’....Fuck! What do I do now?!’
Staring down the staircase, I could not help but overthink.
Glancing at the hanging IDs around their necks, I suddenly thought of one thing.
’An Aegis Response Unit...?’
A.E.G.I.S was one of the biggest organizations within the fictional universe of [Arcana].
It was present in almost every book created around it as well.
It stood for Anomalous Entity Governance, Investigation, and Suppression.
An international organization established to monitor, contain, and investigate supernatural entities, anomalous objects, and unexplained phenomena.
Its primary objective was simple:
Protect humanity from what humanity cannot understand.
Aegis employed specialized Response Units to handle supernatural incidents in the field.
However, that was not what I was most worried about.
Since this Response Unit was able to enter a supernatural space, that meant they were accompanied by a ghost entity!
After all, according to A.E.G.I.S. Response Unit rules...
A Response Unit would only be qualified to enter supernatural spaces if they had an assigned supernatural entity accompanying them!
Thus, I could not help but stare down at them, scanning among them to see if any supernatural entity was around them.
Suddenly, I heard the woman below me whisper...
"It’s a supernatural entity..."
"..."
I fell silent.
’Did I... actually get transported into the world of [Arcana]?’
I could not help but overthink.
If these were just cosplayers who happened to wear A.E.G.I.S. Response Unit IDs, I would probably have been praising them over how professional and well-made everything was.
Especially the devices strapped around them... They looked almost exactly like the ones described in the books!
However, I had already confirmed that I was truly stuck inside a supernatural scenario.
There was no joy in my mind, only panic and fear.
I might have been a huge fan of [Arcana], but I had never once wished to actually be inside of it...
The entire world of [Arcana] was far too morbid and scary for me.
It was fun to read about and fun to discuss with my friends.
It was even fun to imagine myself as some powerful supernatural entity.
But actually being there?
No! Absolutely not!
I would much rather remain a reader.
The Response Unit below me also fell silent.
’Because of the Ring of Sacrilege, I’m being mistaken as a supernatural entity...’
If the situation allowed it, I would have facepalmed myself right now.
Just as I recalled in the book, didn’t the original character who wore the Ring of Sacrilege also get killed because he was mistaken as a supernatural creature?
’Sigh... even if I tell them "I’m not a supernatural entity," that would only cause a horror situation of, like, a ghost telling others that it’s not dead...’
And also...
I could no longer "take off" the ring.
Just now, when I saw that they were a Response Unit, I immediately knew that they would use the SED, known as the Supernatural Energy Detector.
I wanted to take the ring off before they could use it so I wouldn’t be mistaken as a supernatural entity.
However, when I tried...
I found that it seemed to have attached itself to my skin.
’What should I do...?’
A lot of worries and fear filled my head.
As I contemplated my actions, I could only think of one thing.
I breathed in... preparing myself for the inner embarrassment.
’Fuck it. Either die of embarrassment or die from weaponry.’
In the [Arcana] wiki and the countless stories revolving around it, there were all sorts of ways to get rid of supernatural entities.
Unfortunately, most of them weren’t exactly peaceful.
Some required strange rituals while others required sacrifices.
And there were even some that involved rather murderous and gruesome methods.
If these people believed I was a supernatural entity, then I really didn’t want to give them a reason to try any of those methods on me.
With one hand, I slowly adjusted my tie, straightening it until it sat perfectly against my collar.
I raised my head slightly.
Then, with the sternest and strictest voice I could force myself to produce, I spoke.
"Greetings, visitors. Welcome to the Neverending Staircase."
’Okay that sounds eerie yet normal enough...’
"You have entered a staircase that does not believe in destinations."
’What the fuck am I saying?’
"Please proceed with caution and do not worry about how far you have climbed. There will always be another step waiting for you."
That’s right.
Since I had already been judged as a "Ghost Entity" or a "Supernatural Entity" in the first place, then it was best to be judged as a friendly one that did not harbor any malice!
Recalling the events in [Arcana] and many other books, what A.E.G.I.S. valued the most were friendly supernatural entities!
There were quite a few types of friendly supernatural entities.
First were entities whose goals did not directly clash with humanity’s interests, second were entities that could communicate and cooperate with humans without causing harm.
And lastly, there were those whose personalities were naturally welcoming, showing little to no hostility toward humans or other living beings.
’I’ll be a combination of the second and third type.’
’An entity that can communicate and cooperate with humans... while also being friendly and welcoming toward them.’
’Yeah... That should work!’
With that thought in mind, I decided to act accordingly.
Hearing my strange greeting, the Response Unit immediately began "acting out" as well, carefully controlling their movements and words so as not to agitate the "supernatural entity" standing before them.
"Ah... yes! Thank you for the warning. We will be sure to proceed carefully."
Jonathan nodded several times, his movements stiff and awkward. His eye movements indicated that he was communicating with his teammates through a certain method.
If I had to guess, it was probably through a device or gadget that only they could hear.
"Would you... happen to know the way out?"
My expression remained stern as I heard the question.
Inside, however, I was dying of embarrassment.
"Wanting to leave so soon? Why is that?"
The Response Unit exchanged a few glances before Elias carefully answered.
"We... entered this place by mistake. We weren’t intending to stay here for very long."
"By mistake?"
I tilted my head slightly, as though I was "offended" by their remarks.
Such an action visibly made the team below me flinch a bit in fright.
"The staircase makes no mistakes. If you ask me, you are right where you belong."
The Response Unit immediately fell silent.
I continued staring at them, maintaining my stern expression.
After a brief pause, I continued.
"Of course, if you truly wish to leave, I suppose I could tell you that there are several ways to escape the Neverending Staircase."
The Response Unit’s expressions immediately changed.
"Several?"
Elias looked at me carefully to which I nodded.
"Yes. There are several ways to get out! Ah, but I cannot tell you what those are."
The hope on their faces immediately disappeared.
I paused for a moment before continuing.
"After all, if I simply told every visitor how to leave the moment they arrived, then what would be the point of having a Neverending Staircase?"
I slowly spread one hand toward the endless stairs surrounding us.
"You would simply walk in, receive directions, walk out, and that would be the end of your little adventure."
I gave a small nod, as though I had just explained something incredibly profound.