A Survival Guide for a Counselor in the Apocalypse Chapter 51

Chapter 51

 

— 

In a single world, there must be only one being who possesses a title.

Two is favoritism. It exponentially increases the chances of that world surviving.

So this is favoritism.

One who has a title, and one who will have a title.

Two.

I can see your fate.

A fate that must be kept in check.

— 

 

The persona burst into loud laughter as it spoke.

That was no longer a ‘persona’.

It was the ‘Third Party’ speaking through the persona’s mouth.

And if it was the Third Party speaking…

 

—

I do not keep anything in check.

There are no boundaries to my amusement and delight.

If something displeases me…

I simply kill it.

Meeting me is also your fate.

So it said.

However, if your feet are faster than my spear,

Then that too is your fate.

Your fate is to stubbornly survive.

—

 

With a thunderous roar that tore through the air and everything around it, the spear came flying.

Just as the spear was about to reach me, Lee Hyun, and Lee Hoin…

 

—

[You have cleared the “Land of Adventure and Fantasy” event of the “Clown of Revelry.”]

[You have discovered a hidden setting in the “Land of Adventure and Fantasy” event.]

[Hidden Setting ▼]

The “King” is the Clown.

The “Clown” is the King.

When did it become that way? From the beginning? Or without anyone knowing?

Was the moment of birth the problem?

That, no one knows. The narrator has discovered only one hidden setting.

All stories are interconnected with all settings.

The narrator has learned only a part of it.

[The rank of several items obtained in the event has increased.]

—

 

Lee Hoin and I were flung out of the event and tumbled near the car we had arrived in.

As for Lee Hyun… well, who knows. He was probably somewhere near where he had entered.

“Seriously, what the hell was that…?”

Lee Hoin panted heavily on the ground. I didn’t even have the strength to respond, barely managing to stagger up, shove him into the car, and collapse inside as well.

For a long time, the only sound was our ragged breathing. It honestly felt like my lungs were shriveling up.

After catching our breath for a while, I finally grabbed the canteen I had tossed aside earlier. I handed it to Lee Hoin, who took a deep breath before downing it in one go.

He wiped his mouth roughly and leaned his head against the steering wheel.

 

—

[A gift from the “Clown of Revelry” has arrived.]

—

 

Thunk.

A box dropped onto my head. I sighed and picked up the box that had rolled down to the passenger seat. Inside was a small paper packet filled with powder and a note.

 

—

[Message from the “Clown of Revelry”: Let’s meet again.]

—

 

It wasn’t the typical message of an “eternal pleasure seeker.” It was clearly meant for me.

Lee Hoin also opened his box and looked at his note.

 

—

[Message from the “Clown of Revelry”: Think.]

—

 

Short.

“What the hell does that even mean…?” he muttered, crumpling the note and tossing it out the window.

As for the powder we received…

 

— 

[Hmm Powder SV012-2]

Why is it named like this?

Well, maybe the person who made it has such terrible naming sense it brings tears to your eyes.

Despite appearances, it’s quite mystical.

If you rub this powder onto an item, the item will be appraised.

Each packet can appraise one item.

※ Item appraisal available

※ Current quantity: 1

—

 

Hmm Powder SV012-2.

The moment I saw the name, I knew who made it.

SV012. The “Hollow Shaper.” A Third Party infamous for having absolutely no naming sense.

Thankfully, titles can’t be self-assigned.

If the Hollow Shaper could name their own title, it would’ve been something like “Uh… Alchemist?” at best.

That guy had a strange obsession with weird onomatopoeia and mimetic words.

 

—

[Well, that’s not wrong.]

[Sometimes eccentric geniuses don’t care about anything outside their field.]

—

 

Lacking naming sense aside, the Hollow Shaper really was brilliant… beyond brilliant. Among the Third Parties, their alchemy was unmatched.

Anyway, the Clown of Revelry had prepared something quite valuable.

Though the problem was that it could only be used once.

I laid out the items we had obtained inside.

A heart, an ear, and a finger.

Honestly, the gains weren’t as great as expected. Maybe I had squeezed too much out of the Eternal Pleasure Seeker earlier.

The grotesquely beating heart had turned into a pocket watch shaped like a heart.

The ear had become a brass beetle.

The finger had turned into a long gemstone.

“…What the.”

Lee Hoin looked surprised and pulled out his own items. His finger had also become the same gemstone.

The descriptions hadn’t changed.

“Should we… use this powder? Feels like they gave it to us for that.”

We had two appraisal powders.

Three items to appraise, excluding duplicates.

And no way to know which item was better.

Using it here felt like a waste.

I gripped the steering wheel and thought for a moment.

A better use.

Item combination was something that appeared often in the original story.

But the results were always a gamble.

Without alchemy skills or traits, both the creation and its effectiveness were gambles.

So in the end, what I was about to do was also a gamble.

I took out a Trait Awakening Catalyst from my palm.

Inside the syringe, a viscous, unsettling liquid swirled. I checked whether the plunger could be removed.

The narrator quickly caught on and began mocking me.

 

—

[Oh ho, attempting a gamble, are we?]

[The catalyst itself is already a gamble…and now you’re squaring it!]

[Will it even mix in the first place?]

[Gamble² in progress.]

—

 

The plunger came out. The liquid sloshed precariously toward the opening before settling again.

“What are you doing?”

Ignoring Lee Hoin’s question, I picked up the powder.

 

—

[Ah, let us admire the moment this expensive powder is about to be “wasted.”]

[Like a sparrow trying to imitate a stork and tearing its legs apart.]

—

 

I carefully poured the powder into the barrel, not spilling a single grain. The powder and liquid floated separately, like oil and water.

 

—

[So, what now?]

—

 

What else?

Before it turns into nothing, I shake it like crazy.

I plugged the plunger back in, sealed the opening, and shook the syringe. Instead of sloshing, it made a thick, sticky sound.

Soon, the liquid mixed with the powder turned pink.

 

—

[Wonderful. You’ve made it even harder to inject into your body.]

—

 

It’s all or nothing.

It’s always been all or nothing.

I checked the description again.

 

—

[Trait Awakening Catalyst – Mutating]

Currently undergoing an incomplete mutation.

Hmm Powder SV012-2 has been mixed.

The skill “Item Appraisal” has permeated the catalyst.

※ Warning! “Item Appraisal” is classified as a skill.

※ Remove the “Trait” parameter? Y

※ Remove the “Item Appraisal” skill? Y

(You may only choose one.)

— 

 

— 

[There’s no such thing as “impossible.” Only “won’t happen.” What will you choose, oh great transmigrator?]

—

 

Without hesitation, I selected Remove the “Trait” parameter.

The pink color shifted into something strange, shimmering like a hologram. Now it truly looked like something you ‘shouldn’t’ put into your body.

 

—

[?? Awakening Catalyst – Mutation]

Incomplete mutation.

No one can guarantee its effects!

Hmm Powder SV012-2 has been mixed.

The “Trait” parameter has been removed.

※ Quantity: 1

—

 

I stared at it for a moment.

It had mutated… but still.

 

—

[Will it really produce the effect you want?]

—

 

From the start, the catalyst never guaranteed a positive outcome.

With the word “mutation” attached, it could trigger something entirely different.

For example… physical mutation. Turning into a mutant.

Or stripping away something I already had.

‘‘Do I even have anything to lose?’’

No.

It’s worth trying.

Only the worst-case scenario turns me into a mutant.

I quietly fastened my seatbelt.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

Lee Hoin frowned uneasily.

“If I turn into a mutant, grab your stuff and leave immediately.”

At this point, there was no way to reassure him with a half-baked lie.

“Are you insane?”

The narrator burst into laughter at the sharp question.

 

—

[This is why it’s hard to remain sane in abnormal situations!]

[Go on, say it. The narrator isn’t sane. Charging ahead despite the risk, like a moth to a flame!]

[Illusion of Control. You’re under the delusion that everything will go your way.]

—

 

Am I sane?

Honestly… probably not.

“In this situation, who ‘could’ be sane? I’m not trying to die.”

“Even if you’re not trying to, if the result is death, then you ‘are’ trying to die.”

…He’s getting sharper.