Chapter 83

‘No one here, huh.’

Well, I couldn’t help it.

When you passed through the door at different times, you ended up in separate rooms.

Scritch.

Scritch, scritch.

The moment I was moved to another room, the scratching started.

Trying to stir up fear.

‘Already broke free? No way.’

I narrowed my eyes, about to glance toward the door—

…When the space rippled.

The structure stayed the same, but the surroundings shifted, morphing into a place I knew all too well.

A dim room.

Familiar wallpaper.

A familiar back turned to me, light spilling faintly through a barely open door.

And then, the voice I could never forget.

“If it weren’t for the kid, we’d be in New York by now… Ha, a child was never part of my life plan.”

“You’re the one who said we should have one. I told you from the start—no. It would ruin my career!”

“Which is why, even now, there’s a way. Just send her off to a boarding school or something! She doesn’t even look like you or me, and she doesn’t fit with us anyway!”

I stared, expressionless.

‘…So that’s how it’s going to be.’

Even as I told myself that, my body didn’t move.

Because right in front of me was a small, child-sized back.

My old self.

>Assistant’s Room<

A long tear opened in the ceiling, and a strange voice boomed out.

‘Ah, crap. If I’m the target, that’s bad.’

Since I was alone in this room, the shadow must have been pulling from my own fears.

The shadow rippled, sharpening the scene in front of me.

My stomach lurched.

“Can’t you just bear with being sick for once? We’re always late because of you. Nothing ever goes right when you’re around.”

The familiar voice of my mother stabbed into my ears.

I clutched one ear tightly, then let go.

My hand trembled slightly.

But that was all.

‘I’m fine. I can still handle it…’

It hadn’t yet hit the deepest fear, the thing buried in my subconscious.

‘Before it gets there, I need to find the Guardian assigned to this room.’

This was the Assistant’s Room, which meant there was a helper—my Guardian—locked up in here somewhere.

‘Who could it be? Please let it be someone friendly.’

But of course, my bad luck won out again.

The worst possible scenario took shape before my eyes.

“Hm? What’s this? The place is suddenly full of black smoke…”

A voice I knew all too well.

Step. Step.

With every step the man took, the home I’d lived in with my parents grew hazier.

And then, through the black veil, came the last person I wanted to see here.

Someone who was here only because he was someone’s “Guardian.”

“Well, well. A face I’ve been wanting to see. Hello, candidate.”

Usher.

His eyes widened for a second—maybe he hadn’t expected this either.

Then, his gaze softened into that smiling crescent shape.

I caught, in that brief moment, the way he scanned the whole room.

“We’ve got a lot to talk about, don’t we?”

“…”

“What are the chances we’d end up alone again like this? At this point…”

His face lit up with rapture.

“It must be fate.”

Shove it, you damn fanatic.

Still… thanks to him, my fear projection had been interrupted before it could finish forming.

‘Should I be grateful for that…?’

I clenched and unclenched my fists, keeping my eyes on Usher.

‘Looks like I’ll have to use Purification in here.’

My gaze sharpened.

When I looked down, I saw a pair of small, chubby feet—adorably mismatched against that man’s presence.

I lifted my head again and spoke.

“So, is this where you finally kill me? No evidence left if you do it here, right?”

“As if!”

He clasped his hands behind his back—then clapped them together.

Scritch, scritch, scritch, scritch, scritch, scritch, scritch, scritch…

The scratching at the door grew relentless.

— My friend, where could you be? The tagger’s here! Are you in there?

The tagger had locked onto my fear—the one standing right here: Usher.

‘Well, I’ll give it this much—my bad luck is impressive.’

Usher beamed.

Not a shadow of irritation, only genuine delight.

“I think you’re amazing, candidate!”

His eyes gleamed—bright, cheerful, completely at odds with the situation.

“How could I not admire someone who erased over a decade of my time and effort in a single stroke by managing to exile me?! Thanks to you, once this trial is over, I’ll be shipped straight off to the Land of Darkness!”

That so? I was hoping to send you there before the trial even started.

I’d heard the excuse that there was no other Guardian available before the test—what a joke.

Rotten higher-ups were a universal problem.

“So I thought…”

Usher spread his arms wide.

Scritch, scritch, scritch, scritch, scritch, scritch, scritch, scritch…

The scratching became the background music to his next, gleeful words.

“Let’s become one under my god! Be on the same side. Hahaha!”

Step.

He took a step toward me.

“Why avoid the easy road? I must have grown complacent too, candidate.”

His gaze shifted—no longer the same as before.

“And now that it’s just the two of us, perfect. Let’s use this place as an altar and serve the Evil God together.”

In his violet eyes, a strange light swirled, spinning round and round.

[Danger detected! Fanatic “Usher Tatum” has used a hidden ability on you!]

[You will be brainwashed within 2 minutes!]

A sign I’d never seen before appeared.

[Would you like to use “Purification”?]

The urgency in the sign made me narrow my eyes.

‘I’d like to.’

But here’s the thing—

The bastard had me locked in place so I couldn’t even turn my head.

Already, it felt like my body wasn’t my own.

“Fortunately, I can use my power freely here. The god is with me.”

Yeah, your evil god, more like.

‘Guess Purification really is my only choice.’

Even if he figured out I had it, I had a plan to talk my way out.

The problem was…

I was still under a status effect.

‘How do I trust the odds?’

Cold sweat ran down my back.

‘Can I succeed within a minute? If not, it’s over.’

I hadn’t even considered the brainwashing ending.

And then—

Jingle!

A sound I hadn’t expected rang out.

I slid my eyes toward it, careful not to move my head.

It was the bracelet I’d been wearing all along but had mostly ignored—

The one I’d been forced to take after clearing the Dog-Headed Judge chapter.

The one I hadn’t been able to check because my level was too low.

‘Why now?’

[Level requirement met. Item unlocked!]

[Item acquired: “Skull Communication Bracelet of the Worldline” (Unique)]

[❗ Danger detected—item activating automatically!]

[Title effect “Idol of the Fanatics (???)” activated!]

As the signs flooded my vision—

A voice I could never forget rang in my ears.

— Hey there, Counselor?