Chapter 91

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Translator: True Detective

Chapter: 90

Chapter Title: I Can See Your Favorability

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Hearing that I could see favorability ratings, Eve pursed her lips, looking unsure how to respond, before turning the question back on me.

"What's... favorability?"

"Ah, favorability is, well..."

She didn't know the term favorability.

Since it's more of a gaming term, she must have been confused and made that blank expression because she couldn't grasp it right away.

"Simply put, in my eyes, the 'favor' that other people—including you—have toward me is displayed as an exact numerical value."

"...I see. So...? Is that important?"

"Basically, I've been using this favorability rating to deliberately make you like me more."

I've been using the favorability system to make you like me on purpose.

Depending on how you hear it, it might feel like I was trying to manipulate you. That's exactly what I wanted you to feel.

It was something I never would have said normally, but to somehow lower Eve's skyrocketing favorability rating, I had no choice but to make her dislike me even a little.

"You checked the favorability... and worked to raise yours higher?"

"Exactly."

"That... normally... isn't that just being a good person?"

"...Huh?"

"If you can see others' favorability toward you... and act kindly to raise it... that's just having good social skills, right...?"

Interpreted that way, it just makes me sound like a genuinely good person.

Peeling off the 98% favorability shell is proving difficult.

Simply saying I was trying to use her wasn't enough to make her feelings wane.

Romances I'd seen before had the heroines turning away over even trivial misunderstandings...

"Actually, I... like you even more now... You already knew how much I liked you... You were peeking into my heart all along... You knew all my dark thoughts... And yet... you came close... stayed by my side... held me... told me I could rely on you... You loved a woman like me..."

"Huh?"

I couldn't help but notice their favorability whenever our eyes met.

I inevitably learned how others thought of me, how much they liked me, whether I wanted to or not.

Pointing that out, Eve smiled as if she were even happier.

"Even knowing all that, you didn't push me away... You knew my feelings... my heart... and still allowed the kiss... Hehe. Knowing you understood... makes me happy... Seeing my true face... why does it feel so good...?"

"Wait! Back off first! Hey! What are you doing!"

"You know my heart completely...! Why... why keep pushing me away... Knowing and still rejecting me. That's so cruel...! You seduced me first! You knew I liked you... and kept coming closer! That's seduction!"

"No, that's not it!"

Even as I kept insisting I was using her, Eve ignored it entirely and tried to climb on top of me.

Why did she seem even happier upon hearing about the favorability?

Maybe she thought she no longer needed to hide her feelings and had completely unleashed her limits. I never expected this reaction.

Eve's affection for me must be greater than I'd imagined.

"I tried to win your favor to use you, raised your favorability to use you as a convenient transport tool! Didn't you hear me?"

"Yeah... keep using me from now on... Use me as much as you want... Just don't throw me away... I'll work hard to stay useful..."

Even calling myself trash backfired.

Eve was delighted at the idea that she had value to be used.

She smiled proudly, as if she'd proven her reason for existing.

"From the start, trying to use me wasn't malicious... In the end, your actions always led to good deeds... Being usable... I like that..."

This won't do. I tried to make her hate me, but it made her like me more.

I'd aimed for the most non-violent way to lower her favorability, but maybe it was impossible.

If dialogue won't work, I'd have to pull out a simpler, faster, more straightforward solution.

No more long, boring, pretentious persuasion.

"Ugh!"

"Kyaa!?"

I struck the top of Eve's head with the side of my hand as she clung to me like a cicada, trying to kiss my cheek repeatedly.

I hit her pretty hard, so she rolled on the elevator floor, clutching her head and whimpering.

Fortunately, her favorability had dropped to a stable level.

"It hurts...!"

"Are you back to your senses now?"

"Huh...?"

I should have hit her sooner.

After taking the blow to the head and regaining her senses, Eve blinked and covered her face with both hands.

"I-I... what was I just doing...? S-Sorry... I must have lost my mind..."

Naturally, Eve's speech shifted from casual to polite.

Returning to her usual tone probably meant her reason had returned.

"I'm really sorry... Just now, only instinct was left..."

"Glad you're back to normal."

Eve explained her state from moments ago.

It was just a light kiss, but the moment their lips touched, her reason vanished, leaving only instinct, leading to her bizarre behavior.

Her mind had been filled with the urge to claim me no matter what.

I'd have to restrain from kissing anomalies in the future.

With only instinct left, who knows what they'd do.

"But Do-hyun... then that favorability thing. We shouldn't let it reach the max, right?"

"Yes. From what I see, 100% seems dangerous."

"Then... how high did it go just now...?"

"It reached 98%. Just 2% shy of 100%. It's down to 96 now. Stable."

"96%... So 4% left now...? Maybe we should test it... get to 100% with me..."

"No."

"Ah..."

"We don't know what happens if it fills up completely. It might ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠trigger an ending."

"An ending?"

"Yes. I don't know exactly what form, but probably the end of this world. Or my existence vanishing. Can't predict."

That's why it's scary.

It might just end with something like [Favorability reached 100%. Congratulations].

But in the worst case?

What if ending credits roll and I'm erased from this world?

Or the world resets entirely.

Like collecting [Ending 404 – Watcher at the Threshold] and starting New Game+ from possession day.

"Either way, 100% means some kind of end. Right?"

"Yes."

"Then that favorability system... could it be an anomaly manifested from your body?"

"Pardon?"

The favorability system as an anomaly?

I'd never once thought of it that way.

I'd naturally assumed it was just a possession perk.

"Think about it... It's like a limit imposed on you. A barrier preventing love from being fulfilled... That can't be a good system."

"I've relied on the favorability system. And it's an anomaly?"

"Do-hyun... you know too. Anything abnormal, we call anomalies or strange phenomena. Your favorability system... isn't normal at all."

Eve stared straight into my eyes.

She's right. The favorability system isn't normal.

Normal people can't see others' favorability.

Normal World of Doom Gallery users didn't have a favorability system like mine.

'No way.'

The Baby Mode Pack for Cowards itself as an anomaly?

I suddenly recalled the first day in this world.

On possession day, I spawned in the tutorial area and was on the verge of death by the White-Faced Bride's hand.

Then a translucent window appeared before me, who could die any moment.

Of course, I chose YES without hesitation.

But thinking back, isn't something off?

If the mode was already applied, why separately ask if I wanted to activate Easy Mode?

Later, when I asked other World of Doom Gallery users if they'd seen such a window, no one had.

I was the only one who saw the initial Easy Mode activation prompt.

This is definitely strange.

As Eve said, people call such odd phenomena 'anomalies.'

And those anomalies occur around anomalies.

"Do-hyun. Anything else? You're clearly different from normal humans. Among things you took for granted... anything starkly different from ordinary people?"

"..."

Things starkly different from ordinary people. Too many come to mind.

My status window and skills alone are bizarre by this world's standards.

Plus 10x stats from Easy Mode, challenges, rewards from thin air, and abnormally good item drop rates.

"Do-hyun might have... been marked by an anomaly we can't identify."

"No anomaly would give me this power and just leave me be."

"True... it's weird. What exactly are you, Do-hyun...? You smell human..."

Eve doesn't know either.

"Anyway, now I clearly understand why you pushed me away... We just can't let it hit 100%, right...?"

"Correct. I understand your feelings, Eve, but please hold back a bit."

"Y-Yes... I'll be careful from now on. Um. That is. Well. You and I k-k... kuhm. Lips touched. And I got a bit too excited. Emotions out of control. Instinct raging. Kept thinking I had to have you..."

Eve tried to say "kiss" but stammered badly, then bowed her head to hide her flushed face.

"S-Stop staring like that... It's embarrassing."

"Ah, sorry."

"Ugh... Whatever... I-I'll go now. Too embarrassed to even look at you...! I'm leaving! Don't come find me for a while...!"

Eve quickly grabbed the container with the snacks I'd prepared and Sowol's sweet potato dish, then fled into the darkness beyond the 6th floor.

She makes sure to take ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠what's hers even while leaving.

"She's gone."

I stared vacantly at Eve's retreating figure as she fled after stealing my first kiss, until the elevator doors closed.

Before heading down, I sat in the corner of the elevator, reflecting on what happened.

'Thanks to Eve, I learned something important.'

First, excessive physical contact with anomalies should be avoided.

Holding hands or hugging is within limits, but kissing or more could make them lose reason and pounce.

With instinct overriding reason, screaming to claim me. Even I have to guard my chastity.

'And another thing...'

My favorability system might be an anomaly or anomaly phenomenon.

'If it's not an absolute system but an anomaly... maybe I can toggle it arbitrarily? Then I could control favorability against Chilheuk.'

If I turn off the active Easy Mode when Chilheuk returns, I'd lose 10x stats, drop rate boosts, etc., becoming a normal Moonbung level 1.

Then he'd likely lose interest. He wants me for this absurd physical prowess.

'Or ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠selectively disable just the favorability system for effect.'

Even if Chilheuk pushes favorability to 100, with the system off, no ending. Then corner him and 'exorcise.'

Either way, I found a clue to avoid a forced coupling ending against Chilheuk.

Good thing I met Eve.

-2nd floor.

-2nd floor.

The office was originally on the 3rd floor, but with renovations underway, I headed to the temporary office on the 2nd floor...

"Hmm. Husband."

"What? Were you waiting?"

"Yes... You took so long to come down."

Sowol was standing in front of the elevator when the doors opened.

She'd been waiting right there.

"You must have talked for a while..."

"Yeah. She loved the sweet potato dish you made."

"That's great news. But Husband... why are your lips so glossy?"

"What are you talking about."

"Hmm... Let me sniff for a sec... Sniff sniff..."

Sowol dragged me to the stairs.

Then she pressed her nose to my neck and chest, sniffing thoroughly like she was inspecting something.

"Husband, did you... hug that woman before coming?"

"Why ask that out of nowhere."

"Because... her scent is all over you."

"...There's context. Not my choice."

"So... you just let her hug you? Didn't push her away..."

"Seriously, what's with you. Another interrogation? I told you not to grill me on what I do outside."

"Ugh..."

As I glared down at her, poking her lower jaw with my index finger, Sowol bit her lip slightly and huffed.

"G-Getting aggressive. Think I'll be scared?"

"You just got scared of me. Didn't you?"

"...Kuh."

Sowol staggered as if her legs had gone weak at the waist, grabbing my arm.

"B-But staring so fiercely... scaring me... of course I'd be scared..."

"Dragging your sky-like husband to the stairs for interrogation is forgiven?"

"S-Sorry... The evidence was too solid... Even taking my sweet potato dish... to roll around with another woman..."

"That's not what happened, as I said."

Now I get ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Sowol's psychology.

She's definitely doing this on purpose.

'She enjoys being dominantly scolded.'

I first thought it was jealousy, but observing more, it's not.

With firm confidence as the main wife, Sowol was venting her suppressed desires this way.

Her tastes are set in stone.

"Let's head back."

"Yes... H-Husband..."

"What."

"M-My legs are weak... Could you carry me?"

"Fine. Hop on quick."

"Yes...!"

Sowol beamed with satisfaction as she climbed onto my back.

Monday, 8:30 AM.

The enjoyable Sunday weekend was over, and a new week arrived.

Already June. Summer's coming soon. Feels like the days are warming up.

"Boongboong, where do you wander every dawn?"

I washed Boongboong, whose wheels were caked in dirt from wherever he'd been playing.

Normally Wednesday for his wash, but with a place to visit today, I cleaned him extra thoroughly.

'Moss House, huh. Don't think I went there even in the game.'

Planning to check on Haeri's condition too, heading to the Moss House where sexual minorities from ghost stories gather.

Like the Lunar Blossom Shrine's main hall, Moss House's main hall is unvisited in-game, so I'm excited.

What problems await? What convoluted requests...?

"Uncle! Off to school!"

"Ah, Yu-ha."

"Yes?"

"I'll be away from the office for a couple days. If anyone comes, say Fixer duties. Got it?"

"Got it!"

"No impersonating me again while I'm gone. Okay?"

"No! I don't impersonate you, Uncle!"

Yu-ha grumbled not to tease and ran to school.

She'll be late again. Always is.

"All clean. Time to go."

I messaged Onmyoji Kang Haesol an hour ago I'd visit today.

She prepared a car for easy access to the main hall, but I just asked for the location.

Wonder if Moss House onmyojis will freak over my emergency-level anomaly pet car, Boongboong?

A drivable pet anomaly. Dream car for them.

"Sowol. Let's go."

"Yes!"

Sowol changed clothes today too.

Usually in mourning attire, but over the weekend, she got casual outfits for comfort.

"H-How's this?"

"Pretty."

"Hehe. Really...? Feels awkward since it's different from usual..."

Sowol looks pretty in hanbok, but great in casuals too.

Like an early-20s college girl. Dressed like this, she looks completely human.

"Good. Boongboong, to Suncheon, Jeollanam-do."

Suncheon Bay Wetland, Suncheon-si, Jeollanam-do.

That's where Moss House is.

Boongboong always takes the shortest route, so we'd arrive in under 4 hours.