NOVEL NEXT Chapter 918
<918 – Dark Shadow vs Dark Shadow(27)>
The Director genuinely felt good.
There’s nothing like the feeling of being affirmed.
Even the main body, Warrior Ni’alatotep, regarded him as a mere disposable tool for a great undertaking, and the entire world did not affirm such a sinister existence’s sinister mindset.
Only his daughter Oknodie was different.
Perhaps it was because she was a homunculus, created by mixing the blood of the Warrior with the remains of the gods and fragments of chaos, which could hardly be called a proper human.
Oknodie’s definition of humanity was remarkably broad.
– “It’s just that the raw materials needed for life are different! I am a person! Every being that can define itself as a person can indeed be a person!”
“Then can you call me a person as well?”
That uncool question was not asked.
It would have been such a foolish act to doubt and reconfirm the bond flowing between herself and Oknodie.
“…I’ll be a toy, no—a heart exchanger.”
“You made a good choice.”
The toy named Sadi Chocolate was sharp enough.
Without breaking her own joy, she somehow accepted the role assigned to her.
The toy for his daughter became as docile as a cat that had lost its spirit and tucked its tail between its legs, thus alleviating his burden.
“Now let’s simply test your ability. Enter Oknodie’s mind, read both surface and deep psychology, then come into my mind and convey it.”
While the Director was in a joyful state, Sadi Chocolate felt uneasy.
If the world had the most dangerous humans ranked 1st and 2nd, it would be terrifyingly scary to dive into the minds of these two.
If there was the most dangerous and frightening task, one could assert that it was something the Director commanded, which was indeed very frightening.
But dying was not an option.
She would probably be placed under a seal akin to annihilation.
Professor Sadako witnessed everything she could do, everything she would do once freed.
Hence, she resolved never to release her again and to seal her in the Catacombs’ “Permanent Isolation Room.”
“I’d rather face a fear greater than death than an eternal seal.”
Sadi Chocolate gazed into Oknodie’s bright eyes.
She projected herself into her mind.
“Do you know what I’m thinking right now?”
Oknodie’s surface psychology was quickly read.
She was thinking of tightly clenching her fist and shouting, “Correct answer!” once she guessed what was inside.
As a bonus, what she had in her fist was a gem that would grant a [Exorcism] ability when ingested.
Sadi began to doubt if she had misread something.
There’s no way there could be a gem that grants abilities just by eating, right?
Oknodie also claimed there were stones that would increase stat points when consumed, and she genuinely believed it, but to Sadi Chocolate, it seemed merely like the Foundation’s abuse.
“Hmm. If I penetrate deep consciousness, the real answer will come out.”
“Heheh. Hurry up and do it!”
Sadi fell for Oknodie’s provocation that was more like a taunt.
She was already aware of the existence of the ‘Seal Door.’
Avoiding that door meant Oknodie’s inner world was not such a terrible place after all.
Taking this opportunity, she was determined to rummage through her dark past and find something to tease for at least a decade.
For ordinary people, deep consciousness is a submerged, dark place.
The darkness of oblivion and the sea of information.
The two merged into one.
Among countless memories, those that were repressed or sealed have sunk to the very bottom of the sea of memories.
The process of dredging up deep memories is akin to salvaging treasures that lie at the ocean’s depths.
One must firmly bind the memories with associative memories to prevent them from wavering or being lost during the ascent.
As soon as the core word is used as a lock, the associative memory dredges the memory to bring it to the surface, at last revealing the treasure-like deep memories.
“Deep.”
Oknodie’s sea of memories was overwhelmingly deep compared to others.
The deeper the sea, the stronger the pressure.
Oknodie’s memories were similarly so.
There was a pressure that felt like a barrier that could never be crossed.
Any ordinary demon-like monster would have been crushed under the pressure of the mind, but Sadi Chocolate, a master of interference functions, was not afraid of a professor-level challenge in her specialty.
“Not incapable of entering.”
She sprinkled names of friends Oknodie cherished like bait and penetrated the sea of memories.
Some names elicited stronger reactions, and the weight of mana settled smoothly into the sea.
Through this, Sadi Chocolate left words around that resonated most with Oknodie.
Jonnas.
Reap.
Destroyer.
Titosso.
Jiang.
Masugaki.
Jezel.
Isabel.
Son Ohchun.
At one moment, an intense pressure was felt, one that could not be penetrated by existing words.
Fear of the unfamiliar.
And uneasy delusions stemming from distrust.
The ominous imaginings that could not be shaken off from Sadi Chocolate’s strength were incredibly vast, the shards of their possibilities and changes overwhelming.
If one person could harbor so much anxiety and conjure these thoughts, wouldn’t they have become a mental patient long ago?
How on earth was Oknodie still sane?
Such doubts surfaced.
– “Sorry, Oknodie. To become a cooking king, I’ve decided I won’t limit my collection of recipes anymore. Human flesh dishes are no longer off-limits.”
– “Hahaha! You little mouse, what good is all that hard study? Winning big with stocks and chillin’ like I do is the best. Just ditch studying!”
– “…Oknodie. The first revolutionary made a wrong choice, but perhaps his ideals weren’t wrong either. Humanity must unite against the ‘worst’ that surpasses great evil. Even minor ‘sacrifices’ must be overlooked.”
In the future that will do anything and everything to grow stronger.
The future that has abandoned the path of training together.
The future that falls and rises as a new great evil.
“How cliché, but what a fun possibility. I’ll rate it 3 out of 5.”
The remnant of Sadi Chocolate infiltrated the ‘Chairman of the Foundation,’ who sat on an imaginary chair in the mind realm like an audience, watching the psychology of Oknodie transferred and armed by Sadi Chocolate.
Sadi Chocolate detached associative memories related to Jezel, Isabel, and Son Ohchun.
Her previously settled body was brought to a halt once more.
– “Titosso’s ability, if continuously nurtured, will it lead to suffering from the eternal artificial sun level [Glowing]?”
More horrific disasters than calamities stemming from distrust in others sprang to mind.
All means of perceiving the world paralyzed, Titosso, who transformed into a mana life form, became an immensely shining energy entity through sunlight with no means of annihilation.
Through Titosso, humanity made incredible progress, but who knows what future descendants would learn.
The fact that Artificial Sun Titosso No. 1 was a living being.
– “What if Jiang gets so into shadow evasion that he ends up hunching over in old age, blending into the floor?”
He’d grow into a hunch-backed old woman with a sinister laugh, who flits about among shadows as she ages.
A suspiciously knowledgeable assassin mentor, ordinarily strict, yet would perhaps become a true master willing to sacrifice herself for her students in unexpected situations.
Just because I’m jealous of Jiang aging more fabulously than me, I’ve gifted so much better builds than shadow evasion, and it still doesn’t suffice, so I’m hurt.
– “If Masugaki fails to control dark mana, what will happen to the Holy Dark Empire?”
The moment Masugaki, known as humanity’s demon king with vast mana, falls, the Empire, occupying the maximum area for humanity, turns into a multi-faceted demon king’s army.
It could be a future that arrives even faster than Titosso or Jiang.
Perhaps Masugaki’s training must be halted at the earliest opportunity.
Yes.
While I wish for my friends to grow stronger and approach the true ending together, this playthrough seems to reveal the ‘limits’ slowly.
If no one can hold on until the end, the player must become strong enough to bear everyone’s burdens.
It’s something I must do.
Only I can.
Just like the ‘All-in series’ did, I’ll achieve it again.
“…Is that so, Oknodie? What you truly desire was strength to protect your friends rather than gaining strength from losing them.”
The Director felt a sense of regret at Oknodie’s thought-filled determination resembling one resigned to death.
Though everyone thought she had given up everything, she still had friends she couldn’t give up on.
This was the true sentiment of Oknodie born from the teachings of the Director and her friendship.
Sadi Chocolate, too, detached even the associative memories of those three, seeking to dive deeper into the abyss of her mind.
However, she could not go further.
Because Oknodie’s will to protect the three key words—Jonnas, Reap, Destroyer—was far too steadfast.
After Sadi Chocolate finished probing the sea of memories, she smiled reluctantly but contentedly.
“You were just a child after all. You were worried about your friends, pushing yourself beyond your limits.”
“What nonsensical talk is that? If you can’t guess what’s in my fist, my ‘performance’ will drop, you know? You should go through the verification!”
“…?”
Sadi Chocolate was deeply startled.
“This atmosphere… doesn’t it feel like we should let it slide warmly?”
“Surely you didn’t fail to peek at what I put inside my fist, right?”
Oknodie’s eyes were filled with suspicion.
Sadi Chocolate sent a desperate glance for help towards the parent.
“Could you acknowledge my contribution in uncovering your daughter’s psychological issues?”
The Director replied with a smile.
“That’s one thing, and this is another.”
I said I wanted to verify our daughter’s toy’s performance, but when did I say I wanted psychological therapy?
Before the Director’s smile hinted at such, Sadi Chocolate reluctantly dove back into the depths of deep memory again.
Jonnas, Reap, Destroyer’s associative memories couldn’t break through Oknodie’s strong mental defenses.
A new keyword was needed.
What memories could Oknodie consider just as important, yet not bite back defensively like the others?
Suddenly, Sadi Chocolate recalled the extremely handsome man, who could hardly believe was the father of the girl who had just teased her earlier.
How did Oknodie feel toward the ‘Chairman of the Foundation’?
If it’s deep, it can be glimpsed, if shallow, it can be teased and avenged.
[Sea of Memories]
[Derived Memories of the Director]
Sadi Chocolate’s consciousness sank astonishingly rapid into the depths of the sea of memories.
Entrance, middle section, output, abyss.
Oknodie’s heart was surprisingly deep.
It must be due to the ties of blood.
Just as her amazement lingered for a moment, Sadi Chocolate’s face grew increasingly pale with fear.
She didn’t stop.
Her consciousness kept diving deeper and deeper.
Beyond the bottom of the abyss, toward the ‘boundary’ of the heart that must not be crossed.
– “If the Chairman of the Foundation were to play a high-ranking job game, how many kills could he make in an amusement park?”
– “Honestly, if he helped during a massacre ending, it would likely be incredibly quick! Broadcasting the wave of heartbreak would cause 90% of the population to vanish instantly!”
– “What would the Chairman have done if he were the player in 865 playthroughs?”
Sadi Chocolate realized.
That it was the boundary of humanity.
Beyond this lie.
She had reached a realm where humans must not tread.
Where the impulses and instincts unbearable for a human rampaged.
It was a realm beyond humanity.