Chapter 27
Chapter 27
Chapter 27.
On the way back to the dorm.
…What in the world was that.
Gunter couldn't shake off the unease.
The person had clearly been ‘observing’ him.
Not just a fleeting glance, but a sustained, consistent gaze.
Those eyes, which felt even like cold, damp malice, were not the kind that could be dismissed as a momentary misunderstanding or an oversensitive delusion.
It was undeniably a gaze with some intention or purpose.
‘Me? Why?’
There was no reason for him to receive such a gaze.
Gunter, feeling puzzled, retraced his actions at the library from the beginning.
Looking for a Hidden Piece?
No.
There was no way he’d receive such a gaze for merely leaving love letters on people's desks and running off.
Then, was it for reading blasphemous forbidden books?
It was more plausible than the Hidden Piece… but no.
There were many scholars besides him looking for books that Rutien might dislike in the library.
There were even more radical and extreme books.
‘Could it be that I attracted flies because of yesterday's disturbance in the lower levels?’
But that, too, lacked credibility.
Night Crow's operations weren't that sloppy in the first place.
If it were them, they would have cleaned up all traces and connections.
They wouldn't easily expose a promising new recruit candidate to danger.
‘…And if it were Rutien, he would have attacked me right here, rather than in a place like this.’
Gunter stopped abruptly and looked around.
A deserted alleyway.
If Rutien had indeed noticed him and was targeting him,
it would have been much more natural to target a secluded place like this rather than the library, which was teeming with guards and Magic Tools.
…Actually, there was something else strange.
‘Serpent's Nest’ hadn't reacted.
Even with it right in front of him, he hadn't sensed its presence at all.
Although Gunter was still only Rank 1,
his pure stats alone were comparable to a mid-Rank 2.
Considering skill bonuses, his detection ability should surpass Rank 3.
For him to have been so completely deceived meant the assassin was at least Rank 4.
And Rank 4 individuals were by no means common.
They were usually supporting characters with names.
Even if he scoured every event in the Seiran Library, there was no encounter with such a hitman.
…At least, not in the official records.
Gunter slowly resumed walking, biting his lip.
A sticky, foreign sensation was creeping up the back of his neck.
‘It’s happening again.’
It was the exact same feeling he had when the protagonist had no-showed.
A frustrating sense that something was clearly wrong, but he couldn't figure out the cause or the process.
‘There’s a chance it’s nothing and just my imagination….’
It just felt unsettling.
He walked faster towards the dorm, as if trying to shake off the faint coolness lingering behind him.
“Hey!”
“……?”
…It was then that someone called out to him.
“You there, young man!”
Gunter unconsciously turned his head towards the direction of the voice.
And for once, he was flustered.
‘Wh-what is that….’
The first thing that caught his eye was a tent adorned with all sorts of geometric patterns.
Next was a peculiar woman waving her arms wildly in front of it.
Dark purple hair peeked out from beyond her conical hat.
Her face looked strangely mature, yet also childlike and innocent, making it difficult to gauge her age.
Pointed boots peeked out haphazardly from beneath the hem of her long cloak.
‘…A Witch? A Fortune Teller?’
There was no other word for her appearance.
The woman called out to Gunter cheerfully.
“Curious about what the future holds?! Come and see the path of fate!”
Gunter's eyes narrowed.
Divination, Tarot, Four Pillars of Destiny.
He had never received such a reading even when he was on Earth.
He was too busy trying to make a living; where would he have had money for consultation fees?
More importantly, he felt no need for it.
‘My life has only ever gone from bad to worse.’
If they were truly effective, they would have uttered unpleasant truths.
If they were quacks, they would have told him pleasant nonsense.
But today.
For the first time, he found himself unable to pass by a ‘Fortune Teller's Shop’.
“You’ve seen something strange, haven’t you?”
The Witch was still smiling good-naturedly.
The inside of the tent was dim and narrow.
A faint incense filled the air, and a worn carpet with complex patterns covered the floor.
On the table were a Crystal Ball and a deck of faded Tarot Cards.
Quite cliché.
Gunter couldn't believe he was sitting in a place like this, but he decided to satisfy his curiosity first.
“So, how did you know?”
The Witch tilted her head.
“Know what?”
“That I saw something.”
“Hmm? That was just a sales pitch? You looked like you’d seen a ghost.”
He wasn't so obtuse as to believe that at face value.
…But because he was perceptive, he also knew that pressing further wouldn't yield any answers.
Gunter took a short breath.
“Damn, today’s luck is terrible.”
The Witch smiled softly.
“I know. You must have so many questions. But there’s only one thing I can tell you. Would you like to hear it?”
“…….”
Gunter shook his head irritably.
“What can you tell me?”
“The future. From the near future to a slightly more distant one?”
“…Specifically?”
“Today, a month from now, and beyond?”
Gunter swallowed a dry laugh and glanced out of the tent.
The sun was beginning to rise.
‘…That’s strange.’
Normally, he wouldn't be playing along in such an absurd situation.
Even if he didn't badger the Witch, he would at least have tried to take the initiative and extract information.
But why?
Gunter was, partly by his own will and partly by hers, following the Witch's lead.
His intuition had sounded an alarm.
That going against this strange flow would be detrimental to him.
“Alright, fine. Let’s say I’m getting a reading. What’s the consultation fee?”
“It’s fine. It’s already been paid.”
The Witch gave another unexpected answer.
“…Already paid?”
“Yes, you just have to choose.”
Clatter-
Cards spilled onto the table.
A deck of worn cards.
The moment their ornate backs met his eyes, Gunter unconsciously thought.
‘…It must be different from Earth’s Tarot.’
Well, he didn't really know Earth's Tarot in the first place.
The Witch gestured to the deck of cards and said softly.
“Choose three.”
Gunter carefully, but without appearing overly conscious, selected the cards.
The first card.
The illustration depicted a man standing alone on a barren land.
In his hand, he held a branch laden with golden fruit.
A card that looked good at first glance.
“Today, you will obtain what you need most.”
“…What I need most? What is that?”
“Next.”
Though he looked for an explanation, the Witch merely gestured with her head, as if she had nothing more to say.
“Hurry~.”
And so, the second card.
A man held a bundle of black papers in his left hand and a shining golden key in the other.
Intense light streamed in from a window in the direction he was looking.
“Ho?”
“…What’s this one?”
“You will incur an unwanted debt.”
Debt.
That was Gunter’s least favorite word.
The moment he scowled.
“But what you gain in return will be incredibly sweet. So sweet that the hardship of repaying the debt will disappear.”
“……?”
“Next.”
And the final card.
A dark crossroads.
A giant eye floated in the night sky, looking down.
And before it, a figure stood hesitating, holding a lantern.
“Hmm, soon something dirty and persistent will latch onto you. It’s best not to try and resolve it all by yourself.”
“…Why are you giving advice this time?”
“That’s my prerogative.”
Before he could ask anything further, the Witch waved her hand over the three cards.
Then, the Crystal Ball on the table began to shimmer as if emitting a sapphire light.
“!”
Gunter instinctively brought his hand to his waist.
Even the most skilled mage could not match a warrior at such close range.
If he sensed the slightest anomaly, he intended to activate Overlord's Eye and cut her down.
Despite his body creaking from drug side effects, he was strong enough to sever the Witch's neck.
But-
[Mental Contamination Resistance Failed]
A vast consciousness gently envelops you.
It is warm like ancient starlight, and it does not wish for your collapse.
Gunter’s hand automatically released its grip on his sword.
From his fingertips to his shoulder, his tensed muscles relaxed on their own, remaining still.
A strange sensation, as if a part of his body had become separated from him.
‘…What is this?’
A brief question arose, but it soon faded, sinking like it was submerged in water.
“Listen carefully.”
The Witch met his gaze kindly.
“With my power, I can imbue a small fortune into one of these three moments.”
Her voice was still soft.
However, from somewhere, a deeper, heavier resonance overlapped.
“So choose wisely. It is a gift given only once.”
“…….”
Gunter said nothing.
He just stared blankly.
Feeling a slight dizziness, he looked down at the cards.
It was a preposterous story.
To read the future with mere cards, and to imbue that future with fortune.
Yet, strangely.
An undeniable certainty seeped into his skin.
The man holding golden fruit.
The man holding papers and a key.
The figure standing at the crossroads.
His deliberation was not long.
“…Today.”
“I knew it.”
The Witch nodded and chuckled softly.
Then, she closed her eyes and lightly brushed her fingertips over the cards.
The candlelight flickered faintly in the windless space.
“Now, let’s see where today’s fortune will take you.”
.
.
.
[‘◇’ breathes life into your time]
As his consciousness drifted far away, the Witch's last few words scattered like the wind and disappeared.
“…On the day all my prophecies are fulfilled, again….”
“You coming in now?”
Gunter blinked at the familiar voice.
His unfocused eyes slowly regained their vitality.
“What are you standing there spacing out for? Damn brat, going out without even telling me where you’re going.”
Ryan nudged Gunter’s shoulder, grumbling.
His upper body was drenched in sweat.
He seemed to have just returned from his morning training.
Gunter turned his head again.
He was in front of the dorm room door.
Morning sunlight poured into the hallway through the window.
“Ryan. Did I just get back?”
“Did you drink? You don’t smell like alcohol… You punk! If you’re going to drink, you should take me with you, you traitor!”
“No… it’s not.”
Ryan tilted his head but shrugged it off as if it were no big deal.
“More importantly, this is strange? My strength suddenly increased a lot. My body feels light, and my techniques are flowing smoothly!”
Indeed, a message announcing his growth had arrived.
[Party member, ‘Ryan Parker’s’ forgotten potential awakens, increasing Strength ‘1’ and Stamina ‘1’.]
Perhaps due to his rare trait, his growth rate was faster than expected.
But Gunter shook his head.
“Work harder. There are too many Monsters in this world.”
“…Huh?”
There was no way to explain it.
With a sigh, Gunter pushed open the door and entered.
“…….”
He immediately ran back out and stood in front of Ryan.
“Did you go into my room?”
“Huh? No? Why would I go into your room?”
Ryan frowned and stuck his head out past the door.
Soon, confusion spread across his face as well.
“What is all this?”
Glass shards.
The glass marble Gunter had placed on his desk.
The one the child from the warehouse had given him as a gift was shattered.
It wasn't ordinary breakage.
There weren't even fragments left to call shards.
Almost like particles,
a translucent powder thinly covered the floor.
It looked as if it had quietly collapsed under some unfathomable force… there were no signs of fragments scattering, nor a center of impact.
In that moment, Gunter realized what had happened.
“…The consultation fee.”
“Huh?”
“Get out, you punk. I’m going to sleep now.”
“Huh?”
After sending the bewildered Ryan away, Gunter sat down on the edge of the bed.
Fatigue washed over him like a wave.
“…Damn.”
It had truly been a long day.
Especially long for him, who had been suffering from drug aftereffects.
Whatever it was, he decided to sleep a little and then think.
Gunter’s eyes slowly closed.
.
.
.
Ting-!
[Act 1, Scene 2, Clear Rank Calculation Complete]
[You have perfectly executed the scenario, achieving all objectives without flaw.
This is an outstanding feat that required further discussion for reward calculation.
Based on this achievement, the existing reward will be adjusted…]
[※ Warning: System Tampering Detected]
Due to the intervention of a transcendent being, the reward table has been escalated to a higher system.
The existing calculation results are discarded, and adjusted rewards will be issued.
[Estimated Deaths: 7, Actual Deaths: 1]
[Clear Rank: EX]