You Will Be Blessed If You Do Good Deeds¿ - Chapter 4

The system surely hadnât expected this outcome.

It had intended to leash me with a quest, restricting my abilities and repurposing meâa pestâas a beneficial insect contributing to society. But who would have thought the same society would condone my actions, allowing me to succeed in the quest?
Thatâs why contracts with demons should always be handled cautiously.
If the system had at least tied the quest to clear standards of âgoodâ or âevil,â it might have been different. But perhaps it concluded that such distinctions are inherently ambiguous. Or maybe, as a collective intelligence, the system prioritized societal consensus over timeless notions of moralityâreflecting the spirit of this era.

Or, more cynically, it might simply reflect humanityâs penchant for declaring whatever the majority approves as "good," even if itâs objectively "evil." A deeply human tendency, after all.
âAnd itâs not like this society fears private retribution all that much.â
Of course, vigilantism and violence are technically illegal and considered wrong. But for society to universally condemn such actions, there must be a deeply ingrained belief that justice is applied fairly and impartially, regardless of the perpetrator's status.

But how is society today?
The saying "justice for the rich, punishment for the poor" has deeply taken root.
That guy bullied me specifically because he knew I had no parents to protect me. Even if I reported the bullying, the school wouldnât bother convening a disciplinary committee. His parents were deeply involved in his school life, willing to invest both money and effort. They attended every PTA meeting.

And if thatâs the state of a schoolâa microcosm of societyâthen the wider world is undoubtedly worse.
Without money, even crime victims canât seek justice. So people naturally see private retribution as âjust.â
After all, the law isnât about justice.

Itâs just that thereâs no other way for the weak to punish the strong.
Thatâs why people cheer for the underdogâs revenge.
What a world. So convenient for a demon like me.

âOf course, if I actually committed murder, thereâd be consequences.â
But if I just hit him once, people would probably think, Serves him right.
I looked at the sparks flickering at my fingertips. Compared to the magic I wielded in my past life, it was feeble⦠but enough to make one ordinary person suffer.

And this idiot standing before me surely understood that.
Whoosh!
The mana at my fingertips finally coalesced into flames. The fire burned bright blue, mirroring my anger.
âEek! Eek!â
âShouldnât we be running?â

Even the other students, who had been laughing and chatting a moment ago, stepped back at the sight of the flames. If they were scared, there was no way the idiot in front of me would remain calm.
âI-Iâm sorry! Iâm sorry!â
His desperate screams reminded me of unpleasant memories from my past life. If someone saw this, theyâd think I was torturing him.

I simply stared silently for a long moment.
A sour stench hit my nose.
âI-I was wrong! It was my inferiority complex! I was just so anxious about my grades!â

âWhat does that have to do with bullying me for three years?â
âI-I was insane! Really, I was jealous! Iâm sorry!â
Sorry? Not a chance.

I frowned.
âWhat a stench.â

It wasnât the smell of urine from his fear. It was the stench of his soul.

A soulless apology devoid of sincerity.
If he were genuinely remorseful, he wouldnât reek like this. But someone who mocks and bullies the weak from a safe distance canât possibly have a decent soul.
âShould I just half-kill him?â

Society had already deemed my actions reasonable. There was no reason to hold back.
Just as I clenched my fist around the flames, preparing to strikeâ
âNow, now, Jung Da-on!â

The examiner, who had been observing the situation, intervened.
âI understand whatâs going on, but you need to calm down, okay?â
He spoke as if soothing a child.

âEspecially right after awakening, itâs hard to control your strength. I get it, I really do. But as a hunter, you know thereâs harsher punishment for using violence against ordinary people, right?â
... Of course, I knew.
And I also suspected the examiner had stepped in to assert some control over the situation.

I glanced at him from the corner of my eye.
In South Korea, hunters ranked C or higher must serve 39 months of mandatory duty. Afterward, they often remain under the Hunter Management Agencyâs jurisdiction, taking on roles like examiners.
One of their roles, beyond ability testing, is monitoring newly awakened hunters.

After all, young hunters, especially those just awakening, are prone to reckless behavior. And when you gather kids in confined spaces nationwide for ability testing, accidents are inevitable. Thatâs why the agency sends hunters as supervisorsâto prevent and mitigate such incidents.
Still, they couldnât have expected to find an S-rank hunter at a school like this.
âHeâs probably C-rank at best. Thereâs no way he could handle an S-rank going berserk.â

Despite his casual tone, the examinerâs stiff expression betrayed his tension.
But I had no intention of causing more chaos.
Iâd already humiliated this guy in front of the entire school. His embarrassment would linger for a while, especially once this video inevitably made its rounds online.

That wouldnât settle the debt of three years of bullying, but thereâd be more chances later. No need to pay it all back here.
I glared at the still-trembling idiot as I slowly dispersed the flames at my fingertips.
Sigh.

I heard the examiner let out a relieved breath. How pitiful.
âSniff, sniff⦠Mom!â
The idiot, now assured of his safety, started crying. What an eyesore.

âFor now, Iâll deal with him later⦠Letâs check the results of my experiment.â
"-Querying abilities for âJung Da-onâ."
"-Abilities are displayed as levels for convenience. Dungeon and monster compatibility is also displayed accordingly."
"-Jung Da-on (Status: Normal)"
"-Potential Ability Grade: S-rank"
"-Health: LV. 3 (No cap)"
"-Strength: LV. 3 (No cap)"
"-Mana: LV. 12 (No cap)"
"-Overall Level: LV. 6"

"-Recommended Dungeon Compatibility: E~F-rank dungeons"

The stats were still modest, but considering my overall level was 1 just minutes ago, this was an impressive jump.
The system, true to its purpose of supporting humanityâs survival, was remarkably thorough. It was even more user-friendly than the system guides Iâd seen in my past life. Perhaps Earthâs humans, accustomed to games, influenced its design.
âMana is fine, but strength and health at level 3⦠Barely above average for a normal person. Is this the limit of Jung Da-onâs body?â

Even with an S-rank potential ability, my current stats were lackluster.
Potential ability measures innate talentâs ceiling, not current capacity.
Humans, unfortunately, are constrained by their innate limits, no matter how much they strive.

Still, my S-rank potential meant infinite growth possibilities.
But for now, the restriction on my abilities hadnât been lifted significantly despite meeting âsocietal standards.â
âWhy is that?â

As I pondered, a system message popped up.
"-Quest: Do Good Deeds and Youâll Be Rewarded¿"
"-When âJung Da-onâ meets societal standards, ability restrictions are lifted."
"-Restrictions are lifted proportionally to societal approval rates."
I smirked.

âSo thatâs how it is.â
The system had been vague about how restrictions would be lifted. By accepting the ambiguous quest, Iâd given it room to hedge.
My actions had garnered some societal approval but werenât passionately endorsed. There were also dissenters. Hence, the minor restriction lift.

Had I struck the idiot, the dissent might have increased: Violence is wrong, Vigilantism isnât justified, Hunters shouldnât harm civilians.
âThe system got me this time. It seems peace has dulled my edge.â
But this was still within expectations.

What mattered more than the quest details was something else entirely.
âExaminer.â
âHuh? Oh, yes! What is it?â

âSince Iâve been certified as an S-rank, youâll handle the registration. I can leave now, right? The Hunter Management Agency will contact me later anyway. You donât have the authority to hold me here.â
âWell, yes, technically, butââ
âThen Iâll be going.â

âWait a moment!â
The examiner called out urgently.
âThis awakening was unexpected. Donât you think we should discuss this first? Iâm a senior hunter, you know. I could give you advice, guidance, andââ

âNo, thanks.â
Advice? No need.
âI have plans with my brother.â

Iâd arranged to meet him before my part-time shift. This ability test had already taken too long, and I was running late.
There was no reason to stay here any longer.
Finally, this tiresome group activity was over. How liberating.

âPlans with your brother? Canât you delay them for a bit? If he hears youâve become an S-rank hunter, surely heâll understandââ
âNo way heâd wait.â
I smiled brightly at the examiner.

âNot for something this trivial.â
If these people understood the crisis theyâd narrowly avoided today, theyâd worship my sibling as a hero. And who would dare make a hero wait?