Chapter 14
Cold sweat ran down along his jaw. His eyes trembled as they took in the scene inside the room.
Furniture had been twisted and torn apart beyond recognition. On top of them, white, long, snake-like things writhed.
Each time those thin lines undulated, ninety-nine upside-down crosses hanging from their ends swayed in unison.
And there—on what should have been a window—countless hands were stuck densely together, while beyond them, eight red eyes stared down at him.
At the ominous sight burned into his vision, his breath caught in his throat. His thoughts stuttered; his body stiffened. His palms were damp.
“…Why did it turn out like this?”
In the original scenario, Deus was supposed to be the one who set a trap and escaped.
In Mirabilis, he was meant to casually introduce this room as something harmless, put David in danger, and leave alone.
After that, he would only occasionally appear, indirectly guide the way, and deliver bits of backstory.
But this—this was not in the script.
The unexpected development left him completely disoriented. He couldn’t process the situation.
Still, there was no choice but to respond.
“…I can’t die here!”
Gathering what little rationality he had left, he scratched the ferret frozen on his head to snap it back to attention, then bolted to one side.
Some might say he should have rescued the person first, but in games like this, following the correct sequence of actions mattered.
Without taking his eyes off the massive monster, he kicked off the hard floor. He opened a half-destroyed cabinet and pulled out a note.
[✟ nbƨᴉqԍ-qoʍu cʁoƨƨ 66 pԍϝʍԍԍu ✟]
[✟ Find: 1 authentic cross! ✟]
He knew this.
If you flipped and reversed the text—well, anyway—
“between 99 upside-down cross / Find: 1 authentic cross!”
It became this.
Meaning?
“…I know it! Find the real cross among ninety-nine upside-down ones.”
Then—
[Do you need a hint?]
▷ Yes
▷ No
Choosing Yes would reduce mental stamina here… so what was the answer?
Obviously, there was only one correct choice.
▶ No
[Gr-eat!]
He tossed the note aside and quickly scanned the room.
If he already knew the location of the crosses, it would have been easy. Unfortunately, the real cross changed position every time.
The moment he tried to approach the writhing cluster of crosses—
crack-crack-crack-crack-crack-crack…
“Ahhh—! Damn it! Ah!”
Something pale and fleshy rushed to grab his ankle. He jerked back in shock, and sharp fingernails scraped the floor.
Detached arms crawled along the ground, moving like insects with fingers raised like legs. It was deeply unsettling.
This was the “legs” of the Spider Puppeteer.
If caught, you would be torn apart by eight hands.
In-game, the pixel-art stylization made it tolerable—but seeing it in reality brought tears to his eyes.
Still, it gave him motivation.
Being caught meant death, but more than that, being caught by that was unbearable. He had to avoid it.
Dodging the approaching hands, he ran wildly. The surrounding limbs adjusted their movement in response.
A top-tier adaptive mechanic—he almost cried at how well it responded.
Thinking about it in gameplay was fine, but experiencing it physically was exhausting.
“…How am I supposed to find the cross like this… and Deus too!”
At that moment—
“…Wanderer!”
“Huh—?!”
“They don’t see me? They’re only chasing you?”
The genius ferret, Professor Fe, delivered very good news.
Wide-eyed, he grabbed the ferret and shook it—“Don’t talk nonsense, you brat!”—to confirm.
But it was true. The hands continued pursuing only him.
He quickly put the ferret down.
“…Peper! You know crosses?”
“Cross? A fruit?”
“No, not that—like a plus sign! No, that thing over there!”
“Mm-hmm!”
“Find the one that’s upside down compared to the others! Just one!”
“Got it!”
Professor Fe sprinted off at high speed.
He was indeed a ruler of villages.
Unbothered by spider webs or crawling hands, he stomped them down like a mustached mushroom-loving old man from a red cap story, and began searching efficiently.
Meanwhile, the protagonist kept dodging writhing spider-limbs.
thud.
crack-crack-crack…
He moved steadily toward Deus.
Time limit: 07:21
crack-crack…
Time limit: 06:11
crack…
Time limit: 04:44
Dragging himself across the battlefield of crawling severed hands, he looked toward Deus.
Deus was still being restrained, motionless, almost doll-like.
But behind him—
Where the window should have been, a giant presence stared through eight blood-red eyes.
Below them, a mouth filled with rows of sharp teeth.
Even imagining a single bite meant death.
He couldn’t leave it like this.
He ran, using David’s leg muscles to their limit.
Then—
tick.
Time limit: 04:31
Time limit: 03:29
Time limit: 03:19…
And at that moment—
“Found it!”
Professor Fe leapt into the air holding a cross as large as his own body.
Dodging the closing hands, he signaled urgently.
Fe ran over immediately, somehow understanding the chaotic gesture.
After placing Fe on his shoulder, he jumped over another hand.
click—shhh.
He opened a bottle of “Abandoned Holy Water.”
This was the intended method of defeating the boss.
Dodge attacks, obtain a true cross, then throw it into its mouth while praying.
But he couldn’t rely on prayer—he wasn’t a real holy knight.
So he needed an adjustment.
Holding the cross Fe retrieved, he shouted:
“Hold on tight, Peper!”
“I got it!”
He looked directly at the spider’s mouth.
Honestly, it was disgusting.
Terrifying. Revolting.
But—
‘I have to.’
He had to.
To survive.
“…Not just me. Everyone.”
He approached the mouth.
The spider’s jaws opened and closed like a broken automatic door.
Too erratic to throw accurately.
So—
Closer.
Even closer.
Until the teeth and eight red eyes filled his vision.
He kicked away incoming limbs and leapt.
Time limit: 01:00
Time limit: 00:59
ding!
The spider’s eyes shifted into text—
WHEN
THE TIME
RUNS OUT
ding!
WHAT
WILL
HAPPEN?
But—
“I’m there!”
Five steps left.
Time limit: 00:22
Four steps.
Time limit: 00:19
Three.
Two.
One!
Time limit: 00:12
Right in front of the mouth.
A pounding pulse filled his ears.
He coated the cross with holy water and prepared to throw.
Just a tiny distance remained.
And then—
thud.
A cold hand grabbed him.
A chilling sensation pierced his bones, yet strangely gentle.
Before he could process it, something brushed his neck.
A thin fabric settled over his shoulder, swaying softly.
‘Don’t tell me…’
The realization struck.
Time limit: 00:07
“…Wanderer!”
clamp.
“?!”
Two pale hands grabbed him.
His neck was seized, his arm twisted. With overwhelming force, he was lifted and slammed against the window frame.
The sound around him vanished, replaced only by a rapid heartbeat.
“Ah! Wanderer!”
“Get off me!”
He shook off Fe in panic—but couldn’t focus.
His vision spun. His tongue stiffened.
Thoughts looped.
What, what do I do, what is this, what is happening—
Hands? Or something else?
If not that, then…
‘Deus… escaped somehow…?’
How did he grab me?
And the remaining time—
Time limit: 00:04
The spider’s eight eyes.
And in front of him—
A maw filled with teeth.
Opening.
Closing.
Closing.
Opening.
And in between—
Why was his head—
Time limit: 00:03
Time limit: 00:02
Time limit: 00:01
▼▼▼▼
●
▲▲▲▲
Time limit: 00:00
▼▼▼▼
▲▲▲▲
CRACK—!!!
Return Point (Save Point)
“You’re always afraid when trying something new.”
He stared blankly at his left arm, where one of the three carved crosses had turned into two.
He couldn’t hear properly. His mind was numb.
It felt as if his lungs were filled with blood. His breath wouldn’t come right. Everything tasted foul. His body trembled with chills.
He touched his pale face, his stiff shoulders, trembling arms, hands—and finally his head.
The person in front of him watched with shining eyes.
Unbothered, he rolled his deep violet gaze.
Dark purple eyes met his.
His head tilted.
Black hair swayed in the air, covering the clothes he wore.
The head bent.
Like a doll mounted on a hinge—
snap!
It twisted.
And then—
A voice so gentle it felt like it would melt the ears declared:
“I’ll… help you a lot too?”
