Chapter 97
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: Chapter 97
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: The Nose-Twirl Statue
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I suddenly felt a bizarre sense of incongruity and glanced around.
Everyone... had frozen in place.
No, not a whisper of wind stirred, nor did a single speck of dust drift through the air.
The world itself had come to a halt.
Everything in this world—save for me and Seokjin, the attendant standing before me—time itself had stopped dead.
"Is this the power of the Nose-Twirl Statue?"
Seokjin bowed politely before replying.
"Yes."
Then the Nose-Twirl Statue's power was truly worthy of being called divine.
I stepped into the white sub-space alongside Seokjin, where he had first appeared. A sensation that transcended space itself enveloped my body, and when I opened my eyes again, I found myself in an entirely different world.
The moment Seokjin entered the sub-space, he melted away like smoke.
Guess that means I'm on my own.
Before me stretched a world of pure white. An infinite expanse devoid of floor, walls, or ceiling. At the heart of that void stood a solitary, bizarre white cube in the shape of a jade throne.
And seated upon it was a woman.
Her hair, pure as snow, cascaded down to her waist, and her spotless white robes blended seamlessly with the surroundings. Her very presence harmonized perfectly with the space, as if she were one with it.
The instant I laid eyes on her face, a murmur slipped out unbidden.
"...Soso?"
But it wasn't her.
The overall impression and features bore an astonishing resemblance to Soso, yet the aura she exuded was utterly different. Unlike Soso, who always beamed with innocent cheer, this woman gazed with deep, enigmatic eyes.
The woman smiled softly at me.
"Welcome."
"Hello."
I offered a curt greeting. Still seated on her throne, she gestured invitingly.
"Please, have a seat. Make yourself comfortable."
Sit where? There was nothing around.
I stared at her for a moment before simply dropping cross-legged onto the white expanse—floor or void, I couldn't tell.
She's lounging on the throne while the guest sits on the floor. Some hospitality.
The woman grinned brightly.
"No questions? Feel free to ask anything!"
Questions? A shit-ton of them.
I didn't hesitate.
"Who are you?"
She rested her chin on her hand, replying with playful mischief.
"Ah... why don't you guess? Who do you think I am?"
I shook my head and dropped it.
"Never mind. Next question."
She pouted openly, looking genuinely disappointed—like a kid denied her favorite toy.
"Where are we?"
"This is the Immortal Realm."
Immortal Realm? The home of the immortals? So that stuff from legends actually exists?
"Where are the immortals?"
Without a word, she pointed to her own chest.
It was obvious at a glance. A bust the same size as Soso's. No, maybe even bigger.
But she couldn't mean that.
"What about the other immortals?"
"What do you think happened to them?"
She countered with another question, blinking her clear eyes innocently.
Ah.
I let out a short sigh and stood up without a second thought.
"I'm out. You keep dodging with more questions."
She cried out in a panic.
"Wait! It was a joke! Just kidding!"
I sat back down. She pursed her lips in a sulk before continuing casually, as if nothing had happened.
"I killed them all."
"......"
Killed them all?
"Why?"
"Just because."
Hm.
She's nuts.
It made perfect sense. A being capable of slaughtering every immortal in the Immortal Realm on a mere whim. That was the woman sitting before me.
I fired off another question.
"But you know me?"
She nodded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. A radiant smile bloomed across her face.
"Of course! I know you better than anyone in this world."
"Then do I know you?"
"...Pretty much?"
I shifted gears.
"What's your relationship to Soso?"
She lit up like she'd been waiting for it, grinning ear to ear—like a child fishing for praise.
"Soso's my kid."
"...What?"
This woman's Soso's mom?
My mind blanked out, turning as white as the space around us. The face identical to Soso's, and now claiming to be her child. Did that mean the being before me really was Soso's mother?
"What about her dad?"
"Don't have one."
She shook her head like it was the most natural thing ever.
I grasped at a faint possibility.
"Are you a hermaphrodite or something?"
Gods often pulled that asexual trope.
"Pfft... nope! I'm a girl~."
She burst into childlike giggles, her laughter echoing through the empty white void.
"Soso's the child I conceived outside my body by splitting off some of my immortal energy. I've still got my hymen intact. Wanna see?"
She teasingly pretended to hike up her skirt hem.
I waved her off.
"No thanks, I'm good."
"You'll see it soon enough anyway."
She muttered with a pout. I pretended not to hear and pieced things together in my head. A child created by tearing off a piece of herself. Which meant...
I came to a conclusion.
"So Soso's the good Soso, and you're the evil one."
Classic cliché. I'd seen it plenty in comics. Split into light and dark, good and evil. The Soso I'd kept close all this time was the virtuous half, and this psycho in front of me was the wicked one. It fit perfectly.
But she cocked her head.
"I'm not evil, though?"
"Sure. Whatever you say."
I replied without soul. Steal for ten years straight, and you forget it's stealing. Holding her to human standards of good and evil was pointless after she'd wiped out every immortal and still saw herself as innocent. Hell, the whole "Hey, I'm a god" setup felt contrived from the jump.
"So you summoned me here?"
"You got it!"
She clapped delightedly, beaming like a teacher proud of a star pupil.
"Why?"
"'Cause I wanted to?"
"......"
Another question. I pinched my forehead for a moment.
"You know me?"
"I told you I do!"
She snapped, a hint of irritation creeping in—like she was annoyed at having to repeat herself.
"Right, yeah."
I conceded easily.
"You know me from that other world too, then?"
"Yup."
"Can you... read my thoughts?"
This was the big one. If she could peek at all my cards, the game was rigged from the start.
She answered matter-of-factly, like commenting on the weather.
"Of course. I check in whenever I'm bored."
No, shit.
Without asking?
Rage boiled up instantly. The idea that all my thoughts, secrets, and dirty little shames were just her playthings—it filled me with sickening humiliation.
My fists itched. "Master, greenlight the Face-Smasher Punch."
No. Truth was, I'd already suspected someone had a crush on me. I'd avoided dwelling on it precisely because mind-reading was on the table. Still felt like crap.
I clenched my fists tight and barely kept my cool.
"Reading them right now...?"
"Nah."
"Why not?"
"Talking to you directly is way more fun."
She looked genuinely baffled. Straight-up selfish: chatting beat peeking because she enjoyed it more. That pure, malice-free lunacy only pissed me off further.
I dredged up another nagging doubt.
"Have you ever shoved knowledge into my head?"
"What makes you say that?"
No, this psycho. I said quit the question-for-question bullshit.
"Silkworm Devouring Poison wasn't in my memories."
There was no such knowledge in what I remembered. Yet I'd known the bug's name and traits like second nature—as if I'd always had it.
"Ooh, sharp one, aren't you?"
She widened her eyes in admiration.
"Don't slip stuff in without asking."
"Why? I figured you'd thank me."
She looked hurt for real. Her logic seemed warped: I like you → Gave you useful info → Praise me!
I pressed my throbbing temple.
"No, quit digging around in my head, period."
Her expression hardened in a flash. The playfulness vanished, replaced by a cold, chilling aura swirling around her.
"I'm... putting up with a lot here, you know?"
Her voice carried an icy edge.
"Endured not turning you into a clueless idiot who only knows me? Bit my tongue every time you held another woman, fighting the urge to snap their limbs off? All for you. For ages you can't even fathom. I'm serious."
"......"
"But if you keep pushing... I might not hold back."
"......"
"...Sounds like bullshit, huh?"
"......Ah. Yeah, you're right. Good call on your part. My bad. Take it back. Yeah, disregard. Read away. It's cool."
"......"
Ah. Those eyes are terrifying...
Same face as Soso and everything.
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