Chapter 699: Fifth Order [3]
The Guild Master wasn’t perfect.
He had his flaws.
But if there was one thing I couldn’t complain about, it was the man’s efficiency. He truly knew how to get things done quickly.
It took no more than ten minutes for all the items to show up in my office.
It was done with such speed that I couldn’t help but marvel at his efficiency.
"Then again, me getting stronger is for his benefit too."
He wasn’t doing this out of the kindness of his heart. But since it benefits me as well, who was I to complain?
Taking the box and placing it on my desk, I sorted through all the items inside. All the fragments were present, along with a small brown box.
’That’s probably the reagent.’
I didn’t touch it just yet.
There was something else I needed to take care of first.
"Isn’t that right?"
My monitor flickered in agreement.
Smiling, I reached for the first fragment and pressed [Yes] the moment a notification window appeared. A familiar scene unfolded as the lights above flickered alongside the monitor, the attribute vanishing directly into it.
Illusionist: 24/80.
Illusionist: 40/80.
Illusionist: 60/80.
Illusionist: 80/80.
The instant all the fragments were collected, a change began to occur.
The lights and monitors stopped flickering at once. A strange and eerie atmosphere settled over the room, but it lasted only a few seconds before...
BANG!
The monitor in front of me exploded.
"——!"
I was startled, but this was merely the start.
BANG! BANG!
After the monitor, the lights above me shattered. In an instant, the room was plunged into darkness, the sudden silence making the darkness feel even heavier. I quickly took out my phone to get some light, but the moment I did, even that shattered, the faint glow disappearing before it could properly illuminate the room.
"No, not my phone!!"
I didn’t even get to mourn my phone before the silence around me grew thicker.
Thick enough to make my chest feel heavy.
For the next few seconds, silence followed.
Until──
Flick!
The screen before me flickered to life, the numerous cracks revealing the twisted form of what was now my desktop screen.
Then──
Ta! Ta! Ta! Ta! Ta~
A melody came from the screen as fragmented pieces of a cartoon appeared across it. In the cartoon, I saw several houses alongside a certain clown who stared at me with its wide red lips, waving its hand.
It continued to smile, waving at me.
It didn’t blink.
I stood where I was, taking in the sight.
Until...
Flick!
Everything went dark, and a notification appeared before my eyes.
─────
Ranked Anomalous Entity - Sir. Jingles
[Description]
: Once a stolen cartoon left to rot in reruns, Mr. Jingles has shed the role drawn for him. He is no longer a character performing for an audience. He is the one who decides what the audience does.
Loyalty : 58--> 63 [+5] (....)
Skills :
[Mr. Jingles Says~]
Any command prefaced by his name compels obedience. The depth of the compulsion is determined by how many of his anchors the target has registered.
[Anchors]
Usage of physical objects to infiltrate the mind of anyone who sees them. Each object noticed by a target pries their mind further open. Requires time to set up.
[Signal Intrusion]
: Mr. Jingles may manifest through any screen and interface with
electrical systems, suppressing cameras and communications for a
short duration.
[Happy fun world~]
: Mr. Jingles now has his own little world! Anyone who sees it can be dragged inside. Be careful not to stare for too long.
Illusionist: 0/160
Essence [Illusionist]: 0/20
─────
"...."
I had no words.
Staring at Mr. Jingles—No, Sir. Jingles’s new panel, I really had no words.
"Happy fun world...’
I thought about the video I’d just seen, recalling the time I’d spent at the orphanage. Reading through the list, I felt something stir within me. Just as I was about to investigate further, however, the screen flickered back to life, and the scattered face of the clown appeared before my eyes.
My heart skipped a beat at the sight, and just as I was about to say something, something reached out from the screen and pulled me inside.
"——!"
I didn’t even have the chance to react.
Before I knew it, color returned to my vision. Everything was vibrant, tinged with a faint yellow hue as I dropped to the ground. The texture beneath me felt exactly like real ground, yet everything around me had been transformed into a cartoon.
When I looked up, I was greeted by the sight of a small two-story house, a street, vibrant green grass, and the sun above, pulsing in and out. Everything around me was cartoonish in nature, and when I looked around, I spotted the clown.
It stood by the window, staring at me from the other side, its horn squeaking softly.
I swallowed, turning away from the clown and looking in the opposite direction.
The moment I did, my heart paused.
A large square appeared before me. Its surface was riddled with cracks, but through the other side, I could see my chair and the wall behind it. The room was dark, but I could still make out the details thanks to the light coming from the screen.
"Ah..."
I didn’t even know when, but I took a step forward before I knew it.
I walked closer and closer to the screen until I reached out through it, my hand seemingly enlarging as it emerged from the screen. I moved it left and right, having no trouble at all controlling it. I was even able to grab the box and pull it back through the screen.
"So it’s like another world?"
I looked at the items in my grasp. The moment they entered, they had all become cartoonish. From the fragments to the wooden box, everything had been transformed.
"...And I can pull things from the real world into this world?"
Tap. Tap.
Feeling several taps on my shoulder, I looked back to see Sir Jingles standing behind me. In his hand, I saw him holding a CD.
"This is...?"
At first I was confused.
But I understood right after.
"This contains the world, doesn’t it? If I gave this to someone, I can see their screen and pull them in?"
Squeak! Squeak!
Sir. Jingles blew the clown horn twice.
All I could do was stare at the CD in amazement. This was amazing, wasn’t it? I could already imagine the countless things I’d be able to do with this new skill. It almost made me want to try it right away.
But I held back.
There was a more pressing matter at hand.
"Alright, since you’re done, it’s time to focus on myself."
Looking back at the box in my hand, I placed everything on the ground. Another advantage of this place was that I didn’t have to worry about causing any sort of chaos and attracting the attention of others while reaching the Fifth Order.
Reaching for the fragments and pulling out the essence that I had, I drew a deep breath.
"Alright."
Time for me to reach the Fifth Order.