The Labyrinth of the Fervent Follower
The structure of the villa was incredibly complex, as if to prove that this was no mere vacation home, but a Sanctum and an Anomaly created by a Fervent Follower.
Entering through the front door, you were first greeted by a wide, clean living room. It was a place that didn't look like it hosted human sacrifices at all. There were no bloodstains crusted into the floor, nor were there any blades or candles used for rituals to be found. It was so painfully ordinary that it felt alien.
Perhaps it was designed as the perfect environment for young men and women to huddle together and hang out; I couldn't help but think it looked like the perfect place to drink and party, complete with board games for "King Games" and a karaoke machine.
Yoo Iseul began swinging her sword the moment she stepped into the living room. For starters, her attacks were actually connecting.
When she sliced through a board game box, its contents scattered everywhere. When she slashed the TV, the circuits inside were exposed. The fact that her attacks landed was certainly a positive result, but... the problem was that it would revert to its original state in less than a second.
It seems destruction from within is impossible this time, too.
I let out a sigh. What on earth is this Sanctum thing that makes it so hard to solve? Can every Fervent Follower create one? If that’s the case, then I, as a fellow Fervent Follower, should be able to summon my own unique Sanctum, too.
I don't even have a clue how to do it yet, but... well, if I get promoted to a Special Librarian, maybe the Shining Stars will grant me the power to summon a Sanctum. Not that I’m sure if I’ll even need it.
Living room aside, the important part was the second floor. There were two doors in the hallway upstairs, but no matter which room you chose, once you opened the door and stepped inside, you’d find a cramped room only a few square meters wide, along with two more doors. This process repeated infinitely.
Why did I describe it as "infinite"? Because I had chosen only the left door and opened it to enter over thirty times, but not a single thing in the scenery had changed.
Click.
Click.
Click.
Yoo Iseul marched forward without hesitation. ...Aren't we going in a bit too deep? It’s not like I have claustrophobia, but after opening doors and heading deeper over forty times, I started to feel anxious and stifled.
"Unnie, shouldn't we stop now? Nothing is changing; it's all the same."
"Let's just go up to 100 times."
"Ugh..."
I was anxious, but there was no way I could stop Yoo Iseul's stubbornness with my own strength. I had considered entering the right door halfway through, but we had no information. If we acted rashly and things went wrong, there would be no turning back.
So we continued to push forward, and once we passed the 100th door and reached the 110th, Yoo Iseul finally declared she was giving up. As we returned to the starting point, the second-floor hallway, she spoke to me.
"This method won't work. I need to think of another way. This time, let's alternate between left and right."
"W-wait a second, Unnie."
"What."
"Aren't we exploring this villa way too recklessly right now?"
"Right. You know that well."
"B-but you told me! To use my head before acting!"
"Do you think I'm you? I’m already using my head plenty while I act."
"...That seems a bit thoughtless to say. If we keep moving like this and a door suddenly slams shut, trapping us inside, what then?"
She was being uncharacteristically reckless.
People often misunderstand Yoo Iseul as an ignorant person with no manners or foresight, but that’s not true. I thought so at first, too, but... this person? As a veteran who has mastered the resolution of Anomalies, her mind works so well it’s breathtaking.
At a glance, she might seem to act thoughtlessly and recklessly in every situation, but in reality, it’s all about reaching accurate conclusions through rapid situational judgment. It’s just that her speed of thought is so fast that ordinary people can’t even notice it, making her seem reckless.
However. The current Yoo Iseul looks "thoughtless" to anyone. It’s as if she’s being chased by something.
Yoo Iseul scratched her head for a moment and then spoke to me.
"Hey, Lee Jia."
"Yes?"
"Tell me our two goals."
"Uh... f-first, take down the college student. Second, destroy the villa."
"Which one do you think is easier?"
"W-well... wouldn't the second one be easier?"
Of course, to dispel a Fervent Follower'sSanctum summon, we have to acquire information from the Fervent Follower herself. But since the [College Student] hadn't shown her face even after we searched the entire villa, we would likely only be able to meet her on Sunday, the day the sacrifice is offered. Therefore, wouldn't it be relatively easier to destroy the villa than to take down a college student we can't even see?
At my answer, Yoo Iseul sighed and said,
"Both are hard. Your precious ability is completely dead, so we have zero information."
"..."
"Still, if we're going to create a variable, it's the latter. I don't know what this maze-like villa really is, and I don't know how to destroy it either. Like you said, if we act blindly, we could get lost or trapped in a room. But it’s still better than just standing still. Don't you think?"
"Y-yeah, I know that. But I just meant that maybe you're acting too hastily..."
"Of course I have to be hasty."
"We have plenty of time."
"I do. You don't."
"...Ah?"
"45 hours left. If you can't destroy the villa by then, you..."
"...Will be dragged into the Omnia Archive Program."
At Yoo Iseul's words, I realized in an instant how desperate our—no, my—situation was. Since Yoo Iseul and I were currently being driven out as traitors or potential criminals by the Awakened Association, we couldn't just go home. There was a high chance I’d be arrested immediately. Therefore, it was impossible to continue streaming.
One might ask if I could just go to an internet cafe and stream, since the Omnia Archive Program could be installed anywhere, but I shouldn't forget: the Awakened Association is a group that wields absolute power. If they set their minds to finding one person, they would discover my location in less than a minute.
So, as Yoo Iseul said, if I couldn't destroy the villa or kill the college student within the next 45 hours, I would be dragged into the Omnia Archive Program for violating the duties of a regular librarian. To make matters worse, time could be moving faster inside this villa, just like last time.
...I finally realized why Yoo Iseul was acting so urgently today. This person. She was taking risks and acting recklessly because of me.
"..."
My heart swelled. It was an unfamiliar emotion. The feeling that someone was risking danger for my sake was hard to put into words. I don't even know what kind of expression I was making right now.
Yoo Iseul, who had been observing my expression, turned her body away as if embarrassed and said bluntly,
"If you understand, act quickly. We don't have time."
"...Yes. Thank you, Unnie. Truly."
"J-just shut up and move! We don't have time, so we'll be even more active from now on. You take the left, I'll take the right. Let's split up and search."
"Okay, I und—wait. What did you say?"
"Are you deaf? You take the left. I take the right."
"Absolutely not!!!!!"
I shrieked at the top of my lungs.
"This is a death flag in a horror movie! I-it’s better if we stick together, even if it takes a long time..."
"It's a waste of manpower. If we split up, we can acquire information twice as fast, so why bother staying together?"
"T-that's true, but..."
"If you find anything, come back to this hallway. See you later."
With those words, Yoo Iseul heartlessly entered the right door.
"..."
My swelling heart instantly regained its composure. The emotion had vanished. Splitting up in this maze-like villa is a true death flag in a horror movie and the classic cliché of a character who dies early. Yoo Iseul wasn't wrong, but... sometimes, even if someone says the right thing, you just don't want to do it.
Sigh.
Ugh.
Whew.
After letting out three deep, soul-crushing sighs, I entered the left door.
...
...
...
Once I entered the left door, I tried going straight in one direction like before. I chose the right door, opened it, and entered the next room, then opened the right door again. I repeated this process infinitely.
I had thought about opening the left door halfway through, but the horror movie cliché kept popping into my head. The horror movie cliché: if you act out of turn, you die. If you show off, you die.
...Even a tiny clue would be great, and I was in a situation where clues were desperately needed, but I couldn't muster the courage to be rash. So, after reaching the 100th right door, I returned to the hallway, the starting point, and waited for Yoo Iseul.
However. Even after waiting 10 minutes. Even after waiting 20 minutes, Yoo Iseul did not come out into the hallway.
...What am I doing right now? Yoo Iseul is risking danger for me like that, so I can't keep having this "Iseul Unnie, do it for me" mindset forever. Let's muster some courage.
If things go wrong... the Shining Stars will help me.
Eventually, I entered the left door again, and this time, instead of the right door, I tried entering the left door. Surprisingly, there was a change. I had thought this villa had an incredibly complex structure, but no. It was a surprisingly simple trick.
If you choose the "correct door" to enter a room, the room changes. If you choose the "incorrect door," the room doesn't change, and you return to the starting point.
Oh, it was a very simple trick, just like a typical escape room game. It was just that both Yoo Iseul and I had the rotten luck of picking the "incorrect door" for our first room, making us think we kept ending up in the same place. It seemed the reason Yoo Iseul hadn't returned to the hallway was because she was busy dismantling this escape room gimmick.
And so, I began to play along with this childish game created by the Fervent Follower.