This was probably an outcome the system hadn’t wanted. It had brought out a leash called a quest in an attempt to both restrain my abilities and make use of me, the pest, as a beneficial organism contributing to society. It clearly hadn’t expected the social group itself to agree with my actions and let me clear the quest on the spot.
Well then. One should always be careful when making contracts with a demon.
At the very least, it should have used some kind of criterion like good or evil that actually matched the quest title “Doing Good Deeds Will Bring Blessings.” Perhaps it concluded that the standards for good and evil were too ambiguous. Or maybe, since the system itself is a form of collective intelligence, it reflects the spirit of this age, placing more importance on what the majority of society approves of than on concepts of good and evil that change with the times. Or perhaps it’s simply an extremely human tendency: if more than half agree on something, then even if it is evil, people will insist on calling it good.
Besides, this isn’t exactly a society that would feel a strong sense of crisis over private punishment.
Private retaliation is, of course, illegal, and violence is wrong. But for members of society to truly judge it that way, there must first be a deeply rooted belief that when a crime occurs, the perpetrator will be punished fairly and lawfully, regardless of who they are.
But what about society these days? Hasn’t the saying “the rich go free, the poor are guilty” taken deep root?
That guy singled me out and bullied me precisely because, even if he committed school violence, I had no parents who could properly stand up for me. No matter how much I reported the bullying to the school, no committee would ever be convened. His parents took great interest in his school life and grades, spared no money, and always showed up to parent meetings.
If it’s like this even in schools, groups made up of minors, then society at large can only be worse. If you don’t have money, you can’t even raise your voice when you become a victim of a crime. And so people have no choice but to think of private punishment as “justified.”
Because the law doesn’t point toward justice.
Because there is no other way for the weak to punish the strong.
That’s why people can’t help but thrill at an underdog’s revenge. Really, what a convenient society for a demon!
Of course, if I actually killed him, there would be consequences.
But hitting him once or twice would probably be dismissed as “he had it coming”.
I looked at the sparks flickering at my fingertips. Compared to the power I wielded in my previous life, it was nothing.
But making an ordinary person suffer would be effortless, and the idiot standing in front of me knew that too.
Fwoosh!
The mana gathered at my fingertips finally formed flames. The fire burned a vivid blue, like my anger itself.
“H-hii!”
“Hey, shouldn’t we run?”
Even the other students, who weren’t the ones being threatened and had been laughing just moments ago, stepped back at the sight of the flames. If even they reacted like that, there was no way the guy right in front of me was okay.
“I-I-I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”
The way he screamed in desperation stirred up unpleasant memories from my past life. Anyone watching might think I was torturing him.
I simply stared at him in silence for a long moment. Before I realized it, a sour stench filled the air.
“I-I was wrong! I went crazy from insecurity… I just—my grades were so bad that I got anxious!”
“And how does that justify bullying me for three years?”
“I was insane! I’m really, really sorry! I was jealous!”
Sorry, my ass. I frowned.
It stinks.
Not because he’d wet himself. It was the stench coming from his soul.
An apology without a shred of sincerity.
A truly remorseful person wouldn’t give off a smell like this. Then again, someone who mocks and intimidates those weaker than himself from a position of safety was never going to have a decent soul to begin with.
Should I just leave him half-dead?
The system had already judged my actions to be socially appropriate, so there was nothing holding me back. Just as I was about to clench my fist around the flames burning at my fingertips—
“Now, now. Student Jeong Daon!” The inspector, who had been observing the situation until then, finally stepped in. “I understand the situation well enough, but you shouldn’t get too worked up. Alright?” His tone was like that of someone soothing a small child. He continued, “Especially right after awakening, it’s hard to control your power. I know that very well, really. But you do know that once you awaken as a Hunter, using violence against civilians carries enhanced penalties, right?”
…Of course I know. And… I had also expected that if I kept intimidating that student like this, the inspector would step in to restrain me sooner or later.
I glanced sideways at the inspector.
In present-day South Korea, anyone who awakens as a C-rank or higher Hunter must serve 39 months of mandatory duty. Even after completing that service, some remain affiliated with the Hunter Management Agency, taking on roles like that of an examiner. And these examiners have another purpose besides conducting ability tests: monitoring newly awakened Hunters.
Hunters who have just awakened their powers are at an age full of reckless energy and prone to causing incidents. And when you gather children like this in confined spaces across the country to conduct ability tests, accidents are bound to happen. That’s why the Hunter Administration deliberately sends active Hunters to supervise the testing as a preventive measure.
Still, they must never have imagined they’d discover an S-rank Hunter at a school they’d come to with zero expectations.
At best, they probably thought it’d be C-rank. If an S-rank goes berserk, stopping them would be difficult.
For someone speaking so casually, his stiff expression made his tension obvious.
That said, I didn’t intend to escalate things further anyway. In front of the entire student body, the kid had been scared badly enough to wet himself; humiliation well delivered. On top of that, the footage would circulate nationwide for a while, meaning he’d suffer for quite some time. That still didn’t repay the three years of torment he’d inflicted on me, but there was no need to settle that debt here. There would be other opportunities.
Staring down the still-shaking boy, I slowly dispersed the mana gathered at my fingertips.
“Phew…” I heard the inspector let out a sigh of relief. Poor thing.
“Sniff…hic… Mom…!” The boy I’d threatened finally relaxed and started crying. It was utterly disgusting.
Anyway, I’ll deal with that later… Let’s check the results of the experiment.
Retrieving status for user “Jeong Daon”.
Stats are displayed as levels for user convenience, and compatible dungeon and monster grades can also be checked.
Jeong Daon (Normal)
Potential Ability Rating: S-rank
Stamina: LV. 3 (No cap)
Strength: LV. 3 (No cap)
Mana: LV. 12 (No cap)
Overall Level: LV. 6
Recommended Dungeons: E–F rank
They were still pitifully low stats, but considering that my overall level had been 1 just ten-odd minutes ago, the growth was frightening.
True to a system designed to ensure humanity’s survival, it was remarkably helpful. It even seemed friendlier than the system guides I’d seen in my previous life. Maybe because Earth’s humans were already accustomed to game-like mechanics.
Mana aside, stamina and strength are only level 3… barely above an average civilian. Is this the limit of Jeong Daon’s body?
Although my potential had been rated S-rank, that didn’t mean my current stats were S-rank. Potential refers strictly to the upper limit of innate talent. Unfortunately, humans are bound by inborn limits… and most can never escape the frame they were born into, no matter how hard they try. In that sense, even if my current stats were lacking, having S-rank potential meant my growth ceiling was effectively limitless.
Still, considering I’d acted “in accordance with social standards,” the restriction on my stats hadn’t been lifted all that much. Why?
As I stared at the system message window, another message appeared, as if it had been waiting.
Quest: Doing Good Deeds Will Bring Blessings¿
When "Jeong Daon" performs actions aligned with social standards, stat restrictions are lifted. However, the degree of restriction lifted is proportional to the ratio of approval and disapproval among social members.
Seeing that, I twisted my lips into a grin.
Haha, so that’s how you want to play it.
True, it hadn’t specified exactly how the stat restrictions would be lifted. Since I’d deliberately accepted such a vague quest, the system had clearly put up some defenses of its own. In short, while my actions had earned a certain level of social sympathy, the approval wasn’t overwhelming, and there were plenty who disapproved, so the stat restrictions were only loosened a little. If I’d actually hit that guy, there would certainly have been people thinking things like “Violence is still wrong,” “Private punishment isn’t justified,” or “A Hunter attacking a civilian goes too far.”
Looks like I took a hit there. Peaceful living must have dulled my edge. Still, this was well within expectations. And more importantly, those quest details weren’t what really mattered.
“Sir.”
“Huh? O-oh, yes! What is it?”
“Since I’ve been judged S-rank, you’ll handle the registration on your end. That means I can leave now, right? The Hunter Administration will contact me separately later, and a regular inspector doesn’t have the authority to detain me.”
“Huh? W-well, that’s true, but…”
“Then I’ll be going.”
“No, wait a moment!” the inspector called out urgently. “It was an unexpected awakening, so instead of leaving right away, maybe we could talk a bit… I am a senior Hunter, after all. I could give you some advice, and also—”
“No, that won’t be necessary.”
Advice, my ass.
“I have plans with my brother.”
We were supposed to meet briefly before he went to his part-time job, so I needed to leave quickly. The ability test had dragged on far longer than expected, and I was already late.
There was nothing left for me here. To think this suffocating group life was finally over was almost moving.
“Plans with your brother… Couldn’t you postpone it just a little? If he knew you’d become a Hunter, an S-rank Hunter at that—he’d surely be willing to wait—”
“But surely you don’t want to make him wait...” I smiled brightly at the inspector. “...for something as trivial as this.”
If you knew what kind of crisis you’d just avoided, you’d be treating my brother like a hero, so how could I possibly keep that hero waiting?