Chapter 352
Chapter 352
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 352
Chapter Title: Memories and Murmurs
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"I see."
I'd already confirmed how close the sisters were when I entered her mental world. Their twin bond, combined with a harsh family background, had forged an unbreakable sisterly love.
"So both of you saw the illusion as Coldbloods?"
"My sister did. I would have too if I'd kept evolving."
"What do you mean by that?"
"After talking it over with her, I decided to avoid getting close to the ending. To uncover the secret of the 'memories,' one of us had to stay in a normal state."
"Huh? Then how did you summon the Vortex Origin for the 'Ring of Agony'?"
Being a Coldblood doesn't mean you can summon a Vortex Origin anytime. You have to keep forming contracts and paying the price to borrow greater power.
Directly calling a Vortex Origin is equivalent to an advanced contract, if not supreme. Skipping the prior stages to summon one outright is impossible.
Except for one method.
"Did Penelope make you a tool to summon the Vortex Origin?"
"Exactly. The curved sword I used for the summoning was one she crafted. Of course, I had to prepare the price for using it myself."
Through frequent contracts, you can build a friendly rapport with the Vortex Origin and imbue tools with demonic power. But crafting them is incredibly tricky—not something you can whip up easily—and some tools break after just a few uses. That curved sword for summoning the Vortex Origin is probably ruined now.
In any case, the sisters chose for one to abandon the ending, dodging the illusion's brainwashing. It was true their twin powers had weakened because of it, but there was no choice. Without that, they never would have pinpointed the illusion's danger.
"Proving the illusion's danger is a gain. I wouldn't have been sure without you two."
"Yeah."
"To sum up: something summoned the players. It wants us following a specific route."
"Right."
"Then the players' factions are flowing according to its will too."
"At least the Dominion and Return factions share the same type of 'memory.'"
"Good. The issue is how to deal with it..."
The conversation looped back to square one.
Originally, my goal of ascension was to uncover the entity that called me and this world's secrets.
'Even if my case isn't typical, I don't know what comes next.'
I didn't kill my 'real self' in the illusion. But if I see another one later, who knows? I could end up consumed like other players, becoming something that's not me.
'Still, I can't just avoid it forever.'
In my case, I see illusions even when synthesizing unique traits via the transcendent system. Dodging them means inevitably halting some evolution.
'But I can't do that.'
Plenty of enemies are gunning for me now. Those after the ending will want to kill the sole adult Aimorph, and those seeking cosmic dominion will see me as a major threat.
'To face my foes, I need power.'
Guess I have to come clean with her. She's dealt with more rankers than I have, so she might have useful insights.
"When we first met, I told you I only glimpsed past memories and made no choice."
"I remember that."
"Truth is, that was a lie. I didn't kill my 'real self' or my 'this-world self.'"
She looked confused at first, like she didn't get it. Moments later, realizing I'd chosen not to kill my ego, her eyes widened.
"So you dodged the 'memory' brainwashing?"
"Who knows? I can't say for sure. All I know is I made an atypical choice."
"..."
"Among those you've seen, anyone make the same choice as me?"
She thought for a bit, then shook her head.
"No. I've seen ones who postponed choices, but none like an Aimorph deciding 'I won't kill.'"
"None of the postponers had this experience? Illusions persisting after, trying to change their ego?"
"That... should be fine."
It was a question even I couldn't answer myself. I figured it'd be tough, but surprisingly, she replied quickly.
"As you probably guessed, the entity manipulating 'memories' isn't omnipotent. An all-powerful being wouldn't bother with this convoluted control."
"True."
"It has limits, hence this method. So I doubt it'll pressure an Aimorph as hard as before."
"Meaning since I chose, it skips pressure and moves to the next phase?"
"Yeah. High chance."
Come to think of it, Alshas said something similar.
Beomho, the Return faction's head, and No. 4 said they'd seen illusions of returning to reality and adapting. For return-goal folks, it makes sense their illusion stage advanced.
'Guess I need the next illusion to know for sure.'
Right now, only one way for me to trigger it.
Raising my space monster type stage.
Gather material traits, make four unique ones, and I hit stage 3. I saw illusions at stages 1 and 2, so stage 3 should be the same.
Even without the illusion angle, I'd have to raise it eventually. To survive with Dominion and Return both hostile, I need to grow stronger.
'First, craft a unique trait using the demon machine as material.'
That set my next goal.
The world of Space Survival teems with countless creatures. Players have cataloged thousands of animals alone; add plants and fungi, and the number more than doubles.
Outspacers are among the rare few confirmed to hail from another universe, standing out among all those NPCs.
Their hive mind under a queen, assimilating traits from devoured prey—these alien mechanics stem from their extragalactic origins.
But if they were purely alien, they'd never adapt here.
Like any creature, Outspacers favor resource-rich planets. Diverse biomes and organics fuel rapid hive growth.
Of course, such life-filled worlds are usually claimed—or soon to be—by intelligences like humans, cyborgs, or Cults. Nesting there invites extermination squads before the hive matures.
In that light, the Outspacer queen nesting on the barren planet OW-33 in the Z-10 system was both lucky and unlucky.
Her birthworld evaded the great powers' gaze, but lacked ideal growth conditions.
Outspacers devour a planet's resources then migrate. Fail to stockpile migration energy before it dies, and the hive collapses. OW-33's queen was just another starving drone on track to wither.
If not for her superior intellect over other queens.
Forty years on, she leads the largest Outspacer horde as the Great Empress.
Her subjects and sub-queens call her 'Empress'—and she's back on her polluted homeworld. Once a fringe backwater, now its crust and core ooze corruption.
The planet's polluter lurks in its depths, conversing with a longtime ally.
A massive looted Star Union computer is embedded in sticky mucosa. Thin tentacles from surrounding flesh link it to a rhombus-shaped obelisk.
The nest's mistress types via tentacles; the obelisk glows red.
Her counterpart's will flows through the obelisk.
The computer and obelisk convey the Empress's rage. The obelisk flickers, then falls silent.
Soon, it glows again with a reply. Reading it, her irritation boils.
Link severed, tentacles detach from obelisk and computer.
'...Beomho.'
Her recent contact: Beomho, Return faction leader.
All Return plans sprang from his mind. If all went perfectly, they'd return to his desired home.
'Problem is, it's not going to plan.'
Two major setbacks lately, costing two precious kin.
Yet Beomho insisted the big picture held. Their deaths were regrettable, but recoverable once the plan succeeded.
Truth be told, no one in Return craved homecoming like the Empress.
Outspacers offer players only the queen body. She was the sole ranker whose race and gender changed.
A 34-year-old German man's identity, now 40 years as a monster queen in this world—producing countless offspring besides. No new flesh could erase her core as the horde's mother.
She had no intent to die like this, pouring solo efforts into the ending. Without Beomho's arrival 30 years ago, she'd have challenged it long before.
'Damn. Didn't think it'd drag this long.'
She knew Beomho was right about patience and time. But her time as monster broodmother now outstripped her human years. Her ego held firm, but for how long?
'Maybe prepare for the ending now...'
As she pondered, the obelisk flared red again.
Beomho? No— a broadcast to all obelisk holders.
'Who?'
Dominion's Jason had done this before. She'd ignored the pathetic No. 10.
Not this time. The sender wielded power dwarfing any No. 10.
'No. 3?'
Mega Corp CEO, one of cosmic hegemony's titans.
Dominion head matching her own might.
Akira Yujin calls the rankers.
"Li Zhao. How're the JS prototype test results?"
Mega Corp's seven families—one, the Carmelda family's Mercury Armament Research Base.
In her patriarch residence, Chloe Carmelda reviewed another family's researcher's report.
"Quite intriguing. Combat prowess, flexibility, psyker adaptation—all exceptional. Even stock models should outpace Green Gallerons strategically."
The new screamer, forged with fresh 'materials,' neared completion.
Li Zhao, co-leading the screamer project with Chloe, ran final tests in his Zhao family colony.
"Not bad. But no model's perfect. Weaknesses?"
"Combat intelligence lags PS models. Poor learning curve leaves it vulnerable to surprises."
"So, dumber than prior gens?"
"Affirmative."
"Hmm."
Chloe tapped her lev-chair's armrest. Mind racing, she addressed the hologram Li Zhao.
"Actually works out. They flagged high autonomy as a flaw anyway. No need to dumb it down manually—lucky break."
"Understood. Proceeding with tests."
"Good work. Send files my way. I'll run Carmelda sims."
"Already sent."
"Perfect. Oh, thank Zhao patriarch for the test site loan."
"Of course. Talk soon."
The handsome East Asian man bowed; hologram winked out.
"Wondered how Cynthia's death would play—guess things sorted themselves."
She hummed, activating lev-chair controls. Li Zhao's files synced to room computers, blooming as holograms.
About to scan graphs and data, red light flashed from floor. Eyes shifted: a wired rhombus obelisk glowed.
"Huh? Jubaka?"
Odd for the perpetually busy man to call. Checking, she scowled.
"Ugh, the old man's summoning?"
Mega Corp CEO Akira Yujin.
No obelisk chats since Jason's death. She debated ignoring, then activated.
"Old man, long time. Heard you're swamped—what's up?"
"Oh, Chloe? Feeling refined?"
"Eh, tinkering toys on Mercury keeps me bu... Huh?"
As her playful tone aimed at Akira's obelisk, others activated one by one.