In my case, I blur the consciousness of the participants at the start of the session.

When the session begins, the participants’ consciousness is detached and linked to the avatars within the session, because if the consciousness is clear at that moment, it becomes slightly problematic.

When you go to an escape room cafe, don’t you enter blindfolded at first? It’s like loosening the blindfold and entering.

Perhaps the player will feel like they are observing the world in a ghostly state or having an out-of-body experience before re-entering.

Then, the player might discover information that hinders their immersion in the game.

For example, if they happen to observe the session bait or event triggers I’ve carefully hidden in that instant… I would have to hastily change the genre to a regression or loop story.

On the contrary.

From my standpoint, where I must spare no effort to save Yuri Lannister, it’s beneficial to maintain consciousness as much as possible from the queen’s interference.

Inside Yuri Lannister’s psychic barrier, I had no body. An avatar hadn’t been assigned to me yet. I quickly gathered information about this world, shielding my consciousness.

The year was 440. It was the time when Yuna ascended to the position of the Purple Tower’s master, and when I, a nine-year-old child, was growing up in my hometown village.

The past…?

I check the data further. The information was encrypted as a spoiler precaution, but I easily break through. The setting, it’s not long after Yuri Lannister joined the Annihilation Brigade.

Click-click-click.

The noisy sound of gears interlocking and pressure coming from all sides. Close your eyes now. Stop peeping, it said.

I tried a little power struggle.

Creak. I’m being pushed back.

As expected, there’s a weight class difference when the opponent has laid out the board. My eyes slowly close. Overwhelmed by the immense force, I reluctantly closed my eyes.

Instead, I opened a third eye on my forehead.

Click-click…?

There was a slight delay in the sound of the gears turning. Surprised? And then it began to exert force to close my third eye.

I would then open eyes on the soles of my feet or the back of my hands. It was like an impromptu game of whack-a-mole.

Consciousness is an ambiguous concept. It’s neither a soul nor a physical entity. Much about it is still unknown. However, the proposition that ‘the form of consciousness takes on my own appearance’ is considered to be true.

The consciousness of a fish takes the shape of a fish, and the consciousness of a Pingballez takes the shape of a Pingballez.

So, he must have been flustered too. He’s probably seriously pondering whether my race is Cyclops. Or doubting whether my self-identity has too many eyes.

The trick is simple. The me that has infiltrated here is not pure consciousness.

Borrowing the nature of dear 7% Yang, I’ve magically enhanced my independence… In other words, I’m more like a demi-spirit, or an Avatar. There’s a bit more fluidity.

Let’s delve deeper.

I scanned the distribution of information in this world. Overall, it’s crudely finished. The most densely packed information is within Yuri Lancer himself.

And, the key to descending to the next layer is also detected to be with Yuri Lancer. My task is to approach Yuri. Confirmed.

I was able to acquire other miscellaneous information as well. This city boasts exquisite wine, and the lord is bald, among other things.

As I performed feats with my eyes and extracted information, the queen eventually gave up on cost-effectiveness. She exerted her power as if to bind the entire world, trying to bestow upon me a physical body in this world.

I could have resisted, but I did not.

It’s a cunning tug-of-war. I must use my power minimally to preserve it, while causing the opponent to waste theirs. This operation will create a decisive opportunity later.

The eye level of my vision rapidly descends.

It seems the queen has prepared my character. I see the figure of a man standing aloof in a corner of an attic. It seems she intends to insert me into that body.

I pretend to comply smoothly, then abruptly change direction. If there are traps set in this body, I need to remove them.

As expected, it’s riddled with traps.

I burn something akin to a spiritual eavesdropping device, and also remove thought inducers and motion inhibitors. Then, I have a moment of respite. I think I can fix one more thing.

The physical abilities are close to that of a squid, generally sluggish and slow, and on top of that… unsightly. It’s hard to tell if this is a human or an orc.

A character just brimming with malice.

And I’m supposed to meet Pingballez looking like this…?

Choosing between upgrading human-like physical abilities VS improving appearance stats.

In the thrilling zone of competition, I chose the latter. I erase the flesh data and change the appearance. Dyeing my hair pitch black and my eyes red. So… in my own image.

…Should I raise the bridge of the nose a bit more?

No. Never mind. My original appearance is sufficient. I’d rather use that resource to slightly increase my strength. But if the bridge of the nose were just a bit higher, this would…

Click, click, click!

Fine, I get it. I’m going in.

And so, I completed the character making.

—

I open my eyes.

My body creaks. While my original body wasn’t exactly great, this one feels as fragile as glass art, almost too delicate to be human. Perhaps I should have increased my strength instead of the nose bridge…?

No.

No matter how strong I am, it’s meaningless against a game master who’s set on defeating me, just as one can’t beat a Tyrannosaurus.

Would summoning 300 Swordmasters make a difference if they can’t even resist a bit more power?

Moreover, in this world, the power balance is determined by the amount of information and skill. I am an exceptional illusionist, and so is the queen.

Even if I summon armored dinosaurs, if their data structure is flimsy, I can dismantle them instantly, turning them into nothing. That’s the kind of fight this was.

Additionally, plausibility plays a surprisingly important role.

This world, even with the queen’s interference, ultimately exists in Yuri Lannister’s mind. There’s a big difference between what she believes and doesn’t. Adjustments are made.

If sending out a horde of Swordmasters feels too fantastical and dreamlike, and if Yuri Lannister begins to doubt this world,

then the demerit control power the queen must use will increase exponentially.

It means the fight is more even than it seems.

Moreover, now that the key information to break through to the next level is confirmed to be in Yuri Lannister’s consciousness, the likelihood of obtaining it through communication rather than beating her up and plundering it is high.

So, it’s better to care for appearances rather than physical strength.

I had already pinpointed Pinballes’ location when I scattered the scan. It’s right next door, practically a neighbor.

Let’s cut to the chase and meet. I opened the trapdoor in the attic and went downstairs.

I descend the stairs and open the door. Then I walk through a city from 440 years ago, reconstructed from past memories. It’s not Crown Hall. It’s a city unknown to me.

I take a breath.

Entering the enemy’s lair, rigged with traps, should be a serious and grave situation, but the thought of meeting Pinballes soon makes me smile. It’s been a few days.

An undeniable joy makes my heart race.

Yes, show me not your sleeping form, but one that’s alive and moving. I stand in front of the next-door neighbor’s door, catch my breath, and knock with the back of my hand.

Knock, knock, knock.

From noble mtl dot come

After a moment, the door opens slightly.

I’m taken aback, eyes wide. Pinballes looks much younger than I remember… a girl, perhaps a high school student?

She’s shorter, her development quite different. No glasses, no ponytail. Overall petite, but the hints of her destructive figure are unmistakably there.

In her bright yellow eyes looking up at me, there’s considerable wariness.

“…Who are you?”

I must choose my words carefully.

“Who are you?” means she has no memory of me. She only has distant memories up to the year 440… that’s what I assume.

In the past, she hadn’t yet transferred from the annihilation road to the defense agency as a field agent, hadn’t worn glasses, hadn’t met me. It’s our first encounter.

It’s a bit heartbreaking to converse with her as strangers, but it’s also exciting. It’s an opportunity to see what the young Pinballes was like.

So, I must choose my words delicately. I need to craft a sentence that will endear me to the young girl. Perhaps I could imitate Selvier’s childhood friend?

Yes, that’s good. I’ll greet her warmly and gently. I’ll build rapport with the fresh-faced young Pinballes. I’ll fill that adorable face with smiles. Get ready. Let’s go.

Hello, nice to meet you. I’m the person who moved in next door…

Click-click-click.

“The young Pinkbalez is so cute.”

“……..”

The speech bubble changed. That queen, this brat…!!

Bang!

The door slammed shut.

—

Knock-knock-knock.

I knocked again, this time with more control over my language.

“No, friend. I misspoke just now… Just hear me out. I can explain everything. I’m the one who moved in next door.”

“I’m warning you. If you don’t want to see blood, then get lost.”

“I’ll see blood, so just give me five minutes. Really.”

“Do you think I haven’t seen a few like you before?”

Hmph. A cynical snort came from beyond the door. And the young Pinkbalez, as if utterly fed up, spat out the words as if chewing them.

“So you’ve heard the rumor that I’m a succubus, I suppose. You must be thinking it’s better for us to get along, asking for a favor. Drop the bullshit and get lost. This is your second warning, and there won’t be a third.”

“Who the hell would say such nonsense…”

“You were about to spout that nonsense, weren’t you? Or perhaps, you were going to claim that you’re different from those men? Those who said the same ended up being just the same.”

“……..”

His wariness towards men was extremely high. As was his guard against outsiders.

If the conversation continued, he was confident they could become friends. He had a rough idea of what she liked and what kind of person she was. It was all about how to tie the first knot.

First, change the flow. In this current, anything he said would not free him from the image of a ‘horny man who came to hit on her.’

Start with a shake-up.

“I’m impotent.”

“…Excuse me?”

“And I’m really good at cross-dressing.”

“Excuse me?”

“Is this about work?”

“Yuri Lannister from the Massacre Squad, right? I’m dispatched from the Defense Bureau. Can you grasp why someone from the higher-ups would come at this time?”

I don’t know the meaning myself, so I’m asking you to figure it out and tell me. Pinvalles was silent for a moment, then murmured quietly from beyond the door.

“…Thank you, Logan.”

“Right. Clever, aren’t you?”

He responds immediately. I’m an agent, and from now on, my purpose is to audit the Massacre Squad.

“Ah, you don’t need to be too wary. I’m well aware of what kind of organization the Massacre Squad is… and that a little ‘leniency’ can enhance performance in any organization.”

I’m here to audit the Massacre Squad, but that doesn’t mean I plan to comb through everything. Isn’t that how your organization operates anyway?

“To be honest, I’m here on vacation. This place is famous for its wine, isn’t it?”

I add details to the knowledge that came along while scraping information.

“It just so happens my lodging is set here… next to a member of the Massacre Squad. Still, I thought I’d pretend to do an audit and knocked on the door.”

“…I understand, but I see no reason to entertain your idleness.”

“Ah, but you might…”

Reason. Think quickly.

The connection with Pinvalles, and what she might want now… If it were her childhood, her hometown village would have been erased not long after.

A fully grown Pinvalles would have a firm desire for revenge, so if it were her childhood, it would be bubbling like lava. Then, I could strike a deal with information about the Succubus Queen.

“I’ve taken over a case. An investigation about the ‘Queen.'”

“……”

Huh, a breath was drawn in.

From that short breath alone, I could guess how much the past incident had hurt her. I felt guilty, but no other excuse came to mind.

There was no better justification than this. With genuine remorse, I addressed her for the last time.

“I’m sorry to bring up past memories… but I need your help to catch the ‘Queen.’ Would it be alright if I come by occasionally to talk?”

“…Yes. If it’s to catch that damned woman, then fine. But please don’t seek me out for any personal matters unrelated to the case. Unless you want to see blood.”

“Scary… I’ll remember the warning. See you next time.”

There was no reply.

I sighed deeply and stepped back. For now, I had made a connection.

The impression I had when facing young Yuri Lannister was that of a hedgehog with its spines raised. I had to lay down these spines and get closer to her, to find the clue that would lead me to the ‘second basement floor.’

It’s not a difficult task. Just like this.

—

Bang, bang, bang.

“Yuri, I’ve got shampoo in my eyes, and I can’t open them!”

It’s okay to tease her.