Sitting in the dimly lit room, I stared at the corpse before me.He was sprawled on the floor, blood oozing from a small hole in his forehead — neat, clean, efficient.
Wearing the same black mask and cloak from that last "party," I wiped the blood from my gun. For a moment, I just watched the corpse in silence before reaching out and pressing two fingers to his neck.
"Best to make sure," I muttered, closing the wooden door behind me. The corridor ahead stretched into darkness.
The weird part? The walls shimmered — streaks of red, green, blue, and all sorts of colors bleeding into one another like a fever dream.
"Did you really have to go that far?" Emma's voice came from behind.She wore a half-mask, her hair and eyes altered. Her black vest was spattered with blood — not because she fought gracefully, but because she couldn't hit a target with a gun to save her life.
"Where's the exit?" I asked.She glanced around the warped corridor. "Doesn't look like there is one… Feels like they meant to trap us here from the start."
Of course. If you wanted to stop someone like us, sealing or imprisoning would be better than killing. At least, that's what I'd do.
"And you said today would be fine? You should really work on your optimism."
"You're the one who aimed a gun at someone's head because he told you to stop tapping the table during a meeting," she shot back.
"And there are at least two traitors among us — both Rank Ones. So yes, I had to take it seriously."
"…Right."
I ignored whatever she muttered next and pulled out a black glove, the kind that looked like it was made from beast fur. I'd received it during the last exam — stylish and, supposedly, "useful."
I slipped it on, focused my mana into my hands, and detonated the veins beneath my skin. Blood seeped through the glove, dyeing it crimson from the inside.
The pain didn't matter. I reached forward into the air before me, feeling around as if something invisible was waiting there.
Emma stared like I'd lost it. Fair. Maybe I had. But only I could see what was really there.
Deception.The illusion of delusion.
My knees buckled, and I fell beside the corpse — perfectly mirroring his pose. That was the glove's ability: "Ephemeral Dream."
Just a dream. I'd sleep for a bit, and then I'd find a way out. Simple.
"Hey—Lunas! What are you doing?!"
Before my eyes closed, I saw the corridor fracturing into countless pieces, each one stitched together by crimson silk threads.
…
Slap! Slap!
"Wake up already!" Lunas barked, slapping me across the face.
"Get off me!" I shoved him aside, hurled a pillow at his face, and tried to punch him somewhere sensitive — he dodged. Of course he did.
"Quit whining, piglet. You've slept all day," he grumbled. He and Emma had apparently spent the whole day cleaning up yesterday's mess left by those traitors.
I glanced at the clock — already past five in the evening. Crap. I threw on some clothes, ignoring how weak my body felt.
"Damn it. Did anything happen? If—"
"Relax," Lunas said calmly. "You've had a fever since last night. We had to drag you back here and take care of you."
"…Hold on. If I had a fever, why the hell did you slap me awake? And stop calling me 'Big Brother!'"
My brain was finally catching up, though it throbbed like hell. I stared at my "little brother" in confusion.
"You remember anything yet, genius?"
"Hmph. I used the glove, didn't I? Otherwise this would all be way too weird."
"You should try new medicine sometime, dear brother."
He tossed the pillow back at my face.
"My shirt—! You ruined my shirt!"
"Heh~"
…
"So, can we get back to business now?" I asked, watching Lunas rub his reddened neck, groaning dramatically.
He sighed and explained everything again, probably to make sure I didn't forget this time.
We met with eight Rank Ones. Two showed signs of betrayal. I interrogated them, someone used some kind of illusion trap, I broke out, fainted, they caught the traitors, one killed himself… yada yada.
Basically, a generic action movie plot.
"So what now? Let me guess — secret base, buy intel, shoot more people?" I muttered dryly while getting dressed, only to rush to the bathroom to throw up.
"Urgh… urgh!"
Gods, this damned ability. Why didn't I pick a different artifact?
Wiping my mouth with a handkerchief, I came out wearing a casual T-shirt. Lunas was already munching on pizza.
Pizza. A food that didn't even exist in this world until I got bored two years ago and decided to share the recipe with a few restaurant owners.Now it was a sensation.Go figure.
At least I changed something in this world before dying.
"Emma's gone back to her family," Lunas said between bites, playing some mindless game. "They won't let her stay here overnight."
"Okay. And who asked? You don't need to remind me that her family doesn't want her anywhere near you."
"Hey! For your information—ugh!"
Before he could finish, I dropped to my knees again and threw up—this time blood.Thick, black, gushing out like a fountain.And among that blood was… a golden eye staring back at me.
Already? No, not yet… just a few more days.
"L–Lunas…"
"So, it's time then?"
"F… f*ck…"
The curse left my lips just before another wave hit. I clutched a wooden chair, barely staying upright.No more time to rest. Work called.
Damn it. It's only been one day.
But who could I blame? That black glove was trash without the thing I planned to get next.
"Tch… Fine. I'll carry you there," Lunas said, hoisting me up. "More like dragging, actually."
Yeah, I had no strength to argue.
…
A massive paper crane glided down a desolate mountain valley — scenic, poetic, whatever.I didn't have time for sightseeing.
In front of us stood a dark cave. Lunas carried me and jumped into the void.We plunged into the pitch-black depths until we hit the damp, eerie floor below.
Perfect setting for a ghost story — if I wasn't the unlucky protagonist.
There, in the darkness, floated a massive wooden ship. It looked like something straight out of the 17th century — a pirate ship, buried under the earth.
Finally freeing myself from Lunas's grip, I stood and straightened my coat.
"Three days," I muttered. "No, two. I'll be back. Then I'll rest."
Lunas didn't stop me. He knew I'd be fine.Like always.