NOVEL NEXT Chapter 449
In the time of Advanced Theoretical Aura Studies, Professor Angelina Hope delivered her usual passionate lecture.
“We often deceive ourselves into thinking we know ourselves well. Our memories, our thoughts, and even our emotions. Distortion of memories and thoughts occurs quite often. But to not know the emotions we’re currently feeling? That seems to contradict our intuition. Nikola, how are you feeling right now?”
“Um, I’m good, Professor.”
“Did everyone just see that face saying they’re good while looking like they absolutely hate it?”
“Hahaha.”
The students burst into laughter, and Nikola awkwardly smiled.
“Just kidding. Let me share an interesting anecdote.”
I leaned forward, paying close attention to her words.
“There was an examinee who failed the bar exam for 15 years. One day, he visited a doctor due to sudden insomnia. The doctor asked if studying was difficult. He replied, ‘No, Doctor. I used to hate opening my books, but these days studying is so much fun! I feel like studying is my calling! So why am I suffering from insomnia?’ Later, the doctor diagnosed him with anxiety disorder and depression.”
“Oooh.”
“What do you think the reason is?”
“Maybe it’s anxiety from continuous exams?”
“Correct. Anyone who saw him would think it was the problem of having studied for 15 years. But he was the only one oblivious to it. Why? Because he truly found studying enjoyable and didn’t feel anxious at all. Now, let’s review the paper together.”
I nodded and turned the page.
“Transcendent awareness refers to the inner actions of the subject related to object perception or consciousness of spontaneity; this contrasts with experiential awareness or interior sensation regarding the subjective awareness of changes in one’s mental state over time. The important point here is that the consciousness of oneself is not the same as the cognition of oneself—”
Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason devastated most of the students.
I placed my pen on my lips, tapping and pondering deeply.
Once the professor finished speaking, I raised my hand to ask a question.
“Kant suggests that the action of ‘I think’ should accompany all representations, and that otherwise things I haven’t thought of could enter my representations. But philosophically, how should we regard the instance where the subject of thought and existence differ?”
“Could you elaborate?”
“So simply put, if the concept of ‘I think therefore I am’ exists, what should the subject be regarded as?”
This is erosion.
Professor Angelina Hope pondered for a while before reaching the same conclusion.
“It would become a contradiction-laden existence. To exist because another thinks means you’re effectively dead but still a living being.”
“Indeed, that seems correct.”
The unstable erosion of existence was forcibly manifested by a dragon through 9th Circle magic.
As a result, when the restraining power weakened, it transformed into a calamity that periodically devastated the surrounding area.
The radius ranged from several kilometers to dozens of kilometers.
Erosion of sloth leads to the curse of petrification, while erosion of anger results in the curse of demon-beastification.
“To bear a proposition that denies dignity for a lifetime may indeed be a deeply sad existence,” Hope said with a look of compassion.
It probably would be sad.
If only one could turn away from the incessantly detonating hydrogen bombs.
*
[2nd Circle Casting: Cerebral Cortex Reconstruction]
[3rd Circle Casting: Lateral Septum Activation]
[Encryption: Neuropeptide Y Receptor 2]
< Erosion of Arrogance: Hibris >
“If you know anything about Seol-ah, let me know. Hibris.”
“Then let me borrow your body. I can’t remember my father’s face.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Then I’m sorry too.”
Such uncooperative fellows.
After all, without a high-concentration mana stone at least the size of a dragon ball, they can’t have a body.
In my past life, even with a mana concentration hundreds of times higher, there were only seven of them, and here? It would be impossible to find one even with my eyes wide open.
I came up with the hypothesis that just like living beings have a survival instinct, erosion possesses the instinct to reclaim dignity.
One question arises here.
If the operational space is confined to virtual reality, can the erosions be granted life?
If it can become the subject of Persona Physis, I could forcibly open their memories.
Just in time, I have the ASI dataset that has become a shell after Adella’s persona was extracted.
“Do you dislike me, Hibris?”
“…”
“I’ll acknowledge your existence.”
“… Now of all times!”
An angry woman with summer-green hair shouted.
“If not just me, but thousands of people acknowledge your existence? If many people who care about you and listen to your story other than me exist?”
“I don’t believe a witch’s words.”
“Seol-ah is my mother.”
“…? That’s a lie.”
“Did you not know? If that was your idea to threaten me, it’s a brilliant tactic. Why would I sit at the negotiating table with you? Well, it’s not exactly a negotiating table; it’s more like a wooden swing, but still…”
It’s kind of funny to say this to beings who are already a part of my existence.
To turn their hearts that now harbor only hostility, I have no choice but to resort to this method.
I attempted a negotiation with Hibris, who had been the most favorable towards me.
“I’ll make your story into a game. People will defeat me alongside you. Hundreds of times, thousands of times. The more they do, your existence will become clearer. Would that be atonement?”
I wanted to meet Hiasen and Niobe sooner, but finding Seol-ah’s whereabouts takes precedence.
“You think I could kill you? That’s impossible.”
“In the game world, anything is possible.”
If all else fails, I could adjust difficulty with stat tweaking.
I really don’t want to lose to someone like them.
*
The next morning, I rubbed my eyes in fatigue and jumped straight into the capsule.
[Private Room]
“Eh? You’re up early, sis. Planning to game from the morning?”
Adella greeted me in the Private Room bed, lazily stretching after her streaming broadcast.
Why hadn’t I thought of this earlier?
I don’t know the exact number, but I summoned Adella’s entire code, which must be at least tens of billions of lines.
What happens if I use my Unique Magic on this?
[
CMD Software Magic Mechanics Simulation Software Activating]
[Warning! Using unlicensed software may incur data processing fees.]
Erosion is not free from the law of uniqueness.
[Casting: Cerebral Cortex Reconstruction]
[Upper Casting: Lateral Septum Activation]
[Decryption: Neuropeptide Y Receptor 1]
[Unique Magic – Estasha Type 8 (式) – Hybris]
Whooooooosh-!
The black cube heated up, glowing red.
We quickly covered our ears from the noise akin to a jet engine.
[system: Set Master Volume: 10%]
“Ow, what are you doing?”
“I’m combining Erosion Magic with ASI.”
“Is it dangerous?”
“I don’t know. I’m trying it for the first time; it should be fine.”
“Wait, none of that sounds trustworthy!”
The heating of the cube soon stopped.
Ding-dong-
A clear and bright sound echoed.
Just to be sure, I tapped the can, but it didn’t seem different.
“Why are you tapping it?”
“Checking if a ghost is inside.”
“Eeeeeek!”
It wouldn’t move in the Private Room since its body is already a can, right?
In the end, I must summon it within a proper operating system for it to function.
“Do you want to join?”
“Yes…”
Adella accepted while trembling.
But I thought she was scared of ghosts?
[NoName_OpenWorld_Programming_FinalProject_MidRevision5_TitleNotDeterminedYet.exe]
We were summoned into the game world I created as this avatar.
It was a forest map provided by Resonance.
[system: Run as administrator]
Let’s generate an avatar from the ASI we just obtained.
[Would you like to select automatic avatar creation?]
[AI will generate a random avatar.]
[Avatar is generating…]
Puff-!
A rectangular block divided into smaller blocks, eventually forming a neat female avatar.
She looked like a pure girl with green hair, the kind you’d expect to live in a hut in the woods.
Her height was similar to Adella’s, and she was dressed in a modest maid outfit.
“Wow, she’s beautiful! I succeeded with gacha in one go?”
“Um…”
I decided to roll the avatar gacha again.
[Would you like to select automatic avatar creation?]
[AI will generate a random avatar.]
[Avatar is generating…]
“Wait, that’s definitely enough, but you’re rolling again? Huh?”
“It looks the same.”
Though her outfit changed to white medieval pajamas, the person was identical.
Considering it’s random generation, that’s an incredibly slim chance.
‘It seems the ASI has synced to some extent with Unique Magic.’
It’s a fascinating phenomenon, to say the least.
“Ugh!”
Thud-
Suddenly, Adella fell face-first into the ground.
“What are you doing?”
“Ouch… I tripped on some roots. Wait, what’s this?”
Adella picked up a long metal stick that had fallen at her feet.
[You have acquired M4A1 Socom Carbine ×1.]
“Can’t you tell it’s a gun?”
“Uh, I know it’s a gun… But weren’t we making a medieval fantasy game?”
“Right.”
“Then why is a modern gun here?”
“I just thought it’d be impossible to defeat a boss without guns.”
“That’s the most ridiculous excuse! Just cleanly adjust the difficulty!”
“I’d rather buff the power of the guns but that’s one thing I can’t compromise on.”
That’s a non-negotiable issue.
After all, I am the final boss.
“This is turning into some ridiculous non-cohesive disaster of a game. Who would even play this?”
Adella cursed at me.
Geez, how hard I worked to create this assignment…
I pouted and turned my head away from her.