The Black Tower
A dreadful thought crossed my mind. What if this wasn't a ghost space after all? What if I was on Earth, and I was the one who had gone wrong?
"It's possible." In this insane world, anything could happen. I quickly accepted the possibility. There might be some reason I'd become abnormal.
My Location: 89732154
If this wasn't Earth, the GPS coordinates should have changed. No matter how useless the item might be, it couldn't be completely broken. Of course, I had no idea what the coordinates actually meant, so the possibility that this was Earth still existed. That left me with only one option: go to the hospital.
At the very least, it had already been proven that passing through the hospital would return me to the original world. If I went there and the world still looked abnormal, then I could confirm that I was the problem. From that point on, I could act under the assumption that something was wrong with me.
—Vroooom.
The GPS map worked perfectly the entire drive. What a relief.
"At least this item is actually useful." The map function alone was GOAT-tier. With this, I could find my way no matter where I ended up. It was genuinely reassuring. In times like these, I had to treasure every small advantage.
I focused on driving with that thought in mind.
"..."
This world was definitely wrong. The sky was grotesque, and every tree had twisted into something like a monstrous arm. In Korea, highways were usually flanked by mountains on both sides. Seeing mountains packed with long, skeletal arms instead of trees was enough to drive anyone mad.
And those bacteriophage-like monsters.
—Vroooom!
They roamed the roads too, forcing me into constant reckless driving. If this really was Earth and I was the one who'd gone insane, then I was just some drugged-up lunatic driving like a maniac. The thought was horrifying in its own way.
"Still, that would be preferable."
With that, I arrived back at Cheongak Mary Hospital.
I stepped out of the car. The wall of fog stood before me. Beyond it lay Cheongak Mary Hospital. Thanks to my status as the Hospital Director's acquaintance, I could enter and leave without any issues.
Right. I should ask Mr. Kim Seong-han about this situation. He was a man full of secrets. He might even know how to resolve it.
This really was a deep connection with Mr. Kim Seong-han. Thinking that, I stepped through the fog.
...
Cheongak Mary Hospital. The building wasn't there.
In its place stood something enormous...
"Ah."
Reality Recognition Value: 5,400 → 7,200
—Fwoooooosh!
Fire erupted from my eyes.
...
You have died from flames erupting from your eyes.
Death Count: 21(-1) → 22(-1)
Restarting...
...
"Hwaaaaaah!"
What the hell?! What was that?!
"It wasn't a hospital! It wasn't a hospital! Uwaaaaaah!"
I rolled on the floor, clutching my eyes. They were burning. I'd seen something I shouldn't have, and now my eyes were on fire!
Aaah, that thing was—
Reality Recognition Value: 7,200 → 7,300
No! I can't think about it! I mustn't think about it!
I have to erase it from my mind right now!
"Ugh...!"
I pressed my temples with both hands, desperately trying to wipe the memory away. The colossal shape faded from my thoughts. It was far too enormous for a human brain to comprehend. If I didn't focus on it, if I didn't try to remember, it would naturally disappear...
"Hoo, hoo!"
After some time, the image no longer surfaced. I'd pushed every thought of it aside.
I couldn't go to the hospital. Just like the trees had been replaced by grotesque arms, the building had undergone the same transformation. Only the impression remained.
My entire body was soaked. Sweat, tears, snot, and drool poured out during my fit, leaving me with a disgusting, clammy feeling.
Current location: inside the abandoned church. The text on the phone lying beside me was completely garbled. I'd gone to the hospital and returned here.
"My 4,000 points..."
I took a deep breath, thinking about the points, and stood up. My half-mad screaming might have drawn the monsters. I had to be careful.
—Swish.
I cracked open the church door and peered outside.
—Shamble, shamble.
The monsters were there. Fortunately, they didn't seem to have noticed me.
But then—
"Huh...?"
In the distance, far beyond, I could see something like a massive tower. A hazy, black tower. It looked as though a black tower was visible in the distance, like a rainbow on the horizon.
That hadn't been there before...?
"Why can I suddenly see it...?!"
My heart pounded violently at the tower's sudden appearance, and fresh terror washed over me. The overwhelming presence of the unknown seized my mind.
Something that shouldn't have been visible was now visible. The only changes were that I'd died twice and my Reality Recognition Value had risen.
Could it be... that because my Reality Recognition Value increased, I'm now seeing things I shouldn't?
"Aaaah...!"
So that was it! All of this was because of the Reality Recognition Value! The grotesque number had risen, and now I was seeing things I was never meant to see!
I had to lower it! But how?
"R-right!"
If the Reality Recognition Value was the problem, then the grimoire must be the cause. In that case, the grimoire might hold the solution.
I pulled the grimoire from my inventory. The moment I did, I felt something off.
"The cover... I can read it?"
The text was legible. The characters were being interpreted. Sensing this, I instinctively flipped to the first page.
"Ah!"
The meaning of the first sentence sank into my mind!
"I mustn't read it!"
I immediately shut the book and returned it to my inventory. Just seeing the sentence had transmitted knowledge. Like how seeing a word naturally brings up associations, merely reading the sentence had tried to etch itself into my brain.
Putting it away immediately had been the right call. I had no idea what would happen if I actually read the grimoire now.
"Hoo, hoo... Yeah. Good."
I wiped my entire face with my hand.
"Now I know exactly what situation I'm in."
It wasn't complete unknown territory anymore. By dying twice, I'd figured out what had happened to me. The activated grimoire had raised my Reality Recognition Value. That was what was driving me mad. That's why I was seeing things I shouldn't. And that hazy black tower in the distance, existing like a rainbow far away—it must have become visible because my value had jumped again.
Did the things I could see change depending on the value? Or did I simply see more?
Then what should I do?
To return to normal, I needed to lower my Reality Recognition Value. But how?
"Don't tell me... the Reality Re-cognition Device in the Bureau's basement?"
Did I have to press that?!
Everything that had happened so far flashed through my mind. Had the Bureau prepared the device inside because they'd anticipated a situation like this? But after pressing it once, the path to it had vanished. Could it only be seen when the Reality Recognition Value was high? When I'd gone down to the Bureau basement, my value had risen for some reason, but the status window hadn't been unlocked yet, so I hadn't known?
It felt like pieces were clicking into place in my head.
"But..."
Was there any way for me to press it in my current situation? Was it even possible to become a Bureau agent and reach that basement in this insane world?
"..."
I had no idea what to do, but right now, that was the only method that came to mind. I needed to think more carefully. If I acted recklessly, I might inflate my Reality Recognition Value again like before. I already felt like I was going insane—what would happen if it rose even higher? I might start seeing even more horrific and vicious monsters.
A single mistake could plunge me into an even deeper abyss. From here on, I had to be extremely cautious. More than usual.
I cracked open the abandoned church door again and checked outside.
—Shamble, shamble.
Monsters wandering about. The black tower visible in the distance.
What was that black tower? What was its purpose, and what would happen if I went there?
While observing with those questions in mind, suddenly—
—Shamble, shamble.
The monsters began moving quickly in one direction, as if fleeing. Because of that, every monster disappeared from my view. I couldn't see them anymore.
Why were those bastards suddenly moving...?
If I wanted to run, now was my chance?
The moment I thought that—
From beyond the fog—
—Swish.
A girl appeared.
She had hair as black as ebony.
"A person...?"
A person. She looked like a person. Not some grotesque being with gray skin and holes in her face, but an actual, normal human being.
The girl wore a white summer dress with frills. She was barefoot. She walked toward me, waving her hand.
"Hello?"
I thought this was an utterly unreal sight.