[You have been haunted]

The notification came abruptly, and yet, staring at it, I felt nothing. This notification didn't come as a surprise to me. In fact, there was still one anomaly that was currently 'hunting' me down and had yet to make a move.

I was more worried about that than this new notification.

'With everything that has gone down recently, this shouldn't be surprising. It might be something or someone related to the other demons.'

I knew that the cult wasn't the end of it.

In fact, it was very likely just the start of it.

From the Ars Goetia to the Unholy Trinity. I was deeply aware of the hidden depths of the world and that the system was somehow linked to it.

That begged the question...

Was the system against the demons, or... was the system part of the demons?

My breath turned shallow upon reaching that point; however, I was quick to curb my unease as I leaned back against the chair and let my mind relax. Just the thought of what lay ahead of me made my stomach churn, but as opposed to the past, I no longer held the same fear.

"...I can manage it."

Whatever it was, I could manage it.

All I needed to do was focus on what I could manage.

I needed to be more proactive.

I needed to get rid of problems before they truly became problems.

"So let's start by getting rid of this thing."

Reaching into my pocket, I took out a compass. Holding the compass tightly, I thought about the anomaly that was hunting me.

'Bring me to it.'

There were two who had set their target on me. I didn't care which one it was; I needed it to bring me to whatever one was closest.

Clenching and unclenching my hand, I slowly began to activate my nodes as I stood up from the seat.

"...It's about time I started to test this body properly."

I had taken the emblance shards. My mind was a lot clearer than it had been in the past, and having already requested the Guild Master with more fragments, it wouldn't be long until I reached the Fourth Order.

Not even a second after I stood up, the compass began to spin rapidly, moving in all sorts of directions. I stood in silence, waiting for the compass to stop eventually. Thankfully, I didn't need to wait long to see a result, and the tip soon stopped.

"I see."

I didn't hesitate.

Holding onto the compass, I began to follow the direction of the tip.

Subconsciously, I had already started moving toward the door, expecting the anomaly to be somewhere farther away. But the moment I turned in the direction indicated by the tip, my heart came to a stop, my movements freezing as my head slowly turned back.

Back... towards my desk.

"...."

Tightening my grip on the compass, I didn't let the situation take hold of my mind.

My nodes began to churn quietly as I kept my gaze fixed on the desk. There was no reason to panic yet. I scanned it carefully, searching for anything out of place. But as my eyes moved across the wooden surface, I found nothing that seemed amiss.

Step—!

Drawing nearer, I kept my entire body tense, my eyes continuing to scan the surroundings as I tried to pick anything out of place.

But...

'Nothing?'

I didn't let my guard down.

Moving next to the table, I stared at the drawers. Holding onto the compass and bringing it closer to it, the compass began to spin in all directions.

"...So it's here."

Nodding, I put the compass away before tapping the floor with the sole of my foot.

A dark figure began to emerge as I pointed at the drawer.

"Help me check if there's anything inside."

"....."

The figure didn't move. Instead, it just stared at me in silence.

I averted my gaze slightly, pretending to be oblivious to the Realmwalker's gaze.

But...

Instead of listening to my order, the Realmwalker took a step towards me and tilted its head, trying to get me to face its gaze.

"....."

I averted my gaze further, but the Realmwalker tilted his head further, peering closer and closer to my face before eventually meeting my gaze head-on as I pursed my lips.

"I'm not using you as a meat shield."

"....."

"I'm only asking you to check something for me. There's nothing dangerous about checking a drawer, right?"

"....."

"Look, my death would mean your death..."

"..."

Under the Realmwalker's pressuring gaze, my voice grew weaker and weaker, not out of fear, but from a growing sense of shame.

"You're not a meatshield, okay? You're much more valuable to me than that."

"....."

This persisted until I just decided to give up and chose to remain silent. The Realmwaker's gaze never changed, and feeling it, I knew that I had to sort this situation out.

'I have a feeling that he might start an anomaly union soon enough.'

I couldn't allow for something like that to happen.

Not on my watch.

"Are you not going to check?"

"....."

Giving me one last dirty look, the Realmwaker finally complied and moved toward the drawer, opening it without hesitation. Throughout the entire process, my body stayed tense, every muscle coiled and ready, prepared to react to anything that might spring out at any second.

Clank!

But contrary to the dramatic outcome I had braced myself for, nothing came out of the drawer. There was no sudden hiss, no grotesque creature, no invisible force lunging for my throat.

Just silence.

Instead, a shiny object appeared.

"Hm?"

Confused, I took a step forward, and when I finally caught a glimpse of the object, question marks appeared on top of my head.

"A meat grinder? What...?"

The object's randomness caught me completely off guard. However, it became clear to me that this was the anomaly that was haunting me, or at least, was related to the anomaly. Pushing all other thoughts aside, I moved closer to the meat grinder, and it was when I drew close enough for it to be at arm's length from me that a new notification flashed across my vision.

[Do you wish to start the grinder?]

▶ [Yes] ▷ [No]

It was a notification that felt vaguely familiar.

"....Ah!"

Everything became a lot clearer to me a short moment later.

'Isn't this like the Hourglass from before?'

Yes, this... was very similar to it.

"In that case, if I turn it on, I'll very likely be brought into a Gate. Most likely, I'll be brought into the same gate where the anomaly that is haunting me is located. And for the object to be here of all places..."

It was very likely the system's doing. Just like last time, it was likely trying to 'help' me.

In that case...

"It would be rude of me to refuse."

I dropped all hesitation and pressed [Yes]. Unbeknownst to me, in the brief moment my hand moved to press the button, I caught a glimpse of my own reflection on the shiny body of the machine, and it was there that I noticed something peculiar about my expression.

'I'm smiling?'

Smiling?

I was smiling?

For what reason...? Why was I smiling?

"He.... He."

Was the idea of hunting an anomaly that amusing?

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