Karma Ledger System

In front of John stood a lady with medium-long blue hair and a round, cute face. John looked visibly surprised. He didn't remember adding her.

She wore a princess-like blue dress, and with delicate grace, she picked up the edge of her gown and gave a slight bow.

"Good evening, honourable Sword Archon, John Durairaj."

He immediately raised a hand to stop her. "Wait! I don't remember being any 'Sword Archon.' I'm just a regular player here. Just tell me, are you the one who contacted me through that Gmail?"

The lady looked up, smiling gently.

"You are right. I am the one who called you."

"Can I ask the purpose behind it?" he said, faking a stern tone,

'Everything is temporary, but aura farming is permanent.'

The lady sighed. "I want you to conquer the Eternal Heaven."

"What?!" John exclaimed, completely thrown. "You do realize what you're saying, right? Eternal Heaven isn't just difficult, it's hard as hell."

'Of course it's hard. I poured everything into making the final boss way too overpowered,' John thought.

"And besides," he looked down, fists clenched, "no one will join me. I'm hated here... because of my past."

"I know that," she said calmly. "You caused one person's death and left another in trauma. You're the shittiest person I've ever met, but you're also the only one who can do this."

'Should I take that as an insult?' he wondered. "But why me? This isn't some real-life fantasy world. And you're not its goddess claiming I'm the chosen one."

The lady paused for a moment before answering.

"I'll tell you the reason, after you conquer the Eternal Heaven."

He didn't quite buy into her words.

'Is she trying to use me? But why? I'm not overpowered or anything. Just a beginner. Still… I don't see any harm in trusting her for now.'

"But how am I supposed to conquer it? I don't have any cheat skill or power to help me level up. I'm just at level 25. The cap is 3000. There's no way I can reach that in a year. And without max level, I can't even touch the final boss."

The lady nodded, acknowledging his concern.

"I understand. That's why I'm here to help you."

"What do you mean? Who are you, anyway?" John asked, confused.

She smirked, then raised her hand. A blue light began to form in her palm. Instantly, the air shifted. All surrounding matter was drawn toward that light. The purple room dissolved, swallowed by an endless void.

And the lady? Vanished.

"Where did you go?!" John called out, slipping into a guarded stance, ready for the worst.

Then, suddenly, a window popped up in front of him:

[SYSTEM LOADING...]

'System? I never programmed anything like that into the game. Are the devs behind this? Or... the Mythwell?' John thought, alarmed.

[SYSTEM PROCESSING DATA...]

[WAIT A MOMENT...]

[LOADING...]

[CHECKING THE DATA...]

[EVERYTHING SAFE...]

[FURTHER PROCESSING...]

[ACTIVATION FINISHED!]

[SYSTEM ACTIVATED!]

John stood frozen, utterly baffled by what he was witnessing.

Then came the voice again, the same lady's voice, clear and serene:

[Sorry for the late introduction. I am Lisa — Limitless Intervention & Systemic Advantage.]

"Wait! Are you a cheat system?!" he asked, shocked.

[Not directly. I'm more like a market. A Karma Ledger System.]

"A Karma Ledger System? What does that even mean?" John asked, glancing around warily. That endless sky made him uneasy, it wasn't part of anything he'd designed.

[You will gain Karma Points for anything you do—good or bad. Whether you help someone or kill someone, you earn karma. Good actions earn positive karma. Evil ones, negative. These karma points become credits, and you can exchange those credits for legendary items or skills.]

"Whoa... that actually sounds kind of cool. But, what's more profitable? Good or bad?" John asked, curiosity piqued.

[Each path has its pros and cons. Both have their own markets—positive karma fuels the Divine Market, negative fuels the Dark Market. One grants divinity, the other... darkness.]

'Hmm... both paths seem equally viable. But if I want to rebuild my reputation, evil won't get me anywhere. People will just beg the server mods to ban me. I think I should go with the good route... maybe reinvent myself as some kind of saint,' John thought, deeply considering the path ahead.

[Have you made the decision of which path you will choose?]

John sighed. "Yeah. I'll go with the Positive path. But I have a question."

[Ask me anything.]

"Will I have a chance later to switch to the Negative path?"

[Yes. You can change your path to Negative, but it comes at a cost.]

"And what is that?"

[Your credits.]

John frowned. "I don't get it."

[Simply declaring your choice doesn't unlock the Positive Market. It only unlocks once you do a good deed.]

[And if you later decide to switch to the Negative path by doing something evil, like killing a player, then all your accumulated positive credits will flip. Say you have one million positive credits. The moment you commit a negative act, they become minus one million.]

[Until you make up for that, by doing a million credits' worth of good or bad deeds, you won't have access to any market.]

John's eyes widened. He looked down, stunned.

'A million credits worth of bad deeds just to access the negative path... that's too much.'

He looked up again. "Anyway, I'm not planning to go the negative route, so it doesn't matter."

Then he looked around at the endless, blank space.

"This place is seriously uncomfortable. Can we go back to the game world already?"

As soon as he spoke, the scenery shifted. He was back, hanging from the same branch.

"Oh f*ck, I'm back in that loop."

[It's not a loop this time. And don't worry, you won't take fall damage. You can let go of the branch.]

Lisa's voice rang clearly in his ears, but her window was gone.

"Am I the only one who can hear you?"

[Yes. Even if you're in a crowd of players, only you can hear me.]

John exhaled with relief and finally let go of the branch.

---

John hit the ground, but just as Lisa had said, there was no fall damage.

Everything that had happened since he got into this kid's body was so bizarre, it barely fazed him anymore.

He got up and started walking into the Great Forest. Sunlight no longer reached this part. The trees were too tall, too thick, swallowing light whole. He moved through the shadows, guided only by the faint glow of the system window.

After about a minute of wandering, a thin stream of sunlight finally broke through, and just ahead was a clearer path where daylight managed to seep in. The system window vanished.

He kept walking for another minute. Just as the loneliness and quiet were starting to wear him down, he saw a river.

It was beautiful. Clear. Serene. The sun's reflection danced on the surface, giving it a peaceful, almost sacred feeling.

'The reason I pay my internet bills', he thought, smiling as he walked toward it.

He sat by the river, letting himself relax. His real-world body felt sleepy. Drowsiness started to take over, even though he was still inside the game.

BOOM!

His eyes shot open. He jumped to his feet, scanning his surroundings for the source of the explosion.

BOOM!

Another one - this time farther ahead, straight in front of him.

'Someone's fighting… Dark Explosive Slimes? But what are they doing this deep in the Great Forest?'

'Maybe I should check it out.'

Without anything in his inventory, he sprinted in the direction of the noise. On the way, he kicked a tree.

Chunks of wood fell. He quickly crafted a crude sword from it.

'It'll be useful. At least better than bare hands.'

---

As John reached the battlefield, he spotted several black Slimes swarming a single player.

A girl.

She had light pink hair, sharp purple eyes, and wore a classic witch's outfit, complete with a pointed hat. But she was clearly losing. Her body was bruised, her movements sluggish from the damage she'd already taken.

"Lisa, can you scan her?"

John asked, hoping the system could help.

A window popped up in front of him:

[ANALYSING PLAYER...]

[ANALYSIS COMPLETE!]

[Name – Fiorella Testarossa]

[Level – 47]

[Melee – 24]

[Power & Defence – 12]

[Weapons – 2]

[Mana – 42]

[Skills & Abilities – 14]

'Fiorella Testarossa? First time hearing a name like that.'

John couldn't help but admire the elegance of it.

The black Slimes, grinning wide with those oversized mouths, leapt toward her. Fiorella gritted her teeth and grabbed her magic staff.

"You bastards… I'm not going down that easily. Today, I will leave this cursed forest!"

She raised her staff to the sky.

"My powers… Demolish the Evil—!"

But nothing happened.

Her mana was completely drained.

The Slimes lunged, snarling and bouncing with explosive intent.

'Not again… I made it this far through sheer struggle. I can't die here,' she thought, fear and frustration crossing her face.

And then—

BOOM!