Chapter 7. The Second Time
I had never formally learned how to draw.
However, since I drew whenever I had the chance, I had developed some skill.
【001】─You still draw well.
It seemed that the Assistant had seen my drawings before.
Well, it would be more unusual if they hadn’t.
Not only during my school days but even after becoming an adult, I would always carry a notebook and sketch whenever I could.
I didn’t even need to say that drawing was my hobby.
Everyone knew it just by observing me.
【001】─I need to zoom in to appreciate this properly.
“You can zoom in on the screen?”
【001】─Yeah, you can zoom in and out, and view it from any angle.
“…I guess I should turn off the broadcast when I go to the bathroom.”
【001】─Haha, you don’t need to. I’ll just close my eyes.
Ignoring the Assistant’s nonsense, I closed the notebook.
【001】─Ah, I wanted to see more.
“You should’ve taken a screenshot.”
【001】─Can’t do that. 😑
“Well, I’ll show you again when I draw another monster.”
I carefully placed the notebook back into the box.
It was the same box that contained the art supplies the Assistant had sent me.
Afterward.
I pulled off the upper garment that had been bothering me for a while.
As soon as I took it off, I felt much more comfortable.
【001】─Oh, nice! Is this fan service?
“What’s to like? Are you gay?”
【001】─I’m not gay.
【001】─But why did you suddenly take off your clothes?
“It’s more comfortable to be without a shirt. On Earth, I refrained from taking off my shirt because people would think I was a pervert, but in the other world, I always went around without it. Although I didn’t do that from the start.”
【001】─Whoa, what kind of place is that other world… Do people there walk around without shirts?
“No, most people wore clothes, except for a few like me. It wasn’t a primitive civilization where everyone walked around naked.”
【001】─Then didn’t people treat you like a barbarian when you walked around like that?
“Sometimes, I got those looks, but I’m not the type to care about others’ opinions.”
【001】─True, you’ve always been the kind of person who doesn’t care about what others think. But still, you should broadcast confidently even when you go to the bathroom.
I ignored the recent chat as well.
The Assistant had been a benefactor who supported me, but that didn’t mean I had to indulge all their nonsense.
【001】─But your body looks great, haha.
【001】─Not taking off your pants too?
“Do you think I would? Even in the other world, walking around without pants would get you arrested.”
【001】─Haha, too bad.
【001】─You’re not going to put the shirt back on, right?
“Probably not. I’ll put it on if it gets cold.”
【001】─Okay, I’ll enjoy it until then.
I should have ignored that chat too.
Why was this person so interested in a guy’s body?
Maybe the Assistant wasn’t a man but a woman?
Just as I was pondering that, another chat from the Assistant appeared.
【001】─Huh? You have a tattoo on your back? When did you get it?
They were probably referring to the five circular patterns engraved on my back.
“The pattern on my back isn’t a tattoo; it’s a sealing formation.”
【001】─What’s a sealing formation?
“A shortened term for a seal magic formation.”
【001】─Ah, right. You said your power was sealed when you returned. So, if you remove that tattoo, does the seal get lifted?”
“Yeah. I heard that each seal gets lifted as one pattern disappears.”
【001】─So it’s a five-stage seal. Whoa.
【001】─Of course, you can’t remove it yourself, right?
“Correct. Erasing the seal formation isn’t as easy as erasing a drawing with an eraser.”
【001】─Hmm. I wonder if I have a function that can help remove the seal. I’ll have to check just in case.
The Assistant didn’t send any more chats after mentioning they would check the support functions in more detail.
Honestly, I didn’t expect much.
There’s no way a feature for breaking seals would exist.
Even if the support functions could analyze me and cater to my convenience.
‘I can’t rely on the Assistant to break the seal. I’ll have to handle it myself.’
I did have one idea.
Among the monsters inhabiting the labyrinth, there might be one that could handle seal-breaking magic.
There’s bound to be at least one like that, right?
***
The Assistant with the ID 001 disappeared from the list.
And not long after, a new Assistant arrived.
『RED Grade Assistant “Pururu” flies in like a comet to watch over you.』
<Assistant List>
◎Pururu (001)
It seemed the previous Assistant had changed their nickname.
It must be the same person, considering the 001 indicator was still there.
【Pururu】─Hi.
【Pururu】─It’s me, 001.
【Pururu】─I couldn’t find any support function for lifting seals. No matter how much I searched. Sorry, sorry.
As expected, there was no support related to lifting the seal.
I hadn’t hoped for it, so I wasn’t disappointed either.
“How did you change your nickname?”
【Pururu】─You can change it for 3 coins.
They had spent coins to change their nickname.
3 coins meant 30,000 won.
That’s not a small amount of money.
I wanted to tell them it was a waste of money, but I swallowed the words instead.
It’s their freedom to spend their money as they wish.
‘I didn’t get any coins out of that.’
Checking my account, my coin balance was the same.
It seemed the coins spent on things like that were deducted as a fee or contributed to the labyrinth’s development fund.
“So, what does Pururu mean?”
【Pururu】─It doesn’t mean anything. I just made it up.
【Pururu】─Anyway, since I spent some money, I might as well try buying other stuff.
【Pururu】─They sell an entrance phrase change, but it’s random.
“How much does that cost?”
【Pururu】─That’s 3 coins too.
“Are you sure it’s okay to spend money like that? You said you were struggling financially.”
【Pururu】─I’m not struggling. 😑 I just said I wasn’t rich, not that I was broke.
The Assistant… or rather, Pururu, disappeared from the Assistant list again after that chat.
And about 30 seconds later.
『RED Grade Assistant “Pururu” crawls back to watch over you.』
They reappeared with a strange entrance phrase.
It was obvious that they had failed the gacha.
【Pururu】─????
【Pururu】─What is this? Are you kidding me?
【Pururu】─Sigh. I want to change it again, but I’ll hold back because it’s a waste of money.
I thought they were impulsive, but it turned out they had some self-restraint.
***
I placed the box in the central area.
Next to the box, I leaned an analog clock at an angle.
Looking at the clock, I asked Pururu.
“Hey, Pururu. What time is it over there?”
【Pururu】─?? It’s 7:50. Don’t you know how to read an analog clock?
“Do you think I can’t read a clock? I was just checking if the time on this clock matches Korea’s time.”
My body’s rhythm was still aligned with Korea’s time on Earth.
So, I planned to maintain a sleep pattern that matched Korea’s time.
When I crossed into the other world and returned to Earth, my sleep pattern got messed up, and I didn’t feel well for a while.
In this situation, I needed to manage my body carefully.
I didn’t want to ruin my condition just because my sleep pattern was off.
【Pururu】─Haha, I thought you didn’t know how to read a clock.
“Who doesn’t know how?”
【Pururu】─There are people. Some young kids these days can’t read analog clocks. 😂
“Don’t say ridiculous things…”
【Pururu】─Seriously, I’d bet all your assets on it.
If that’s true.
Isn’t that more serious than being illiterate in your own language?
I briefly considered that but quickly changed my mind.
“…It’s probably because some of the younger generation doesn’t encounter analog clocks often these days.”
Well, if they haven’t learned, they wouldn’t know.
It’s the digital age now, so they don’t have many opportunities to use analog clocks.
What’s common sense to me might not be common sense to others.
Just because someone doesn’t know something I do, it’s not right to look down on them.
【Pururu】─But not knowing how to read a clock is pretty serious. You learn that in the early years of elementary school.
“Maybe they don’t teach it anymore… No, that can’t be. They probably just slacked off or slept during class. Let’s not talk down about others.”
【Pururu】─Okay… Anyway, since I sent that clock to you, don’t worry. I synced it with my phone’s time before sending it. The time was off, so I adjusted it carefully.
“Thanks. But do you have a digital clock at home? I appreciate the support, but it’s inconvenient not being able to tell night from day with this one.”
【Pururu】─That’s the only one I had at home. I don’t usually buy clocks since I check the time on my phone.
【Pururu】─If you need a digital clock, I can get one from Daiso tomorrow.
“That would be great, thanks.”
Chatting with Pururu, I moved toward Passage 3.
I had rested enough, so it was time to resume the exploration.
Passage 3, unlike Passage 2, which had an artificial feel, gave the impression of being shaped by nature over a long time.
The walls were uneven and rough, not smooth, and the ceiling and floor were irregularly shaped. Overall, it was slightly larger than Passage 2.
“Dog Spider, get on my shoulder.”
［Chirp chirp!］
I placed the Dog Spider on my shoulder.
I might accidentally step on it while walking.
Just as I was about to enter Passage 3.
『RED Grade Assistant “Unknown – 002” flies in like a comet to watch over you.』
【Pururu】─?
Just as I took my first step, a second Assistant arrived.
【002】─😐
【Pururu】─Newbie, hi.