“Oh my.”
Finally back home, I think about what happened earlier.
Yoon Si-woo secretly found out about Noah’s house.
What a crazy stalker.
I’m debating whether to tell Noah about this.
If I report it to the police or the military and ask for protection, would I be able to defeat Yoon Si-woo?
“····.”
It’s a bit hard to judge.
I might be able to win at this moment, but a sense of unease creeps in that it would be increasingly difficult later on, even for the military.
But telling the professors feels a bit awkward.
“What should I do?”
[Current intoxication level: 1%]
And as the intoxication begins to fade, I slowly ponder this problem.
Before that, why is Yoon Si-woo targeting Noah?
“····.”
Maybe.
Yes, if I think a bit more, it might be that I am the actual target, not Noah.
As my alcohol-soaked brain starts turning, I begin to think in a more rational direction.
Could it be that I’ve been misunderstanding?
It’s possible that it’s not just stalking, but there’s something he wants.
But why?
As I ponder why he followed me, I suddenly notice the mask hanging behind me.
“····.”
No way.
Is it because of that mask?
If so, did Yoon Si-woo know that I’ve been in contact with the Doomsayers?
And is he also a Doomsayer himself?
But that raises too many odd points.
Firstly, in the story, there is only one victim in the first terrorist incident.
At least in all the chapters I’ve played, this fact hasn’t changed.
According to the original Doomsayers’ plan, I was supposed to be the sacrifice in this round.
By posing a threat solely to the Academy and if it becomes known among the professors that I colluded with them, I might end up taking my own life.
However, the probability that other Doomsayers have already infiltrated the Academy is… quite low.
The likelihood that Yoon Si-woo has been a Doomsayer from the beginning is even lower.
Now, let’s change our perspective and think again.
I’ve reached a point where I can’t afford to brush off these thoughts as annoying.
Assuming Yoon Si-woo contacted me to find out Noah’s house, I have to think about why he would do that.
However, the conclusion that emerges is…
‘None.’
No matter how much I think about it, there was no reason.
The turning point when Noah’s side story properly begins is at least after the middle.
Until then, she is just an ordinary student.
There’s merely a low probability that she could survive until the middle depending on the player’s judgment.
Even if that chance exists, she’s not a character whose presence is significant enough to notice if it’s there or not.
Unless Yoon Si-woo isn’t a voyeur, there’s really no reason for him to follow Noah.
It’s unfortunate, but that’s the common theory among players.
On the contrary, if he contacted me with me as the target, it makes a bit more sense.
Clunk.
A single mask is heard atop my hand.
[The False Mask of the Doomsayers]
[Grade: Rare]
[Information: The end will come to you.]
[Ability: Permanently grants a small amount of stats once a month, but reduces mental strength with each use. Additionally, if mental strength is below a certain level while wearing the mask, there is a possibility of being brainwashed.]
[Remaining cooldown time – 26 days]
This mask may present a chance of brainwashing proportional to mental strength, but it can be considered a ‘reward’-type item that increases stats if endured.
It is fundamentally an item occasionally used for early growth in characters with high mental strength.
However, I canceled it using the curse I already had.
But as a player, one must not simply trust what is visible.
Like reading a contract, I grasp each sentence precisely.
[If mental strength is below a certain level while wearing the mask, there is a possibility of being brainwashed.]
This sentence could be interpreted as simply ‘endure it,’ but it does not state how long the chance of being brainwashed lasts.
To put it simply, it means that by simply wearing it once, a curse could last a lifetime.
I might have accidentally fallen into a more troublesome curse than I thought.
However, the reason I don’t think too seriously about it is simple.
“It’s only D-grade, right?”
The curse that can be placed on a rare-grade mask is D-grade.
Based on what I know, a curse that instantly kills everyone within range is considered less powerful than a curse that slowly eats away at someone in the Dreaming World.
At least unless the range of that instant death is not at the level of a city or country.
That is, not only the strength of the effect but also the duration must be a criterion for evaluating the curse’s grade.
That’s why the [Drunkard] and [Alcoholic] traits I chose ended up being F-grade.
The durations of these two curses will be permanent unless I remove them.
But that doesn’t mean their effects are weak.
If there are many days left to live, the duration of the curse will continually increase, leading to the hypothesis that the Doomsayers’ curse might rank below alcohol addiction.
‘It seems like I’m also being influenced by the game’s system as well.’
So, setting aside all these hypotheses, there is one thing I can think of.
I don’t think the word ‘end’ that Yoon Si-woo suddenly mentioned last time came up for no reason.
Thus, the immediate conclusion follows.
“A trait that allows me to see the traces of curses I’ve been under… or maybe it’s passive.”
Even if not, there might be a trait or item with similar performance.
Since I was somewhat known as a veteran in the community, deducing to this point wasn’t too difficult.
But the next part is the issue.
I have no way to determine what traits he possesses.
There are many ways to figure out the curses or traits someone else is under.
From small ones like [Trait Tracker] to [Reader], [Akashic Record], [Hall of Recorders], [Eighteenth Eye of Voyeurs], [Tree of Genesis], etc…
Not only traits but there are also characters who can intuitively know, so this aspect cannot be ignored.
There are too many factors to consider.
The more I think of traits or methods, the higher the chance of being wrong increases.
Therefore.
“For now, this is all I can do.”
The deduction about Yoon Si-woo’s traits ends here for today.
Going beyond this will only lead to more troublesome thoughts, and I will have to approach and find out directly.
The more I think, the more likely it is that I’ll go wrong.
Why, isn’t it common that the answer you picked first in multiple-choice questions tends to often be correct?
Moreover, an opportunity to figure it out will soon arise.
So I decided to think about this later.
“Yes, I have to be careful.”
But I have not relaxed my guard against Yoon Si-woo.
He has shown suspicious behavior continuously, and mere deductions lack grounds to grasp the whole situation.
Still, appreciating my brain, which hasn’t been active for a long time, I pulled out a bottle of alcohol that I had brought home.
Clink.
This was the alcohol that I had secretly stuffed deep inside Noah’s freezer.
Saaah…
In stark contrast to the gradually warming spring air, the ice shards clinging to the bottle visually display how cool and sweet this alcohol will be.
“Good alcohol after a long time…!”
Pure liquid itself, not some strange food mixture that has been muddled with chocolate!
I’m sorry to Noah, but I simply couldn’t resist wanting to drink something refreshing.
If possible, I wanted it to be so cold that it couldn’t be achieved even with a convenience store freezer.
Pop!
With a refreshing sound, the cap of the bottle pops open.
I could easily pour it using a spoon because of its increased strength.
However, unfortunately, there were no glasses or snacks to accompany it.
“…Heh heh.”
But it’s okay.
Cool alcohol itself can serve as a snack.
[Sweet fruity flavor! Lemon sparkling!]
Just then, I had a lemon-flavored soda that I had previously bought at home, so I took a sip of the alcohol in the bottle and mixed it with the soda.
And the taste that follows.
Gulp, gulp.
“Ahh!!”
It was the best.
Indeed, the reward given to those who work hard is always sweet.
I believe my brain would feel the same.
[Current intoxication level: 5%]
“I’m drinking~!”
As I loosened my tension, my tongue, which I thought had become accustomed, started to get more tangled.
Moreover, since this is a bomb shot, it seems the rate of intoxication rises faster…
“Ah~ I’m happy…”
How wonderful it would be if I could always eat delicious things comfortably and live as I wish.
In novels, some characters are given absurd skills and end up creating huge harems.
The truth is, I have kicked away any possibility of becoming that protagonist, but right now, I just needed someone to curse at.
“Ah! Seriously, shouldn’t they give me a trait re-roll? Damn it!”
I’ve been living diligently here without knowing why I fell into this world.
All the money I had accumulated turned into mere pieces of paper in this new world.
And this was in the body of an alcoholic.
…Although it was nice to become a girl with decent looks, it didn’t mean I could earn a lot of money.
There are too many characters around here who aren’t lacking in looks at all.
“I might as well just stream or something!”
That said, I don’t even have enough money to buy broadcasting equipment.
Even if I had money, I wouldn’t say I possess the eloquence or gaming skill to speak in front of people.
My peak tier was barely gold, so I didn’t think I’d perform better now that I’m in a girl’s body.
I drink the remaining liquid from the bottle while cursing at the sky.
The alcohol was so sweet that it vanished quickly.
“Hehehe~”
Not thinking that bomb shots can get you drunk faster, I ended up finishing the bottle, with a few drops of alcohol falling from the empty bottle, and I passed out completely drunk.
But was it perhaps a punishment for daring to curse the gods?
.
.
.
.
Gurgle.
“Ugh… my stomach hurts…”
“Yes, it’s food poisoning.”
“Really…?”
The next day, I inevitably caught food poisoning.
