[ Attention players! Gate 8 will open in 25:00 minutes! Please head over to the Heavenly Tower if you wish to participate as soon as possible! ]

[ Attention players! Only a select number of players may attend Gate 8! ]

[ Attention players! Pay 300,000 PP to enter Gate 8! ]

In the crowds of the Nebulous Bazaar were players and creatures. Among them was a tall, skinny male in indigo mage robes, whose expression turned to fright the moment the creature beside him took action. A glance, a step forward, he seemed to flinch at every mark.

Even entering a loaf shop caused him visible distress.

“Sorry about him. Our…team member died in the previous gate. He….was the glue to our team. He's taking it hard."

"It's alright." The salesmen understood in all the wrong ways. "If you want, I can give you a small sale."

"I…we can't thank you enough."

A jolt went down his spine and his expressions were forced to relax. "Y-yeah. Thank you." He wore a small smile and went along with it as if nothing was wrong.

Everything was wrong.

There was a monster in front of him, casually buying loafs of expensive bread, and nobody knew. There was a monster terrorizing the Heavenly Games, ready to anything and everything to win, and everyone was oblivious to it. It went beyond simple ambitions, because ambitions belonged to those that were weak. He was not. The monster in human flesh held no compassion or mercy. He stared at a future he deemed to be in his grasp.

Yet no one would know, because for a monster, he was magnificent. Flawless. On the outside, he was everything Paul wished he could be. On the inside, he was everything everybody thought he was.

His master. The master whom he could not defy. A perfect specimen whose flaw only appeared when he was with Paul.

‘Always me. Always Paul.’

He couldn’t even say his name—his real name. His head would replace it with Paul. Paul, Paul, Paul. It was supposed to be a false identity and now it was his everything. The last shred of dignity he had left.

His name sounded so foreign that he could barely keep track of where they were in the bazaar. He trudged forward with a goal injected into his veins.

“We’re going to Heavenly Tower. Follow me—”

The words of his master cut off abruptly. He was distracted. Paul followed his gaze and saw two men: a man in a wide-brimmed hat and a woman that was all smiles.

“Hey there!” said the woman, an arm raised. Her platinum blonde hair fell over her shoulders like a curtain, a sunflower pin on her hair that flowed with the theme of a sunflower dress. Her teeth were pearly white.

Paul didn’t feel anything. He saw a woman, sweet and bright, and felt nothing.

“Dasha.”

“Xavier.”

The man in the hat seemed to recognize his master. No further discussion was made. The sun-dressed blonde put her hands on her hips, grinning widely. The man hiding his face with the long-style fedora remained still.

“The Whispers would like to discuss what happened at the previous gate,” Xavier said. “Apologies for the abruptness.”

“You miiight have to skip out on the Gate though. Oh, the name’s Grace.”

Dark brown eyes flicked from person to person, from Xavier to Grace to Paul.

Neither of the fools could command his master. No one could. Whether he chose to go with them was a decision left to him.

“Hm.” His master’s decision was made. “Paul, go on ahead.”

“Huh?”

[ Transfer details:

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

—> 300,000 PP — Contract of Obedience ]

‘Be my eyes and ears for this Gate. Get the points and whatever else is inside and give it to me.’

DO. HIS. BIDDING.

OBEY ME.

“Understood.”

Without further ado, Paul opened up his map and searched for the Heavenly Tower. Click, click! Grace’s puzzled blue eyes stayed on him as he disappeared from the Nebulous Bazaar

The contract forced him to obey. Did she know that? Did she think he left out of good will? Respect? It was neither of those things. It was so much worse.

***

At the Heavenly Tower, he heard the complaints of players. Inside the Server Room, they were denied access. Some were protesting to the heavens. Others went back home. The atmosphere became damp and irritated.

He went through the magical gate and entered the Server Room. As always, the greyness numbed him.

[ Attention players! Pay 300,000 PP to enter Gate 8! ]

[ Transfer details:

300,000 PP —> Entrance to Gate 8

Accept? ]

His eyes shut, he remembered the dark looming image of the freak in human flesh. The godly aura he surrounded himself in—the darkness he forced Paul to drown in.

Paul accepted.

The world changed. He tried to breathe like he normally would, except a clog of smoke and dust flooded his systems. "Ack! Unh!" A fist over his mouth, Paul fell into a series of coughs. On the ground, he saw white and shivered.

‘Snow…?’

He checked his surroundings and couldn’t believe it. It was snowing and there was no roof to protect him. He didn’t even have adequate clothing to warm himself and could visibly see the chills of his breath.

[ Gate 8 : Nisekisha

Scenario: You are at the Kyoto Station in Kyoto City waiting for the steam train to arrive. Your destination is Sapporo Station, Sapporo City, Hokkaido. The journey will span multiple days. Reach the station in one piece! ]

The train station platform was fairly sparse, with bricks forming the walls that run along each side. There were players scattered about, waiting for the train. The boy can see the tracks down below him, and can hear the faint sound of the train approaching.

The bricks are worn down by the rain and snow, the smooth surface turning slightly uneven. It was not a huge train station, and had a very small, quaint atmosphere to it. Upon a second look, it felt like he had teleported himself into the 1900s.

There were a lot of people and names around him. Players who felt the same chill as him and waited impatiently.

‘Some people don’t have last names. They must be changing their names in settings. Emma, Samuel, Leon.’ He recognized Emma and Samuel. They were the Templars he encountered during Gate 6. They weren’t weak and had the backing of the Templars, so it shouldn’t have been surprising that they were here.

‘But Pauline? How is she here?’

He remembered her partially because of her fetching looks and her name which was identical to his own. However, most notably, he remembered how frail Pauline was. Even now, standing in the snowless cold, she suffered. More than anyone, she failed to show strength and ability in the Heavenly Games.

Pauline sniffled. Not wanting to be labelled as a creep, he looked away and focused on the train tracks and the distant sounds of a train approaching.

“You alright? Hey, I have an extra jacket on me. Ah, Ms. Sun-young, do you have an extra? Me and William are giants, and you’re closer to her size.”

Someone was helping. How kind. Paul didn’t look, wanting to pretend he didn’t care. He was glad that Pauline got help. He really was.

The train arrived, slowly chugging up the tracks and pulling to a halt. It was a small old-school train, with steam and smoke billowing up from it. An old-timey engine pulled it, and the sound of the train brakes shrieked through the station. Paul covered his ears, cringing.

At the front, something came out. Something, not someone, and the players up front took a step.

“Hello there, humans~!”

An orange tanuki wearing a little red cap walked out, moving its long body with its four legs, a fluffy tail bouncing behind it. Its soft orange fur seemed unnatural and its belly was set in a circular pattern. The tanuki’s little hands waved up and stole the attention of all the players.

This thing wasn’t just talking, it was ACTING human too.

“My name is—”

“Is that a talking animal!?” Hugo Sánchez kneeled down to its level, blinking. “C-can I pet you, little guy? Can I? Please?”

“No touching!” The tanuki crossed his arms and humphed. A beat passed, and the critter let out a sigh. “Okay, but just for three seconds. No longer.”

“Got it.” Hugo rubbed the tanuki’s belly, grinning. “Aw, man. Can I keep you? My family would love you!”

"N-no keeping me! I'm not a pet!"

"Who's a good boy! Who's a good boy!" Hugo's fingers scratched its belly at just the right amount and the tanuki melted into his touch.

“Okay, okay, enough!” The tanuki revoked his consent and Hugo stepped back, hands raised. “I am the conductor of this train. Now…get in! I’m freezing!”

Shuddering, the tanuki hopped back onto the train. The doors started to open and the players paused to see what the other would do. Paul wouldn't go unless someone else did.

It wasn’t a long wait. Almost immediately, a man in a fancy black tuxedo strode inside. The tuxedo man did not seem perturbed by the tanuki or the potential dangers inside the train. He went in so quickly that Paul wasn't able to read his name tag. The second to follow was a muscled woman by the name of Ksenia Stárová. Her black hair was done in a black ponytail and her white outfit was armless. There was a cloak on her waist, the symbol of the Sapphire Order.

The remaining players followed, one by one, till Paul felt alone. By the wayside, almost forgotten. A unit of the train was open, just for him. He contemplated even going inside. The moment he did—

OBEY ME.

The words shrieked into his ears and his legs wobbled. He didn't want to go, but what choice did he have? In the face of magic that manipulated and blocked his very thoughts, resisting was futile.

"Hey, man! How's it going? Wanna join us?"

He jolted at the voice. He wasn't alone?

Paul turned and saw light.