episode_0113

When it comes to psychology, I’m not exactly an expert.

But after spending 12 years with the same person, loving them, you come to know almost everything about them.

In the case of Yuriya, her long life made it difficult to fully understand her psyche.

But if we’re talking about sharpness and insight, I can confidently say that I understand their inner thoughts better than they do.

Yuriya’s greatest strength and weakness.

That would be her innate talent, her madness.

Madness enhances Yuriya’s senses to the extreme, piercing through the flow of magic.

For Yuriya, time seems to slow down, and people may seem ridiculous.

But this is just a basic passive ability.

There’s also an active skill.

That’s the Beast Mode.

Even in normal circumstances, her heightened senses push beyond human limits.

Her veins swell as if they might burst, and magic prevents them from rupturing.

In this state, Yuriya loses her rationality.

She relies solely on her suppressed instincts to soar.

Of course, the untamed instincts that have been suppressed thousands of times more than an ordinary person’s won’t be easy to control.

“I’ve experienced it a few times myself.”

Occasionally. Very rarely.

When Yuriya becomes engulfed in rage and loses control, she reveals her Beast Mode in front of me.

That appearance, literally an uncontrollable beast.

Unrefined power and magic scatter in all directions, and more than once, I almost froze to death being caught up in it.

But at least it seems like some rationality remains, as Yuriya did her best not to kill me.

Anyway.

Due to this unique trait of Beast Mode, this talent is called madness.

Strictly speaking, it’s a bit different from going crazy, but at least outwardly, it fits.

But this term “madness” is fitting in another sense.

A curse that extreme heightened senses bring upon humans.

Paranoia.

Fundamentally, Yuriya is a superhuman living in a different world from criminals.

She scrutinizes every eye movement and even the slightest vibration of facial muscles, so lies would be easily exposed.

And above all, Yuriya trusts her heightened senses and intuition the most.

Even with countless pieces of evidence, if it looks like a lie to her eyes, she won’t believe it until she dies.

That’s why, during the 12 rounds, I never completely conquered Yuriya.

No matter how perfect the lie, Yuriya would always be suspicious.

Seeing everything in this world as her enemy.

She can’t accept any good intentions at face value.

Appearing bright and cheerful on the outside, while nurturing hatred and suspicion inside is her daily routine.

That’s the curse that Yuriya has been burdened with.

The worst curse that prevents her from forming normal human relationships.

In simple terms, it’s paranoia.

That’s why.

Yuriya must have always been lonely.

The only person she could truly call a friend was Alicia.

But now, even Alicia, the only person she trusted, has abandoned her, so the shock must be overwhelming.

Even the one person Yuriya had sought affection and relied on.

Me, who had returned, is now avoiding her.

She has lost all the trust and love she believed in.

At this rate, Yuriya will meet the same fate no matter what she achieves.

Unable to form relationships with people as people.

Unless she makes them solely her possessions, Yuriya won’t be satisfied with any relationship.

No. Even in such a relationship, Yuriya would still feel empty.

“I must neutralize the madness.”

There is only one way to break this curse.

Yuriya’s madness must be eradicated.

Only then can she socialize with people.

Only then can she experience pure love.

She can rid herself of the paranoia that has consumed her and those around her for a long time.

And she can let go of her obsession with me.

I have come to that conclusion.

Finally, I’m putting that into action.

A little, no, a lot late, but it’s something that needs to be done now.

“I’ll be back.”

[Safe travels, master.]

With Linda bowing respectfully behind me,

we headed towards the mansion.

***

In the northern pleasure city of Cheongnan,

lies the largest casino in the city, Baekhwayoran.

In the staff area behind the casino, the sound of hurried footsteps filled the air.

“Ugh, I can’t take it. These days, they really lack patience, patience…”

A middle-aged woman dressed in flashy attire ran her fingers through her hair in frustration.

An emergency had erupted during the busy hours of the casino.

Several part-time workers had been driven to tears by unruly guests and had quit.

Although they urgently recruited new staff,

there was doubt whether any decent candidates would show up.

In a room where applicants had gathered,

she swung open the door with a rough push.

“Are you all here? The women who applied for the night shift part-time job?”

“Yes, ma’am!”

The twelve women stood in a line, their stiff responses filled with tension, causing her to sigh involuntarily.

There seemed to be no talent among them.

How could she train them to handle the unruly gamblers in just an hour?

As she shook her head in despair, scrutinizing each of their pitiful faces,

her eyes widened.

“Evegenia…?”

“Oh, no, it’s not me.”

Her silvery hair flowing, her large rabbit ears.

A rare sight in Cheongnan, a rabbit beastman.

“Well, that’s right. She’s not from the Evegenia family, but an expelled child. Still, a rabbit beastman! Just the talent we need has arrived!”

As the woman’s eyes sparkled with anticipation,

Alicia, the rabbit beastman, tilted her head in confusion.

Although she had responded to Eugene’s recruitment notice, she still didn’t know exactly what kind of place she was working at.

“Looking for a bunny girl and finding a rabbit itself! Would you like to work not just for today, but for a long time?”

“Yes, yes?! A bunny girl?”

“What? You didn’t know?”

“…”

She just realized.

That she had applied as a bunny girl for the casino.

Cheongnan, the pleasure city.

One of the largest cities in the north, it is a place packed with all kinds of entertainment facilities.

Hotels, casinos, red-light districts, it is truly a city dedicated to pleasure.

In the game, Cheongnan was planned to be a resting world.

This means that there are no important episodes or main storylines in Cheongnan.

There are quests, but they are all sub-quests.

Apart from a small amount of luck stats and some achievements, there is nothing to gain in Cheongnan.

In terms of typical gameplay.

But as a story writer, I know.

The hidden settings of Baekhwayoran, the casino in Cheongnan.

I plan to meet someone today who cannot be approached in a normal way.

To do that, I have to wait for Alicia’s preparations to infiltrate Baekhwayoran.

But sitting still and waiting is boring.

So, I exchanged a lot of casino chips and am currently enjoying myself.

“Check.”

“Raise.”

“Call.”

“Call.”

“Darn it. I’m dead.”

Of course, I keep losing.

After exchanging a small amount of chips and losing them all, I repeated the process two or three times.

I got tired of going back and forth to the exchange counter, so I ended up exchanging a whole box of Cornelius’s checks.

“Damn these cards…”

But even then, I couldn’t win a single round and kept losing.

Bad hands kept coming in, and when I finally got a good hand and went all in, I lost with an unbelievable probability.

I wonder if I’ve been neglecting my luck stat too much.

“Check.”

“All in.”

“Hey! Why are you going all in over there! Stop team killing!”

“…Can’t help it.”

“Winning with pure luck. I’m dying.”

“…It’s luck, not skill.”

Should I consider myself lucky?

My money is currently being swiftly sucked up by Mijeong.

Mijeong’s chips are piled up like a mountain, to the point where a staff member needs to be assigned to manage them separately.

That guy has already earned twice the amount he exchanged earlier.

Is he just lucky?

Or is he just good at gambling?

Maybe both…

“Y-your cocktail order. It’s, it’s ready…”

At that moment, a voice lacking confidence can be heard next to me.

Turning around, I see a familiar face.

But the outfit is quite unusual…

“Wow. That’s a real bunny girl.”

“…”

Alicia, dressed in a bunny girl uniform consisting of blue leotards and black stockings, looks visually stunning with her rabbit ears and tail as real decorations, not just accessories.

Perhaps it’s because of people’s judgmental eyes.

Even if I openly tease her, Alicia just glares at me with a hateful look without saying a word.

“Seems like you’ve had proper training.”

“…”

Alicia, looking unsure but walking confidently, elegantly turns around and places the cocktail glass on the table.

It seems she has successfully completed the bunny girl training.

Now she can freely roam around the establishment.

It seems like I can start working.

“Mijeong, I’ll leave it to you here.”

“…Leave it to me.”

With a quick thumbs up, Mijeong.

I hand over all my chips to Mijeong and stand up from the table.

Mijeong is busy collecting all the chips.

Every time a new opponent enters, the mischievous kid crushes them, making it impossible not to attract attention.

Thanks to that, the area in front of the table is crowded with spectators and employees who have gathered to control the crowd.

This should be enough to attract attention.

Even if one bunny girl slacks off, no one will notice.

“Waitress. Where is the restroom? Please guide me.”

“Th-the restroom, right? Please follow me.”

“You seemed to twitch and react just now. Did you get excited hearing the word restroom?”

“Eek! I-I’m a lady! What does it matter if I get excited by a word!”

Moving away from the crowd, Alicia stops pretending to be a bunny girl and gets annoyed with me.

But did she really get excited hearing the word restroom? Unable to refute, she just glares at me as if she wants to kill me.

These guys really get excited for no reason…

“It’s good to suppress your sexual urges, but aren’t you getting excited too often… Especially among rabbit people, you seem to be the worst.”

“Oh, no, it’s not like that! I usually control myself well! Who do you think I am, someone who goes crazy over sexual urges!”

“Then why now?”

“R-right now… U-um… It’s just because I’m with someone like you…”

Once again, fidgeting with her thighs and bowing her head in embarrassment, Alicia.

After all, it might be too harsh to tell her not to get excited when she’s dressed in such embarrassing clothes by a perverted guy.

I decided to give up.

Now, go ahead and get excited as much as you want without worrying about me.

I’ll understand.

“But since you’re dressed as a bunny girl, can you do that for me? Bunny hop.”

“Bunny hop? What’s that?”

“Make bunny ears with your hands and act cute.”

“Excuse me?! I don’t want to do that!”

As soon as she hears it, Alicia’s cheeks turn red in disgust.

But at that moment.

A dangerous aura surrounds her, and Alicia grabs her head in agony.

“Ah!”

The penalty for ear congestion has been activated.

Contract terms, Alicia will obey me absolutely.

As long as that magic remains, Alicia cannot resist me.

“Yi, Yiik! You little brat!”

“Well, well. The service here is good. I should leave a tip.”

“No need! If I take that, I might really become miserable!”

With tears in her eyes, Madu spits out her words.

Attaching rabbit ears to her head and pulling her waist back, Alicia creates quite a rare scene as the rabbit ears flutter with each fold of her palm.

It’s too precious to just keep in memory.

I took pictures with the camera I brought from Maple City.

“Ah. A valuable picture. I should keep this as a memento.”

“Ugh… But why are you looking for the bathroom? Do you need to go urgently?”

“Do you think I pee as often as you do? I decided to have a rendezvous with bugs there.”

“But really, is it true? That Taesu is in this gambling den…”

As if unable to believe it, Alicia asks as she takes small steps.

Taesu (太守).

It refers to the ruler of the northern continent.

If there are gods in the south, there are rulers in the north.

Of course, compared to gods, rulers are treated more as sacred beings rather than dignified deities.

Nevertheless, the fact that they are a tremendous presence remains unchanged.

Originally, they only appear in the later stages of the game.

As a story writer, I know the background.

Before Taesu appears, they were supposed to be stuck in a commotion.

“It’s certain. They’re in here.”

Suddenly, we arrived at the bathroom.

Confirming that no one is inside, I open the sewer lid and clap twice to send a signal.

Then, a giant genie appears from inside, opening its mouth and revealing a rolled-up paper.

“I’ve completed the map!”

“Good job.”

“Can I leave now?”

“No, go back in and wait.”

“Okay…”

After patting her head a few times, I close the sewer lid again.

Unfolding the paper handed by the genie, I see a detailed map of the commotion drawn by the genie using magic, showing each floor.

At first glance, it looks like an ordinary map.

But upon closer inspection, strange parts catch the eye.

“Ah, here. And here too!”

Alicia points out the suspicious parts.

Although there should be rooms in those spaces on the map, in reality, there are solid walls without any passages.

“It must be here.”

A secret room arranged by modifying the building.

It’s the perfect place for Taesu, a giant figure, to hide without being exposed for over a year.

As Alicia and I lock eyes, we both nod simultaneously.

The next step is to find the door leading to the secret room.

Taking advantage of her status as a daily employee, Alicia freely roams the employee area, feeling the flow of subtle magic in the walls.

If any abnormalities are detected in the magic flow?

That’s where the door to the secret room is.

It’s a trace of concealing the door.

“Here! The magic flow stops here and continues from a strange place slightly observed!”

We rush to the spot called by Alicia.

The wall is so smooth that nothing can be touched.

The concealment magic is so sophisticated that even Alicia’s precise detection can barely find it.

It must perfectly block all five senses.

But if you know it’s there, it doesn’t matter.

“Fifth-rank magic. Examine.”

Reaching out her hand.

Activating the magic, Alicia turns the doorknob here.

And click.

As the sound of the doorknob turning is heard, the concealment magic crumbles.

A door appears on the wall and opens.

Inside, there is an endless staircase leading downwards.

“It was supposed to be a three-story space. Why does it look so big?”

“If you’re at the level of Taesoo, you should be able to manipulate space distortion. I’ll be back.”

“I, I have to come back safely…”

Leaving behind Alicia’s worried gaze,

I closed the door and descended the stairs.

It seemed like an endless staircase when looking down from above.

After descending without a break for about 10 minutes,

I saw an old wooden door below.

It seems like I finally got permission to enter.

With a creak, the door opened.

And a space that seemed more vast than the extravagant building appeared.

In the center, there was a huge, white furball.

“Who dares to disturb my nap…”

The fur on the furball bristled.

Nine tails spread out behind it.

And then, a long-faced fox covered in fur raised its head to face me.

“Who are you? What exactly are you? Why is the inner world of humans so twisted! You can’t have such an inner world without going through life multiple times! ”

The giant fox frowned at me, glaring.

It was the owner of the northern continent.

It was the first meeting with the nine-tailed demon fox, Gwiho.