I Became a Fortune Teller in the Game My Little Sister Made – Chapter 131

<Water Divination>.

A special skill usable with the glass teapot artifact obtained through Job Skill.

Until now, I had relied on my instincts to use it, but I wasn’t exactly sure what the effect was.

‘But now I definitely know.’

Water Divination is a kind of illusion.

To be precise, it’s a skill that embodies the boundary between illusion and reality.

‘I even brought forth Eileen, the Saint within.’

This was because I had created a fantastical realm for the Saint.

If it had only been an illusion, then Eileen I met there would have also been a mere illusion.

But Eileen truly regained her personality through memories.

‘I even broke Hector’s spirit.’

I manifested Hector at his prime with a shooting star, and that influenced reality as well.

In some ways, it’s an illusion, and in others, it’s reality.

This duality coexists in <Water Divination>.

Thanks to entering the Dream Within a Dream Gate, I was finally able to grasp the essence of Water Divination.

Just like a dream within a dream, the boundary between illusion and reality is incredibly vague.

‘I may have realized it a bit late, though.’

The glass teapot is already shattered, and naturally, Water Divination can no longer be used.

It was entirely my own negligence. While dueling Hector, I never anticipated he would be targeting the teapot, despite being bound by chains.

Thanks to that, I collected the shattered pieces of the glass teapot and somehow managed to put them back together…

‘It was strictly for one-time use.’

Therefore, I had to use the powerful skill <Water Divination> carefully.

And that’s exactly what I was doing now.

“………Yes.”

“You did well, Your Highness.”

I certainly gained significant benefits.

It was truly challenging, though.

‘Two things turned out differently than I expected.’

One was that I had underestimated <Desire to Kill>.

The original plan was to repeatedly die within the illusion created by <Water Divination> to satisfy <Desire to Kill>.

I realized how foolish that thought was only after the fifth death.

‘Pain is fleeting, so I can endure it, but <Desire to Kill>‘s craving never ends.’

In the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth loops.

Kim Eun-ha, under the influence of <Desire to Kill>, killed everyone in the royal palace, including me, and went outside to murder over a hundred thousand people in total.

No matter how much it was an illusion made by Water Divination, Kim Eun-ha remained oblivious to the fact that it was an illusion until the loop ended.

This means that even when she kills people, <Desire to Kill> is being fulfilled.

‘It’s excessive.’

Honestly, it felt like <Desire to Kill> wouldn’t cease even after a million deaths.

Naturally, before I could bear the weight of such deaths, it was evident I would mentally perish myself.

And the second thing that was wrong was.

‘<Water Divination> has a limit in its loops.’

While <Water Divination> is indeed a tremendously powerful skill that creates the boundary between reality and illusion.

It cannot be used infinitely.

‘<Water Divination> has three conditions.’

1. To fill the water inside the glass teapot by acting like a Fortuneteller.

2. It must be a starry night.

3. I must not believe in Water Divination.

The problem was the third condition.

‘If I keep dying and eventually come to perceive the illusion of Water Divination as reality…’

There was even a moment during the 28th loop when I briefly forgot about <Water Divination>.

Even if it was merely an illusion of death, I, as the one using <Water Divination>, had to remember each moment of death.

That was incredibly tiring…and tough.

I wanted to just let go of my mind and close my eyes.

I have no idea how long I can endure this. I don’t even know how far my limits stretch.

That’s why I had to resolve Kim Eun-ha’s <Desire to Kill> as quickly and effectively as possible.

The method I thought of was.

‘Torment of Loss.’

Not everything resets with each loop.

If that were the case, <Desire to Kill> would also reset, making the original plan of satisfying <Desire to Kill> through repeated deaths futile…and it truly was futile.

Although it’s an illusion, in the end, since it’s reality, faint discomfort remains every time I return to the beginning.

It’s so faint that Kim Eun-ha doesn’t bother with memories because she’s lost in <Desire to Kill>.

That’s why I decided to stimulate her mind.

Not the ‘perfected’ Kim Eun-ha with her <Desire to Kill>, but the ‘imperfect’ Kim Eun-ha I met at the Academy.

‘<Desire to Kill> recovered doesn’t mean that all previous memories vanish.’

If that were the case, Kim Eun-ha’s mind would have been stuck at the age of seven when <Desire to Kill> was first sealed away.

But she remembered me, and she was clearly recalling our days at the Academy.

Then she must certainly remember the ‘torment of loss.’

‘The reason why <Desire to Kill> was sealed in the first place.’

After killing her mother, tortured by the sorrow of having no mother anymore, she chose to seal <Desire to Kill> and be imperfect.

The decision was made by the Emperor, but she herself accepted it willingly.

I decided to stimulate that part.

It wasn’t too difficult.

Because this was inside <Water Divination>’s illusion, and just like a Lucid Dream, I could manipulate it however I wished.

So I had myself die.

Had her kill the servants with whom she built childhood memories in the Crown Princess Palace.

Had her kill me.

Had her kill the Oppressor.

Had her kill me again.

Had her kill the leader of the Shadows.

Had her kill me once again.

Had her kill my father.

Had her kill me.

Had her kill my older brother.

Had her kill me.

Had her kill everyone from the Academy.

It seemed like the more I died, the more impact it had, forcing me to die repeatedly.

I gathered only those who would be deeply missed, nostalgic, and would shock Kim Eun-ha.

And the result is this.

“You endured well.”

“……I……don’t want to kill….”

Though it’s grandly termed as ‘torment of loss,’ it wasn’t very effective.

Kim Eun-ha only truly felt the torment of loss after being freed from <Desire to Kill>.

In a state intoxicated by <Desire to Kill>, even the torment of loss was far too faint.

So I repeated it dozens of times.

‘…No, was it a few hundred times?’

It might even have been thousands of times.

Is the reason the Crown Princess isn’t killing me right now an illusion?

I must not believe in <Water Divination>.

At some point, my head began to spin—

“……Namgoong Min.”

“Your Highness……?”

“………Thank you, it truly came true as you said.”

“Yes?”

“Because I believed in you, you resolved it. Even my <Desire to Kill>….”

Thump. Thump.

Kim Eun-ha hugs me.

The sound of our two heartbeats echoes, aligned against each other.

“<Desire to Kill> still screams. To kill you, to open my chest and take out my heart.”

“……..”

“But I don’t feel like doing that at all. If I did… I would lose you. There would no longer be a chance for you to embrace me like this…”

Thump. Thump. Thump.

“So… I will endure.”

“………Your Highness.”

“Just like how I regretted killing my mother… I don’t want to regret losing you.”

With those final words, Kim Eun-ha closes her eyes, her expression peaceful as she rests in my arms.

…Well, it’s a bit chilling to hear that from someone who has killed me over a thousand times already.

But it seems I’ve lost my sanity a little as well.

I must remember that if I lose my mind too, that will be the end.

Living like a brain in a jar within <Water Divination> and unable to awaken from my Lucid Dream is something I refuse to do.

‘Get a grip, Namgoong Min.’

No matter what, I must not believe in Water Divination.

In the end, this is merely the boundary between illusion and reality.

Thus, when I achieve what I want within the illusion.

Now, it’s time to bring that into reality.

“How long can you endure?”

“……You will never kill me.”

“What about others?”

“………They won’t last long.”

“Your Highness, it won’t take long. You must stay focused.”

Boom!! Bang!!!

“What is this…?”

“If it’s hard, just close your eyes in my arms. It will be over soon.”

“Yes….”

Now, it seems this isn’t <Water Divination>’s illusion any longer, as the entire underground prison begins to tremble due to something.

The vibrations and a deafening noise fill my ears, and beneath my feet, I step on the shards of the broken glass teapot.

“Ha….”

Good, this is reality. Not within Water Divination.

So, as always, let’s not forget that there’s only one chance.

“I’m going.”

“As long as we are together, anywhere is fine.”

Artifact <Maiden's Breath>.

Now, it’s time to start talking again.