#115

“…What do you plan to do with that?”

“Are you curious?”

‘No….’

I’m not curious.

I’d rather live my life not knowing.

‘But the problem is that this is the Dark Realm.’

Even a strand of hair can serve as a medium, let alone an arm.

If I leave a severed arm in the hands of a mad scientist—of all people—I might wake up one day to a horrific pain in my left arm.

“It’s less curiosity and more worry.”

“I won’t do anything that would harm you, so you needn’t worry.”

The Director of the Research Institute smiled brightly, interlacing his fingers with those of the severed arm.

Seeing that sight, my face instinctively contorted.

‘Fuck, that’s so creepy.’

Why the hell is that guy carrying that around in his arms?

‘If you’re going to use it for experiments, store it so it doesn’t get contaminated.’

Can he actually get any meaningful results like that?

At this point, just drop the “scientist” part of “mad scientist” and just be a madman.

“…It was originally attached to my body, so isn’t it mine? I’d like you to dispose of it as I wish.”

“What are you talking about? I told you, it’s mine now.”

“And why exactly is it yours?”

“Because you promised it as payment.”

“…I did?”

“Otherwise, why would I have gone down that far?”

‘Don’t tell me the version of me on the 24th floor said I could take human-derived waste as a reward?’

Fuck, who gave him permission?

I never agreed to that.

Strictly speaking, the me on the 24th floor is a separate entity from the current me.

‘It’s not even his arm….’

He probably wrote “cut it off” without a second thought.

Since one can make cold decisions when they aren’t in pain.

“I have no memory of making such a promise. Do you have proof?”

“How could you! Are you planning to change your word if there’s no proof? Bad Fabio!”

“So that means there isn’t any, then?”

“No? Actually, I do.”

‘…This piece of shit is really getting on my nerves.’

“Then can you show it to me?”

“I don’t want to.”

“Why….”

“Because I feel like it.”

‘This little fucker?’

I was momentarily enraged, but immediately calmed myself.

‘He’s doing this on purpose to piss me off.’

If the Director actually wanted the human-derived waste, he wouldn’t need to argue with me.

He could have simply lied and said the severed body parts were disposed of before I woke up.

So why go out of his way to pull it out and wave it in front of me?

‘He wanted my attention focused there.’

That wasn’t the important part right now.

‘There was definitely someone else.’

I felt around my left eye.

“…Was there really no one else in the basement?”

“I wonder? Maybe there was?”

“…….”

Let’s get out of here first.

Once I’m out, I’ll look for Athanas.

And….

‘…If I ask if he plucked out my left eye, will I sound like a psychopath?’

At that moment, the door swung open.

“Is Fabio awake?”

A man who looked exactly like the Director—save for one loose sleeve and black hair—looked at me and smiled brightly.

“Fabio! We meet again. Is your body alright?”

‘…What the?’

“Uh, this is….”

“I am Callister.”

“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten me? I’m hurt!”

“Are you… a clone or something?”

“Callister is a Sacred Vessel storage.”

‘What the fuck is that.’

“A Sacred Vessel storage is….”

The Director proceeded to ramble on about how to create a ‘Sacred Vessel storage.’

‘He cut himself into pieces and stitched himself back together?’

At this point, it would have been scarier if he didn’t have the Madness Trait.

Because it would mean he did that while sane.

“…How did you clone the head?”

He’s not a planarian; I don’t think a new head grows from the torso if you cut it off.

Then, the two identical faces smiled simultaneously.

“I knew you would ask that.”

“Won’t you join my laboratory after all?”

‘Suddenly?’

“…I’m not interested.”

“You have a talent as a researcher! Usually, people don’t wonder ‘how’ after hearing such a story.”

“Moreover, you asked about the head, not the heart! Not many people know that the most complex organ in the human body is contained within this skull.”

‘Am I a pass just for knowing the role of the brain?’

What a primitive, medieval-like place….

Regardless, the nonsense this mad scientist was spouting wasn’t what mattered right now.

‘Athanas….’

Was it a lie that Athanas was looking for me?

Or did we just happen to miss each other?

Where is Athanas now?

“…You keep touching your left eye.”

Before I knew it, Callister had moved close to me.

“Is it uncomfortable? If you use the Blessing of Healing….”

I quickly covered my left eye.

“No, I’m fine. It’s not uncomfortable at all.”

“Is that so? If you insert a Sacred Vessel, the dryness of the eye disappears and the lack of focus is cleanly resolved….”

‘And in exchange, I get a cornea and lens made of insects.’

I’d rather die.

“I’m fine. I have somewhere I need to go….”

“Ah, I almost forgot! Fabio, there’s someone I want to introduce to you!”

The Director suddenly raised his voice.

‘He’s completely ignoring me.’

“I’m sorry, but I must go.”

“What? Already?”

“This is too much. I granted your request, yet you can’t spare even a moment of your time for me, Fabio?”

“Yes.”

‘No need to build rapport with a lunatic.’

“You could just say a quick hello!”

“…Then can’t that person just come to me?”

“There is a reason why that is impossible.”

‘I absolutely must not go see them.’

Regardless of the reason, it means they are someone who must be isolated in a specific space.

They definitely aren’t a normal human being.

“Fabio, what is the reason you must return so urgently?”

I didn’t want to mention that Athanas might have come looking for me.

I simply answered honestly.

“…I absolutely hate this place. I want to go back as quickly as possible.”

“What part of it do you hate?”

“I hate every single part of it.”

When I repeated my desire to leave like a parrot, the Director finally conceded.

“…Since you put it that way, it can’t be helped.”

‘Thank goodness I have Forced Persuasion.’

If the Director had tried to stop me with force, it would have been difficult to leave the Main Hall.

He’s not some low-tier believer; he’s an apostle of Ledeia.

‘This entire laboratory is practically Columba’s Domain.’

If there’s one thing I’ve realized, it’s that running away in a Domain ruled by someone is a truly stupid choice.

The Director opened the door leading out of the laboratory and bid me farewell.

“See you next time, then!”

‘…I never want to see you again.’

I didn’t answer and walked away.

Once I reached the central stairs, it didn’t take long to exit the Main Hall.

[

SYSTEM

: Due to the effect of ‘Heaven Above, Earth Below, I Alone Reign Supreme,’ the Status Condition ‘Oblivion’ is nullified.]

The notification disappeared as I blinked.

Outside, it was pitch black. As the cold air touched my face, everything that happened inside the Main Hall felt like an unrealistic dream.

‘Athanas….’

As I exhaled, my breath froze into a white mist.

‘I have to find Athanas.’

That thought dominated my mind.

Where is Athanas?

If Athanas was looking for me, where would he have gone?

‘…He’d check the reliquary first.’

So, I headed toward my room.

It was a strange conclusion.

Heading to my own room to find Athanas.

‘In the first place, why do I want to see Athanas?’

I don’t know.

When I think of Athanas, I break into a cold sweat and my stomach churns. I feel so nervous I could vomit. It is by no means a pleasant feeling.

If so, shouldn’t I be trying to avoid Athanas?

Arriving in front of the room, I placed my hand on the doorknob and hesitated for a moment.

‘Maybe a furious Athanas is waiting inside the room.’

At that thought, my heart pounded.

But when I opened the door….

‘…No one’s here.’

The room was silent.

There was nothing unusual, to the point where my tension at the door felt ridiculous.

I reached under the pillow and pulled out the reliquary.

‘Athanas didn’t come to this room.’

Thinking about it, it was obvious.

There was no reason for Athanas to suddenly come looking for me.

‘…Then where should I look for Athanas?’

I know where the building the Holy Knights stay in is. I could go there, grab any Holy Knight, and ask if they know Athanas.

Of course, I’d be asked why I’m looking for him, but….

‘…No, I can just wait until tomorrow.’

If Athanas doesn’t know anything, there’s no reason to rush.

I haven’t even sorted out the confusion in my head yet….

‘Why did I see such a strange scene?’

I felt around my left eye again.

The eye was fine.

‘…There’s no way Athanas would do such a thing.’

There’s no reason for it.

There’s no gain from it.

There’s also no reason for the Director to collaborate with Athanas.

Every rational thought leads to the conclusion that ‘Athanas couldn’t have done it.’

‘Then why?’

Why did I see such a vivid scene?

‘…Was it delirium?’

Even if Heaven Above, Earth Below, I Alone Reign Supreme blocks ‘hallucinations,’ it probably can’t block ‘delirium.’

Because delirium isn’t an external influence.

At that time, I was bleeding, and I wasn’t in my right mind due to pain and fear.

‘The perfect mental state to witness something nonsensical.’

People see things even when their physical condition is perfectly normal.

When the resolution of incoming information is low, the brain arbitrarily outputs what is likely to be in that situation. It paints a cat over something moving quickly in an alley, or interprets a strange noise as a human presence. When someone has watched many horror movies and learned a lot about ‘ghosts,’ a blurry shadow is automatically upscaled into a ‘ghost.’

‘Since I’ve seen Athanas often lately….’

It’s not strange at all that I perceived a hallucination as Athanas.

‘The part about the eye being plucked out must be a scene I saw in a horror movie ad or something.’

An image, forgotten but deeply embedded in my mind, must have been arbitrarily recombined to fabricate a strange memory. That’s how dreams work.

Thinking that way, everything becomes simple and clear.

The unpleasant sensation in my left eye gradually disappears.

‘Right, it was all a hallucination.’

The real Athanas is probably lying comfortably in bed, fast asleep, knowing nothing.

He probably doesn’t even remember being ‘invaded’ by Oblivion.

It means he has no idea what I went through or what I found out.

Thinking that, I felt a strange sense of relief.

‘…Thank goodness.’

If Athanas knows nothing, we can just keep going like this….

Knock, knock.

At that moment, I heard a knock on the door.

The back of my neck stiffened with tension.

‘…Athanas?’

No, that’s impossible.

I just convinced myself. Athanas should be sleeping.

It must be Elamin.

‘If not Elamin, then maybe the dormitory manager or someone like that….’

It can’t be Athanas.

Because there’s no reason for Athanas to come here now.

I took a deep breath and opened the door.

But all my efforts were in vain.

“…Athanas?”

Athanas, like a pitch-black shadow, was standing in front of the door.

“May I….”

“Yes?”

“…May I come in?”

As I took a step back, Athanas gazed at me and reached out to stroke my face.

It was as if he were touching me to see if I were a ghost.

‘What is this?’

Unable to tell what the gesture meant, I stared blankly at Athanas.

Then, Athanas let out a long breath.

It was a sigh mixed with relief.

‘…Is this also a kind of dream?’

Chapter 116