Chapter 417
After evolving into a fluid, I set one goal.
Entering the final stage and ending of Aimorph, Ascension.
When you reach Ascension, you will know why you came to this cruel dystopian world and how to get out.
My goals have changed several times during my survival, but this goal has never changed.
But now, a being who knew the secrets of this world appeared in front of me.
But what I felt was questionable.
‘Why did you show yourself now?’
This is not the first time I have been in a cocoon. The fact that it has now appeared clearly means that there is intention. And I don’t know yet whether that intention will help me or harm me.
‘Is it because of the illusion I saw last time?’
Rankers who fell into this world see powerful hallucinations every time they get one step closer to the ending. This is also related to the division into the ruling faction and the returning faction. Fantasy limits thinking and induces certain actions.
But there I chose the third option rather than either one. As far as I know, no other player has made the same choice as me. Only I have escaped the intention of beings who show illusions.
And that being introduced itself as a being that adjusts the recipient’s thought system. There is no way they would be happy with me for making an unusual choice.
‘Did you come directly to brainwash me again?’
“no.”
‘No?’
“I have currently lost the authority to control the inmate’s thought system. Therefore, we can only intervene in limited situations and times, such as now.”
Simply put, it means that brainwashing cannot be done right now.
It is an entity that tried to turn players who enjoyed the game into puppets. If I want to escape from control, all I have to do is show the illusion of that intention. There is no need to act like you do now.
‘Then why did you come to see me?’
“As I said, I’m here to give you the information you need.”
‘What information do I need?’
When I heard that, I remembered a story I heard from Heavenly Mother before. This is the story of rankers who challenged the ending a long time ago.
‘But I failed.’
I don’t know exactly what process went through to make that happen. I just assumed that it happened because a problem arose while trying to reach the ending. If the ending mission was changed to be much more difficult than the game, it would not be unreasonable for rankers to fail.
Also, from my perspective, who is aiming for ascension, that is not good news.
‘The question is, is it okay to believe that?’
The information functional body is a being well-versed in human memory and thinking. Even if he lost the authority to brainwash, his experience and knowledge would not have disappeared. We cannot rule out the possibility of him manipulating me by deceiving me with his words.
“Your doubts are reasonable. However, I am not authorized to transmit unauthorized information. Therefore, it is impossible to convince you.”
‘And yet you want me to believe you?’
“You always thought and judged for yourself whenever you were exposed to new information. “It’s the same this time too.”
With those words, the information function quietly waited for my decision.
‘…It pays to listen now.’
It is impossible to confirm the intention of the other side. There is no point in continuing to doubt in this state. In that case, it would be better to at least listen to what that being says and then believe it and then judge Malchus.
After thinking for a while, I decided to listen to the information parasite.
‘good. ‘Tell me what that information is.’
“I don’t have time, so I’ll just show you in person.”
When the information function raised its hand up, the space where the two of them were alone began to change.
New things fill the empty space. Large glass pillars rose from the floor, and a curved, grid-patterned ceiling covered the space. The grid pattern on the ceiling contains numerous galaxies, and between the pillars, an endless sea of stars can be seen.
It resembles the Pantheon, an ancient Roman temple, but its scale is incomparably gigantic. This is the ending mission that marks the finale of Space Survival.
A fierce battle was taking place there, under the watchful eyes of the universe.
Above, several ships and humans wearing jetpacks moved around the battlefield at high speed. Below, heavily armed walkers and cultists using psychic powers advanced in line.
Floating in front of them was something that looked like a black molecular model toy, tens of meters in size. The boss that greets those who challenge the ending is ‘Observing Shadow’.
Some time had passed since the battle began, and the shadow observed was severely damaged. The guy who resembles a molecular model currently has only a few eyes left.
As its name suggests, its eyes play a very important role. When the eye position changes, the attack method also changes completely. When arranged in a straight line, they form a defensive force field, and when arranged in a diamond, they fire energy cannons.
That’s why it’s important to destroy the eye quickly, but it’s not easy. This is because the eyes multiply automatically. The observed shadow becomes stronger as the number of eyes increases. Because of this, the longer the battle, the more difficult the attack becomes.
An entity that can only be attacked with overwhelming firepower and an understanding of the enemy’s attack type. That is the shadow you observe.
However, the ranker alliance here was overwhelming that difficult boss.
A human wearing a jetpack kept enemies in check by frequently switching body parts while flying. The ships used faster-than-light navigation without restrictions and avoided energy heat rays.
On the ground, Walker, whose design I had never seen before, and Wolf, who transformed into a huge monster, ran all over the place and put pressure on the opponent.
This is not simply because they are familiar with the strategy. The ships, equipment, and abilities they use. These are all things that did not exist in the game.
‘It’s a perk.’
A power that transcends the limits of race and shakes the structure of this world. Even the observing shadow was powerless in front of him.
The battle ended without any major incidents. The cyan beam fired by Walker pierced the enemy’s last eye. The rankers cheered as the observing shadow fell onto the square.
After the battle, the ships in flight landed on the square. The pilot also got off the walker that delivered the final blow to the boss.
‘1st?’
As soon as I saw his face, I immediately knew who he was. A red-haired cyborg with the same appearance as in the game. The person who stood at the pinnacle of space survival was number one.
The rankers, who were intoxicated with the joy of victory, ran to the first place to shake hands or embrace. Looking at the atmosphere, it seemed like he was leading and directing the ending strategy.
‘It seemed like we got along well with each other…huh?’
While I was watching it, I suddenly had a strange feeling.
A cult boy with goat horns standing at the back of the crowd gathered in the square. Even though he was someone I had never seen before, he looked familiar.
No, beyond familiarity, I felt an unknown familiarity. It felt like I was being forced into a sense of familiarity.
“The changed ending mission will begin soon.”
As I was about to take a closer look at the Goat Horn Cult, the information function spoke up.
As he spoke, an altar-shaped terminal protruded from the square. The players’ eyes were focused on the altar.
I know what that altar is like. When the core of the observed shadow is absorbed into a kind of material conversion device, the appearance and properties of the altar change.
“The final protocol for the previous projection system is as you know. “The final protocol was carried out using that terminal.”
In the case of human players, it is a transcendent communication device that mediates the integration of intelligent beings spread across the universe, and if the race that placed the core is an Outspacer, it becomes an absolute weapon that can destroy Vortex One, which has taken control of their hometown.
And when you use the changed tool, you immediately enter the ending of Space Survival.
“But ‘they’ were not happy about the system being shut down so easily.”
‘them?’
「Grrr」
Suddenly the heads on both sides growled. The left and right heads without eyes pointed the end of their snouts into the air.
There was a dark spot on the extremely high ceiling that had never been seen before. No one noticed the presence of the sunspot because of the altar.
“‘They’ arbitrarily decided to change the protocol and impose a stronger ordeal.”
And something popped out from there.
Something more than twice as large as the observed shadow falls onto the square. Soon, an intense roar and shock wave shook the entire space.
The rankers turned their heads in surprise. At the end of that gaze, there was ‘it’ slowly standing up, covered in debris. A deep look of confusion appeared on everyone’s faces when they saw him.
The moment ‘it’ roared and rushed at the rankers, the space began to collapse.
“Your body reconstruction is complete. “This is the end of the information transfer.”
‘Wait a minute!’
As the information body said, I myself, who was in a cocoon, is waking up. But I couldn’t afford to worry about that.
It’s because of the ‘thing’ I saw last.
As soon as I encountered it, I instinctively knew what it was.
Although the appearance was very different from what I was used to, it was certain. Because in Space Survival, no one knew more about its existence than me.
‘It’ was clearly an ‘unidentified hostile space creature’, Amorph.
‘The last boss that came out was definitely Aimorph! Why did Amorph come out of there? And who are they?’
“We cannot answer these questions in detail due to security reasons.”
‘shit!’
The body breaks like a sand castle swept away by the waves. No matter how hard I tried to hold on, it was no use.
“There is someone on Earth who can answer your questions. I hope you meet him.”
‘earth?’
“And this is the last piece of information, or rather, advice.”
In the collapsing space, the information body with only the head remaining spoke.
“It is not illusions or memories that define you. Only the choices we make at each moment define our existence. “Don’t forget the choices you made.”
With those words, the other being that looked like me disappeared. I too was buried in the collapsing black space.
Soon, I feel a different sensation in my body. A warm liquid that surrounds the whole body and a piece of hard shell that can be felt inside. These are the familiar sensations I encounter every time I wake up from my cocoon.
I returned to reality.
“Watch next episode”