’This is ridiculous...’
Staring at the Dreamwa-no, Realmwalker, I tried to make sense of the changes. Most importantly, I was trying to understand the meaning behind the ’other realm’ part.
What exactly was the other realm?
’Is it the same realm that I can see from the glasses?’
While I wasn’t entirely certain, I had a vague suspicion that the world the anomalies inhabited and the real world were two distinct realms, existing in parallel yet apart.
In that sense, was the Realmwalker’s ability to phase in and out of the worlds?
Could it not do that before?
"How interesting."
Pulling me out of my thoughts was the Guild Master. My heart skipped a beat the moment I turned my head in his direction.
’When did he get here?!’
I hadn’t even realized his presence until he was already standing before the Realmwalker.
"This is certainly an upgrade from the Dreamwalker. In fact, I’ve seen such a creature before. Realmwalker, right?"
"....."
I didn’t know what to say.
That was exactly right.
"Mhm. Not bad at all."
The Guild Master looked extremely intrigued, moving around the Realmwalker.
"They’re certainly troublesome anomalies. They are hard to catch because they have no specific weakness and can hide among people. Of course, their major weakness is that in places with no shadows, they can’t exist. That being said, such places are extremely rare and only possible with specific items or settings."
Listening to the Guild Master, I remained silent, carefully absorbing every word he said. The information was invaluable, and as he spoke, countless ideas on how to utilize the Realmwalker began to take shape in my mind.
"If it’s possible for the anomalies to stay far away from you, I’d say that you can use the Realmwalker as some sort of spy. You can have it attached to a shadow and monitor their every movement and action. So long as they’re not strong enough, they won’t be able to detect it."
"....!"
My eyes widened slightly at the idea.
’This might actually be a very good idea. What if I attach it to someone who belongs to the weird cult? Maybe I can find their base faster.’
The more I thought about it, the greater the number of opportunities in my mind.
Especially...
’Trait Transfer. What if I can do the same thing as well?’
My heart started to beat faster.
Just thinking about traveling within the shadows, I felt a sudden surge of excitement.
’...I shouldn’t have any problems running away now.’
Although my tolerance for horror had grown recently, I was still a coward at heart. Now that I possessed the perfect ability to escape, I intended to make full use of it whenever the opportunity arose.
’Now that I think about it, can I also travel to the other realm? Is that possible...? Not that I have any plans... That place seems a little bit too dangerous and creepy for me.’
"All of this is intriguing and all, but if I had to say what caught my attention the most, it would definitely be that."
The Guild Master gestured toward my hand. Lowering my gaze, my breath paused slightly as I noticed what he was referring to.
Ah, right.
"If my guess isn’t wrong, that’s an attributeless fragment, correct?"
"Yes,"
I replied.
There was no use denying it, especially since the proof was right before his eyes.
"May I have a look at it?"
The Guild Master extended his hand in my direction. When I turned my attention towards him, I knew that this was more of an order than I request.
I complied and handed the fragment to him.
"How peculiar."
He examined the fragment closely, his eye magnified through its surface as he brought it near his face, the pale light refracting faintly across his features.
The more he looked at it, the more intrigued he seemed.
And then—
"This is certainly very interesting. I’ll be keeping this for now and running some tests on it. This is a very interesting power that you have." The Guild Master pinched his chin while staring at the fragment. "Since you have the ability to remove an attribute from a fragment, I presume that in order to advance, you require attributeless fragments."
"Yes, but they must be of high purity."
"...I see."
The Guild Master turned the fragment over in his hand a few more times before finally slipping it back into his coat pocket. His gaze lingered briefly on the Realmwalker, studying it in silence, before he finally shifted his attention toward me.
"I think I’ve taken enough of your time. I’ll be taking my leave now."
He checked the time.
"I’m running quite late for a meeting myself, but this was certainly worth it."
The Guild Master strode toward the door, his footsteps calm and even. Just as his hand reached for the handle, he paused and turned his attention back to me, his lips curled into a calm and reassuring smile.
"I understand that you’re a bit hesitant about showing me your full skills, but rest assured, I’ll keep my end of the deal. Between you and me, no one else will know about your powers, unless, of course, you decide otherwise."
I forced a smile in response to his words.
And then—
"I’ll be seeing you again."
Clank!
He left the office, leaving the place in a state of utter silence.
Even after he left, I remained in place, my body tense as I stared blankly at the floor beneath me.
I eventually took a deep breath.
"...I really hope he stays true to his words."
***
The Guild Master walked calmly out of Seth’s office. As he passed by the others, it was as if he didn’t exist; no one paid him any attention. He moved through the crowd like a ghost, completely invisible to their eyes.
Eventually reaching the elevators and ascending to his floor, the Guild Master stepped out to find a certain person waiting for him outside the office. The moment he appeared, the man turned his attention towards the Guild Master.
"Guild Master."
"...How have you been? I apologize for my tardiness. I was just busy handling a certain matter."
"Is that so? Well, that’s fine, I guess. Next time, hurry, though. I’ve got a lot of things that I have to deal with."
The Guild Master smiled upon hearing the Section Chief’s words.
He was one of the few people who talked to him like that. He couldn’t say that he disliked it.
Clank—!
Opening the doors to his office, the Guild Master took his seat behind the desk, while the Section Chief settled into the chair across from him. For a moment, the room was filled with silence until the Section Chief finally spoke, breaking the stillness.
"I’ll cut straight to the chase, Guild Master."
The Section Chief’s voice turned unusually low, prompting the Guild Master to look at him curiously. It was a subconscious trait that he used whenever he wanted to talk about serious matters.
"...I’d like to speak with you about VILE - 2013, the Jester."
Taking a deep breath, the Section Chief’s brows furrowed tightly.
"I... have a feeling that someone I know might be linked to it."
The room froze in that moment, the Section Chief staring straight at the Guild Master.
And eventually—
A pair of dimples appeared on the Guild Master’s cheeks as he looked at the Section Chief.
"Pray do tell me. I’m all ears."