~Chapter 125~
‘Stay calm.’
I had played games filled with unfair bugs, collected strange playthroughs, and even enjoyed messing around.
But—this was something I had never experienced before.
Just like the first time an unexpected problem appeared in “The Whispering Stepping Stones.”
This time, I had to deal with it myself.
‘In the first place, this situation is structurally impossible in the game.’
Because this supernatural phenomenon was supposed to start from the very bottom floor and rise up room by room.
[Guide Post]
[Monster Encyclopedia No. 54]
~Supernatural Phenomenon~
“God’s Banquet Table”
◆ Did you guys make a mess in the village before coming in?
If not, retry.
◆ If you came in on the day of sacrifice, you can’t do anything. lol
◆ If you did stir chaos and came in properly, then listen up.
This phenomenon is like a giant tower.
At the very top is God’s chamber.
That means the player must climb floor by floor.
And absolutely no skipping.
Why?
Because in each room below, “cooking” is happening.
Starting from the bottom—preparing ingredients, butchering, chopping.
If you look closely, the chopped “ingredients” are human hands, or worse…
It’s grotesque and disgusting, but endure it.
Better than a bad ending, right?
Skipping a single floor is forbidden.
Because at the very top, you must explain every dish to God.
What does that mean?
It means you’ve become God’s servant.
◆ And if God doesn’t like your serving?
You become an ingredient ^^ lololol
◆ Now, here’s about the small fry monsters you’ll meet between rooms…
That was how it worked.
This phenomenon required you to remember everything you experienced on the way up.
‘Since the food is random, you must see it yourself.’
At the top floor, you became God’s servant, explaining each dish during the feast.
If God was satisfied, you could leave.
If not—you became food.
And if you entered on a sacrifice day, you were unconscious the whole time. That meant you couldn’t serve at all, and it was an automatic bad ending.
So the only way was to make a mess in the village and enter not on the sacrifice day.
‘But this situation… it’s a serious bug…’
My thoughts were cut off.
“Why are you thinking so hard?”
A soft, gentle laugh brushed my ears, like a passing breeze.
“Let’s eat, shall we?”
[Guide Post]
[Monster Encyclopedia No. 54]
~Supernatural Phenomenon~
“God’s Banquet Table”
◆ You somehow entered God’s chamber, but of course it won’t be easy.
Before the feast begins, the butler will give you safety rules.
You must memorize them word for word.
One mistake = bad ending.
Among them, one of the most important is “meal time.”
I slowly lifted my gaze.
Fortunately, the room layout was as I remembered.
A clock hung on the wall.
‘Current time: 1:40.’
God’s mealtime was at 3:13.
‘Alright. Let’s treat this like clearing a brand-new chapter.’
I lowered my eyes again.
[Skill ‘Child Actor’ activated!]
Calmness spread through me, my mind clearing.
“Dinner is fine,” I said quietly.
When I opened my eyes again, my gaze was steady.
“It isn’t… time for the meal yet, is it?”
Our eyes met. Kan’s eyes curved into a slow, charming smile.
It wasn’t the Kan I knew—but with such a handsome face, it looked perfect.
“…Really?”
Silence stretched.
“Ah. You’re right. It isn’t time yet.”
Relief came like I had passed a trial.
Still, why did this “god” look like Kan?
‘By setting, God appears in the form of the family the protagonist is weakest against.’
So in the game, it was always Kan’s mother.
‘But I have no family like that here… so it turned into Kan?’
It wasn’t strange. I had no family left on Earth to use.
Still, unfair. Was Dad not family?
“…Well. Now there’s too much time until the meal.”
An hour and a half remained.
“Shall we go for a walk? What do you think?”
“…That sounds good.”
I answered politely, like a servant should. Kan nodded.
“Then let’s do this.”
He suddenly stood up and walked toward me.
Before I could rise, his face was right in front of mine.
He leaned over, gripping the back of my chair.
“Let’s go together. Alright?”
“…!!”
It was so real my stomach turned.
And worse—black hair.
Different age, different height than the future cult fanatic version I’d once glimpsed… but still.
‘They’re trying to trigger my trauma.’
Barely keeping calm, I answered:
“No… I’ll wait here while you take your walk.”
“Hmm, no. I think you should come.”
He lightly placed his hand over mine.
‘…Cold.’
The chill was inhuman, making my skin crawl.
His eyes curved sweetly again.
“It’ll be better if you come with me.”
For a moment, his whites turned black before returning to normal.
I held my breath.
Kan leaned closer. His cold breath brushed my ear.
“If you come, I’ll tell you where the real one is.”
“……!!”
I stared, startled. He only smiled more kindly, as if waiting.
“Who knows? Maybe the real one’s in here.”
It was strange—like Kan himself was inside this phenomenon.
Kan’s offer was unsettling—yet impossible to refuse.
A short while later, we stood together in a green garden.
Inside this temple-like building, such a place shouldn’t exist.
But this was a supernatural phenomenon.
Warm sunlight shone down, unnervingly gentle.
‘Is Dad doing alright?’
[‘Dad’ cannot be summoned in this zone! (Location: God’s Banquet Table – Ingredient Chopping Room)]
Using the distance, I tried a summon. It revealed Dad’s location.
He seemed to be proceeding smoothly as planned.
“The weather’s nice, don’t you think?”
Even his voice was the same. As if he were Kan.
Only the black hair reminded me otherwise.
‘That monster didn’t mention this phenomenon for nothing.’
The so-called “god” was nothing more than a monster that devoured humans.
There was no reason to speak to me this way.
“You look troubled.”
I answered vaguely, politely, without enthusiasm.
Then suddenly he said:
“You look like you’re dying to know why I talked about this body’s owner.”
When our eyes met, he smiled again.
‘…Annoying.’
Acting kind when he wasn’t the real Kan.
“…Yes. I am curious. May I ask a question?”
Sometimes the top-floor god allowed questions.
It wasn’t safe to ask at the dining table, but maybe here in the garden.
“I’ll allow it. What do you want to know?”
“The boy whose face you’ve borrowed—Kan. Is he in here?”
“Here?”
He pointed vaguely, at himself… or the space around us.
Then he nodded.
“Yeah. He’s here. I kind of liked him.”
Should I feel proud that my protagonist was charming enough to interest a monster?
“So you can think of talking with me as talking with the ‘real one.’ I’ll allow that.”
His words chilled me.
“Eating… is like that.”
A horrible thought flashed.
What if Kan hadn’t just entered this phenomenon—
…but had already been eaten?
“Haha, that face again. You don’t believe me. What will it take to convince you?”
He came closer and gently held my hand. The same frozen coldness.
And yet—he smiled with the same warmth I’d seen in prison, in the labyrinth.
“Nemesia.”
I swallowed hard. Even with my Child Actor skill keeping me calm, my eyes trembled.
“I remember the name of my savior, the one I must repay.”
Because Kan spoke the exact same line as he had back in prison.
Unlock soon!~