interfere severely with that duty.
I have no desire to die at the hands of monsters I once crushed underfoot.
The system agrees to the agreement.
“Good. At least you’re not completely stupid.”
A new quest has been generated for the user “Jeong Daon”.
Doing Good Deeds Will Bring Blessings¿
“…Huh?”
A quest with a nonsensical title appeared before me. And what was with that upside-down question mark?
Doing good deeds brings blessings. In this vulgar society, where capitalism is so developed that even human lives are reduced to monetary value, that saying is practically obsolete…
Then again, my brother still believes in it.
It’s something ordinary people, those without money or power, have no choice but to believe. Because without it, they’d have no way to comfort themselves.
Retrieving status for user “Jeong Daon”.
Jeong Daon (Normal)
Quest in progress (details available)
Potential Ability Rating: S-rank
Stamina: LV. 1 (No cap)
Strength: LV. 1 (No cap)
Mana: LV. 1 (No cap)
Overall Level: LV. 1
These values were completely different from the ones displayed when the system evaluated me under the title of “Destroyer of Worlds”. Of course, for an untrained third-year high school student, these stats were perfectly normal.
When the user engages in behavior that meets social standards, the user’s ability restrictions will be lifted in stages.
However, if the user engages in behavior that does not meet social standards, the user’s ability restrictions will be further strengthened.
Seeing the system message, I pulled the corner of my lips into a grin. “Whatever. The quest name doesn’t matter.”
If you ignore the title, the contents were exactly to my liking. Of course, it would’ve been best if I’d never come into contact with the system at all. But since things had turned out this way, I steeled myself. My original plan had been to struggle through medical school, become a doctor, succeed, and support my family. But becoming an S-rank Hunter would probably make even more money, so this might actually be better.
I didn’t like the idea of personally stepping up for the sake of this world’s stupid humans, but once you’re born as a person, you can’t live doing only what you want.
“Then we have a deal.”
“Jeong Daon”’s isolation has been lifted.
Time begins to flow again.
Just like when I’d been dragged into the dimensional rift by the system, the surroundings abruptly reappeared. The students were still buzzing over my S-rank evaluation, completely unaware of what had just happened beside them.
The gazes pouring down on me were painful in more ways than one, and not all of them were pure amazement.
Envy. Jealousy. Shock. Crude curiosity.
I heard the guy who’d picked a fight with me in the classroom earlier mutter under his breath, “Ah, damn. Lucky bastard… that orphan.” He’d already been furious after messing up the college entrance exam, and seeing someone he considered a rival get an S-rank judgment must’ve snapped something in him. Nineteen—an age overflowing with self-consciousness and an inability to process inferiority.
As a demon who’d once lived a long life, maybe I should’ve brushed off such verbal sins as trivial. But patience is nothing but a vice for a demon.
“Hey.” I pointed directly at the student with my middle finger.
“Uh, what?” The guy’s eyes widened in shock when I singled him out.
I’d spent three years keeping my head down, so he must’ve assumed I was a weakling who wouldn’t even think of talking back. Throwing away my workbooks. Scribbling on my desk. Adding me to open chat rooms just to mock me for being poor. Posting pictures of my worn-out bag on social media to laugh at me. It wasn’t like I had parents who’d step in, and against this body, a scrawny girl, he also had the physical advantage. I must’ve looked incredibly easy to trample. He probably never imagined that someone he could step on so easily would curse at him openly.
“Hey, hey. I think Jeong Daon’s lost it.”
“Look at how she’s changed just because she got S-rank.”
“Are you filming this?”
Even the classmates who didn’t directly participate—who worried about their student records but still stood by, occasionally using me as a stress-relief punching bag—chimed in.
Disgusting bastards. Why are humans like this in every world?
Faced with this all-too-familiar misery, I curled my lips into a smile. “You’d better not wander around at night, you bastard.”
“Wh-what?”
I lightly circulated the mana within my body. I hadn’t used it once since being reborn, but once the engine started, the power obeyed its owner smoothly.
Whoosh! A sharp wind began to whirl through the dust-filled auditorium. A classic bit of staging, but classics work because they’re effective.
The guy standing in front of me turned pale. Given how often the news showed rampaging trainee Hunters, it wasn’t strange that he sensed signs of mana overflow in me. And even ordinary people could feel the suffocating density of mana concentrated around me in this auditorium.
“Th-this is illegal! You can’t threaten civilians!”
“It’d be illegal if I actually killed you.”
The system reminds “Jeong Daon” of the quest.
“Jeong Daon” cannot engage in unethical behavior that does not meet social standards.
Yeah, I know, you revolting collective intelligence of humans.
Mana surged through my body and gathered at my fingertips at my will. Blue flames sparked like electricity at the tips of my fingers. Crackle!
“But you called me an orphan. For three years straight.”
If I’d been an ordinary person, those words would’ve hurt deeply.
“And if we start counting the harassment, there’d be no end to it. You were the ringleader, weren’t you?”
Even if, in truth, I’d only ignored it because it was bothersome. And even now, honestly, I had no real intention of killing such a trivial creature.
Still, experiments are best done early.
I deliberately trailed off and scanned the expressions of the students around us.
“Wouldn’t it be natural for me to be furious in a situation like this?”
These foolish children were still a group that made up part of society.
“And normally, wouldn’t people think you deserved to get hit for this?”
He was a school bully. The fact that, in this Confucian society especially, insulting someone’s parents is taken as a grave offense. And the moment I took a step toward the one who’d humiliated me—
The system entrusts the judgment of “Jeong Daon”’s behavior suitability to members of society.
Deriving results…
“Eek!”
Crushed by killing intent, the student staggered back, his legs giving out as he collapsed to the floor. And then—
A majority of social members judge “Jeong Daon”’s actions to be appropriate.
“Jeong Daon”’s ability restrictions have been lifted. Please check the status window.
At that system message, I burst out laughing.
Haha. Just as I thought. Modern society really is… a place full of cracks for demons to slip into.