Chapter 65
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: Seeds of Doubt, Winds of Change
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[High-Risk Dimensional Interference Detected - Codename: Forest Echo]
[Occurrence Coordinates: ‘DN-2000’, Gyeonggi-do Isang-si Sector-G]
[Energy Pattern Analysis: 92.8% match with unregistered dimension ‘IDN-057’ unique flora waves]
[Interference Source Unidentified. High possibility of 'Child' involvement]
[Situation Analysis Result: Risk level upgraded to 'A'. Protocol 7 activated for interference containment and cause identification.]
[Directive: On-site investigation and source identification. Initiate 'Purge' procedure if necessary. Immediate dispatch of codenames 'Seraph', 'Kelpie' requested.]
[Approved.]
[Coordinates transmitted. Agent dispatch procedure initiated.]
The city basked in the full bloom of early May spring weather.
Right in the middle of the familiar downtown scenery I passed through every day.
Even though it was a weekday before the weekend, the streets were unusually bustling.
I, too, was mixed in with that noise, staring blankly at the source of the commotion.
A single tree towering high into the sky, as if it had taken root there since ancient times.
Before its eerie and massive presence, the surrounding modern buildings looked downright puny, like miniatures.
A wide police line was stretched around the tree.
Curious onlookers gathered at the crosswalk ahead and news crews mingled, creating a buzz.
And beyond them, a building with a familiar sign caught my eye.
Half of the building was utterly wrecked by the massive roots and branches, looking as hideous as if it had been attacked by a monster.
That building had been my workplace, where I'd been going to the office normally just a week ago.
The Travel Wiz Isang branch building.
"My workplace got smashed right after I got back from my business trip!"
It had been three days since I'd heard that shocking news at the airport.
Because of this unreal disaster I faced right after returning home, the company building was half-destroyed, making going to the office a pipe dream.
That said, the job itself hadn't vanished; we'd switched to working from home.
But with system recovery and all sorts of cleanup issues, work was practically paralyzed.
In other words...
Right now, I was unemployed.
Even so, the reason I'd thrown rest aside and come all the way to the company building was...
The intense sense of déjà vu I'd felt ever since first seeing that tree on the day I returned home.
"...I've definitely seen it somewhere before."
Its sky-piercing height.
The bizarrely twisted branches that seemed to writhe like a living creature.
The more I looked, the more it stirred memories buried deep in my mind.
"Hey, Child, what do you think?"
Slipping away from the crowds surrounding the area, I leaned against the shade of a quiet building and asked the guy who was surely watching this situation right now.
[What do I think about what?]
"That tree. No matter how I think about it, it looks just like the one I saw during the 'Elf Hypnosis' possession."
The endless expanse of green forest.
And the elf mother and daughter I'd met within it.
It nagged at me too much to dismiss as coincidence.
[Hmm~.]
With a short burst of noise, the guy's sly voice echoed in my head.
"You were watching me during the possession, so you should remember."
[Who knows? Isn't it just a coincidence? The world's wide, and there are plenty of strangely shaped trees out there.]
"Fine, say it looks similar. But the timing is too suspicious. The headaches, the noise—they all happened when I experienced anomalies."
And on top of that, the immersion rate increase.
Too many things lined up perfectly to call it coincidence.
[Aren't you being too sensitive? I've told you a million times, headaches and hallucinations can happen as side effects anytime.]
"If it were just headaches or hallucinations, maybe, but this is different!"
If it were just my hallucination, that'd be one thing, but this was a blatant real-world event splashed across the news.
What if this was a side effect from my possessions or app use?
What if it caused damage on this scale?
Thankfully, there were no casualties, but what if, just what if someone had died from the building collapse?
[Hey, hey. Like I said a million times, there's no evidence linking that tree directly to you. Stop overthinking it.]
As always, he cleverly dodged the core issue and mocked my suspicions.
[When have I ever lied to you?]
"..."
He'd never outright lied, but he'd hidden important things or glossed over them plenty of times.
Up till now, trusting Child had only brought me gains, so I'd quietly gone along with it.
[Say it is a side effect like you think. So what? What are you gonna do?]
"...What do you mean?"
[Worrying about side effects means giving up possessions and hypnosis, right? You gonna throw away everything you've gained so far, and all the fun you could have in the future?]
Child's words made my mouth go dry.
Abandon the pleasure and status this power had brought?
I couldn't even imagine it.
But still...
[Think positive. The building took a hit, but no one died or got hurt, right? If something bigger happens later, you can quit then. Not too late, yeah?]
It was obvious he was trying to tempt me, but it wasn't wrong.
Setting aside Child's wordplay...
I had no way to dig into the phenomenon happening right now.
And the one guy who might know was someone whose whereabouts—or even face—I had no clue about.
In short, there was nothing I could do in this situation.
[Alright, enough of that boring brooding. The company's giving you a few days off for once—time to find the next pleasure.]
"Sigh."
I let out a deep sigh and tore my gaze from the massive tree.
For now, I'd go along with what he said.
But one thing was clear: Child was hiding something important.
I'd need to keep a close eye on that from now on.
"Whoa!"
"Oof?!"
A few minutes later, as I turned to head back to my villa after staring at the tree some more...
Lost in thought while walking, I bumped shoulders with someone rounding the corner.
The other person was a woman much shorter than me.
"You okay?"
"..."
When I apologized and asked first, instead of answering, she scanned me up and down with an openly irritated expression.
Her stark white bob cut stood out immediately.
Sharp eyes brimming with defiance.
She had a striking appearance, but her gaze was filled with blatant wariness and displeasure.
"Tch."
After staring at me silently for a moment, she clicked her tongue briefly and turned away, vanishing with quick steps without a word.
"What the hell was that about, that woman."
Talk about prickly.
Some delinquent kid? Her fashion screamed it.
My mood soured for no reason, so I glared in the direction she'd gone before resuming my steps toward the villa.
After that, I got back to the villa without incident.
By the time I reached the building, dusk was falling.
Grabbing my stomach, which was starting to feel hunger pangs, as I climbed the stairs and passed by the first-floor unit...
Thud-!
"Eek!"
A loud crash erupted from inside.
It sounded like a woman's scream.
Or maybe like something sturdy breaking.
'What? A fight inside?'
The first floor was Ms. Seunghwa's place.
It was usually so quiet with no noise, so this piqued my interest even more.
Curious, I pressed my ear to the door crack, but no more big sounds came.
Come to think of it, I hadn't run into Ms. Seunghwa in the hallway much lately.
We weren't close or anything, but as neighbors in the same villa, I worried if something had happened.
'But barging into someone else's business isn't right.'
Still, listening closely, I caught bits of quiet conversation a few times.
Reassured, I finished climbing the stairs and headed home.
But who was she talking to? She'd screamed, and now suddenly 'Having fun, huh?'
Boyfriend, maybe?
After conquering the ever-daunting stairs and entering the house, Lizetta greeted me as always.
"Welcome home, Master Hyun-seong."
"Yeah, I'm back."
Unlike usual, when she'd come to the entrance to tend to me, she was sitting on the sofa, intently watching something on her tablet.
Curious, I glanced over and saw a flashy 3D avatar woman interacting live with viewers.
A so-called VTuber broadcast.
"VTuber stream, huh?"
When I sat down beside her and asked, she nodded.
"Yes. Does Master Hyun-seong know about VTubers too?"
"Not in detail. I watched a bit a while back, but after starting work, I never had time."
Not when just playing ero-games took up all my time.
And lately, enjoying real life in various ways made it even less so.
"When did you get into VTuber streams?"
"I found out a few days ago."
She answered calmly without taking her eyes off the tablet.
"I've had a lot of time alone lately, so I looked around to kill time, and..."
She'd stumbled upon it by chance, I guess.
But why did her words just now feel oddly thorny?
Well, I'd been out overnight, working late, and on business trips lately, so I hadn't been home much.
"Anyway, these VTuber things are pretty interesting."
"Like how?"
"Hiding their real selves and communicating with the world through a created persona."
Unlike her calm tone, her eyes held an emotion different from usual.
Feeling a sense of kinship, maybe?
I sometimes forgot, but despite her extremely similar appearance, she wasn't a normal human.
Maybe she saw the world from a perspective different from ordinary people.
"Oh, and the content itself is pretty fun too."
She added, tilting the tablet screen toward me.
On the screen, the mature big-sis type virtual avatar 'Moca' was skillfully coaxing donations from viewers with a seductive voice and flashy banter.
The chat reactions showed she was quite popular.
"Lizetta, no interest in streaming yourself?"
"Streaming?"
She tilted her head at my question.
"I've never thought about it, but if you or Child ordered it..."
"Haha. I'd like to hear your opinion."
Streaming, huh.
Suddenly, I wondered what it'd be like if Lizetta streamed.
With her looks, she'd rake in fans even without a VTuber avatar—just doing cam shows.
But considering the chaotic environment of internet streaming with all sorts coming and going, exposing her there didn't sit right.
"By the way, I prepared dinner timed for your arrival. Shall we eat now?"
At Lizetta's question cutting my thoughts, I nodded.
Only then did the hunger I'd forgotten while chatting come rushing back.
"Yeah, my stomach's stuck to my spine."
"I figured, so I made meat dishes."
The savory aroma wafting from the kitchen made my mouth water.
There was no longer any doubt about Lizetta's cooking skills.
After dinner, I returned to my room and lay on the bed.
From beyond the door, the faint sound of Lizetta doing dishes seeped in.
"Tomorrow makes another weekend."
The project had wrapped up, at least for now.
It was rare free time.
In the past, I'd have pondered the next game to possess.
'What to do about Handam...'
Bzzz-.
A vibration from the phone in my pocket put an end to my endless worries.
Checking it right away, it was a messenger notification.
Hey, Assistant Manager? Got time this weekend?
If you're free, wanna catch up after so long? We haven't met at all lately.
My husband's first day at work tomorrow, so the house'll be empty. Come over?
Sunbae? What're you up to this weekend?
You've got nothing to do anyway, so let's grab a drink after ages.
If you don't like booze, somewhere else is fine. Anyway, let's meet.
Or whatever... if you don't wanna. Hmph.
Seeing the back-to-back messages from the two women made me chuckle in disbelief.
How could they have the exact same idea, like they'd planned it?
They made all sorts of excuses, but the texts reeked of pent-up lust.
Meeting them one by one sounded annoying, so why not just call both to my place?
No need to hide Lizetta from them anymore.
Gathering the three together—what kind of situation might unfold? I was looking forward to it.
No doubt it'd be the perfect mood booster.
Satisfied smile on my face, I set the phone down and closed my eyes.
My head was complicated in many ways, but for now, I'd focus on the pleasures of the coming weekend.