The bastard had arrived.At this very moment, he was just outside the door.
I had no idea who he was. He could’ve been a newspaper vendor, a horny guy trying to hit on Yuri, or maybe even a colleague from the Extermination Squad.
Whoever he was, his presence was a threat to me. The newspaper might contain information that could reveal my identity, and if it were a colleague, they might suddenly accuse me on the spot, saying something like, “That guy’s a black wizard!”
So, the only safe choice was to keep him out. Luckily, the systems in this world were sloppy, and the Queen’s NPC creation skills were not sophisticated.
I set up an information bomb on the entrance doorknob to Yuri’s mansion. Yes, I had taken off and used a small piece of the information bomb I had brought with me.
He was right in front of the door. I could feel his presence. A small grin crept onto my face, as if I was a hunter watching his trap.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The bastard knocked. Yuri noticed immediately.
“⋯⋯Someone’s at the door? I wasn’t expecting any visitors, so then⋯⋯.”
“Is it the guy who was trying to hit on you? Should I go chase him away?”“Don’t bother. How are you going to scare anyone off with that weak and frail body of yours? Maybe it’s an urgent message⋯⋯ and if it’s some horny womanizer, I’ll turn him into one of your friends.”
Was she implying she would perform a primitive external shock treatment surgery to castrate him? Undeterred, I calmly added.
“It’s not that I don’t have one—it just doesn’t go up.”
“⋯⋯I didn’t ask! Seriously, I didn’t ask!!”
With a slight provocation, Yuri flinched. The moment her focus shifted to me, I flicked my finger. I triggered the information bomb.
Tick.
With a soft explosion, malicious information flooded out.
To anyone watching, it would look like grotesque thorns shooting out from the doorknob, stabbing the intruder. The victim would twist in agony, crumble to dust, and disappear without a trace.
Yuri cautiously opened the door, muttering to herself, only to find no one there. Nothing but a few specks of dust scattered on the ground. She blinked in surprise.
“I’m sure I heard a knock.”
“Maybe it was just a neighborhood kid messing around? Knocking and running away?”
“⋯⋯Even the neighborhood kids think I’m a joke now?”
When I added that offhandedly, Yuri sighed, looking slightly depressed. No, that wasn’t my intention. I quickly reassured her.
“Do you think kids think that deeply? No, Yuri. It was probably just a gust of wind. Let’s not overthink it, eung?”
“⋯⋯Do you really think so?”
“Eung, I really do. Now, come on⋯⋯let’s get back and finish what we were doing. Are you going to use this as an excuse to run away? We still have a Jenga tower to finish.”
“You were the one losing until just now!”
Yuri spun on her heel and headed back into the house. I glanced at the remaining dust that had once been an NPC, then quietly shut the door.
With this, it was already the sixteenth time.
Once again, I had regained a moment of peace.
===============================================================
How had this fight continued for so long? To explain, one key fact needed to be made clear.
The core of this world was Yuri. Though she was under the Queen’s manipulation⋯⋯
Everything Yuri found strange or implausible was hit with a debuff, while anything she accepted without hesitation was buffed.
So, within her perception, there were rules and order. Setting and plausibility had to be maintained, and if they weren’t, there would be consequences.
If it had been some incompetent wizard who had infiltrated here, it might have turned out differently.
But I had the skill to twist those slight demerits and use them to make her eat shit. So, no matter how hard the Queen tried to slip away, as long as I was here, the minimum conditions for a contest were established.
The Queen knew this too. Because last time when she tried forcibly framing me as the culprit, it had backfired spectacularly.
That’s why both the Queen and I developed the story with Yuri at the center—just like the NPC knocking on the mansion door a moment ago.
Here’s a quick summary.
I’d been saddled with the negative setting of being a『Red Regeneration』cooperator. Eventually, the Queen intended to use this setting to turn Yuri against me.
So, I needed to either defuse this time bomb before it went off—or strengthen my bond with Yuri enough that she’d think, ‘There’s no way this person would do something like that.’
I could try a few different tactics. Maybe role-play as a black wizard who “infiltrated『Red Regeneration』as a double agent for revenge’, like I did with Bennett’s story.
Or I could try the Hong Gil-dong role-play Meta, presenting『Red Regeneration』’s techniques as tools for good—using the lives of death row inmates to cure the disabilities of good people⋯⋯.
I could pull it off, but.
Personally, I thought the risks were far too high.
The one steering the story was the GM. So, the one who controlled this space was the Queen. Even if I resisted with every trick I had, I couldn’t dictate the world’s flow.
To be precise⋯⋯ I could do it for a moment, but it would consume too much energy and wasn’t sustainable.
“Did you brush your teeth? Washed your face and fixed your hair? Did you stretch before bed?”
“Mind your own business.”
Just like it would take considerable effort for me to convince Yuri to care about her appearance.
In any case.
No matter how much I tried to convince her that I was a double agent or the good guy, the Queen could completely unravel my work by summoning three NPCs.
Victim 1: A young girl, designed to remind Yuri of her own past, who accuses me of destroying her entire village and dies.
Collaborator 1: A coworker from Yuri’s Extermination Squad. Presents all sorts of evidence and proves that ‘this bastard is a really bad person.’
Villain 1: A brute who storms in, beats Yuri to a pulp, and, upon seeing me, says something like “So you finally showed up, brother. Still with this bad hobby. Trying to act nice and build a relationship with this kid before killing her.”
If the world itself was trying to fuck me over, all my fancy footwork wouldn’t amount to much. So, my conclusion was:
I had to go on the offensive.
A strategy that would counter Yuri’s awareness of the pesticide—and at the same time, dismantle the Queen’s attempts to strengthen her position over me.
To undermine me with plausible justifications, the Queen had already started laying the groundwork. She’d planted incriminating items in my house in advance and⋯⋯ one more thing.
“This is information about the hidden bases of the black wizard group 『Red Regeneration』 and their collaborators.”
“Since it’s an encrypted document, our seniors have been working day and night⋯⋯ but I think we’ll be able to achieve good results once the analysis is complete.”
The ‘encrypted documents’ that Yuri had mentioned before. It was quite a threatening move.
Since Yuri had recognized it, these documents would actually exist somewhere in the world. Even if it didn’t, it would be easier to create it by gathering information.
Eventually, it would be delivered to Yuri through an NPC.
Should I say it was like a bomb that got stronger and stronger as time passed?
Documents that were solved in just 2 hours might be suspicious in their authenticity, but you’d think that the documents that took a week to barely solve would be thought to have a high probability of being true, right?
So even now, the danger was escalating.
I needed to prepare a countermeasure. The best scenario for me would be⋯⋯ to be right next to Yuri when she checks the documents.
If I could manipulate the information in real-time and frame myself as ‘innocent’, the situation would greatly tilt in my favor.
So if possible, I needed to stick close to Yuri and⋯⋯ act together.
“⋯⋯Are you not going to head home soon?”
“Can’t I sleep over?”
“Do you really think I’d say yes?”
I guess not.
I obediently packed my things and retreated. There was no reason to create unnecessary trouble when we had just gotten closer. Before leaving, I waved my hand with a smile.
“See you tomorrow!”
“Don’t come!”
Her mouth said harsh words, but her eyes said otherwise. Should I say they were like a puppy’s eyes pretending not to be interested? I could clearly see that she wanted to play more.
So that meant, please come back tomorrow too. I returned to my house with a wicked smile. Then I went up to the attic and concentrated.
I twisted and modeled the information. To avoid the Queen’s eyes, I created a thin, long tube and moved it carefully. The tube created this way reached the inside of Yuri’s house.
Applying the trick that was done to me in the Capital Knight Order’s interrogation room before, I was⋯⋯ wiretapping.
This timing, when I was separated from her, was the prime time for the Queen to pull some tricks. Until the morning brightens, and I can return to Yuri’s side, I’ll wait like this.
And I checked the progress in my mind.
50
Over the past few days, the information bomb installation percentage had reached 50%.
There had been minor interferences in the process, but they hadn’t been a big problem.
I had figured out that this world was narrower than I thought. Like a game where the map loading was incomplete, beyond certain sections of the city it was pitch-black void.
I created a map in my head marking the locations of key strongholds. I had investigated and recorded mainly the locations related to the Extermination Squad and the Defense Bureau.
My lifeline was still strong. The Queen had persistently launched attacks, but it wasn’t enough to break through the backup of the Purple Tower Master.
Once the information bomb installation was complete, I would have the option of shattering and entering instead of receiving the『Key』from Yuri.
I wonder if I could become close enough to her before that.
I’d say about 3 hours had passed?
Crackle. Crackle.
Suspicious sounds came through the tube, so I opened my half-closed eyes and concentrated. I read the information. The communication-use Crystal Ball was flashing, and Yuri, who had woken up from sleep, received the call in a half-asleep state.
-Decryption is almost complete. For security reasons, Extermination Squad members should immediately receive the information directly at hatch 4.
“⋯⋯This is Yuri, roger that.”
Yuri did a big yawn and moved to wash her face to drive away the sleepiness. I jumped up from my seat.
The Queen chose today as the day huh.
The decrypted materials were at hatch 4. If I could⋯⋯ reach there before Yuri and switch them before she checked them. I could neutralize the Queen’s offensive this time.
I silently climbed out the window and ran. I knew the location of hatch 4 through constant information gathering. Let’s go. Let’s hurry.
I dashed through the night under the fake moon.
I said that within Yuri’s field of vision, there were rules and order, right? Because her perception affected the power and cost-effectiveness in this space.
If you thought about it the other way.
It meant that outside of Yuri’s field of vision, it was okay for all sorts of strange things to happen.
Puhaaaaak-!!
The wall burst open, and a monstrous life form that looked like a mixture of dozens of ogres and orcs bared its teeth. I pulled out wings from my back and dodged by maneuvering.
The ground tilted and folded in half. Shooting stars fell from the sky. NPCs who had been human twisted into the shape of spears and were shot at me.
The ground that had been fine just moments ago instantly became bubbling lava.
As soon as I started moving towards hatch 4, the Queen moved the world and launched a major offensive.
She staged quite the aggressive nightmare, reminiscent of Inception. It was a scene that looked like the whole world hated me and was trying to kill me.
I wasn’t scared. Although the visuals were impressive, the amount of information contained in them wasn’t much. The movements were crude too. I could easily break through things of that level.
The Queen knew that too. This was to hold me back.
So that Yuri would arrive at hatch 4 and check the materials before me.
I became an eagle and a butterfly as I ran through the nightmare. When the ground stretched like gum to widen the distance, I punched holes in space to fold it and ran.
At some point, the Queen’s attacks became passive.
It seemed Yuri had left her house and was on the move. If she saw the world folding in half or beams shooting from the moon, she would find it strange. In that case, let’s hurry a bit more.
I reached hatch 4, overcoming all sorts of interferences.
===============================================================
The Queen humbly admitted it. That was a monster.
At first⋯⋯ she hadn’t intended to kill him or split him in half. Because she needed to eat. Because she needed to devour all the information in that head without leaving anything behind.
To absorb everything without loss, she couldn’t leave any large wounds. She needed to melt him and eat slowly.
If she shattered him to pieces, how sad would it be if precious knowledge were to fly away?
That’s why⋯⋯ she thought she should deal with him gently, going easy on him.
Because he was just a human. Even if he was a wizard from the Purple Tower, the illusion wizards the Queen had seen so far were inferior to her. There was a huge gap in perception from a succubus who was an information life form from birth.
Because he was young. Because he had only lived for a few decades at most. She thought there would be an immense gap between him and the Queen, who had been manipulating dreams and minds for over a hundred years.
When he entered, the whole opening eyes all over the body⋯⋯ was dizzying for a moment. Even still. Even still she thought she would have the upper hand.
She was wrong.
At first, she thought she should lightly drain his strength. The human wouldn’t have ever imagined a situation⋯⋯ where the ground suddenly turned into a monster and swallowed him up. Was what she thought, but.
It was easily broken through.Instead, she even took a hit.
Oh yeah? Is this what you want? Then it’s okay if some information is lost. I’ll crush you and make you docile, she decided. She summoned an incomprehensible ancient giant that would make humans feel indescribable terror and attacked.
“A fake Cthulhu, huh.”
He didn’t even flinch.
After that, she gave up on information. With the mindset that it would be fine even if he was shattered to pieces, she launched a full-scale offensive. She squeezed out her creativity to the limit in an attempt to catch him off guard.
But he was nonchalant, as if he had known about all of these things already. Does that mean he had already experienced the sight of the world distorting and folding in half?
Even when she attacked with all her might, moving the world, he didn’t budge. She couldn’t understand how that could be. This was supposed to be the realm she dominated⋯⋯?
So. She admitted it.
That Crazy Wizard can do things I can’t do. Once she admitted it, she could see a path. Let’s assume he’s reading all my intentions. Then I’ll just set a trap one step ahead.
You’ve probably already figured out about the ‘encrypted documents’, and are wary of it right?
Well, I’ll secretly contact Yuri Ranster. I’ll tell her to come to hatch 4. To my senses and magic⋯⋯ it looks like you, the Crazy Wizard, are just meditating in a room.
It seems like you’re not taking any measures, but.
No, that can’t be it. You must be watching Yuri through means that I don’t know. Certainly. If I twist and hide information like this, and contact Yuri through a Crystal Ball.
You’ll notice this for certain.
Yes, you’re going to hatch 4. I knew it.
I’ll pretend to be slightly flustered, like a child caught doing something they shouldn’t. I’ll hesitate for a moment and start attacking. As if I was trying to buy time somehow.
But that’s not it. I want you to arrive at hatch 4. Now.
It’s now time to turn the tide. Let’s turn this comedy into a tragedy, and return this amusing spring dream to its original nightmare. The Queen satisfactorily stroked her red lips with a faint smile as she thought this.
With this, I’ll be one step ahead.
===============================================================
Creak.
I opened the door of a dilapidated warehouse and entered. This was hatch 4. There was an NPC belonging to the Extermination Squad guarding inside, so I eliminated it with an information bomb.
There was a door inside, with a high-strength black box around it. And information was held there with all its might.
Even if you beat me to death, I won’t let you delete this information. It was reinforced to hell and back with that kind of feeling.
Beyond the door must be where ‘encrypted documents’ whatever whatever was. They reinforced it to make sure Yuri would see it somehow.
I checked Yuri’s position. It seemed she would arrive here in about 10 minutes. 10 minutes might be a bit tight to erase the documents.
In that case, rather than destroying the information, it would be more cost-effective to steal it as is and hide it somewhere that could never be found. I opened the door to retrieve the documents──
Whoosh.
Thud-!
I was sucked in. My body was drawn in by a sudden gravitational force,and was pulled into the room. At the same time, the door slammed shut.
I got up, soothing my aching body, and grabbed the doorknob. It wouldn’t open. Even when I tried to decompose the information, it was held so tightly that it was difficult to shatter in a short time.
I was stuck. It was a trap.
But what could be achieved by tying my feet in such a small room⋯⋯.
“⋯⋯Hahaha, take a look at this fucker⋯⋯.”
I looked around the room. There was a corpse of an Extermination Squad member covered in blood, one heavily damaged document modeling, and my fingerprints smeared all over the place.
No matter how you looked at it, it would appear that I had snuck in to destroy evidence.This situation.
Oh right, Yuri was coming here. It was a trick that was attempting to show her this suspicious situation and greatly increase her suspicion of me.
Could I manipulate everything before she arrived?
Impossible. All of these were reinforced information, objects that would take quite some time to disassemble.
What about escaping from this place? Time was also the problem for that. I felt the Queen’s gaze. I could clearly imagine her clinging to my pant leg if I tried to leave.
“Hah⋯⋯.”
10 minutes until Yuri misunderstands me for a 『Red Regeneration』spy.