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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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Chapter 351
“Is the illusion brainwashing the Rankers?”
“Yeah. All the players I’ve seen have gone through a shift in their mindset because of their memories.”
When I heard about the illusion from Alshas, I had a rough idea of what it meant.
The idea of killing the ‘self in reality’ or the ‘self in this world’ that appeared in the illusion that was something I had already started to suspect.
Maybe the illusion was something like a leash for the outsiders who came into this world. I didn’t have enough evidence to be sure, though, so it remained a hypothesis.
But the more I listened to Isabel, the closer I got to being certain.
“You didn’t just see Cynthia and Alshas, did you?”
“Right. When I was with Penelope and under Cynthia’s control, I met many Rankers. I also saw how they changed because of their memories.”
I, too, had gathered information about the illusion from many Rankers. However, I didn’t know how they changed before and after they saw the illusion. As for Mother of the Sky, she did experience an increase in her deification stage, but she didn’t show any significant changes. I’m an exception in that regard.
‘Still, this is surprising.’
Isabel knew things I didn’t. Even if she had the special ability to read information, realizing one’s own changes was a completely different matter.
Noticing my curiosity, Isabel added more details.
“Penelope helped me realize something was wrong with the memories.”
“Thanks to the 18th Ranker, you found out? How?”
“We were close. Until she became independent, we did everything together. Because of that, I could tell right away when ‘memories’ started changing her thoughts.”
Space Survival is a game played by players from various countries, so it’s rare for players to meet and form relationships in real life. Most players only meet occasionally with members of the same clan or those from the same country.
‘But Penelope and Isabel are the exception.’
They were twins in real life. Being family and close, they would have noticed any change in each other immediately.
“It was an experience I had with her, but she remembered it completely differently.”
“Her memory changed?”
“Yeah. After seeing the illusion, she began to perceive her life in the real world in a distorted way. She hadn’t been like that before.”
When I heard that, I understood why she didn’t just call it an illusion but instead referred to it as ‘memory’. I also understood why she called it brainwashing.
‘For us, whose bodies have completely changed, memory is the only thing that keeps our identity intact.’
The scars from childhood, relationships with family, friends, and others none of those things exist in this world to prove I’m 'me'. Only the memory of having lived in the ‘real world’ defines my existence.
‘What happens if those memories are manipulated?’
In this world, you can’t compare elements of reality with memory. So it’s impossible to prove that I’ve changed into a different being.
“How much has Penelope changed?”
“She’s always liked this world, but after seeing the illusion, her obsession with it got worse each time.”
“So, was it because of that obsession that she was willing to risk her life to save the Coldblooded Slave?”
I know the 18th Ranker, Penelope, is especially passionate about Space Survival. Just as I was known as the Amorph, she was called a Gallagon enthusiast. Given that, it’s not surprising that she would care about the safety of her own kind.
‘But the level of her obsession is excessive.’
Looking at this, it seems that the illusion doesn’t aim to completely change a person’s character, but rather to push them toward a specific goal, a particular direction. As Isabel put it, calling it brainwashing wouldn’t be wrong.
‘But why?’
That’s the problem.
What does it mean that our identities are forcibly altered as we approach the ending?
“Someone wants to change us.”
“Probably.”
“What’s their goal? What do they want from us?”
“I don’t know. But I think I have an idea of who did it.”
“It must be the one who pulled us into this world.”
Isabel nodded in agreement instead of answering.
I don’t think any of the players who entered Space Survival came here by choice. At least, none of the ones I’ve met did.
I also agreed to join the beta service, and then I woke up here. I don’t remember what happened in between.
“I understand that an unknown entity is trying to change us, but why are we seeing different illusions? Some seem to see the ‘me’ from this world, while others see the ‘me’ from the real world.”
“From the information I’ve gathered, it seems like the life in the real world has an impact.”
“The life in the real world, huh.”
When I asked Jason, who had turned into a humanoid insect, about his past, I learned he had grown up in a troubled household. As for Mother of the Sky, I didn’t get to hear much about her past, but it was clear that her life hadn’t been easy.
‘I’m the same.’
“What about you and your sister?”
When I asked Isabel about her life in the real world, she hesitated for a moment before answering.
“As I mentioned before, you might have caught on that our lives weren’t exactly peaceful. Neither of us would have made it through if the other hadn’t been there.”
“I see.”
When I entered her mental world, I confirmed that the bond between the sisters was strong. Their special bond as twins, combined with their difficult family circumstances, had undoubtedly made their relationship even stronger.
“So, did both of you see the illusion as Coldbloods?”
“Penelope did. If I had kept growing, I would have too.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“After consulting with Penelope, we decided to avoid approaching the ending. To uncover the secret of the ‘memories’, one of us needed to remain in good condition.”
“Huh? Then how did you summon the Ring of Agony?”
Being a Coldblood doesn’t mean you can summon a Vortex One anytime you want. You need to keep making contracts and paying the price to borrow greater powers.
Summoning a Vortex One directly is considered an advanced-level contract, not the highest, but still a significant one. Skipping the previous steps and summoning one directly isn’t possible.
Except for one method.
“Did Penelope make the tool for summoning the Vortex One?”
“Yeah. The musical instrument I used to summon it was made by Penelope. Of course, I had to prepare the cost for using it myself.”
By forming frequent contracts and building a friendly relationship with a Vortex One, you can channel demonic power into tools. However, making such tools is incredibly difficult, and some tools break after just a few uses. The instrument I used to summon the Vortex One is probably unusable now.
In any case, the sisters chose to have one of them give up on the ending to avoid the brainwashing effect of the illusion. While their powers weakened as a result, it was the only choice. If they hadn’t done that, they wouldn’t have clearly understood the danger of the illusion.
“Proving the danger of the illusion was a win. If it weren’t for you two, I wouldn’t have been sure.”
“Yeah.”
“To sum it up, there’s someone who brought the players here. That person wants us to follow a specific path.”
“Right.”
“Then, the factions of the players must also be flowing according to that person’s intentions.”
“At least the domination faction and the return faction share the same type of ‘memory’.”
“Okay. The problem now is how to resolve this…”
The conversation came back to square one.
In the first place, the reason I aimed for ascension was to uncover the secret of this world and the being who called me here.
‘I may not be the typical case, but I still don’t know what will happen in the future.’
I didn’t kill my ‘self in reality’ in the illusion. But who knows what will happen the next time I see an illusion? Like the other players, I could end up consumed by it and become something else.
‘But I can’t just avoid it.’
In my case, even when I merge unique traits through the transcendence system, I see the illusion. If I try to avoid the illusion, I’ll inevitably have to give up part of my evolution.
‘But I can’t do that.’
There are many who are targeting me. If someone’s aiming for the ending, they’ll want to kill me, the only full-fledged Amorph. And if someone’s trying to dominate the universe, they’ll see me as a significant threat.
‘I need strength to face the enemies.’
It seems like I’ll have to tell Isabel the truth. Since she’s encountered more Rankers than I have, she might be able to offer me some useful information.
“When we first met, I told you that I only peeked into my past memories and didn’t make any decisions.”
“I remember you saying that.”
“Actually, that was a lie. I didn’t kill either the ‘me in reality’ or the ‘me in this world’.”
At first, Isabel didn’t seem to understand what I meant. But after a moment, she realized I had chosen not to kill my identity and her eyes widened in realization.
“Does that mean you avoided the brainwashing of the ‘memories’?”
“Well, I’m not sure about that. All I can say is that I made an unusual choice for myself.”
“...”
“Have you seen anyone among the ones you’ve met who made the same choice as I did?”
Isabel paused for a moment, then shook her head.
“No. I’ve seen others who delayed their choice, but none of them decided like an Amorph to say, ‘I won’t kill myself’.”
“Among those who delayed their choice, has anyone experienced something like this? Like continuing to see the illusion, changing their identity after the illusion keeps appearing?”
“That… I think it’ll be okay.”
I had asked that question because I wasn’t sure myself. I thought it would be hard for Isabel to answer, but surprisingly, she responded quickly.
“As you might have guessed, the being manipulating the ‘memories’ isn’t omnipotent. An omnipotent being wouldn’t bother trying to control us using such a complicated method.”
“That’s true.”
“There must be limitations, which is why they’re using this method. So, I don’t think you’ll face the same intense pressure as before, Amorph.”
“So, since I made my choice, does that mean I’ll move on to the next stage instead of pressure?”
“Yeah. That’s the most likely scenario.”
Now that I think about it, Alshas said something similar.
Beom-ho, the leader of the return faction, and the 4th Ranker mentioned that they saw an illusion where they returned to reality and adapted. Since their goal is to return, it makes sense that their illusion would progress.
‘In the end, I’ll have to see the next illusion to be sure.’
At this point, I only have one way to experience the illusion.
By raising the Space Monster type stage.
If I gather the material traits and create four unique traits, I’ll reach the 3rd stage. Since I saw an illusion when I reached the 1st and 2nd stages, it’s likely I’ll see one again at the 3rd stage.
Even without the illusion, I’ll need to raise my type eventually. After all, I’ll need to grow stronger to survive, especially since I’m being targeted by both the domination faction and the return faction.
‘First, I need to create the unique trait using the Demon Machine as material.’
With that, my next goal was set.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
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