The jester's chamber was a joke.
No windows. A stone slab for a bed. A cracked basin in one corner and a small mirror hanging above it—more for mockery than vanity. Jungho sat on the floor, staring at his hands. Perfect skin. No scars. No burns. They'd taken even that from him.
His mind raced.
The moment he tried to resist in the throne room, the System denied him.
[Skill Denied. Class: Fool.]
[Behavioral Divergence Detected.]
[Enforcing Alignment.]
He gritted his teeth, replaying it over and over. The pie in the face. The laughter. The pain when he tried to fight back. They didn't know who he was. They didn't know what he had done. He had stood alone before the Final Gate, a wall between oblivion and Earth. Now, he was a toy.
He tried to summon his System interface.
"Status window. Open."
Nothing.
"Inventory. Map. Skills."
Silence.
Then a soft chime.
[Your current Role does not require such information. Please perform accordingly.]
He stood abruptly and stumbled into the mirror, grabbing its frame and glaring at his reflection. His face smiled back at him. Not him—his reflection. The grin was wider, brighter, fixed in place like a mask.
He touched his face. The grin remained. His lips weren't moving.
A chill crawled up his spine.
He slammed the mirror. It cracked.
[Behavioral Divergence Detected.]
His limbs convulsed as another pulse of mana shot through him. He dropped to one knee, gasping.
"I'm not a damn clown," he hissed.
The cracked mirror shimmered.
In the warped reflection, the jester smiled wider. This time, it spoke.
But you make such a good one, Sovereign.
He recoiled. His breath caught in his throat.
Sovereign?
The voice was gone. The mirror was normal again—cracked, silent.
Jungho sank to the ground, head in his hands.
He had no weapons, no allies, no interface. He wasn't even on Earth anymore. Whatever twisted System ran this world had stolen everything from him.
Except his mind.
That, they hadn't touched yet.
Not completely.
The next morning, a knock came. Not a royal guard or noble. A maid. Young, quiet, avoiding his eyes.
"The court summons you," she whispered. "Please… try not to anger them."
He didn't reply.
He washed his face. Applied the greasepaint left on the table—white base, red lips, black triangles beneath the eyes.
He didn't understand why, but his hands moved on their own. Like they knew the routine.
A single bell hung from his collar. It jingled with every step.
When he stepped into the royal hall, the laughter started instantly.
"Ah, the fool returns!"
"Let's see if he can juggle better than he trips!"
Jungho walked silently to the center.
He didn't bow this time.
He stood still, looking up at the King.
The man was bloated, draped in velvet and jewels, disinterest carved into his face like a permanent mask.
The King waved lazily. "Dance, jester. We grow bored."
Jungho closed his eyes.
"Dance," the System whispered.
[System Alert: Performance Expected. Begin Now.]
Failure to comply will result in System Penalty.
A breath.
He raised his arms.
And began to move.
It wasn't a dance. Not really. He had never trained in performance arts. But his body knew how to move. His time dodging monsters, sidestepping death—it had taught him rhythm.
He spun once. Slipped. Landed in a mock split.
Laughter.
He forced a grin.
Tumbled into a roll, flipped back up, slapped his own face with a squeaky glove.
Louder laughter.
His pride screamed.
But with each laugh, something else stirred.
[EXP Gained: +8]
[Bonus: Mockery Bonus Active. +30%]
[Skill Progression: 2% - Fool's Masquerade]
So this was it.
The System rewarded humiliation.
He didn't fight it this time.
He leaned into the act.
He tripped over an invisible step, slammed into a pillar, flailed like a bird trying to fly. The nobles howled. Even the King chuckled.
[Skill Unlocked: Pratfall (Passive)]
Falls always look accidental. Reduces all damage taken by 15% while in motion.
[EXP Gained: +14]
The session ended with him bowing low, hands out, one foot behind the other. A courtier threw him a gold coin.
"Finally," the noblewoman said, sipping her wine, "a fool who knows his place."
Jungho caught the coin mid-air.
He turned, smiled widely, and bowed again.
Inside, his thoughts were steel.
I'll play your game. I'll wear your bells and paint. But one day…
One day, you'll realize who you invited into your court.