Killing the Possessor - Chapter 10

If I was suspected of being a spy for the Public Security Bureau, things could get very complicated. To survive here, their help was absolutely vital.

“I read a novel before I ended up here. It’s set in this world…”

At those words, the man suddenly removed his mask. I had expected him to be older, given his deep voice, but to my surprise, the man behind the mask looked young.

“You read the original story?”

“What? Ah, yes. There’s Hongik Ingan in it. It might sound weird, but…”

I was struggling to figure out how to phrase it in a way that wouldn’t make him uncomfortable. But before I could say anything, he interrupted me, shouting.

“You’re a reader!”

The man smiled brightly, almost as if he had discovered a treasure map, and it reminded me of a pirate’s gleeful grin—perhaps because of the scars on his face.

I stared at the large scar running from his nose to his cheek, stretching across one side of his face, and was momentarily stunned.

How did he get such a wound…? No, more importantly, a reader?

“Reader…”

“You read the novel with Harent in it, right?”

Well, I did read the book that mentions this damn country.

I nodded reluctantly. I now understood why he suspected me of being a spy earlier.

If I had looked at something I had been eagerly waiting for with those shining eyes, I would have found it strange too. It was hard to even meet his gaze—it felt way too overwhelming.

“Bali will be happy to meet a reader.”

“Bali?”

That name rang a bell.

Bali, as in Bali Aidepen, the eldest daughter of Duke Aidepen and the leader of Hongik Ingan. She was such an important figure in the game that I had clearly remembered her name.

But no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t recall any setting in the original where they referred to someone who had read the book as a ‘reader’ In fact, it would be normal for no one except the female lead to know about the existence of the original novel. So what was going on?

“If you’ve read the original story, you’d understand what kind of organization Hongik Ingan is.”

I nodded, and he opened a space in the air and pulled out a document, handing it to me.

However, what caught my attention more than the document was the dark space that appeared in the air in front of me. It was my first time seeing magic like this, something only found in creative works, and it was fascinating.

Ignoring the document, I continued to stare at the dark space, and he chuckled softly.

“Don’t look at it so curiously.”

“Huh? Why?”

He poked my forehead lightly with his outstretched finger.

“You can do it too.”

“…Me?”

The man grinned wickedly at me, who was staring at him in confusion.

“Camilli Mute. Magic major during her time at the academy.”

“So that means…?”

“That’s right, you’re a wizard.”

The excitement in my chest quickly turned into shock and fear.

“So, to not get caught…”

“You’ll have to either learn magic or fake it well.”

“…”

Camilli Mute. The ex-girlfriend of the dimensional traveler prince, and, on top of that, a wizard—a rare and difficult thing to become.

Possessing a woman like this? Was there any higher level of difficulty than this?

“Don’t worry. Now that we know you’re a reader, we’ll do our best to keep you safe.”

He spoke what was, at least, the most fortunate thing I had heard all day and handed me the document. The paper, starting with the name Camilli Mute, contained a wealth of detailed information—her background, personality, widely known preferences, and much more.

“I’ll take you to Bali soon. Wait for the contact. You’ll be able to learn more from her. Don’t forget to memorize this and handle it properly.”

He gave the document a tap, then placed the Hahoe mask back on his head, along with a parting reminder.

“Take care and hold out for now.”

With that, he disappeared just as suddenly as he had arrived. In the place where his warmth had once been, there was only darkness and silence.

The room, left in its usual state, seemed to reaffirm that the strange event had not been a dream. The only thing that proved it was the document still clutched in my hand.

Crunch.

I crumpled the paper in my fist and threw myself onto the pillow with a gloomy face. The difficulty of surviving here seemed to be increasing by the day.

* * *

That night, as I read through the document left by Hongik Ingan, I heard a strange noise near my ear.

[—. Bzzz.]

[Error!]

“Huh, what is this…?”

It sounded like the static of a broken radio, the disturbing noise intermittently shouting “Error” before finally stopping. But when the sound ceased, a clear mechanical voice emerged.

[(Presumed) otherworlder detected! Temporary residence permit being issued.]

The neutral robotic voice echoed in my mind, and my eyes snapped open. At the same time, a glowing message on the ceiling pierced my retinas with its bright light.

[The residence period for ‘Kim Saei’ is currently set to ‘Chapter 18.’ After this period, your soul will be erased.]