Chapter 25

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Translator: MadScientist

Chapter: 25

Chapter Title: The Game I Was Playing Was Reality (1)

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"This time it ended normally."

About two hours had passed since I dispatched Celia to the Incubus Dungeon.

And finally, the success alert popped up.

This time, it seemed Celia had helped out properly and normally.

"Oh. There's a system like this too?"

Yeah, helping out like this builds favorability. How great is that?

Last time I sent her to help, and she straight-up took over the dungeon. That left me flustered.

Still, Celia was Celia after all.

"Not my lieutenant for nothing."

I wondered if there was some gift I could give Celia for working so hard.

"?"

What the hell is this situation?

Ha...

It had definitely been a good atmosphere.

She helped well, and the relationship turned friendly.

But how did it end up like this?

This time, it was awkward to blame Celia since the other side subjugated itself.

But would it even be useful since it's in a different dimension?

Even in the same world, if the distance is too far, subjugation doesn't mean much...

This case wasn't about distance; the dimensions were just different.

"A different dimension, huh... First time hearing about something like this."

Up until now, the game had been set entirely on the Eldorado Continent. It faithfully implemented even the tiniest details.

It had been two years, but since I'd been on the Eldorado Continent myself, I was impressed by the historical accuracy at times.

The game was that meticulously made.

But another dimension?

No dimension name even came up.

"It's not just limited to Eldorado as the backdrop?"

But even scouring every corner of the game, there was nothing about dimensions.

I wondered if the internet might have something, so I immediately started searching.

"......"

But soon, a problem arose.

No search results for the game 'Eldorado' came up.

No, searching Eldorado did bring up tons of results. The problem was they were all real-world info about actual Eldorado, not the game.

"Am I just bad at searching?"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

But that didn't seem right.

I tried various keywords, and even a tiny clue should have shown up normally, but nothing did.

Even the pre-registration confirmation text about the reserved game launching and needing installation had vanished.

This was straight out of a ghost story.

This time, I shifted focus from the game name to the developer.

"What was the developer called again?"

I checked the settings in the game.

Usually, this section has contact info or developer details. That should do it.

But my expectations were nicely betrayed.

No matter how much I dug, there was zero info on the developer or homepage.

No way.

"...A dead game?"

Even for a brand-new indie studio, they usually include basic developer or creator credits.

But this game?

Absolutely nothing.

'I even did cash shop spending, it can't flop now, right?'

As that hollow feeling welled up inside me.

Suddenly, the eerie sense of wrongness from a few days ago returned.

This chilling something.

What is it.

The surrounding mana was surging.

It had been happening constantly since acquiring Mana Sensitivity a few days ago.

But soon, the mana settled back down.

"Causality?"

First time hearing that word.

Suddenly, an alert with my name appeared.

Why is my name here?

Did I ever enter my name?

"......"

Ah, yeah, once.

Early on, when I gifted Celia clothes, she asked my name.

Back then, I definitely...

Huh?

Why am I so sleepy all of a sudden?

The overwhelming drowsiness hit me, and I couldn't hold out—I closed my eyes.

"Huh?"

When I came to and opened my eyes, an unfamiliar sight greeted me.

Not the room I'd been in moments ago, but a completely different place.

Like a cave—no, judging by the terrain around me, this was a dungeon.

Why was I in a dungeon?

I'd never seen this place before, yet it felt strangely familiar.

And that wasn't all.

Far from being confused by the situation, I felt an inexplicable comfort.

A dream?

I pinched the back of my hand lightly.

But it was truly ambiguous.

If it hurt, it hurt; if not, it didn't. Hard to put this neither-nor feeling into words.

It wasn't just a simple sensation.

The mana surged again.

A phenomenon since gaining Mana Sensitivity.

At first, I thought it was just from not being used to it.

But it didn't feel like that.

As I pondered what it could be.

"You've finally arrived."

A voice called out to me.

The owner was a woman right in front of me.

Her appearance was very familiar too.

Snow-white hair with two large horns sprouting from it.

An enchanting gaze and beauty that could captivate anyone.

And the maid outfit she wore.

I recognized her immediately.

"Celia."

It was the succubus Celia I'd seen countless times while playing the game.

The only difference was that Celia, who had only existed in the game screen before, was now right in front of me.

'Definitely a dream.'

Otherwise, Celia from the game wouldn't be here in person.

Maybe because I called her name.

Celia smiled brightly at my words.

"To finally behold the great Exalted One's visage—I'm truly honored."

Celia bowed deeply to me.

"Allow me to greet you properly. I am Celia, living a new life by the supreme Exalted One's grace, currently managing the dungeon according to your will."

Celia's words continued.

"However, the Exalted One is currently in an unstable state. You're merely anchoring your noble spirit here for the moment. I apologize for my inadequacies."

Celia bowed her head in some inexplicable apology.

'The mana again...'

At that instant, the surging mana went wilder.

I took a deep breath.

It should settle now.

This was just a dream anyway.

No need to take it seriously.

Since I was consciously thinking and moving, it was probably a lucid dream.

If it's a dream, I should be able to control it even easier.

With that thought, the mana began to calm.

'Much better.'

"Alright, mind if I take a look around the dungeon?"

With some leeway, I asked Celia if I could tour the dungeon.

Celia lit up at my words.

"Of course! For a lowly one like me to guide the Exalted One's dungeon—I'll treasure it as a lifelong honor."

Lifelong honor made my lips twitch upward.

Celia's over-the-top deference was amusing and cute.

'That said, I should change her outfit sometime.'

The maid outfit Celia wore.

The clothes I'd thought suited her were actually killing her charm.

With that in mind, I followed behind Celia.

"The first place I'll explain is the most important core, right at the dungeon's heart!"

I could tell without her saying.

If the core is destroyed, the dungeon falls too.

The core ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was essentially the dungeon's heart.

Common knowledge even to non-awakened civilians, not just hunters.

But my dungeon's core was fully exposed.

Nothing around it, completely open.

Practically screaming 'Please destroy my dungeon.'

A normal dungeon would have traps, obstacles, and monsters guarding the core like a heart.

But not me.

It was just a game, so I didn't bother.

Plus, with Celia here, would the dungeon ever get breached?

Still, seeing the so-called heart exposed wasn't a great look.

'Gotta fix this.'

Even if it was a dream, seeing it like this versus just on the game screen sparked a lot of differences and ideas.

Celia soon explained the next spot.

"This is my workspace!"

This time, the lieutenant's quarters.

She had a lot to do alone, so I made her a workspace.

In case she needed a break.

"It's also my personal space. A meaningful gift from the Exalted One to this lowly one!"

Celia explained proudly.

Even looking again, she had a habit of hyping me up excessively.

"Hm."

The lieutenant's quarters at the dungeon's center definitely looked luxurious.

One thing that caught my eye: the skeleton soldiers lined up in front looked shabby.

Luxurious quarters guarded by the lowest-grade monsters...

I hadn't noticed in the game, but seeing it now felt off.

Celia was the dungeon manager.

If lowest-tier monsters guarded her, how would others see it?

Every single one would look down on her.

I couldn't tolerate anyone looking down on my Celia.

'Gotta summon more.'

If good monsters come out, station them at the quarters first.

Thinking that, I reached for the door to Celia's lieutenant's quarters.

"Ahh!"

Hm?

Celia suddenly freaked out.

"N-No...! Um... Exalted One?"

Celia's flustered expression.

This was rare.

Her fidgeting made her look even cuter.

At the same time, it showed how oblivious I'd been to her.

Celia was a woman.

Thinking about it, a man opening a woman's living space without permission?

Not mannerly.

I immediately pulled my hand from the door.

Behind me, Celia let out a small sigh of relief.

She caught her breath briefly, then resumed explaining.

"Next is the altar. We offer tributes to the Exalted One here."

Ah, tributes.

Altar and tributes.

A sense of déjà vu hit me.

As soon as I saw the altar, the previously calm mana started surging again.

'Is Mana Sensitivity supposed to be like this?'

Once more, a sense of wrongness.

"......"

I stared at the altar and asked one question.

"What's the connection between ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠tributes and me?"

The nagging wrongness I'd felt for days.

The mana only going wild at specific times.

It started with Kim Min-jun.

Kim Min-jun offered as a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠tribute in the game.

Kim Min-jun from the villain board I saw exiting the dungeon.

The former was sacrificed, and I gained a trait.

The latter had the same trait as me.

And from there, an absurd guess formed.

I needed to identify this sticky feeling.

It wasn't about who was sacrificed or who suffered because of me.

Those didn't matter.

Lately, absurd things had been happening to me.

Status Window appeared, and I got an A-rank trait.

I first thought it was coincidence.

Later, compensation for the late Status Window.

But maybe not.

So, what I wanted to confirm here was one thing.

I needed to drag out the absurdities I'd buried deep.

Was what I was doing really just a game?

Or reality?

The mana went even crazier.

Persistent wrongness.

I wanted to resolve this.

That's why I had to ask this.

What do I gain from offering tributes?

A few days ago, to know exactly, I'd offered an artifact as a tribute in settings.

But that couldn't be the answer.

How do tributes affect me?

Celia smiled and answered immediately.

"Exalted One can regain your power."

"Power, huh..."

"The day you reclaim all your power, the world will kneel before you."

With that, Celia knelt.

I see.

I nodded quietly.

Suddenly, something came to mind.

What Celia said when we first met.

"You said something like this when you first saw me? That you're just holding my spirit here for now."

Celia nodded at my question.

Alerts kept popping up.

Alerts I'd only seen in the game were now blocking my view.

"I've realized it. Master hasn't fully regained your power yet."

"Ha..."

The thread of the sticky feeling I'd sensed all along came into view.

Whether this was reality or a dream didn't matter now.

Just that one small clue was enough.

I quickly told Celia.

"Then, from now on, offer everything to me."