Eldritch Horror Theatre

Unsurprisingly, the person being pointed at was that same steady little shop owner.

It was no coincidence either; Fu Qian had been searching for him from the very first moment.

Everyone knew killers liked to return to the scene of the crime, but few realized that intended victims shared the same urge.

It wasn't a quirk, but an innate human instinct to avoid risk.

The killer came to check if their methods had been discovered, while the survivor who had narrowly escaped death came to confirm if they were truly out of the woods.

Especially now, when there was safety in numbers and the situation seemed far less dangerous.

"...Are you sure?"

Kadon looked increasingly baffled by Fu Qian's actions.

Having been forced to act earlier, the old man had practically stopped hiding his Transcendent nature and was ready to move straight to the next item on the agenda.

"This is his shop, after all. Taking it over was already crossing a line, so we have no right to keep him out."

In the face of Kadon's shock, Fu Qian's reasoning was perfectly sound.

"As you wish..."

Unable to find a counterargument, Kadon stared at Fu Qian for a few seconds before giving a slow nod.

His careful control over his expression finally slipped, however, making him look decades older in an instant.

"Hah—"

Heavy panting echoed from just outside the door.

The plaid-shirted shop owner, the man Fu Qian had pointed out, jolted like he was waking from a deep nightmare and nearly collapsed to the floor.

The old man clearly still had a bit of a temper. He carried out his "employer's" instructions to the letter.

Since he was only told to let the man stay, Kadon instantly severed his mental influence, refusing to make the shop owner take even a single step forward.

"Welcome. Care for a drink?"

Employees had to be allowed their little tantrums. Unbothered by Kadon's behavior, Fu Qian personally extended the invitation.

The shop owner, who had just managed to steady himself and whose every instinct screamed at him to run, froze in place.

It wasn't because their earlier business transaction had forged some deep bond. It was mainly because when Fu Qian offered him a drink, he wasn't raising a coffee cup—he was holding the gun that had been resting on the table.

"That thing in your hand... I doubt it's even real."

But as someone running a shop on the fringes of society, the owner was no pushover.

He held his ground, refusing to step closer. Staring at the gun in Fu Qian's hand, he gritted his teeth and called his bluff.

"True. I thought it looked a bit too nice myself."

The shop owner had mustered enough courage to speak, but not enough to turn and flee.

Yet Fu Qian seemed to take the man's assessment to heart.

He gave a slight nod, agreeing that the weapon didn't look like a real gun.

Bang—

The moment he spoke, a flash of fire erupted from the muzzle.

At the deafening crack, the plaid-shirted owner finally crumpled to the floor—even though he wasn't the one who got shot.

"Do you... have any idea what you're doing?"

Sitting across the table, his voice laced with intense agony, Kadon squeezed the broken words through gritted teeth.

Sounding as though he were questioning reality itself, he looked down at the dark bloom of blood spreading across his chest.

"No idea... Do you?"

Facing the accusation, Fu Qian didn't look the least bit guilty about shooting someone. Smiling, he casually brought the gun to his lips and blew the smoke from the barrel.

...

Fu Qian's question was deceptively simple.

Even though he was the victim, Kadon found himself unable to meet the man's scrutinizing gaze, subconsciously looking away.

"You don't seem to like your Transcendent self."

But Fu Qian wasn't going to let him off that easily. Aiming the gun toward the door once more, he casually dropped a startling conclusion.

The shop owner, who had just managed to scramble halfway up, froze at the gesture. He didn't say another word, nor did he try to run.

"Who exactly are you?"

Clearly provoked by the word "Transcendent," Kadon seemed to spiral into complete confusion regarding Fu Qian's identity.

He was clearly an ordinary person, yet—

"Your Reflection. Did you forget?"

Tapping a finger just below his own eye, Fu Qian gave a flawless answer.

It was a double entendre. Beyond their earlier agreement, Kadon really could see his own reflection in Fu Qian's pupils from this angle.

Of course, Fu Qian wasn't about to underestimate the old man sitting across from him.

Kadon's shock wasn't just caused by Fu Qian's cryptic remarks. It was also due to an undeniable fact: Fu Qian was an ordinary man, yet he was completely immune to the old man's mental influence.

By this point, no matter how confident Kadon was, trying to mentally influence this incomprehensible driver was just human nature.

And the failure of that influence had led to his current state of utter disbelief.

"Why?" Fu Qian pressed. "This is the kind of talent ordinary people dream about. Why do you have such mixed feelings toward it?"

The gun packed a punch, but to a Mid Tier, a wound like this was far from fatal.

Knowing that, Fu Qian didn't give the old man much time to catch his breath before pressing the interrogation.

...

What exactly Kadon was trying to accomplish—that was the real mystery here.

No matter how outrageous his own actions seemed, Fu Qian had never lost sight of that central question.

It was true that with Fu Qian's help, they had efficiently cleared three items off the list, only for the newly proposed side quest to take a wildly different tone.

So much so that Fu Qian found himself forced to act as Director for a play where he didn't even know the script.

But to a true professional, a minor setback like that was nothing.

They say the best Directors don't need a script anyway.

So over the past little while, Fu Qian had been single-mindedly working toward one goal: manipulating the situation to force Kadon into an environment where he had to use his Transcendent powers.

There had always been something suspicious about the old man's attitude. As Fu Qian acted increasingly unhinged, why hadn't Kadon tried to mentally influence him?

If Kadon had tried it earlier, he would have realized Fu Qian was immune and asked "Who exactly are you?" much sooner.

Of course, there was always the chance the old man was playing a deeper game—that he had noticed Fu Qian's immunity but feigned ignorance, unwilling to complicate matters before he had to.

Regardless, Kadon had hired him to play a crucial role in fulfilling his Dying Wish List.

Logically, he should have been extremely cautious about who he hired. Why was he so careless?

Or perhaps it wasn't carelessness at all, but a necessity?

He'd had plenty of opportunities to take control of the situation without Fu Qian ever noticing. Yet every time, he held off on using his Transcendent abilities until his hand was forced.

In the final stretch of his life, Kadon seemed to be trying his hardest to be nothing more than an ordinary man.

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