The Hypnosis App Was Fake – Chapter 23

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Teottry
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“A familiar ceiling…”

Actually, it wasn’t. The ceiling I was familiar with had become one with the stars.

It was just wishful thinking, a desperate hope that if I woke up like this, yesterday’s events would turn out to be a dream.

But the destruction of my penthouse wasn’t a dream. I woke up in a tiny studio apartment, not even 50 square feet, not in my spacious penthouse.

“Fuck…”

I clutched my throbbing head and sat up on bed. The fact that the refrigerator was right in front of the bed, allowing me to grab a bottle of water without even getting up, was a depressing perk.

The cold water soothed my headache, clearing my mind. I decided to retrace yesterday’s events.

I’d taken Ia Aris home and dodged her dinner invitation with the excuse that I had to drop Scarlet off at her place and then return to the guild dorm before curfew.

I knew where Scarlet lived, so I teleported her to her bedroom with Rabbit Burrow, tucked her into bed, and then returned to the guild to ask the Guild Leader for a vacant room.

The reason I, an F-rank Awakened, could waltz into the Guild Leader’s office whenever I pleased was because he’d asked me to.

More accurately, he’d begged me to come to him if I had any problems he could solve, as long as they weren’t “woman problems.”

The Guild Leader was terrified of anything bad happening to me. Probably because of the incident two years ago, when Scarlet, in a fit of rage, burned down the guild headquarters after I was fired.

The Rate family had compensated the guild, allowing them to build a bigger and better headquarters, but the memory of the destruction remained, a traumatic scar on the Guild Leader’s mind.

As a result, the leader of the world’s greatest guild, Liar’s Trap, was now, ironically, at the mercy of a lowly F-rank Awakened like me.

I remembered once, during a consultation with the Guild Leader, when I’d hinted at wanting to quit, he’d almost gotten down on his knees and begged me to reconsider…

Seeing a middle-aged man practically begging me was depressing, so I’d immediately reassured him and promised not to quit.

It might sound like I had the Guild Leader wrapped around my finger, but I also had to do him favors, like occasionally “managing” Scarlet to prevent another outburst, so it was more of an equal exchange.

And I didn’t want to abuse my power.

Having been subjected to Scarlet’s tyranny since childhood, and then bullied by almost every other S-rank Awakened in the guild except Ia Aris, I’d developed an aversion to such behavior.

It was a lesson learned the hard way.

So, when I asked the Guild Leader for a room, he’d apologized profusely, explaining that all the good rooms were taken, and the only one available was a small dorm room for interns. He offered to use his authority to evict someone, but I refused. Like I said, I hated that kind of thing.

After completing the temporary residency registration for the dorm, it was already late at night.

It had been an incredibly eventful day, so I collapsed onto the bed the moment I entered the room and passed out.

“…Fuck.”

It was a situation worthy of a curse.

Scarlet, the certified crazy bitch, was head-over-heels for me, and Ia Aris, the seemingly normal one, was also obsessed with me and wanted to… well, you know. It was absurd.

“Huu… It happened because it could happen. No more escapism. I need to think about what to do next.”

I couldn’t afford to waste any more time. Knowing that two S-rank Awakened harbored such intense feelings for me, I couldn’t continue acting as I had before.

If I provoked them any further, those women, capable of destroying a multi-million won apartment over a perceived slight, might do something truly drastic.

But even as I started thinking, no viable solutions came to mind. Considering Ia Aris and Scarlet’s personalities, even the “cleaner shrimp” strategy would only be a temporary fix.

They wouldn’t be satisfied with childish displays of affection like hugs and pats.

It might work a couple of times, but then they’d want something more intimate, something you wouldn’t do with someone who wasn’t your lover.

I considered deliberately acting pathetic to make them lose interest, but they were both crazy. If they realized I was trying to push them away, there was no telling what they might do.

And I didn’t want to become romantically involved with either of them. They were capable of melting and demolishing buildings even before we were in a relationship. I shuddered to imagine how possessive they’d become if we were actually dating.

Scarlet would probably lock me up in her house, and Ia Aris would probably put me on display like one of her prized possessions.

Considering that none of Ia Aris’s numerous luxury items had ever seen the light of day, it was a distinct possibility.

“So, in order to survive, I have to satisfy their endless desires while maintaining enough distance to prevent a romantic relationship…”

I couldn’t think of a way to achieve both.

“Is that even possible? It would be impossible without the hypnosis app… Wait.”

Hypnosis app?

The moment I remembered it, I grabbed my phone and opened the app.

The familiar purple and pink hearts flashed alternately, and the vulgar slogan caught my eye.

This app, which had only filled me with rage since I learned it was fake, now seemed like a lifeline.

“If I use this properly, I might be able to satisfy them and survive.”

The hypnosis app was fake. It had no real effect, and it didn’t actually hypnotize anyone. But between me and the female S-rank Awakened of Liar’s Trap, it was as good as real.

Knowing that two of them were obsessed with me, I could guess why the app had been created.

“It was probably made to keep me in Liar’s Trap and give them a way to get closer to me. I was always talking about quitting back then.”

I’d received the app from the Doctor six months ago, during my darkest hour.

I hadn’t bothered hiding my misery, so Scarlet and Ia Aris must have noticed and asked the Doctor to create a way to keep me in the guild.

The Doctor knew that the female S-rank Awakened were the main source of my stress.

So, she’d created the hypnosis app as a way to solve the problem and satisfy Scarlet and Ia Aris’s desires at the same time.

“It was just a random idea, but it all fits. Maybe I’m a genius?”

That also explained why the female S-rank Awakened had played along with the fake app.

Wait a minute… Even if two S-rank Awakened teamed up, could they really convince all the female S-rank Awakened in the guild?

There was another female S-rank Awakened in Liar’s Trap besides Scarlet, Ia Aris, and Lapis Julie.

Even if Ia Aris and Scarlet were in cahoots, there was no reason for the other two to pretend to be hypnotized just to keep me from quitting.

S-rank Awakened had the power to do anything they wanted. They had no reason to humiliate themselves for a lowly F-rank Awakened like me.

They weren’t lacking in money or prestige. Why would they willingly pretend to be hypnotized? Unless they were also… obsessed with me, like Ia Aris and Scarlet…

The thought sent chills down my spine.

I wanted to dismiss it as absurd, but knowing that Scarlet and Ia Aris were already obsessed with me, it wasn’t entirely impossible.

“C-Could it be… that they’re obsessed with me too?”

When I first received the fake hypnosis app, I’d ordered all the S-rank Awakened except Ia Aris to give me the best service they could think of.

And those two had served me with genuine enthusiasm and joy.

Their happy expressions, like people who’d finally achieved their dreams, had seemed too real to be fake.

“But what if it was real? What if they were genuinely happy to serve me, to be close to me?”

Holy shit. This was insane.

I’d said it before, but all the S-rank Awakened, except Ia Aris, treated me like garbage. Like I was their sworn enemy.

And they were obsessed with me? So obsessed that they willingly obeyed my commands, pretending to be hypnotized?

“Ha… This is ridiculous. And I can’t even run away.”

My multi-million won apartment was gone, and I still had a massive loan to pay off. Even if Ia Aris paid for the repairs, if I disappeared, I’d be stuck with the debt.

All my assets would be seized, and my bank account would be in the red.

And then four S-rank Awakened, plus the bank’s debt collection Awakened, would be after me? Even Rabbit Burrow couldn’t save me from that.

I could teleport to the other side of the planet with Rabbit Burrow, but my stamina wasn’t infinite.

“I have to stay in the guild… at least until the repairs are finished and I pay off the loan.”

The only silver lining was that I could pay off the loan with the reward from the S-rank dungeon raid in three months.

“If I can just hold out until then… I can survive. With enough money, I can use Rabbit Burrow to escape from those bitches.”

I looked at the hypnosis app on my phone.

I knew it was fake, the Doctor knew it was fake, and the S-rank bitches knew it was fake. But they didn’t know that I knew it was fake.

That information asymmetry was my weapon. The weapon that would allow me to survive for three months.

For the next three months, I’ll use this app to satisfy their desires, and then… after the dungeon raid, when the reward money comes in, I’ll run.

Just as I made up my mind, my phone buzzed. It was a text message.

It was from Lapis Julie. And immediately after I read the message, a polite knock echoed from the door.

She’s here already? I’m not ready!

Panic momentarily paralyzed me, but then, a smile spread across my face.

No, this is perfect. It’s a chance to practice for my fake hypnosis life.

Clutching my smartphone in my right hand, I opened the door.

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Les goo!!! Practice time🤓