I... am hungry.
I want to eat.
Should I eat? I'm hungry. I'm really hungry.
"....."
I blankly stared at the ceiling above me.
Pain was all that I could feel.
Looking down, I stared at my hands. Not one finger remained. The wounds had all closed up, but my clothes were still stained with all the blood that leaked.
The surroundings were crude and worn, the walls lined with cracks and thick spiderwebs as a cold draft drifted through the air.
My stomach grumbled as it protested against my mind.
I wanted to eat, but I couldn't eat.
That was the latest thing that I had sacrificed.
In order not to lose myself, this was something that I had to sacrifice.
"..."
Suddenly, a soft breeze drifted through the room, carrying a warm and pleasant scent that filled my nostrils.
My stomach churned.
"Seth, you look hungry. Why don't you eat?"
A warm voice that I was all too familiar with entered my ears.
At the same time, a plate of food entered my vision. For a brief moment, the surroundings seemed to shift into the familiar luxurious environment, the meal glistening under the bright lights above.
"...It's been months since you last ate. You can't keep going like this. Why must you torture yourself like this? Just have something to eat."
Months...?
Ah, maybe it had been that long.
"I... won't die."
Since I was already dead, there was no need for me to eat.
But—
The smell of the food hit me, and my stomach churned furiously. A sharp wave of hunger clawed at my mind as my body began to tremble.
'Hungry! Hungry! Hungry!'
'Eat it! Eat it...! Eat the food! It looks so good!'
'Eat! Eat!'
"You should listen to the voice inside your mind. You're clearly hungry. Just have something to eat. It won't do too much to you."
"I—"
Clenching my teeth, I closed my lips.
No!
"Ha, you're really stubborn."
The figure set the plate on the ground and sat down.
He started to talk.
"You're rather intriguing. It's the first time I've met someone like you in my tenure in the 9th layer."
For the first time since I had known him, the man stopped trying to tempt me and instead brought up an entirely different topic.
He smiled.
"There's no point in hiding where we are since you're already aware of what is happening. However, just know that I don't force anyone. Just like Leon, you may leave whenever you want. All you need to do is find the exit."
What bullshit.
I tried...
It was what I had been trying to do for the past several months.
A warm laugh followed.
"If you can't find the exit, then it just means that you don't want to leave."
Bullshit!
"Is it...?"
Bringing his face closer to mine, he began speaking again. But this time, something about his tone and voice seemed different. It no longer felt the same as before. It felt distant, as though it came from a being beyond my comprehension.
"I have no reason to weave falsehoods for one such as you. From the moment our paths crossed, my tongue has known only the weight of truth. My mind holds the secrets of the stars and the crushing depths of the earth. Knowledge far beyond your fragile comprehension."
My body twitched as its voice whispered inside my mind.
"It is for this brilliance that The Fallen One appointed me as the steward of this threshold. My charge... is simple. I am the guardian of the abandoned; I keep those whom the ones above have cast out, yet whose souls lack the true malice required by the pits below. You're nothing but a lost soul looking for Guidance."
"....."
"I have woven no lies in our conversation. The exit remains as open as the day you arrived. I am not the architect of your imprisonment, nor am I the hand that bars the way. It is you who anchors yourself to this place. You... simply don't want to leave this place."
I don't...?
"But that's what's intriguing."
Casually standing up, he began to move away from me, his hands interlocked behind his back as his voice drifted back in a quiet whisper.
"Even the depths of your own heart are a shadowed mirror to you, it seems. You know not why you remain... and because the secret is hidden from your own sight, it remains veiled from mine. Intruiging."
My eye struggled to keep up with its figure.
Staring at his fading back, all I could do was watch blankly as my body refused to move.
"Tell me, child. Why do you wish to remain here? Has the sweet, heavy air of this Limbo already tasted like a temptation you cannot quit? Or is there a deeper rot, or perhaps a deeper light, holding you here? Curious. It's been a long time since I've felt so curious about something."
The words lightly wove in the air before fading completely.
By the time I found myself able to open my lips again, he was long gone.
But despite this, his words continued to echo inside my mind. They whispered from all directions, consuming my thoughts as I struggled to keep focused. But of all the things he mentioned, one stood out in particular to me.
'I... can't find the exit because I want to stay? That's not...'
It was bullshit. Perhaps this was a trick that it was trying to play in order to fuck with my mind.
Yes, it had to be that.
He was playing games with me to confuse me about the truth.
'I want to leave this place. There's no doubt about it. I can't let myself fall for his tricks.'
Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and tried to fight the hunger gnawing at my stomach with growing ferocity. The surroundings shifted back to the old, worn-down room. Remaining where I was, I slowly lowered my head and opened my breast pocket with my teeth, gripping my phone between them before carefully placing it on the ground.
I stared at the numerous saved recordings before starting a new one.
"Observation Diary, day 89. It's as I previously predicted. The subject comes to visit me every single day without fail. The hunger is eating at me, but I can resist it. I will most likely forgo sleep in the coming days."
I took a deep breath, taking a moment to collect my words as I struggled to speak due to exhaustion.
"...Today, he's mentioned something about me not wanting to leave this place. However.. I believe that to be a trick. Above all, he cannot read what I don't know. That appears to be the only way to escape his control. The less I think, the less he can read."
I hadn't spent the days for nothing.
Every day, I'd create a new log. The goal was simple.
To slowly and carefully learn more about the host.
He was the key to everything.
"Another thing to note is that I'm now closer to understanding their identity."
From the way he spoke. The words he said.
Several pieces had started to fall in place.
"He's a demon."
Yes, this much I understood from the start.
But he was not just a regular demon.
"He's likely a King."
One of the 9 Kings of Hell.
There was something that I observed in the numerous days that I had stayed in the weird castle.
This place didn't just give someone a sense of security. It didn't merely provide comfort to the point of consuming one's mind; it also slowly, gradually stripped away a person's identity and everything they once were.
Tap—
—Observation Diary, Day 66. I've collected all relevant information about the bodies inside the room. I checked their phones and any data I could find about them. After that, I went out to the main courtyard to observe everyone.
—From what I've seen, the longer someone stays here, the more they lose track of their identity. It starts with their name. Then, slowly, their unique features begin to fade. Piece by piece, they lose hold of everything they once were, until eventually they become nothing more than faceless dolls.
Tap—
—Observation Diary, Day 49. Something has been happening to Drake and Esteban. I thought that they had fallen for the tricks, but they've lasted much longer than I expected. I guess one wasn't a Paragon for nothing. I believe that Leon did something to them, hence why they weren't able to recover. I've got... something in mind.
Tap—
—Observation Diary, Day 94. I've sacrificed my sleep. I c-an't think properly. I'm starting to... see things. Should I... continue this? The bed feels tempting. Should I sleep? I need to sleep. I want to sleep. Let me sleep. Let me sleep. No, I can't sleep! I can't sleep! But I want to sleep.
Tap—
—Day... 107. I... am adapting. I see things... everywhere. But I'm dead. It doesn't matter anyway. Soon, I will sacrifice my ability to drink. I'm still observing. I can't... think well. I am struggling to stay conscious. I'm... struggling to stay walking.
Tap—
—Day... 143. I think I get... it. I think I have gotten a grasp on... what I need to do. This place... it.. it's... What was I talking about? W-what am I doing? I'm thirsty.
Tap—
—165. Thirsty. Hungry. Thirsty. Hungry. Sleepy. Sleepy. Thirsty. Hungry. Sleepy. Pain. Hate it. I...
Tap—
—HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAAHA!
Tap—
—....Hahahahahahahaha!
Tap—
—.....Ha.
Tap—
—.....
Tap—
—.....
Tap—
—.....
Tap—
—.....
Tap—
*
".....I... I'm going crazy. It's hard to fight the urges. The... more I sacrifice, the crazier I become... I don't recall the last time I felt normal. How... long can I keep my sanity for? How long... can I keep my identity for?"
My hoarse voice whispered into the silence.
I languidly stared at the ceiling above with my remaining eye.
Everything felt like a blur inside my mind.
I didn't even know how much time had passed.
It felt like a day had gone by, but listening to the recordings, I knew that wasn't the case.
The time that had passed was far longer than that.
"There's... several hundred recordings. Shit."
The sense of clarity I had...
How long would I be able to keep it?
The more time passed, the more I felt like I was losing a sense of myself.
'No... I can't do that. I-I need to preserve.'
I could lose my everything, but my identity. That'd be the moment I'd truly be dead.
I stood up and paused.
Looking to my right, I saw that my right arm was missing. Only my left remained, and when I touched my face, I realized I couldn't feel a thing. My nose, my ears, my lips...
"A-ah."
I staggered forward.
Every breath felt intense, and as I walked ahead, the world spun around me.
Voices began whispering inside my mind as I continued forward. I didn't even know where I was going. I only knew that I had to keep moving.
The more I walked, the more I faded into my own consciousness.
But at the same time...
'I know.'
I... knew what I had to do.
I stumbled forward.
With whatever clarity I had left in my mind, I stumbled toward another room. I couldn't think properly, but my body seemed to move on its own.
That moment felt like a blur.
I remembered doing something, but whenever I tried to think about what it was, my memory would smear and dissolve.
"A-ah."
By the time my consciousness returned, I was standing in the corridor once more.
Thump!
At some point, my legs gave out.
I collapsed onto the floor.
N-no.
Clinging to the ground, I forced myself forward with the only arm I had. But I didn't get very far. At best, I managed to drag myself a few meters.
Still, I persisted.
I continued.
I forced myself forward.
Until—
"How pitiful."
A warm voice reached my ears.
When I looked up, a pair of clean shoes entered my line of sight.
"You look really pitiful at the moment. Is it really worth it? Torturing yourself to this point? For what reason?"
At that moment, I stopped struggling.
My entire body relaxed as the warm voice bathed me from above.
"You could've chosen the easy way out. You could've eaten all the food you wanted, drunk all the water you desired, and slept in the finest beds you'll ever lie on. Instead, you struggled for hundreds of days... for what? What exactly did you struggle for?"
Something about the voice felt soothing to the ears.
Enough to make me feel more relaxed.
But that sense of relaxation didn't last very long.
"You've achieved nothing."
Something in the voice shifted.
The air seemed to change along with it, a chilling cold spreading through the surroundings.
"Honestly, I let you do your thing because I thought you had something in mind. I believed that, after the countless years I've spent here, I might finally see something unique. Something that would change the way I looked at humans. But in the end... You were just struggling out of stubbornness."
The disappointment was clear.
"You struggled not because you didn't want to die or anything like that. The reason you refused to die was simply that you're stubborn. That's all. You're nothing special. You're just... like everyone else. A more pitiful version of them."
The voice turned harsh.
It thundered throughout the surroundings as I stopped moving.
"You're nothing but a shell of what you once were. Just... let yourself go. There's no need to carry on further. Stop struggling for the sake of stubbornness. If you wanted to leave, you would've already been able to."
"....."
For a moment, as if his voice had finally reached me, I felt like listening to his voice.
He was right about everything. What even was the point of clinging to the pain? Kyle, my Squad, and everyone else... they'd do just fine without me.
I wasn't very important.
Just a fleeting memory in their lives.
But, no...
'T-that's... not it.'
My body began to tremble.
In that brief moment, my mind felt clear.
"Hm?"
Sensing something, his head tilted a little.
The more he looked at me, the more pitiful I must have seemed. My entire face was badly mutilated, the skin torn and misshapen as though it had been ravaged countless times over. What little remained of my expression was stiff and hollow, barely resembling a human face anymore.
And with only one arm left, I looked like a cripple.
In that moment, I looked less like a man and more like something that had been dragged through endless suffering and somehow kept moving anyway.
And yet—
"I'm sensing a shift in your mind. Still struggling? Why...?"
This was what he couldn't understand.
"I've said it before. If you wanted to leave, you could've left. The fact that you're still here despite so long having passed means that you don't want to leave. You wish to stay here and enjoy everything, but are just too stubborn to—"
Suddenly, he paused.
At the same time, I slowly raised my head.
The words disappeared from his mouth as he looked directly at me.
He seemed to have understood something as he looked at me.
"Ha... ha."
In this moment of clarity, I understood something.
Perhaps, he was right.
Perhaps... If I really wanted to find the exit, I would have found it.
It was clear.
I just... didn't want to leave this place.
Not because I was charmed by the drinks and party, or any other idea. It was something else entirely.
Something more degenerate.
Twisted.
Yes.
Simply put...
"I... want to..."
Without even knowing it, my lips twisted upwards.
And for the first time, the man's face changed before my very eye.
"...make you bow."
My voice scraped out like broken glass.
"I want to know... how it feels..."
My eye locked onto him.
"...to step on a King."
Hehe...
"Ha... he..."
My shoulders trembled.
"Ha... ha..."
Laughter spilled out of me.
But in my mind—
Everything had never been clearer.
The more I lost...
The more I sacrificed...
The more pieces of myself I tore away...
The clearer it became.
Who I really was beneath all the pointless masks that buried what lay beneath my mask.
"Ha... haha..."
I was never the butcher.
And I was never the jester.
No.
I was something much worse.
Something far more disgusting.
Something that found extreme joy in stepping over things.
I was...
I was someone who would burn down everything, including myself, just to watch a King bow.
A Twisted Existence.
"Hahaha... Ha!"
I just laughed. That was all I could do.
I hadn't gone mad or turned crazy.
No, it was the opposite.
My head was clear. It was clearer than ever as I stared at the man in front of me.
"HaHaha!"
I burst out laughing even harder.
Staring at the face I still couldn't memorize, I continued to laugh. For the first time since I had seen him, he was no longer smiling.
But I wasn't done.
I was far from done.
"It's all... clear to me."
This place...
It stripped someone of their identity.
It fed them every joy and pleasure they could ever want, making them forget who they were, slowly stripping away their faces, their names, and their very identity. It broke someone to a fundamental level, turning them into blank puppets that drank, ate, and slept.
I realized this long ago.
From the moment I had ripped my eye, I knew what this was.
What it was trying to do.
That's why I sacrificed.
I sacrificed everything to preserve what it was trying to take from me. I sacrificed to observe. I sacrificed... to understand.
"H-haha. With my eye clear, I can see... through the illusions. I can see through the fakery of this place. B-but despite that, I can't see you."
I looked at the man in front of me.
Though I was staring straight at him, his face still refused to imprint itself inside my mind.
"I... can see everything but you."
He stripped others of their identity, but what about him?
His identity still existed.
He was the only one with an identity.
Hence—
"Your name."
I looked up, my eye stinging from keeping it open for so long.
"I... know your name."
Your identity.
"HahahaHa....!"
I laughed once again.
Especially when I took note of the seriousness in the face before me.
After everything, I knew what I needed to do.
To he who stripped identities, I had to be the one to give his one back.
"You are... Ukh!"
Reaching for my throat, my eyes widened as the words caught somewhere inside my mind. As if a heavy lump had formed there, blocking every thought before it could escape, I found myself unable to speak at all.
"I think you've said enough."
A cold voice followed.
"You've overstepped your boundaries."
Have I...?
"H-hak... Haha."
A brittle, almost hoarse laugh slipped from my lips as I bit down on them, my eye turning bloodshot from the pain as I forced my voice back.
"P—!"
Rattle! Rattle—!
The surroundings trembled, the paintings on the walls rattling in their frames as the doors slammed shut all at once. My throat burned again, and my head slowly began to lower on its own, as if some invisible weight forced it down, submitting to the figure before me.
"Know your place."
"P...!"
RATTLE!
My head was now pressed against the cold floor, the chill seeping into my skin. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't raise it.
But despite this...
"Pa—!"
"Silence!!"
BOOOOOM—!
Doors smashed, and the floor shook further.
I felt something cool slip into my mind as my throat tightened, burning even more fiercely. The pain made it hard to open my mouth, as if my voice itself were being sealed away. But I cared nothing for it. I had already sacrificed everything. And for this moment, I would sacrifice it all again.
For this moment where I stepped on a King.
I didn't mind at all!
"Pai—!"
BOOOOOM!
A force blasted me backward, my back slamming into something hard, as the wind was knocked out of me. Even so, I remained conscious, looking at the figure ahead of me with a faint smile.
The more he acted like this, the more I felt like smiling.
I opened my lips again.
But—
"Pai■■■."
All of a sudden, my surroundings began to change. The place around me grew luxurious as a soft trumpet sounded through the air, and the once dilapidated hall slowly transformed, becoming grand and opulent once more.
I opened my lips and spoke again.
"■■■■■■."
"...Ah."
At once, the rattling stopped, and everything regained its calm as ■■■■■■ stared back at me.
His smile returned.
"Time is up."
"....."
"Your mind can no longer keep up. There's nothing else that you can sacrifice. This is your absolute limit. Now, it is time for you to finally embrace what has been provided to you by me."
He took a step forward, his calm gaze fixed on me.
But right as he took a step, he stopped.
I laughed.
At the same time, several steps echoed in the distance as two figures approached me.
Although I couldn't see them from where I was, I knew their bodies were badly mutilated. I had been the one to reduce them to such a state. And I knew that ■■■■■■ was aware of what I had done to them.
"I'm lost."
■■■■■■ alternated his gaze between what remained of Esteban and Drake.
"I knew you were doing something to them, and I let it go because I was curious to see what you would do. But I'm at a loss. What exactly are you planning? Perhaps you want them to buy some time for you? But it's too late. You've..."
Suddenly, he stopped. As if finally realizing, his expression changed. I turned toward Esteban and Drake, finding them staring back at me, their eyes bloodshot, something that looked like fear lingering in their gaze.
I merely laughed.
...I had seen this coming. I had prepared.
"D-do it."
The two didn't hesitate, pulling out knives with their only remaining arm as they stabbed both of my legs.
SPURT!
Blood spurted in every direction as pain engulfed my mind.
However, rather than screaming, I laughed.
"Stop!"
■■■■■■'s voice boomed throughout the surroundings as the luxurious surroundings faded once more.
I didn't even open my lips.
I didn't need to open my lips since he could still hear my thoughts.
'I know. I know...! I know your name!'
"I SAID STOP IT!"
RATTLE! RATTLE—!
The surroundings shook once more as his voice twisted into something demonic.
Yet Esteban and Drake paid it no mind. They cut off my legs, blood spurting across the ground.
They weren't done yet. Drake soon turned toward my remaining arm, his hand shaking slightly as he looked at me. But the moment he noticed my gaze on him, he forced himself to reach for it anyway.
As the pain invaded my mind, I continued to stare at the figure before me.
That was also the moment I was reminded of something the Conductor had once said to me.
'Hell rejects the living.'
Looking back, it was clear.
Even a king could not touch the living in hell. That was why everyone here had to kill themselves first before he could do anything to them. He had no authority over the living, which was why he struggled to stop me physically.
The only thing it could do was play games in order to trick people into killing themselves.
For so long, I thought I had died.
But that wasn't the case.
I was still alive.
But not for long—
"You do not understand what you are doing. Stop this at once!"
BOOOM!
Cracks spread across the surroundings as the castle shook violently, but I didn't care. I simply stared at Drake and Esteban. Their mutilated faces stared back at me, the fear in their bloodshot eyes now unmistakable. But that fear wasn't directed at ■■■■■■.
It was directed at me.
I just smiled twistedly.
Do it! DO IT!
"STOP!"
Drake's eye trembled, but only for a moment, before he brought his knife to my throat and cleanly sliced my head off.
Swooosh!
***
All noise ceased in that moment.
The rattling stopped. The shaking ended. Everything fell into a perfect, unnatural stillness.
Then Drake reached down and picked up the head.
He began to walk toward the figure.
Drip.
Blood fell to the floor, slowly spreading across the stone in a dark, widening stain. Even now, the severed head continued to stare in the figure's direction.
A human could remain conscious for only a few seconds after decapitation.
And in that moment—
Seth was still conscious.
There was no sound. No voice. His vision dimmed at the edges.
Yet he understood everything.
Drake stepped forward and stopped before the figure, who stood completely still, its expression completely frozen as Drake knelt, raising the head with both hands as if presenting an offering.
Drip. Drip.
Blood continued to fall.
Nothing was spoken aloud.
But Seth heard the words clearly within his mind.
I... offer you my everything.
My eyes. My arms. My legs. My heart. My body.
And finally—
My head.
To you, who is King Paimon.
Everything felt like a blur.
However, I could still recall everything.
The sequence of events that led to my final moments, and to the instant my head was severed from my body.
I could still recall everything.
In the end, I didn't even care about what happened to me.
In the last moments, I understood something.
That...
I couldn't have cared less about what had happened to me.
All I cared about was defeating the demon, even at the expense of my own life.
Everything felt meaningless to me in that moment.
That was all that I could think of.
And—
"..."
Opening my eyes, I stared at the figure seated on the single red sofa, calmly pouring himself a cup of tea before taking a quiet sip.
"You're awake."
His warm voice reached my ears as I looked around.
It appeared to be a luxurious study room. Bookshelves lined the walls, filled with all sorts of books. I sat on a similar red sofa, a small wooden table before me, as a warm light bathed the room from above.
Resting on the table was a small cup of tea, which I reached for, taking a sip myself.
A rich, aromatic scent filled my nostrils as I closed my eyes, quietly savoring the taste before me.
But eventually—
"You're a lot more twisted than I anticipated."
A certain voice brought me back.
Opening my eyes, I looked back at him. Even now, his features were something my mind could not comprehend. Every time I tried to focus on them, they slipped away from my memory, vanishing the moment I grasped them.
"It has been quite a long time since a human has managed to defeat me."
So I wasn't the first?
I took a sip of the tea, curious about who that human was.
"...But even back then, they were not as twisted as you. It's the first time that I've ever felt the shivers coming from a human. The more I look at you, the more interested I become. But at the same time, I can also tell that you're not quite human."
Hm?
My hand paused.
"But it doesn't seem like you're aware of what you truly are. Haha, that's interesting. You don't really belong to this world, do you?"
His warm laugh filled the room.
"Of course, I do wish to tell you, but that would ruin the fun, wouldn't it?"
Right, of course.
"But it's not like I can't tell you."
I raised my head.
"Since you've managed to defeat me, you've earned the privilege of asking me one question. There isn't much that I don't know. If there is something you wish to understand, I will answer it for you. But choose carefully. As I said, you only have this privilege once."
This offer...
Honestly, it was quite a good one.
But strangely, I felt awfully calm when presented with such an offer. There were a lot of questions that I wanted to ask. Like, why was I sent to this world? What was the truth behind my transmigration? What was the truth behind the mist? What was the truth behind the system?
There were a lot of questions that I wanted to ask.
However—
"I'd like to hold onto the privilege for now."
"You're a greedy one."
Reading my thoughts, Paimon's lips twisted until the end.
"I can see exactly what you're thinking."
I took a sip of the tea.
As I savored the taste, I mumbled, "Knowledge is one of the most powerful things any human or entity can possess. It would be a waste to use it right now. There might come a time when I'm stuck in a situation that I can't escape. When the time comes, I'll ask for your help."
In a way, I treated this as some sort of lifeline.
But above all—
"I also don't dislike the idea of having a King who would heed my call when I need it."
"Right. Right."
Paimon laughed alongside me.
That was all he could do in this situation.
"Take this."
Suddenly, he tossed something toward me. I raised my hand and caught it, opening my palm to look at the object resting there. It was a silver ring, neatly carved, with a flat face at its center bearing a strange, intricate sigil.
One that felt familiar to one that I had seen in the past, but not exactly.
'I presume this is Paimon's sigil.'
"With this, you should be able to enter Limbo whenever you wish. It takes quite a bit for the portal to open, so be aware of that."
Oh? This was pretty good.
"I'll take it."
The moment I put the ring on, a cool sensation washed over my body. At the same time, I looked back at Paimon before slowly standing up. At the same time, my head drifted towards a certain door.
I could see it now.
The exit.
"Leaving already?"
"Yes."
I had stayed here for long enough.
"Hmm. That's a pity. But as I've always said, I will never stop anyone from leaving this place. And now that you have the ring, you may come and visit whenever you wish."
I gave a faint nod and walked toward the door.
Just as my hand closed around the knob, Paimon's voice reached me from behind.
"Since you've thoroughly entertained me, I'll give you a little bonus. It's just like you've read before. This is all one big game."
I stopped.
"A game that you're very much already a part of."
Silence followed after those words.
When I turned around to look back, he was sitting in his seat, calmly staring at me while taking a sip of his tea. Judging from his smile, it was clear that this was the 'bonus' that he was talking about.
I turned my attention away from him and reached for the knob, pulling the door open as I stepped outside.
Paimon's voice drifted after me one last time.
"I wish you the best of luck, you who has conquered the first layer of hell."
-x-X-x-
"Hey, Mia! Help me wipe the sweat from her forehead."
"Coming. Coming."
Mia hurried over to where Joanna was, clutching a couple of wet towels in her hands. Joanna stepped aside, revealing Ariel's figure.
She sat cross-legged, her brows tightly furrowed as sweat trickled down the side of her face, strands of her white hair sticking to her damp cheeks.
"Quick!"
"Yes! Yes!"
Mia rushed ahead and tapped her face lightly with the towel.
Joanna watched in silence, her lips pursed as she looked down through the window of the research facility. Her gaze eventually settled on the numerous people below, moving as though they were puppets, carrying equipment from place to place while guiding others inside.
'I can't believe she's capable of controlling this many people.'
The more Joanna got to know Ariel, the more shocked she became.
Although she had been aware from the start that she was strong, she didn't know she was this strong.
'It's been several days since she started to control the other teams, and she still doesn't seem to have hit her limit. The fact that she can control them for so long is also incredibly impressive.'
Of course, Ariel still took some rest here and there.
Joanna's gaze drifted toward a particular group below. Her eyes settled on the woman with soft blonde hair and green eyes, standing beside a girl with shoulder-length hair as the two of them carefully observed each group.
At some point, their group was able to find the other group belonging to their Guild. After explaining the situation to them, they quickly decided to help, alleviating the burden on Ariel's node by simply knocking out several teams at once so that Ariel could rest.
'I can already imagine the backlash that we're receiving above for what we've done, but does it really matter? No rule says we can't do this.'
"Joanna."
Bringing her out of her attention, Joanna turned around.
Sarah appeared beside her without Joanna even noticing. Somewhat used to it by now, Joanna's eyes fluttered briefly as she responded.
"Yes?"
"There's another group that we've spotted in the distance. What should we do?"
"....."
Joanna didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she looked toward Ariel. Seeing how pale her face had become and the sweat gathered along the side of it, she slowly shook her head.
"I think it's best if we leave—"
"No."
Ariel's voice suddenly cut through the room as she opened her eyes, revealing a pair of bloodshot irises. Yet beneath them was a twisted smile as she stared straight ahead.
"I can take more. Don't worry about it."
"It's dangerous. If you continue like this, then your node might..."
"I know my limits."
"But it's not about your limits. It's about limiting the danger that you're in. We're already at a massive advantage with what we have. Why do you have to push yourself further? If we—"
"Because it's fun."
Ariel laughed softly, never once looking at Joanna, her eyes fixed on something far in the distance.
Towards her next prey.
Cackling, her body hunched slightly as she spoke.
"It's just fun. I like this... It's been so long since I've been allowed to run loose. Don't you enjoy it? Seeing all these people the world calls the best, reduced to nothing but our servants? Don't you find joy in standing above them?"
"You're crazy."
"I know."
Ariel's lips twisted upwards as she finally looked at Joanna.
"But you know I'm right. I can see it from your face."
"....."
Joanna stood silently, touching her face.
Eventually—
"Well, alright."
She nudged in Sarah's direction.
"I guess it is pretty fun."
Sarah nodded, fading from the spot as something in the air shifted.
Joanna turned to look in Mia's direction, locking eyes with her, Min, Nora, and Niel as she commanded, "Keep her safe. I'll go with Sarah to check on the situation."
Joanna rushed forward a moment later, leaving the building and fading into the mist as she traced Sarah's presence through the connection she shared with Ariel. It didn't take long for her to catch up with Sarah, but the moment she did, she had no choice but to pause as she looked at the distant group.
'Wait, isn't that...?'
Stepping out from where she had been hiding, Joanna moved toward the group, revealing herself at once. The group stopped immediately.
"Who!?"
But their expressions changed when they took note of Joanna.
"...It's... you?"
Joanna didn't reply and instead just looked at them.
Their current state was, quite frankly, pitiful. Their faces were haggard, their hair disheveled, and dark circles hung heavily beneath their eyes. Staring at them, Joanna found herself heavily frowning.
How was this possible?
She knew the group very well.
Especially the figure standing at the front, Rowan. He was one of the more talented members of the Guild. More importantly, he belonged to the same group as Kyle, a team widely regarded as the most powerful within the Guild.
But as she looked, she couldn't find Kyle at all.
What sort of...?
"H-have... you... have you perhaps seen Kyle?"
Rowan's whisper pulled Joanna out of her thoughts.
When she looked back at him, she saw the clear worry in his eyes as he stared at her, his voice unsteady as he muttered, "I–in one moment he was right beside us, and the next... he was gone. I can't... find him at all. None of us can. Have you seen him?"
***
Something about the air felt different the moment I stepped outside.
The heaviness was gone, and in its place drifted a familiar mist as I looked around me. Tree branches spiked through the fog like sharp spikes, cutting through the pale veil as the gray sky above cast a dim, lifeless glow over the silent surroundings.
I took in the air, looking around before eventually spotting two figures standing not far from me.
The moment I locked eyes with them, they seemed to flinch for a moment.
I alternated my gaze between the two before looking down at the camera on my body.
'Is it working?'
I couldn't quite tell.
Regardless—
"It seems like you two made it out with no issues."
I felt rather grateful to them. Although everything was a blur to me, I could still recall what had happened. None of this would've worked without them. Of course, they would've also have died without me.
"So, ehm..."
Surprisingly, the first one to speak was Drake.
He scratched the back of his head, his eyes wandering everywhere except where I stood.
'He can't even look me in the eye.'
In a way, it was funny. But also pitiful.
"I get it."
I also could tell what he wanted to say as I waved my hand dismissively.
"Save your thanks for later."
I took out my phone and checked the date. Now that it had adjusted back to the flow of time outside, I knew there was still one day remaining before this trial of the Congress ended.
In that case—
"I'm going to reunite with my squad. If you wish, you may come with me, or we can part ways."
I started walking.
As I did, I heard the sound of footsteps approaching from behind. In that moment, I knew the decision they had made. I continued walking ahead, my mind drifting back to the words I had heard from Paimon.
It's all a game...
One that I was a big part of.
I closed my eyes, the corners of my lips curling.
'That's a rather big hint.'
If I didn't understand this much, I'd be stupid.
Surprisingly, my connection with Ariel hadn't severed, even though I had been taken all the way to hell. That alone felt incredibly strange to me, and it also showed just how powerful Ariel truly was. Or was it something else?
I wasn't quite sure.
But at the same time—
'Although the connection with her still exists, it's very weak. A lot weaker than it was in the past. I can't quite communicate with her just yet.'
Did she get hurt?
Or...
As a certain possibility emerged, my steps slowed.
However, I quickly shook my head.
'It shouldn't be possible. The Guild Master has placed a seal on her...'
".....Ah."
I closed my eyes.
Thinking back on everything that had happened, I started to get an idea of what could have happened.
'Right... considering the Guild Master's personality, he most likely removed the seal the moment I disappeared.'
With the seal gone, Ariel was like a completely different person.
She wasn't something anyone could contain, and by now, she had most likely already caused a great deal of chaos.
"Haha."
For some reason, I laughed.
Instead of feeling afraid of what she and the others might have done, I found the situation oddly amusing. If anything, I felt a sense of anticipation. What kind of sight would be waiting for me when I returned to the others?
"Hm?"
Sensing something, my laugh stopped as I looked behind me.
Taking note of Drake and Esteban's faces, I touched my face.
"Is something the matter?"
"...No."
"All... good."
"Is that so?"
If so, why were they looking at me like that? It was almost as if they were looking at something scary.
I shrugged my shoulders and turned away from them.
'Maybe they've lost it after what happened in the Limbo. Can't blame them.'
"Hehe."
Thinking back to the situation with Ariel and the others, I laughed again. The space behind me shifted once more, but I paid it no mind. Instead, I continued to chuckle to myself while walking ahead.
But as I continued to walk, my steps gradually slowed as something else crossed my mind.
'Right, now that I think about it, I don't have any points.'
Leon had ended up taking the Data Transmitter.
Thinking about him, I didn't feel any anger or anything of the sort.
I felt something else entirely.
Something more twisted.
'Now that I think about it, something doesn't add up. I remember him saying he watched me hang myself, but the clearer my mind becomes, the more certain I am that it never happened. Was that some trick Paimon used, knowing he couldn't contain him... or something else entirely?'
I wasn't quite sure anymore.
Regardless, as things stood, I wasn't able to acquire many points for my team. I did have a day, but was that going to be enough?
The only hope that I had was in my team.
Hopefully, they did acquire some points.
SWOOOOOOSH!
All of a sudden, something shot into the air, tearing through the thick fog. A moment later, crimson bled into the mist above, slowly spreading through the pale gray like ink in water. For an instant, the drifting veil turned red, the color hanging in the air before it began to thin and scatter with the wind.
I knew in an instant what it was as I started to walk in that direction, Drake and Esteban following from behind.
'I wonder if I'll be able to make it in time.'
The flare was one of the few ways that I could acquire points.
However—
Sizzle~
Staring at the sizzling pellet, I knew I had been a step too late. The ones who had called for rescue were already gone.
I suddenly grew curious.
'Did they get sent to hell as I did? Or is this the work of an anomaly?'
For a while now, whatever this thing was had been toying with me, and with everyone else here. Even now, I could barely understand how it did what it did, or what it truly was.
Just what was I dealing with?
Crunch!
Lifting my head, I saw several figures appear in the distance, and my eyes narrowed.
This scene... it felt like déjà vu.
Was it just a coincidence?
As I continued to stare in the direction the noise had come from, the silhouettes slowly grew clearer before my eyes.
At the same time, they seemed to notice me as well. They began to approach, only to freeze the moment they properly caught sight of me, too.
"Oh."
For a split second, her face contorted. But just as quickly, it smoothed out, and a genuine smile appeared on her lips.
"I'm really glad to see you here."
No, you weren't.
"Did you come here to check the flare? What a coincidence that we both ended up here."
No, probably wasn't.
"Hm? Where is your squad? And..."
Catherine paused, finally noticing the two people standing behind me. The moment she recognized them, her expression shifted ever so slightly.
I explained the situation first.
"They're with me. We both got separated from our groups, so we decided to work together. Isn't that right?"
I glanced at the two of them, and they nodded without hesitation. Their quick response caught me off guard for a moment, but I quickly brushed it aside and turned my attention back to Catherine.
The words were about to leave my mouth when I suddenly sensed something, shifting my attention elsewhere. I wasn't the only one to notice the changes as Catherine and the others also turned their heads, several figures appearing to our right.
More people?
The silhouettes moved forward, and their figures soon became clear. The moment they stepped into view, it felt as though an invisible pressure spread through the air, pressing in from all directions as a young girl with dark hair appeared.
Appearing next to her were her members, each one radiating a pressure that seemed to synergize with hers as she scanned our group, eventually pausing her attention towards me as her brows furrowed.
My brow raised at the sight of her.
'Isn't she the one from Eclipse?'
What was her name again?
Seraphine? Yes, that was her name.
As far as I was aware, she was extremely young and ranked 11th in the overall rankings. In otherwords, she was a monster.
Scanning our group and then Catherine's, her eyes narrowed slightly before her gaze finally settled on me.
"You're him, right?"
Her voice was soft, but clear in my ears.
Strangely, I didn't feel much under her gaze. Perhaps it was because of everything that had happened to me recently. Even as I stared back at her, there was no pressure weighing down on me.
If anything, I was intrigued.
What exactly could she want from me?
"You're the one everyone is talking about."
"...Likely."
"Mhm."
Seraphine nodded, her expression unchanged as she shifted her attention toward what remained of the flare, which slowly and gradually sizzled out.
I watched her and her team with some interest, curious to see what she would do next. But the words that came out of her mouth were not what I had expected.
"I more or less understand what's going on. I've been studying this mist, and whatever it is that's been roaming around. I've memorized its pattern, and I've also smelled its scent. I should be able to figure out its location soon."
She turned her attention towards me.
"Are you interested in joining my team?"
It was an unexpected offer.
One that I didn't think she'd propose to me the moment that she saw me. Staring at her pale face and cold features, I started to think, 'Does she have some sort of motive behind asking me? Is she trying to gauge my strength? Maybe recruit me?'
Suddenly, I felt curious.
"Do you need some time to think about it?"
Her soft voice brought me back, but I answered right after that.
"I'm interested."
Realistically speaking, this wasn't what I was supposed to do. At the moment, the priority was to get back to the others and figure out the point situation. However, this sudden offer caught my interest.
Not only was I curious about her intentions, but if she truly had a way to deal with whatever had been "haunting" us, then I was very interested.
A part of me wasn't done with it yet.
Especially after everything it had done to me.
'Right, I really want to deal with it. I have to deal with it. The others can wait.'
Dealing with it would also give some points.
Since I had none, this was good.
"That's good."
Seraphine nodded and turned to face Catherine and the others. Her gaze swept over them for a brief moment before she turned away and began to leave. It didn't seem like she had any interest in recruiting Catherine.
However, it also didn't seem like Catherine cared.
"Good luck."
Instead, she waved at me with a thin smile.
"I wish you the best of luck with whatever you're dealing with."
So fake...
"You too."
Since we were being recorded, I decided to put on a fake act as well. We couldn't show the world that we were actually on bad terms.
"Oh, right."
Just as I was about to follow Seraphine and her group, a thought crossed my mind. I paused and looked back at Drake and Esteban.
"They can come too."
Seraphine beat me to it as her voice calmly drifted in the air.
"They're capable enough."
"...Well, okay."
I didn't really mind whether they came or not. Still, glancing to the side and catching Catherine's expression, I couldn't help but feel a quiet sense of admiration. She truly managed to keep her composure.
If anything, she even looked gentle.
Yeah, that bothered me.
"Bye."
I waved at her as she waved back.
Her smile remained as sweet as ever, but the more she kept it up, the more it bothered me.
I wanted to see her angry.
So—
"If you see your sister, do tell her my location. I believe that she would be of great help to us."
Ah, there it was.
The subtle twitch in her features as her waving paused.
"She is a Paragon, after all. Not only that, but she's extremely capable. I actually admire her skills quite a bit. For her to have developed this far while also maintaining her modeling career... I'm honestly impressed. You're younger than her, right? You should learn from her. I think you have a lot of potential."
I was talking quite a lot. More than I normally did. I could even feel the annoyed glances from those in Seraphine's group as they paused to stare at me, but I felt completely unbothered as I kept my entire attention focused on Catherine.
The more I spoke, the more her face changed.
And it was such changes that made me want to keep going.
'You're about to explode. Hmm. Almost there. If I push a little bit further, I might be able to—'
"Well, I'm off."
This isn't good. This isn't good.
Covering my lips, I turned my attention away from Catherine. Ever since returning from Limbo, I had started to feel it.
The changes that were taking place within me.
I wouldn't normally do something like this. In fact, I had a lot more self-control. But ever since I came back, it felt as though that very self-restraint had almost shattered. Even now, I had no choice but to walk with my lips covered.
I had no choice but to.
Otherwise...
They'd see my smile.
'Ah, how troublesome. How really troublesome.'
Eventually catching up with the group, the first thing I noticed was the trembling expressions on Drake and Esteban's faces. I blinked at the sight of them.
"Is something the matter?"
They hastily shook their heads.
"No problem."
"...Nothing. Nothing."
"Hmm. I see."
I turned my attention away and looked ahead, feeling Seraphine's gaze settle on me. Her expression remained cold, but there was something else in her eyes as she watched me.
The longer I felt her gaze, the more something within me began to stir. It grew strong enough that, in the end, I had no choice but to look away.
'Control it. Control it.'
Thankfully, Seraphine didn't keep her gaze on me for long. As we moved through the mist, she began to speak.
"I believe we're dealing with an anomaly. One that seems to fall under the Illusionist Decree. Something capable of manipulating perception. I also believe there's more than one of them. From what I've experienced, they can hide within groups and pretend to be part of them to observe. They study everything. Voices, tone, the way someone speaks, their mannerisms, and even personal details. They copy it all... so they can blend in with the group more perfectly."
Her information was rather detailed.
In fact, most of what she revealed was something I had already more or less figured out after my previous encounter.
"They don't target a specific person. They target groups and play around with every member. They will either go after the weakest member or anyone whose guard is lowered. In the end, their goal is to create division within the group before picking everyone apart. After everything is done, they throw a flare to gather more groups to infiltrate."
My steps suddenly started to slow down as I looked ahead.
Seraphine continued forward in silence, her gaze fixed straight ahead without the slightest sign of concern.
"Yes."
Her voice drifted into the air.
"...It's currently among us."
Ah.
Suddenly, something clicked inside of my mind. Everything that I had previously been confused about made sense.
'Right, it makes sense this way.'
The reason she had asked my group to join hers instead of Catherine's had nothing to do with skill or any particular interest in me. It was far simpler than that.
My group only had three people.
With fewer people, things wouldn't be as messy.
And above all—
'She knows that I know how many people are originally in her group. Her perception of the number of people in her group might be messed up, but mine isn't, since I wasn't originally part of her group. At least, not yet. She's essentially telling me to find the anomaly and get rid of it.'
This was a smart play from her.
However, there was something that she grossly miscalculated.
Originally, her group was meant to consist of six people. This was something that I remembered reading before the start of the Congress while gauging the other teams. But as I looked ahead now, there were more than six people in her group.
There were nine.
Meaning...
There's not one extra, but three.
Suddenly covering my lips, I couldn't help but quicken my pace as I looked around me, feeling the corners of my lips slowly pulling higher and higher.
'What a troublesome dilemma.'
Truly.
'This is really interesting.'
The entire situation was interesting.
Staring at Seraphine and the nine people walking with her, I felt a surge of interest. According to her own words, three of them were impostors, pretending to belong to her group.
And she wanted me to get rid of them.
But—
'Not only did she openly say this out loud, enough for everyone to hear, but she's also claiming that she doesn't know how many extras there are.'
I didn't buy this.
I had experienced this exact situation before. At the time, I hadn't noticed the extra person, but I had known exactly how many people were supposed to be in my group.
At first, the detail slipped my mind. But when I finally paid closer attention, I realized there truly had been an extra person in my group. I didn't think that her experience was going to be much different from mine, meaning that she also was likely aware that there were three extra people.
So why?
Why was she being ambiguous about this?
'Is she giving me a sort of hint? Is she testing me? I'm really starting to become curious.'
I paid close attention to the situation while following Seraphine from behind.
At the same time, I reached for my pockets.
'That might work.'
***
The soft crunch of boots echoed faintly through the mist as Seraphine moved forward, her gaze calmly scanning the surroundings. Despite the sound beneath her feet, the rest of her movements were silent as she advanced through the mist.
Tree branches spiked through the thin veil of mist that surrounded them, their twisted shapes cutting through the pale fog. A dim, gray light filtered down from above, barely illuminating the path ahead and making it difficult to see more than a few meters forward.
The air felt cold against the skin, damp and still, while the faint scent of old wood and wet bark lingered heavily in the atmosphere.
Several steps echoed behind her as she continued ahead.
'I wonder if he's noticed anything.'
From the corner of her eye, Seraphine's gaze fell on the figure following behind them. His dark eyes were fixed ahead, his steps calm and measured, his expression revealing nothing.
'I've only revealed this much to make him trust me.'
Seraphine didn't have him follow them because she trusted his abilities. In fact, her goal was rather simple.
She wanted to fix the anomaly's attention on him.
By revealing the information aloud and putting him in charge, she made it seem as though she was pinning her hopes on him. At the same time, she gave the impression that her own perception had been compromised, as if she no longer knew how many people had infiltrated her group.
The reality of the situation was that she was aware all along that there were three extra people.
She even knew who had most likely taken over, although she wasn't certain.
That was the issue.
In order not to compromise her team members, she had to use someone else.
Her team members' lives were worth more than others'.
The next step was simple. She just had to wait for the anomaly to target him before finally catching it.
From the information that she knew, the anomaly was important for her to figure out the secret behind Point Z.
'He's also rather weak, which makes him the best bait. I'm a bit concerned regarding Drake and Esteban from the Melson Sanders Guild, but I can take care of them if needed.'
This was who Seraphine was.
Beneath the coldness in her features lay an even deeper chill, one that was calculating and self-serving. She acted in ways that benefited herself, even if it came at the expense of others. It was through such methods that she had managed to reach where she was now.
'It'll be good if he survives, but I don't really care.'
Seraphine felt her plan was solid.
However—
BANG!
Not all plans would go the way one wanted.
Thump!
Hearing a soft 'thump' from behind her, Seraphine's entire body paused. A moment later, several startled yelps followed.
She slowly turned her head, her attention settling on the dark barrel of what appeared to be a gun.
No, it didn't quite look like a gun, but something similar to it.
As her gaze shifted from the gun to the body lying on the ground, her heart tightened slightly when she realized that the one on the floor wasn't one of the people she had marked in her mind, but someone else entirely.
Her gaze lifted.
"Do you have any idea of what you've done?"
"Hm?"
Seth raised his brow, his gun lowering.
"Didn't you tell me to find the culprit? I gave it a shot."
The black film around his hand receded, revealing his fingers still shaped like a gun. He flicked them a couple of times, quietly mumbling, "Bang, bang."
Seraphine's face turned extremely cold.
However, before she could say anything else, she saw his lips slowly curl upward as he looked at her.
"I know you know."
The words that were about to leave her mouth stopped.
Her brows furrowed tightly.
"What are you..."
Once again, her words died in her throat when she noticed the smile resting on his lips.
Her gaze lingered there for a moment before lifting to his dark eyes, which seemed to look straight through her. For the briefest instant, Seraphine's otherwise unshakable heart trembled slightly.
"I'll play along, though."
Seth lowered his hand and looked down at the body on the floor. He slowly crouched, watching the blood seep out from its back. He tapped the back a couple of times, mumbling, 'This feels real.'
Seraphine's eyes fluttered as she parted her lips to speak. But at that moment, Seth placed his hand on the back of the body's head, and a dark film spread across his hand once more.
The next instant, it shot straight through the skull, sending blood splattering in every direction.
"You—!"
"What are you doing!?"
Finally snapping out of it, the members of Seraphine's squad began to move. Yet Seth's gaze remained playful as he continued staring at the body on the ground.
Just as the others were about to step forward, something strange happened.
The body in front of Seth suddenly began to squirm.
"Huh?"
"What's happening?"
Sensing that something was wrong, everyone stopped.
At the same time, the body began to squirm more violently under Seth's gaze. Its form twisted and swelled, growing larger and larger before suddenly bursting apart into the mist.
In the next instant, nothing remained. Its form had vanished completely, blending with the mist around them, as though it had never been there in the first place.
"——!"
"What?!"
The expressions of the group shifted at once, their eyes changing as they processed what they had just seen. Seth, however, paid it no mind. He simply lifted his head and looked toward Seraphine, whose expression remained strangely calm.
However, inwardly, she wasn't as calm as she looked on the outside.
'I've miscalculated. That wasn't one of the targets that I had chosen. Is it possible that one of my members was taken and replaced, making the number of anomalies in my team four? Or has my perception been altered to the point where I can't tell who is who anymore?'
No—
Seraphine's eyes narrowed as she looked at Seth.
Pushing all thoughts aside, she kept her gaze firmly locked on him.
At this moment, it was clear to her.
The entire momentum of the operation had shifted to his side.
He was now the one controlling the situation.
'It's a pity. I really wanted to try [Herder] on it, but since I'm being watched, I can't afford to do that.'
Then again, it was possible for me to use Mr. Jingle's skill and make sure that none of the cameras were working, but that in itself would be rather suspicious. I could've forced the issue if I wanted to, but I didn't want to take any risks.
Above all—
'There are still two more I can play around with.'
I looked ahead.
All attention seemed fixed on me.
Feeling the numerous gazes on me, I kept my attention fixed on Seraphine. Her expression remained calm, but I could sense something flicker within her eyes. She was likely already thinking of a way to regain the advantage she had lost.
'From what I can deduce, she probably tried to use me as bait to have the anomalies target me so that she can cleanly take care of them and figure out what they were to gain points. She probably waited a lot of time, calmly observing everything before putting her plans into motion.'
I had probably come at the right time for her to put everything into motion.
Unfortunately, I didn't really act the way she wanted to.
"That's a unique Decree that you have. What Decree is it?"
"Hm? Oh."
I smiled while looking at Seraphine.
"I am of the Mender Decree."
"..."
Seeing her expression, I really felt like laughing. This was pretty fun. Why didn't I realize it sooner?
"Well, either way, it looks like we managed to get rid of one, right?"
I brushed off my hand and slowly stood up.
To be honest, finding the impostor had been rather easy for me. It wasn't because of the knife. Unfortunately, the knife didn't seem to work on the anomaly.
What actually worked was the compass.
The moment it pointed at someone, I shot at them using [Trait Transfer]. Although there was a chance that it had pointed at the wrong person, my shot wasn't fatal to begin with. At least, not to a human.
'It certainly wouldn't be good for me if I killed someone in front of so many people.'
"Yes, it does seem like you managed to get rid of one. You're quite competent."
"Thank you."
Her compliments felt rather forced.
I still accepted them.
At the same time, she began talking once more.
"Since the situation has turned out this way, would you mind telling me how you managed to spot the fake? I'm not doubting you or anything, but I'd like to know how you did it since I have my back facing you. As the one in charge of this group, I'd at least like to understand how you figured it out so I can be less worried."
"Oh, sure."
Her intentions were clear to me.
'She likely wants me to reveal how I did it so that the anomalies become wary. After which, it'll be much easier to be certain of who to eliminate and take the lead.'
So—
"Actually, I have faced one of these anomalies before. I'm sure you already know that. Telling wasn't very hard."
Rummaging through my pocket, I took out my phone.
"This is a special item I managed to acquire from the Guild. Although it comes with some side effects, it can tell me exactly who the anomaly is and who isn't."
"Such an interesting item exists?"
Seraphine looked intrigued while staring at my phone.
"May I get a good look at it?"
"Sure, you can."
Taking a step forward, Seraphine was just about to reach for my phone when she suddenly stopped.
Her eyes flickered—
At the same moment, dark tendrils shot up from the ground beneath us, surging upward and wrapping tightly around one of her team members.
"Uekh!"
The team member screamed, but it was already too late. The tendrils swallowed him completely as Seraphine turned her attention toward him.
Her eyes narrowed slightly. Then she gave a small nod and clenched her hand.
Almost immediately, the tendrils tightened. The crushing force burst his body apart, sending blood spraying in every direction before the remains slowly dissolved into the mist.
I stood in silence, observing the entire situation in surprise.
"You can keep it."
Seraphine's voice whispered from in front of me as she glanced at the phone in my hand.
"I know it's fake. Nevertheless, it did help me find the other anomaly, so I should thank you for it."
Squeezing the phone in my hand, I couldn't help but smile to myself as I put it away. It seemed that this time, I had been the one seen through. Nevertheless, I didn't feel angry about it, but rather... It felt rather entertaining as Seraphine stopped before her group, quietly scanning it in silence.
"There's just one extra that remains."
Her words weren't directed at them, but me.
"I'd like to capture this one instead of killing it."
I was of the same opinion, but at the same time, I knew I couldn't fully trust her words. She said there was only one left, but what if that was also a trap and there were actually two? One of them could have already replaced someone in her group.
And what if she was aware of that as well, setting another bait in the process?
'Even if that's the case, I'll probably play along.'
In reality, I already had a rough idea of the anomaly I was dealing with. If I truly wanted to, I could probably identify all of them and end this entire charade.
The anomalies blended into groups seamlessly, stirring up discord among the members while also ambushing them in secret. In doing so, they distorted everyone's perception, subtly making people forget that they were even there.
Having dealt with them, I already had a solution in my mind.
'Mirelle's skill, [Innocent Giggle].'
If I used the skill, then I'd be able to expose them immediately. There were also the glasses, although not quite as effective, if I used them correctly, I was also certain I'd be able to find the anomalies hiding within us.
But—
'I know there's more to this than what she's saying. In fact, I'm certain she isn't just using me as bait to identify them properly. She must know something about these anomalies and is trying to draw them out so she can figure it out.'
I played along because I was certain.
If I stayed with her, I might be able to uncover a small piece of the puzzle that would explain the truth behind the mist. She was cunning and seemed to lie with nearly every word she spoke, but there was no denying her capabilities.
With the Congress coming to an end soon, this was my last shot at earning some points.
Covering my lips with my hand, I used [Trait Transfer].
"Hehehe~"
I decided to help her out a little.
Though the giggle was soft and audible only to me, it had a profound effect on the surroundings. Several figures flickered right before our eyes. In that instant, Seraphine's expression changed.
However, despite the confusion, she still reacted.
In an instant, dark tendrils burst from the ground beneath them, surging toward the flickering figures and binding them completely.
Her reaction was instant.
Right then, her gaze shifted, meeting mine for just half-a-second before she eventually turned her attention towards the bound figures.
"Three."
Her words were soft, but I could feel the heaviness in them.
Indeed, she had bound three figures.
Meaning—
'Two of her teammates are gone.'
Without realizing it, her group had been infiltrated by five anomalies.
Seraphine's expression remained cold despite the situation as she turned towards one of her team members.
"Paul, find where they're hiding."
"Understood."
The man named Paul, a tall man who looked no older than me, stepped forward. His shoulder-length brown hair parted in the middle as his gaze moved between the three bound anomalies. After a moment, he closed his eyes and began to do something.
I was just starting to wonder what he was doing when Seraphine's voice echoed through the surroundings.
"He's of the [Hunter] Decree. Although he couldn't find the anomalies while they were hiding in our group, he can track them down if bound. I'm planning to go directly to their nest. I believe that's where the missing members are likely located."
"Perhaps."
Honestly, I was curious.
Would we really find where they were hiding, or would we be led straight to hell as I had been before?
'It's clear that this anomaly is the one responsible for sending me there. I'm still rather curious to see, though. How can an anomaly send someone to hell? Is hell a place that is accessible just like this?'
I had a feeling that wasn't the case. As I waited in silence for Paul to finish, something in the air seemed to shift, and the surroundings rustled faintly. The mist around us appeared to thicken at the same time as cold air washed over us.
"We've been noticed."
Seraphine's voice whispered in the mist.
"...They'll be coming for us soon."
She looked at Paul, who opened his eyes.
"I've found it."
"Good."
She clenched her hand, shattering the anomalies at once as they exploded and turned into parts of the mist. At the same time, Paul stepped forward and began walking ahead.
"Follow along. Don't get too far. Make sure to keep track of who you're next to."
I followed along in silence, my steps measured.
Following them from behind, I couldn't help but think, 'Wouldn't all of this have been a lot easier if they used keywords as I did with the others? Not only would they be able to find the anomalies, but they'd also save a lot of trouble.'
Did they just not think about it?
No, that was probably not it.
'Likely, they've done it on purpose. Could it be that she wanted her team members to be captured?'
The idea lingered inside my mind for a moment, growing stronger and stronger as we marched ahead.
At the same time, however, I struggled to understand why she'd do this.
There didn't seem to be any direct benefit to doing this. If anything, it only put her own teammates in danger. But then again, she was a Paragon. She must have had her own considerations.
'There's no point in thinking about this now. For now, I'll just follow her and see where the situation will lead.'
*
Rustle~ Rustle~
Moving past the fog, we brushed against the numerous thin branches that pierced through the mist, their brittle limbs scraping softly against our clothes. Each step we took crunched faintly against the uneven ground beneath us, the sound strangely loud in the otherwise silent forest.
The deeper we went, the denser the fog became. It coiled around the trees and crept along the ground, swallowing shapes and blurring distances until everything beyond a few meters faded into pale gray.
No one spoke.
The only sounds were our quiet footsteps and the faint rustle of branches shifting in the mist.
I observed everything in silence, a certain heaviness slowly pressing against my chest the deeper we went. At the same time, I checked behind me, giggling softly under my breath to make sure there were no extra people.
'...Nothing.'
There was no extra person.
But it was this lack of action that made everything feel more suffocating.
'There's no doubt in my mind that we're being watched, but why aren't they making a move? Is it because they realized that they can't hide among us? Or am I missing something?'
The thoughts just left my mind when Paul suddenly stopped.
With him leading the group, everyone followed close behind. The moment he stopped, the rest of them came to a halt as well.
A thick silence followed after he stopped.
"....."
The silence stretched thin, only to be broken by Seraphine as she moved closer to him.
"Why did you stop? Did you..."
Her words stopped halfway.
At the same time—
Thump!
Paul's body suddenly collapsed backward, startling everyone.
All eyes immediately fell on him, and the moment they did, I heard a collective hiss as everyone drew in a sharp, cold breath. I was no different, my eyes locking onto his wide-open sockets.
Sockets, yes.
There existed no eyes.
They had both gone missing as Seraphine examined the body. Despite the sudden situation, she remained calm as she eventually lowered Paul's lids.
"We've arrived."
Turning around, her attention was fixed elsewhere. She didn't say anything about Paul's death or even seem to regard it.
I felt this to be strange as I continued to stare at the body.
'How did he lose his sight? I didn't even notice a single thing.'
I frowned, looking around me. I was even more surprised to see the lack of surprise coming from Seraphine's team members. Although they did seem a little bit saddened by the sudden death, they were still rather composed and didn't ask anything.
This felt somewhat strange to me, especially since they treated this death as normal, but after a little bit of thought, I realized, 'They're from one of the best Guilds in the world. They should be used to death. They probably treat this as a normal thing.'
Eventually, following her line of sight, I caught sight of a large silhouette hidden within the fog, its shape resembling that of a two-story house. From somewhere within the mist, a faint creaking sound slowly echoed through the air.
One that sounded eerily similar to the slow creak of a rocking chair.
The closer we drew, the more pronounced the sound became. The slow creaking echoed through the fog, like something gently swaying in the stillness.
Eventually, the shape of the house became clearer through the mist. On the wooden patio at the front stood a rocking chair, moving back and forth on its own.
No one sat on it.
Yet it continued to rock in the heavy silence.
My body tensed at the sight, a strange heaviness settling against my chest as I watched the rocking chair sway back and forth. Something about it felt wrong, as though someone was sitting on it, watching us.
I tried giggling, but nothing.
Nothing was sitting on the chair.
At the same time, my gaze drifted past the chair and toward the house itself, taking in its details. It was a two-story building, its wooden frame worn by age. The windows were old and clouded with dust, their glass dull and opaque as if they had not been cleaned in years.
Some of the shutters hung slightly crooked, creaking faintly whenever the wind brushed past them.
The entire house stood there in the fog, its very presence giving a sense of desolation.
Despite every part of me telling me to stay away from the place, Seraphine began moving.
Her steps were neither hurried nor slow as she walked toward the house, her posture calm.
Taken aback, I could only watch as she approached the front door. Without the slightest hesitation, she reached for the handle, pushed it open, and stepped inside.
Not a moment after, her group members followed.
I watched in silence as the rest of her team entered the house, their silhouettes briefly appearing behind the dull, dusty windows.
Glancing back at Drake and Esteban, I paused for a moment before eventually turning and moving toward the house as well. The wooden patio creaked beneath my steps as I approached and entered the house.
The moment I did, it was as if all sound faded from the surroundings.
"Hm?"
Taking note of the situation, I looked around and noticed that the place was completely empty. When I turned back, I realized that Drake and Esteban were no longer there, and the door behind me had already closed.
My eyes jumped up.
But before I could react—
Trrrr! Trrrr—!
A loud ringing echoed throughout the room.