The main reason behind Kyle's decision to enter the cartoon was simple.
'I need to buy enough time before reinforcements come.'
While Kyle wasn't fully aware of the anomaly's strength, he was still quite confident he'd be able to buy enough time for the Guild to arrive before it was too late.
Zoey followed right behind him.
"...I can't believe I'm actually following you inside."
A strange, creeping suffocation settled over them as they stepped into the cartoon world. The sky above was a vivid orange, almost too bright, bleeding a sickly hue across the scene. The world looked simple at first glance.
A long, empty road lined with identical houses, each with a neatly trimmed garden and a small garage.
But something felt... off.
It was far too quiet.
The usual cheerful figures that waved from porches were gone.
The air was still.
Dead still.
"Where is everyone...? I thought—"
"Shh."
Kyle pressed his finger against his mouth as he looked around.
His entire body was tense, and the strange sense of suffocation from before became even more apparent.
It was as if...
They were being watched.
'No, we are being watched.'
He looked around, trying to see where the eyes could be. However, regardless of where he looked, he couldn't see a single thing.
In the end, he had no choice but to continue forward.
The goal was to buy time.
However, looking at how empty the space was, he realized that this was much harder than he expected.
'Where is he? No, where is everyone else...?'
Kyle's brows furrowed tightly.
But then—
"Let me check."
Zoey stepped forward, her foot tapping against the ground.
Immediately, a bright light pulsed outward from the sole of her foot, expanding outward rapidly.
As a light elementalist, Zoey wasn't particularly strong in direct combat. She could handle lesser anomalies well enough, but when facing opponents of equal rank, she often found herself outmatched. It wasn't due to a lack of power, but because her strength lay in support, not offense.
From tracking, to marking targets, to illuminating the darkest corners. Zoey's abilities covered a wide range of different abilities.
As she pulled her foot back, her eyes locked onto a specific point in the distance.
"I feel something over there. Let's hurry."
"...Okay."
Kyle and Zoey sprinted forward, racing down the road as identical houses blurred past on either side.
They didn't run very far when—
Squeak! Squeak!
A certain squeaking sound reverberated in the air, halting the two on the spot.
Slowly, their heads turned towards a certain spot, and their faces stiffened.
By the window of one of the houses stood a figure, clutching a horn in both hands. Its face was pale, stretched wide in an unnatural smile that didn't move. It stared straight at them, unblinking.
Then—
"....!?"
Another figure stood near a tree, barely visible in the orange light. This one held a red balloon. f r\eeNovelBin.c(o)(m)
It swayed slightly, though there was no wind.
A strange sensation rooted itself in Kyle and Zoey's minds. Something about the balloon pulled at them.
Something—
CLANK!
One of the doors burst open, revealing a pale man with smiling lips and curly red wig.
Looking closely, each person seemed to hold a distinctive item that belonged to the clown, and Kyle and Zoey instantly understood what was happening.
"Don't look! This must be the anchor for the hypnosis!"
With their experience, they were able to understand what was happening.
It was just unfortunate that—
"So it seems that we have guests here."
The appearance of the smiling people was just the start.
What followed was a soft, squeaky voice, unnaturally high and off-putting, as a sudden tension fell over the area, wrapping the surroundings.
Thud!
They heard the soft sound of a step coming from before them, and their bodies immediately tensed.
Kyle took several deep breaths, counting the steps before him.
'One, two, three...'
Despite the situation, his mind never stopped churning.
And then—
"Freeze!"
He slapped his hands together, and the surroundings froze.
Hastily raising his head, his gaze immediately fell on the clown figure standing before him, its smile flipped in the opposite direction. The skin around its mouth was cracked, as though the sudden flip of its smile had torn through the grin that had long since fossilized on its face.
Its head tilted slightly to one side, curly red hair matted against a pale, almost waxen face. It stood still, like a marionette waiting for its strings to be pulled.
In that very moment, staring at the clown, Kyle felt his heart skip a beat.
That was because...
'Eyes. Where are its eyes?'
...All he saw were two holes in place of where its eyes were supposed to be.
Kyle felt a sudden sense of dread as he stared at the clown, and just when he felt his breath start to leave his body, he saw the clown move.
"....?!"
It was just his hand, but that was enough to make Kyle's head spin.
The anomaly should've been completely frozen in place by his skill. And yet, the fact that it could still move even a single hand told Kyle everything he needed to know about its capabilities.
And then—
The anomaly raised its hand to display a mirror. One where Kyle could see his own reflection, and it was in that moment that he saw it.
His widely pulled lips, and...
His missing eyes.
***
None of it escaped my sight.
Staring at the phone in front of me, I saw everything that was happening.
'How in the world did they get inside? No, why are they inside? Shouldn't they be investigating the situation? Are they inside because of that?'
All sorts of thoughts and questions crossed my mind in that moment.
However, such thoughts faded when I saw Kyle's eyes disappear. And as if that wasn't bad enough, his lips soon pulled into a creepy smile.
"....!"
I understood then that the situation was about to turn for the worse.
But then...
Snap!
Zoey reacted, and Kyle managed to snap out of it somewhat.
His smile grew a little thinner, but it was still present.
As for his eyes...
They were still missing.
Watching as Kyle raised his hand to touch his face in search of his eyes, I knew that I couldn't remain still. Slowly, my head turned towards the little girl before me, and I tried to move my body.
However, that proved to be a hopeless endeavor as I realized that I was frozen in place.
Unlike before, I could now move my hand and body a little. However, I knew that any little movement would alarm the little girl.
I had to be careful.
'Tag her. I need to somehow tag her.'
I could tell that time was slowly running out. The end of the quest was near, and I knew that if I didn't do anything soon, we'd all be in trouble.
Think, think!
How could I get out of this situation?
How could I tag her?
I clenched my teeth tightly, trying to think of all sorts of methods.
And then—
'Wait.'
Something suddenly hit me.
Distracted.
The little girl... She was currently distracted. Most likely because it was trying to deal with Kyle and Zoey.
In that case...
Staring at the little girl before me, I calmed down and focused my attention on myself. While I couldn't move at all, I could still use my skills. I thought about recalling the Dreamwalker or Mirelle, but I knew that it would just attract the attention of Mr. Jingles again.
Then—
'Maybe this might work.'
A black tendril slithered from my arm, curling low to the ground and snaking its way toward her.
I held my breath.
Every sound in the room vanished, except the tapping of rain against the glass, now deafening in the silence.
She didn't notice.
But my chest was tightening. My breathing grew shallower.
The tendril inched forward.
Halfway there.
Just a little more...
My whole body tensed. I forgot how to breathe.
Closer...
Anxiety shot through me like electricity.
Only a few meters now.
Just a few—
Twitch.
She twitched.
Her gaze snapped toward me.
Ice water poured down my spine.
But I didn't flinch. I met her stare, gritted my teeth, and—
Swoosh!
The tendril lunged, locking around her leg.
"....!?"
Before she could react, it yanked her straight toward me.
Thud!
She hit the ground in front of me.
I didn't hesitate.
Gritting my teeth, my body moved, and my hand pressed against the top of her head.
"...Tag."
[Containment Vessel]
-x-X-x-
"Ukh—!"
Seth felt an intense throb in his head the moment he activated his first node. It was like a hammer had cracked down on his skull, splitting thought from instinct.
For a moment, everything blurred, his mind buzzing, his vision swimming...
He didn't understand what was happening.
This had never happened to him before.
However, it was already too late for him to regret his decision. Holding onto the girl's head, he clenched his teeth tightly as the node in his head worked overtime.
Instead of decreasing, the pain only increased.
'W-why is this happening?'
His hand started to spasm.
Looking down, he could see the little girl's body starting to spasm.
She was resisting.
".....!?"
The smile that pressed against her face twitched, and in that moment, the room flashed.
The people standing outside the window all turned their heads in his direction, and so did the Matriarch.
Their heads cocked, and their smiles slowly started to fade.
An invisible pressure suddenly filtered across the room as Seth's face paled.
Keeping the Dreamwalker in check, the figures slowly inched toward the door. Each step creaked against the worn floorboards.
The Matriarch followed close behind.
Mirelle began to giggle, but she couldn't stop. No matter how much she laughed, they kept moving.
"They are not playing! They are not playing with me!"
Seth heard all of this, but he couldn't move at all.
He was stuck in place, the pain in his mind only growing stronger as he kept his gaze focused on the little girl.
'Why isn't this working? What is going on? What is happening...? Was my previous guess wrong? Was I wrong all along?'
He didn't think Mr. Jingless was much stronger than Mirelle.
He believed that he could contain Mr. Jingles so long as he activated his skill.
But—
"Kh!"
'Did I overestimate myself?'
Feeling his mind throb even further and the little girl in his grasp trying to pull away from his hand, Seth started to feel a slow sense of despair.
Creaaak—!
The steps grew nearer and nearer.
He could feel them now, just a few steps behind. Cold sweat clung to his back, soaking through his shirt as he held his breath and waited.
And just when he was about to be overcome with despair, he clenched his teeth and focused all of his attention on his node.
At this point, it was either the pain or his life.
"Hhaaa!"
A scream ripped out of his throat as he pressed his other hand onto the little girl's head. In that moment when both hands clung to the girl's head, he poured everything that he had.
Throb!
His already throbbing mind throbbed even further, and just faintly, he heard a faint 'cracking' sound coming from somewhere within his mind.
Seth didn't need to think to know what was happening.
He was overusing his node.
He already was aware of what would happen once that happened.
Fracture.
Fractures were slowly starting to form in his node.
These were consequences that came from the overuse of nodes.
It was something that Kyle had warned him about before, but...
He had no choice.
He had to do it.
And—
".....!?"
The steps that were inching closer to him from behind suddenly stopped.
Everything stopped.
BANG!
The thunder came, and the windows shook.
Seth held onto the pain while staring at the little girl in his grasp. The smile was completely gone from her face, and Seth understood that this was his best opportunity.
He squeezed the head with as much force as he could muster.
Cra Crack—
The cracking sound grew sharper, more pronounced. Like glass under pressure, splintering slowly as invisible fingers tightened around it. Each second stretched the fractures wider, inch by inch.
Seth felt something trickle down the side of his nose.
Drip! Drip...!
He didn't need to look to know what it was as his vision grew hazier and hazier.
At this very moment, he didn't have many thoughts in his mind.
He was barely holding on.
But—
Ding!
Thankfully, he didn't have to hold on for much longer.
A notification flashed across his vision shortly after, and his entire body relaxed.
: [Basic Node : Containment Vessel Activated!]
"....Ah."
With the arrival of the notification, Seth's hands finally let go of the little girl's head as he stumbled back a couple of steps before falling onto the ground.
Thump!
His chest rose and fell repeatedly as he blankly stared at the ceiling.
Darkness took over his vision shortly after.
Thud, thud!
Moments later, the others began to collapse one by one, their bodies hitting the ground in eerie silence. The Dreamwalker faded into nothing, and with it, Mirelle vanished too.
Silence.
Save for the drizzling of the rain, the surroundings turned deafly quiet.
Not a single sound echoed across the room.
That was until—
Creak!
The single sound of a step echoed, and a figure slowly came into the room.
In the darkness, his features were obscured, but the figure eventually stopped before Seth, his gaze wandering around the room and seeing the aftermath of the situation.
"It was you, wasn't it?"
His soft voice echoed quietly across the room as his eyes flashed with a certain glint.
"...Why did you have to come here? Why couldn't you just focus on creating your games?"
The figure's gaze fell on Seth's neck.
His fingers twitched, and his body leaned forward, hands slowly rising to press against Seth's neck.
"I don't even know how you did it. You're supposed to be a regular person. Was it even you who did it? No, it doesn't matter. You can't be kept any longer. Maybe I should—"
Thump! Thump!
Suddenly, a heavy thud echoed from behind. The figure jerked back, pulling his hands from Seth's neck and snapping his head toward the door.
There, not long after, two figures appeared.
"Is everyone okay? What happened?!"
It was Kyle and Zoey as they looked around hastily.
Soon, their gazes fell on the floor where they spotted everyone, and Kyle's face paled.
"Shit!"
He was so focused on the bodies sprawled across the floor that he failed to notice the figure standing just a few steps ahead.
It was only when he spoke that Kyle and Zoey finally took notice of him.
"Don't worry, they're all okay. None of them is dead."
"Huh?"
"....!?"
Kyle and Zoey looked shocked at first, but upon seeing the figure, they both calmed down.
"Oh, it's you."
"...Are you sure they're fine?"
"Yes."
The figure nodded, reaching down towards Seth and pressing his hand against his neck.
"They all have a pulse."
Thud!
It was in that moment that Kyle finally collapsed onto the floor, his chest rising and falling in uneven bursts as he struggled to catch his breath. He was still unsure of what had happened, but all he knew was that in one moment he was fighting Mr. Jingles and in the next moment, he was thrown into the orphanage.
The first thing he did was check if everyone was okay, and only after feeling the matriarch's pulse did Kyle feel a lot better.
Taking several deep breaths to calm himself down, he slowly raised his head as he looked around him, and then the figure.
"About this..."
Kyle swallowed.
"...Were you the one who did this? Who defeated it? Are you—"
"Ah."
The figure made a soft sound as a flash of light flickered into the room, briefly illuminating his face.
Looking around, the figure slowly nodded.
"Yes."
Myles muttered, a slow smile creeping up his features.
"...I did this."
-x-X-x-
It was dark.
In the darkness, I couldn't feel a single thing.
But I was still conscious of the darkness around me.
In a weird sense, it felt comforting.
It felt...
Natural.
It was as if I was part of the darkness and the darkness was part of me.
But that darkness didn't last for long.
Beep! Beep—!
A gentle beeping called to me from beyond the black, like a metronome tapping at the edge of sleep.
I didn't want to leave the darkness, but this wasn't a choice I could make.
Something twitched.
Was it my eyelids?
"....."
As I opened my eyes, a bright light flooded my vision, leaving me momentarily dazed.
The first thing I saw was a white ceiling.
Alongside the ceiling was the same rhythmic beeping sound.
It was annoying.
Be— Beep!
But as I turned my head, I finally realized what it was.
It was an electrocardiogram
'I'm at a hospital?'
"Hm."
Slowly sitting up, I couldn't suppress a groan as I clutched my head.
It hurt...
My head. It hurt like crazy.
The pain was barely tolerable, forcing me to take several deep breaths just to steady myself. Even so, it did little to dull the pain.
'Damn it!'
Thankfully, I was familiar with this pain.
It hurt, but I could handle it.
I didn't know how long passed like that, but by the time the pain was able to subside enough for me to think properly, I was exhausted as I slumped back onto the bed.
'...What in the world happened?'
I was still confused about the entire situation as I tried to recall the moments leading up to the current situation.
It was then that I recalled something, and I hastily opened the system window.
─────
Game Developer : Seth Thorne
Status : Second Order ▶ [See More]
▪ Basic Node : Containment Vessel
▶ Dreamwalker
▶ Mirelle
▶ Mr. Jingles
▪ Basic Node : Trait Transfer
Items :
▪ Blank Mask
▪ Purity Enhancer
▪ Spectral Glasses
▪ Quickstitch Outfit
▪ Echo Compass
Shop : Open
Quests : Unlocked (Available : 3)
▪ Locate the main branch of the cult.
- Reward: 210,000 SP
- Time Limit : 6 months.
▪ Prove the conductor wrong.
- Reward : Conductor
- Time Limit : 3 months.
Developed Games :
[Gentle Whispers] Rating : ⯪☆☆☆☆(0.5)
[A regular day in the office] Rating : ★☆☆☆☆(1.0)
[A Twisted game] Rating : ★★☆☆☆(2.0)
Balance : 100, 229 SP
─────
"....."
Staring at the window in front of me, I didn't feel happy at all.
Not even when I saw my current balance.
Instead, I was pissed.
'Stupid. Stupid. Stupid...'
Now that my head was clear, and I could think straight again, I realized just how stupid I had been throughout the entire ordeal. There were so many things that I could've done better, but more than anything, I had grown arrogant.
With everything that had happened, I had come to the stupid thought that even if I accepted the quests, I'd just somehow get lucky with them and solve them.
I had almost lost my life multiple times in a Second Order mission, and yet, for some reason, I came to the conclusion that I was somehow capable of clearing a Third Order one.
'Stupid.'
No, the mission was solvable.
I knew that it was solvable.
However, the way that I had approached it was wrong.
I had been so fixated with the spectral glasses that I had completely neglected an important item that could've helped me solve this entire ordeal faster.
Echo Compass.
It was an item that I had bought not too long ago for around 70,000 SP during the Twisted Man mission.
'I had the compass with me the entire time, and yet, for some reason, I was fixed with the glasses the entire time. No, not just the glasses. The shop items too.'
Why was this...?
There were only two things in my mind that could explain this.
Stupidity, and lack of experience.
It was a mix of both sides, but it was more stupidity than anything else.
I came to a full understanding just now.
'I can't believe I forgot something like that...'
Just the thought of me forgetting something so important made me want to beat myself up. The fact that I was still alive was all due to luck.
No, it was more like...
It was all thanks to Kyle and Zoey.
Had it not been for them in the last moments, I would've without a doubt have turned into one of those puppets.
This wasn't something that I was happy about.
It just went to show that I was still not ready for Third Order missions. I was still at the Second Order, and as such, it only made sense that I wouldn't be able to solve them.
The fact that I even accepted the mission was simply because of how complacent I had become.
"....."
Blankly staring at my ceiling, I closed my eyes.
Outside of just being mad, I knew that this wasn't going to be the last time I'd enter a quest or scenario like this.
In the last moments, I understood that I had aggravated my injury.
I had no choice but to carry on with the quests.
To... get the medicine.
The only thing I could do right now was reflect on what I had done wrong and never repeat the same mistakes again.
While it wasn't okay to make a mistake in such dangerous situations, now that I was still alive, I could learn something from it.
'Experience. That's what I need. I just have to be more careful, more aware. No more stupid mistakes like forgetting a crucial item I could've used.'
Letting out a short breath, I opened my eyes again.
I was a lot calmer than before. But at the same time, I still felt gloomy about the entire situation.
But then—
Clank!
The door suddenly opened, and a figure calmly walked into the room.
Slowly turning my head, our eyes met and a smile blossomed over his features as he moved in.
"You're finally awake."
"...Yeah."
It was Kyle.
He looked well put-together in his Guild uniform, with neatly kept hair and a surprisingly fresh face.
'Looks like I was out for quite a bit.'
"Are you feeling okay? Does anything hurt? The doctor said that you just fainted out of exhaustion. How are you feeling?"
"...I am, the best that I can be."
I answered with a forced smile. I actually felt like shit, and my head was hurting like crazy, but it wasn't like I could tell him about my disease.
The system wouldn't allow me.
After all, how would I even explain to him how I was still treating it?
'No, wait...'
I suddenly thought about the orphanage and the thing that I had found.
Maybe...?
"Looks like you're doing just fine."
A smile blossomed on Kyle's face as he patted my shoulder.
"You got really lucky there. Zoey and I did too. Even though we were keeping the anomaly in check, it was still tough for both of us. Thankfully, Myles managed to take care of it."
"Oh, I se—Eh?"
I blinked my eyes in confusion.
Did he just say Myles managed to take care of it?
'I'm not hearing wrong, am I?'
"Myles...?"
"Oh, yeah."
Kyle patted me on the shoulder again.
"He really came through for all of us in the end. You should thank him when you see him later. He's currently the man of the hour. I'm sure he'll be receiving quite the award later."
Kyle laughed as he spoke, but the more I heard his words, the greater the gloom in my heart became.
He took care of it?
I suddenly recalled how he had been controlled by Mr. Jingles and had almost screwed me over.
I suddenly recalled how I had managed to tame Mr. Jingles, and he had been nowhere in sight.
Did he really clear it?
I highly doubted it.
'I fucking knew it!'
I clenched my teeth slowly.
'A rat is always a rat.'
-x-X-x-
It wasn't as though I didn't expect something like this to happen.
I'd seen it coming from miles away. That's why I called him a rat. It was a reminder to myself of his possible personality. The one that I was well accustomed to in the game. I kept my guard up against him the entire time, but in the end, he still took the opportunity.
'...And here I gave him the benefit of the doubt. In the end, rats will always be rats.'
"Seth...?"
Hearing Kyle's voice, I slowly looked up.
"Is everything alright? You look kind of out of it. If you're still not feeling well, I can call the nurse and—"
"No, it's fine."
I stopped Kyle before he could call the nurses.
"...I'm just feeling a little tired. That's all."
"Oh, that's fine."
Kyle looked a little relieved.
"In that case—"
"No, stay for a moment."
He was just about excuse himself when I stopped him.
"Hm?"
There was something more pressing at the moment. Something that I was dying to know.
"About the Matriarc—"
"Oh."
Kyle's face turned gloomy the moment I mentioned the Matriarch, and my heart sank. As if sensing my emotions, Kyle pursed his lips and shook his head.
"She's not dead, but her condition, alongside everyone else in the orphanage, isn't very good. Their minds have been put under hypnosis for quite some time, and right now..." Kyle paused for a second before sighing. "Right now, they are all stuck with smiles on their faces."
"....!?"
Before I could say anything else, Kyle raised his hand to stop him.
"Although the situation is like that, it's not all too bad. Their consciousness is still there. However, for now, they will all be sent to the Bureau for treatment."
"The Bureau? But that's..."
"I know, but they are the best bet in helping the children and the Matriarch. They've already been sent there for care. I'll keep you updated on their situation once everything is over. And..."
Kyle paused again, his expression turning a little complex.
"...The little girl and the little boy called Chris. Both of them are in critical condition. Whether the two of them will ever be back to normal, I'm not sure."
My hand shook in that moment.
"W... what did you just say?"
In spite of my best attempts at keeping my voice steady, it unknowingly shook as I stared at Kyle.
"That little girl... What did you say about her condition?"
"It's critical."
Kyle answered, his face quite gloomy.
"I'm not entirely sure, but she's been found with some severe brain trauma. It's almost as if someone shocked her mind with an extremely powerful voltage. We all believe that to be due to the anomaly, but yeah... Her situation is not good. The Bureau will try its best to help her recover. The same is for the little boy."
"....."
It was as if the mouth had been stripped of all its saliva.
It was dry. Incredibly dry.
I could hardly get my throat to open as I struggled to process Kyle's words.
That's...
'That was because of me, wasn't it?'
It didn't take a genius to understand all of this. I was indeed the reason behind the girl's current condition.
A certain emotion boiled within me in that moment.
It wasn't sadness, nor was it guilt.
...And that was the problem.
Hearing about the little girl, I... didn't feel much at all.
And this was the part that scared me. I understood that I had done all of this in order to survive, but I was also sure that any normal person would feel some sort of sense of guilt from this.
I was certain that I'd also feel that sense of guilt.
And yet...
Nothing.
I felt absolutely nothing.
And that was the part that scared.
Just what in the world was going on?
Why... couldn't I...
"Either way, this whole case feels off. We're still investigating its origin, but from what we've gathered so far, it seems Chris's father was responsible for stealing a piece of work that wasn't his. The actual creator, left with nothing, ended up taking his own life just to cover the medical bills for his daughter. I think that's where the resentment started, and how the anomaly may have formed. But we're still not entirely sure."
Listening to Kyle's words, I slowly nodded my head. Most of this information I more or less knew.
...Not the full picture, but I could've made a guess.
What I was most curious about was understanding how the anomaly formed.
Was it just through the resentment of the situation, or was there more to it? Could the cult have an involvement in it?
Then what about the pills in the basement? And the photos where I couldn't even see myself?
There were so many questions, and yet, I had little to no answers.
Once again, my head throbbed, but I didn't let it show as I looked at Kyle. I didn't want him to get the nurses to come and check my head. The fact that they hadn't detected the fractures made me curious. Was it because the hospital was not equipped to handle matters like this, or was it something else? Something like... the system's interference?
I wasn't sure, but a sinking feeling told me it was the latter.
I sat in silence, listening as Kyle spoke. He talked about a lot of things, most of which went in one ear and out the other.
I couldn't really focus.
But in the end, it was an unexpected knocking sound that stopped him from speaking.
To Tok—
"Oh?"
An unexpected guest appeared by the door.
Opening slowly, a pair of dimples met my vision as the rat timidly walked into the room.
"Hi? Is this not a good time...?"
Just looking at him made me want to puke.
"Err? Seth is doing fine. I guess this isn't a bad time."
Laughing, Kyle walked up to the rat and patted him on the shoulder.
"I guess I should leave. Either way, you did a splendid job out there. It looks like it won't be long until you get promoted."
"...I don't know about that, but I'll definitely try my best."
"Good, good."
Kyle looked more than happy with that response.
I felt sick watching the two; however, I held back my tongue. What was I even going to say? That he was a lying snake? That I was the one who had actually defeated the anomaly?
There was no way I could do that.
In the end, the only thing I could do was stay where I was, waiting in silence as Kyle chatted with the rat before eventually bidding goodbye to the two of us.
Clank—
The room turned quiet a moment after.
Neither I nor the rat spoke.
But that didn't last for long as the rat eventually moved close to me and sat on the bed, his dimples even more pronounced than before.
"How are you doing? Are you feeling better?"
The look on his face was one of genuine concern.
Had I known better, I probably would've fallen for it.
But...
"You know what you did."
"Hm?"
The rat's brows rose up, hiding under the fridge of his bowl cut. He looked genuinely confused.
"What have I done? What do you mean by that? Oh, are you talking abou—"
"About how you took the credit for something you didn't do."
"....."
For a moment, the rat paused.
But that pause didn't last for very long as his lips soon pulled into a smirk, finally revealing his true nature in all his glory.
"Took credit?"
Cocking his head, he stared at me directly.
"Are you implying that someone else was able to clear the anomaly? Who? You...?"
His mocking tone didn't escape me. My eyes narrowed as he leaned in closer.
"It can't possibly have been you, right? A normal person. Unless..." Pausing, his eyes narrowed as his smirk became even more pronounced.
"...You're hiding something?"
-x-X-x-
Moving back a little, the rat casually stood up before moving to the door, where he leaned. He was probably trying to see if there was anyone outside.
It was only once he was sure that there was no one that he turned his attention towards me again, his stereotypical dimples moving further up his face.
"...You sure you're not hiding something? I mean, you did say that you're the one who did it. But aren't you a regular person? How would someone like you be able to handle an anomaly like that?"
"...."
Nothing.
I didn't have any words to reply to him.
He was right.
How could a regular person like me handle an anomaly like that? I'd normally be able to come up with an excuse, but there wasn't one for this situation.
The way that I took care of the anomaly was not something that I could reveal.
'Even if I say that I took advantage of Kyle's and Zoey's distraction to attack the little girl, I'm sure they won't believe me since the little girl was obviously controlling everyone. Plus, knowing just how the rat is, he probably planted several pieces of evidence to show he's the one who was responsible for solving this case.'
In this situation...
I really had nothing to say.
"If you really did do it, then you can go ahead and tell all of this to the Section Chief. I won't stop you."
"...."
"He likes you quite a lot. I'm sure he'll believe whatever you say."
"...."
"Of course, he'll become suspicious of you. Maybe he might figure out the thing that you're hiding."
The smirk on the rat's lips pulled even tighter as he looked at me. Looking at his face, he looked certain that I was hiding something.
I wanted to rebuke him, but I didn't know what to say.
I was indeed hiding something.
But...
'I still have to say something.'
Silence would only serve as affirmation of his thoughts.
With a sigh, I leaned back against the pillow and looked towards the ceiling.
"...If I were hiding something, I wouldn't be lying here. I was just shocked to see you change so suddenly. You really had me fooled."
"I did?"
The rat tilted his head slightly, looking a little surprised.
"To be honest, of everyone here, you are the last person I ever thought I could fool. It's been quite clear that you've deliberately kept your distance from me."
"I'm keeping my distance from everyone. I don't like people in general."
"...Hm, maybe so."
The rat tapped his hand against the bridge of the door.
"Maybe you're right, but I still don't buy it."
He smiled at me again, pulling the door open.
"I'm sure you're hiding something. Whatever it is, however, I won't pry. Well..."
He stopped, his dimples lowering.
"...That is as long as you won't pry in my business."
With that, he stepped through the doorway and closed the door behind him. The last thing I saw before he disappeared was his smile.
That was the one thing that never faded from his face throughout the entire conversation.
Clank—
Lying in silence inside my room, I replayed the conversation in my mind.
'In the end... He turned out the same as I imagined him to turn out. This might probably not be the last time he'll try to pull some bullshit like this in the future.'
The thought made me sigh.
But at the same time, I knew that I couldn't just let him be.
We had reached a point where neither of us could co-exist.
'I'll have to think of a way to deal with him.'
*
The next day.
I was discharged rather quickly from the hospital.
In the end, they claimed that the only reason I had passed out was due to exhaustion. But deep down, I knew the truth was far more complicated than that.
"Looks like you're feeling much better."
Kyle was waiting for me at the hospital entrance, standing beside a car of some sort. It was entirely black and looked rather clean. It was unfortunate that I couldn't recognize the logo.
The sun blazed above, basking me in its warm light, a welcome change from the relentless rain back on Sire Island.
"Get in."
Kyle opened the door for me.
"I'll bring you to the Guild."
"Oh, sure."
From my understanding, we were back on Malovia Island. The island where the Guild was located.
'Thinking about it, I don't really know much about this island.'
All I knew was that the island consisted of a single city, divided into sectors, with a massive population. I had never taken the time to truly explore it, usually spending most of my days confined to my office, focused on programming my game.
'Maybe I should take some time to properly explore the place.'
"Alright."
Opening the door on his side and entering, Kyle looked in my direction. I was sitting in the seat next to his.
"...Once we get into the Guild, you should go directly to the dorms and rest. You've been given a couple of days off." Kyle paused, looking a little troubled. "...Not that it matters much to you since you don't actually work."
"Yeah."
Rowan was the only one who attended my therapy sessions.
I only worked at the Guild in name.
I didn't actually do anything besides focus on creating my games.
"Well, since that's the case, I guess it doesn't matter what you do. Just have some rest and then do whatever you want. I'll probably do the same."
"...Sure."
"Good."
Kyle turned his attention to the steering wheel and proceeded to drive.
He was just about to turn on the radio when I stopped him.
"Hm?"
"...I prefer the silence."
Not really.
I was just reminded of a certain incident in the past. One involving a certain conductor.
I no longer trusted radios.
"Err.. Okay."
Kyle looked somewhat annoyed, but let it go.
Looking at him drive, I suddenly lost myself in my own thoughts as I turned my attention towards my phone and opened the Dock app.
'It's been a day since I last checked. Maybe the situation has changed a little...'
[Sales: 62,129]
"....."
Looking at the numbers, I was left speechless.
While I anticipated a decline in sales, I hadn't expected it to be this steep. The game had sold fewer than a thousand copies since the last time I checked.
And the game was still new!
It was quite obvious that Nova Studios had messed even more with the game sales.
'It looks like I'll quickly need to program the multiplayer mode for the game. No, but that might not be enough...'
Multiplayer was only going to boost the sales for a short moment.
It wasn't going to address the problem.
I needed to think of a way to address the problem directly.
However, that was easier said than done.
Nova Studios was quite far from where I was, and they were a very big gaming studio. At least, they were massive compared to me. Fighting them directly was only going to put me at a massive disadvantage.
'If only there were a way that I could directly curse those bastards who did this so that—'
Suddenly, I paused.
Thinking about something, I hastily pulled open my stats window.
It was there that I stared at my two nodes.
[Containment Vessel], and [Trait Transfer].
Looking at the two nodes, my eyes fell onto a certain name.
Mr. Jingles.
'Wait, what if...?'
-x-X-x-
The first thing I did after arriving at the Guild was make a beeline for my office.
"Hey, wait! Where are you going in such a hurry? Didn't I tell you to rest?"
"Don't worry, I am. I'm just going to pick some things up. That's all."
"Wha—Hey!"
That was all I said to Kyle before hurrying up. I wasn't lying to him. I really was going to my office to pick up some things.
During the car ride and the day that I spent at the hospital, there were many things that I realized.
In essence, I couldn't continue living like this.
There were a lot of things that I needed to change about myself.
But before that—
Clank!
Closing the door behind me, I looked around before settling my gaze over to my desk, where I sat down and took out my laptop. The dim light from the laptop illuminated the otherwise dark room. I was in such a hurry that I didn't even bother turning on the light and just got to work
I booted the app and immediately checked Mr. Jingle's information.
But...
———
[Mr. Jingles]
[?????]
———
"Ah, right..."
Seeing the question marks on its skill, I suddenly recalled the fact that Mr. Jingles was an anomaly that was far stronger than I.
'...And the main reason I struggled so much to contain it.'
I had a feeling that I had been on the verge of having my node explode during the time I tried to contain it. I could tell that several fractures had formed on my node, but I didn't know the full extent of the damage.
For now, I didn't know how to solve the situation, but I was certain that the system would have a way.
Hopefully.
'Fragments are just precursors to Cognitive Shards. Those should be easier to fix... right?'
Whatever the case was, there was nothing that I could do at the moment besides develop more games and reach higher orders.
"Okay."
I leaned back against the chair and stared at the screen in front of me.
While the skill was filled with question marks, having already experienced it before, I was more or less aware of what it did.
In the end, I realised something. My Order was too low for me to see the skill, but that didn't mean that the anomaly couldn't use it.
It was just that I couldn't use it using [Trait Transfer].
'In that case, maybe my plan can still work.'
"Hmm."
Taking a deep breath, I stared down at the monitor in front of me and closed down the app.
"Come out."
I summoned Mr. Jingles.
But...
Nothing.
The room darkened as if the shadows had thickened, pressing in past the soft glow of the monitor. A chill slid through the air, raising goosebumps along my arms.
A certain coolness washed over the surroundings as the hair on my arms stood up.
But strangely... I didn't feel scared.
Rather...
I felt nothing.
Yet again, I felt this weird sense of emptiness as my eye twitched.
'What's happening? Why... am I acting like this?'
I knew myself well. On any normal occasion, I'd be scared shitless.
And yet... I didn't really feel much at this moment.
Several thoughts occurred to me.
'Is this a possible side effect of the fractures? That my emotions started to numb? Or is it because I'm more used to scary stuff?'
I wanted the answer to be the latter. However, a sinking feeling told me it was the former.
'I really need to find a way to get this solved.'
It wasn't like my emotions had completely faded. No, it was more like... on certain occasions, they became incredibly numb.
Fear, anger, sadness... in those short moments, everything seemed to numb. The worst part of it was that I couldn't control when such episodes occurred.
But it didn't matter.
Tatata~
A familiar tune played softly. My monitor flickered, the display warping—
—and something stood in front of me.
Not on the screen.
In front of me.
I slowly looked up.
Red nose. Painted face. Tattered winged suit. A single red balloon in hand.
Mr. Jingles stood there, expression blank and eyes dark. The air in the room dropped several degrees.
And yet—
I still felt nothing.
"Looks like you've finally decided to show up."
"....."
Silence.
The room was incredibly silent as Mr. Jingles just stared at me with its deep black eyes.
"You're not going to sag anything? Hmm. You were talking quite a lot before."
I shrugged my shoulders before turning my attention towards the screen in front of me.
The same background, and the same everything as before. The only difference was that there was no one present in the small town in the monitor.
The thought made me grow curious.
'Is there a possibility that I can put people inside here? That would be rather interesting...'
It was merely a thought, however. Before that, I needed Mr. Jingles to cooperate with me, and as of right now, it didn't really look like Mr. Jingles wanted to work with me.
'I guess I need to find a way to increase its favourability.'
Unlike Mirelle, who came willingly, and the Dreamwalker whom I beat up, Mr. Jingles's situation was different.
Its favourability was at its lowest.
It was a whopping...
23.
...This is certainly not good.'
The fact that it had yet to attack me was a miracle.
Tapping my finger against the desk, I studied the anomaly in front of me. This was the first time that I had seen it in person, and it was much taller than I expected.
"What do you want?"
"....."
Still nothing.
The clown just stared at me in silence.
But then—
The clown finally moved its hand, pointing its finger right at me as a slow and creepy smile started to form on its features.
Finally, I felt something. A shiver. A sliver of fear creeping up my spine.
The numbness was fading.
"No can do. If I die, you die as well. We're connected now."
I made some bullshit up on the spot, but it wasn't too far from the truth. At the very least, this seemed like the most logical conclusion.
Whether that was the case or not, I wasn't sure. Nor did I plan on finding out since I had no intention of dying.
Ba...
Something skipped in my chest as I looked up at the clown, and I closed my eyes to think carefully about what it might want.
Thump!
I thought about everything I knew about the case and the potential intentions behind the cartoon.
Ba... Thump!
As my heartbeat increased, my thoughts started to become more scattered.
'Focus. Focus... Don't let the fear take over your mind.'
I clenched my teeth and strained my mind further.
The pieces didn't fit. What did the clown want? Revenge? Justice? Chaos?
I forced myself to breathe, to focus.
Clearing the father's name? No. If that were it, the clown wouldn't be haunting everyone else.
What tied this all together...?
My chest pounded.
Then—
It clicked.
"The little girl..."
The moment the words left my mouth, Mr. Jingles's smile began to fade.
And mine took its place.
That was it.
She was the key. The one thing the clown cared about.
The clown's goal was rather simple.
It didn't want revenge. It didn't want to conquer the island.
Its goal was simple.
It wanted to create a world where everybody smiled and was happy.
Mr. Jingles was merely an abstract resentment formed from a father's desperate plight to keep his daughter happy.
'In that sense, it wanted to create a world perfect for the little girl to live in. One where she would always be smiling.'
"You want the little girl to be happy, right? That's your goal, isn't it?"
"....."
The smile on the clown's face flipped completely in that moment.
I could feel its empty gaze bearing down on me as my heart skipped a beat. In spite of the slowly rising fear, I managed to maintain my expression.
"...She's currently being recovered at the Beareu. From what I've heard, she's quite sick as a result of the actions that you took. You can say that you were trying to make her life better, but as a result, you made her life harder."
Swoosh—
A cold breeze suddenly filtered through the room, making my skin crawl.
The worst part of it all was the fact that there were no windows in my office.
BANG!
One of the drawers opened, and papers flew out.
A suffocating pressure suddenly erupted in the room as Mr. Jingles's head slowly tilted at me.
I continued to speak.
"As far as I'm aware, her condition is still stable, but it doesn't change the fact that you're the one responsible for her current situation. She might get discharged one of these days, but you won't be there to help her since you're now stuck with m—!?"
BANG! BANG—
Even more drawers opened, causing even more papers to fly out into the room.
I felt my skin crawl at the sight.
However, I knew that I couldn't falter.
Not right now.
"....What if I told you that I can help you see her again?"
Silence.
It was right after the words left my mouth that everything stopped.
In that moment, the clown's hollow gaze fell on me as I swallowed nervously.
"I can't do it right now. I'm too weak to do that. However, if you work with me and help me, I can get you in touch with the little girl. Perhaps by then, you might even be stronger than now. The cartoon that you've created for her might also be even better..."
The words just flowed out of my mouth.
I was making promises that I wasn't even sure that I could keep. I only knew that the little girl was at the Bureau due to Kyle. However, I had no idea how to get to the Bureau. That was a lie that I had made up in order to appease the clown.
'It looks like I'll need to find some time to ask Kyle to get there.'
Nonetheless, I knew that if I became strong enough, I'd be able to get there.
This part wasn't a lie.
'I just hope that nothing happens to the little girl by the time I get strong enough to go there...'
"I think you're aware that I have a special power. I can help you grow while fueling my own growth. In that sense, you might be able to make your cartoon even better. You might be able to create one where the little girl is truly happy."
This part wasn't a lie.
I really could do this. The Dreamwalker was the best example.
So long as I accumulated enough fragments, I could help the clown reach the next level. In that sense, he'd be able to develop a better cartoon.
"....."
As the silence around me felt even more unsettling, I mustered the courage to look at the clown in the eye.
"So...? What do you say? Will you work with me? I'm sure this is much better than killing me and probably dying as a result."
"....."
The clown remained silent as it looked at me.
It remained like that for what felt like forever, but eventually, the smile returned to its face.
I sighed in relief, then as my heart nearly leaped out of my chest from anxiety.
"That's good."
Thud!
"Hm?"
Suddenly, a box appeared on the table in front of me, startling me. I was just about to move away when I caught a glimpse of the contents within the box, and I paused.
"This is...?"
Looking through the box, I was left shocked by the sight that greeted me.
A red ball. Red wig. Red pants. A couple of deflated balloons...
My mind churned, and I immediately came to an understanding.
This...
"...I can use these to hypnothize someone, right?"
Mr. Jingles raised two of his fingers.
"Two?"
I was confused at first, but looking down at the box and seeing that everything was in pairs, I came to a sudden understanding.
'Two times. That's how many times I can use the clown.'
"...Will I be able to do more in the future?"
Mr. Jingles remained silent.
It didn't answer my question, but I was sure that it was possible.
It all depended on my performance and strength. It was possible for me to get more in the future once I became stronger.
Two was my limit for now.
'In that case, I need to think carefully about how to use these two tries.'
My first thought was using it to screw the rat over. With the rat claiming that Mr. Jingles was contained, if it suddenly showed up, it would screw him over. However, I quickly brushed those thoughts away.
In hindsight, while I was annoyed by the rat's actions, it worked to my own benefit since I didn't want to expose that I had been the one to take care of Mr. Jingles.
It removed a lot of unnecessary attention from me.
'...But it's not like there isn't someone that I want to try this on.'
I had a person in mind, in fact.
"But not yet."
I turned my attention to my computer and stared at the empty cartoon before me.
Shifting my attention toward Mr. Jingles, I nodded my attention.
"We have a deal."
Mr. Jingles' figure faded right after that, and the heavy sense of oppression that lingered in the room vanished in the blink of an eye.
For the first time since entering the office, I could finally breathe again.
"Hooo."
Leaning back against my chair, I took several deep breaths before looking around the room, where I saw all the scattered pieces of paper. It was there that I noticed a certain book and picked it up.
[Decrees and Orders]
"Hm?"
I paused upon seeing the title of the book. It was also then that I recalled something and nearly smacked my forehead.
'Right, I did have this book.'
It was just that I had been so busy with my game that I had forgotten to check it out.
Kyle had given it to me in the past.
I scratched the side of my head and sighed.
"I really need to change."
It became painfully obvious to me that my lack of sleep was slowly starting to get to my mind. Not only that, but my work environment, too.
The fact that I didn't take care of myself was the main reason why I struggled to think about obvious solutions to problems that I faced.
"Change."
I muttered silently while staring at the book in front of me.
"...I really need to change."
Changing wasn't easy, but there were small steps I could take to start. The first thing I needed to address was sleep. I needed to increase that.
'Let me quickly check how many hours a person usually needs to sleep in a day.'
Opening up the browser and quickly searching, I got my desired result not long after, but...
"Huh?"
The answer I received was an unexpected one.
"Seven to nine hours? Are we serious?"
Wasn't this a little bit too much?
That was like... two to three to four hours wasted. There were so many things that I could do in those hours!
"No, relax. This might just be wrong. Let me open up another page."
But...
Same.
The answer that I received was the same, and my question went from [how many hours did a person need in a day?] to [Is five hours of sleep healthy?].
I was starting to get desperate. To the point where I clicked on every page that I could find that sounded remotely like it would agree with me, but...
None of them did.
"Fuck."
Regardless of what page or search I made, the answer was the same. The ideal amount of sleep was seven to nine hours.
Anything below that was not healthy and manageable.
Looking at the results, I struggled to accept the search, but in hindsight, it sort of explained all of my headaches and constant fatigue.
'It's also very likely one of the contributing factors for me forgetting something so obvious like the compass.'
It did say that not sleeping properly impaired thinking.
I sighed.
"It really looks like I'll have to force myself to sleep more."
I didn't really want to do that, considering how much work I had, but given my most recent expedition, I understood that this was necessary.
"In that case, what else can I do?"
The goal was to improve in every aspect. I didn't want to make the same mistakes as before.
I had to be ready at all moments. For that, I started to research more.
"To improve both mental and physical health, it's essential to maintain a balanced diet and engage in regular exercise."
I paused there.
That... sounded like a hassle. It wasn't like my diet was that bad.
Sure, there were a lot of instant noodles... and maybe a few too many prepackaged lunches from the store. Pasta too. Pizza...
And...
"Shit."
I groaned out loud. Thinking about it, my diet was also crap.
"But wouldn't that mean that I'd have to start cooking? No, god... That's even more time wasted. No, wait...!"
I suddenly recalled something. The Guild had a dining hall. Most of the people in the Containment Sector didn't go there, but as far as I was aware, they provided extremely healthy and nutritious food at low prices.
In that case, I could eat there.
The problem was something else.
"Exercise..."
Just the idea of exercising made me sick. Not only did it feel like a waste of a few more hours, but thinking back at the pain that would come after...
I really didn't want to.
But...
The more I didn't want to do it, the more I knew I had to. This wasn't just about my general health.
It was also to help me better deal with the anomalies. With better physical strength, I'd be able to run faster, and just overall not get tired more easily.
In that regard, exercise was also vital, and I added that to the list of things that I had to do.
"What else...?"
I started thinking about everything that I needed to do, and one thing came to mind.
'Right.'
It had something to do with the Section Chief and his interest in my games.
"If I can somehow convince him to use my games as training tools for the recruits, then maybe, just maybe, I can also ask him to help fund their development."
My heart sped up at the thought.
'The Guild is extremely rich. If I were to somehow impress them with my games, and convince them to use them, then I can also convince them to invest in me.'
But since my games only affected those of the Second Order and below, the budget wouldn't be too big.
'...It can affect those of higher order, but they'd need to be from different departments and have little to no experience in dealing with anomalies.'
It became awfully clear to me how important experience was when dealing with my games. The more experienced someone was, the less likely they were to be scared. After all, those with experience tended not to follow the script that I had envisioned for them.
"Well, that's a starting point."
I needed funding more than anything. Not because I needed SP, but because I needed a team.
It became painfully clear to me that I needed a team in order to churn out my games. I couldn't do it by myself. Especially not when I needed to take some time to build some experience and learn more about this world and the anomalies.
'With enough funding, not only can I improve the games and have a team, but perhaps I can also start messing around with VR.'
VR was still uncharted territory for me. Something I had no clue how to navigate. But I was certain that, if handled right, it could elevate my games to an entirely new level.
That being said, that was still far into the future.
The main priority at the moment was improving my health and developing my multiplayer game. Once that was developed, I planned on going to the Section Chief and talking to him about potentially funding my games.
'...Hmm. Actually, wouldn't it be better if I went to him tomorrow? If I can get some funding for a temporary team, I can churn out the multiplayer feature faster and be able to secure funding faster.'
"Yeah, I should do that."
I wasn't aware of how interested the Section Chief was with regards to my game, but since he had shown a little interest, that was enough for me to give it a try.
"Okay, I guess this is everything that I need to do going forward. It'll be troublesome, but if I want to live longer, then it's absolutely necessary that I follow the things that I said."
I stood up from my seat and checked the time. It was around 10 PM.
Just about the right time for me to go to sleep.
However, just as I was about to leave, my gaze fell on the box again, and I was reminded of something.
'Right...'
I paused the moment I caught sight of the box and pressed my lips together.
'I've got two tries, but I'm still not entirely sure about how it works. There's a certain someone that I want to give this new ability a try with. And it's not like it's going to be a waste since this directly aligns with my interests.'
Moving towards the box, I picked up the red ball and stared at it.
"Now, how exactly do I make this work?"
Was I just supposed to show it directly to the person?
"Hmm."
Frowning, I went back to my laptop and did a quick search on my target.
'CEO of Nova Studios. Right, it should be this guy.'
I carefully stared at the image in front of me. He didn't look particularly handsome. In fact, with his balding head and pot belly, he was anything but charming.
Staring at him, and then the ball in my hand, I started to ponder how to send the ball to him, when—
Swoosh!
"Hm?"
The ball directly faded from my hand.
My eyes widened in shock.
Especially when a notification appeared shortly after.
[Would you like to start haunting?]
▶ [Yes] ▷ [No]
"W... what?"
'Wait, wait, wait...'
Staring at the notification in front of me, I was left stunned for the briefest of moments.
However, I quickly snapped out of it and pressed [yes].
Ding—
[Requirements for haunting not met. Please try again.]
The ball reappeared in my hand again.
"....???"
What sort of bullshit was this? It had clearly asked me just a moment ago if I wanted to haunt or not.
And yet, it was now telling me that the requirements hadn't been met?
I quickly opened the chat box and typed.
'What are the requirements for haunting someone?'
Pressing enter, I waited for an answer. I really hoped for a response. Each passing second stretched on endlessly, dragging for what felt like forever.
But then...
[You must have direct contact with the target.]
Direct contact with the target?
"Wait, does that mean that I have to meet them directly and interact with them in order to haunt them?"
My heart sank.
How in the world was I going to interact with the CEO of Nova Studios?
'...No, it's not entirely impossible. I could just approach them directly, ask for a meeting, and say I'm interested in working with them. But before committing, I'd like a tour of the studio and a look at how things operate there.'
This seemed like an appropriate approach. But at the same time, it also felt a little troublesome.
It would mean that I'd have to travel again.
Musing over the situation for the next few minutes, I had a sudden thought and typed it in the chat box.
'Are interactions through video call acceptable?'
Pressing enter, I waited yet again for an answer.
This time, I received my answer not too long after.
[Yes, it is acceptable.]
"Yes!"
I clenched my fist and pumped it in the air.
This made things so much easier for me.
Taking out my phone, I scrolled through my emails and found the email from Nova Studios. I tapped on their address and started a new email.
This time, I explained that after doing some research, I'd decided to give them a chance. I expressed my interest in having an interview with the CEO to discuss my potential future at the company, and that I wanted a direct call to talk things through in more detail.
"This shouldn't be too bad, right?"
I looked at the mail. It looked pretty formal.
'It does look a little desperate, but it doesn't matter. I'm not really planning on entering a studio like that. I've already suffered too much at my old studios.'
In fact, thinking about them, I wondered how they were doing.
Nonetheless, this was something for me to check out later. I was already wasting too much time on this stuff.
It was time that I got my seven hours of sleep.
I thought about doing eight, but that was simply too much.
"Alright."
Standing up from my desk, I packed up my stuff and left the office.
***
The next day.
A strange scene occurred at the Guild early in the morning.
Going to the gym early in the morning was a normal routine for Guild members. They didn't just do it to build stamina. The higher their rank, the more essential it became to strengthen their bodies.
The stronger the body, the more power one could extract from a node.
Kyle, Zoey, Rowan, Myles, and several others arrived early that morning, as usual, ready for their daily workout.
But today, an odd figure appeared.
"...Am I seeing things?"
"Most likely a ghost."
"It is a ghost."
Kyle and the others had to double-check to see if they were seeing things. However, even when they rubbed their eyes and saw him still standing before them, they realised that they were really not seeing things.
"What?"
Pausing at the entrance of the gym and staring at the others, Seth frowned. Why was everyone looking at him so weirdly?
In the end, it was Kyle who approached him.
"What are you doing here? Are you looking for me?"
"...No?"
Seth shook his head. He didn't really need anything from him.
Kyle's expression faltered for a moment as he looked around before pausing his gaze on Zoey.
"Then do you need something from her?"
"No?"
"Rowan?"
"...No?"
"My—"
"I'm here to exercise. I'm not here to look for anyon—"
"....!"
"....!?"
"Impossible!"
Seth paused upon seeing the expressions that everyone was giving him. Kyle in particular looked as though he had seen a ghost as he moved forward, trying to reach for his forehead.
"Stay still for a moment, Seth. I'm trying to see if you've got a fever."
"No, stop. I'm fine. Just stop."
Moving away from Kyle, Seth looked at everyone strangely.
"What's so weird about me wanting to exercise? I just thought it was good for my health."
"That's...."
Kyle covered his mouth, mumbling things to himself, 'This doesn't make sense? Seth caring about his health? Is the world ending?'
He spoke in a voice loud enough for Seth to hear.
In the end, Seth turned his gaze away from Kyle and moved toward the nearest machine.
Taking out his phone, he checked it.
'This should be a bench press machine, right?'
He wasn't really sure.
This was the first time he had seen it. However, looking at the bar and the weights by the side, he felt that this was what he was looking for.
"Wait, you're seriously not lying when you said you wanted to exercise?"
"Why would I be?"
Seth sat down on the bench and leaned back, pressing his palms against the metal bar.
As he did, Kyle's head popped up from above.
"What are you doing?"
"...I'm spotting you. As a first timer, it can be pretty dangerous if you do this without someone supervising you."
"Oh."
Seth nodded and pulled the bar up before bringing it down.
"Try doing ten repetitions. If it doesn't feel heavy, we can increase the weights."
"Sure..."
Seth brought the bar down and followed Kyle's instructions. In a matter of twenty seconds, he was already done with ten and put the bar back.
"So? How was it?"
"...Kind of light."
No, more than light, he didn't feel anything at all.
"Not bad. Then we can add a bit more weight. Let's add five kilos on each side."
"...Okay."
Kyle grabbed the 5kg weights and put them on each side. He then positioned himself behind the bar like before.
"Try again. If it's too much, we can stop here."
"...Mhm."
Seth tried again.
But...
Nothing.
He didn't feel anything at all.
It was almost as if he were lifting air.
"Nothing? Not bad. You're stronger than I thought. Let's try adding 10kg on each side."
"Okay."
Kyle added 5kg on each side again, and Seth started again.
Even then...
He felt nothing.
It was still incredibly light.
"The hell?"
It had gotten that even Kyle was surprised.
"You're stronger than you look."
It wasn't like what Seth was lifting was heavy, but for someone who had never exercised before, this was impressive.
"Should I increase it?"
"...Yes."
15kg on each side.
"Still nothing?"
"...Nothing."
20kg on each side.
"Now?"
"...."
25kg on each side.
"....?"
"...."
30kg on each side.
"...."
"...."
Before Kyle and Seth knew it, the bar now had 40kg on each side. Neither of the two said a word while the others in the gym had also stopped to stare in their direction.
None of them could believe what they were seeing.
This included Seth as he stared at the bar in front of him.
'I'm feeling it a little bit more now, but since when did I become so strong?'
He may have been a newbie, but he wasn't stupid enough to not see that the weights he was benching were ridiculous for someone who had just started.
Was this because he had reached the Second Order?
Did reaching the Second Order make his body stronger?
...Or was it something else?
Something like...
'Could it be related to my Decree?'
Was it possible that the Shephard Decree didn't just stop at allowing one to collect anomalies, but also absorb their properties?
"Ukh...! I think this is my limit."
With a soft groan, I placed the barbell back on the rack and took heavy breaths. Kyle stood behind me, his gaze somewhat dazed.
"forty-five kilos on each side. That's..."
He looked shocked.
Not only him, but looking at the others, I could see that they were also shocked.
'Wait until he realizes that this is still not my limit.'
I estimated that I could do 60kg on both sides. Maybe more.
However, it was best for me to stop here.
The fact that I could lift this much was already shocking enough. I didn't want to stand out any further.
The rat's presence, silently watching me, only reinforced that instinct.
'...This is crazy.'
Staring at my hands as I slowly clenched them, I couldn't help but marvel at my own strength. It was far beyond anything I'd expected. Was this really because of my rising order, or was it the effect of my Decree?
I already had the book that Kyle had given me.
It was time that I gave it a proper read.
I needed to understand how this was even possible.
"Did you really not train before...?"
Taking off the weights, Kyle looked at me suspiciously.
"...I find it hard to believe that a beginner like you can lift so heavy. How did you manage to lift so much?"
It wasn't just Kyle that felt this way.
Looking around, I could feel several gazes looking at me with the same sceptical look that Kyle was giving me.
I broke out in cold sweat in that moment.
'No, relax. This isn't impossible to explain.'
There were plenty of excuses that I could come up with. And as my mind churned, I looked at him and shrugged my shoulders.
"I don't really know myself, to be honest. I've never been to the gym, but that doesn't really mean that I don't exercise. I do, but in the office. Generally, that is what keeps me awake whenever I'm tired. I just do a bunch of pushups. I guess that accumulated over time."
This excuse...
It wasn't exactly terrible.
However, it was also not exactly the best.
But thinking about it, Kyle didn't really have a choice but to believe me. So what if he didn't believe me?
I was fairly certain that he already suspected that there was something wrong with me.
Even then, I was also somewhat confident that even if he tried to check me, the result wouldn't yield a thing.
'In fact, there's a good chance that he already had me checked during the hospital.'
I truly believed the system was deliberately hiding whatever powers and the Cognitive Shard that I was carrying.
'The fact that even the Section Chief didn't notice anything weird with me kind of proves it.'
In this regard, I didn't have to be too cautious.
"....."
Kyle stared at me for what felt like an eternity before turning his attention towards my arms.
His brow rose.
"...Now that I think about it, you're surprisingly fit."
"I am?"
I looked at my arms.
Looking at them now, it did seem like they had become a little bigger. I rolled my sleeves up and stared at them better.
"Oh wow, you're kind of right."
It wasn't anything spectacular, but my arms were certainly a lot bigger than before.
"...I guess you weren't lying."
Kyle moved next to me and poked my arm.
"Not bad."
"Oy..."
I pulled my arm back.
Kyle didn't look at all bothered as he squinted his eyes.
"You take steroids?"
"What?"
I pointed at myself and then looked at my arms. If this was the result of steroids, then I had certainly been scammed.
They were far too small for that.
Plus...
"Do you think I can afford them?"
"Haha, fair."
Kyle laughed before patting me on the shoulder.
"I guess you have a point. I'm impressed. I'll let you train in peace. If you have any trouble with any of the machines, you can just ask me or the others. I'm sure they'll help you if you ask."
"Yeah, sure..."
Looking at the others and seeing them look away from me, I silently shook my head before taking out my earbuds and putting them on.
As the music drowned my mind, I leaned back against the bench and started my next set.
'One, two, three...'
*
By the time I was done exercising, it was 8 A.M.
I stayed for exactly forty-five minutes before heading back to the dorms for a shower. As I walked back into the Guild and found my way towards the lower floors where the Containment Department was located, my body felt like it had been torn to pieces.
My chest, to be precise. I could hardly move it.
But strangely... For whatever reason, my mind felt clearer, sharper than it had in days.
Perhaps exercising wasn't really that bad.
'I also need to better understand if the sudden increase in physical strength comes from the Order rank-up or my Decree. I should spend some time to learn more about my Decree.'
But before that...
I stopped right before a certain office.
'Okay, this is it.'
I took several deep breaths to prep myself for the inevitable.
I had already recited everything that I needed to say the day prior.
Taking another deep breath, I brought my hand forward and was just about to knock when—
Clank!
"Ukh!"
The door abruptly opened, smashing against my face as I took several steps back.
"Huh? Did I hit someone?"
Blinking in confusion, the Section Chief's gaze eventually fell on me as our gazes met. Then, as if realizing what had happened, he pointed at me and laughed.
"Kek, that's pretty funny."
No, it wasn't.
It fucking hurt.
"What's going on here?"
Coming right after him was a woman with short black hair, deep hazel eyes, and a mole close to her eye. She was quite beautiful if I had to say so myself, and I did recall seeing her once, but I couldn't quite recall.
"...Hm, I think I know you."
She also did seem to recognize me.
However, just before she could recall, the Section Chief cut in.
"He's the guy I've been speaking about before. Our trauma counselor."
The Section Chief moved next to me and patted me on the shoulder.
"Very talented one."
He then looked at me.
"This is Team Leader Soran."
He then looked at her.
"This is Seth."
Then, before anyone could get a word out, he looked back at me.
"...Are you here to ask me to join the main group? If you are, I can make it happen in a heartbeat."
"No, thanks..."
"Hmm."
The smile quickly faded from the Section Chief's face as he clicked his tongue and pulled his arm away.
"What a pity."
Seeing how fast he switched up, I was left speechless.
However, I tried my best not to mind it as I took a small breath before looking back at him.
"I am here for something, though."
"If it's not about joining the main team, then I'm not interested."
"It's not, but it's about my game."
"Game?"
The Section Chief blinked his eyes, his mind slowly processing the situation. Then, as if suddenly recalling, he smacked his hand against his open palm.
"Ah, right... There was that."
My mouth twitched.
'So he only remembered now that I mentioned it...'
This meant that nothing had been done about my game. It wasn't like I didn't expect this, but it was still disappointing to know.
I sighed to myself.
But then—
"Game? Why are we talking about a game?"
The woman with shoulder-length black hair suddenly spoke, alternating her gaze between the two of us.
Her eyes then narrowed as she looked at the Section Chief.
"Don't tell me—"
"No, it's nothing about what you're thinking."
"Then?"
The Section Chief stopped her before she could continue.
He then turned his wrist and looked at his watch.
'Well, there might be some time...' As he mumbled to himself, he looked at me and then her. Then... After a brief pause, he headed back into the office.
"Come inside for now. I'll show you."