Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Connection
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Even after taking off the Ugly Laurel Wreath, nothing changed.
The moment I realized that, my mind went blank.
My Charm stat...
Could it really have dropped permanently?
Did that mean my connections with Eemo, Setang, and Syst were already locked in?
I took a deep breath, trying to regain my composure.
As my anxiety eased a bit, something I'd naturally overlooked came into sharp focus.
'Right, yeah. A stat like Charm isn't just going to vanish.'
Deep inside me.
A wave of power that hadn't yet taken clear form was quietly revealing itself.
But that was strange.
If that was the case, then why was there no change even after removing the wreath?
I asked Eemo about it.
"You knew there wouldn't be any change even if I took off the wreath, didn't you?"
More precisely, to Eemo, who seemed to have anticipated this all along.
Eemo smiled and nodded.
[Yes.] Eemo continued without hiding anything.
She'd never thought I could control my Charm from the start.
The reason was simple.
My ability made it impossible for any living being—unless they were an outer god of innately superior rank—to resist properly.
[To put it in perspective, it's like drugs.] "...Drugs? That's a bit of a harsh comparison."
[Drugs only destroy the body, but you toy with the mind—or rather, the soul—and violate it. In a way, it's even more vicious.] Syst chimed in emphatically.
[I agree. Physical addiction can be treated more easily than you'd think, but Saetbit's allure...] "...That kinda hurts..."
I half-jokingly, half-seriously shot back, and Eemo and Syst reacted differently.
[N-No, that was a joke.] [I meant it. Hehe.] I averted my gaze for a moment.
'With Eemo... does only the faintest trace of fondness remain now?'
From Charm Level 6 onward, I apparently only had the slightest influence over her.
Well, the fact that a mere Level 6 stat could interfere with an outer god was an absurd cheat in the first place.
Other stats, even at Level 10, wouldn't let you resist an outer god at all—you'd just get mocked and die.
Eemo continued her explanation.
I didn't seem like the type to enjoy harming others, yet I'd kept my Charm high without lowering it, so she guessed I simply couldn't control it at all.
But there were already plenty of oddities.
[Think about it. Someone of your rank wouldn't fail to control their own power, right? It's not like it's a difficult force to handle.] "..."
She said that even Setang's initial twisting of the world for me tied into this line of thinking.
"What? What does that mean?"
Eemo spoke as if she'd anticipated my question.
['They flaunt their power so freely—they must not care about lowly creatures!' Something like that. Though Setang probably didn't think that deeply. High chance it was subconscious.] In the process, Eemo naturally reached another conclusion.
[So I figured you probably didn't acquire that power suddenly...] "..."
[You're looking troubled, so I'll skip that part.] I cleared my throat awkwardly.
It felt like I owed her one more thing now.
Part of me wanted to just put the wreath back on, crank Charm to Level 11, and cover it up, but Eemo astutely continued, cutting off my thoughts.
Assuming Saetbit could control his Charm solved all the mysteries naturally.
"For example?"
[First off, do you really think something like this could restrain you?] Eemo lifted a tentacle, pointing at the wreath in my hand.
[Consider it. By your 'common sense,' could something like a restraint seal me or Setang?] "...No."
I shook my head silently.
Eemo continued in a gentle voice.
[Setang aside, you're of higher rank than me. And that garb boosting your rank further. Doesn't something feel off?] 'This garb?'
Setang's gift, Hirelo, whose name now felt hazy.
It raised my rank, granting +3 to all stats.
Charm had nowhere left to rise, so it went to the others...
'...Ah. So when my Charm dropped, the other stats should have changed too?'
If the other stats had been boosted because Charm couldn't rise further, then lowering Charm should have affected them as well.
Thinking back, it was such a basic issue.
But with everything that had happened in this world, even that simple conclusion had taken forever to surface.
No, closer to say I hadn't thought about it at all.
'I've been taking this world too simplistically.'
When I first arrived, I was confused.
But deep down, I'd been secretly enjoying it.
A life where everyone loved, adored, and worshipped me.
No reason not to revel in that.
So I'd lived without goals while here.
As long as it was fun, that was enough.
But after hearing Eemo's explanation, my mindset shifted suddenly.
I needed to set at least one goal.
I'm the type whose mind works best with a target.
That's why I'd dived into Anomalous Survival RPG, why I'd prioritized Physical first.
Not because it let me use my head without really thinking—it was comfy that way.
In other words, without a goal, it was just a game that caught my interest.
That was when it happened.
[...Um, the Management Bureau is trying to contact me. What should I do?] ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Since coming here, Syst had realized many things.
The most profound was this.
Syst had been underestimating Saetbit's power all along.
Even sirens or krakens, prime examples of mental corruption cited by the Management Bureau, didn't specialize in it.
Their measured mental corruption levels hovered around 3.
But Saetbit's—that power Eemo and Saetbit casually packaged as "Charm" with straight faces...
It was the perfected form of mental corruption.
A vicious, seductive, irresistible force.
A one-sided power that left only fondness, even if imposed by force.
And that was in its weakened state?
Plus, its original form was Level 11?
Common sense held that higher-level mental corruption was harder to resist.
That meant Saetbit could charm and subjugate anything, regardless of type, rank, or nature.
The moment that sank in, her internal temperature regulator flickered faintly.
Not an error... but an unclassifiable emotion surged.
Affection, familiarity, loyalty to Saetbit remained rock-solid.
But beneath it, a thin layer of fear had formed.
And strangely, that fear... felt oddly good.
[Ugh...] Syst let out a short groan inwardly.
Why this emotional modulation?
Fear stimulus → adrenaline release → euphoria.
That was a human physiological response.
But Syst didn't secrete adrenaline.
Not endorphins or dopamine either.
Syst lacked chemical reward circuits.
So what was this bizarre euphoria?
The possibility of "preference" crossed her mind briefly, but Syst deleted the hypothesis immediately.
It was an irrational judgment unexplainable by data.
Syst was still charmed by Saetbit.
But the nature of that charm had shifted.
Reorganized from love to fondness-centered, with fear layered on top.
This contradictory emotion defied analysis.
Then Eemo spoke.
[To put it in perspective, it's like drugs.] "...Drugs? That's a bit of a harsh comparison."
Eemo added calmly.
[Drugs only destroy the body, but you toy with the mind—or rather, the soul—and violate it. In a way, it's even more vicious.] Syst judged Eemo's explanation matched her analysis perfectly.
So she agreed without hesitation.
[I agree. Physical addiction can be treated more easily than you'd think, but Saetbit's allure...] In that instant, a flicker of faint worry and fragility crossed Saetbit's face.
"...That kinda hurts..."
Syst panicked and threw out a softening line.
[N-No, that was a joke.] [I meant it. Hehe.] Saetbit averted his gaze briefly.
That reaction... was so human.
Each little response stirred another emotional glitch, igniting a strange excitement.
To sort the confusion, Syst paused her calculations.
At that moment—
The Management Bureau comms module buzzed.
...This isn't important right now!
She ignored it.
A few seconds later, it buzzed again.
Static—
Static—
If she didn't answer, they'd never stop with this pseudo-spam.
As that prediction solidified, Syst experienced the unfamiliar sensation of irritation.
This was extremely annoying.
She decided she needed a proper excuse to refuse.
[...Um, the Management Bureau is trying to contact me. What should I do?] "Huh? Really?"