Chapter 13: Master

I still did not let my guard down as I remained suspicious of Shia in front of me.

She wore a quiet smile as if trying to persuade me, but even that attitude felt unsettling.

“You said I could ask anything, right?”

Shia nodded while taking a sip of her coffee.

“Yeah, ask anything. We have plenty of time.”

After a brief hesitation, I decided to start with the most basic question.

“Where exactly is this place?”

Shia hesitated for a moment, looking at me, then slowly shook her head.

“I don’t know.”

There was no sign of deception in her tone.

She genuinely seemed unaware, yet I still couldn’t shake off my doubts.

“Hmm…”

As I muttered quietly, Sia raised her hand and waved it slightly in front of my eyes.

“I’m serious. If I knew where this place was, I would have escaped long ago.”

She let out a light laugh and continued speaking.

“But if you’re referring to ‘this room’…”

Shia moved her fingers in the air as if summoning something.

It was a gesture similar to stroking the chin of a pet.

At that moment, a small presence slowly emerged from the empty space.

“What… is that?”

I instinctively took a step back.

Responding to Shia’s touch was none other than a white cat.

The cat had a small body covered in pure white fur and was gazing at me with large eyes.

“This is Chii.”

Shia pointed at the cat with her finger.

“The one who created this room.”

I kept my guard up, watching Chii carefully.

“This cat…?”

Chii looked up at me and slowly approached.

I took another step back, observing its movements, but all it did was sit quietly in front of me and gently lick the back of my hand.

“…What? It’s just a cat?”

I looked down at Chii, feeling bewildered.

Shia nodded with a smile.

“Yeah. It doesn’t harm anyone. Originally, there was no such ‘sanctuary’ here. But Chii created it.”

“…Is that even possible?”

Shia shrugged.

“I don’t know. That’s what Chii said.”

At that moment, Chii nodded.

Startled, I took a step back.

“Wait… does it understand what we’re saying?”

“Told you so.”

I was still skeptical, but there was no hostility in Chii’s behavior.

It was just a cute cat.

“Alright. I’ll accept that for now.”

“You’re more suspicious than you look, huh?”

“…Yeah.”

“I just wanted to show you that not everything here is dangerous. There are safe beings like Chii too.”

There was certainty in Shia’s voice.

‘Is that really true?’

As I glanced at Chii, deep in thought, the cat let out a quiet meow and slowly turned away, almost as if responding to my doubts.

It was adorable.

“Okay, next question.”

“…”

Silence.

I hesitated for a moment before finally opening my mouth to ask.

“Why are you trying to gain my trust?”

From Shia’s perspective, there was no reason to help me.

I asked about the reason.

Shia tilted her head slightly, looking at me, then leaned back in her chair with a sigh.

“You’re only asking that now? Where should I even start explaining… Well, I had my reasons.”

She slowly continued, fiddling with the coffee cup on the table.

“Walking around alone here is too dangerous. And from this point on, even more so. I once had a companion too…”

Her tone was calm, but her eyes were filled with sorrow.

“That person couldn’t trust me. Maybe they had completely lost their mind after the constant attacks from monsters and the strange events in this space.”

I silently listened, observing her expression.

She seemed to be lost in past memories, staring blankly into the distance.

Now seemed like the right moment to ask.

“In the end, that person ran away, leaving me behind. They didn’t believe my words. The path they took…”

Shia trailed off and shook her head slightly.

“Maybe, right now, you’re heading down that same path.”

Her words sent a chill down my spine.

I suddenly had the urge to look back, but I had already stepped through the door.

“You won’t be able to clear the next room alone.”

Shia lowered her head and quietly added.

Beside her, Chii was also waving its small paw.

“From ‘Level 2’ onward, cooperation is necessary… But… it’s already too late.”

I avoided her gaze.

The truth was, I had secretly moved to the next room because I couldn’t fully trust her.

Rather than taking the risky multiplayer route, playing solo, even if harder, felt like the safer and more attractive choice.

I had always made choices without regrets.

But this time… Why did it feel like I had been too hasty?

“I was going to help you.”

Shia set down her coffee cup and slowly stood up.

“If you had thought about it a little, you would’ve realized why I hadn’t moved on to the next room yet. Sigh Well, the choice is yours. I won’t force you.”

With those words, tinged with a hint of ridicule, the door to the room slammed shut.

I stood still for a moment.

‘Should I have listened to her more?’

That thought crossed my mind.

If Shia truly wanted to cooperate, maybe I had been too suspicious of her.

Had I only considered the worst-case scenario and acted accordingly?

But it was too late now.

There was no turning back to reopen the door.

‘It’s fine. I’ve been alone this whole time, haven’t I?’

I shook my head, reassuring myself.

‘In the end, escaping this backroom is something I have to do with my own strength.’

No one else could help me.

With a confident expression, I took a step forward.

Ahead of me was a room that wasn’t particularly large, yet had an ominous atmosphere.

The walls were covered in black wallpaper, so deep that it seemed to swallow light itself.

At the center of the room stood an extraordinarily tall woman.

She appeared to be at least two meters in height.

The woman was holding a small coin.

The coin was tied to a string, and she was slowly swinging it.

‘This is…’

I realized it instantly.

‘A hypnosis room.’

The woman’s hand moved the coin back and forth at a steady rhythm, creating a faint glimmer.

Her lips were moving as well.

She seemed to be saying something, but her voice was low and gentle, making it impossible to hear clearly.

I shut my eyes tightly and covered my ears.

If the monster’s ability was hypnosis, then as long as I didn’t see or hear it, I’d be fine.

This was a type I was very familiar with.

I wasn’t about to fall for some ridiculous scenario, like in those lewd comics where people get hypnotized just by staring at a tiny coin.

I moved forward slowly with my eyes closed.

With every step I took, I felt as if the woman in the room was following me with her gaze.

But as long as my eyes remained shut, I couldn’t confirm it.

That was all there was to it.

She didn’t seem able to harm me.

That was a relief.

“So much for not being able to clear this room alone… What nonsense.”

It must have been a trick to manipulate me into doing something foolish.

Besides, if she really wanted to help, she would have opened the door and followed me.

The only reason she didn’t was because she was a monster.

Just like all the others before, she couldn’t leave that room.

Once again, I hadn’t fallen for it.

“Good.”

And just as I smiled in relief—

“Huh?”

My feet wouldn’t move.

I panicked and tried to take another step forward, but my body wouldn’t respond.

Something was wrong.

My eyelids started trembling.

A cold sensation seeped into my body.

The hands that had been covering my ears slowly loosened, and a woman’s voice began to faintly echo in my ears.

“Now… relax.”

Her voice was gentle, but something hidden within it overwhelmed me.

My eyelids, which I had not opened by my own will, began to rise.

And then, I saw her silhouette.

The small coin dangling from her fingers, swaying.

Her smile, endlessly luring me in.

“Ah…”

“Don’t struggle too much.”

I tried to cover my ears again, but my hands refused to move.

‘No, I can’t open my eyes.’

I clenched my teeth and tightly shut them.

But my eyelids trembled again.

Something beyond my control was forcing them open.

Once more, she appeared before me.

She was still swinging the small coin, staring at me.

The coin moved left and right in a steady rhythm, its faint glimmer capturing my gaze.

‘No… I have to look away.’

I tried to turn my head, but even my neck wouldn’t move.

My entire body felt chained, held captive by her.

“Now, relax.”

She whispered with a smile.

Her voice was deep and soft, yet it carried an energy that sought to consume me.

My mind grew hazy, my thoughts dulled.

All I could do was keep staring into her eyes and at the swaying coin.

‘No… This is wrong…’

A warning rang out in my head.

But, but… wait.

“Hehe.”

At that moment, all sound vanished from the room.

Even the sound of my own heartbeat disappeared.

Everything was swallowed by silence.

And as the coin swung once more, my consciousness drifted into darkness.

February 2, 2025.

Day 1 with my master.