Chapter 613: Hospital [1] |
Regret came rather quickly.
"Maybe I should’ve accepted the offer."
—[—[Furniture]—]—
Oak Bookshelf: 40 SP
Mahogany Chair: 25 SP
Walnut Cabinet: 60 SP
Pine Stool: 15 SP
Cherry Dresser: 55 SP
Ebony Side Table: 35 SP
Staring at the list in front of me, I realized that perhaps I wasn’t in a position where I could just ignore Dock like I thought I could.
’...I severely underestimated the amount of money that I need to get the Gate to function properly.’
It wasn’t even the furniture that was expensive.
In fact, that was the least of my problems.
----
[Anomalies]
Twisted Man: 40,000SP
Blood Butcher: 25,000SP
[Slot Open]
[Slot Open]
----
Scratching the back of my head, I sighed.
The expensive part wasn’t the furniture, but the anomalies. Even a single Twisted Man came at a steep cost, and to make matters worse, that was only the baseline price.
Tapping onto the anomaly, another tab appeared.
——
[Rank:
<E> 40,000 SP
<D> 80,000 SP
<C> 160,000 SP
<B> 320,000 SP
——
I cursed upon seeing the new prices.
"This is really going to rob me of everything."
Thankfully, it wasn’t like I couldn’t afford it. There was a limit, though, capped at B rank. I couldn’t go any higher. Not that I was interested in going any higher. I was also not too keen on having a Twisted Man inside my Gate.
"...I’m also not very keen on the blood butcher. I should probably fill the other two slots. What do you think?"
I turned my head to stare into the distant white void.
A figure stood there, staring at me in silence. Their eyes were hazy, as if all light had long since faded from them. Even so, there was still something in that gaze, something faint yet unmistakable, as he looked straight at me.
I sighed.
"Come on, Kyle."
I walked over to him.
"I understand that you’re angry, but I’ve already explained it to you. My circumstances are a bit difficult. Everything was outside of my control back then. I did kill people, but it wasn’t really me, if you understand?"
Waving my hand, a couple of wooden chairs appeared.
I sat down on mine while looking at Kyle.
"But even if I did have a choice, I probably would’ve done it again. I did it because I needed to survive, and had I not done what I did, a lot more people would’ve died. In a way, I saved people."
This was true.
I had stopped Dantalion from taking over my body. If I had failed, the world would’ve been in a far worse state. In a way, the sacrifices had been necessary.
"I—"
"—completely lost it."
Kyle’s voice spoke over mine.
Pausing, I looked up to meet Kyle’s gaze as he looked back at me. Feeling his gaze, I took a deep breath, unsettled by something in the way he was looking at me. It almost felt as though... he was looking at a stranger.
I wasn’t a stranger.
"I don’t think you’re aware of it."
"Of what?"
"You’re losing it completely. No... you’ve already lost it."
I laughed.
"Again with this nonsense. I haven’t lost it. I’m sane, and I feel better than ever. Did you know that I used to be scared of everything?"
"...I do."
"Now I am not. If anything, I now have the urge to step on the things that once scared me. My head... It’s clearer than ever. This was just how I’ve always been. I was just being hindered by my fears."
"Mhm."
Kyle calmly replied.
It was such calmness that really bothered me.
Leaning back against the chair, I crossed my arms.
"Alright, let’s say I lost it. After everything I’ve gone through, this much is normal. And considering I’m sick, my actions should be even more justified."
"...Sure." .
Kyle lowered his head and sat down.
"I guess."
"....."
I clenched my teeth.
His calmness...
"I’ve lost it, alright. Since that’s the case, shouldn’t you help me get back to the right track? There aren’t many people that I care about. You’re one of the few. If you think that I’m losing it, then maybe you should help me—"
"I’m good."
"...."
"I don’t really care anymore. You can do your thing. It doesn’t really matter to me. In my mind, you’ve already died. You’re just a shell of what I once thought of my brother."
"...."
"Do kill me if you think I’ve overstepped with my words. Rather, I’d much rather you do that. Instead of staying stuck in this blank world, I’d rather just leave. I’d rather... go to where the real Seth is."
Without even realizing it, my chest rose and fell in quick, uneven breaths. I tried. I really tried to make things work. To talk it out with him. But at this moment, it became painfully clear to me.
I had lost him.
Kyle.
I... had completely lost him.
No matter what I did or said, he wasn’t going to listen.
The only person that I could call family in this unfamiliar world had given up on me.
"Hahaha."
Instead of feeling sad, I just found myself laughing.
Truly...
There were times when I considered telling everything to Kyle, thinking he would understand me, but that had been nave. From the very start, he was never going to accept me. To him, I was just a fake Seth.
From the very start, I was alone.
This much became clear to me as I laughed again, leaning my head back, staring at the white void around me.
’In that case, there’s really no need for me to care too much about anything.’
With a wave of my hand, numerous points were deducted from my balance as the ground beneath me began to rise, a structure forming from the white void.
At first, it looked clean. Clinical. Walls assembled themselves in perfect symmetry, polished tiles reflecting a sterile, artificial light that had no visible source. The air even carried that faint, sharp scent of disinfectant, as if the place had already been used... and cleaned... countless times.
I frowned.
"Not quite what I was going for."
Looking up, I started to mess with the lighting.
Shadows stretched along the corridor the moment I did, bending in ways that didn’t quite match the angles of the walls. I watched one linger too long in a corner before snapping back into place.
Better.
Doors lined the hallway next, each identical at first glance. Then the details settled in. One had a handle slightly lower than the others. Another had scratch marks around the lock, deep and frantic. A third... didn’t have a handle at all.
In just a dozen minutes, I recreated the interior of what looked like a hospital hallway.
After thinking it through, this was the setup I decided on for my upcoming Gate. Given how each Gate had some sort of ’connection’ with the real world, I needed to make sure that my Gate was grounded with the outside world.
Of course, this was all a test at the moment.
I wasn’t even sure if this was the scenario I’d go with. Still, I wanted to experiment with it a bit to better understand what I needed for my upcoming Gate.
...And that was exactly what I did for the next few hours, immersing myself in this new ’creation’ mode, completely forgetting about Kyle as he stood not far from me, watching everything unfold in silence.
By the time I was done, several hours had passed, and I found myself standing in the middle of an old, abandoned corridor. The lights above flickered faintly, the dim glow enclosing me from every direction.
Feeling the cold chill that lingered in the air, I pressed my lips together.
’Yeah, this is pretty good.’
But there was something that was still missing.
The anomaly...
Tapping my foot against the ground, I frowned until I pulled up the anomaly tab. As my eyes settled on the [Twisted Man] tab, I found myself thinking of purchasing one when I suddenly stopped.
After a while, I shook my head and stopped.
"No, not yet."
I pressed [Exit] and left.
Appearing back in my office, I sat back against my chair while staring at the ceiling.
I had saved the scenario, but there were still too many things missing. At this rate, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to develop a Gate.
"I need to—"
Ding!
A chime suddenly rang, startling me.
At the same time, a notification appeared before my eyes.
[New Quest Activated!]
Difficulty: N/A
Reward: Special Unlock!
Objective: Anchor your Gate to a real-world location.
Location: N/A
Failure: Special mode will remain locked forever.
Description:
From games to gates! What once was a simple creation now demands something deeper, something anchored in reality. The next step is not as easy as it first appeared. A Gate cannot be born from imagination alone. It requires foundation, logic, and a tether to the real world. Without a past, without a place, a Gate cannot exist.
A hollow construct will collapse. An ungrounded idea will fade.
To proceed, you must seek out reality itself.
There are countless locations waiting to be claimed, each with its own history, its own weight, its own lingering presence.
Time Limit: N/A
[Will you accept the quest?]
[Yes] [No]
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