Earth’s Doom Starts with… Me?

Chapter 33: Claim one of the cardinal thrones (1)

"Don't worry about that, dear. We have a top-notch flushable bidet toilet with a shower here." She chuckled at me with her low, enticing voice.

"You really do!?" I exclaimed in surprise.

Oh my god, would I finally feel the luxury of a bidet toilet here? After all this time?

"Of course, dear... Just, not exactly here." She smirked.

"Then where? Can I please come?" My eyes twinkled like a child's eyes when they got their favorite candy.

"Oh, you will come with me whether you like it or not."

Jackpot!

"Um, could you please unshackle me, though?" I turned around and waved my handcuffed wrists at her.

"I believe you can do it yourself," she pointed her finger at my wrists, "go on, try to turn your wrists and slowly wriggle them out."

"Really?" I did as she told, and it worked like a charm. Even though it was a bit difficult, but with a little maneuver, I could get through it.

"It seems that general Zhang is quite fond of you."

Oh, so that eel purposely loosened it up for me. But why? Was he that confident that I couldn't resist, or...?

'Click!'

She inserted a key into the cell's lock, and opened the door for me.

"Come, follow me."

--------

We walked for a while along the long hallway, with the light from the lanterns as our only guide.

"Miss, can I get your name?" I asked while I walked behind her.

"Ah, right. Where are my manners. You can call me Elena. Or you can call me mommy, special just for you." She winked at me.

"Wow, you are spicy, Elena." I laughed.

"Don't be shy. After all, we'll be spending a lot of time together, in my room." She smirked.

"Your room?"

"Yes. we're here."

We arrived at a dead-end with nothing in sight. Just a plain brick wall with dim lighting.

"...Are we going there with magic or something?" I asked her.

"Correct." She chuckled.

Ah, yes. Convenient magic. Every time.

She chanted some weird stuff and a magic circle appeared over her extended arm. Then, the walls around us shook with such force that I almost fell.

In no less than a minute, the brick walls around us were pushed backwards, creating a larger space. Not stopping at that, the brick transformed into a luxurious-looking wallpaper, and the room around us completely changed. It was now kind of like one of those 5-stars hotel rooms I've seen in movies.

"The hell? Was that also magic!?" I was bewildered.

"Correct again," she chuckled, "but probably not the kind of magic you're thinking of."

"What kind of magic, then?" I tilted my head.

She smiled upon hearing my question, and held up 5 fingers in front of me.

"Illusion magic," she said as her fingers became 6, and then 7, "I am a Monad-type. I can do lots of tricks using my illusion."

"So we've been in your room this whole time? The prison was a lie?" I asked.

"Well, yes, we've been in my room this whole time, but at the same time, we haven't." She said as she walked over to her fridge.

I followed her to the fridge to take a peek. And oh my, her fridge was full of fruits and beer. So healthy, but so unhealthy at the same time...

"You see, that prison actually exists, but at the same time, it doesn't." She tossed me an orange.

"Stop talking all cryptic to me. I have a small brain." I caught the orange and just stared at it.

"When someone, like you for example, is under the influence of illusion, the illusion becomes their reality, but only theirs." She took out a bottle of beer and started chugging.

"Ah, I think I kinda understand. So if you didn't undo the magic, or if I wasn't able to realize it myself, the prison would be a real prison to me even though it doesn't even exist in the first place, right?"

"Correct. I love a smart kid like you." She sat down on a fluffy couch.

"Wow, so a normal prison break by digging a tunnel with a spoon won't work." I placed the orange back on her hands.

"That's exactly why I'm the best warden here. Out of hundreds of special prisoners I've watched over, only one has managed to escape." She chugged her beer again.

"Oof, Elena, you're quite a heavy drinker, aren't you? And who's that one person?" I asked.

"Of course, beer is my life!" She laughed and raised her bottle of beer into the air, "also, you wouldn't want to know more about him."

So it was a male. I wonder who he was and where he went. Still, I wouldn't dare ask too much. She had warned me before.

"By the way, you don't like oranges?" She waved the orange around.

"I do like them, but--"

"Oh, do you want mommy to peel it for youuu~?" She teased me.

"N-no, it's just, it might be poisoned, you know?" I shook my head furiously.

"Smart girl." She peeled the orange and ate a piece before tossing the rest of it at me again.

"I don't need poison to kill you, though." Elena said as she licked her finger that touched the orange.

"That's true. Thank you, then." I popped the orange slice into my mouth, and I unconsciously smiled in delight. Man, sweet food was the best. I felt like I was melting from its juice and pulp. Finally, some good fucking food.

"Do you want some beer?" She asked me with a scheming smile.

"No, I don't drink, but thank you." I popped another orange slice into my mouth.

"Have some iced tea, then." She pointed at a glass of iced tea on the kitchen countertop.

"...What are you trying to pull? There's no way that a random glass of iced tea is just conveniently sitting there, at the right timing, ready to be served." I frowned.

"So cautious. Just like what general Zhang said," she chuckled, "take it."

"Do I have a choice?" I asked while still munching on my precious orange.

"Not really."

I sighed and took a step towards the kitchen.

'Swish!'

A blade suddenly appeared in front of my face, preventing me from going any further.

"What's this? You told me to go take the tea. Is this some weird code?" I turned around to ask her. I felt like one of those 'what's wrong? nothing' victim.

"It seems that you've misunderstood," she smirked, "take it, but don't move an inch from where you're at."

"...Did you hit your head?" I was legit confused.

"Kid, don't you think it's weird how a warden like me gets to have a secret private room?" She asked.

"Well, will you tell me if I ask?" I remarked back.

"Snarky," she chuckled, "I have another job aside from being a warden."

"A mommy?" I asked, sarcastically.

"Well, that one, too, I guess." She laughed at me.

A glint appeared on her eyes, "my main job is a researcher. To be specific, I research about magic."

I stayed silent and waited for her to finish her story.

"I've known about fusing way before you came here. And I know what effects fusing can have on one's body." She continued.

"Nice?" I was confused about how I should react. She told me not to ask questions, yet at the same time, she kept on dropping random info.

"Try to feel your mana. Don't you feel like you've gained another power?"

"...Okay."

I said okay, but I wasn't going to waste my time tuning in with my mana and such. I just opened my skill window.

[Skill: (Yoo Chaerin)]

[Fighting dirty: increases all stats by 3 when facing a stronger opponent]

[Eagle's eye: reveals enemy's weak points if requirements are met (must only be a monster-type enemy, must know its stats, must look at enemy's eyes)]

[Animal's beloved (passive): increases animal's affection towards you]

[The mentalist: enables you to send a message to someone's head discreetly, but you can't get a message back (effective range: 1 km)]

[Psychokinesis (passive): allows you to move objects according to your will. The maximum range and weight depend on your mana)]

[Blessing from the God of ********: allows user to access quest system]

Wait.

This skill...

I could use psychokinesis!?