Chapter 7:The Eyes of Calamity (2)

He never expected such a brute-force method to yield meaningful results. Sure, it was his own stubbornness that drove him to keep pressing, but he never imagined the system, something far beyond child's play would actually crack just from being spammed like a madman. Five hours? He could've maybe accepted fifty, but five?

"...Just how flimsy is this thing?"

His voice dripped with disbelief. The system window, still marked [Loading...], displayed a spinning gray circle.

Is this really just loading, or is it some kind of trick?

A paranoid thought crossed his mind, what if the moment the update finished, the system triggered a trap and blew up the entire guild? Anxiety gnawed at him as he tapped his foot impatiently, wondering if he'd pushed his luck too far.

The ticking of the wall clock marked the passage of time.

One minute.

Two, then three.

By the time ten minutes had passed, the endlessly spinning gray circle and loading message finally vanished.

Ding!

...

[Resistant One (?)]

Will you end your life as evil?

...

- Additional information cannot be accessed in your current state.

- One Who Defies the Flow

- The Sole Supreme Under Heaven

"...Hah."

That single exhale carried a whirlwind of emotions—disbelief, exhilaration, suspicion. It had been a long time since he'd felt so much in such a short span.

Though he still didn't know what [Resistant One] actually did, this was progress. After years of searching, he'd finally found a lead—a potential escape route from this cursed life.

He'd always wondered:

Why is my system different?

What does "True Evil of Humanity" even mean?

Is there really no way out?

Trapped in a maze of unanswered questions, he'd circled the same paths endlessly. But now, after an exhausting search, he'd finally found a map.

Since most awakened only had one trait, [Resistant One] was likely the antithesis of [True Evil of Humanity]. If activated, it might suppress the system's control over him, or at least weaken its grip.

It was just a hypothesis, but the evidence lined up. The system had gone out of its way to block this trait's activation and hide its details.

His brief euphoria faded as cold logic reasserted itself. Finding the thread's end didn't untangle the knot, it was only the beginning.

"The real problem is how to find them."

The only way to check someone's traits was via their Status Window, but Status Windows weren't visible to others. If they were, his would've been public long ago. The system was designed to keep them private.

And of all things, why did it have to be traits?

Traits were the one thing Hunters never willingly disclosed.

Traits like Egocentrist or Psychopath revealed unfiltered truths about one's nature. No sane Hunter would openly admit to them, imagine someone extending a hand with a smile and saying, "Hi, my trait is Psychopath!"

Even Bamjwi, the guild with the world's most extensive intelligence network, only had compiled interview snippets—easily faked—about publicly mentioned traits.

"Guess I'll need to find a lie-detection skill user."

It was the simplest solution: line people up and ask, "Is your trait 'The Sole Supreme Under Heaven' or 'One Who Defies the Flow'?"

Problem was, Bamjwi's only lie-detector had died in a gate two weeks prior. Kidnapping Hunters worldwide for interrogation would inevitably leak that he was searching for specific traits, a headache he didn't need.

Maybe just post a bounty?

Crude but effective. Rival guilds might intercept targets, but he could always... handle them personally.

As he debated, his gaze drifted back to his Status Window, specifically, the locked skill that had caught his eye earlier.

[Eyes of Calamity (L)]

An L-rank.

Even SS-rank skills were rare enough to propel users into global rankings. An L-rank was unheard of Bamjwi's intel had nothing on it.

Heart pounding (whether from a Hunter's instinct or an info broker's excitement, he couldn't tell), he checked the description:

[Eyes of Calamity (L)]

- Allows viewing of others' Status Windows. Detailed effects unlock upon activation.

Note: In locked state, only growth limits and locked skills are visible.

For a moment, he forgot to breathe.

A dry laugh escaped him.

This this is a jackpot.

Not only could he see others' Status Windows, but also their locked skills.

Even among his arsenal of high-tier skills, this was on another level, comparable to legends like Jinhyun's "Reconstruction of the Martial World" or Greina's "Future Sight."

And it had dropped right when he needed to find specific traits. For the first time, it felt like the gods had blessed him.

So engrossed was he that he forgot the golden rule: Every gift from the system is 100% suspect.

He tapped [Acquire Skill] without hesitation—then froze.

"...What?"

The cheerful emoji clashed violently with the number. His jubilant expression darkened as he counted the zeros—slowly, then again, then a third time aloud.

One million.

One. Million. Karma.

Not a hundred thousand. A million.

His stomach lurched as he checked his current Karma:

Karma: 999,789

Thankfully, he had just enough, a quick grind would cover the 300-ish shortfall.

But unlocking Eyes of Calamity would leave him broke.

He'd never cared about Karma before, what use was a currency with no shop? But now that he needed it, its value became painfully clear.

If I'd known, I'd have listened when the system said I could lower my Infamy with good deeds.

Back then, he'd ignored it, why bother when Karma had no purpose? Now, that choice was biting him in the ass.

"Listen to the system, and even in your sleep, rice cakes will fall into your lap."

He scoffed at the adage, unwilling to admit its truth.

Then he checked the Karma info:

[Karma]

*A value accrued through evil deeds. Spend Karma to acquire various rewards.*

- Consume 10,000,000 Karma to unlock the [Karma Shop].

His interest died at the last line.

Ten million.

Another zero.

He counted again, as if hoping the digits would change. They didn't.

"...Goddamn system."

At this point, the only divine requirement was *selling your conscience*.

No other explanation justified this level of extortion. Even Foxy, the black-market merchant guild, wasn't this shameless.

Rubbing his temples, he exhaled sharply.

Unlocking Eyes of Calamity would reset him to zero, and the thought of grinding back to ten million was already giving him a migraine.