Chapter 50

Chapter 4 Eyelid (23)

***

[Get up.]

Drip. Drip.

The sound of water droplets falling from somewhere. A black space where no sensations could be felt. The professor sensed that he was in the same place he had been before, in his faint consciousness.

'Parasite... So, you finally brought me back here?'

As I growled at the empty space, the black, smoke-like face of the parasite appeared, propped up on its chin. It had a very refreshing expression, different from its usual sneer.

[You’re really a pain. They say you shouldn’t keep a black-haired beast, and now I see why.]

‘Stop your nonsense and tell me why you brought me back here.’

[What? You called me?]

Swish-

The creature, which had been floating in the air, descended to the ground. As it approached, its black, smoke-like hand had two flesh-colored fingers attached, which were not on my left hand. A part of my body now completely under its will.

Thud.

The right hand with those alien fingers placed itself on my shoulder.

[Stop your nonsense and wake up. There doesn’t seem to be much time left.]

Outside? What is this guy talking about?

As I tried to brush off the creature’s hand, which was saying incomprehensible things, one of its black fingers disappeared, and a flesh-colored finger grew in its place.

[I’m taking this.]

The professor was startled and looked at his left hand. It was gone. The ring finger that had been there just a moment ago had moved to the creature’s hand.

‘What, what’s happening...!’

[Don’t overreact. I’m giving you a huge discount, including the friend discount. You’ll be so grateful when you see what I’ve done that you’ll probably bow to me.]

Squish-

A crack appeared in the black space, and light began to seep through.

[Finally, you’re waking up. You’re such a slowpoke.]

‘Wait! Hold on! Explain what’s happening!’

The parasite, ignoring the professor’s cries, scratched its ear with the newly grown finger.

[Go outside and see. If you’re so grateful that you can’t stand it, lend me your body for a day a week.]

‘Damn it! You need to explain clearly...!’

Whoosh!

The crack widened, and the black space was filled with light, and the professor woke up.

***

The first thing I felt when I opened my eyes was, of course, pain.

A headache and dizziness. A pain that seemed to squeeze my body from the inside.

‘What was I doing before I lost consciousness?’

The first thing that came to mind: soft lips. Uh, um... what happened next? There wasn’t much else that stood out in my memory...

‘You beast! You have no right to touch me!’

"Isaac!"

Startled!

The professor’s hazy consciousness snapped awake. He finally noticed his surroundings. The room looked as if a bomb had gone off, with no intact furniture. The status window was flashing with all kinds of red alerts, and the chat window was scrolling frantically. Isaac, who was clutching his arm and muttering wildly, was in one corner.

Isaac’s arm, which looked fine to the professor except for a bit of ash and a slight tear, was being scratched and pulled at relentlessly. Isaac kept grabbing his head and screaming.

"Kyaah! No, no! Get off my body, please! It’s a nightmare, a nightmare that will cover the world! I have to stop it, I have to stop it!"

Beside the professor, who was lying there, Raxasha approached. A faint smile appeared on the professor’s lips.

‘Is she going to help me up?’

There was no need to refuse. As the professor reached out his hand to Raxasha, she pointed a sharp dagger at his neck.

"Name?"

"....What?"

"Tell me your name."

"Um... I mean, what’s going on here...?"

Snick-

Raxasha’s dagger pierced his skin slightly, as if she didn’t want to answer his question.

"Ah! I get it! I get it! Professor! Your name is Raxasha! Is that enough? Now, put the knife away!"

Raxasha exhaled and retracted her dagger as the professor’s name and his own name came out of his mouth.

"Seems like you’re back. I was pretty sure it was you when you used magic."

"Back? What do you mean? And how did you know it was me?"

".... You really don’t remember anything?"

Raxasha pointed to the surroundings with a look of disbelief. The room looked as if it had been put through a press, with wood, stone, and metal all shattered and torn. The common factor was that everything was soaked in water.

‘The traces of magic. It must have happened before I regained consciousness. If so, did Raxasha alone manage to stop such large-scale destructive magic? But she was struggling to keep Isaac in check before I passed out?’

Isaac, who came into view after the professor regained consciousness, was clearly terrified of something. He was seeing hallucinations and struggling to maintain his sanity.

"Could it be... Mage Panic?"

Mages are highly sensitive to mental stimuli, capable of manifesting their imaginations in the world. When a traumatic or negative image appears in their sensitive minds, it reflects in reality, plunging them into endless panic.

‘But... Isaac isn’t a 1st or 2nd Circle Apprentice Mage. Who could instill such fear in a 6th Circle Research Mage, who is like a fortress?’

"Raxasha, did you do this to Isaac before he was taken by the crab?"

Shake shake.

"Then... was there another helper besides us two?"

Shake shake.

"Then, who could have caused such a shock to a 6th Circle Mage’s fortified mental world..."

Tap tap-

"Huh?"

Raxasha interrupted me, poking my cheek with her finger and staring at me. When I pointed to myself with my finger, she nodded.

"Me?"

Nod nod.

"Me?"

Nod nod.

"How?"

[Well, even though he’s a 6th Circle, he’s a research mage who has dedicated his life to studies. His consciousness was certainly built up to the heavens, but it was like a tower built by a frog in a well. Maybe because of his lack of worldly experience, he was more of a coward than I thought.]

While Raxasha looked at me with an expression that said ‘How should I know?’, the answer to my question flowed out from within me.

‘...Me?’

Shake shake.

‘Then... you?’

Nod nod.

The rhythmic tapping of three fingers on my left hand jolted me out of my shock.

[So, take care of your body. We almost died, you know? Even with your regenerative abilities, if your brain, which contains your consciousness, gets blown away, what will happen? You’ll regenerate, but it’ll be an empty brain with just infected factors. I used your body while you were sleeping because I was so frustrated I couldn’t stand it.]

‘You... moved my body?’

[Yeah. Why not? I just entered the body in a ‘coma’ state, right? If it wasn’t me, you and that human woman would have been compressed and pickled by that old mage!]

No, that’s not the issue. This is a much more serious problem.

Realistic Mode projects the user’s consciousness directly into the game. There’s no delay in movement; it’s as if the player’s soul has crossed over into this world.

‘But, the in-game personality moved my character?’

Then, does that mean the in-game personality can also affect my real body?

[Hey, what’s so serious? I used it and gave it back! You should be thanking me!]

‘Shut up, parasite.’

I need to confirm. Exactly what happened while I was unconscious. Fortunately, I know many people who would have been watching my every move even while I was unconscious.

- professor: Gangge, Jokass, Nacho, Speed Wagon.

- Gangge: Come to the dome.

- professor: I assume everyone saw what happened. Can someone explain it to me?

- Gangge: We all know you’ve always hated groups, but just come to the dome and get to the hospital first!

The chat window was filled with numerous viewers’ comments. Highlighting familiar IDs, I saw concerned messages from my friends.

- professor: Gangge, calm down. I know something strange is happening, which is why I’m asking. What exactly happened?

- Gangge: Do I look calm, damn it! You, you, you!

- Speed Wagon: I’ll explain. Is that okay?

- Gangge: ....

- Speed Wagon: Since you look very confused, I’ll summarize it in three lines.

You lost consciousness,

You regained consciousness,

And you acted like someone else, calling yourself ‘Hyde.’

‘...Hyde?’

[Why not? Hehehe, how about it? Dr. Jekyll?]

- Jokass: We don’t need to explain for you to understand what’s happening. You just had your character moved by a different self, ‘Hyde,’ not ‘professor.’ Just like many Realistic Mode players who have died in this game, you’ve been ‘possessed.’ Do you understand what that means?]

- professor: ...I understand.

The professor muttered, looking at his three left fingers that were moving playfully.

“The in-game self is starting to influence reality.”

[Shell, I’ve been meaning to ask, who do you sometimes talk to like that?]

In his case, something other than the in-game professor had burst out into the real world.

***