6 The Jester's Guesses

Now, backtracking a little to the topic of those corpse disposers, Magnus was thankful for their hospitality, yes. But he was not thankful for their corruption.

"Those rascals cheated me off of a hundred bucks... Obviously, they haven't changed since Klaris was still alive."

A wry smile appeared on his face as he joined the sparse Thawsore crowd in trudging along the dirty sidewalks. Those men in the corpse-disposal trade were criminals with standards per se. Most of their values were all in the right places, and the only line they crossed was when it came to hiding money.

It was mostly because Feng, the manager of the place, had a peculiar Blessing that stimulated a business whenever it exhibits corruption. One could say that the men there were all being kindhearted because they kept a delicate balance with how the money was being distributed and the coherent atmosphere of the establishment.

They did not want to lose such an opportunity to work with a person who had a one-line Blessing, three-line Curse.

"In a sense, Feng is drawing more deaths to his door using his Blessing." Magnus tried looking at things from a different perspective and found that the entire setup could be even fouler than it already was.

All he had to do was look at it differently.

But Magnus decided not to deal with that. He needed a place to rest, which he found after moving closer to the central parts of the town.

A five-story tall, square building sat in front of Magnus' eyes.

"This should be it,"

Eight dollars for a room that looked akin to a jail cell among many. It was all this establishment had, as it was a hotel reconstructed from an actual prison.

Magnus had to exert so much effort just to close the steel door to his room, and even then, he feared not being able to open it again. It might have gotten stuck somewhere, somehow.

"Thankfully, quitting the job stopped my Curse from acting up, otherwise, I'd have to ask for help in just going in and out." Magnus sighed as he collapsed onto his bed.

His room smelled soggy, but almost every place in Thawsore was like that. Every morning it would pour like crazy, and even then the rainwater from all the nearby regions would flood towards here once it was done.

After all, Thawsore sat at the bottom of a ravine. The more prosperous towns and cities lay on the slopes of mountains, while the tycoons of this world sat and lived at the peaks of both status and geography.

That was why all the steel that he had seen in the area was rusted and there was not a single speck of dried soil.

Thinking about the future, Magnus fell asleep.

Boom!

Only to be rudely awakened a few hours later.

"Police! It's the Police!" People were shouting from all over the place as those in white garments stormed into the hotel.

"Damn, it... what are they doing so early in the morn... late in the afternoon?" Magnus swore under his breath as he peeked outside his door.

"Search the place!" A thunderous voice thumped against Magnus' steel door. "The target is definitely here! All civilians, gather at the entrance for an inspection!"

Magnus heard it all and decided to comply. He had a nagging feeling that they were searching for 'Klaris' who was basically with him at all times.

'Although I can't assimilate someone new, I can still summon my Hivemind members... but it costs Spirit Energy to keep more than one of us present at a time. I need to be thrifty.'

Those were Magnus' thoughts as the white-clad policemen glared at every arriving hotel guest.

"Sir, we've searched the entire building! The target is nowhere in sight!"

"Sir, all the registered guests are present! The target was never here!"

Two reporting policemen ran up to what was likely a detective of some sort from what Magnus could see.

'He fits the stereotype, at least,'

A long trenchcoat of deep dark brown was draped over the man's white garments. His eyes were sharp; his look, intelligent; and his posture, observant.

"Weird," Magnus managed to catch the detective mentioning such a word, but he couldn't hear the rest.

After a minute, the policemen retreated, seeing as their target was nowhere in sight. Nobody was caught, nor was there any other incident besides being looked at.

'I wonder how they locked on to my location? A Blessing?' Magnus tried to put his imagination to work as he walked back to his room, 'But are they even after 'Klaris' in the first place? No... the coincidence is too great to ignore. It must be me they're looking for. I need to think about whether to relocate or not...'

Seemingly hearing his thoughts, though, another coincidence occurred. Just as he entered his room, a scroll appeared before his face.

[[ Hey, all... I'm sad to report that several dozens of thousands of Earthlings had been unable to make it through. Were my instructions not enough perhaps? I wish there was a way for you guys to give me your input. ]]

[[ As for the subsequent Trial, it is to gain an identity. The requirements are vague, but allow me to guess. An identity is likely a record of yourself, whether it is some signature, fame, or identification card. You will know that you have completed the Trial as there will be a reward this time! This is also the second lifestyle-type Trial in a row, and I have this gut feeling that the next one would be the same. ]]

[[ Also, please don't forget! Be careful about revealing your status as an Earthling when making an identity for yourself! Good luck and please stay alive. For Earth! ]]

[[ -The Jester ]]

"An identity, huh." Magnus wrinkled his nose. "That's a lot harder than it looks... Wait a minute. Will continuing life as Klaris work?"

Magnus wanted to give it a try.

"I am the master and maker of the Hivemind. The mind behind minds. The one who stands above humanity."

He chanted silently.

"And the one civilizations despise."

Whoom!

A small pulse of energy blossomed from his wrist, and Magnus directed his intentions into it. The body of Klaris appeared out of thin air as his own original body disappeared.

Pop!

In the instant that occurred, a scroll appeared in front of Magnus' face.

"It... It worked... Does that mean that those who were sent into a different body can all complete this Trial instantly?" Magnus was slightly appalled, "The playing field is beyond being uneven..."

That feeling didn't last long, however, as the prospect of finally being rewarded gave him an adrenaline kick. He reached out and grabbed at the scroll.

"I forgot... this is Klaris. I need to change back..." Magnus felt more comfortable in his own body, especially when the police had just searched the entire hotel.

And so, after a short invocation, he was back.

He then opened the scroll and discovered a pleasant surprise.

[[ Scroll of Spirit Energy ]]

[[ Upon tearing, resupplies one's Spirit Energy by 30%. ]]

Rrrrip!

Magnus was more than happy to avail of such a benefit right away.

But as his Spirit Energy reserves were refilled he realised something.

"Hm? This is way more than 30%! Are Klaris' reserves considered as well?"

Magnus was going to rest well knowing such a fact. He still had more sleep to catch up on, after all.

.

.

.

When Magnus next opened his eyes, it was probably midnight. A cool breeze blew through his hair as he looked out his window. A new scroll popped up in his vision at that moment.

[[ Hi! If you're reading this, that means you have completed the second Trial earlier than most others. You're probably someone who assumed the identity of the body you possessed, right? I really wish you guys could communicate with me. ]]

[[ As there is still time before the end of the second Trial, there is some kind of special sub-Trial that will be held for all you early birds. If I'm not wrong, it is a Trial that does not involve me at all. Instead, it is more of a personal thing. If you can access some kind of area, then this Trial would activate. It should be some kind of artefact of sorts or a landmark... I really don't know. All I can do is guess, and it is frustrating. ]]

[[ I just hope that you guys can continue to survive. If any of you are suspicious as to why I care so much, it's because I am also rewarded for doing this. I can't say any more though. Good luck in finding the sub-Trial! For Earth! ]]

[[ -The Jester ]]

Tilting his head, Magnus gave The Jester's words some thought. He was quite interested in what this sub-Trial could be, but he had no clues to speak of.

Searching through Klaris' memories helped with nothing, as the man was born on Thare. He did not go through these kinds of Trials. He only experienced being a native all his life. His Trials were that of 'Protecting his home from the Otherworlders' and whatnot.

With nothing else, Magnus fell back on his short experience reading isekai novels.

"Hmmmmm," Magnus hummed with a pensive look on his face, "What if it isn't just because Klaris was born on Thare but because he wasn't of high enough status?"

His gaze slowly moved towards the north.

"Moving to higher altitudes would bring me to a more prosperous town. Maybe I can find what I'm looking for when I'm there. Thawsore is much too desolate, and Klaris has seen most of the town already."

Magnus nodded. It was a good idea to explore more, especially when he was granted an opportunity like this.

The Jester mentioned that all he had to do was 'gain access' and that made things simpler. If it was a place, he just had to visit it. If it was an object, a single touch might be enough.

"The problem would be the cops," Magnus suddenly wore a more dire expression. "If I make such obvious movements, then they might relate 'Magnus' to 'Klaris' simply because I will always be present when they track 'Klaris' using that weird method they have."

He massaged his temples.

"How do I deal with them? I'm just a child at the end of this all. No weapon, no strength, no connections."