Mad Hatter's Guide to Clearing The Game
Chapter 84: Ch82. Pain as a teacher (6) - [Hidden Piece]

Chapter 84: Ch82. Pain as a teacher (6) - [Hidden Piece]

Shinji took a slow, measured step forward, eyes locked on the chained figure suspended in the chamber. The sheer size of it made him hesitate for the first time. The thing wasn’t moving, but it was breathing.

And that was enough to make his skin crawl.

The obsidian-black chains pulsed faintly, as if they were not just holding the creature in place but actively suppressing it. The system message still flickered in his vision:

[You have witnessed the bearer of the - Hidden Piece (001/365)]

The weight of those words settled in his chest like a stone, three hundred and sixty-five pieces. A puzzle scattered across this twisted world.

An enigma laid bare for everyone who reached level 50 to see, or so Sarissa had thought, because there he was, on the verge of reaching that said breakthrough, and yet...

As soon as he received that [Classpect] thing from The [Unspoken One], he had unlocked the secret clue that led him to this place.

And he had found it before anyone else.

So many questions whirled in Shinji’s head, but at that very moment, all that mattered was what lied before him. The indescribable creature that held the first hidden piece to... Clearing the game? Becoming something else? Changing the world back to what it was before The Glitch?

’It doesn’t matter.’ He shook his head ever so slightly, as if afraid to disturb the impossible being’s slumber, its name almost embedded in the system’s glitched tag on top of it.

[Lesser Devil: Hastur’s Tulpa]

[Level: ???]

Its level was just as unfathomable as The [Unspoken One]’, even though it was clearly less powerful, but he was not ready to face it yet, if he had to kill it, in order to take the first [Hidden Piece], but curiosity overwhelmed him.

’I have to see it more closely...’

He exhaled sharply, stepping closer, his heartbeat quickening. The swirling mass of darkness in place of the figure’s face pulsed, shifting slightly, as if acknowledging him.

It wasn’t dead, but it wasn’t alive, either.

It was something in between.

"What the hell are you?" Shinji muttered, voice barely above a whisper.

The moment the words left his lips, something shifted.

A whisper, low and ancient, slithered into his ears. Not a voice, not truly. More like the idea of one.

... Do you seek?

Shinji’s breath caught up in his throat. His grip tightened around the hilt of his katana, his instincts screaming at him to back away and run like his life depended on it, but he didn’t.

He couldn’t.

This was an opportunity.

"I want to know what you are," he said carefully. "I want to know why you matter. And I... Want the [Hidden Piece]."

The chains rattled, barely perceptible, but Shinji didn’t miss it. The air felt heavier, charged with something unseen. The void where the creature’s face should be twitched. Not a movement, but a distortion, like reality itself bending around it.

Then the system sent another message.

[Warning! Interaction Limit Reached. Insufficient Authority.]

Shinji clicked his tongue in irritation. Insufficient authority? He had just made a pact with a goddamned Demon. He should have been able to do whatever the hell he wanted.

Before he could curse, the entity moved.

Not physically, but in a way that made the entire chamber feel different. The torches dimmed, the space around him tightening. And then, in a blink, the figure was still again.

... Bring the God’s blood

Shinji grinned, the excitement drowning out his unease, although he felt a slight pang of frustration.

"Oh, I will."

***

Miles jerked backward, gasping as reality slammed into him like a hammer. His hands were shaking, his breath shallow. The vision had ended, but its weight still clung to him, refusing to let go.

Shinji had found it.

The clue to the first [Hidden Piece], and it was in a [Lesser Demon]’s hands – or whatever that thing had for limbs...

He wiped the sweat from his forehead, cursing under his breath. His [Wraith’s Echo] ability was giving him more than just glimpses of the past.

It was showing him things he wasn’t supposed to see or even know.

’Alright, fuck the rest for now!’ Miles thought, grabbing a coat and summoning a [Novice Ration Pack] from his inventory.

He had to go tell Sarissa about it immediately.

His eyes flicked back to his status screen, though, curiosity almost pulling him toward the remaining Echoes.

[Torture; Kodokuna Sakura no yama]

Miles clenched his fists. The logical choice was to check it now, gather as much information as possible before he made his move. But another part of him, the part that was tired of seeing things too late, wanted to go straight to Sarissa.

His stomach lurched at the idea of relying on her, but it was not just about Diego anymore.

It was about changing the game.

But before he could even move, the silvery wrap still half open in his hands, a voice chuckled in the back of his mind.

"Oh, my dear Miles," the Hatter chuckled, his voice a coiling whisper. "You’re hesitating again. How utterly predictable."

Miles’ breath hitched. The room around him darkened – not physically, but perceptually, like the shadows had grown thicker just for him.

"You think you have a choice?" The Hatter continued, his voice dripping with mockery. "That’s adorable. Precious, even."

Miles squeezed his eyes shut. ’Not now. Not now.’

"Yes, now, my dear... Shinji is moving, dear Miles. He has seen what you haven’t. And what are you doing? Sitting in your little nest, wondering if you should act?" The Hatter chuckled again.

"Shut. Up." Miles gritted his teeth.

"Oh, I would, truly, but I think you’re forgetting something." The voice turned silky, deceptively gentle. "You and I... We’re bonded, aren’t we?"

Miles’ fingers twitched.

"Wouldn’t want you falling behind, now, would we?" The Hatter cooed.

Miles exhaled slowly, forcing himself to breathe. The temptation to give in, to let the Hatter in just a little, just enough to make it easier, pressed against his ribs.

"No!" He pushed it back, forcing it down. "I make my own choices!" He muttered, shaking his head.

He had to.

He turned away from the screen, shoved a few liver-flavored crackers in his mouth – they did not taste that bad, actually – and got ready to leave.

He was going to Sarissa.

After some time of running and hiding, Miles reached the Union Guild headquarters, just before dawn, his mind still buzzing with everything he had seen. The guards barely acknowledged him as he walked past, their faces tense.

Something was already wrong.

Sarissa was waiting for him in the lounge, arms crossed, eyes sharp as a blade.

"Took you so long..." She said coldly.

"Dee is doing pretty fine, thank you." Miles exhaled. "He unlocked a new power that is pretty effective against undead, thank you. Oh, we’re facing undead Monsters, now, did you know that?" He glared at her. "But there’s more, you’re going to want to hear what I have to say."

She raised an eyebrow, her eyes narrowing.

"Speak."

Miles clenched his fists. She was so damn cold that it made him mad angry.

"The thing Shinji made a pact was a [Demon], a thing with a far higher rank than the enemies we have fought up until now, and..." He took a deep breath, adding the finishing touch all at once. "And he found the first [Hidden Piece]."

Sarissa’s eyes widened ever so slightly.

Things were going to change for way worse from now on.

And none of them were prepared for it.