122. Twisted faucet
122. Twisted faucet
I had no intention of even looking at the archery unit in the first place.
The talent for hitting every target that they saw and admired was only possible because of Akasha’s assistance.
Not only is it not an actual talent, but the talent of a superhuman who aspires to be an archer is not even considered one of the best.
Rather, it is overwhelmingly more useful to use it as a high-powered artillery battery like a specialized artillery wizard.
Or maybe you’re looking for a long-range, one-hit sniper shot.
But at this point, he is no longer considered a pure archer.
Because a combination of magic and archery skills is essential.
‘It would be better if it could fire at high power, but honestly, compared to a wizard, its efficiency is just crap.’
As a pure archer, the limitations are too clear.
It’s not for nothing that Professor Basil, despite being active up until the ‘Last Stand’ stage, was only at the level of a mere soldier.
‘It’s definitely useful as a minor, but not as a major.’
It’s a good unit to use as an auxiliary unit in the sense that it conserves magic power.
But if it’s just a minor, do I really need to go to the archery department?
‘I feel sorry for Professor Basil, but…’
You shouldn’t even look at the archer unit.
After completely erasing the keyword ‘Archery Division’ from my mind, I climbed the path leading to the annex.
Unlike before, I saw shadows of people everywhere along the way.
Frowning as if looking at the smartwatch as if he had made a promise.
[Answer: I think it’s because of the accumulated stress.]
I was slightly taken aback by the reaction which was different from what I expected.
“What? If you had just done as I said, this wouldn’t have happened.”
[Answer: It seems there was a mistake.]
“I told you to send me a letter in case there’s a problem. Are you just trying to save up your pride?”
I thought it was okay since there was nothing special, but it wasn’t.
The atmosphere became increasingly worse as we got closer to the annex.
Should I say it’s sharp?
They all look very nervous.
“It certainly seems like there is a problem.”
– Huh? He’s a wise man!
– What? Where? Where!
“Oh my.”
I went into the annex to avoid the crowd of people who recognized me.
This interest is completely welcome, but it is not something I can afford to waste time on.
I’m already so busy that I have to split up my time.
Even now, in the dormitory, Tatchi, who shares knowledge with me, is diligently carrying out basic work.
– Squeak – Boom!
– Thump thump thump!
– Open it! Sir! Sir!
“I only meet people without a signature.”
It became quiet outside.
I walked down the hallway of the annex, clicking my tongue in regret.
The dark hallway has an eerie atmosphere even though the sun is still high in the sky.
“Aren’t you coming out to pick me up?”
I muttered softly, but there was no response.
I stood briefly by the window.
I looked out the opaque window as if looking outside.
OK.
– Thud!
– Tutter tutter-kkueek!
“Now that I’m here, open the shortcut.”
[Ugh! Ugh…!]
Yeonga slaps the back of her hand as if to surrender.
As I released the hold on his neck and released my interference, Yeong-ga let out a gasp and pointed to one side.
Where there used to be only a black wall, there was now a staircase leading up to the upper floor.
“Move quickly, please.”
[… … .]
As I headed up the stairs, I looked back at the song I had just heard.
I spoke out my thoughts without holding back as I looked at the young man in his pure white mourning dress, who was seeing me off with his palms as red as blood.
“Hey. Isn’t this too simple?”
[… … ?]
“That’s just a one-time thing. It’s something that wouldn’t surprise anyone who’s experienced it before, but it’s also unnecessarily flashy.”
[… … !]
Yeong-ga covered her mouth with a wounded face.
The area around his mouth was stained with bright red blood.
[Answer: The handprints on the window appear to have been handmade.]
“… Are you going to mop the floor after we leave?”
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[… … .]
Yeong-ga silently took out a piece of shining blue cloth from his bosom.
It was not a physical body, but a kind of spirit imbued with dark magic, like the clothes worn by the spirits.
I dug into it with my magic and realized.
“Is that another spirit that has changed its form into an object?”
[… … !]
“Why are you so surprised? Have you forgotten who I am?”
Yeong-ga shook her head wildly, not knowing what to do.
A sense of needless sympathy suddenly welled up in me at that immature appearance.
It seems that even the spirits who were supposed to collect fears were woefully lacking in experience, perhaps because they had been sealed for a long time.
‘Because it’s directly related to Aduksini’s life… .’
It was not a problem that could be taken lightly and just passed over because of lack of time.
As a seasoned gamer, I decided to give you a piece of my knowledge.
“Tsk. I’ll give you some variations, so listen up. This is consulting that you can’t get for money.”
[… … ?]
“If only I could make one impact through the window… .”
[… ! … … !]
… … .
After a while.
After finishing my training with Youngga, I took the shortcut and headed straight to the top floor where the dark room was.
As I walked, I met the dark-skinned people who kept nodding their heads, so I nodded along as if I were an executive of some company.
The darkness gradually grows thicker as you advance.
I definitely feel more secure than when I first entered the annex.
[Answer. Compared to last time, the saturation and brightness ratio of the same location has increased by about 1.27 times.]
“… … .”
I don’t know exactly to what extent, but I know that I’m slowly regaining my magic power.
It’s something you’ll know when you see it for yourself anyway.
We arrived in front of Eoduksini’s room.
After making an ice staff with “Bingbaek”, I knocked on the door that had a similar spell as last time.
– It’s open.
A weary voice coming from inside.
When I put my hand on the doorknob, the door opened by itself without me even turning it.
– Squeak.
Judging from the fact that the spell is still there, it seems that there is a separate entrance through which creatures can come and go.
I walked through the wide open door and inside.
“Did you fix the door here? It’s even nicer than last time… .”
He stopped talking and just stood there.
My mouth was wide open and wouldn’t close.
[Answer. Master. This is… This is… .]
Even Akasha was so embarrassed that she couldn’t dare to continue speaking.
The darkness in the center of the room turns its head.
[Hoo. You’re here, my dear. It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?]
Darkness said with a calm face.
Cuddled up in the arms of a huge teddy bear that was looking worn and not well-maintained.
Is that all?
Her surroundings were filled with small rabbit dolls, heart cushions, and other objects that were worn but still retained their shape to some extent.
“You… what the heck… .”
[Why are you so surprised? I should be the one who should be surprised now.]
The dark-skinned man glanced at the ceiling and smiled faintly.
He followed her gaze, glanced at the ceiling, and asked.
“Where did all these come from?”
Darksini tapped the teddy bear that was leaning against her back.
Dust rises beneath the faint light.
[Abandoned place. Things abandoned there.]
“Abandoned place? Where?”
[I’m talking about a place nearby.]
“If it’s next door, it’s an incinerator?”
Darkness nodded coolly.
[That will be the case.]
“… … .”
Wasn’t that a place that no one approached at all?
[Answer: It seems to be a side effect of using the annex as a haunted house theme.]
It was a plausible opinion.
Because an incinerator is just a garbage dump.
As places that were previously inaccessible were opened up, people probably started throwing trash into those places that had been abandoned.
“Are you saying that there are people who throw away things like dolls and sofas here instead of in the trash?”
[Answer: I think it’s because it’s an incinerator, so there’s no need to report large waste to the district office and attach a sticker.]
“… … .”
It was an extremely realistic reason.
In a strange way, I realized that the game and reality were mixed together.
[Thanks to you, I have become so abundant.]
Darksini held his chest out proudly and had a proud expression on his face.
He nodded.
Yeah, as long as you’re satisfied, that’s fine.
– Knock knock knock
I pushed my way through all the junk you’d expect to see in a garbage dump and reached the darkened sofa.
I got rid of the ice staff I was holding and cleared away the old dolls that were just taking up space.
Dark Sini, who had been frowning at first, smiled brightly when she saw the carbonated drink taken out from the subspace.
[Thank you!]
– Click, push –
– Gulp, gulp, gulp.
[Ugh! This is a different taste.]
“It’s a soda that tastes like mint.”
[Mint? Hmm… It tastes like mint, but it’s really sweet and very delicious. It’s incredibly refreshing.]
“… … .”
I took it out with the intention of teasing him, but it felt like I got fooled instead.
Would you like it if I brought you a pineapple pizza?
You might like something like Sol’s eyes.
“As expected, thousands of years old… .”
[What did you just say?]
“no.”
I quietly turned my gaze away.
Right in front of the sofa were the monitors and machines that had been installed last time.
On top of the control panel was a crumpled bag of chips, apparently made of discarded chips.
“Just throw this away.”
[This is a ‘taste’ that is not easily found here. As long as the taste is not damaged, hygiene is not a problem.]
“Still, I feel a bit weird.”
After thinking for a moment, I opened the subspace.
Then, the gaze of the dark spirit lingers here for a moment and then suddenly moves away.
Although he pretended not to notice, his face looked very expectant.
‘It’s cute.’
I took out all the emergency food and snacks that I had stored in the subspace and piled them behind the sofa.
Then, the dark-eyed man opens his eyes wide.
[This, this much…?]
“I can just fight it out outside.”
[You… you were a monk seeking the way to save the poor!]
“Why do you make a normal person into a jerk?”
He grumbled and scanned the monitor.
There were fewer guests than expected.
It even seems like there are a lot of people who are taking on the challenge alone.
I thought couples, friends, or acquaintances would get together and take on the challenge.
“That’s strange…? It even has escape room elements in a haunted house. Why isn’t it popular?”
[I don’t know. I just did what you said.]
“Then there’s no way it won’t work… .”
Academy students are not allowed to go out on weekdays unless they obtain a permit.
For young men and women with nothing to do but train and study, what could be more enjoyable than a haunted house?
I thought this would definitely work.
“This didn’t work…?”
As I was pondering this, a very thick ledger sitting on top of the control panel caught my eye.
I held it in my hand as if possessed and opened the contents.
What really caught my eye was the ‘Compensation Payment Details’ that was written so faithfully and densely.
“Did you write all this down?”
[Records are my only hobby in the eternal years. If they are not destroyed, they will contain my years.]
“Then you like photos too?”
[… Hmm. It’s a picture.]
Darksini, who had been opening a bag of chips, leaned back on the sofa.
Put both legs up on the sofa and just lie there.
[I guess I’ll have to try it to find out if I like it.]
“You can just take a picture now.”
I immediately took a picture by operating the smartwatch.
Startled by the flashing light, Darkshini flinches and opens her eyes wide.
I checked the photo.
“It came out pretty.”
[… was surprised.]
“Now, look.”
Showed the photo.
[hmm.]
Darkness, who had been looking up and down seriously, let out a short breath.
[Not bad.]
“… Since it’s come to this, you should get a smartwatch too.”
Before we even think about whether the radio waves reach or not, it wouldn’t hurt to have one.
He decided on his own and looked through the ledger containing the compensation payment details.
Until recently, it appeared that compensation payments were being made actively.
But then, something strange caught my eye.
“What? Why are the recent payment records so low? I can’t even see the upper and middle levels. Are they missing?”
When I asked, pointing to the most recent date in the ledger, Eoduksini rested his chin on the back of his hand.
[That is not true. Only a very small number of people achieve mid- to high-level achievements, so they are paid without fail.]
“A very small number? … That’s strange. The conditions for achieving it aren’t that difficult. The entry list itself has been reduced?”
[I don’t really know why the subordinates were reduced.]
I looked at the ledger again.
As Darksini said, the rewards themselves were paid out at the same rate as the achievement completion rate.
In other words, the problem is that there are few people who achieve achievements in the first place.
“Why?”
[Answer. Master, this is Akasha’s guess.]
Akasha expressed her opinion.
[Answer: It seems to be because there is not enough space.]
“Not enough space…?”
[Answer. No matter how special the space created by Darkshini’s magic is, it cannot be compared to more specialized space magic.]
“Hmm? That’s it… .”
I checked the situation in the annex on several monitors.
Behind the person examining the bloodstains on the wall, a man can be seen running down the hallway.
Lee, who was only focused on the investigation due to the spirit he brought, also hurriedly walked so as not to be eliminated.
The individual themes of ‘escape room’ and ‘haunted house’ collide with each other.
“…no way.”
[Answer: This type of unintentional ‘trolling’ is likely occurring because multiple spaces are shared.]
“Oh, no.”
I ended up hitting my forehead.
Since Lafocal is a single-player game, everything had to revolve around the gamer.
Of course, it includes basic game controls, as well as the companion system.
So, as if it were a given, I ended up ‘playing the game’ in a way that was familiar to me.
“It was my mistake.”
Since the standard is set at ‘solo play’, the achievement rate is bound to be low.
And that’s not all.
I thought of the driveway that was filled with people walking alone, not lovers, friends, or acquaintances.
Even the stress that filled their faces.
“I guess it would be better to fix it?”
Then Akasha said,
[Q. Is there really a need to fix it?]
‘What? Then should we just keep going like this?’
[Answer: Akasha’s opinion is that it would be better to just divide the space without any changes.]
Two images came to my mind.
One is a light group that enjoys escape rooms and haunted houses comfortably with lovers, friends, and acquaintances.
The other is a heavy user with a tendency to play solo, obsessed with records, achievements, and rewards.
Even the Light group was further divided into escape rooms and haunted houses.
‘Are you saying we should just split it into two directions?’
[Answer. There is a disadvantage that the magical power consumption rate of advanced space magic and character darkness increases, but it will be possible to capture both types.]
“Oh oh….”
This way, we can cater to both those who are obsessed with points and rewards, and those who are simply there to have fun.
With just this much, we can now bring in items from an external incinerator.
If I can recover a little more, it will be a great help in the future.
With such expectations in mind, the theme of ‘Annex’ was modified to be more versatile.
“… … .”
[So why did you come here?]
As I was finalizing the new settings, Darksini asked me.
It only occurred to me then.
I ended up in Samcheonpo because of the ghost handprint at the entrance, but the original purpose of coming here was not to improve the annex, but because of the curse.
This workaholic made me work… .
“I came because I had something to ask.”
[I will ask.]
Darkshini glanced at the pile of things behind the sofa and said.
[You have received my grace, so ask me anything. I will tell you everything I know.]
“It has something to do with curses.”
I asked while revising the theme of the annex.
“Is there something piling up on me or something?”
Darkness burst into laughter.
[I was wondering when you were going to tell me.]
And then he nodded.
[How could I not know when you walk around smelling so bad?]
What the hell is this?
As I was looking at him curiously, he looked up at me with sparkling eyes as if he was interested in me.
Naturally, my gaze also turned upwards.
All I could see was the bare ceiling.
[There are clearly traces of a curse aimed at you.]
It seems to be referring to traces of a ‘chain letter’.
“Yes. I tore it off before it could properly exert its power.”
[What a truly violent act. Is that why it got so twisted?]
The gaze of the dark-skinned man looking at me was still full of interest.
It’s almost like the gaze of a magician who has been thrown something new to explore.
“It’s twisted?”
[I have never heard of the act of forcibly tearing off a curse. There were only four options: blocking, deflecting, accepting, or turning back. But you… .]
For a while, the dark-eyed man observed my face as if he were looking at some extremely mysterious creature.
[Haha. You dare to tear off the cursed passageway woven with the thread of fate? Isn’t that why this absurd situation has come about?]
I kept my mouth shut because I didn’t know what he was saying.
As I waited silently like that, Eoduksini finally nodded her head in satisfaction and spoke.
[The curse has clearly been building up, aimed at you. It was intended to be released all at once through the old traces that exist within you. Just like using a new water pipe to connect an existing faucet.]
“But…” Darkness continued, a deepened smile on her lips.
[What would happen if the faucet was forcibly removed and twisted, causing an unprecedented situation where the outlet was completely blocked?]
“If you just stay still… you won’t be smiling like that.”
[… … .]
I thought as I watched her smiling silently.
‘I thought it was only the precursor stage.’
Judging from the way he speaks, it seems like the curse has been building up to the point of murder for quite some time.
However, by chance, I had already ripped off the faucet that was supposed to be used as the basic trigger for the curse, which unintentionally blocked the entrance.
To begin with, such a crazy act would have been impossible without the power of magic… .
“… The person who placed the curse will be confused as to why the curse is not being activated. Since they don’t know what’s going on, they will just keep casting curses without thinking.”
[It piles up, and piles up, and piles up again…]
“The water pipes were swollen to the brim….”
‘Boom!’ Aren’t you just waiting for the day to explode?
“… Is that why you were laughing like that? Because it felt like you were going to explode?”
[Hehehe. Well… I don’t know. It was just the smell of a curse that had grown to a size I’d never seen before in a short period of time.]
When I heard that, I suddenly realized something strange.
“But that would take quite a bit of time. It’s not something that can be done in just a day or two.”
[That is so. In order to accumulate curses of this level in a short period of time, it would require an unbelievable amount of sacrifices for a human body. It would be on the level of literally destroying the livelihood of a noble family, and if necessary, even the equivalent of hundreds of human sacrifices would be used. Or…]
The dark-skinned man pointed at himself with one straight finger.
[If you have incurred an endless grudge to the point of sacrificing your ‘life’ to a monster as skilled in sorcery as me, then it would be possible.]
“… … .”
[But, you…]
The dark city’s eyes sparkle with interest once again.
[It seems to apply to both cases. That must be why it grew so large in such a short period of time.]
And then he clicks his tongue.
[If the curse hadn’t erupted to this extent, I would have definitely given up. I feel a very deep resentment. Where on earth did you come from and what have you been doing…]
After saying those words, the dark-skinned man closes his mouth.
I closed my eyes tightly.
‘It would be better if I could check it with my magic power.’
Just as the distance was too short to reach the Demon King’s eyes.
There was no way to confirm the curse that had been placed on me, unless I could see it from this spot.
“… How to solve it.”
I opened my closed eyes and faced the darkness.
An incarnation of darkness who has lived for an indescribably long time.
“I guess so?”
[… … .]
Darksini’s lips opened slowly.
fantasy,
