Chapter - 291 - 5. All kinds of variables (5) 2.txt
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[291] 5. All kinds of variables (5)
Ji-on looked back at Amy and mocked him.
"Heh, that's nice. You should have touched someone who would touch that."
"Cowardly child! Release this quickly!"
"don't worry. I will release you. But before that, take a good look."
Zeon turned halfway around and gave instructions to Xenoger.
"Bring Shirone's head to me."
Then, Xenoger climbed up the spider's web with a fishy smile.
Controlling the center of gravity through mimicry, he freely moved around the steel wire without getting hurt.
"Amy! Amy!"
Shirone called Amy even when her life was in danger.
Seeing that, Ji-on was even more happy. In my opinion, I wanted to bully Amy in front of him, but my desire to possess Ataraxia quickly was no less than that.
'Wait, but what about Arius?'
Now that the plate was perfectly spread, it was appropriate to appear.
I felt a little uneasy, but it didn't make sense that the scale wizard who handles time and space would be late for an appointment. It seemed to flash and appear at the last moment.
'Sheesh, it's a fuss with useless directing. Anyway, I'm just pretending.'
It wasn't a personality I didn't know from the beginning anyway. Arius also has the pride of a professional, so he will do the right thing no matter what.
Ji-on looked around for the last time and pretended to slit his throat.
Xenoger, who was holding down Shirone, stuck out his tongue and sprinted as if he were going to lick his face. But Shirone didn't even look at him and yelled at Amy as hard as she could.
"Amy! Run away!"
"Kekeke, pitiful. But you die anyway."
Xenoger spread his arms and legs wide and took a position as if to press down on Shirone. He heard a thump from his side and two new arms came out from inside his collar.
Seeing this, Shirone's face turned pale.
"Cheuk, why? Are you gross? But I can make up to six arms."
Xenoger pulled the steel wire out of his mouth with his new arms. Then, with skillful skill, he turned a circle around Shirone's neck.
"There will be no pain. Because it is the best in the industry."
Shirone sensed death and closed her eyes. It seemed that his short life of 18 years was coming to an end here. But he couldn't die like this. he shouted with all his might.
"Amy! this… … !"
"Snip!"
Before Shirone could finish his words, Xenoger laughed grotesquely and pulled the wire with both arms. As the cobwebs got stuck in Shirone's skin, incontinence formed like a loop around his neck.
At the same time, I heard the sound of electricity flowing from behind Xenoger. It was a noise unique to the flicker magic, the exclusive patent of the Scale Wizard.
'That's right.'
Zeon clicked his tongue at Arius' bravado. Anyway, the timing was amazing, so there was nothing to be angry about.
"huh?"
There was a strange light in Ji-on's eyes.
It wasn't Arius. No, is it Arius? He covered his face with a mask so he couldn't be identified.
"What is that, what is it?"
Without answering, the mask rolled on the floor and blocked the key point to Reina and Amy. As soon as he appeared, he could tell that he was not an ally just by looking at the position he occupied.
'Isn't that Arius? Then where is the child? Shirone is already dead… … .'
Zeon hurriedly turned his head towards Xenoger. He was wearing a bizarre smile, but it was a subtly distorted expression that could never be seen in real life.
Shirone was also looking at Amy with her eyes wide open. And the most important steel wire… … It didn't move as if it were frozen, lightly buried in Shirone's skin.
At that moment, I heard the sound of flicker magic again.
As soon as Arius appeared in the space, he rolled on the floor and stopped next to Zeon. He was covered in sweat as if revealing the weariness of the past.
"damn! Are you late?"
Ji-on shouted, unable to control his annoyance.
"what! What happened? Who is that child?"
"I do not know. It's definitely an unlocker of time magic. I tried to get away with it somehow, but I kept disturbing the coordinates… … ."
In the force field of space and time, the two attempted flickers over 700 times. The mask also struggled, but as a result, it was myself who was late.
'shit. The compatibility is the worst.'
For space experts, time expertise was like a natural enemy. No, it was the same even if you think about it backwards.
A relationship like fire and water where each other is reluctant to each other.
Even so, the fact that he arrived before himself meant that his masking skills were the highest among scale wizards.
'Who the hell are you? With that level of skill, he must be a familiar wizard.'
Also, that's why he wore a mask.
The reason why the entire face is covered is probably a device to completely hide one's identity. After all, if you reach that level, you can replace it with the Spirit Zone.
Arius had some guesses in his head. However, no one had the chance to stand in their way in this situation.
Zeon could not stand it and approached Shirone, brandishing the blade of his gauntlet.
"Sheesh! it's okay! I'll take care of it!"
"Do not approach!"
Ji-on flinched and stopped walking.
Arrogant by nature, he was more annoyed at being yelled at than thinking he was out of danger.
"what's the matter? You can't even move anyway."
"That is the time field, which is the specialty of time series unlockers. To put it simply, it's a conversion of slow magic into a breakaway type."
"Departure type? Tell me so that I can understand what you are talking about."
Arius felt sorry for Jion, but he couldn't help it.
Considering that a battle would take place, I had to tell the point when I was confronting the mask.
I don't expect Zeon's combat power, but Armand will be useful depending on how you use it.
"If you enter the stationmaster, the prince will be like that too."
Zeon looked at Shirone and Xenoger, who were frozen in time.
It was terrifying to be in such a state with the enemy right in front of you.
"Don't get too close. The moment you touch it, everyone becomes the same."
"Then what if that bastard uses his hand first?"
"That is impossible. If the caster enters the breakaway spirit zone, the breakaway spell is broken. That is, time returns. That mask will have no choice but to stay this way."
Arius did not take his guard away from the mask and quietly examined the station field.
The radius was not as large as expected. However, since it is clear that he is a specialist in the time series, the time distortion must have been enormous.
'what?'
Arius felt strange and stared at the time field. To be precise, it was Xenoger and Shirone who were trapped in the time field.
'It's moving… … ?'
Xenogur's arm is moving.
Of course, even he, who has extremely delicate senses, could not confirm it with his eyes, but the 'feeling' that he was moving was definitely conveyed.
'What the hell happened?'
If the opponent's skill was realized during a chase with Flickr, extreme time distortion should be applied to normal.
However, at this level, it seemed that visible movement could be confirmed even after an hour or so.
'If you calculate the time to dive to the first stage of the mother's consciousness… … .'
Arius swallowed dryly.
It's not over yet.
Since the brain was not completely separated from the body, there might be pressure from the unconscious, but anyway, Shirone received a near-death shock.
Besides, by the time they reached the first stage, Shirone's condition would have deteriorated further, so there was a chance of winning if he preoccupied the high ground.
"Prince, I will open the door."
"what? now?"
"There are still possibilities. Unfortunately, I need to borrow some strength. Please follow me as soon as I enter."
Arius activated the door magic outside the station field. As the Spirit Zone materialized, a two-meter-tall elliptical sphere was born.
As Arius jumped in, Zeon gritted his molars in embarrassment.
But this was not the time to hesitate. I hated dealing with that mask here anyway.
"damn! plaguy!"
Ji-on threw her tentacles back and threw herself into the door.
The mask finally got out of its crouching position and stood up. After thinking for a moment, he ran toward the door without looking back.
"Wait!"
The mask stopped in front of the door and looked back at Amy.
"Take me too! It's like a door to heaven, right? I've been there too. It will help save Shirone."
Mask revealed his voice for the first time.
"How are you going to get into that state?"
"That, so… … If you let go of this… … ."
"Ignite."
"yes?"
Amy looked at the mask with surprised eyes.
"Don't you know Ignite? Isn't that a fire mage? Cobwebs, which are highly viscous, are weak against fire. If I had burned it with fire magic, I would have been able to escape."
"ah… … ."
Amy put on a blank expression. Looking back, she couldn't figure out why she hadn't thought of it.
Because it's urgent?
Of course, that is also true. But to be precise, I couldn't bring it up from the unconscious.
The spirit zone's flames do not burn the wizard, but the fire from burning the spider's web will burn the wizard.
The profit and loss account held back the idea. Even though Shirone was dying.
'Why am I… … .'
Amy lowered her head with tears in her eyes.
"There is no need to blame yourself. This kind of situation is hard to deal with if you are not trained. You have too little experience. It's dangerous to follow me. It won't take long. Please wait here."
"no, I do not want! I will go with you!"
Amy shouted with her eyes wide open. She felt that she would regret it for the rest of her life if she continued to wear the mask.
'It's not scary! It's not because I'm afraid of fire!'
I really hadn't thought of it. But if it's Shirone… … would have figured it out
Maybe Ignite wasn't what I was trying to say at the end? Even though he was in a dying situation, he said that to save himself… … .
'Shirone! I will definitely save you!'
When he cast Fire Mist, flames soared in the spider's web. As the mask said, it burned really well. Amy squeezed her eyes shut, not caring if her face was disfigured.
At that moment, the heat suddenly disappeared.
When I opened my eyes, I saw a masked man standing there holding a spider web and throwing it into the air. Like thread used in magic, the web quickly burned and disappeared.
"Uh, why… … ?"
Mask sighed and knelt down in front of Amy.
"That is foolish. Even if you got out, the outcome wouldn't have changed. Unless the opponent was also an idiot, it only accelerated Shirone's death."
Amy got up right away.
This man is really strong. And he was still trying to do something without giving up.
"Please let me go. No, I will go alone now."
"Amy! Me too, I'll go too! release me!"
Clinging to a high place, Reina struggled with her ankles and shouted.
Amy asked, casting Ignite between her fingers.
"Are you okay? It must be hot."
"My stomach is burning even more now! do it faster! The tunnel might close."
Amy smiled and raised the flame between her thumb and index finger.
Even a slight heat will instantly ignite it, but if it falls under the influence of gravity, you may not get serious burns.
However, before she could cast the magic, the spider's web split vertically and Reina fell down.
Amy looked at the mask in bewilderment. Who the hell is this man who precisely cuts only the spider's web with a simple wind cutter? She was a powerful person, at least not from her own personal connections.
Reina landed swiftly and approached Amy.
She also looked at the mask curiously. She doesn't seem to be a bad person, but since she is unknown, she hasn't lifted her guard.
Mask checked the condition of the door. A strong energy field was emanating from the edge of space. It was proof that life was coming to an end.
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Chapter - 292 - 5. All kinds of variables (6) 1.txt
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[292] 5. All kinds of variables (6)
"Now that it's like this, I won't stop it. But I'd recommend waiting. If you go in, your life cannot be guaranteed. Leave Shirone to me."
The mask quickly spat out the words and jumped into the door.
Amy looked at Shirone's condition.
The solid lines of the cobwebs tightening around his neck were clearly visible. Moreover, the focus did not move at all from where it was tied.
However, it did not completely stop, so if left as it was, it would eventually die.
Amy and Rayna looked back at each other and met their eyes. And without hesitation, he jumped inside the door.
5 seconds later, the door disappeared.
Xenoger and Shirone were slowly thawing, frozen at the crossroads of life and death. A very slow groan escaped from between Shirone's lips.
He probably wanted to shout Ignite.
6. The Great Secret (1)
Qurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
Thunder struck. It was raining in torrents. Dark clouds covered the entire sky, making it impossible to tell whether it was day or night.
Amy looked around the street in the pouring rain. The city was definitely a place I had never seen before, but it was somehow familiar.
Rows of buildings lined the brick-paved streets, and whale oil torches hung from each shop. Even he was weak due to the strong wind.
All the common beggars had evacuated, and only men in ready-to-wear hurried on their way with their collars adjusted.
In the distance, a carriage covered with raincoats was heading for the city gates to get out of the city.
It was probably daytime.
Amy and Raina looked back at each other, shivering with chills. Rain-soaked clothes clung to her body and her head looked like a drowned mouse.
"What the hell… … ."
"You came in too."
The two women instinctively covered themselves and turned away. Although she was wearing clothes, her body was exposed, so there was no choice but to be wary.
A masked man walked in the darkness of the alley.
"I've been waiting for it because I thought it would be like that."
Amy asked.
"Who are you? What is your relationship with Shirone?"
Instead of answering, the man took off his mask. With his face covered, he wondered how he could see, but a thin bandage covered his eyes. He was blind from the start.
"My name is Generaid Armin. I have a little relationship with Shirone."
Amy tilted her head. Do you have a relationship with Shirone?
Of course, Shirone must have connections that others don't know about. However, if I had known someone of this level, there was no way I wouldn't have spoken.
"How can you believe that? Shirone never said anything like that… … ."
Armin ignored it, looked somewhere, and pointed alternately at the two women.
"First, avoid the rain. Please follow me."
Standing in the heavy rain for a few minutes caused the body temperature to drop rapidly, so the two had no choice but to comply.
Moreover, I didn't want to show such an embarrassing appearance even among women.
The place Armin took the two of them to was a restaurant and inn that doubled as a restaurant.
Amy checked the name on the sign before entering the building. It was similar to the Tormia language, but it was subtly different, so I couldn't understand the meaning.
"welcome."
When I opened the door and entered, a woman in her 40s who was knitting at the counter greeted me in a formal tone.
When I looked at the building from the outside, I wondered if it was too narrow, but when I entered, it was a structure that stretched deep into the inside.
The hall was about 7 pyeong, and there were three tables for drinking. Hunters were sitting in the corner warming themselves with hot wine.
After passing the hall and turning the corner, there is a corridor that goes deep, and the floor was torn down and a fire pit was placed. Rainwater did not come in until here because there was a drainage ditch.
Square tables were placed around it, and people dressed as travelers were eating.
Armin first offered an empty seat to the women, then turned around the table and sat across from him.
Then, a musician wearing a conical hat who was warming up near the fire pit began to tune a four-stringed instrument.
Inns frequented by travelers hire a musician and have a contract to play music when a certain number of people gather.
Also, even if the number of people is not enough, if you personally give money, you can play.
The musician played the instrument and sang in a melancholy tone.
It was a song about a knight who lost his loved one going on a journey to find a place to die. The tune was calm, but the lyrics were quite sad.
Reina was surprised to realize that the musician's performance was of a high standard. However, it was a variation that deviated from the basics of harmonics. It was like mixing several songs into one.
But the other travelers didn't seem to care. No, they didn't care about anything. It was proof that he did not even look at the two women with their bodies exposed.
Amy wondered. She, of course, didn't necessarily mean that if she exposed her body, she'd be watched by men, but she was in a weird situation anyway.
Upon closer inspection, they were not eating. The fork was moving pointlessly back and forth between the food and the mouth.
Even so, the reason why it seemed to eat was because it kept muttering something with a depressed expression.
Unreadable signage. A strange song with a popping melody. People who don't eat rice. and a sad expression.
Amy suddenly got goosebumps. For the first time she realized that this place was unlike any world she had ever known.
"Hey, where are you?"
Armin nodded as if he had been waiting for the question to arrive.
"This is Syrone's ritual. I looked at it before you came, and it seems to be level 11 of the 12 levels of the human psyche, or surface psychology."
I had heard from Arin when I went to Galliant that the human mind is divided into 12 levels.
But now that wasn't the problem. The problem was that she had been there.
I asked if Rayna felt the same way.
"So you're saying that this is Shirone's consciousness?"
Armin nodded his head instead.
To explain such a strange world, it was effective to simply make people believe rather than persuade.
Amy saw through Armin's intentions and suppressed her curiosity.
let's believe What was more important was how to save Shirone wherever this was.
"We have to go after Arius. Besides, in a little while Shirone's head will be cut off in real life."
Armin smiled and shook his head.
"There is quite a difference between real time and conscious time. You must have followed me right away, right? But I waited here for over 30 minutes."
Amy calculated sensibly.
There was a slight time difference, but it was a situation where Armin and I came here almost at the same time. However, if there was a difference of 30 minutes, it should be considered that the time was very slow compared to reality.
'No, I should say that the speed of consciousness is faster than that.'
Armin continued.
"Shirone will be fine for a while. If possible, I wanted to slow down the time even more, but there is a limit to the time field… … ."
Currently, Armin has Keira, who is 14 kilometers away from Kazra's castle, tied to the stop magic's time field, so there aren't that many extra timelines.
If it was the slow magic used by ordinary wizards, it could have slowed down the time much more drastically, but it was not a wise choice in the situation at the time.
This is because slow is an active magic.
If you fill the battery slot, which most wizards have only one, with slow, you will hand over the initiative to the same scale wizard, Arius. Moreover, it was not an opponent that was easy enough to compete in a time-sharing situation.
That's why I used the passive skill Time Field.
The time field, which simultaneously occupies time and space, remains in effect in space even after it is activated, leaving one battery slot that can flexibly respond to the opponent's reaction.
It was because Arius was aware of this fact that he could not act hastily in the confrontation.
Thanks to this, Shirone avoided instant death, but Armin's timeline was left with only a tail. Even if it was possible to make as many station fields as possible, if it was ineffective, it would be worse than not having one.
'The only thing left is Flickr. I have no choice but to try with this.'
The reason why Armin waited for the two women was because the state of consciousness in the 11th stage he entered was serious.
I didn't want to put Shirone's friends in danger, but I thought that if I voluntarily entered, I would have no choice but to get help.
"Of course, it is not very leisurely. We need to find Shirone as soon as possible. Unfortunately, however, I have almost lost my fighting ability. That's why we need your help. First of all, I will tell you the information you need to know."
Reina said while taking a posture to listen.
"Yes, I want to help. So please tell me. Why is Zeon trying to bribe an assassin and even Arius to kill Shirone? I know Arius in particular is from Orkamp."
"To talk about that, first I have to tell you about Arius. His nickname is Grave Robber, and he belongs to the 7 Madou Girls who are quite famous in the Black Line."
At the word black line, Amy frowned.
There are criminals in the Red Line, but they are also those who raise their ranks with notoriety and achievements anyway.
For example, Arcane was like that.
The Black Line, on the other hand, was far from honorable. They only coveted their own pleasure and did not mind the collapse of society for that pleasure.
"You mean someone like that has been by Orkampf all this time?"
"Because the skills are certain. An Unlocker and Scale Wizard, whose main job is to infiltrate people's minds and steal their thoughts. He had installed a door into Shirone's surface mind. He probably did at least one dive without Shirone knowing."
Amy knocked on the table. A crackling sound was heard.
"You mean everything in this inn is Shirone's consciousness?"
"yes. It looks like an object, but in reality it is a landscape created by Shirone's mind."
Rayna asked.
"What kind of principle is that? Is it possible for a person's thoughts to appear in this concrete world?"
"All the minds acquired by human beings as they grow up become materialized. Love, anger, lukewarmness, they are all things. It is safe to interpret it as a language, but since this is a world related to the unconscious, objectification would be the correct expression."
Arius looked back at the scenery of the inn and continued.
"Then, why is the arrangement of objects similar to reality, even though it is a spiritual world? That's because everything in level 11 comes up through the realm of level 6 rem. If the unconscious was projected all the way here, it would be a completely messed up world."
said Amy, rubbing her chin.
"Hmm. So, does that mean that the human mind goes through a filter called REM and is converted into an object before coming up here?"
"Exactly. REM is a mental state during sleep, so it will be easier to understand if you think of it as a dream. Dreams are the dividing line between the conscious and the unconscious. So, in a dream, two characteristics appear at the same time. The higher you go up in the sixth level, the stronger your consciousness, and the lower you go, the stronger your unconscious."
Arius pointed to the ceiling.
"This is Level 11 Superficial Psychology, the highest layer except for the shell layer. So it's a very materialized world. It's real, complex, expansive."
The melancholy tune of the musician played quietly.
The variation was still messy, but thinking that this was also because it went through the filter of a dream, the eerieness disappeared.
said Rayna.
"I said Arius was a grave robber. What is he trying to steal from Shirone's mind?"
Amy replied.
"It's ataraxia."
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Chapter - 293 - 6. The Great Secret (2) 3.txt
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[293] 6. The Great Secret (2)
Armin nodded.
"That's right. The reason Shirone was invited to the Kazura Castle is because he possesses the power of an archangel."
"As expected. bad guys! I wasn't just trying to find my biological son."
Reina didn't know about heaven, so she couldn't understand what the two were saying, but she was silent for the moment. It wouldn't be too late to fill in the missing parts after hearing all the stories.
Amy suddenly raised her hand.
"for a moment. But why did you try to kill Shirone? If Shirone dies, won't Ataraxia disappear too?"
Armin kept his mouth shut. sharp point. But from the moment he decided to enlist the help of the two of them, he thought he shouldn't lie, so he said it honestly.
"There is a reason for that. Perhaps it was Arius' idea to kill Shirone. In fact, at first he probably wouldn't have made up his mind that much. He must have simply infiltrated Shirone's mind and cloned Ataraxia. But it failed."
"Why? Is it difficult to duplicate?"
"There may be many variables, but in my opinion, ataraxia is not an ability that humans can handle. If you forcibly mount it at any point in your consciousness, you may go insane. So the original owner seems to have imprinted it in a very deep place."
"What if it's deep?"
Armin raised his index finger.
"Step 1. You will be in the maternal consciousness that governs your instincts. If you plant it in the realm of instinct, you will naturally accept even the most bizarre concept as if it existed in the first place."
Amy nodded. She finally felt like her back and front were falling into place.
Armin continued.
"Instinct is a safe space for you, but a terrible place for others. However, with Arius' skills, it would be possible to submerge the mother's consciousness for a while. Besides, it sounds like you've tried. Judging from the door being installed."
"But the robbery failed?"
"I can only think of that. Perhaps it is protected by a code system that humans cannot crack, or it is highly likely that it is imprinted in the form of a capsule that even Syrone cannot see inside. That's why he decided to kill Shirone. The reason why you can't recklessly enter the mother's womb consciousness is because the lower you go, the stronger your defense instincts become. Once the unconscious security device is activated, even the world's divers will drown without being able to escape."
"Now I get it. So, cut Shirone's head… … ."
"Exactly. The human unconscious is rooted deep in the body. Thus, when the throat is cut, the unconscious defenses are disrupted. Arius took advantage of that opportunity."
Amy bit her lip and thought. There was one thing she still couldn't understand.
"Look, something doesn't seem right. Even if Arius reaches Stage 1 after dissolving the unconscious, what can he do there? If it's not the ability that humans can handle, you can't use it even if you clone it, right? There is no way to engrave it on your instincts like Shirone."
Armin felt that what was to come had come. From here on, it was a story that should never be known outside the world.
'I didn't want to reveal this as much as possible… … .'
However, Shirone cannot be saved without their help. It was necessary to understand this world in order to increase the performance of the mission even a little.
"From now on, what you are going to hear is a top secret, no matter what country you are in. Of course, nothing is classified and confidential, but I will tell you anyway."
The two women nodded. Even so, the reason why I couldn't assure myself that I wouldn't reveal it was because I understood Armin's last words.
"The human mind… … It can turn into a thing."
Amy blinked. First of all, she didn't come across intuitively, and she felt that she was bland compared to what she had hoped for.
But as Armin's words melted into his head, he realized how absurd they were.
"So the mind becomes a thing?"
Armin put off an answer and asked a random question.
"Have you ever heard the word 'dremo'?"
Raina shook her head first, followed by Amy's response.
Armin continued as if it was natural.
"Dremo is a multi-dimensional mental world. The human brain consumes energy to think. So, is thought energy? Some people think that energy is just for running the brain and thought is another concept. It is a product of energy. And that product must be discharged somewhere. That is the space called dream."
"It's a similar concept to the law of conservation of mass."
"you're right. Dreamo is a space that you can enter if you meet certain conditions in your dream. It's an imaginary complex where all thoughts converge. So, here's a great hypothesis. If thoughts escape into Dremo, on the contrary, thoughts in Dremo can be brought into reality."
Amy asked with a bewildered expression.
"Has anyone actually been to Dremo?"
"Why not? No, there are countless. After entering through a dream, they cleverly use the rule of equivalent exchange to smuggle it out. However, he said that it is not easy to smuggle a concept that does not contain a strong desire. In any case, Arius steals thoughts that way."
"Wait. That means that the items from Dremo already exist. If so, what the heck… … ."
Amy realized something and opened her eyes wide.
"No way, that thing… … ."
Arius said with a bitter smile.
"That's right. We call it an object."
Amy realized why Armin threatened her. It was evidence that broke the existing hypothesis that thoughts are nothing but energy.
"Literally, an object is a materialized human mind. So, the ability of an object is based on a very personal desire. Of course, there is nothing strange about it. The only problem is when it turns out to be real."
said Rayna.
"I know about objects. According to an acquaintance wizard, it is an object that violates the laws of the universe. But now that I've heard it, it seems like they didn't get it right either."
Armin agreed.
"I will. Very few people in the high class, even royalty, know about Drimo. It's probably top secret except for the king, except for the department dedicated to it. Objet seems to ignore the law of cause and effect, but accepting the hypothesis that thoughts are a type of matter does not mean ignoring the laws of the universe. However, there are still many unknowns about the interaction between reality and Dremo."
said Rayna.
"Like
"Oh, did you know?"
Reina blushed and shook her head.
"no. I just know it's called that. I went as a performer to a gathering of the royal family, and I heard a lot because my ears are so good. sorry. Just what I know comes out… … ."
Armin smiled as if he was okay and told an anecdote about
"Did it really happen?"
"The actual case is correct. However, opinions are divided as to whether this is a psychopathic act of the family head or a phenomenon to achieve balance in the dimension. What is clear is that they went through a nonsense, and in the end, the object was left in its place. Maybe someone in the family contacted Dremo. I can't reveal the conditions for going to Dremo, but it's not like there's no chance of entering by coincidence."
Amy was curious about that condition, but kept her mouth shut thinking that it would be disrespectful to ask that much.
"Anyway, the relationship between Dremo and reality is not something that humans can predict. Therefore, access to Dremo is recognized as a serious crime in each country. In fact, dive magic itself isn't that bad. It is used in the treatment of mentally ill people. You need a full diver license. But Arius is abusing it. That's why he's called a grave robber, not a diver. Access to Drimo is taboo in any country. This is why Arius is being pursued around the world as a Double S-class criminal."
Reina made a tired expression.
"In a sense… … You have to deal with great people."
Armin also admitted that it wasn't easy.
"Actually, if he doesn't commit crimes, he's a really brilliant intellectual. Dive is a job that requires a lot of intellect."
Amy made an outline of what she had heard so far.
"I will sort it out. Arius is aiming for Ataraxia. He planned the murder to collapse Shirone's unconscious and is now heading into stage 1. From there he will steal Ataraxia and go to Dremo. Then he smuggles them into reality. If so… … ?"
Amy gave goosebumps just by imagining it. Also, that was the reason Armin came here, tying Kay Ra with her stop magic.
"you're right. Ataraxia becomes an object. The archangel's ability becomes a tool that anyone can use. This is really serious."
"… … ."
Faced with a reality they don't want to admit, the two women are speechless for a moment, lost in thought.
@
Being trapped in a time field doesn't mean being stupid.
The acceleration of thought, the acceleration of emotion, and the acceleration of cognition remain the same, but only the speed of development is slowed down.
That is why Shirone is still impulsive, and that impulse was developing into a more intense impulse in the slow flow of time.
Likewise, Xenoger's steel wire was digging into Shirone's neck with powerful energy in slow time.
The sound of flesh cracking spreads slowly, and even slower… … The incontinence engraved on Shirone's neck was stained with blood.
@
Flash!
For an instant, the outside of the window was dyed golden.
Rumble! bang! Kwak Kwa Kwak!
The sound of thunder enough to leave heaven and earth shook the world.
Amy looked out the window with a terrified expression. She was a radical natural phenomenon that is hard to hear even in real life.
I thought I was past the age to be frightened by thunder, but when I heard the roar of the emperor, human fear gripped my heart.
"It's really amazing. It looks like it's thundering right in front of you."
Armin looked outside and said.
"The fear of death, accepted from the unconscious, has risen to the surface. But this is pretty good. If the average person had been in this situation, it would have been more than enough to cause mayhem. It's about Shirone, so I'm enduring it."
Amy smiled sadly. Unlike himself who had been criticized earlier, Armin was acknowledging Shirone.
How would it feel to be recognized by such a great wizard? That's why it was sad that Shirone wasn't here.
'Well, since all of this is Shirone… … .'
Armin was wary of being sentimental.
"Even now, Kang Seon is strangling Shirone. It will get worse and worse and start to collapse from the bottom up. The aftermath of that can be seen by looking at the current state of Stage 11. In the end, the minimum conditions for Arius to dive into the deep sea are met."
Amy quickly regained a sense of reality.
"Is there a way? A way to save Shirone."
It doesn't end with stopping Arius and Zeon. If the time force field is released like this, Shirone will die immediately.
"Currently, there is only one way. We also pass through the REM area and dig into the depths. It's already too late to undo something in reality. But if you plant something at the bottom of your psyche, it might be possible."
Everything that happens in Shirone's consciousness immediately becomes Shirone's. Therefore, it was about planting in the unconscious in advance a way to respond in a crisis of desperation.
"Like Ataraxia, are you planting magic?"
Armin scratched his head.
"That is a bunch. In fact, I also don't know how Shirone came to possess that magic. There must have been something unique to the Archangel. But we're a bunch. However, if you go deep enough, you might be able to engrave something like a simple action guideline."
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Chapter - 294 - 6. The Great Secret (3).txt
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[294] 6. The Great Secret (3)
said Rayna.
"A guide to action. Would that be possible?"
Shirone is already strangled by the steel wire. It seemed to him that planting a thought that would trigger some action wouldn't make the situation better.
"I have no choice but to try it once. In fact, it's not such an easy situation. Of course, cutting off the neck would take a considerable amount of time, but cutting off even an artery would be fatal. Perhaps by then the unconscious will be disintegrating at a breakneck speed."
Amy felt impatient.
"So what?"
The solution Armin suggested was simple.
"We need to find Shirone."
"yes? But this is the spirit of Shirone."
"To be precise, everything here is a shadow created by projecting the core of Shirone. We'll find the core, not the shadows. I call it incarnation."
Amy remembered what she heard from Gadlock in the Valley of the Vortex Serpents. The whirlpool snake, which was the shadow of a giant snake, was really just a sleek little salamander. Heaven's people called it incarnation.
"Is that incarnation on the surface of the 11th level?"
Armin shook his head.
"There won't be. So you should call me."
Rayna asked.
"How do you call me?"
Amy noticed before hearing Armin's answer.
"Can't we just ask people? After all, everyone here is a Shirone."
Armin nodded in satisfaction. It seemed that the two of them now had some intuition about the nature of this world.
"you're right. Just ask people. It's called a keyword. It's quite a difficult task from the outside, but here you just have to ask. If you inject Shirone as a keyword, your incarnation will rise to level 11. Then let's go."
Armin walked to the counter with the two women. Then he asked the middle-aged woman who was still knitting.
"Do you know a man named Shirone?"
As soon as Armin's words fell out, the musician's performance stopped like a lie. I couldn't even hear people murmur.
It wasn't until I realized how much noise I was exposed to. It was perfectly still.
Amy looked around in a cool mood.
The people who had been depressed until now were looking at Armin with their eyes clear.
The same goes for the woman at the counter. As if her eyes had stopped, she opened her mouth belatedly.
"Why are you looking for that person?"
Armin sighed and smiled.
that person Seeing that he didn't say Shirone's name, it seemed like he was cautious.
In any case, you should speak well from now on. It was not allowed to be blatant, and it was forbidden to speak with hostility.
"I have something to tell you."
The woman thought for a moment and continued knitting.
"I don't know. Who is that person?"
"okay."
Arius held his breath, thinking that it would not be easy.
Also well trained. Even wizards who specialize in the spirit world are bound to be shaken in a situation where their heads are cut off.
Even though there was thunder and chaos outside, the fact that the fragments of consciousness were still alert was a testament to how well he had been clearing his mind in normal times.
"All right. Then let's go."
The woman at the counter said without even looking.
"Pay the roof and go."
Even right before his death, he seemed to be relieved by receiving something to receive. This was also the spirit of a wizard who pursued 100% efficiency.
'Whoops, he's got a thorough personality.'
It is customary for people who enter an inn to avoid the rain without lodging and meals to pay a certain amount for the roof.
But Amy had no money. Even if she did, she doubted that real money would be a transaction.
Then Armin rummaged through his pockets. And he willingly took out a gold coin and paid.
"Here it is."
"huh?"
Amy examined the gold coin he handed over. As expected, it was a cog-shaped gold coin that was not used in reality.
The woman at the counter frowned as she touched the gold coins.
"This is too expensive."
"The change is done."
"I can't. It's okay, so just take it."
"Really fine."
When Armin refused with a smile, the woman coolly agreed.
"Okay then. You will be blessed."
Amy pursed her lips.
Although the innkeeper's way of speaking, appearance, and gender were different, for some reason I thought that he resembled Shirone's usual appearance.
"Okay, let's go first."
Armin had a serious expression on his face.
I left the inn, but I couldn't dare to go outside the eaves. The floor was filled with water like a flood.
Feeling the cold again, Amy shivered.
"If this happens, the whole world will be submerged."
Armin shook his head.
"No, the world will disappear before then."
Amy turned her head and looked at the scenery of the inn.
The warmth blocked by a window made her even colder, but seeing people resting comfortably warmed her heart.
When Shirone dies, they all disappear.
Even though they are not human, I hoped that they would live in this world for a long time.
"First of all, the keyword Shirone was injected, so the incarnation of Shirone will rise to the surface. Divers call this process a net."
"okay."
"But that's why it's a problem. I'm running out of time, so I'll explain as I go. The higher the water, the harder it will be to move."
Armin ran through the heavy rain, where he could not see an inch ahead. Amy asked, catching up with him.
"Where are you going? I don't even know where Shirone is."
"first… … You will have to buy weapons. Maybe."
Armin stopped in front of the two-story building and looked up. I saw a signboard with an ax and a sword crossed.
The three of them sheltered from the rain on the cornice of the arms store again. This time the eaves were narrow and had to cling to the wall.
Armin asked, looking back at the two women standing next to each other.
"Is there anything you can handle?"
Rayna spoke first.
"I learned a little swordsmanship when I was young… … ."
"I am a wizard."
Arius smiled when Amy said something embarrassing. It seems that he was ashamed to say that he was a wizard because he had been criticized a little while ago.
"okay. I wish I had something useful."
As Armin tried to enter the weapons shop, Amy stopped him.
"Hey, but how did you get the money?"
Even if you have good weapons, you can't live without money. Besides, the money paid at the inn was not real money.
Armin had just entered Shirone's consciousness, so he thought that maybe he could get the money too.
"Ah, that was withdrawn."
"Withdrawal? Where?"
Armin pointed to the sky.
"Shirone, of course. This is Syrone's ritual, so you can create anything you want. Imagine in your heart that you need money. Then, money will come in as much as the trust Shirone feels for you. Let's see… … ."
Armin rummaged through his pockets and pulled out a gold coin.
"There are currently 9 of them, so I got a total of 10 gold. Of course, if this is also gold, haha."
Seeing the serrated gold coin in Armin's palm, the two women thought to themselves that they needed money.
After rummaging through her pockets, Reina said with a blush.
"what? Really. 7 pieces, 7 gold."
Amy looked up in amazement.
I had never heard of a person named Armin while I had known Shirone so far, so I thought Reina would receive at least 10 more gold coins.
However, the result was unexpected and Armin won.
Could it be that, in fact, Shirone underestimated Reina? No, she meant that she trusted Armin as much as she did.
'Who the hell is this? What kind of connection did he have with Shirone?'
In any case, Amy also had a little bit of anticipation. It was an object that could not be used in reality anyway, but in the spiritual world, this was the only currency.
'Hmm, Armin-san has 10, Reina-unnie has 7. Then would you like me to give you about 20?'
Amy stuck out her tongue and rummaged in her pockets. Then she changed her hand again and looked at her pocket opposite her.
Gradually, her expression deteriorated.
"what?"
Reina tilted her head and asked.
"what's the matter?"
"No, wait."
Amy hurriedly searched all the pockets of her clothes. But no matter how she looked, she wasn't withdrawing.
Amy, blushing, said in disbelief.
"There are no gold coins in it?"
Armin nodded as if he understood why.
"Hmm, that's right. If Shirone refuses to withdraw, that may be enough."
Amy was shocked.
The number of gold coins was said to be an indicator of how much Shirone trusted that person. But how could he not receive one himself?
"Oh no, I'll try again."
Armin said as if it was no use.
"Even if I try, it is useless. We don't have time, so let's get something with the money we have."
Withdrawal of gold coins is a very easy task. If gold did not come out once, it was the same no matter how many times he tried.
Reina comforted Amy and led her to the arms shop.
"Okay, Amy, let's do that. 16 gold should be enough."
Amy shook Reina's arm and stopped in her seat, shouting.
"It can't be!"
Tears welled up in Amy's eyes.
The 7 gold Reina received is Shirone's heart for her. She said that she did not want to buy her own weapon. If she must buy her something, it must be the money Shirone gave her.
Armin fully understood that feeling, and that is why robbery is prohibited worldwide.
When you know a person's inner side nakedly, you can't help but feel that everything you originally knew is a lie.
In fact, even though it is natural human nature.
"Amy, there is no need to feel betrayed. Shirone is desperately holding on. If any emotional turmoil arises, it may. Maybe you conveyed something bad to him before you came here… … ."
Amy shook her head wildly.
"No, it can't be. I am… … ."
Amy stopped talking.
Honestly how would you know? Even if you know everything about Shirone, you can't understand his inner thoughts.
Maybe it was because I couldn't properly respond to Xenoger's attack. He hoped to melt the spider's web with Ignit to save him, but he was disappointed that he couldn't cope properly.
Arius sighed. It was something everyone had to go through in Shirone's consciousness anyway, and it wasn't a problem with a specific answer.
"Let's go in. We cannot delay any longer."
As Armin resolutely cut off his pulse, Amy followed suit. Seeing her downcast, Reina felt sorry for her, but no consolation was possible in this situation.
"welcome."
The store owner closed the newspaper and said hello.
Amy raised her head slightly, then opened her eyes wide. She looked a little older, but she was definitely Nade.
"Nade? How are you?"
"huh? do you know me Am I seeing you for the first time?"
Amy looked back at Armin with eyes demanding an explanation. Armin also had an old acquaintance with Nade. He was one of Shirone's friends who hid in his house the other day.
"This is Shirone's projectile. It's a combination of the weapon shop thing and the nade thing. Perhaps a boy named Nade is interested in this."
said Rayna.
"Sometimes it happens even in my dreams. I thought he was a villain and fought, but when I woke up from my dream, he was actually a family member who had a quarrel last night."
"yes. It is a natural mental function. And the fact that there are complex projectiles means that more impressive concepts exist here than anywhere else. Shall we go back for a moment?"
Nade frowned as he stared at Amy.
"I really don't know. Aren't you looking at the wrong person?"
"Ah, I guess so. The people I know are much younger. sorry."
"ha ha ha! Wherever I go, I often hear that I have a baby face."
Amy pretended not to know, so as not to provoke Shirone's mind with useless words. This is because human consciousness is so complex that the butterfly effect immediately occurs when even a small part is touched.
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Chapter - 295 - 6. The Great Secret (4) 2.txt
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[295] 6. The Great Secret (4)
Amy, who was hurt by Shirone's failure to give her gold coins, said in a slightly better mood when she suddenly saw her friend from school.
"I want to see some weapons. Is it okay if I look around?"
Nade recommended shopping with a good-natured smile.
"Yeah, what. Have a look at this and that. Anyway, it's going well even in this weather. I was in a bad mood, so I was going to close early. It's raining, so I'm suddenly depressed."
Amy put her hands behind her back and looked at the weapons.
Basic equipment was already available. Most fortunate of all, there was no wizard equipment.
If there were magic items, it was ridiculous to insist on not buying them with other people's money, so I felt comfortable.
Looking around the shelves, Amy found a weapon hanging on the wall in a glass case.
"huh? This?"
A piece of paper under the case read "First Thunderstrike".
Nade said with a smile.
"Ah, that's the pride of our store. It's a weapon that explodes with thunder when you swing it. Aren't you curious? I've tried it before and it's incredibly powerful. Any monster would be surprised and run away!"
I heard an anecdote about Shirone's childhood from Rian on the carriage departing for Galliant.
It was said that he succeeded in Thunderstruck at the age of 12, and that seemed to be such a precious memory.
Amy looked at the price tag. And she raised her eyes in bewilderment.
"5.9 billion gold?"
"ha ha ha! of course. It's the pride of our shop! That much has to be saved."
Armin came behind Amy's back.
"Perhaps this is something no one can buy in a normal way. I don't know how the economy of this world works, but even if I put all my money and Raina-san together, it's only 17 gold. It would be impossible for even my parents to withdraw the money of 5.9 billion."
Amy understood. However, she asked as she stroked her chin, as if she still had some lingering feelings.
"Hmm, what if a grave robber tries to steal this?"
"Perhaps it is possible. Since it is an object containing Shirone's intense thoughts, it will be convenient to transform it into an object. It's money, I'll collect it or steal it in an illegal way. But if I were a grave robber, I would not steal this."
"Because there is no particular need."
Armin nodded in agreement.
"yes. Objects that break common sense are more valuable. Simply hearing thunder from an ax isn't unusual. It's just a matter of succeeding in Thunderstruck. Most of the 11th level is probably like this. Since this is the surface layer, there is no room for human desires to be revealed. Therefore, it is correct to interpret
Amy understood the physiology of the object. And I realized what a bad person Arius was.
This world belongs to Shirone. No matter what others think, it is the most precious spirit to him. Arius, who was willing to kill to steal it, had to be arrested.
Armin walked to the window and looked outside.
"Anyway, as law-abiding citizens, we don't have to be greedy. If you're not going to dig it, it's just a dream thing anyway. You don't have to pick hard. Arm yourself only to the minimum self-defense."
Amy tilted her head and asked.
"For self-defense? Aren't you picking to face Zeon and Arius? To do that, even fully armed would not be enough."
Arius said without leaving the window.
"I will go out and explain it. Just choose."
Reina rested her chin and fell into thought.
The Ogent family revere the sword. Also, the weapon she was most confident in was the sword.
"By any chance, do you sell bows here?"
A smile spread across Armin's lips.
"A good choice."
Currently, it is so dark outside that the son-in-law cannot be distinguished. If so, ranged weapons are more useful than melee weapons. In particular, if it was her hearing, the hit rate of the bow would also increase.
Reina took the bow Nade had picked out and examined it. Her tension was great, and the curve of her bow did not twist.
When learning martial arts, I learned that a bow is a weapon that can create variables. He also went hunting often like a shaman family, so his basic skills were solid.
"I like it. please give me this I'll buy a quiver and arrows."
"good. I'll give you a good quality one. wait."
Rayna turned to Amy and asked as Nade looked in the storage room behind the counter.
"There are no magic weapons. Shall we go somewhere else?"
"are you okay. Tools aren't particularly important to wizards."
Amy summoned a jack-o'-lantern next to her face.
"And I also have the weapon Shirone bought me."
Amy regretted the words as soon as she uttered them. Even if she emphasized that you had bought it for her, it only made her more miserable.
However, since the water had already been spilled, I turned around unaware.
Armin leaned against the window and crossed his arms.
'Jack O'Lantern. That's an ancient magic. I got something that is quite hard to find.'
Because Armin had been to heaven on a certain mission, he knew the approximate market price of the community.
Ancient magic can be obtained with an elixir, and if it is a Jack O'Lantern, you must give it a white elixir.
Shirone and Amy must have a very close relationship.
However, the withdrawal does not work. Moreover, the last remark that reveals the regret to Shirone.
'Hmm, it must have been like that.'
maybe even dangerous No, in the spiritual world, this was the biggest obstacle.
'It's better to say something in advance.'
As Armin made his decision, Nade brought two 20-piece quivers. When he asked how much it was all done, he said 4 gold.
Amy walked up to Armin and whispered.
"Isn't that too expensive? A set of bows is worth half of Armin's trust."
"It is expensive. But it will be top-notch. Maybe other abilities have been added. Because the 'lord of this world' is not the type to cheat on others. Of course, the boy named Nade could be a person who usually cheats, but judging from the fact that he entrusted
The reason Armin referred to Shirone as 'the master of this world' was because Nade was listening.
Having experienced how sensitive keywords are to projectiles at the inn, Amy immediately understood and nodded.
"yes. Nade is not a child who will pass on low-quality goods."
Raina paid 4 gold. Anyway, when I met the owner of this world, I didn't need money.
Reina carried one quiver on her back and stuffed the other on her thigh. She then finished her preparations by putting three arrows between her fingers and then resting them on the back of her bow.
Amy looked back at Armin as well, floating a Jack O'Lantern.
Although there were only two of them, their hearts were no different from the army ahead of the advance.
"Are you ready? From now on, I'm going to meet the 'master of this world'."
Rayna asked.
"But where do I find them?"
"You don't have to go far. After all, he is everywhere."
Armin looked up and saw where Nade was. Then Amy and Raina moved left and right to open the way.
"Do you know where Shirone is?"
Amy was startled.
It wasn't a big deal, but I didn't want to go through a situation where people's eyes were focused on me like at the inn.
As expected, Nade looked at Armin without even blinking. However, perhaps because he is a complex projectile, he was not as ignorant as the innkeeper.
"Why are you looking for Shirone?"
Armin's eyebrows went up. As expected, this weapon shop was the place where the impression was concentrated among Shirone's consciousness.
'Then I can't miss this opportunity.'
Armin raised the intensity of his keywords.
"Shirone will die soon. Before that, we want to help him."
Amy gulped and waited for Nade's reaction. How will Shirone's consciousness accept Armin's words?
Nade looked at Armin with an emotionless face. And she warned in a completely different voice than she had heard at first.
"scram. This is not your world."
Arius realized that he had contacted the incarnation of Shirone and pressed on.
"Is it refusal? Shirone, think again. You should get our help. Please tell me where you are."
Abnormal signs arose in Nade's silent body. Her pupils disappeared and turned into a black cave, and her body began to turn black.
"Sheesh! Is it a failure?"
Armin hurriedly stepped back.
"What? What the hell is going on?"
"This is the beginning! Get out!"
Armin pushed the door open with his shoulder, and Reina followed with her bow loaded. Amy looked back one last time.
The Nade she knew disappeared and a black shadowy figure flew in quickly. As she left her store in amazement as if her heart would drop, the same things were flocking to her from all sides.
Amy immediately cast Shining Magic. As the light surged, the pouring raindrops were clearly visible.
Shadows stood behind the curtain of falling water.
It was human in shape, but had a long waist and long arms.
The most bizarre thing was the face. Like a whirlpool sucked into an abyss, thin lines of light swirled around in a spiral.
"Mr. Armin. what the hell is that… … ."
"It's an egoist."
Amy turned her head slightly and asked again.
"Egoist?"
"Don't be fooled by the appearance. Their forms are ever-changing."
"Shhhhhh!"
When the Egoist attacked, Armin cast a flicker and escaped the encirclement. People rushed out of the building and immediately changed to pursue him.
Armin cast Flickr continuously. Then the shape disappeared, and only a flickering shock wave cut across space, revealing his trajectory.
In the meantime, Reina, who had finished preparing for battle, inserted three arrows into her fingers and fired them in an instant.
Egoist's body exploded and fell to the floor. It was definitely something that couldn't happen in real life.
When one individual was attacked, Egoist immediately sought countermeasures. When Reyna shot her arrows, they evaded her waist by twisting them into thin threads like hers. But this time Amy's fire strike set her head on fire.
Even while burning, Egoist continued to attack. Contrary to the expectation that he would be physically weak, his physical strength was considerable. Compared to monsters in reality, they seemed to be more than Tier 3.
Reina gradually got used to the bow. Ignoring the sound of the rain, she tracked the sound of her opponent and fired her predictive shot, and as if an arrow was bent, she landed on the Egoist.
"Shhhhhh!"
While the combination of Armin and Reina was active, Amy was dealing with an individual egoist in a separate place. It was the strongest individual among the group, and it was an Egoist whose Nade in the weapon shop had changed.
Nade's Egoist transformed into a form suitable for tactics and drove Amy away. Her arms stretched out into four and stabbed like awl, but she stretched her back like a mollusk and danced away from Fire Strike's rapid-fire cannon.
The number of Egoists flocking to this place increased even more, and shadows swayed everywhere. Armin's flicker magic was also useless once he left the battlefield, so he couldn't wait any longer.
Amy casts a fire wall to separate the enemy and her allies. As she concentrated, her wall of fire soared twice as high as she burned the Egoist standing in line.
Nade's Egoist turned around and stopped attacking, staring at Amy. Amy recalled hearing Shirone's voice in the store, and she shouted.
"Shirone! it's me! Amy!"
Egoist didn't answer. But it was clear that he understood the words. His head gently tilted about 45 degrees.
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Chapter - 296 - 6. The Great Secret (5).txt
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[296] 6. The Great Secret (5)
"We are here to rescue you! Where are you now?"
"Shoooooooo!"
Nade bent his four arms and shouted at the sky.
Then all the Egoists stopped moving.
Amy caught her breath and watched the situation. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought that her voice might have reached Shirone.
But what followed was disastrous. The egoists became elongated as if they were being sucked in by something, and then the rainwater gushed against them.
Then, drawing a parabola in the high sky, he began to be sucked into Nade's egoist.
The form of Egoist, which absorbed his comrades, began to change rapidly. It grew to more than three meters in size, and insect legs protruded from its shoulders, sides, and waist.
The tail puffed out like a bee's butt, and the face grotesquely stretched back and forth to look like a curved sausage. The face part opened as if it had been cut with a knife, and saw-like teeth appeared, and a long tongue came out of the throat and swayed like a wave.
"Keeeeeeeeeee!"
Amy's face went pale. I couldn't believe that it was Shirone. The form created by all the egoists in the vicinity was terrifying.
As the monster stepped forward, the ground thumped. that can't be beat Even with such conviction, he held on to his confused spirit and took a fighting stance.
If you step back at only level 11, you won't be able to save Shirone. Even if it meant dying on the spot, he was determined to fight back.
"Okay, let's go!"
"Good job! Run now!"
As Armin passed by and said, Amy looked back at him with an absurd look on his face. However, he soon canceled his magic and ran. Rayna immediately followed.
The three of them ran with all their might. In the distance, Egoist's screams echoed through the sound of rain.
Armin took refuge in a dark alley and sat down with his back against the wall. Amy and Raina also sat across from each other, raised their heads and let out a rough breath. Raindrops hit my face like a shower.
Amy asked before she could catch her breath.
"What the hell is that? It's Shirone's consciousness, how could such a monster come out?"
"It is a selfish defense mechanism that humans have. It blends into the projectile. The stronger the projectile, the stronger the Egoist's power."
Amy remembered that Nade was the strongest.
"But is it okay to run away like this?"
"When the Egoist is attacked, the Egoist uses a nearby projectile to reveal itself. However, when it becomes terrifying like it is now, the nature of the egoist disappears, so we can't figure out our location. It's really strong, and there's no benefit to getting rid of it, so it's better to run away."
Rayna put her elbows on her knees and covered her face. No matter how much she ran, steam rose from her body.
"Whoa, is it because we failed to inject keywords?"
"It's not that we failed, it's that Shirone refused. There's a lot of boundaries. Of course, as the situation in reality is the situation, it has no choice but to do so."
Amy asked.
"Do I have to keep fighting those things from now on?"
"Right now, that's the only way. You have to keep injecting keywords until Syrone accepts. There is no way to get down to level 1 other than to be guided by Shirone."
"But anyway, those are also Shirone's rituals. Can I convince you?"
Arius shook his head coldly.
"Egoist is a self-defense mechanism that every human being has. Recognizes all targets except Shirone as enemies. Even those of us who gained 7 gold and 10 gold trust the moment the keyword death was entered are no exceptions. It's nothing to be sad about. The world recognizes me and others, but the egoist is only me, me, me. They have no concept of being a stranger."
Amy, who keenly felt Egoist's blind aggressiveness, shuddered.
"How are we going to fight? It is so strong."
"No, this is also weak. The closer you get to the depths, the stronger the egoist. This is why we must find the incarnation of Shirone in the surface layer. If you enter the realm of stage 1 instinct, Egoist takes over most of your consciousness to protect Shirone. In other words, it exerts power comparable to Shirone, the master of this world. That's why divers never dive too deep. Arius would have thought differently had Shirone's subconscious not weakened."
Amy said with her eyes shining.
"Then isn't Arius and Zion in the same situation? They say that the lower you go, the stronger the Egoist, so you might die before you even arrive."
Armin shook his head.
"no. He'll probably take a detour without finding Shirone. A grave robber is an expert on the human mind. It may seem like a common world, but objects here have their own meaning. Arius will interpret the meaning and find his way down directly. Of course, there is a high probability of getting it from below the REM area, but by then, Shirone's unconsciousness will have collapsed considerably. Arius was aiming for that and jumped in."
said Rayna.
"Then, why don't we use Arius' method as well? Amy knows Shirone well, so maybe she can interpret things here."
"Hmm, the form of consciousness varies from person to person. There are terraces and squares. There is also an aisle type and a phased space. But usually the gateway to the lower floors is underground. It's consciously the most natural."
said Amy.
"Then shouldn't we find a cellar here too?"
Arius laughed.
It seemed that these women still did not realize what a terrifying place human consciousness was. Well, it's only 11 steps here.
"I was talking about a general theory. The human mind is so complex and delicate. Unless you're an expert, you'll have to search all the crypts in this world, and even if you do, you can't guarantee that it's the entrance to level 10. You can't get there faster than them anyway. But if we meet Shirone here, things might turn around. We have to keep injecting keywords."
Reina said with a tired expression.
"Egoist will find us every time, right?"
"There is only one way. That's why I told you not to come. It's funny to say this with help."
Amy had no regrets about it. It was just that it was embarrassing that Shirone attacked him.
"ha. I feel strange. To have to fight Shirone's spirit."
Armin glared at him coldly.
"Amy, calm down."
"yes?"
"This is not the time to be sentimental. As you can see now, the minds of others are extremely dangerous places. It is where Arius and many of his peers, even the best divers, have lost their lives."
"I know. That's why I'm nervous."
"Really?"
Amy looked at Armin curiously. I am really nervous. No, he was even prepared to risk her life.
"Don't be mistaken. It's not that Shirone bothers us. We've entered Syrone's realm and are causing a mess. This is an extremely private space that Shirone does not want to show to anyone. Miss Amy came in there. Still, it is cowardly and despicable to be angry or disappointed with the reaction of this world."
"that… … ."
Amy was speechless.
As Armin said, he never thought about it from Shirone's point of view. If someone comes into your mind and examines everything… … The thought alone was terrifying.
"We are not going to see Shirone. You will meet the incarnation of Shirone. Hwashin is completely different from the Shirone I knew on the outside. Amy Yang couldn't withdraw. So it's sad, but maybe it's natural for Hwashin. If Miss Amy sees the incarnation of Shirone, no matter what he does, he will definitely feel like he is not Shirone."
Rayna added.
"Even though it's actually the most accurate Shirone."
"yes. The only thing humans can know about other people is their outward appearance. But incarnation is different. It's because all the emotions that make up human beings are all mixed. To be more precise, even the shameful and embarrassing parts that cannot be revealed to anyone are integrated. We are going to see it."
Amy thought for a moment, then took a deep breath and slapped her cheeks with her palms. Her face was red, but thanks to her, she came to her senses. As Armin said, she wasn't even ready for it, let alone nervous.
"all right. I will never judge."
Armin saw the cool light in Amy's eyes and only then revealed a satisfied smile. Without this level of determination, there was no ability to break away from the minds of others.
What if the heart of a man who confessed his love was actually just an animal desire? What if the person you thought was your best friend was actually full of jealousy and envy?
How many people in the world would not feel betrayed after knowing the truth?
Arius emphasized once again.
"Ataraxia will be at least level 3 deep. And it's a place where there are things you never want to show others."
"yes. I won't be interested in anything. Because I also have an inner feeling that I want to hide. Sorry for being immature. I guess my emotions were shaken without my knowledge because I couldn't withdraw."
said Rayna.
"are you okay. Because I hadn't even thought of that. And I would have felt sad if I hadn't been able to withdraw."
Amy smiled bitterly.
"Shirone must be sad about me too. She got it wrong. No matter how much Geumgangtae's mental strength, he must be a human with the same emotions as everyone else."
Armin stared out of the alley, then slowly turned his head to look at Amy.
"now… … What did you say?"
"yes? Ah, Shirone has the same feelings… … ."
"No, not that. Did you say Geumgangtae?"
Amy blinked in bewilderment, then spoke quickly when Armin's expression was more serious than expected.
"yes. There is a famous monk at school called Ms. Ethella, and he said that. If he can use ataraxia, he should enter the realm of Geumgangtae."
"Gee, stupid… … !"
Armin hit his forehead with the palm of his hand.
Why didn't I think of it?
No matter how much you engrave it in your instincts, ataraxia is too huge a concept for humans to contain.
Normally, the capacity was enough to destroy the mind.
But Shirone is making full use of it. Therefore, the teacher named Ethella got it right.
"I'm sorry, Miss Amy. You've been pretending so far. I was such an idiot. I feel like punching myself in the head a few times."
"yes? what am i… … ."
Armin wrapped his arms around Amy's shoulders and gave her strength.
"You saved us. Follow me. I will go to Shirone."
Reina straightened her bow and stood up.
"Then are you fighting the Egoist?"
"no. We will also make a detour. Like Arius."
Armin was confident of success.
In this way, you can catch up with Arius. Above all, it was a method that Zeon and the others, who had to avoid Shirone, could not use even if they knew about it.
Armin took the two women out into the street. Egoist's fears had gone far, but they weren't seen nearby.
The place I arrived at was the outskirts of the main road, cutting through the ankle-deep rainwater. The carriage was standing, and the coachman was sitting in the driver's seat in the rain.
He was wearing a narrow-brimmed magician's hat, but for some reason, only his face was in shadow, so he couldn't see his face. He looked like a faceless man.
As Armin approached, the coachman didn't even look at him.
"There is no service today."
Armin took out all the remaining gold coins and showed them.
"I have a place I need to go to urgently. Please look at the circumstances."
It was an amount that exceeded Armin's reliability, so even the coachman wouldn't have firmly refused. As expected, his voice sank a bit. But he was still reluctant.
"On days like today, driving is difficult. It's raining too much. Where the hell are you going in this weather?"
Armin looked back at the two women waiting behind him and asked the driver.
"Let's go somewhere where it doesn't rain."
The coachman's head twisted in Armin's direction as if it had been electrocuted. The movement was so bizarre that the women who watched it swallowed their saliva. The driver, slowly facing the front, grabbed the reins and said.
"Let's get on, sir."
(end of volume 12)
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Chapter - 297 - Master of Consciousness (1).txt
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[297] Master of Ceremonies (1)
The carriage carrying Armin and his party ran to the gate.
The wagon wheels kicked up the knee-deep rainwater and spewed water out.
The wagon turned into a rough mountain road and bounced off the rocks. Amy and Reina gripped the handle tightly with both hands.
"Looks like it will arrive soon. I'm glad it's not far."
Amy poked her face out the window. From the other side of the sky covered with black dark clouds, I saw a huge pillar of light descending as if there was a hole in it.
As we entered, the sound of the rain disappeared and a meadow spread out in the warm sun.
After getting off the carriage, Armin and his party looked back on the way they had passed. Lightning like static electricity was occurring between the dark clouds and the horizon, which were almost touching.
Even where the sun was shining, the coachman's face could not be identified. Even Shirone, Amy thought, was someone who didn't have much of an impression.
Shirone was sitting in the meadow under the hill and looking at the flowers.
He was on his back, so he couldn't look at his face, but the only person in Geumgangtae's realm was Shirone.
As he turned his head to follow the fluttering butterflies, the side of his face was showing a beautiful smile.
Reina, who now understands the mental world, admired it.
Even in the terrible situation of reality, Shirone's spirit did not waver in the slightest. I felt like I knew why he was able to make accurate judgments in numerous crises.
'but… … Can I talk to you?'
Reina couldn't come close.
Strictly speaking, it is not Shirone, but an incarnation of Shirone. Because intimate emotions are integrated, you could be hurt by an unexpected response.
"Let's go. There is nowhere to back down anyway."
Armin pushed Reina on the back and approached Shirone. Sensing the presence, Shirone turned her head.
Saliva trickled down Reina's throat.
"uh? Mr. Armin? Reina's sister too?"
Shirone greeted the two with a bright expression.
"long time no see. How have you been?"
Armin looked closely at Shirone.
'It's really amazing.'
Shirone's incarnation was almost no different from her usual appearance.
Among the incarnations that Armin had met so far, there were also famous personalities in the world. However, even such people rarely reveal their disappointing nature at the stage of incarnation.
You can't blame that person.
because it is human
But Shirone was different.
In an invisible place, everyone is bound to commit deviations, but Shirone's heart had reached a pure state regardless of the gaze of others.
It was a form of incarnation that could not come out without refining and polishing the inside from childhood.
'It wasn't a vain rumor that he was the best prospect in Tormia.'
Even after they broke up a year ago, it was Armin who was constantly seeing Shirone's achievements. This mental perfection was backed up by his unusually wide-ranging behavior that could not be explained by talent.
"But what are you doing?"
Hwashin knows that this is the spirit world. However, it could not be separated from the dimension of reality. It was as if in a dream he could not know that this was a dream.
Reina asked Armin.
"Does Shirone not know why we are here? You kept injecting keywords until now."
"I can't draw a clear line on how far I know. Incarnation dominates the whole, but strictly speaking it is not the whole."
"It's like some kind of core code."
"That's right. All of this is the work of the incarnation, but it does not contain the will of the incarnation."
"excuse me… … ."
I heard Amy's voice.
When the two of them turned their heads, they saw Egoist, over 2 meters tall, holding Amy with four arms. Her upper right arm had turned into a rope and was holding her neck.
'There must be no projectiles?'
Rayna looked around and realized the coachman was gone.
But why did it manifest as an egoist? Wasn't Shirone obviously friendly to them?
"Shirone, why is that?"
"just… … Seeing Amy annoys me."
Armin sighed.
What I feared happened.
Linking cause and effect is the realm of reason. Conversely, sensitivity is faithful to the emotion of the moment.
In reality, the two are strictly separated, but the problem was that incarnation, the mental body, couldn't.
"Shirone, you need to suppress your emotions as much as possible now. As you probably feel, Shirone-kun's life is in danger. You must have our cooperation. Of course, Miss Amy's cooperation."
Armin's persuasion didn't make Shirone understand, but he had no choice but to follow because his life was at stake.
As I suppressed my emotions, Egoist faded and turned into black smoke.
Amy, who was coughing while stroking the nape of her neck, looked at Shirone with sad eyes. She was prepared, but when she was treated like this, she was overcome with sadness.
"What is the reason? Shouldn't you tell me so I can fix it?"
Even Shirone doesn't know why. Memories related to Amy rise like a fountain, but Hwashin, who cannot arrange cause and effect in order, can only feel the emotions of the situation.
Shirone turned away from her and turned to Armin.
"What should I do now?"
"First, we will infiltrate the depths of Shirone-kun. There is no way to recover the situation unless we catch up with the intruder."
"But I don't know the way down."
"No, I know. The reason Shirone-kun accepts the current situation without feeling uncomfortable is because he knows. It's just that the logic system has collapsed and we can't draw conclusions. Think you have to go down. And tell me the first place that comes to mind."
Deep in thought, Shirone pointed to the western mountains.
"It's not exactly… … ."
"That's enough. Now, let's go."
Armin sat in the coachman's seat instead of the coachman who had disappeared.
After driving for about an hour in the direction Shirone pointed, we arrived at a small village.
Heavy rain was pouring there too, but when Shirone entered, the weather cleared like a lie.
Shirone led the party to a shabby stable. I hugged a handful of soft straw on the floor and moved it to the side, and a door leading to the basement appeared.
"Oh, is there really a door?"
"Rather than that, it would be more accurate to say that it was specified. There is a door where you think Shirone-kun is. Remember how you feel now. At this speed, we should be able to catch up with Arius and Zeon."
Upon hearing the names of the two, Shirone's face contorted fiercely.
Armin looked around in amazement. It's gone now, but for a moment I felt a life that was not real.
'What was it, what happened a moment ago?'
Armin realized the need to revise his thinking.
Shirone's incarnation doesn't look different from her usual appearance, but maybe that's not all.
* * *
Syrone's spirit level 8.
Arius penetrated the depths, gathering information on his own.
The place he is currently exploring was a landfill where it was difficult to even breathe due to the stench.
Ji-on covered her mouth with a handkerchief as the unpleasant smell blew in the wind.
'What the hell does this smell like? It doesn't even smell like a corpse.'
The fear Shirone felt was embodied in the smell. It was the smell of death that could not exist in reality.
Arius, who was already familiar with it, didn't care about the stench and grabbed the man passing by and asked.
"Where is the library nearby?"
The man covering his nose only pointed in the direction and hurried on his way.
Arius headed to the place the man told him to. When he entered the library, he felt his breath clear as his stench disappeared.
Ji-on shakes off his handkerchief and throws it on the ground as if he thought it couldn't be revived. And looked around him and said.
"Is this the library?"
Arius ignored Zeon's words and focused on examining the book. The books were sorted by category, but the title on the cover was sluggish like an earthworm, so I couldn't tell what kind of book it was.
But some of the books in the corner had clear titles.
These were books related to Shirone's major, photonics.
Arius walked along the bookshelves, examining only the covers. Then he took out a book called 'God Particles'.
When I hit the wall with the book, a rectangular incontinence was drawn. The walls disappear as if they permeate the air, revealing a staircase leading down.
"I've been curious about it before, how the hell do you find something like this?"
"It is to trace the flow that is connected to Shirone's unconscious. Every object has its own meaning. This is an area that requires study. Would you say that an excellent understanding of psychoanalysis is required?"
"Right."
By the time Arius explained halfway through, Zeon had already attracted attention.
As always, complicated tasks should be left to the experts. I just wanted to extract Ataraxia and get out of here as soon as possible.
When I opened the door on the 7th level, a plaza spread out. There was no heavy rain that seemed to submerge the world, no cold waves that seemed to break bones, and no stench that seemed to rot my nose.
Zeon rearmed his mind by adjusting Armand's leather strap around his waist.
"It's worth living here."
As soon as Ji-on finished speaking, a man fell. The man fell face down and died with his brain draining.
I looked around and saw people going up on every roof.
Those who gave up came one after another. A window of a building showed a woman on a chair hanging herself.
"What the hell is it?"
Arius, who was watching from behind Zeon, spoke.
"Stage 7 is the gateway just before entering the realm of REM. It is a strong layer. The projectiles that are about to die show symptoms of a nervous breakdown."
"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Two sisters falling from the fourth floor let out a tear-jerking scream.
Zion frowned.
It doesn't matter if the sister's death is over, and the gruesome corpse doesn't matter. Please don't make noise when you die, I hope you die quietly.
"Let's go quickly. This is an annoying floor."
"no. I will stay for a while. If, by any chance, they encounter the incarnation of Shirone, it will be a headache. They will be able to reach the depths much faster than we can."
"Hmm, then?"
Arius pointed to a castle beyond the city.
"Here you will meet the Master of Rituals. Shirone's super ego. In diver terminology, it is called the antithesis."
"Antithesis?"
"It is a ceremony to criticize Shirone. It is strong enough to be comparable to an Egoist, but it must be considerably weakened as it is currently facing death. That will buy you time."
Arius turned to the north. He was on the nerves of passers-by, enough to commit murder at the mere touch of his collar, so he had to be careful what he did.
The place they arrived at was a castle so small that it was nothing more than a miniature compared to reality. But there was a cute taste. Seven red spires stood over the wall, and guards guarded the entrance beyond a moat that was nothing short of a creek.
As we approached the arch, they crossed the window and blocked the entrance.
"Stop. Who are you?"
"I came to meet the ruler of this place."
"Ignite is on sick leave. go back."
Arius gave a meaningful smile.
As for the name of the ruler, it is common for the concept that has the strongest impression among the opposite sex to be adopted. And Ignite was the name of ignition magic.
"That's why I came here. I have a medicine that can cure my illness."
The guards were confused. After exchanging glances with each other, one guard entered the castle.
After a while he returned and granted Arius entry.
Once inside, it was far from glamorous. It was like seeing the barracks of a corps deployed on the front line.
Like the civilians, the soldiers were on high alert, but with Ignite's control, they were carrying out their duties undisturbed.
At the end of the festival covered with a red carpet, Ignite sat with her chin resting on her face. She was nearly two meters tall, and her handsome brown beard stood out.
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