Beyond the Eternity

Listening to the group members recount their experiences one by one, I couldn't help but feel a mixture of unease and curiosity.

I had asked them to share what had happened while we were separated and placed in the artificial dimension designed for the Hidden Narrative. Although the setting for the Main Narrative was the Witch's House, the Hidden Narrative could only exist within the framework of the Main Narrative. This meant that we had never truly left the house; instead, we had been trapped in isolated spaces within it, unable to interact with each other until the enemy was defeated.

At the same time, we were tasked with locating the missing Memory Fragments, a vital step that complicated the already dangerous scenario.

Like I once explained to Kagura Kuroi, it was akin to placing a smaller cube within a larger one.

From the outside, the artificial dimension was invisible, but from the inside, it resembled the house, albeit with subtle changes that made it look slightly different.

It could be described as a Sub-Space within the mansion, one that could be manipulated and altered at will.

However, that wasn't the confusing part.

The confusion set in when I inquired about their battle with the enemy, and they answered, quite naturally, with an expression that seemed completely unreasonable.

Soo Jinyoung: "I was stripped and had my back lashed with a whip."

Moon Jiyeon: "I was swallowed whole and almost digested."

Yoo Rin: "I was beaten up and slammed through multiple floors."

Miyuki Kuroi: "I was bullied."

"•...•"

I was silent.

Honestly, I didn't know how to respond.

How could anyone react to such statements when they were made so nonchalantly? Or maybe it was just exhaustion settling in?

I did not know.

At the same time, my curiosity reached its peak.

Who wouldn't be curious?

Such nonchalant statements were bound to spark curiosity, and I was, after all, a rather curious individual.

So, I asked for the real juicy details, and the group explained.

For Soo Jinyoung, she had faced two sisters: Invidia and Avaritia, the Flame of Envy and the Flame of Greed.

They were both opponents, sisters, who could manipulate the House and wield Magic.

Apparently, they were proficient in Binding Magic.

Binding Magic was a Mystery Art capable of immobilizing its target while simultaneously draining their magic reserves. With such overwhelming abilities at their disposal, they had easily subdued Soo Jinyoung and turned her into their plaything.

I initially thought it was a joke, but Soo Jinyoung didn't have a sense of humor, so there was no way she could be joking.

I couldn't even picture her attempting it.

「 He thought, she was that type of character. 」

I moved to the next person.

For Moon Jiyeon, her opponent was Gula, the Flame of Gluttony.

The problem for Moon Jiyeon was that, unlike the others, she specialized in Divination and lacked significant combat skills. At best, she could rely on a few artifacts for survival, but Gula proved too overwhelming.

She described the moment she was swallowed whole, her body trapped within the suffocating heat of Gula's stomach, barely clinging to life.

Her face was pale as she recounted her experience, and her voice wavered ever so slightly.

It was understandable.

Anyone would have been terrified in that situation. Her expression remained composed, but her trembling hands betrayed her inner turmoil. It was clear the ordeal had left its mark, instilling some form of trauma.

But what could I do? It wasn't like I was some therapist.

I didn't know how to comfort others. All I knew was how to write stories about these experiences.

「 Everything was just a story. 」

Then I moved on to the next person.

For Yoo Rin, like Soo Jinyoung, she fought against two sisters.

They were Ira, the Flame of Wrath, and Acedia, the Flame of Sloth.

At first, Yoo Rin fought only the Wrathful Flame and managed to defeat her despite Ira's overwhelming advantages. She didn't go into much detail, and dismissively referred to Ira as "annoying" to fight.

The real challenge arose when Ira and Acedia merged.

No. That couldn't be called a fusion.

Yoo Rin described Acedia transforming into a Giant Teddy Bear Suit, which Ira then donned like a suit of armor.

For a split second, and quite literally, it felt like my brain paused all functionality.

Her words were so ridiculous that I didn't know whether to laugh or be horrified by the sheer absurdity.

Was this some kind of Dragon Ball technique? Power Rangers?

No matter how you sliced it, It seemed utterly ridiculous.

Wait... doesn't that sound like something from the novel?

Suddenly, Yoo Rin's description of the transformation triggered a memory from the story.

A power that could transform people in objects.

Body Transformation.

As I replayed Yoo Rin's words, it became clear that it was indeed the Body Transformation technique.

Damn. I didn't think we'd encounter someone like that here.

She was the same as the Giant Soldier, Lee Jongho. But unlike him, who could partially access the power of a giant, this transformation seemed focused entirely on turning into objects.

And by doing so, the user would transform into an unbreakable weapon or shield.

Of course, there were significant risks associated with Body-to-Weapon Transformation. In fact, it was the main reason why the technique had fallen into obscurity.

Even if it is an old-fashioned fighting style, there was no way Yoo Rin could have defeated those two on her own.

By obtaining such a strong body, normal weapons wouldn't have cut it. After all, that was the main essence of the Body-to-Weapon Transformation.

As expected, giving her those gauntlets had been the right decision.

I glanced down at the gauntlets Yoo Rin was wearing.

The Earth-Scorching Gauntlets.

An S-Grade Mystery Item I had randomly obtained as a reward from a Gacha pull in the Exclusive Shop.

Of course, the Exclusive Shop had a Gacha Pull function.

What else would you expect from a system modeled after an RPG?

I debated whether there was even a point in explaining.

The Gacha Pull was a maddening contraption, spewing out random items of varying grades based on a probability system so absurdly opaque it felt like the brainchild of a sadistic Development Team. Its purpose? To test your patience and drain your resources!

Tch. Damn those greedy administrator bastards!

Irritated, I bit the tip of my fingernail.

How could a single spin cost 10,000 coins, while ten spins cost an outrageous 100,000 coins? Was this some kind of cruel joke? A scam cleverly disguised as a "bulk discount"? Or did they think the users were so blinded by flashing lights and jackpot animations that they wouldn't notice the sheer robbery?
Discover stories at empire

I truly blame this on the Constellations that were overflowing with money!

Some might argue that 100,000 coins wasn't a lot of money. To those fools, my response would be, "Are you completely out of your mind?"

Just activating the Gacha Pull was a bloody trap!

A vortex of shiny promises and hollow rewards.

Every spin brought forth useless junk more often than not, and just when you thought your luck might turn around, it would mock you with another disappointment.

The worst part? The cycle!

You'd spin once, get trash, spin again, and the same result would repeat. Again, and again, until your once-fat wallet was as barren as a wasteland!

Even the most level-headed person could fall prey to the seductive pull of Gacha, only to end up regretting it when reality came crashing down.

The only surefire way to win at Gacha was not to play at all.

However,

The Gacha system isn't a complete scam. There's always a possibility, albeit slim, that you'd get something useful if you kept spinning.

Of course, there was also the chance of pulling something worthwhile on your very first try, but the odds of that happening were painfully, almost laughably, low.

Unfortunately, I didn't belong to that lucky set of individuals. At this point, there's no denying that my luck is really shitty.

I resisted the urge to laugh.

I had used the Gacha Pull twice and spent a total of 200,000 coins!

The only reason I received the S-Grade Mystery Item, the Earth Scorching Gauntlets, was because I had cheated using the skill [Drafting].

That was how I knew I could mess with the Randomiser, which selected the participants of the Sixth Narrative.

The only downside was that I lost a chunk of my <Reality Points> with that move.

Wait a minute... How come I lost more reality points from the Gacha than the Randomiser?

With that thought, I frowned.

What was the difference between the two? Did it have something to do with probability? Why was there a difference in probability?

As I pondered, I realized I needed to experiment with [Drafting] to gain a clearer understanding.

On the bright side, I did manage to pull some useful items from the Gacha. The extra items were stashed away in my Watcher's Dimensional Star Coat, while others were sacrificed into [Fusion] to create the A-Grade Twin Swords, Vesper & Aurelia. The twin swords were handed to Yoo Jinsung, while the Earth-Scorching Gauntlets went to Yoo Rin.

Although I was concerned about the "nature" of those gauntlets, they seemed surprisingly calm for something classified as a demonic artifact.

It should be fine, right?

I shook my head, dispelling the lingering thoughts.

Finally, I turned to the last member of our group, Miyuki Kuroi, the youngest among us all.

I looked into her eyes and asked,

"What happened on your end?"

Miyuki fidgeted slightly before responding, "Um, well... I fought a strange woman called Luxuria."

"Luxuria?"

"Yes! She could set traps and use some kind of strange magic! I don't fully understand it, but she attacked me using the air itself! Something about altering the properties of Ether. It was... weird."

"Altering the properties of Ether? I see. It must have been the manipulation of the four main elements to form a new law."

Miyuki blinked, staring at me. "Eh? Ajusshi, you understood that right away?"

"No. It was just a guess."

"That didn't sound like a guess," she countered, pouting. "You said it with certainty!"

Damn. This girl was too smart.

A certain someone behind me was staring daggers into my back.

Soo Jinyoung.

Her piercing glare felt like it could bore a hole straight through me. If she noticed how much I knew, it could lead to complications.

No one in South Korea was supposed to have this kind of information.

Let's change the subject and divert her attention.

"Ah," I said, feigning curiosity, "now that I think about it, how did you guys manage to defeat the enemy on your own? You never mentioned that part."

The group members exchanged glances before replying with unnervingly casual expressions, as if they were discussing the weather.

Soo Jinyoung shrugged and said, "Crushing."

Moon Jiyeon added, "Poison."

Yoo Rin chimed in, "Punching."

Finally, Miyuki Kuroi, looking slightly excited, exclaimed, "Burning!"

"•...•"

I blinked, utterly at a loss for words. The sheer nonchalance of their responses left me questioning my own sanity.

Were they serious? Or was this their twisted idea of humor?

This group... should I be impressed or concerned?

At this point, I didn't know. No, something was seriously wrong here.

It felt disturbingly familiar, too similar, in fact, to what I'd experienced when I first entered the so-called safety zone under Kim Minhyuk's rule.

At that time, It was Lee Jongho.

A creeping suspicion began to take root in my mind.

Could it be… these guys?

Were they messing with me on purpose? Or was I simply the only sane one in this entire scenario?

Either way, I decided to keep my doubts to myself. There was no telling what they'd say, or do, if I accused them outright. Instead, I bit the inside of my cheek and nodded, pretending I wasn't quietly losing my grip on reality.

"Right… crushing, poison, punching, and burning. Got it," I muttered, more to myself than anyone else.

For now, I'd play along. But the moment we got out of here, I would find a therapist, if not for them, then for myself.