2. A Pearl Necklace on a Pig
2. A Pearl Necklace on a Pig
There were so many goddamn bitches in this world that I sometimes forgot, but this world was unequivocally what you'd call a 'dark fantasy'.
One region turned into a land of death by the Demon Lord's Army that pierced through dimensions and by cultist necromancers raising corpses; forests swarmed with beastmen driven by wild instincts; at night, vampires crawled all over... Even the seas beyond the continent were practically occupied by merfolk.
But humanity never lost hope. Determined to save this crumbling world, they gathered under the Empire. With their fervent support, the Empire held a gacha show every single day through summoning rituals.
Though for me, having just seen a Hero they'd been frantically pulling for meet his end a few days ago, my feelings were anything but settled.
"Ahhhh~ There's nothing quite as special as a drink after a hard day's work~"
Anyway, where I sat now was a shabby tavern where those who'd fallen to the status of Foreign Workers mainly gathered.
Seated at a table set by the ill-tempered black owner, I gnawed on dried jerky and scanned the others.
An obese, acne-ridden guy with glasses, a man with a pale look and deep shadows cast over his face... They were my fellow summoned, named 'Oh Deokhun' and 'Gu Isin' respectively.
"Not so long ago, our gatherings were pretty lively. But now, two years later, the survivors are down to just this many..."
Seeing friends who'd endured porter work in this harsh world until now, a faint bitterness washed over me.
To be fair, the Heroes who mainly hired porters all had filthy personalities, so it wasn't strange for the porters to quit halfway through.
I'd already seen plenty whose lives plunged to rock bottom—whether they turned bandit to oppose the Heroes because the discrimination was so shitty, or sold themselves as pets to the rich just to scrape some crumbs... their old everyday lives in the original world a distant, faded memory.
For those not born with talent, survival in this world was nothing but brutally harsh.
"It's inevitable. Compared to the world we came from, this place is far too treacherous. A simple and stable life is hard to come by."
Mr. Gu Isin, the 36-year-old day laborer, softly expressed his agreement with my bitterness.
Contrary to his scary appearance, he was an incredibly kind and gentle soul, unlike most people nowadays.
Enough that he spent his free time doing volunteer work, even in this cutthroat world.
"So, Mr. Gu, how's your work going lately?"
"Heheh, recently, the Order has been frequently requesting me to transport goods. It involves delivering food to the sick and the destitute, those with nothing to their name."
That sounds like a gig that doesn't pay much.
Still, helping the Order could offer protection, so maybe it's safer? Just as I reached for my beer, Gu Isin, recalling the day's events, gave a deep smile.
"Originally, I was saving money from porter work to aid those in need. But the Order seemed to think highly of my spirit—they offered me a position."
"Oh, so you've finally joined the Order and even secured a promotion?"
"Yes, that's right. Now I can extend a more active hand to the countless lambs flooding this world."
A laugh that would sound sleazy and suspicious to anyone who didn't know the context.
But I, having spent two years with him, knew. Finding a person more genuinely kind-hearted than him across both my past and present life would be a struggle.
"Who should I help tomorrow, and how~? Just thinking about it makes my heart swell with emotion. Kee-hee-hahahaha!"
So the crumbling world makes him feel euphoria from helping the crushed, huh?
Hmm, well, whatever.
If he's happy, that's what matters.
"Anyway, Mr. Hyosung, do you intend to keep working as a porter? I heard you nearly died in a dungeon not long ago."
"Ah, well, sure—waiting on Heroes is hell, but out of all the jobs us Foreign Workers can get, it pays the best."
"Earning money is good, but if you push yourself too hard, you might not get to spend what you've saved. Are you trying to buy a house or something?"
"Heh heh, something like that."
I mean, even if this is a dark fantasy without a shred of hope, I've been summoned. Might as well dream big, right?
If I save just a little more, I can definitely achieve the dream I brought with me to this world.
A dream that's on a whole different level compared to something dull like 'homeownership' from my previous life.
"But Deokhun, why are you so quiet today?"
However, one of the friends I'd hoped to share that anticipation with kept his mouth shut, and that was inevitably a bit concerning.
When I asked, puzzled, the guy just started downing his drink with a blank expression.
Sitting slouched, staring at the distant mountains out the window. He probably thought he looked cool, but to onlookers, it just looked like he was putting on a pompous act.
Look at him now. Wasn't the corner of his mouth twitching as he tried so hard to play the cold city guy?
"Mr. Deokhun. By any chance, did something good happen?"
"...Something good?"
At Gu Isin's words, Oh Deokhun finally released the smile he'd been suppressing.
Soon, with a melancholy smile, he smoothly produced something from atop the table and spoke.
"Do you know what this is?"
"...A smartphone."
A smartphone.
An absolute must-have item modern people can't live without, and a conceptual object that does not exist in this world.
Obviously, since most people in this world are summoned naked, tools like this don't come with them.
Unless they possess a special perk that summons a specific tool.
"Now that I think about it, Mr. Deokhun's special perk involved handling a specific function in that smartphone, right?"
"Hey, didn't you say you couldn't use it because it couldn't be charged?"
Right, the issue was that his smartphone had absolutely no battery.
Because of that, he couldn't even use his ability properly and had no choice but to fall to the status of a Foreign Worker...
"Heh heh, that was until now."
Oh Deokhun declared, pressing the side button.
As the screen flickered to life, my eyes instantly widened.
"Oh, it turned on."
"Yes! Every single humiliation I've suffered until now existed solely for this day!"
Dun-dun!
Oh Deokhun held out the smartphone in his hand as if generating that exact sound effect.
In the ecstasy visible beyond it, I could also glimpse the pent-up resentment he'd been harboring.
"Two years since being summoned to this world... Every coin I earned during that time was spent solely on custom-ordering the device needed to charge this smartphone. The blood and sweat I shed while risking my life were all for the radiance shining at this very moment!"
"Whoa, you bastard! You've finally got a shot at making it big!"
His personality was twisted enough to slag off his employer every drinking session, but perhaps the heavens recognized just how much the guy had suffered?
Seeing him finally able to use his ability and escape the Foreign Worker life, I felt a surge of emotion from deep within my heart.
Of course, I needed to verify exactly what that newly usable ability was first.
"But what can you actually do with just a smartphone? There's no internet, and nobody to call."
"The smartphone's attached functions are supplementary. The main feature is this very app."
"...An app?"
"Have you heard of a hypnosis app?"
A hypnosis app? You mean the kind that usually shows up in adult content?
And that sort of thing was right here, aimed squarely at us?
"Hypnosis app... what exactly is that?"
"An app with exactly what its name implies. Just by facing the screen at a target and telling them to 'fall under hypnosis', it becomes possible to seize control of that person's mind as I wish!"
"Oh shit, Mr. Gu! Close your eyes right now! This bastard's planning to hypnotize us and violate us mercilessly!"
That son of a bitch, his personality was rotten, but I still considered him a friend. To think he might've been eyeing my innocence all along.
"Don't talk nonsense. I already have someone picked out to use this on."
Oh Deokhun took offense at the joke and brushed it off immediately.
In his voice, his eyes bloodshot and glaring, even a hint of hatred was visible.
"It's almost time. Soon, I'll be able to exact revenge for two years of misery spent under that bitch! Kyahahahaha!"
...Ah, right.
Now that I think about it, he really did spend every drinking session for two years bashing his employer.
Seems he had a lot of pent-up stuff regarding her. In a world full of people with shit personalities, I had no intention of criticizing him for seeking revenge.
I just hoped, as much as possible, that no blowback would reach us here.
"Oh my, Mr. Deokhun. So you really were here~"
Just then, a faint voice drifted over. When I turned, a woman in a nun's habit who had come to the shabby tavern began approaching us.
A nun whose voice was as gentle as Mr. Gu Isin's and whose face had exceedingly mild, slender eyes.
"Mr. Deokhun, Mr. Deokhun~ Would you mind following me for a bit? Today's the safe day, you see~"
The one receiving attention from this beautiful woman, who even looked saintly, was none other than Oh Deokhun.
"Shut up, you goddamn bitch!"
But Oh Deokhun just screamed back at her.
As if startled by the profanity, she parted her lips slightly and began glaring at Oh Deokhun.
"Goddamn bitch, you say? Did you say that to me?"
"Yeah, being pushed around by you however you like ends right here! Shut your mouth and look at this!"
With those words, Oh Deokhun thrust the smartphone in his hand toward the nun.
The nun stared vacantly at the screen, then tilted her head and quietly retorted.
"...There's nothing displayed on it."
"Huh? That can't be..."
At the nun's words, a blank expression crossed Oh Deokhun's face. He turned the smartphone toward his own face.
"Yap, fall under hypnosis~"
"Eok?"
Seizing that opening, the nun spoke, and soon Oh Deokhun's eyes clouded over with a murky hue.
The moment I saw it, I understood.
Why this idiot had spent two years on a leash under that lady.
"Come to think of it, isn't it strange for a tool granted as a special perk to need recharging? Usually, perks come with no strings attached..."
"...He was hypnotized from the very beginning, wasn't he."
What's the use of having a badass ability that lets you control people at will?
If the person using it is a thickheaded idiot, they still can't escape the life of a Foreign Worker.
"Now, Mr. Deokhun? From this point on, you will obey my words."
"Yes, I am now Lady Seria's slave."
"You'll follow anything I tell you to, just as you have until now. You understand, don't you?"
"Yes, yeees. I understand."
"Fufu, good. Shall we head to the room, then?"
But it was hard to see him as simply being exploited. There was a profound affection in the gaze Lady Seria directed at that idiot Deokhun, who stood there blankly drooling.
Hypnotizing a man and then linking arms to go off together... Ah, I see. So she harbored those kinds of feelings for Deokhun?
"You're Mr. Deokhun's friends, I presume? I'm sorry to interrupt your drinking, but would it be alright if I borrowed Mr. Deokhun for just tonight?"
"Oh, not at all. We're nothing but grateful that you look after this lacking friend of ours."
"Heheh, I hope you both have a wonderful time."
"Thank you for the kind encouragement~!"
And so, Deokhun and the nun walked off, arm in arm, all lovey-dovey.
Watching them go, Gu Isin smiled contentedly and downed the rest of his drink.
"Fufu, I suppose that's what you call youth."
"...Youth, he says."
Watching that scene, a bitter taste flooded my mouth.
I gulped down my drink to wash it out and muttered a lament.
"Damn it. Even a piece of trash who tries to use hypnosis to control women has a girlfriend."
When the hell would rose-colored days ever come into my life?