Chapter 37

I parted my lips as I looked at Lycian.

The longer I hesitated, the stiffer his expression became.

I couldn’t exactly spill the truth about the hidden shop. It was far too complicated to explain.

Which meant the best option was to wrap it up in something vaguely plausible.

“God, um… gave me a mission.”

“A mission?”

“I have to go alone. Don’t worry—it’s not dangerous.”

The hand gripping my arm slowly slipped down.

Then he clasped my hand tightly. The warmth of his bare skin against mine made my heart lurch for no reason at all.

“Can’t I go with you?”

“Mm… I don’t think that’s possible….”

“Not even really…?”

Lycian stared at me with wide, pleading eyes straight out of Puss in Boots.

I squeezed my eyes shut. Making that face was cheating…!

‘But no is still no….’

That was when—

You’ve got to be kidding me! There’s a time limit too?!

With no other choice, I tore myself free from Lycian’s grasp and shouted,

“I have to go—now! I’ll see you later! I’ll be right back!”

“Muriel!”

“M-Master—!”

I heard their desperate cries behind me, but there was no time to answer. I simply hurled myself through the closing door.

Thud.

The door shut behind me.

I reflexively turned around, confirmed it was sealed tight, then faced forward again.

What unfolded before my eyes—

was nothing short of another world.

‘What is all this…?’

The sheer spectacle crashed into my vision. “Dazzling” didn’t even begin to cover it.

The place resembled an island. Soft-looking grass carpeted the ground, and it was overflowing with dozens—no, hundreds—of different kinds of flowers.

At a glance, it looked like a garden. Here and there stood radiant snow-white fountains, statues, and structures that resembled resting pavilions.

Beyond the island stretched an endless void. In a deep indigo and violet cosmos, galaxies of countless hues drifted lazily by.

There was even a transparent rainbow suspended midair, sparkling like shards of crystal. I had no idea what kind of physics could possibly allow that.

“How is this a hidden shop…?”

A hollow laugh slipped out of me. No matter how I looked at it, this had nothing to do with a shop. It would’ve been more believable to call it the playground of some god.

“So… how exactly am I supposed to shop here…?”

The item I needed was, without question, ‘Fate Distortion.’ I had no idea what it looked like—or how much it cost.

For now, I followed the straight white crystal path laid out before me. The milky crystals shimmered beautifully in the light.

I walked in a daze, staring down at the ground, until I finally lifted my head.

At some point, the decorations along the sides of the path had changed.

The flowerbeds had vanished. In their place, strange objects were displayed atop marble stands.

“…?”

I examined them one by one. Every single one looked bizarre. I couldn’t even guess their purpose.

This one at least had a familiar shape, but the color was wrong. Green and purple swirled together violently, giving off an ominous aura.

‘Whatever it is, I definitely shouldn’t touch it.’

‘This is….’

Just as the name suggested, it was a cube-shaped fragment. About the size of an adult man’s fist, with a pitch-black background and an eerie red glow flickering inside.

When I stared too long at that strangely hypnotic crimson light—

in the middle of the inky darkness, a blood-red eye snapped open.

“AAAH!”

I nearly collapsed backward from the shock.

The grotesque eye glared at me for a moment, then slowly slid shut again.

Clutching my pounding heart, I gulped in air.

Why on earth would anyone sell something like this? What was it even for…?

‘Isn’t there anything normal here?’

Wiping the cold sweat from my forehead, I glanced around—and a cool silver glint caught my eye. Squinting, I moved toward it.

‘Oh? This one looks relatively normal. And it grants wishes?’

But when I leaned in for a closer look, a horrific scene etched into the silver surface made my face twist in disgust.

‘W-What is this?’

I instinctively stumbled back, putting distance between myself and the goblet.

On its surface, as if trying to claw their way out, people were writhing with outstretched hands, their distorted faces frozen mid-scream.

“…….”

At this point, I was genuinely frightened. What exactly was this “shop”…?

‘F-Focus. I just need to find Fate Distortion!’

After that, I ignored everything that appeared. No matter what strange object showed up, I brushed past it. My eyes searched only for those four words.

The island was wider than it had first seemed. Maybe because it wasn’t an ordinary place, but the farther I walked, the more the space felt like it was stretching endlessly, like pulled taffy.

“Where the hell is Fate Distortion…?!”

I grew tired quickly from all the walking. Spotting a bench in my line of sight, I trudged over and dropped onto it.

The bench was white as well, made of some strange material I couldn’t identify.

Clasping my hands together like I was praying, I muttered,

“System God, could you at least act as a navigation guide? I need to find it and get back quickly…. Lycian and Ninabel are going to worry….”

Maybe my plea worked. The system flashed a message—[Please wait a moment.]—and reappeared shortly after.

Fifty coins was nothing—I had plenty. Though it was absurd that even the guide required payment.

I nodded and pressed ‘YES.’

Immediately, with a cheerful jingle of coins clattering, 50 coins were deducted—and pop! Fireworks burst in the air.

Well, not real fireworks. Just an effect.

And with that flashy display, the “guide” revealed itself—

as a small white puppy.

It had tiny angel wings on its back and wore a blue scarf around its neck.

Caught completely off guard by the adorable sight, I stood there blankly—until my chest suddenly swelled.

‘So cute…!!’

Clapping both hands over my mouth, I stared at the white puppy in sheer adoration.

The puppy tilted its head, then fluttered up with a whirr of its tiny wings and declared brightly,

“Hello, customew! I’m Woo-yoo, the guide of this shop!”

Yes. It really spoke. The puppy did.

And its way of speaking was peculiar. If a human talked like that, I’d probably squint at them. But since it was a puppy, it was perfectly fine. Actually—it suited it.

‘Fluffy… adorable…! I want to pet it!’

My hands itched to start petting it immediately. But touching a stranger’s dog without permission would be rude.

So instead, I cautiously extended the back of my hand toward its nose.

“…? What awe you doing…?”

“…….”

I was… saying hello….

‘Was that not it?’

Scratching my head awkwardly, I pulled my hand back. As I forced an embarrassed smile, the puppy spun once in midair and chirped,

“Customew, if there’s something you’re looking for, just tell me! Woo-yoo will find it for you!”

Right—the puppy had said its name was Woo-yoo. Milk. It was incredibly straightforward and oddly fitting. Whoever named it had done well.

I cleared my throat and asked,

“I’d like to buy an item called Fate Distortion. Do you happen to have it?”

“Yes! Fate Distowtion! Just a moment, please!”

Woo-yoo pulled out a scroll from somewhere and unfurled it with a shrrrk, then carefully ran its fluffy front paw across the parchment.

After a moment, it snapped the scroll shut, lifted its head, and exclaimed energetically,

“Found it, customew! Follow me!”

My heart threatening to burst from the cuteness, I followed the little white puppy as it trotted ahead.

After about twenty steps—

we arrived before a display case made of transparent glass. Woo-yoo pointed decisively in one direction with its paw.

“It’s wight hewe—Fate Distowtion!”

I stepped closer and peered inside.

The first thing that caught my eye were the four words: Fate Distortion.

And beneath them, it read:

That’s right.

The item called Fate Distortion…

took the form of a pair of sharp, silver scissors.