A Cat, Yet the Lord of Heresy

[Writer's block. Revising. Updates according to the rankings.]

[Behind-the-scenes secret identity story, mildly creepy]

Everyone who has entered the Otherworld knows the five iron rules.

1. Seeing a Moon Person is a warning that you're about to fall into another dimension.

2. Crawling shadows can disguise themselves as people close to you and lure you into staying.

3. Don't look directly at the statues in Idol Village. They're all contaminated by unknown deities.

4. The red light of an electronic eye blinking in the distance is the face of the Girl in the Red Raincoat. She's watching you.

5. If you encounter a cat with golden eyes, you can ask it for help. In the twisted Otherworld, it's the only “normal” one.

After reading these five iron rules, Mo Xuexun, who had become a cat, fell into thought.

Moon People were her snacks.

The shadows were her pets.

The Girl in the Red Raincoat was her subordinate.

Idol Village was her hometown.

“Is this the same Otherworld as mine?” she asked.

Her guardian, who had nearly died in the Otherworld: “...”

Enough, I said enough!

Could it be that you're the one who's abnormal?

*

Entity name: Cat of the Old Moon

Entity number: null#000

Danger level: ★★★★★

Archivist's record:

In the deepest layer of the Otherworld, members of the Crimson Wing Golden Crow saw a cat-shaped creature.

If you see it, do not ask it for help.

Every bit of assistance it offers comes with consequences you cannot bear.

Remember, you are human.

The greatest difference between humans and monsters is that we possess beautiful qualities they cannot.

We are united, we persevere, we are brave.

As long as we hold on to our faith, the sun's light will forever overcome the evil moon.

Live on in human form, my compatriots.

■■■■■

&#@*~%=+...

You can ask it for help

You can trust it

You can rely on it

^^

“Welcome to the Full Moon Cat Cult.”

A very long reading guide:

1. My take on it: lots of secret identities, a fake mastermind story, and an invincible protagonist.

2. About the story's setting:

Many of the unreasonable bits are foreshadowing or author-created details.

There are cyberpunk and wasteland elements, but not many.

It includes elements like artificial humans, the Backrooms, dreamcore (core elements), entities/contained objects, and forum-style sections.

3. The female lead is nonhuman. Please don't judge her actions by human values.

4. There's a lot of indirect description at first, so it takes a while to get going. From Chapter 32 onward, the story gradually shifts to direct description.

Secret identities are exposed on a small scale. The people involved are generally eliminated or recruited as subordinates.

5. There's a bit of a reverse harem vibe. After all, who doesn't love cats?

Content warning 1: Ensemble cast. The female characters who appear generally have character arcs, so the story is a slow burn. There is exactly one male supporting character, the female lead's guardian from the blurb, who mainly serves as a contrast in values. If this bothers you, steer clear.

Content warning 2: Word choice varies depending on a character's position. When characters from the Moon Mother's faction appear, feminine terms are used (such as “Oh, Great Mother,” “heroine,” and “jealousy”). For cannon fodder and sleazy men, existing terms are used to describe their thoughts (such as “envy”). After all, you can't expect a self-important man to use feminine terms. As the author, I need to be responsible for the characters I write and keep them in character.

Thanks for reading!

Theme: Anyone can become a hero