164. Afterparty Skipped
The moment we stepped out of Jeonyul Mansion, the three of us were teleported somewhere. A brief flash of light later, I opened my eyes to find ourselves back at the very first place we had met—the group meeting spot where Nick and Bai Yu had been pointlessly bickering.
'Now that we're out of the mansion... can I kill them?'
I wondered if I could just stab Nick and Mei Ling to death now that we had escaped. I drew the knife from my waist. Right then, a warning broadcast echoed through the air.
The event is not over yet. Please refrain from team killing. This is a warning. Put the knife away.
“Tch.”
I reluctantly sheathed the knife. Around that time, Mei Ling, who had apparently caught the tail end of the announcement, finally opened her eyes.
“Ugh... Urgh... Bleeegh...”
Still groggy from sleep, Mei Ling seemed dizzy and began vomiting into a corner of the room where we had held the group meeting. I found the sight too disgusting to approach, so I kept my distance and pretended to worry about her. If she wanted to answer, she would have to stop throwing up first.
“Hey, you okay?”
“Ungh... Urgh...”
The witch parasite’s effects were clearly potent. The poor girl could barely stand. It looked like the parasite was draining most of her life force. Even her facial structure had changed dramatically. Her body was shrinking, gradually transforming into that of a cute Chinese-American woman.
‘Good grief...’
Her overall rounder appearance made her look like an unbalanced transgender person who had been pumped full of female hormones. Muscles were melting away, curves were forming. Bai Yu’s body was reverting into Mei Ling’s.
“...”
Meanwhile, Nick remained completely motionless, absorbed in his book. He was still breathing, but his body had frozen in the exact posture of reading. The only part of him still moving was his eyes, darting back and forth as he deciphered the worm-like script written in the Book of Manti.
Nick could now pour every waking, eating, and sleeping moment into studying for ten thousand hours without moving an inch. Since the book even turned its own pages, he wouldn’t need to lift a finger.
If every exam student and high-school senior in the country could study like this, parents would be lining up at the door. A child who neither eats nor sleeps, just studies twenty-four hours a day without moving? Any parent obsessed with academic success would die of joy.
“Hahaha...”
I flicked Nick’s forehead while he was diligently reading the Book of Manti. Watching him transform into a woman in real time while reading was oddly fascinating and funny, so I couldn’t resist. Fortunately, this level of attack didn’t count as team killing.
Just then, the door burst open and someone stepped inside.
It was a pitch-black human in a perfectly tailored tuxedo. He wasn’t Black in the usual sense—his face, hands, and neck were all jet-black, as if painted. Only the large, white eyes in the center of his face stood out against the darkness. He looked like someone you would only encounter in the black market.
“Congratulations on your safe return. I am Paul, the guide who will escort you to the hall. Please follow me.”
Paul bowed politely. I answered in a flustered voice.
“Uh, one of us can’t move. What do we do?”
“Excuse me?”
I pointed at Nick, still lost in the book. Paul stepped inside with a puzzled expression and approached him. He examined Nick devouring the Book of Manti, clearly confused about the situation. He tried to snatch the book away and even snapped his fingers to get Nick’s attention, but Nick didn’t budge.
“Did he start reading of his own volition?”
“Uh... yeah, I guess so?”
“I see. We will handle transporting this participant ourselves. Those who can move, please follow me.”
Mei Ling and I stepped out of the room. As soon as we left, several black humans in bellboy uniforms entered and carefully carried the frozen Nick out, treating him like a priceless sculpture. There were four of them, not one.
“This way, please.”
We walked down a plain corridor until we reached a large, ornate door. Paul bowed once more and departed, saying his guidance ended here.
I opened the door to the hall without hesitation.
Hundreds of gem merchants and dolls seated in rows turned to look at us. They clapped expressionlessly, like the dolls they were.
— Clap, clap, clap, clap.
“You have finally arrived. The usurper of the mansion! The one who fulfilled the lord’s dream! The heroes who corrected our twisted history!!”
A large man standing under the spotlight in the hall welcomed us and asked us to come up onto the stage.
Still unsure what was happening, I scanned the crowd for the gothic-dress gem merchant who had invited me into this game. I quickly spotted Eila in the front row, waving enthusiastically at us.
There didn’t seem to be any traps or ill intentions. I carefully walked toward the stage. Mei Ling and the bellboys carrying Nick followed behind me. I stepped onto the stage and stood quietly beside the large man.
“Congratulations, benefactor who has granted the dolls’ long-cherished wish.”
“Uh... thanks.”
I nodded blankly as I accepted his congratulations.
“Now then, would you please take out the seal ring and show it to us?”
“Sure.”
I removed the ring from my finger and handed it over. The man examined it with various devices on the spot, then declared it genuine. The dolls seated throughout the hall erupted in cheers, celebrating our achievement. The overwhelming attention made me feel slightly dizzy.
The man then addressed us—specifically me, the only one still looking relatively normal, since Mei Ling was half-collapsed from nausea and Nick was sprawled on the stage floor, still reading.
“You have a choice. You may put the ring up for auction, or designate a new owner.”
“Uh... auction?”
“Allow me to explain simply. If you auction the ring, everyone gathered here will compete for it. They will offer their most precious possessions—perhaps even everything they own. We will convert those offers into their monetary value and give you the highest-priced item.”
“Ah, so we split it three ways.”
“Correct. Conversely, if you choose a new owner, you may give the ring to the gem merchants who invited you here. The three gem merchants will divide ownership equally. They will likely offer you appropriate compensation—though that is not guaranteed. So, what will you do?”
The moment the dealer finished speaking, voices erupted from the seats, each trying to promote themselves.
“Put it up for auction! I’ll hand over my flying fortress!!”
“Yes! Auction it! I can give you anything you want!!”
Chaos broke out. Even the dolls raised their hands and shouted. I wondered what made the ring so desirable that everyone was this desperate.
I hesitated for a moment. If I auctioned it, the ring would go to whoever offered the highest price among the dolls present. Nick, Mei Ling, and I would simply receive that reward and be done.
That might even be more valuable than inviting the gem merchants to our base.
“Hey! Jun!!!”
Just then, I heard a voice calling me from the front row. It was Eila, my gem merchant in the gothic dress.
Our eyes met. I grinned and ignored every other shout, walking straight toward her. Standing on the stage, I looked down and asked,
“You’ll work hard, right?”
“Twenty-four seven!! I don’t even sleep!!”
“Hahaha! Good.”
I turned to the dealer.
“I’ll designate a new owner. No auction.”
The moment I finished speaking, I thought a riot was about to break out. Screams and shouts filled the air; a few people even threatened to kill me. Of course, most were stopped by the black humans who looked like Paul.
“I respect your choice. Whether it is the right one, I cannot say. But I rather like it. Now, please exit this way. You’ve worked hard... Cultist.”
The dealer ushered us backstage. Jang Jo-jun, Mei Ling, and Nick left the hall together with the three gem merchants.
******
We were now in a place called the business room. A round table sat in the center, surrounded by six chairs arranged in pairs.
Naturally, I sat with Eila. Nick had been placed beside the gem merchant in the pure-white dress and was being nursed, while Mei Ling was being scolded by the one in the punk dress.
“Hahahaha! Hahahahahaha!!! As expected, you’re amazing!!”
The gem merchant laughed without changing expression, slapping my back repeatedly.
“It was pretty easy, actually.”
“Hahaha!! Jo-jun, you really are a born con artist. I’m so glad I chose you.”
“You flatter me.”
I smiled awkwardly and rubbed my nose at the praise. The gem merchant in the pure-white dress suddenly shouted.
“How can you laugh right now!? Damn it!! You... you think you’ll get away with this unscathed!? You’re sorely mistaken!!”
“Ah. Yeah, sure. Whatever you say.”
“Aaaagh!!!”
The white-dress gem merchant threw a tantrum. I wasn’t the type of sweet guy who would indulge some random woman’s hysteria, so I ignored her completely. If she wanted to do something about it, she could try. The fact that she couldn’t told me she was all talk.
While I was thinking such pointless thoughts, the punk-dress gem merchant spoke to me.
“Hey, Cultist. Is there... any way to turn this guy back?”
“Huh? Turn him back into a man? That’s a bit...”
“No... I mean, a way to restore his memories.”
“Uh... I really don’t know about that either.”
“Haa... I see... Mei Ling!! You stupid girl!!”
The punk-dress gem merchant went back to scolding Mei Ling. It was complete pandemonium.
“By the way, how long do we have to stay here?”
“Uh... probably just until the ring is split into three pieces.”
“Ah. Earlier, everyone seemed crazy about the ring... What exactly is it that makes them react like that?”
“Hmm... With the mansion lord’s seal ring, you can control all the dolls he created. If one of those dolls obtains the ring, they gain true freedom.”
“Whoa... If I had swallowed the ring, would all the gem merchants have become my subordinates?”
“Not quite. Without the proper status to issue commands, it would be like putting a pearl necklace on a pig.”
“I see...”
“Hehehe... Anyway, now that we have the seal ring, I’m free. I can throw away my fate, my mission, my destiny—everything. Thanks to you. Thank you, Jo-jun.”
Eila linked her arm with mine and rubbed her face against my shoulder. She looked extremely pleased. I saw my chance and asked about a potentially sensitive topic.
“By the way... that last doll who became the mansion lord’s daughter... who was that? Is she among the gem merchants?”
“Hm? The original?”
“Yeah. The original who had the lord’s daughter’s soul put into her.”
“She... disappeared.”
“What?”
“She vanished. I don’t know where she went. After learning the doll-making technique from the lord, she created many ‘sisters’ like us and scattered us across dimensions before disappearing without a trace. When we tried to return to the mansion after gaining full self-awareness, it had somehow been left abandoned at the boundary of the void. I don’t know the process or the reason—only the result remains.”
“Whoa... So what I did actually influenced real past history... and the mansion’s timeline is looping... and, uh...”
“Stop! It’s not an important story, so just forget it! What really matters is that we’re now eating from the same pot!! Let’s just celebrate each other for now! I’ve gained my freedom, and you’ve gained an incredible me!!”
“Uh. Hehehe... Yeah. You seem a lot brighter than before?”
“Of course! Today’s a happy day!”
Soon after, Paul entered the room and handed the split pieces of the ring to the three dolls. With the rings in hand, we stood before the doors to return to our respective homes.
“I will never forget this.”
The white-dress gem merchant left those words behind and vanished, dragging Nick with her. I had a feeling we would meet again someday... and next time, I would crush her with my own hands.
“Uh... L-let’s meet again sometime...”
Mei Ling made a one-sided promise of a reunion that might never happen, then was dragged away by the punk-dress gem merchant. I hoped Mei Ling would just stay gone forever...
“Shall we go too?”
“Yes. It’s been a while since I’ve been home.”
Finally, we stepped through the door. I tightly held Eila’s hand as she tapped mine.
We were finally going home—to my house filled with my women, overflowing with milk and honey.
* * *