Ian put the music box he had packed away into his bag. Since it had been wrapped in a small box, he did not need to worry about it coming into contact with the grimoires for no reason and being altered.
It was heavier than he had expected. At a rough guess, it seemed to be a little over one kilogram. For a music box, it was grotesquely heavy, but since it was a by-product made through an anomaly, he let it pass.
‘The problem is whether this can withstand the status of an Outer God or not……’
It went without saying, but an ordinary tool could not fully summon an Outer God. Still, it was possible to exchange a brief conversation. Even the ordinary statue Pygmalion had made had succeeded in calling forth the master of the Outer Sea for a few seconds, so it was not as if a music box would make it impossible.
If it was short, perhaps around ten seconds. If it was long, would a few minutes be possible?
“Please be careful not to touch any mysteries related to dreams when you use the music box. For example, monkey dreams, or dreams within dreams. If you provoke them for no reason, only you will suffer, Shin Ian-nim. Anomalies that have their main base in dreams tend to be extremely troublesome inside dreams.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Any other precautions?”
“Hmm…… You can use it on humans, but the human targeted will fall into a brain-dead state? That’s about it.”
Ian nodded. He zipped up the bag, slung it back over his shoulders, and rose to his feet.
“Then I’ll be heading back now. Call me if you need anything else later.”
“Yes, actually, there’s an operation we’re preparing. We’re thinking of starting with reconnaissance in a month, and we’d like you to help us, Shin Ian-nim.”
“……You’re using a mage for reconnaissance?”
“It’s not an ordinary operation. If I had to describe it…… hmm, you can think of it as a purge operation in an underside world.”
An underside world.
Just hearing the words was enough to make it sound troublesome. Ian naturally recalled the blood-red world beyond the window he had seen in the library and let out a low groan.
So far, Ian had entered worlds created by mysteries a total of four times. They were the theme park, the hospital, the art museum, and the library.
Among them, in the theme park and the library, he had not left the spaces where the rules were defined. He had acted thoroughly inside them, and although he had acted against the rules, he had not caused havoc outside the fence.
In the hospital, on the other hand, he had gone beyond the hospital and escaped on a bike to the place where the boundary of the world lay.
But the world outside the hospital had only been red as blood. He had felt nothing that could be called the foundation of life, and the only beings he had to face were patients, nurses, and doctors belonging to the hospital.
But what about the library?
Aside from the librarian who existed inside the library, there had been the gigantic eyeball monster standing outside and various smaller anomalies.
Those anomalies that did not belong to the rules, that merely writhed and swayed as if they were residents living there—why in the world were they living in that ruined city?
“……”
Perhaps.
Just perhaps, that world to which the library belonged existed as an underside world of reality.
“We only observed it recently as well, so we still haven’t identified exactly what it is. But since it’s kidnapping residents from reality, we need to purge the place as soon as possible.”
Kim Bom’s following words cut off Ian’s thoughts. He stared at her silently for a moment, then nodded with a bitter smile.
“Understood. If I have time, I’ll participate.”
Yes, whether that place was an underside world or whatever else, what did it matter? In any case, he could kill everything there with one click of a Forerunner.
Creatures of the Outer Sea that were difficult to use in reality had their restrictions completely lifted the moment the space passed over into something of mystery. If there was enough prey, there was no need to worry at all, and even if there was no prey, he only had to leave the space, so it did not matter much.
Of course, if he summoned a Forerunner without preparing an exit, he would be digested amicably together with the space inside her stomach, but he had no intention of summoning her until he found a definite route anyway.
Unless he was on the verge of death, perhaps.
“Yes, then I’ll see you next time.”
After receiving Kim Bom’s farewell, Ian left the break room without lingering. Kim Iseo followed him out.
“I need to take Kim Yul-ssi and go back in, so if you need someone to see you off, I’ll call a staff member for you.”
“No, no need. Just tell me how to get back up.”
“Understood.”
Kim Iseo explained to Ian verbally how to return on the spot. Fortunately, there was nothing particularly special about it, so he immediately said goodbye to her and got into the elevator.
Kim Yul was nowhere to be seen. She was probably in some corner, but he did not go out of his way to look for her because it was bothersome. In any case, if there was another opportunity later, he would be able to meet her again.
Thus Ian took the elevator and went up to the surface without hesitation. The doors of the elevator that arrived on the first floor opened automatically, and Ian bought an Americano from the café set up in the hall before returning home. Since he was using public transportation instead of his bike for the first time in a while, the trip back took longer than expected.
Click.
He opened the front door and entered the house, checking the time as he did.
12:23 p.m.
Nearly five hours had already passed since he had left home. It was about time to have lunch.
‘I’ll just make something simple. After eating, I can use the music box right away.’
Thinking that, Ian entered the living room.
Amelia was asleep on the living room sofa. Perhaps she had been reading a grimoire until just now, because she was hugging one tightly to her chest. Ian chuckled and covered her with a blanket.
“Mm…… Oppa……”
Amelia squirmed and talked in her sleep. Her light purple hair slipped down and tilted to the side, and her firmly closed eyelids trembled.
If he wanted to eat lunch with her, it would be right to wake her here, but judging by the half-eaten carrots and cucumbers around the table, she seemed to have already eaten lunch separately. Waking her up here for no reason would only amount to teasing her.
So Ian left her alone, went into the kitchen, and made himself a simple lunch. He opened a can of Spam, grilled it in a frying pan, made a fried egg, and then poured ketchup over it. Then he ate it with rice.
It was a little salty, but it was edible enough. He knew it was an unhealthy combination, but it was perfect for a quick meal.
After eating like that, Ian even finished washing the dishes and headed to his bedroom. He sat down in the achromatic room, unpacked the things he had brought, and placed the grimoires by the bedside. Beside them, he set up the music box.
A golden music box. When he opened the lid and turned it on, a doll inside the music box rose up and began to spin round and round.
The song that flowed out resembled classical music. If he had to say, it was similar to Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto. It was not unpleasant to listen to.
However, if he left it like that, he would only dream of things related to shelves, so Ian took out the Book of Contracts separately and placed the music box on top of it.
At that moment, the music box’s melody changed. The concerto warped as if into the wailing of a human, and noise mingled with it here and there. The spinning doll creaked as if it had not been oiled.
Then, all of a sudden, with a clack, the doll began to turn again. The music changed entirely into a wooong sound, as if submerged in a deep void. It felt as though he had been thrown into space.
Fortunately, it was not an irritating noise. It seemed like something he could easily listen to while sleeping.
There was no reason to dawdle, so Ian immediately lay down on the bed and closed his eyes. As he lay still on his back without thinking of anything, his consciousness naturally began to sink. Before long, Ian fell asleep.
At the same time, Ian’s closed eyes snapped open. His consciousness surfaced, and a pure white space entered his vision.
It was, quite literally, a pure white space. The walls, the floor, the ceiling. Everything was dyed white, to the point that it was difficult to distinguish the boundaries.
However, it was not entirely white.
At the far end of the horizon, chains were pouring down like rain. Long, gigantic chains connecting the sky and the floor collided and crushed against one another without pause, scattering fragments.
And the ceiling.
Beyond the pure white ceiling, a dark blue cloak was crawling. Not flying—crawling. With a rustling sound, the thing clinging to the ceiling wriggled like an insect. Fortunately, at least its appearance was not disgusting.
Lastly, a bed was set down all alone right in front of Ian’s eyes. Something seemed to be curled up beneath the blanket on that bed, bulging upward.
“C-calm down…… calm down. Kar■■■. This is a perfect opportunity. An opportunity you can’t miss……!”
A muttering voice came from beneath the blanket. A foot that had slipped slightly out wriggled, and the shackle around the ankle made a clinking sound. But what seized Ian’s mind was something else entirely.
‘Kar……?’
He could not hear all of it, but he had still faintly caught two syllables. Judging by the context, it seemed to be a name, and because this was the first time Ian had heard even part of an Outer God’s name, he was a little surprised.
He was calling the Reconstruction of All Things Leah, but strictly speaking, that was not her real name. It was just a kind of nickname she had told him to call her by. In other words, it was no different from something like “Xx_UltimateMage_xX.”
On the other hand, the true name possessed by the Hermit’s Shackles, though only part of it, had clearly reached his ears. And without any risk, at that.
‘……Is it because my status has risen? Or because the Hermit’s Shackles is of lower status than the other two?’
No, perhaps it was both.
There was no need to do nothing but think about it, so Ian poked the sole of her exposed foot with his finger.
The reaction was immediate.
“Hyaaaaaak!!”
She convulsed. The shape of the sole he had poked turned black, then suddenly transformed like the maw of a cephalopod. Then it slipped right back under the blanket.
“……”
After witnessing a transformation that was beyond disgusting and verged on grotesque, Ian was rendered speechless. Whether he was or not, the raised blanket slowly drew back, revealing blue hair. Between the strands, a tearful face appeared.
“……M-my foot, all of a sudden……! M-my feet are sensitive……!”
An Outer God, the Hermit’s Shackles.
Having taken on a completely human form, she looked up at Ian while shedding sweat and tears at the same time.