This time, it seemed like there would be only one prey for me to find and eliminate. However, getting to said prey was certainly not going to be as simple as the times when I simply had to wander a bizarre place.

  For one, this trial seemed to be taking place completely indoors. The rooms varied in size, but most were rather small. Like rooms, you would expect a lesser servant to sleep in… My surroundings weren’t nearly as rusty as the boat or platform, but they were definitely decrepit.

  I had no clue what this place was supposed to be, but the lighting was scarce and dim. I spent most of my time in the dark as I went from room to room, looking for something that could indicate or at least give me a clue as to where I should go–The last thing I noticed was that there were strange objects in the upper corners of nearly every room I went through.

  They were clearly small machines of sorts, but they were stuck to the corner using some sort of dark, gum-like substance that could move a little bit. The machine itself was reminiscent of an eye.

  Mmh… I have seen stuff like this before, but they were made by artificers, not one of those machine makers. Are they the same thing?

  These are cameras–Or in understandable terms, they are eyes that connect to a device which projects what these eyes are seeing. Normally, if you see them move, it should mean that our prey is actively using this one in the moment

  They should definitely have more means to defend themselves than just these cameras, though. This trial is a sort that forbids the prey from moving from a precise location. Thus, they should have at least one other thing at their disposal to fend off our approach, apart from these eyes

  Makes sense.

  As I spoke with Nara inside my mind, I reached up and grabbed the mechanical eye. With a bit of effort, I was able to tear it off the wall, dropping it to the ground before mercilessly stomping it into a pile of junk.

  Those camera things sound like a whole lot of fun. Being able to see things without actually being there just seems very appealing to me… In any case…

  I started destroying the eyes every time I ran into one, until I finally found something of interest. It was a map–Admittedly, it was a bit worn-out and hard to read, but there was indeed a map bolted to one of the walls.

  Dining Room… I went through there earlier… Oh, The Overseer’s Room? My prey is definitely stuck in this room, aren’t they?

  I definitely don’t see anywhere else where it would make sense for the camera feed to end up in

  I don’t know what a ‘feed’ means in this situation, but I agree.

  The place I found the map in was a long hallway. From there, I had a clear path toward that overseeing room. As I headed for it, however, an eye I hadn’t yet destroyed moved, stared right at me, and in the next moment. The doorway I had been heading to vanished as a door slammed down in its place.

  …Huh. So, doors?

  I walked up to the door and tapped on it. With my strength in this human form, I definitely couldn’t punch through this. The steel was thick and resilient, and whatever mechanism was at play to make this thing work, it seemed quite tough as well.

  So prying one of these doors open was probably impossible as well.

  Mmh… I do wonder how this trial truly works. The nightmare trials were supposed to be winnable, but so far, the final trials in particular had proven to be exceedingly difficult for the prey to win. The date one was the worst offender by a long shot.

  None of these idiots had stood even a chance at success.

  So, unless this trial was more fair and balanced–Which I doubted–Then there was probably a limitation on what the doors could do. If there wasn’t, the smart thing to do would have been to just shut as many of them from the very beginning and become untouchable.

  Any ideas, Nara?

  I had my own thoughts, but I quite liked hearing her cute little voice. She was definitely smarter and more knowledgeable than I was as well, so I knew that she would provide good ideas.

  There are several possibilities, although I don’t have access to the particular quirks of the current trial, I am aware of the methods used to regulate door usage in previous trials that occurred in the past

  Most commonly, the door and any machine-related items the prey has access to are hooked onto a supply of electricity that needs to be managed carefully. If it runs out, they are completely and utterly defenceless

  It could also be that they can only shut one door at a time, having to think smartly and attempt to redirect you away from them–If it is this one, they are unlucky. Once you break enough cameras, they’ll have no idea where you are and will be easy picking

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  Another possibility is that they have none of the previous two limitations, but the doors they have access to are spread out. Thus, there is actually a path you can take that can not be obstructed at all. In this case, their goal is to be conservative with their door usage, as otherwise, they’ll literally herd you directly to them

  Nara went over a few more variations, but she and I both agreed that the first three were more likely, as everything beyond that had only appeared a handful of times in the nightmares, according to Nara.

  The first three were simply far more common. Depending on which one it was, my strategy would have to be adapted.

  Regardless of which one it was, shattering the eyes was an excellent idea. So, I began running around the old facility of sorts. I was able to just feel the panic in my prey as I did that. The cameras I ran into began to move around frantically before getting smashed.

  For extra scare, I began flipping tables over and pushing furniture to the ground, sending echoes throughout the entire place.

  Then, once I was fairly certain that the vast majority of those camera thingies had been dealt with, I silently made my way over to the Overseer’s room. Unknowing of my prey, I took off my boots before heading there, so I wasn't making a sound as I tiptoed my way to them.

  Mmh… I would have expected at least one more eye to be placed near this room. I guess our dear victim isn’t very lucky.

  I arrived before a simple, flimsy-looking wooden door and knelt to look through the keyhole. The inside was illuminated far better than the rest of the place, and I could see what looked like a grown man sitting in front of some box that was projecting a weird image.

  Static. Seems like you destroyed all of the cameras

  It was a bit weird, though, ever since I destroyed all the cameras, he hasn’t shut down any doors. Could it be that it was one of those more uncommon limitations? Nara had mentioned that the limitation could be tied to the vulnerable cameras. As in, you needed to see the door you wanted to shut through a camera to do it.

  If so, it was quite unfortunate. Destroying the cameras may not have been something my mindless nightmare stand-in thought to do, but me? I had an appetite for destruction, and eye-looking things staring at me were not to my liking.

  I doubt many women would like to be spied on like this.

  It has only been two hours since the trial started. It is safe to say that this man is completely and utterly fucked. From the looks of it, he was probably a guard. Someone who had been standing duty near the orphans and workers, resulting in him being infested with nightmares? If so, he was quite the weak-minded guard to end up here before the people who were bearing ‘Remember Me?’ curses.

  I put my boots back on and casually knocked on the door. I stopped myself from laughing as I heard him fall out of his chair on the side, scrambling to get back up as he slammed his back against the wall.

  I didn’t even have to see him to know what he was doing. That guy was comically loud and clumsy.

  Come on, are you really that scared of my beautiful face? You should be used to a literal monster. You should be relieved that it's a pretty girl this time around!

  I honestly don’t get it… Nara, you have knowledge of this guy’s previous nightmares, right? What was he like?

  Well… He did pretty well at first, but after losing once and seeing himself be torn apart by the monster, he started performing far more poorly. As for how he behaved… It’s true that he seems more exaggeratedly frightened this time around, but I am sure that it is because he knows this is a ‘final’ trial. It surely has nothing to do with the fact that you are a woman

  …I think

  The rise in the fear of women during my twenty-year nap needs to be studied. What the hell happened?

  I kick down the fragile door into a blast of splinters.

  “Hello! What are you doing holed up in here? Did it not cross your mind to come meet me and offer some help? What sort of man are you?”

  “G-Get away from me! I-I know what you are!”

  “Shut the hell up”

  The man was sitting down with his back against the wall, so I kicked him in the mouth to silence him.

  “No need to get so loud. We still have a few hours ahead of us… Do you know how many ribs a human can live without?”

  The man, whom I still assumed was a guard, tried to put up a fight, rising to his feet, but I grabbed his wrist as he attempted to punch me, twisting it behind his back as I pinned him face-first against the ground, driving my knee into his back.

  “You are pretty weak, you know? Are you actually a guard?”

  He couldn’t respond, but I wasn’t expecting anything from this guy, anyway.

  “I wonder what it will look like in the real world as I cut you up into little pieces!”

  The guard screamed, but to no avail as I grabbed his ear and, with a sudden motion, ripped it off into a shower of blood.

  About an hour later, the nightmare trial ended as the wimp died from his injuries. I barely even did anything to him!

  I reappeared where I was previously, overlooking the beastfolk city.

  Nothing much had changed in just a few hours.

  Alright, now that this is dealt with–It’s time for me to get to cooking.

  I retreat into my mindscape, take off the imaginary coat, and put on an imaginary apron like I am a master chef. Spinning two kitchen knives under the admiring gazes of my gathering adorable spirits.

  “Alright, we only have a limited assortment of ingredients, so let’s attempt something simple”

  I grab the Ingredient Compendium, spawning several things out of thin air. I was just going to be cooking some steaks. Regular steaks with some salt and pepper, cooked in a pan. Nothing crazy, not like I can do anything actually elaborate at the moment…

  I do wonder what such a simplistic dish can translate into as a curse.

  I prepare my utensils and ingredients carefully, explaining what I am doing to my girls as I go about it.

  “Very well… Time to find out about the… Steak curse, I guess? It will either be incredibly weak or an absolutely nonsensical curse, that’s what I am predicting”

  For some reason, my little sisters seem absolutely mesmerised by my culinary performance… Maybe this will birth some new hobbies?