Chapter 80

‘No!’

Fear only gives that monster form.

Clap!

“Clap your hands! Talk while clapping!”

As I clapped, the scratching sound faded. The kids, though confused, started copying me one by one.

“Huh? I-I can’t hear it anymore!”

“Whoa… you’re right!”

“Hey! Don’t stop, dummy!”

“O-okay!!”

As the sound of clapping grew louder, the scratching vanished completely.

‘Their fear’s gone down.’

…Good. Time to channel my inner kindergarten teacher.

“Hey, kiddos, how ’bout we keep clappin’ while lookin’ around the room? We gotta find somethin’.”

Thankfully, this paranormal event wasn’t totally out to destroy us. What I mean is—there was a way to shake off that ‘Tagger’ outside the door.

‘…Even if we’re short on time.’

I glanced at Mel, still trembling with fear. Clapping wouldn’t work forever.

“As you saw, the monster from the last room—an’ the fire—seem to be followin’ us. So we gotta hurry ‘n get into another room.”

Everyone gave a small nod.

As expected from fellow pope candidates who cleared the regional trials, they were quick on the uptake.

“U-um, I’ve got this rod thingy… Think we can use it?”

Just then, someone raised their hand and held up a white staff.

It was the ‘Oathwood Staff’ issued by the Order.

“For some reason, I feel like I can use it…”

Maybe their memories were starting to trickle back. One kid shook the staff curiously, trying to figure it out.

“Ah, I-I think I know what this pendant is.”

Another child chimed in, but the conversation quickly shifted.

This time, it was Emmet.

“Wait a second. You—you seem to know all our names. How?”

He raised his hand, clearly needing an explanation. Until now, he’d been trying to win my favor, but now his eyes were sharp, guarded.

After a moment of thought, I answered.

“Thash ‘cause we know each udder.”

“…! What?”

“Lissen up. Ain’t got time. We lost our memowies when we came in here. But mine came back faster. Ain’t you guys rememberin’ little bits too?”

I rolled my big eyes around and looked at each kid.

They exchanged glances.

That meant yes.

“Why… are you the only one rememberin’ stuff?!”

Gidehme shouted, clearly unconvinced. I just chuckled.

“Guess I’m da smartersht.”

“…!”

Not really. It’s just that I’m the pope, kid. The protagonist regains memory first, even in the game.

Plus, I had my trusty signpost buddy to snap me out of it fast.

“Now, we good? Letsh look around dis room.”

Most of the kids didn’t look totally convinced yet, but they understood the situation well enough to start moving.

Then—

“Hey, over there!”

Just as we turned our heads, the room transformed. Colorful toys began appearing everywhere.

The entire room now looked like a playroom.

On one side, a rainbow staircase quietly emerged.

At the top, a door.

Since we were looking up at it, it looked like a cute little toy door.

“Looks like there’s no other exit… Should we go through that one?” Flora asked, raising her hand.

“Ugh, I hate dolls now.”

“Me too…”

“W-wait, o-over there…!”

Another girl pointed. There it was—tucked in the corner—the same doll we’d seen in the first room.

Compared to the other toys, the Tagger looked very different.

…And it had gotten bigger.

When we looked, its mouth twisted into a wide, eerie grin.

Scratch!

That awful scratching returned. I clapped quickly and shouted to keep the fear at bay.

“C’mon, up da stairs!”

The doll took a step toward us.

And just as the first kid reached the colorful steps…

>Stairway of Division<

A strange voice echoed from the ceiling. At the same time, something blocked my sight.

“H-huh? I—I can’t see!”

“I’m scared…!”

“It’s okay!!”

I reached up and touched my eyes. It felt like soft cloth.

“Just a fabric blindfold! That’s how this room works!”

>The path will only open when chosen by another.<

>Who will step forward first? Raise your hand.<

‘There it is…!’

I knew what was coming, so I raised my hand without hesitation.

But…

‘It’s not me?’

I should’ve been able to see again once I was picked.

‘But it’s still dark…!’

Someone else had raised their hand.

‘Who was it?’

I could feel my body gently lifting.

>Choose the correct answer to the question.<

A few seconds passed. Then I flinched.

‘…I’m moving?’

How?! There’s only one way to move forward here!

This ‘Stairway of Division’ was designed to crush your spirit.

The chosen kid gets to climb—but to do that, they must correctly answer a question about one of their teammates, picked at random.

If they get it right, they climb three steps.

Here’s the brutal twist—

‘How’re they supposed to get it right when they’ve lost their memories?!’

The speed at which the kids regained their memories varied wildly. Some could remember and answer correctly.

But while they struggle, the Tagger keeps chasing. And if they can’t clear it before time runs out—bad ending.

It’s a cruel room, meant to ensure no one makes it out.

In the game, only the protagonist—aka the pope—regains memories quickly enough to answer questions based on past conversations with the other kids.

Game Category [Post][Casual Chat]
Title: THIS INSANE GAME!!!

(Attached: Screenshot of Bad Ending from ‘Stairway of Division’_JPG)

Do I seriously need to memorize even the backstories of side characters??

Who the hell is Mel?? And who tf is Marie??!

❤️ Likes: 98

Comments

👤 Savior 1
Oh dear… Hang in there, newbie. You’ll have them all memorized by your 321,577,456th attempt!

↳ Original Poster: I quit this damn cursed game. Bye.
👤 Savior 2
Prediction: This user comes crawling back in a few days.
↳ Original Poster: …How’d you know?!
↳ Sayver 2: LOL look at them actually come back after 3 days 🤣🤣 Welcome to your Salva addiction~

Right, it was designed so no one but the protagonist could get through.

Yet here I was, floating in midair, being moved forward.

Which meant… someone answered correctly.

‘…Who was it?’

I had no clue.

It had to be someone observant enough to remember things about others and smart enough to figure it out—maybe Emmet or Flora?

But I saw them struggling to recall anything…

‘Or was someone just pretending not to remember?’

Just then—

Thud.

My body came to a stop.

>Incorrect!<

>Next challenger, raise your hand.<

I shot my hand up.

The blindfold slipped off.

‘Wait, we’re halfway up already?’

Who was it? Whoever it was had already moved on, so I couldn’t tell.

Then—

“…!”

In front of me, the previous question slowly faded away.

Pope Candidate Nemesia once…

‘…Me?’

I blinked in shock.

They answered my question correctly to climb up?

Chills ran down my spine.
 

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Translator: Japchae