Peacekeeper, the examiner for the second task, was an overwhelmingly large musclehead.

    With shoulders as broad as the Pacific Ocean, a thick tree trunk of a neck, and biceps that looked more like clubs, He barely seemed human—more like a gorilla that had taken on a human form.

    Even his crisp white tuxedo was straining against his muscles, the buttons practically screaming for mercy.

    His thick beard and slicked-back black hair gleamed unnaturally, making him look... greasy.

    I hadn’t even eaten anything oily, but just looking at him made me feel like I’d swallowed a stick of butter.

    ‘He’s not non-human... Just a regular human, huh? That floating trick wasn’t magic—it was equipment.’

    The strange way he had descended from the ceiling was thanks to a peculiar belt strapped around his waist.

    Whether it was advanced technology or an artifact, it clearly allowed him to walk on air.

    Anyway, after stepping down from the sky with ridiculous confidence, Peacekeeper crossed his arms—

    His muscles flexing dramatically—and launched into his self-introduction.

    “Mwahaha! Since you’re all aspiring fixers, you should already know my name! But I’ll introduce myself anyway! I am a Peacekeeper! The great fixer ranked 987th—a proud Triple Number Fixer specializing in VIP protection! Hahaha! A pleasure to meet you all!”

    He puffed out his chest dramatically as he emphasized “987th”.

    He was clearly very proud of his ranking.

    To the point where he just assumed everyone would recognize his name.

    ...Was this guy delusional?

    I wondered if he had some sort of Prince Syndrome.

    That said, I couldn’t deny that his ranking was still impressive.

    Being a Triple Number Fixer meant being in the top 1000 of all fixers.

    And considering that even becoming a fixer at all was already proof of immense skill,

    His pride was at least somewhat justified.

    “Hmmm... Ugly. Not much fat on him, so he probably wouldn’t even taste good...”

    “....”

    But unfortunately for him, he was standing next to one of the most dangerous beings on the planet.

    Vespera—one of the Seven Sins.

    So as he grinned and flashed his bright white teeth, brimming with confidence,

    All I could think was...

    Triple Number Fixer? So what?

    If Vespera pointed at him and said, “Die,”

    He would drop dead before he even realized what happened.

    It was like a housecat hissing at a tiger—just how was I supposed to react to this?

    ‘So this guy is the White Team’s examiner for the second task... Will this be a problem?’

    Obviously, Peacekeeper didn’t exist in the original story.

    In the original, Alice had been sent to Red Team, David to Blue Team—

    And since the protagonists weren’t in White Team, the story never covered what happened here.

    That said, the actual content of the second task was the same across all teams.

    So even if our examiner was unfamiliar, it wouldn’t affect much.

    Still... for some reason, Peacekeeper felt oddly familiar.

    It was like I had seen someone just like him recently.

    ‘...Oh. He reminds me of Victor. But, like... the budget version.’

    That’s what it was.

    There were a lot of similarities between Peacekeeper and Victor.

    Both were massive muscleheads, both were loud and chaotic,

    And both were tall, blond, and so attention-grabbing it was exhausting.

    But if you actually looked closely—

    Peacekeeper was just a discount version of Victor.

    Victor wasn’t just muscles—he was also a handsome blond, always positive and passionate.

    Meanwhile, Peacekeeper was...

    A try-hard, overly obsessed with his ranking,

    And struggling to even stay in the Triple Number rankings.

    Honestly, comparing the two was insulting to Victor.

    Even Vespera seemed bored, glancing at him briefly before losing interest entirely.

    It was exhausting enough pretending to be calm around her.

    Now I had to deal with this guy too?

    “Hmm! Yes! You all seem quite capable. Since you’ve passed the first task, you’ve already proven you have the skill and qualifications!”

    Peacekeeper scanned the room, nodding in approval.

    His massive muscles twitched beneath his clothes in what was probably supposed to be a pleased expression.

    Then—his gaze landed on me.

    He paused, furrowing his brows slightly.

    ...Wait.

    Had he somehow read my mind when I was comparing him to Victor?!

    Feeling oddly guilty, I instinctively shifted behind Vespera to hide from his stare.

    He tilted his head in confusion for a moment, but then shrugged and continued.

    “Well then! Since you all seem ready, there’s no need to waste time! Let’s start the second task immediately! This task is...”

    “Oh! Finally starting!”

    “We came all the way to Reverse Mountain for this... What could it be?”

    The other applicants tensed in anticipation.

    Being brought to such a restricted and mystical location,

    For something as high-stakes as the fixer exam...

    Their anxiety and curiosity only grew stronger.

    But the moment Peacekeeper announced the task,

    Their faces went blank with confusion.

    “A Fantasy Duel!”

    “...Fantasy?”

    “What does that even mean...?”

    “E-Examiner! Please explain in detail!”

    The applicants immediately demanded clarification.

    After all, “fantasy” and “duel” were two words that didn’t seem to go together at all.

    I, on the other hand, remained completely relaxed.

    Because I already knew what this was about.

    Ahhh... The satisfaction of knowing the answers to a test in advance.

    It felt amazing.

    Honestly, I kind of wanted to brag about it.

    As I smugly leaned back, soaking in my advantage,

    Vespera—who had been casually reading the information on her watch—suddenly glanced at me.

    “So... We just wear these bracelets and defeat whatever enemy appears? Seems suspicious. What do you think, little one?”

    “...?”

    “Hmm? Oh, why am I calling you ‘little one’? Well, you never told me your name. So I had no choice. Do you not like being called that?”

    “....”

    "Call me whatever you like."

    I avoided Vespera’s gaze, nodding slightly as if to say do whatever you want.

    She wasn’t the type to listen even if I told her not to.

    At this point, whether she called me little one, kid, or fluffy, it didn’t really matter.

    So... she thought there was something suspicious about this test?

    She wasn’t wrong.

    This test was designed to deceive the applicants.

    The mechanics were simple:

    Applicants wore a special illusion bracelet—developed by the Fixer Association’s mental-type magicians—

    And fought an opponent that didn’t actually exist.

    ‘But the problem is... that opponent is the worst thing you can possibly imagine.’

    The enemies were illusions formed from a person’s trauma, regrets, or most painful memories.

    They didn’t physically exist, so in theory, all you had to do was ignore them.

    But when thrown into it without warning, most people found that much easier said than done.

    ‘So even though it’s called a duel... it’s really a mental endurance test.’

    If you could stay composed and reject the illusion, you passed.

    If you collapsed under pressure and lost consciousness, you were disqualified.

    Even raw strength didn’t matter—because a weak mind meant you couldn’t utilize it anyway.

    For an exam meant to produce fixers, it was an effective test.

    But there was one thing bothering me—

    I had no idea what my own greatest weakness was supposed to be.

    I understood that it was just an illusion—not real.

    So even if something terrifying appeared, I should be able to forcefully reject it.

    But... What exactly would the illusion show me?

    I wasn’t particularly afraid of anything.

    What, was it going to be the monster under my bed?

    I didn’t even have a bed.

    ‘Well, no point underestimating it. I’ll just brace myself and get through it. It’s not like I’m going to die.’

    I mentally tightened my resolve, as if fastening a belt.

    Then, glancing at Vespera, I gave a small nod—agreeing with her suspicions.

    "Don’t worry, little one. I’ll be here for you."

    She smiled, tilting her head.

    "Your face—hmm, I mean, your mask—is just too much to my taste. I want to see it for as long as possible."

    "..."

    I, on the other hand, wanted to get away from her as soon as possible.

    But I suppressed my discomfort, nodding as if I appreciated the sentiment.

    Yeah.

    She definitely wasn’t letting me go anytime soon.

    I needed to find a chance to shake her off.

    As I plotted my escape,

    The preparations for the second task were finally complete.

    Applicants were called forward one by one to receive their illusion bracelets.

    Then—

    "AAARGH!"

    "NO! GET AWAY!"

    "Ggh... S-Stay back...!"

    Screams and sobs filled the gym.

    The applicants—trapped in their own worst nightmares—began to break down.

    Some swung their weapons wildly at nothing.

    Others cast massive spells, only for them to explode harmlessly against invisible barriers.

    Thankfully, the fixers supervising the exam ensured no damage leaked into reality.

    Vespera simply observed with amusement, watching as the weak collapsed into seizures.

    Her eyes scanned the victims, and she casually assessed the situation.

    "Hmm... The pass rate is about three out of ten? Pretty difficult, huh?"

    "...!"

    "Little one, don’t push yourself too hard, okay?"

    She smirked.

    "Not that you seem weak, but still."

    ...Having one of the world’s worst criminals worrying about me.

    This was not a situation I ever expected to be in.

    I lightly tapped the back of her hand in mock gratitude.

    Then, when my turn came, I took a deep breath and stepped forward.

    Waiting for me at the center of the gym were Peacekeeper and—

    The same applicants who had mocked me earlier.

    Of course.

    It seemed like we had just happened to be assigned the same sequence.

    "Hmm... A small girl like you taking the second task? You can still quit if you’re scared."

    "Heh. Shouldn’t you still be drinking from a bottle?"

    "I don’t know how you even passed the first task. What a joke."

    ...Wow. Their underestimation of me was genuinely impressive.

    Then again, with my mask, I probably looked like just another fragile little human.

    For those who took pride in their fixer ambitions, I must have seemed undeserving of being here.

    "..."

    Let them think whatever they wanted.

    Once they saw the results, they’d shut up on their own.

    Instead of acknowledging them, I turned to Peacekeeper and extended my hand.

    After a brief moment of hesitation, he sighed and handed me the illusion bracelet.

    The moment I secured it to my opposite wrist—

    The world dissolved into darkness.

    A strange sensation gripped me—

    As if I were sinking into nothingness.

    And when the light returned—

    I was standing in a field of corpses, beneath a blood-red sky.