I'm the Only Totem in Another World - Chapter 168

Chapter 168: Butterfly Dream （1）

Beep beep beep beep!

The digital clock on the bedside table announced the wake-up time.

It’s time to go to the convenience store.

“Huuuuuh…!”

I got out of bed, making a strange sound that was half scream and half groan.

“Hmm.”

First, morning poop to start the day.

Wash up, apply some lotion, and change into comfortable clothes, and I’m ready for work.

“Hello~!”

“Oh, you’re here.”

I roughly took over from the ajumma who was dozing off and sat at the counter to officially start my part-time job.

Well, there’s nothing special about the work.

Basically, it’s dealing with customers at the counter, spacing out, and organizing incoming items in their proper places. And if it gets a little dirty, I just need to clean the store moderately.

Our convenience store is located near a small elementary school in a run-down neighborhood. It’s nice because it’s quite leisurely if you just get through the lunch and dinner rush hours.

It was when I was fiddling with my phone except when dealing with occasional customers, with the doors and windows wide open for ventilation.

Woof!

A dog with black fur approaches, wagging its tail. The dog, which passed the outdoor tables and proudly entered through the main entrance, rolled over on its back.

I don’t know who raises the dog or where it comes from. It started hanging around the convenience store at some point.

I thoughtlessly threw it some food, thinking, ‘Hey, it’s cute,’ and it started visiting frequently.

I slowly stroked the dog’s belly.

Judging by its good health and well-groomed fur, it doesn’t seem like a stray dog, but why is it wandering around alone without its owner?

I was worried that it might get reported by a nearby resident and taken to an animal shelter or something, but that didn’t happen.

Later, I found out that it was a celebrity among the people in this neighborhood. As a pretty dog that you can’t touch because it runs away when you approach it to pet it. They say they don’t know the owner.

Is it satisfied with my stroking skill? The panting dog rubs its body against me, its yellow eyes shining. I don’t know why such a calm and affectionate dog avoids other people.

The dog, enjoying my ‘petting,’ pricked up its ears and then left the convenience store.

I know why it’s doing that.

“Mister! Did Kkami leave again?”

It’s because of the kids who barge in as soon as lunchtime starts. It often disappears as soon as it senses people, as if it doesn’t like crowded spaces.

It’s a friend who’s a bit shy.

“It ran away before you guys came.”

“Its ears are sharp because it’s a dog.”

“Aren’t dogs supposed to have good noses?”

The disappointed children giggled and played with each other before talking to me again.

“Next time, mister, hold onto it tight!”

“What if it bites me?”

“It’ll just hurt.”

They giggle again.

“You little rascals.”

I don’t know if it’s because this is the only convenience store near the school, or because I’m likable to children, but I’ve become friends with quite a few kids since I started working here.

I really don’t know why they only call me ‘mister’ instead of ‘hyung’ or ‘oppa.’

The kids kept coming in, and I had no choice but to keep scanning barcodes. An hour or two must have passed. Finally, it was class time.

Good. The hard part is over now.

“Do you have meat!? Spicy chicken thighs or skewers!”

“You didn’t get any pigeon feed, did you?”

An older brother and younger sister came in, holding hands.

“What are you looking at? Just give me the cigarettes over there.”

A female civil service exam student with a bad temper.

“Red ginseng candy… Don’t you sell red ginseng candy…?”

A grandfather who came with his granddaughter.

Neighborhood ajummas and ajussis, a foreign student from Japan, even a pastor.

“Partraisch. Good boy.”

There’s even a visually impaired person who came with a large retriever.

“Geunhahaha! Geun~hahaha!”

There was also a troublemaker who came in after having day drinks and spouting nonsense.

It was when I was spending time dealing with various customers who appeared irregularly.

“Hey.”

The store manager suddenly came in. Why did this guy come all of a sudden? Did he come to observe my work attitude?

“Part-timer, is the work manageable?”

Look at the way he talks. What’s with calling his own part-timer ‘part-timer’?

“Yes, it’s manageable.”

But he’s the boss who pays me. I answered with a smile as naturally as possible.

“How is this place? Not bad, right?”

This place. He’s probably talking about the neighborhood.

“Yes, it’s good.”

It’s not bad except that it’s a bit remote.

“What’s good about it?”

Why is he asking about all this? He must have a lot of free time.

“Well, the kids are nice, the air is clean, the dog is pretty? I just like everything.”

I didn’t really hate answering, so I just told him.

…This was a bit embarrassing to say, but I also felt a sense of responsibility. A sense of responsibility for managing this neighborhood’s only convenience store?

You have to walk at least 3 kilometers to get to another store besides this one. There’s a hypermarket there, but you can’t walk 6 kilometers round trip just to buy a snack when you’re hungry, right?

Almost everyone who lives in this neighborhood uses this convenience store. I didn’t remember all their names, but I memorized all their faces.

Should I say I’ve grown attached? It feels like a second hometown? Something like that.

Tsk. It sounds so ridiculous even when I think about it again. I shouldn’t say this out loud.

“…I see.”

The store manager grabbed my hand.

“You are intelligent and courageous. You have a strong mind that does not easily give up.”

What’s with him all of a sudden? He’s even giving me embarrassing compliments.

“Then, please keep up the good work. It’s time for you to go. Find a way to escape.”

With those words, my consciousness briefly shut off.

▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄

What was that?

I opened my eyes to the sound of birds chirping.

I was definitely possessed as a totem in another world… No, until just now, I killed the Seven-Headed Dragon and released my Manifestation?

What was that convenience store part-time job life just now? The store manager, whose face I can barely remember, came out and said something…

Ah.

Is that it?

I convinced myself and got up. Ugh, have I been lying on the floor for a long time? My clothes are all damp.

Huh? What?

‘Got up’? Me? And I’m wearing clothes and feeling damp?!

I raised my hands and touched my face, then checked my body.

A slightly rough chin. A scratch on my fingertip and a small mole on my wrist. The body of a young man wearing a convenience store uniform.

This is my body, isn’t it?

“Huff, huff.”

I calmed my strangely rapid breathing and looked around.

Strange trees I’ve never seen before, strange grass and fruits I’ve never seen before, and small insects are scattered everywhere.

First of all, it’s not Earth. It’s not the world I was possessed in, and it can’t be my inner world.

I stood there blankly, racking my brains for any clues.

The store manager, no, Jin Malak, who disguised himself as the store manager and showed me that strange dream, what did he say at the end? Find a way to escape?

I think he said something like that. Anyway, it means I’m in a space I have to escape from.

Should I try opening the status window first?

It works fine. What about the community?

It works.

As I slowly scrolled through the community posts, I came across a title I couldn’t pass up and was drawn to it.

[One Piece: My name is Karon, the one you call the Overlord of the Dead. Possessed ones, I have taken over the Capital.

（Picture of a giant female figure with three pairs of wings）

The soul of the Evil God Shamishur is now under my control.

That means I’m the only one who can close the dimensional gate and give orders to the demons.

Don’t worry. I won’t control them to kill you.

What I want is only one thing, the end of the gods. Countless tragedies were born from the desires and cruelty of the monsters who call themselves gods.

It won’t be much different on Earth, where you all came from. What tragedies have the self-proclaimed gods and their worshippers brought to your world? How many terrible things have been done in the name of God?

There’s no need to list them one by one.

They are the wicked mothers who conceive tragedy, the tumors that eat away at humanity’s freedom and future. Not only the demons, but Ishtania and the Loas must also be dealt with.

We just need to destroy things like cathedrals and totems that help them exert their influence on Earth. If they lose the means to obtain divine power, they will eventually lose their divine authority and fall.

Ishtania, who is connected to other worlds, might be safe, but it doesn’t matter. I will make her pay the price someday.

Strangers caught in the gods’ schemes, I will offer you a deal.

I’ll give you three days.

Destroy all of Malak’s totems and post the pictures in the community as proof. Then, I will close the dimensional gate and annihilate the demons.

I can sense his aura. Trying to trick me by leaving one or two totems behind won’t work.

If you don’t destroy all the totems within three days, I will destroy the cathedral and eliminate the Goddess’ influence first. If that happens, you will lose your only chance to return to your home.

I always keep my word. I expect you to make a wise decision.]

…Was this why the Seven-Headed Dragon and the dragons hesitated for a moment?

I thought he would be alive, but I didn’t know he would become strong enough to control the Evil God.

Alright, just wait a little longer. I’ll be back soon.

Let’s settle this… between fellow hidden bosses.