The sight of the Frenchman made Jinyoung’s skin crawl. It wasn’t just his outward appearance, it was the way he carried himself. The vibe he gave off.
At first, Jinyoung didn’t understand. The man didn’t seem physically different in any meaningful way. As far as he could tell, the man who’d been introduced as ‘Henry’ was wearing the same clothes and wore the same shadow of a self-satisfied smile on his face.
But the second he entered the control room and saw him, the hairs of the back of Jinyoung’s neck stood up on end. His entire body stiffened and he could feel the adrenaline in his veins. Each time the man waved his hands or shifted his weight, Jinyoung had to steel himself. Mentally nail his feet to the floor because every instinct he had was screaming to ready himself. To defend himself when the time came. Not if, when.
The effect of the system on human physiology was well-documented even if no one could agree on the extent or degree of its effect. It was common knowledge that increasing your strength didn’t necessarily make you stronger nor did increasing your wisdom make you smarter or wiser. They were numerical representations of your adaptability to the system.
Leveling up didn’t result in a physical change, not directly. Physically demanding classes like fighters and archers naturally led to stronger and/or leaner physiques. But the stats did result in direct changes to how well skills and spells behaved. A rogue with a high agility stat could employ skills faster than their colleagues. A knight with a higher endurance didn’t suddenly have thicker skin, but they could take more hits from spells and monster skills.
But it was the mental strain that players faced that was most cause for concern. Magic-users were faced with mana sickness, a prolonged period of weakness caused by overexerting themselves.
While a long period of rest was the simplest cure for mana sickness, there was no cure for the zerk that fighters were prone to. Berserk, or “zerk” for short, was a mental ailment that most fighter classes were susceptible to. No one was sure how the affliction could take root, but it resulted in players so lost to bloodlust that they would fight anything or anyone in their vicinity.
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Every cadet at the Academy had heard horror stories of players who had been afflicted. Most lived nearly their entire lives in a lucid-state, but every battle brought on the possibility of entering a berserker rage.
The cause was still unknown, but it was common knowledge that certain classes were immune to the sickness. The shield knight for one, the monk for another. Fighters, brawlers, and even some knight classes were all susceptible to the zerk. There was no guarantee that he wasn’t.
Am I losing my mind? Jinyoung thought to himself.
His thoughts were interrupted by a firm grip on his shoulder.
Youngho gave him what he hoped would be interpreted as a reassuring squeeze. The old man’s eyes flicked from Jinyoung to Henry before settling on Hana.
Jinyoung nodded and turned his attention back to the Frenchman and drew in a deep breath. [Scan].
[Player Details]
Name: Henry Pion
Class: Shadow Walker
Level: 61
Curren.t affiliations: Cha Bell Corporation
Clan: formerly of the Blooded Blade
Titles: Arena Champion, Slayer, Last One Standing, Player Killer
***
Henry laughed.
“Madam, these are property of the Cha Bell Corporation,” he said gesturing to the drive and research sample. “And as a duly represented representative of the Cha Bell Corporations I-”
“You can go to hell,” Hana cut in. “Because you’re sure as shit not getting out of here with either of those.”
The girl’s hand drifted down to the hilt of her sword. Based on what he’d seen of her, she was likely to give him the most trouble. The old man was far past his prime and the boy could barely look him in the eye.
He toyed with the idea of taking on the three of them here and now, but the chances of the research sample or the drive itself being damaged was too great. His superiors had been clear about his mission and while he was willing to sacrifice Seunghyo or a hundred others like him, he wouldn’t receive his payment without the drive and sample.
“I’m sure we can work this out,” he said coyly. “There must be some arrangement we can come to.”
From their angle, they couldn’t see the screen of the computer. It blinked and flashed with multiple progress bars appearing, filling, and then disappearing.
It wouldn’t be long now.
Henry smiled. “This is a simple matter, where’s Seunghyo? I’m sure he can explain it to you.”
The girl drew her sword and pointed it at Henry. “Let me explain it to you in terms you’ll understand. Shut up and hand us the drive and the sample.”
The screen blinked and all the windows disappeared, replaced by a single query.
WARNING: Gate overload may result in structural collapse. Confirm?
Henry put his hands together in faux concern before speaking. “Perhaps, we can’t work this out.”
He let his hands fall naturally and brushed his fingers across the screen.
Confirm