Chapter 50

It’s often said that humans are creatures of adaptation.

And perhaps that was true. What initially made me feel uneasy and anxious, after about three days in the closet, started to feel oddly familiar and comfortable.

If anything, the small space fit my compact frame perfectly, providing a surprising sense of security.

I finally understood why cats went crazy over boxes.

During these three days, I did have some gains. Huh? You’re asking about the Tesseract?

Unfortunately, the Tesseract remained stubbornly silent, still fast asleep.

Even with all my efforts, it stayed quiet—what a stubborn little thing.

What I gained instead was this: a significant boost in my telekinetic power!

Though I didn’t want to admit it, my powers seemed somehow linked to the Invader.

The only explanation for my telekinesis growing stronger just by being connected to this tiny crack was some kind of connection to them.

Looking back, maybe when my telekinesis suddenly surged before, part of the energy transferring from the fragment to the Tesseract had leaked into me.

Anyway, at this rate, by the time Greg returns, my output should be 1.5 times stronger than before I started this job.

Considering how much I struggled against Drakel due to insufficient output, this was a rare leveling-up chance, a stroke of luck.

“Well… even so, I’m still no match for Lexi or Raven. But maybe now I can hold my own against Alice or David?”

In this world’s power rankings, Dragon Mayor wields his godlike power around the level of a single-digit Pixie.

Raven is upper-tier double-digit Pixie, while Lexi and Greg fall into the lower-tier double-digit Pixies.

Of course, Raven isn’t ranked yet since she lacks achievements, and Greg and Dragon Mayor aren’t technically Pixies either, but think of them as comfortably within the top 100 strongest people globally.

So, adjusting by Pixie ranking standards, Alice is currently around the lower end of triple-digit Pixies.

Huh? Triple digits sound weak?

Oh boy, you really don’t know much, do you?

This world is crawling with powerful monsters from different races.

Triple digits mean you’re among the top thousand strongest individuals worldwide.

And here’s Alice, a newbie who hasn’t even unlocked her full potential, already in the triple digits?

That’s impressive. She’s rightfully considered one of the standout super rookies in the story.

Objectively speaking, I probably belong somewhere around the lower end of the triple digits too.

Drakel, maintaining his youth through the Tesseract, hovers around the lower end of double-digit Pixies.

I didn’t get utterly crushed in our fight; we exchanged some decent blows.

Come to think of it, I’m not exactly weak.

The problem is that everyone around me is absurdly strong.

Still, this opportunity was like rain in a drought for me—something I couldn’t afford to miss.

After all, in this perilous world where only I can truly protect myself, growing stronger was far more valuable than earning money or building connections.

“The only downside is how pathetic it looks… Raven’s gaze on me hiding in the closet lately feels pretty painful.”

Cradling a pillow, I rolled around in the cramped closet before nudging the door slightly open.

Through the gap, I caught sight of Raven.

He was sprawled on the bed, flipping through a comic magazine.

A paper magazine in this futuristic city? Such an analog hobby felt amusingly niche, drawing an involuntary smirk from me.

But did he catch me peeking?

Without looking up from his page-flipping, he spoke.

“What? Need something?”

“…”

No, not really.

I was just bored doing nothing in here and thought I’d look around.

Did he read my mind?

Raven suddenly sat up, shaking the comic magazine in his hand.

“Bored doing nothing in there? Want to read a comic or two?”

“…!”

Seriously, this guy’s scary. Is he secretly a mind reader?

Caught off guard, I slid the closet door open and nodded.

As if he expected that, he chuckled softly and got up.

True to his word, Raven placed a neat stack of comics—magazine-style collections of various stories—right in front of the closet.

Hmm… Not graphic novels, but magazines with assorted comics, huh?

Perched at the edge of the closet, legs dangling, I spent the evening reading comics alongside Raven, who had flopped back onto the bed.

Not bad at all.

As the moon hung low and sank slowly into the late-night sky, I quietly basked in the peacefulness.

Two weeks left at the office.

Half our remaining time had already slipped away.

*

A girl with thick green hair braided neatly down her back.

Always expressionless and favoring a boyish outfit of shorts and a sleeveless shirt, she was occasionally mistaken for a long-haired pretty boy.

Her name was Sabrina.

Granted, she was still young, and secondary sexual characteristics hadn’t fully developed yet.

Plus, her tomboyish personality—preferring martial arts training over grooming—didn’t help dispel that image.

“Hmm… This doesn’t really suit me, does it…?”

But right now, Sabrina was experiencing something surprising.

She stood before the mirror, holding up a flowing dress against her body.

To past Sabrina, who insisted dresses weren’t her style, this scene would’ve been baffling.

But Sabrina herself was dead serious.

Tomorrow was her date with Yuria.

Wanting to show her best side to someone she wanted to befriend was natural, regardless of gender or age.

“Oh my, Sabrina. Isn’t that a dress I wore as a child?”

“Eek! R-R-Raine?! When did you—”

“I just arrived… Were you so focused you didn’t hear the door?”

Whoosh!

Sabrina leapt into the air at the sudden voice behind her.

Face flushed red, she turned to Raine in flustered embarrassment.

Caught red-handed inspecting Raine’s childhood clothes!

Sabrina could only sputter, unable to process the mortifying situation.

But to Raine, Sabrina’s flustered reaction was utterly adorable.

Her cute little sister had a crush on someone? There was no better topic for entertainment.

“So, who’s this prince charming that’s caught your eye, Sabrina? Someone I know?”

“T-that… You might… It’s Yuria, the one who helped you escape last time…”

“Ah… Yuria?”

Raine smiled knowingly, her thoughts swirling internally.

Yuria again? Just who is that kid?

“We met briefly, right? He didn’t seem malicious, so I played along… But I should meet him separately and talk later.”

After the Nemesis incident ended, when Sabrina recounted the details, Raine couldn’t help but panic.

Yuria claimed they knew each other despite Raine having zero memory of meeting him.

Even after seeing him in person, she was certain it was their first encounter.

Though the awkwardness of pointing it out stopped her from pressing further…

She definitely needed to hear his story.

“Alright, Sabrina. Leave it to me—I’ll make sure you shine so brightly that Yuria won’t be able to resist. I know your charm best!”

“Huh? W-wait, what do you mean ‘capture his heart’? We’re both girls…”

“Oh please, in this day and age, gender doesn’t matter. If you like each other, that’s all that counts. Besides, capturing someone’s heart applies to friendships too!”

I’ll make you the cutest girl in the world tomorrow!

Raine grabbed Sabrina’s shoulders, eyes sparkling.

Whether it worked out or not, either way, it wouldn’t be bad.

Behind her beautiful smile, Raine hid her own secret plan.

*

Late at night, a bench in a park.

The silence was eerie, almost chilling.

A lone woman sat there, looking utterly dejected.

“Rejected again… That makes 21 consecutive job rejections. I’m starving…”

She was a demon—one of the alien races.

With blue skin and inverted eyes, demons were often grouped with vampires as dangerous entities.

The reason was simple: like vampires who sustained their power through blood, demons carried the stigma of “dark contracts.”

They could ruin lives and grow stronger through such pacts, making them arguably more dangerous than vampires.

Thus, demons were treated like garbage in society.

Unlike vampires, who could pass as normal, demons’ appearances screamed “demon,” closing doors to even menial jobs.

Most demons responded by embracing their darker nature.

Why care about a society that shunned them anyway?

But exceptions existed.

One timid demon couldn’t give up on society’s comforts.

Siphoning power through soul-binding contracts?

Who cares about that when you can’t even buy a burger without getting chased by cops?

This timid demon could only wallow in depression, unable to decide anything.

“Would you like to change your appearance?”

“Mommy! Wh-who’s there?!”

And then, someone approached her.

A dark hand capable of ruining lives with a simple contract.

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