#138
Right off the bat, I knew who’d barged in.
A player. And not just any player either.
Probably that strategy game nerd, I thought, instantly annoyed. Of course, this had to be Reyes’s fault.
#137
I flinched, my fingers freezing mid-keystroke.
The God of Records?
My gaze flicked to my left hand. Smooth, unscarred, just... normal. Still, I balled it into a fist so tight it ached.
#136
Reyes, you still haven’t dealt with your biggest problem, have you?
Seems like your mind’s still twisted as ever.
“I never had any intentions like that. Really.”
Reyes tilted his head to one side, something unsettling in his gaze. “But don’t you remember? You told me to really think about what I wanted. So I did. I thought about it constantly, over and over...”
#135
I pushed Athanas’s arm off my chest and got up. There was no way I could just lie there, my mind racing with thoughts of Reyes.
…I’d promised him I’d handle it, told him not to worry.
#134
“Actually, handing him over to the Inquisition might be better. If he ends up with the Research Director…” I let the words hang, unfinished.
Callister cut in. “What happens if he goes to the Research Director? Are you worried he’ll become the test subject of some gruesome experiment?”
#133
“Is something wrong?”
Athanas’ piercing gaze locked onto mine.
I sighed, deciding to answer honestly.
“I have no idea how to fix this.”
#132
It was a foolish hope.
There was no way Athanasuki, of all people, wouldn’t recognize Athanas’ voice immediately.
I had to think fast.
First, I need to convince Reyes.
#131
I always figured the Player of the God of War was just winging it—throwing out wild guesses, improvising left and right.
But was Insanity actually encouraging that kind of misunderstanding?
Why would he do something like that?
#130
Thinking I could handle this maniac might be the biggest blunder I’ve ever made.
Stay calm. Think it through.
Nothing irreversible has happened. Yet.
If Nasir figures out the effects of distortion and reports it to Casimir…
Casimir will come looking for me, won’t she?
I’ll have to come up with some excuse for her. Somehow.
#129
I felt uneasy, but with the Saint gone, it was time to deal with the aftermath.
Crazy how all that chaos just happened, and it’s only been ten minutes.
Andrea, the obedient servant of the Distorted One, wasn’t really a problem. He’d do whatever the ‘Prophet’ commanded without hesitation.
No, the real problem was Nasir, the inquisitor.
#128
Wow, that actually worked.
I blinked the notification window away.
...Does that mean ‘Forced Persuasion’ will work now too?
Technically, ‘Rank’ or influence isn’t a skill in the traditional sense. It’s just the system’s way of flashing a pop-up to tell me the conditions for an ability are met. But the real question is whether Forced Persuasion will come through for me this time.
#127
I did my best to keep calm.
If he can use distortion like that, there’s no way I can overpower him by force.
I just need to stall. Buy some time.
If I can keep him occupied long enough, the Saint will show up. And when that happens? This bastard’s getting a Game Over.