Chapter 186

The familiar window.

The status window I had seen countless times whenever I tried to start a conversation, one I could never mistake, was showing unfamiliar text.

Even as my gaze stayed nailed in place, the letters kept changing. Like an error had occurred, they blurred into something unreadable, then shifted into blank spaces completely blacked out, then turned back into letters I could understand.

system: This is as far as you go.

Slowly, I pulled my gaze away from the status window. It felt like every action had a debuff on it; even turning my head was difficult.

No matter how much I tried to look away, my field of view was blocked by the status window filling everything in front of me. I tried to interpret the scene showing through the translucent window.

Among the people all facing forward, I was the only one looking back. It felt like my eyes met Do Yehyun’s, but I couldn’t be sure.

When the space warped, it felt like part of my mind and senses had been crushed along with it. As if some heavy object were pressing down on my whole body.

‘What the hell is this?’

The others were clearly in the same space, but I had the strange feeling something was blocking me off. I couldn’t be sure we were seeing the same thing.

‘No, we probably aren’t seeing the same thing to begin with.’

Right. That made sense. I was the only one who ever saw this shitty status window in the first place. Or rather, me and... Kwon Taehan. But Kwon Taehan wasn’t here right now, and it wasn’t like I truly “knew” Kwon Taehan, so there was no point thinking about him.

From the guard I wore up to my upper arm, I felt a strange pulsing. It was a vivid sense of life. Something that was clearly alive and breathing, constricting the blood flow in my arm.

Forcing my head down, I looked at my arm.

Under the hoodie I’d pushed up to my elbow, on the bare skin, I could see a clear line.

‘Weird.’

If this was something that appeared when I overused a skill, then when I wasn’t doing anything like now, it obviously shouldn’t be showing up.

When I carefully spread my fingers, which refused to move properly, I saw that line continue all the way to the tips.

And then, on my palm, that line shone as a very distinct pattern.

A snowflake.

A white snowflake pattern, one I normally couldn’t even see, was glowing there.

Was this vivid snowflake really something that appeared when I overused my skills?

Every time I blinked, the booming in my ears grew louder.

‘No.’

This mark had nothing to do with me casting a skill. The first time it took root in my body was at the very moment lava was closing in right in front of me, and the second time was when Gi Cheongmin came rushing in to kill me.

It had taken root in my body, but it was clearly a different entity from me. In every one of my critical moments of life-or-death crisis, the thing had acted like it was desperately trying to take root in my body.

In that case, was I currently going through a crisis on the level of “death”?

Rolling only my eyes, I looked down at the ground. Dust rising from the point where Im Haekyung’s hand touched the earth was drifting very slowly in the air.

‘Ah.’

Even before I could fully grasp the situation, my senses were overwhelmed. The massive status window flashed before my eyes again, as if issuing a warning.

system: Close your eyes.

I knew it instinctively. This was a crisis only I could feel.

The vibration that started from my palm chilled and heated my entire hand at once. Naturally, it climbed up, higher and higher, then stopped under the guard I wore.

In my numb ears, an irregular heartbeat overlapped with the sound. Without hesitation, I unfastened the guard and clutched it in my hand.

And in the very next moment, I closed my eyes.

The last thing I saw before I shut them was a clear shape of someone’s mouth. As if it were yelling at me to close my eyes.

***

A dim space that made any sense of distance feel hazy. Not a single point of light came in. I couldn’t tell wall from ceiling, and aside from the sensation of “stepping on something,” I couldn’t even pinpoint anything I could call a floor.

It was a bizarre place, but it gave me déjà vu. I’d been here before.

When Im Haekyung tried to look into me by using Mental Domination, I’d dropped into a place exactly like this.

Without hesitation, I called out to the status window.

“Let’s talk.”

My head throbbed as I tried to make sense of the last thing I’d seen.

The dungeon boss wearing Jin Haedo’s mask had clearly been talking, that text had shown up on the system exactly as it was... and at the end, there had been another mouth entirely.

But what appeared in front of my eyes this time wasn’t the status window. It was “Jin Haedo.”

“Hello.”

Just one word, and it already felt wrong.

“If you’re going to wear his skin, you should at least copy his way of speaking.”

In a tone quite different from Jin Haedo’s, a light, casual voice greeted me.

“Why would I? I’m obviously different from that child.”

Considering it was fully copying his outward appearance, insisting it was “completely different” was laughable.

I quietly stared into the total darkness around us and asked,

“What the hell is this place supposed to be?”

“Jin Haedo” silently looked around this place, then answered.

“One of the few spaces I can use.”

“I’ve been to a place like this before.”

“I know.”

“I got hit with a mental-type skill and ended up in a place like this, saw some freakish things.”

When Im Haekyung’s Mental Domination began, I’d fallen into a place like this and been forced to witness a “deleted run.”

“Is this the same place?”

When I asked again, Jin Haedo’s eyes narrowed faintly.

“That’s right. This place is a kind of ‘gap.’ To put it simply, it’s one of the few spots where you can slip free of the loop of time. It’s not that time has no effect here at all. It just flows differently. It’s an exception.”

“Only my consciousness came here, I’m guessing.”

“That’s right too. Bringing your body along would cause all sorts of problems.”

I gave a short nod. All this petty trivia wasn’t what I actually wanted ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) to know anyway.

“I just saw something weird.”

“......”

“Ever since I dropped into this place, I’ve been able to see a status window that shows me other people’s info whenever I want, and sometimes I can even have a ‘conversation’ with it. Of course, I never thought there was an actual intelligent being on the other end. I didn’t expect that at all.”

Yeah, I’d never thought that from the start. Who would expect a call center to suddenly drop into what had clearly just been some auto-responder, spitting out canned answers that someone had pre-entered?

“But just now, the text you said showed up on the system exactly the way you said it.”

“It did.”

“Are you the system?”

At that, it immediately shook its head.

“No.”

“Hm.”

“But it is true that I’m a being who can relay my words to you that way.”

What the hell was that supposed to mean?

I instinctively furrowed my brow and stared at it. In response, it wiped its expression clean and answered quietly,

“From the beginning, every window you see has been a kind of communication port. Something used to relay words. So there’s no problem if I borrow it a little.”

“What?”

“I simply chose that method as a way to stop your actions.”

“Why?”

As it said, the “status window” had dragged my attention massively. The instant I saw it, I knew something was wrong. The thing in my arm had been thrashing too, insisting there was a threat to my life.

I lifted the corner of my mouth and added,

“Were you scared I’d destroy you?”

It let out a short, incredulous laugh and replied,

“Actually... it was precisely the opposite.”

“......”

“I made that choice to keep you alive.”

Whispering the words as if kindly sharing a simple truth, it leaned its body back.

Before coming here, I quickly pulled up the information I’d read about the dungeon.

“There was something weird in the dungeon info. I don’t know how far you’ve gone in explaining things to the ones who call you a ‘god,’ but you’re not just some god who governs desire, are you.”

The letters that had been clearly written in the status window: Moros. I’d never once had any interest in mythology, but it was a name I knew.

“How do you know that?”

“Because I’m diligent?”

It was a name I’d run into as part of a general-ed assignment back in college. I couldn’t remember what the assignment had even been about, but I did remember the definition that had been written next to the name.

I tossed out a half-assed answer and moved on to the real question.

“You were one of those guys who dealt with things like fate, right? The kind you can’t avoid, that absolutely comes to pass? I was a little curious why you were the one listed as the boss instead of some more impulsive god, but I didn’t think too deeply about it.”

“......”

“Everything that happens inside a dungeon is completely unrealistic anyway. Still, at this point, I am curious. About what the actual mechanics are.”

“......”

“Oh, and I’m curious about you copying me, too.”

It stared at me for a while, then only lifted the corners of its mouth in a faint smile.

“Very well. I was planning to meet you anyway... I can give you plenty of answers. Even if you weren’t being this aggressive about it....”

Trailing off, it took one step after another closer to me, speaking quietly.

“To answer your last question first: when it comes to drawing out someone else’s desire, appearance plays a bigger role than you’d think. The reason I copied you was because, at the time, that was the most efficient option.”

“Efficient?”

“You saw the proof, didn’t you? Of course, if I changed in front of you, I’d take another form.”

Hm. If Do Yehyun had “desired” me and it had copied my appearance, what kind of form was it planning to switch to in front of me? The unpleasant feeling had faded before I noticed, leaving behind a faint interest instead.

What did I desire?

“Change.”

“Don’t treat me like a circus act.”

Giving that short retort, it continued,

“Most of the time, it’s obvious, you know.”

The moment I blinked, it changed in an instant.

Looking at it now wearing my mother’s face from more than ten years ago, I gave a short verdict.

“Not impressed.”

“Well, this is probably one of the few chances you’ll have to see her.”

“She already died. Why am I supposed to care more? Change it to something else.”

It laughed out loud, then instantly changed again.

This time, Kwon Taehan was staring at me with a calm expression.

“I’ve never even met him in person. Next.”

“You have, you just haven’t realized it.”

The way it spoke was different from the dream, which made it feel off. Expressionless, I urged it on.

“Change again.”

By this point, I was purely curious. Just how far it could go in provoking me.

Then, it changed one more time.

“Usually, the person you’ve spent the most time with recently is the one who sticks in your mind.”

This time, it was wearing Joo Seowon’s face as it stared fixedly at me. I answered without resistance.

“Out of the three, this one does get to me the most.”