Chapter 11
<Mirabilis> Entry! (2)
map #002. Unknown Cathedral
A massive cathedral that feels as if it has existed for countless ages. An inexplicable sense of dread rises.
▷ Enter.
▷ Do not enter.
Here—once.
▶ Enter.
map #003. Great Unknown Cathedral
A massive cathedral that feels as if it has existed for countless ages. An inexplicable sense of dread fills the space. Grotesque noises echo throughout the area.
▷ Enter.
▷ Do not enter.
Once again.
▶ Enter.
“Then……”
BEEEEEEP—!
“Ugh…!”
A piercing noise rang through my head. I wanted to cover my ears, but I couldn’t. It felt as if something was restricting my actions.
Holding my forehead, I glared at the cathedral and waited for the next prompt.
And then—
map #00死. The Corridor Connecting □□ and □□
A space where □□ beings of a horrifying □ world live and breathe. David, are you really trying to enter such a place in that form? Is this truly your will? Or—don’t come!
▷ Must enter.
▷ Of course enter.
▷ W E L C O M E ! !
“…Pick number three and you die. Probably crushed by a falling angel statue or something.”
A Tsukkomi-style horror game world with zero mercy or context for death.
The answer was already decided. I just had to press it.
▶ Of course enter.
And then—
Creeeeak…
Somewhere, a metallic groan echoed. The angel statue slightly turned its head and looked at me.
The stone figure moved like a human. My shoulders flinched, but the angel ignored me completely. Its red eyes briefly glowed, then returned to normal.
“…This wasn’t nearly this scary when I played it as a game.”
As expected, everything is comedy when viewed from far away.
The ferret hanging around my neck…
Wait.
‘What do I even call this guy?’
I asked.
“Hey, do you have a name?”
“Nope. Pick one.”
“…Any requirements?”
“Something dignified. Cool. Something that feels like a ruler of a village. Powerful. Also kinda long.”
“Then how about ‘Park Majesty’?”
“Say that again and you die.”
This ferret is sharp-tongued. Did the village head teach him that?
No matter how I thought about it, nothing suitable came to mind.
Everyone here—David, Peritas, the others—all had names like that. I’m Korean, so all I could think of were Korean-style names.
‘Even my game nicknames were stuff like <I Want To Quit My Shitty Job>, <Cheaters Suffer Three Generations>, or “name1234”…’
After thinking for a while, I spoke the name of the strongest being in this world.
“How about Min Hana?”
“Not bad. But anything better?”
This guy even rejects the game developer’s name.
Fine, I had more candidates.
“How about SFS Soft?”
“Strange combination of letters.”
Rejected.
“How about Ham Tuna Kimchi Stew?”
“Not sure what that is, but… are you insane? You want to die?”
My favorite food—rejected.
“How about PokéSmith or Peritassu?”
“Wait, I’ve heard that somewhere…”
Even plagiarism failed.
“Park Minsoo, Park Cheolsu, Park Minji, Park Minju.”
“Still bad. Try harder!”
The negotiation continued, but he refused every option.
He sat on my shoulder like a stern hiring manager—or more like a lazy team leader on vacation shouting, “Park manager, again!”
‘You told me to pick it, didn’t you? What do you even want?’
For a moment, I remembered a design team colleague answering a phone:
“Something fresh but elegant, modern yet refined… yes… yes… by 3 PM…”
So this is what that feels like.
After a long struggle, I finally gave up.
“Then… how about Persha Einstein Napoleon Philadelphia Parade the First?”
I rattled off every foreign-sounding word I could think of.
And this foolish ferret—
“Finally, something proper. Very dignified. Good.”
He accepted it immediately, fooled by the long and impressive-sounding name.
He had no idea it contained a physicist, a Roman emperor, and a cheesecake brand festival.
Satisfied, I nodded inwardly.
‘This idiot ferret. So easy to trick.’
Still, it was too long to say.
“So let’s shorten it to Pepper.”
“Hm. Loses dignity.”
“Noble names are meant to be spoken less often.”
“…Makes sense.”
Thus, “Pepper” was finalized.
I gently petted Pepper, calming my nerves, and stepped into the cathedral.
Creeeak—
Clang!
Even though the door didn’t close, it sounded like iron bars were sealing shut. I turned back quickly, but nothing had changed.
Still, it felt like something unseen had trapped me inside.
‘Stay alert.’
Reality was merciless.
Adapting quickly was essential.
I shook off my thoughts and moved deeper inside.
The first destination was the central building.
Stone paths stretched forward. What looked neat from afar was cracked and broken up close.
Stepping carefully on intact tiles, I advanced toward the largest structure.
The closer I got, the heavier the discomfort grew.
The sound of insects crawling filled my ears. The wind whispered like voices. My instincts screamed danger.
Turn back immediately.
But I kept walking.
10 meters.
5 meters.
Tap!
Step…
3 meters.
2 meters.
1 meter—close enough that if I fell, I would touch it.
Creeeak—
With a terrifying sound, the cathedral door opened.
A tall man stepped out silently, wearing a black cassock with a church emblem.
Pale skin from lack of sunlight. Thin, but tall. Snake-like impression… yet strangely similar to David, with purple eyes.
I stopped.
He didn’t feel particularly frightening.
He looked weak—more like a scholar who belongs with a Bible and a cross than a sword or shield.
But something was wrong.
‘His eyes… they’re empty.’
Unlike Peritas, there was no sign of self-awareness.
‘Is he even human? Or just a doll?’
As I wondered, he slowly turned toward me.
The moment our eyes met, I felt a strong urge to look away.
But—
My mouth moved on its own.
[“Brother? You were here? Not at another branch?”]
A chill ran down my spine.
Then his lips moved—
[“David? …Are you David?”]
And then—
A smile.
A pure, bright smile, completely unlike the lifeless expression he had just had.
[“My little brother!”]
He rushed forward and hugged me.
“Hey—what—this is weird!”
Pepper jumped onto my head, stepping all over it, but I had no time to react.
My expression stiffened. My eyes shifted. My forced smile hurt.
And then—
Ding.
A sound.
[Chapter 1-1: The Beginning of Tragedy (With Desiderius)]
[My twin brother, Desiderius. Called Deus for short.]
[He was raised under the same teachings of the church, but unlike me, he never trained as a knight nor lived in the capital.]
[Yet he is said to be the bishop in charge of this place.]
[That was strange.]
[This cathedral is not registered with the Order, and I heard he serves as a bishop elsewhere.]
[Still… it’s too early to assume anything.]
[He must have his reasons.]
▷ Talk a little more.
▶ Talk a little more.
[“I’m glad to see you. But… why are you here?”]
I had confidently entered the story, expecting nothing immediate to happen.
‘Deus is just the tutorial NPC anyway.’
<Mirabilis> is a game where characters who are kind at first inevitably betray you later.
So naturally, the beginning is safe.
As long as I avoid the point just before the betrayal, I’m fine.
Or so I thought.
“Shall we try again?”
Deus gently patted my shoulder.
The ferret on my head screamed:
“Hey! Do it properly!”
I sighed and held the rosary as instructed.
“…Deliver me from temptation and danger.”
Nothing happened.
No holy light. No change.
The sacred water mechanic from the game was supposed to activate here—turning water into “holy water” through prayer with Deus.
But it didn’t work.
Not at all.
Sweat poured down my back.
A thought formed.
‘Is this because I’m an atheist modern person…?’
The suspicion turned into certainty.
I mentally called every deity I knew.
But nothing changed.
Tears welled up.
And Deus, still smiling gently, said:
“Let’s try once more. It’s okay. You can do it.”
My heart sank.
