TBWTSD 04

chapter 04

[To ensure smooth gameplay, the following abilities have been granted to you.]

[Use them appropriately and improve your proficiency to discover the perfect ending.]

[Locked abilities require unlocking.]

[Perfect Immortal / Unlock Rate: 75%]

[A body-bound ability belonging to Arsen Nero!]

[No matter how death comes, you will always revive.]

[Nothing in this world is truly perfect.]

[Passionate Prot** / Unlock Rate: 35%]

[This ability best matches the player’s personality! Active involvement greatly increases efficiency.]

[Your rapport with protected targets slightly increases.]

[Detailed abilities require unlocking!]

[Nat*** *** Wea*** / Unlock Rate: 0%]

[An ability opposite to the player’s previous life!]

[Because it belongs to an unknown domain, it cannot be used until awakened. Greater effort is required.]

[Detailed abilities require unlocking!]

[Tip: Never forget that all abilities become stronger the more they are honed!]

My status window.

The blue translucent panel floating before me looked exactly as I remembered it.

The only change was that Passi* Prot*** had become Passionate Prot**.

“Just as I thought. The letters increased after I found Lottie.”

I rubbed my chin while reading through the familiar lines again.

I had already suspected it, but my second ability was definitely Protection.

Passionate Protector.

That was probably the completed name once all the hidden letters were revealed.

It would explain why Lottie followed me around so faithfully.

Of course, considering the unlock rate had already been at 5% when I first met him, the kid clearly liked me as a person to begin with.

“But seriously, the more I think about it, all my abilities have absolutely nothing to do with combat.”

After reading the window a couple more times, I dismissed it with a wave.

A bitter taste lingered in my mouth.

Being thrown into a dangerous world like this with zero combat power was ridiculous.

The three abilities given to me alongside the quest were supposed to be my greatest weapons.

Yet the only one I could actually use properly was Immortality.

I had already lived in Astava for six months. It was only natural to feel impatient.

I was gradually learning more about Protection, but the progress was painfully slow.

And the third ability?

I still had no clue what it even was.

“At this rate, I’m going to die of old age before I ever find the protagonist.”

Or the world would end first.

A groan escaped my lips.

Honestly, I needed to quit working at the Center as soon as possible.

Paying off my debt was important, sure, but my real goal was finding the protagonist.

Though it’d be nice if the protagonist conveniently came all the way out to this remote island.

Yeah, right.

Still, I had no plans to leave.

More accurately, I had no way to leave.

“My head hurts.”

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t come up with a good solution.

And there was no one I could rely on for help.

The stress was giving me a headache.

“Please let the third ability be something useful.”

At this point, it might be the only thing I could count on.

“If only I’d at least gotten to play the game before I died.”

The same regret filled my mind as always.

The game I had transmigrated into, Demon King of Astava, was a video game a friend had handed me while we were walking home together.

In other words, it had been in my hands right before I died.

I had never actually played it.

Naturally.

I died before I got the chance.

If I’d known this would happen, I should’ve at least looked over the game case more carefully.

I vaguely remembered seeing character illustrations.

But I couldn’t recall them at all.

Maybe my memory was just bad.

Maybe I hadn’t looked closely enough.

Either way, the protagonist had probably been printed on the cover.

Being an idiot is still holding me back, even here!

Over the past months, I had gathered a considerable amount of information about Astava.

One of the most striking things was that, unlike most games, there were no status screens for me or the other characters.

No inventory.

No world map.

Nothing.

The only things given to me were:

• Quests
• My abilities

Occasionally, whenever I unknowingly fulfilled certain conditions, a line or two would be added somewhere.

That was it.

In short, Demon King of Astava felt surprisingly close to reality.

Aside from a few system windows, nothing screamed “game.”

Maybe that was why I had adapted so quickly to this world.

Though monsters and ability users still startled me every time I saw them.

“Attention, everyone! Breakfast will begin shortly. Sitters, please bring the children to the dining hall. Attention, everyone! Breakfast will begin shortly…”

I stood up from my seat as the announcement ended.

The voice behind the wall had finally finished straining itself.

“Lottie! Finished yet?”

“Uh!”

Naturally, I cleaned out the toddler potty.

Another day had begun.

*

I hated the hallways in this unnecessarily gigantic Center.

“Seriously, how did you find him?”

“…Lottie?”

“Yes! We searched every inch of the infirmary!”

“As I said, he was behind the bed next to the window.”

“No, that’s impossible!”

Because when someone annoying attached themselves to me, I had to keep walking beside them.

The halls were so wide and long that even with forty employees, running into someone else wasn’t easy.

Meaning there was no chance to shake off the person following me.

I merely shrugged at the medical officer hopping around beside me.

If he wasn’t going to believe me, why keep asking?

Even the Director had simply accepted it with, “I see. That’s a relief.”

Why was this man so obsessed?

I’m tired.

After yesterday’s chaos, we’d been assigned extra work.

Every indoor hiding spot had to be sealed off.

By the time we finished the overtime shift, it was four in the morning.

He worked all night too. Why does he still look so energetic?

I pressed my aching temples.

It didn’t help.

Lottie’s disappearance had ultimately been written off as a simple incident:

A child who didn’t want a shot had hidden in a corner.

And he happened to be exceptionally good at hiding.

The Director apparently negotiated with the Administrator to keep the incident from reaching headquarters.

The Administrator agreed to report it that way.

Now that I think about it, that’s strange too.

I’d heard Lottie had caused eight disappearance scares since arriving here.

The Director had apparently prevented headquarters from learning about any of them.

But there was no way the Administrator didn’t know.

Seven previous incidents, and yesterday made eight. So why did that strict Administrator decide not to report it?

That smiling face from yesterday surfaced in my mind again.

And so did the mysterious word the Director had used.

Professor.

Something about this really bothers me…

Unfortunately, I seemed to be the only one suspicious.

Maybe I’d have to investigate on my own.

“There’s space behind the bed, sure, but how could we not have found him? We’re adults! I practically crawled across the infirmary floor during the search!”

Lack of sleep had left me irritable.

The doctor’s nonstop chatter was making my eyes sting.

Somebody please take this man away.

I kept walking while silently praying for someone—anyone—to appear.

The doctor stubbornly followed.

“Mr. Doctor.”

“Huh? What?”

“Are you not busy today?”

“Oh, right! No duties today, actually. It’s basically my day off. The sitters’ health examinations are the day after tomorrow, so I only need to prepare for that tonight. Why?”

“…Nothing.”

I swallowed a sigh.

Why did this normally busy doctor suddenly have free time today?

“Oh? Arsen! Doctor!”

A cheerful voice called out.

“Amanda?”

I deliberately raised my voice and immediately sped up.

Perfect timing, Amanda.

Glancing behind me, I saw the doctor stiffly bow his head before disappearing at full speed.

Seriously, just confess already.

His desperate retreat was pathetic, but for now it was a blessing.

Amanda stood there holding a small tray.

“The doctor seems busy?”

She smiled brightly.

Well, one-sided love can be pretty busy.

I nodded.

Daydreaming and building up courage for a confession wasn’t easy work.

“You arrived at just the right time! Helga and Kassen are already here!”

She gestured happily.

“Come on!”

Following her gaze, I spotted a small table outside the hallway window.

Two people were already seated there, chatting.

Oh right. We had plans today.

The four of us occasionally gathered for tea.

I’d completely forgotten, but it wasn’t a bad thing.

There was only about an hour of break time left anyway.

Not enough time for a proper nap.

Besides, there was something I wanted to ask.

*

“Doesn’t the Administrator seem a little strange to you?”

After the usual round of complaining about being tired, I finally brought up the real topic.

I couldn’t shake the suspicion that the Administrator might be the very intruder everyone at the Center feared.

But instincts alone weren’t enough.

In Astava, trusting people was dangerous.

Still, these three were about the closest thing I had to trusted friends.

So I decided to gather information.

“Strange? That’s putting it mildly. He’s unbearable. Completely unbearable.”

Kassen dropped into his seat after stretching.

“P-Please keep your voice down!”

Amanda looked around in panic.

“It’s fine. He never comes over here. He only goes between his office and the kids.”

Helga laughed and reassured her.

“He’s way too interested in the children. Looking after them is our job, not his. It’s exhausting.”

Kassen tapped the table irritably.

I nodded, encouraging him to continue.

“I’ll be playing with a kid, and he’ll just stand there staring. One time I looked away for a second and he was already talking to one of them! You know the rules! Outside of scheduled lessons, nobody except the assigned sitter is supposed to approach the children!”

“Exactly. I’ve seen it happen several times myself. It makes me uncomfortable. I don’t understand why the Director and the Operations Chief ignore it.”

I casually added my own observation.

Helga rubbed her chin.

“He’s definitely different from previous Administrators. All he’s supposed to do is oversee Center operations, but he’s overly interested in the children.”

“Oh. I thought that meant he was a nice person…”

Amanda blinked in confusion.

That was a reasonable interpretation for someone as innocent as her.

“Oh! And one time I passed by his office and heard him muttering to himself inside. Gave me chills. Plus he only eats vegetables! Every day! You know what they say—people who only eat salad have terrible personalities.”

I tried to draw out more useful information.

Instead, Kassen’s complaints devolved into random slander.

Then Helga covered his mouth, effectively ending the discussion.

Of course. Things were going too smoothly.

“Still, it would be nice if our Center had a sensory-type ability user.”

The conversation shifted back to yesterday’s incident.

Helga drained the rest of her coffee.

Her face looked exhausted.

Despite drinking over ten cups a day, caffeine clearly wasn’t helping.

At that point, maybe she should just stop.

“Like someone like that would ever choose to work here.”

“I’m just saying. If we had one, yesterday wouldn’t have happened. Not that I’m blaming Lottie or anything. I’m just saying we wouldn’t have had to worry so much.”

Realizing I was Lottie’s sitter, Helga quickly waved her hand.

I simply nodded.

I didn’t mind.

A sensory-type ability user…

I’d met a few back at the Academy.

Come to think of it, none of them had been below B-Rank.

“Are people like that difficult to recruit? This Center is still run by the Association, isn’t it?”

Amanda tilted her head.

Kassen slapped the table.

“Difficult? They’re practically impossible! Sensory abilities are rare. Ability users are already uncommon, and specialized abilities are even rarer. Even weak ones are automatically rated B-Rank or higher.”

“Honestly, it’s weird enough that we already have two A-Rank Rankers—Kove and Rowena—stationed here. Then add the Director and the Administrator, who are both A-Ranks too. Why would a place like this need so much firepower?”

Helga leaned forward and lowered her voice conspiratorially.

“That’s why people keep spreading that rumor.”

Amanda’s eyes widened.

“A rumor?”

Helga tapped the table.

“There has to be a child connected to an S-Rank Ranker staying here.”

Amanda gasped and clapped a hand over her mouth.