You Will Be Blessed If You Do Good Deeds¿ - Chapter 3

"The system issues a warning."

"-Emergence conditions are unmet."
âEmergence conditions? Those are nothing if I decide theyâre nothing. Have you ever seen a demon follow the rules?â
Crack!

With a single motion, I tore the chains from my neck.
âThink carefully. If youâre really planning to fight meâ¦â
"-The system is considering the âDestroyer of Worldsâ proposal."

âHmph.â
Finally, some sense.
I threw the broken chains into the infinite void around me.

ââ¦I really should stop bluffing so much.â
The skin on my fingers, which had torn off the chains, was gone. Even as a demon, the dimensional rift the system had dragged me into wasnât in my favor. Truthfully, I couldnât manifest fully as a demon hereâI hadnât met the emergence conditions, after all.
It seems even invaders have minimum standards to follow.

Of course, if I wanted to end things here and now, I could. But my goal was to negotiate and convince this system to accept me.
Damn sibling. Theyâd better buy me some steak after this.
"-The system is considering the âDestroyer of Worldsâ proposal.
This will take some time."

"-A conclusion is being drawn."
It seems my show of strength had worked better than expected. The system was seriously weighing my proposal.
In the meantimeâ¦

âHey, can we drop this whole âDestroyer of Worldsâ nonsense? Itâs cringe-worthy.â
I couldnât help but cringe myself.
Titles that I had casually shrugged off in my past life now felt unbearably embarrassing. Hearing them now made me want to kick off my blanket in the middle of the night.
âJust call me Jung Da-on. Thatâs my name now.â

"-The system agrees with your request."
"-The system now recognizes you as âJung Da-onâ."
"-A conclusion has been reached."
"-The system will grant quests to âJung Da-onâ to manage and monitor their rehabilitation."
âOh?â

It actually worked.
Sure, Iâd used a bit of force to speed things up, but I didnât expect the system to reach a conclusion so quickly.
Not bad for a bunch of blockheads.

âQuests, huh? Letâs hear it.â
Since the system seemed willing to compromise, I decided to genuinely consider its offer.
That was until the details came up.

"-The system does not allow synchronization of abilities between âJung Da-onâ and the âDestroyer of Worldsâ."
"-âJung Da-onâs abilities will remain restricted."
âHm.â
I glanced at the remaining chains on my limbs.

Fair enough. Iâd anticipated this. No ruler would hand a weapon to a proven destroyer.
If I regained my full power, even this planetâs S-rank hunters would be nothing more than floating seaweed before me.
But then came the real issue.

"-If âJung Da-onâ performs actions in line with societal standards, restrictions will remain."
"-If âJung Da-onâ violates societal standards, the system reserves the right to terminate their existence."

I immediately shouted.
âAre you insane? You dare talk about my life like that?â

To the system, I might be an invasive pest in its carefully tended garden. But I was no ordinary pest.
I was offering to be a beneficial one, like a pollinator.
Besides, âJung Da-onâ was just a regular human. For the system to take direct action against me was a blatant violation of its purpose.

âIâm offering to live quietly as an insignificant being, and you propose this? If I were going to accept such a deal, I might as well start racking up evil deeds. Shall we see how that plays out?â
"-The system expresses willingness to negotiate further."
... Still, the fact that this stubborn idiot even proposed a quest was a step forward.

If I truly intended to live as a regular human for my siblingâs sake, then some compromise might be necessary.
Let me think.
The conditions, minus the life-termination clause, werenât entirely terrible.

âSocietal standards⦠huh.â
A vague and disputable phrase.
It was that vagueness, with room for interpretation, that I liked most.

âBy agreeing to this petty quest, Iâd become one of the most capable watchdogs in existence, protecting your precious world. Shouldnât humanity show me some courtesy in return?â
"-?"
âIf youâre so keen on punishing me for violations, then shouldnât you reward me for adhering to societal standards? You know, like lifting my ability restrictions when I contribute to humanity?â

"-The system expresses doubt."
âContributing to humanity means acting in their interest, right? So if I do that, release my restrictions. After all, youâre supposed to help humans hunt monsters. Keeping me handicapped only hurts your side.â
It was a logical argument.

As someone already deemed S-rank by the systemâs ability assessment, Iâd be required to participate in hunter activities.
If the system restricted me, Iâd be a liability, not an asset. And frankly, I wasnât keen on dying to monsters I once couldâve crushed beneath my feet.
"-The system agrees to the terms of the agreement."

âWell, at least you have some intelligence.â
"-A new quest has been created for âJung Da-onâ."
"-Do good deeds, and you will be rewarded¿"
â...What?â

The quest title appeared ridiculous. And what was with that upside-down question mark?
âDo good deeds, and you will be rewarded.â A phrase so outdated it felt like a relic. In this hyper-capitalistic society, where even human life was reduced to monetary value, it was laughable.
âThough my sibling does believe in this nonsense.â

For the powerless, words like that are all they have for comfort.
"-Querying abilities for âJung Da-onâ."
"-Status: Normal"
"-Quest in progress (details available)"
"-Potential ability grade: S-rank"
"-Strength: LV. 1 (no cap)"
"-Endurance: LV. 1 (no cap)"
"-Mana: LV. 1 (no cap)"
"-Overall level: LV. 1"
The stats displayed now were vastly different from when the system had assessed me as the Destroyer of Worlds. For an untrained high school senior, they were perfectly normal.

"-When societal standards are met, ability restrictions will gradually lift."
"-When societal standards are violated, restrictions will tighten."
Looking at the system message, I couldnât help but smirk.
âThe quest title doesnât matter.â

Honestly, I liked the conditionsâexcept for the quest name, of course.

If Iâd never interacted with the system, that wouldâve been ideal. But given the situation, I resolved to make the most of it.
My original plan was to struggle through medical school, become a doctor, and support my sibling. But if I could make more money as an S-rank hunter, so be it.

I hated the idea of working for the benefit of these stupid humans, but as long as I lived as one, I couldnât avoid compromise.
âFine. Itâs a deal.â
"-The isolation of âJung Da-onâ is lifted."
"-Time resumes."

Just like when Iâd been dragged into the dimensional rift, the scenery around me returned.
The students, oblivious to what had just occurred, were still buzzing about my S-rank assessment.
The attention was suffocating. And it wasnât just amazement in their gazes.

Jealousy, resentment, astonishment, and vulgar curiosity.
âDamn, what stupid luck⦠that orphan.â
Among them, I caught the mutterings of the same guy whoâd picked a fight with me earlier in class.

âHey.â
I pointed directly at him with my middle finger.
âHuh? Wh-what?â

His eyes widened in shock.
Heâd assumed I was a quiet pushoverâsomeone too timid to retaliate.
How predictable.

âBetter watch your step at night, you little punk.â
âWhat, what?â
I circulated mana through my body. It responded obediently, like a long-lost friend.

Whoosh!
The dusty gymnasium air began to swirl around me.
A classic display of powerâold-fashioned, but always effective.

The guyâs face turned pale. Anyone familiar with the news would recognize the signs of a hunter on the verge of losing control.
The concentrated mana density alone would be enough to suffocate ordinary people.
âTh-threatening an ordinary person is illegal!â

âIt would be illegal if I actually killed you.â
"-The system reminds âJung Da-onâ of their quest."
"-âJung Da-onâ cannot engage in unethical actions that violate societal standards."
Yeah, yeah. I get it, you collective intelligence freak.

Crackle!
Mana surged through my body, condensing at my fingertips. Sparks of blue flame danced from my nails.
âBut you called me an orphan. For three years, no less.â

Had I been a regular person, that wouldâve hurt deeply.
âYou were the ringleader of all the bullying, werenât you?â
Even if Iâd ignored it out of laziness, it was time to run an experiment.

âIf Iâm angry enough to blow my top, isnât that perfectly reasonable?â
I intentionally scanned the faces of the other students, taking in their expressions.
âAnd wouldnât most people agree that, in this situation, youâd deserve a good beating?â

The moment I stepped closer to the guy, the system responded.
"-The system defers judgment to societal consensus."
"-Assessing..."
âEep!â

The student, overwhelmed by the murderous aura, stumbled backward and collapsed.
"-The majority of societal members find âJung Da-onâs actions acceptable."
"-Ability restrictions lifted. Check your status window."
When I saw the system message, I couldnât help but burst into laughter.

Ha! See?
Modern society really is a playground for demons.