The Right-Hand Rule
New Theme 045. Honestly, I was surprised. The information Death’s Cat brought back was genuinely fascinating. It was intel about the very origin of Stage 4. ‘But… wasn’t she supposed to be investigating the origin of her own Soul Engraving?’
After piecing together what had happened, Death’s Cat’s adventure went like this: Every Soul Engraving had an “owner.” Just as [Swallowing Predator] originated from Heaven’s Snake, the pincer ability also had a source. Death’s Cat had gone looking for the owner of that pincer. He, too, was a patron known by the alias “Terror of the Deep.”
That was where the trouble began. The bold cat had illegally trespassed into the domain of the mid-sized corporation “Terror” to meet him. She had beaten down the gatekeepers, the employees, and the security guards when the president finally came out in a hurry. The president of the mid-sized corporation “Terror” flew into a rage and filed a claim with “Death.” That was how a special team from the major corporation “Death” had been dispatched to take her away.
So how had she obtained the Stage 4 information? After being dragged to headquarters, Death’s Cat was hauled before the director and thoroughly scolded. While the director was away at a meeting, she snatched the Stage 4 documents from his desk and fled. And now here we were. It was such an absurdly Death’s Cat–like story.
[Nyahaha. I succeeded.]
‘No, you didn’t even get what you actually went for…’ Still, I decided not to blame her for bringing back useful information instead. If anything, praise was in order.
Then, without warning, a chill ran down my spine. The whole world suddenly felt sharper. Colors and sensations were the same, yet everything seemed clearer, more distinct. ‘Huh…?’
“Death’s Cat. Something feels off—”
[Nyah… They got me.]
And just like that, Death’s Cat’s presence vanished.
‘So they caught her after all.’
To be honest, while listening to her story I had already suspected this would happen sooner or later. It only made sense—if she had stolen documents while the director was in a meeting, the next chapter was obvious. The director had come for her. And Death’s Cat had met the ending she deserved.
‘Rest in peace.’
I looked around. Every monkey zombie was flat on the floor, trembling. Bangsil-i and Nareun-i had already come to my side, tails tucked low, watching me with anxious eyes. Baengnae stood staring blankly into the distant sky, mouth hanging open.
‘…Why are you looking at the sky?’
“Gone…”
I stroked the beastkin, calming them down. I called Baengnae over as well and soothed her. She did not seem particularly shaken, but when summoned she quietly sat beside me. I ordered the zombies to rest and settle down.
“Everyone, get some sleep.”
Today, none of the zombies wanted to be stored away. Sensing a great threat nearby, they refused to leave my side. We huddled together in one corner of the empty auditorium and took a short rest. Stars glittered in the sky above.
If Death’s Cat’s information was accurate, we should be able to clear another [Event] by tomorrow. There was still much to do. Best to rest now and push farther tomorrow.
***
Hong Jiu had been a young assistant manager at Barosoft. His father was a director at the mid-sized company Barosoft. Thanks to that, Hong Jiu had lived a comfortable, privileged life. Whenever a problem arose, people around him would step in to remove the cause. He was an untouchable prince in his own little kingdom.
One day, after squandering every last bit of his money on a dissolute lifestyle, Hong Jiu found himself in a very annoying situation. Unwilling to wait for payday or ask his family for help, he came up with a scheme. He simply took a few items from his department and sold them on the secondhand market. Listing three-million-won goods for two million was easy, and cash quickly piled up. He had created a convenient cash flow.
Having tasted money, Hong Jiu’s crimes continued—until he got caught. But just like always, circumstances conveniently turned in his favor. People around him moved to protect him. The one who played the biggest role in covering up Hong Jiu’s mistakes was Department Manager Park Gibeom. As Director Hong’s direct subordinate, he was the fixer who quietly resolved every problem Hong Jiu caused.
Park Gibeom falsified ledgers and erased records. Then he selected a suitable scapegoat and pinned Hong Jiu’s crimes on him. Still, it was not enough. Someone might dig into the matter in the future. More solid evidence was needed. That was how the internal trial began. If they obtained a confession from the scapegoat through seemingly legitimate means, then even if problems arose later, Hong Jiu’s side would have plenty to say. Fabricated evidence, recruited witnesses, even the trial records themselves would all work in Hong Jiu’s favor.
Just as everything seemed resolved, the world flipped upside down. The new world granted Hong Jiu the class Owl Summoner. He adapted to the situation fairly well—preying on the weak to grow was something he was already intimately familiar with. Step by step he climbed until he reached Stage 5. Upon entering Stage 5 he met his patron and experienced explosive growth. Two guilds even sent him recruitment offers. He remained a prince in this new world as well.
And now, Hong Jiu’s severed head hung impaled on a skewer. The man who had beheaded him spat on the corpse and cursed.
“Kuhuhuhu! I’ve never liked you. You strutted around in front of me just because your dad’s a director? Hahaha! Look at you now. What can your precious father do? Huh? What the hell can he do?!”
[That’s enough. We have to go.]
At his patron’s words, Park Gibeom clicked his tongue. Even after killing the son of the man who had always forced dirty work onto him, the aftertaste was still foul. He would have to capture and kill Director Hong himself before this unpleasant feeling would disappear.
“Filth like that only ruined my mood.”
Department Manager Park ordered his puppets to begin harvesting resources from Assistant Manager Hong. Countless puppets moved busily. He did not forget to embed a bone puppet into Hong’s corpse to recycle the shell. The people he had known on Earth would add a deep, licorice-like flavor to his roleplaying.
After surveying the surroundings and organizing his thoughts, Park Gibeom asked his patron,
“How many are left?”
[Four in Stage 6, four in Stage 5, and one in Stage 4.]
Without hesitation, Park Gibeom selected the Stage 5 targets. Stage 6 was dangerous, and Stage 4 lacked flavor. Devouring moderately weak yet tasty Stage 5 prey was the fastest path to growth.
“The food just keeps coming.”
A short while later, a door opened before Park Gibeom. He stored his puppets as usual and returned to his original stage. The world he left behind crumpled without its master. And in that world, his patron laughed quietly.
[Kekeke. What an amusing species.]
The mid-sized corporation “Yeon” had discovered a way to bypass the central system. Normally, bypassing the system was nearly impossible. Yet “Yeon” had found a loophole. The themes of Stages 4 through 6 were belief. Belief could manifest in many forms—trusting someone, or believing a certain phenomenon would definitely occur. “Yeon” had used this mechanism of belief to successfully establish connections between summoners. If two summoners had known each other back on Earth, they could temporarily merge the worlds the system had separated. Because the central system was not being excessively bent from its original rules, it did not react. “Yeon” actively utilized this discovery to launch a small project: having summoners offer other summoners as sacrifices to grow through cannibalism.
They began searching for suitable targets—summoners who could kill their own kind, even acquaintances, without hesitation and steal their resources. Surprisingly, there were far more such humans than “Yeon” had expected. Summoners with high potential, many acquaintances on Earth, and no mental issues even after repeatedly killing their own kind. That was how they found Park Gibeom.
Among the ten summoners “Yeon” had selected, Park Gibeom’s progress stood out the most. Initially, he had possessed over thirty acquaintances between Stages 4 and 6. In just one week, that number had dropped to ten. And his acquaintances kept climbing past Stage 3 into Stage 4 and beyond—straight into Park Gibeom’s jaws. The Park Gibeom discovered at the end of Stage 4 was now capable of handling Stage 5 summoners with ease. In fact, he had recently entered Stage 6 and was steadily continuing his climb. The chairman of “Yeon” wore a deep smile. If the summoner they had raised became the first to open the “Gate of the Sky,” then “Yeon” could proudly call itself a mid-sized corporation as well. He had high expectations for the Puppet Summoner Park Gibeom.
***
Morning arrived. As soon as the sun rose, I shouted the first order of the day.
“Everyone, wake up! Time for morning exercises!”
The newly arrived monkeys, still dazed and confused, moved sluggishly. That was fine. This was exactly why we had the red-hatted zombie and the veteran monkeys. A fierce beating began.
“Kikiki! Kik!”
Once the monkeys had received their proper education, it was time to begin today’s real work. Our goal was to clear the [Exit]. The Fruit of Good and Evil was nice, but the unresolved [Event] made me uneasy. I would be furious if the zombies I had raised so carefully died meaninglessly.
Based on Death’s Cat’s information, this place was influenced by “belief” or “fixed notions.” It was a world where phenomena that many people simply believed “would happen” occurred without issue. Perhaps the human-faced birds had not existed at first, but had been born because I imagined they “would be there” while reading the community posts. Of course, that was a stretch. The human-faced birds were more likely created due to the increased difficulty. In any case, how would we find the [Exit]?
I intended to make use of the majority’s fixed notions. Have you heard of the “maze right-hand rule”? The theory states that if you enter a maze and keep your right hand on the wall while walking, you will eventually reach the exit. The same applies to the left hand. The important point is that by keeping your hand on the wall and continuing forward, you will “definitely reach the exit.” Even if this were a world where no exit existed, the [Exit] would still appear—because so many people believed it would.
Let us head to the nearest wall. It would guide us to this world’s [Exit].