Chapter 13
Chapter 13: The Etiquette Enforcer Erik (5)
When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back at you.
Isn’t there such a saying?
‘Perhaps… Possessors were drawn to this place due to indirect experiences through games.’
Erik himself would likely be the same.
‘Explore the labyrinth, and the labyrinth shall explore you.‘
A similar proverb existed here as well.
It was a kind of religious saying meant to awaken adventurers’ vigilance.
Seeing the possessors, it couldn’t be dismissed as mere superstition.
“Looking at this item, it’s hard to think of it as just an old saying.”
Erik muttered while examining the item that came from the treasure chest.
His golden eyes thoroughly analyzed the paper scrap in ticket form.
[Possessor Appearance Change Ticket]
This type of paper item doesn’t exist in reality.
It only existed in games as cash items for customizing appearance, like ‘Hairstyle Change Ticket’ or ‘Eye Color Change Ticket.’
Given the similar appearance, it was undoubtedly a function to change a possessor’s form.
“Hii, hiiek… S-stay away!”
“Nishida Ryo, why are you running away?”
Erik was thinking of testing the [Possessor Appearance Change Ticket].
“From my investigation, I understand you’ve been quite dissatisfied with the body you possessed.”
According to Imperial law, an existence entered by a possessor is treated as ‘deceased.’
This is because no means or methods can retrieve the disappeared body’s original owner.
Since magical and religious verification has been completed, this is fact.
“…Th-that’s…”
“You, who said you wanted to return to your body from Earth, seem most suitable?”
The possessors could also clearly see the name of the item Erik held.
[Possessor Appearance Change Ticket]
[Changes the possessor’s body to their original world body.]
“Of course, you might want to return the body to its owner, but unfortunately, that’s impossible.”
Kang Pung-ho who became a woman, or Nishida Ryo who lamented about possessing a fat pig – they should be sufficiently pleased.
“But why do you keep backing away?”
Erik genuinely felt puzzled by that contradictory behavior.
‘Wasn’t he supposed to be a muscular giant in the original world?’
He heard his fists were so large it was hard to press keyboard keys.
‘Since he’s a warrior class, it would be much better than his current body.’
Even with Erik’s divine power, there was no way to know what kind of bodies the possessors had in their original world.
He simply understood it as such.
“N-no!”
Whooosh.
The torch embedded in the labyrinth’s first floor cave wall flickered.
Thud- Nishida Ryo’s back hit the wall.
“…P-please, anything but that… A-actually…”
Ryo opened his mouth as if pleading.
His eyes were desperate and pitiful.
***
“What a crazy bastard.”
Having heard the situation, Erik felt his head throbbing.
“B-boss, that guy’s saying… his original world body weighs 150 kilograms – is that right?”
“Yes. What? Muscular? This isn’t a joke.”
No matter how he thought about it, it was absurd.
‘It wasn’t that his fists were too big to press keys, but because they were fat…’
Erik began discussing countermeasures with Jang Du-sik while trembling Nishida Ryo stood before them.
“For now, Ryo would be more efficient living in his current body.”
“His current body looks about 100 kilograms, so that’s right. Then who do you plan to test it on?”
Erik’s eyes scanned the remaining two possessors.
“Hiiek-! I-I want to stay as a woman…”
Swishing her sharp bob cut, Kang Pung-ho suddenly shouted.
Erik’s face contorted.
‘Is the possession standard being mentally ill?’
Most of those who possessed in recent years were problematic types.
‘Usually they get into trouble doing business.’
Whether it was doing delivery sales business called Rocket Delivery, or deceiving nobles claiming to make perpetual motion machines.
Or getting caught after establishing installment finance companies charging 100% interest…
Those were the minor cases.
‘Or they define people as NPCs and commit massacres.’
Like switching to black mage class and offering an entire village as sacrifice.
Or telling adventurers about game bugs in the labyrinth, interfering with labyrinth conquest.
Those were the major problems.
“Well, this is the first time I’ve seen someone who wants to live as a woman, isn’t it?”
Gender identity reversal was unprecedented.
“Du-sik, am I the strange one?”
“Boss, you’re unique… no, exceptional, and those guys are definitely the strange ones.”
A possessor who lies about his Earth body to show off, and now someone who wants to live in a woman’s body.
“Come to think of it, Kang Pung-ho, you lied about being a woman on Earth too.”
Forcing a test wouldn’t have much meaning anyway.
In a world dealing with mana, aura, and divine power, physical differences based on gender would be minimal.
‘Well, they’re not exactly heinous criminals.’
Now there’s only one left?
The moment Erik looked at Park Chang-ho who used twin rapiers.
“I’ll do it!”
Park Chang-ho energetically raised his hand.
Park Chang-ho had possessed a body with Barbarian blood from the Empire’s south.
It would be a decent body for close combat classes.
“Will you be alright?”
“Yes!”
Erik nodded and handed over the ticket.
‘I hope he won’t regret it unnecessarily…’
Though much smaller than Erik, it was definitely a physique that worked well in this world.
Park Chang-ho didn’t care and immediately took the ticket.
“I’ll tear it.”
Watching Park Chang-ho act swiftly without hesitation, Erik tilted his head.
‘Did his sixth sense activate?’
His unique trait was related to ‘intuition.’
Human ‘intuition‘ was a uniquely human domain that couldn’t be proven religiously or magically.
The skill that assisted this was [Sixth Sense].
‘Human intuition…’
It was an unremarkable skill in the game, but it would be very helpful in the real world.
While Erik was lost in thought.
Riiip.
Paaaat!
Park Chang-ho tore the ticket he was holding. Immediately, translucent blue light burst forth and surrounded him.
‘Like 3D modeling…’
It felt like creating a character with computer graphics.
Was it because of his connection with possessors?
Strange things he hadn’t seen in 15 years kept happening.
Erik had such thoughts.
Pop!
When the light subsided.
“Huh? Th-that’s a fencing gold medalist!”
Kang Pung-ho covered his mouth with both hands and jumped in surprise.
Jumping with legs together was somehow like a female idol’s reaction you’d see on variety shows, but his essence was a man named Kang Pung-ho.
Erik felt uncomfortable again.
Separately from that.
“There was a reason for your confidence.”
He admired Park Chang-ho’s true appearance.
“…Haha, I was somewhat famous.”
Park Chang-ho scratched his head with an embarrassed expression.
About 190cm tall.
Well-built, compressed muscles.
And a career as a national fencing team athlete.
‘Each aspect shows talent.’
He seemed more gifted than the half-barbarian body.
Erik’s eyes confirmed that Park Chang-ho’s body had the qualities to accept ‘aura.’
‘His Earth body changed like a local’s.’
It was an amazing discovery.
It felt like a message the world was conveying to him.
‘Guide the possessors and lead them on the right path.‘
Something like that perhaps…
Items like [Appearance Change Ticket] might have appeared as part of that.
The biggest reason possessors lived like trash was because they too had possessed complete strangers’ bodies.
It would certainly be a bewildering situation, and they couldn’t have attachment to a world with no connections.
If they gained their original bodies, wouldn’t they at least do fewer crazy things?
‘There’s some possibility.’
He felt like he’d unexpectedly become a Possessor Management Director and made an unexpected windfall.
Erik’s lips curved into an arc.
“Let me see your skills.”
***
“Huu…”
Park Chang-ho, a national fencing representative and gold medalist, had enjoyed using long rapier weapons in the game too.
Though different from fencing swords, the feeling was similar.
‘This is crazy.’
The awkward sensations from gaining his original body returned, and moreover, the game system and levels were inherited as well.
That didn’t mean he was ready to fight monsters though.
“Why are you just standing there?”
Erik led his party members deeper into the labyrinth’s first floor cave.
After winding through the serpentine cave for quite a while, Erik caught a goblin and brought it before the possessors.
“I-it’s my first time with a labyrinth monster…”
“There’s a first time for everything.”
Field monsters and labyrinth monsters differ in presence itself.
They’re bigger, more ferocious, and act more cunningly.
Where else would you see a 2-meter goblin if not in a labyrinth?
‘This is why the possessor seniors told us not to go to labyrinths.’
The goblin faced up close was terrifying.
Fortunately, Park Chang-ho wasn’t facing the goblin alone.
“Hiiek!“
Kang Pung-ho hid in a cave crevice, terrified, while Nishida Ryo waddled around, not knowing what to do.
‘Damn…’
Maybe Erik with his monstrous force would help?
Park Chang-ho glanced back slightly.
“I’ll just watch.”
With arms crossed, Erik was far away.
He couldn’t even sense when he’d moved, not feeling his presence at all.
Park Chang-ho looked to half-shaved Jang Du-sik as a last resort.
He was next to Erik.
“Well, this should be interesting. Watching weaklings fight is always the most fun, right?”
Tapping his shoulder with a club while saying this, there was no sign he’d help.
Grrrrowl.
The goblin Erik had subdued with a flick came to its senses.
The disappeared intimidation arose again.
“Urk!“
It pressed down on the three possessors.
The sight of a giant goblin over 2 meters tall drooling as it approached was truly terrifying.
Maybe if he ran backward, Erik would help?
While having such thoughts.
Kiiing!
A clear resonance rang out and a divine barrier spread behind the possessors.
The barrier holding brilliant light would prevent any demon from entering.
However, the problem was…
‘If I go there, I’ll evaporate immediately.’
Divine power is poison to possessors.
Such majestic light would certainly be poison equivalent to instant death.
“L-let’s do this among ourselves!”
Park Chang-ho, who was level 29, shouted energetically to his teammates.
“…B-bow…”
Kang Pung-ho tremblingly placed an arrow on the bowstring.
“Damn.”
Nishida Ryo also raised his shield while trembling.
They moved because they too saw the divine barrier spread behind them.
Fighting monsters was better than burning to death.
“Phuu.“
Park Chang-ho also sighed and held rapiers in both hands.
A first floor labyrinth goblin.
In the game, it was a pathetic monster that could be massacred.
“It’s appropriate level 30, so everyone stay sharp!”
Reality was different.
From the start, it was a difficulty equivalent to the game’s middle layers.
“Let’s go!”
Battle began.
Piiing. Pyuu!
When level 1 Kang Pung-ho released the bowstring, an arrow flew toward the goblin.
Ting. The arrowhead bounced off the skin and fell helplessly to the ground.
Grrrowl.
The goblin brushed off the shoulder where the arrow hit and charged straight at Kang Pung-ho.
That’s when it happened.
“Hwaaaaap!“
Nishida Ryo thrust his shield at the goblin with a waddling gait.
Level 20 Nishida Ryo wasn’t threatening to the goblin.
The goblin intended to tear off Kang Pung-ho’s bob cut.
However, the goblin had to move against its will.
Grrrowl?
Red light rippled over Ryo’s shield, and the goblin was captivated by Ryo’s glowing red shield.
The [Taunt] skill activated.
A brief gap appeared.
Among the three possessors, only Park Chang-ho could deal effective damage.
Ting! Ting! Tang!
He used [Air Step] skill to demonstrate three-dimensional movement, stepping on cave walls and air.
Lunging forward, he imbued a [Sword Aura] on his pair of rapiers.
Puk! Pupuk! Puk!
In an instant, he stabbed the goblin’s nape four times.
Park Chang-ho, lacking level for second job advancement, had no skills for dual weapons.
‘Impressive.’
Yet the fencer’s body and experience, plus over a year of real combat in this world, made Park Chang-ho’s movements skill-like.
‘Like a personal skill.’
Erik was genuinely impressed.
Craaack!!!
Four holes were pierced in the goblin’s neck.
Blood gushed then quickly stopped.
Long, thin rapiers couldn’t be efficient for killing large monsters.
Naturally, the goblin became furious and tried to strike down Park Chang-ho.
Boooom!
“Hic!“
Suddenly, the goblin’s head exploded right in front of Park Chang-ho.
Golden smoke rising made it obvious Erik had intervened.
‘Was he bored?’
Did he judge them useless?
Ominous thoughts filled his mind.
Erik was the monster paladin who burned the imperial body.
“…W-we could have…”
“You would have killed it eventually. Though it might have taken an hour or two.”
Park Chang-ho opened his mouth hoping for a chance, but Erik cut him off.
“Still, I’ve confirmed the possessors’ utility. It’s possible to raise you and conquer the labyrinth.”
Erik withdrew the barrier in the cave and strode toward the possessors.
“That status window thing would have many uses too.”
Erik’s eyes observed the relationship between possessors’ status windows and skill activation.
‘My rag-like status window…’
Erik’s status window was tattered like paper slashed with a sword.
Some text was erased, or the [System Shop] button was half cut off.
‘This might work…?’
The status window was created by incomprehensible power, but things changed somewhat after gaining 3rd tier divine power.
From observing the possessors’ status windows, he got a feeling.
Now he could repair at least part of his status window.
“Everyone step back.”
Erik sat in a formal seiza position on the ground, leaning against the cave wall.
‘Miracle.’
Having seen and felt how others’ status windows operated, he could reproduce the inadequate parts using divine power.
Kiing!
Brilliant light bloomed above where Erik sat.
Everyone’s attention was drawn to the brilliant divine light blooming in the dark labyrinth cave.
“G-go far away if you don’t want to melt.”
Jang Du-sik kept his wits and moved the possessors far away.
“We offer this.“
Roughly recited prayer was heard and Erik sank deeper into the divine world.
[Using 10,000 gold to fill divine power to Max.]
[Using 10,000 gold to fill divine power to Max.]
[Using 10,000 gold to fill divine power to Max.]
.
.
.
‘Please…’
Consumption and recharging repeated countless times.
At this rate, wouldn’t the labyrinth be purified?
Such brilliant divine power spectacle continued long enough for this thought.
‘Come on-!‘
Just before his emergency funds in inventory were depleted.
The [Profession-Exclusive Shop] Erik so desired finally appeared.
“Ah, finally.”
The status window visible to Erik changed.
Though still rag-like and slashed.
[System Shop]
[Profession-Exclusive Shop]
One line was added below.
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