Extra. # 2

"Here, take it."

I immediately pulled out my wallet, politely held it out with both hands, and bowed my head.

"Please accept it."

Thankfully, there wasn't much money inside. I could handle a loss of this magnitude. A sort of strategic self-harm... a tactical decision.

Thinking that, I was completely terrified.

—BOOM!

The wallet in my hand exploded!

"Gasp! My precious wallet!"

—Flutter flutter!

—Flutter phalanx!

Bits of black leather scattered like cherry blossoms in the spring!

"Are you mocking this princess?!"

—THUD!

At the same time, my body was slammed into the floor.

"Guhack...!"

It felt like an intense gravity was crushing me. This power, even while wearing superhuman underarmor? My ribs were being compressed, making it hard to breathe.

"I, I was just cracking a joke...!"

A little humor enriches life.

"This is too much!"

I tried to brush over the situation with humor, but apparently it failed. Still, Kitty treated me as her older brother—you would think she would let a little joke slide.

—Drip.

Cold sweat trickled down.

A whole different dimension of terror compared to that bastard Ham Woong-cheol. Honestly, Woongcheong-i was scary, but not spine-chillingly so. I wasn't *that* terrified of him. Even if he's a Special Operations Division agent who could make a tiger piss itself, he's ultimately just human. Not an object of true fear.

But this monsterkin called Void Princess was scaring the absolute shit out of me. So much that I couldn't even select the 'act cocky' option.

She's on a completely different level than Kitty.

"Take it out. I do not wish to draw this out."

"..."

I had a gut feeling.

Void Princess wanted that Fragment. I didn't know what she'd use it for, but I could guess she was planning something big. She had been suspicious from the start. Seemed to know a lot.

But should I really hand it over?

Leaving aside that it's my spoils of war, examining this Fragment would let me grasp my situation more accurately. But asking me to hand it over for free? Unacceptable.

Still, since she hadn't just beaten me up and snatched it right away, I figured there was room for negotiation.

The moment I lifted my head and spoke.

"Uh, hey. Lady Void Princess? I can hand it over, but... Guhack!"

Whether it was gravity or something else, my head was forced back down!

"What can you do?"

"Argh!"

"Such a pitifully weak creature."

Void Princess approached me and spoke at my head with a voice full of mockery...!

"Hand it over while I am asking nicely. You don't even know what it is, do you?"

"Pardon?"

I don't know what it is?

I tried recalling what I knew about this 'Fragment.'

—Skzzzt.

A headache pulsed as something hazy surfaced. Yes. It was a Fragment. A piece broken off from somewhere, a part of something ominous.

"Oho, did something come to mind? Why do you react as if you know it?"

"No, when did I do that! I thought it was suspicious, but I don't really know what it is! Okay! I'll hand it over, so please spare me!"

—Whisk!

I shoved my hand in my pocket and pulled out the regular octahedron Fragment!

A golden Fragment, small enough to fit perfectly in my palm. Its surface was covered in strange white patterns, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and right now, it wasn't glowing.

"Kitty! I'll give you this, so save me!"

I called Kitty, but there's no answer!

Do you really want your butt smacked!

"Don't play dumb. You know what this truly is. Don't you?"

"This is really a misunderstanding! I just thought it was super suspicious and strange, I don't truly know its identity!"

I ran my mouth for a bit, but it didn't seem to work.

No, what the hell is this?

What the hell is this Fragment that she's interrogating me over it?

"I just thought it looked expensive and suspicious!"

Besides, I hadn't exactly let anything slip just now. Which means... could she have deliberately baited me? To see how I'd react?

"Haa, you really do not listen. This princess is royalty, a princess. Following orders will be better for your health."

—Thud!

"*Gasp!*"

A high-quality dagger was stabbed right in front of my eyes!

"Isn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this a Fragment?!"

"Oho, 'Fragment'? Did you just say 'Fragment'? As I thought, you do know something."

"No, I mean..."

"Who told you?"

Emotion began to seep into Void Princess's voice.

"How did you know it was a Fragment?"

She even crouched right in front of me, grabbed my hair, and pressed her forehead against mine, pushing her face uncomfortably close and taunting me as she spoke.

"Do tell. Is it not a little strange for a mere human brat like you to know what this is?"

"No, I mean!"

"Would it not be normal to not know unless someone told you?"

"Well, I kind of! After looking at it, I kind of! Just felt that way!"

How the hell am I supposed to explain this?

That the status window told me? That you're all just characters in a game? That kind of absurd nonsense would never work!

"If you do not tell me properly..."

"A revelation!"

"Hmm?"

"A revelation! It was a sort of revelation! I've heard that monsterkin or villains... can infiltrate the human mind and brainwash or plant suggestions! I thought it was something like that!"

Words poured out on the spot.

"The moment I saw it, some sort of knowledge infiltrated my head! I don't know if it was a suggestion or a revelation!"

I didn't know if it would fly, but I said something plausible. Actually, since the status window had suddenly told me, it really was no different from receiving a revelation.

"..."

Anyway, Void Princess fell silent.

This is really fucking nerve-wracking.

I wonder what she'll say.

—Swish.

Suddenly, the pain in my hair ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠disappeared. She had let go of my hair.

"Is that so. So that is how it is?"

"Huh?"

"Well, fine. That is enough."

What the...?

"I had a feeling it would turn out like this. Yes, in the original timeline, this would not have happened... so naturally, it must be happening now. Is that not right?"

"Huh?"

"Do not say anything. I have figured out what I needed."

Then I'll just shut my trap.

"..."

I kept my mouth shut and watched Void Princess.

—Swoop.

She bent down, picked up the Fragment that had fallen to the floor, and tucked it right into her ample cleavage.

Crazy dress. To have a neckline that deep. I don't know for sure, but if I dove in there, even Kindaichi's grandpa wouldn't be able to find his way out.

"From now on, if you find similar things, bring them all to me."

"Huh...? You need more of them?"

"You dare question this princess?"

"Yes."

If she says do it, I do it.

"No, but if you're gonna make me work, how about some allowance..."

Still, since she told me to get more, it didn't look like she was going to kill me. So I scratched the back of my head and asked for fair compensation.

"..."

VP looked at me with expressionless eyes.

"Take that, at least."

She spoke nonchalantly, turned around, and disappeared.

"Ah."

The exquisite dagger stuck in the ground. She's telling me to take this? The design is cool and it looks like a nice knife... Wait. Isn't this an Otherworldly Item?

—Swoop.

I carefully pulled it out and put it in my pocket.

"Geun-cheol."

"Kitty, you...!"

I turned around to see Kitty, looking as nonchalant as ever, with her hands behind her back, staring at me.

"It looks like Sister's business is done."

"Hey! You should've helped me out when I was getting harassed!"

"Kitty doesn't know anything about that."

"You little—!"

Be at least half as nice as the Ryu family's little sister!

"Anyway... if your business is done, send me back. I'm exhausted."

"Wait. Geun-cheol. There's something I need you to do before that."

"What now?"

"Come this way."

Kitty grabbed my wrist and pulled me along. My head was already about to explode from all this shit, so what the hell did she want me to do now? But then I saw her stop in front of a computer.

Two computers.

They looked quite expensive.

"What's this?"

Kitty silently turned on the computer. Then she went to the game site we had played together last time. What's this? There's an internet connection? And where's the electricity coming from?

"Geun-cheol. Write down your ID and password for me."

"What? Why? I already gave you one to use."

Since Kitty doesn't have a Korean resident registration number, she can't create an account. So I gave her one of my alt accounts to play games on.

"I ended up needing one more."

"Why would you ever need two?"

Seeing as there are two computers, she must be planning to dual-box, so it seems Kitty's really gotten hooked on the game.

"Tell me."

"‘Tell me’ my ass. What are you going to do for me?"

"I'll sing you a lullaby when you're sleeping, Geun-cheol."

"Not something like that! Something useful!"

"What could that be?"

"If your sister tries to kill me later, stop her."

"Got it! I'll stop her!"

—Beaming!

Kitty answered with a huge, beaming smile.

"You're answering with a really suspicious expression..."

"Hurry up and tell me."

"Fine... okay. I'll tell you."

—Click click click.

I logged in with my account right away and wrote it down in a notepad.

"Done?"

"Yeah. It's done now."

"What are you gonna do with two computers?"

"I dunno? Anyway, I'll be taking all the gold and items in here."

"There's barely any!"

Since I just started back then too, it's like fleecing a flea.

"Hehehe, thanks. Then I'll send you back now."

Basically saying she'd suck out all the sweetness and then toss me away. My heart's really taking a toll lately from these sisters' harassment.

"You worked hard today."

"If you know, then—huh? Can't you? Huh? Kitty? What?"

"Alright, Geun-cheol. Kitty will sleep with you."

"What the hell are you talking about!"

"I can just go back at dawn, right?"

"Don't say crazy things!"

I vehemently refused, but Kitty completely ignored me.

—Whirrr.

Soon, a gate was generated.

"Where do you want to go?"

"Me? The dorm... No. The place you kidnapped me from earlier. Just drop me off somewhere with no people."

If I suddenly appeared inside the dorm, it'd be suspicious.

"Okay."

And so, I returned to where I was before.

"Fuck."

I was dead tired, and all she did was toss me a single dagger. Seriously, these bastards have no sense. That bastard Void Princess needs to get hit a few times to come to her senses, too.

Ah, wait.

"My mineral!"

—Toss!

Kindly, Kitty threw it to me.

* * *

I climbed up the wall of the dorm and infiltrated my room.

"Too easy."

Compared to what I just went through, infiltrating the dorm is nothing. That bastard Quoperelzora is scarier than the dorm manager, I'm telling you.

I felt a brief sense of accomplishment, but...

"..."

Everything that happened today, all ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of it, weighed heavily on my shoulders.

First, let's sort through the memories that came up.

"That fucking status window. Hmm?"

I grabbed my phone to check the time.

"What's with the missed calls and texts?"

There were a lot of messages from my friends.