Floaters Can Control People's Emotions!!!

Floaters can control people's emotions!!! I enjoy browsing online communities. Places where every type of person gathers are perfect for sparking all kinds of thoughts. It's entertaining to see how opinions can split so wildly even on the same subject. That said, I never jump in to take anyone's side. I'm the kind of person who respects differing viewpoints.

Of course, heretics are excluded. That's not a difference of opinion. That's simply wrong. But this person doesn't seem to know that yet, so I'll personally step in and explain it to them. The nickname screams newbie, so if I teach them myself, maybe they'll realize their sin.

The flow of the conversation was nice. Lately the only heretics around refused to admit they were wrong no matter how many times you smashed their heads. They seemed way more stubborn than the heretics in that other world. Over there, one good smack to the skull was usually enough to make them repent. Then again, that was partly because of how skilled I was, and the situation there was a little… no. Completely different.

“Ah…”

Fuck. I shouldn't have thought about it. A wave of sudden clarity hit me and my stomach twisted. I was already pissed off from yesterday's stream where people kept calling it a "concept." You guys have no idea. A real god exists, okay? And I was the Inquisitor who would smash your skull if you didn't believe in her. Even if it's just a game, the fact that believing in some shady deity gives you power awakens my rock-solid Inquisitor instincts. If someone put in this much effort, you'd think they'd at least wonder, Wait, is there actually something to this?

“Haa…”

No. Right. There's no helping what they don't know. From their perspective I probably just look like a crazy bitch. Sometimes I want to spill everything: “Actually this is my second life. In my first one I lived in a fantasy world instead of Earth and got sent back here on my birthday.” Of course no one would believe me.

The conclusion is that Iia is a bad bitch. A bad bitch. I worked so hard. I even did things I really didn't want to do. And she just abandons me like this? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠If she was going to send me back to Earth, she could've at least given me a fat retirement package for all the suffering. …Though a house in my name and eighteen months of living expenses is pretty generous, I guess? No. Let's just settle on Iia being a bad bitch. One day you'll definitely be cursed. I'll smash your head myself. You think your head can't get smashed? Just wait, you bad bitch. Even a god's head can be cracked if they're alive.

“Ugh.”

I wasted time because that sudden clarity hit me. And there was a heretic who looked like they'd repent so easily, too. That newbie is probably still th—

What the hell. What has this guy been doing? Why is he butting into someone else's conversation and ruining my plan?

Ten burger sets. Even if I calculate them cheaply at eight thousand won each, that's eighty thousand won. For someone who has to save every penny, that's definitely not pocket change. …But.

If I could get those ten burger sets, it would mean saving eighty thousand won. It would be nice to take all twenty, but to get solid witnesses from the people reading this thread, this is much better.

Perfect. Saving ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠eighty thousand won on food expenses. This had to be the reward for all my hard work up to today. But just in case this guy runs away, I should take out some insurance first.

Marariko was confident. From Ex-grade all the way down to F-grade. He held a solid spot at B-rank in New Dimension's PVP ladder, putting him in the top ten percent of PVP players. Of course his reputation in New Dimension communities wasn't the best, but Marariko still carried himself with pride. He believed the bad reputation came from people who were simply too weak to compete. That's why whenever he got into an argument while browsing the gallery, he would always confidently demand a one-on-one match.

The actual right and wrong of the situation didn't matter. If he won, he could humiliate his opponent. If the other person got scared and ran away, that alone raised his status. That was enough. He never even considered the possibility of losing. Being in the top ten percent of all players was a position that earned that kind of confidence.

So… Marariko thought this time would be the same. His opponent was just some anonymous floater? The nerve of a nobody challenging him, someone with a name in the New Dimension Gallery… A floater… talking back to him? Marariko couldn't stand it.

“Haa…”

The area in front of the Guinevere statue in Elahon Town was already getting crowded. It was only natural. This was a burger bet involving Marariko, a fairly well-known user in the New Dimension Gallery, and he had called all his friends over to watch the execution. The promised time was approaching.

Of course Marariko didn't think he could lose. In fact, he figured the guy would get scared or be too cheap to show up. Even if he did appear, it would be the perfect chance to teach that arrogant floater a lesson. So he wasn't nervous at all.

“So who's the opponent?”

Someone asked, but Marariko just shrugged. It was his way of saying he didn't know because his opponent was a floater. Nine minutes had passed. Marariko's opponent still hadn't shown up. The mood was starting to shift.

It looked like this would end as just another stupid gallery incident. Marariko thought the same and was about to laugh at his opponent.

And then.

Clank. Clank.

A heavy, ominous sound of metal striking metal rang out. Everyone who had been standing still froze in place. Some even felt the air itself turn cold. Appearing at the exact ten-minute mark was a Traveler in full plate armor carrying a massive warhammer.

Everyone tried to tell themselves it couldn't be.

Inquisitor.

And Marariko himself thought that nickname had no business appearing here. But.

The system message floating in front of him was saying it. That was… the opponent he would have to fight from now on.

“Fuck.”