Chapter 292
A distant dizziness washed over me. Everything turned white.
Was it a side effect of overusing the Underground microchip?
Had what was bound to come finally arrived?
Had the possibility I had constantly feared since I first learned an Underground microchip was embedded in my head become reality…
A blurry silhouette appeared on the other side of the pure white world.
The silhouette opened its mouth and spoke.
It was the stiff voice characteristic of a mechanical device.
[Congratulations! You have completed an achievement. Will you accept the reward?]
“…System Assistant?”
I asked reflexively through my deafened mind. But it wasn’t.
Unlike the System Assistant’s voice, it was much more masculine. It was low, thick, and felt old.
Was I dreaming?
It was more plausible to see it as an illusion manipulating my brain rather than reality. It seemed a new side effect had occurred in the Underground microchip.
[Congratulations! You have completed an achievement. Will you accept the reward?]
“What achievement?”
I asked bluntly toward the silhouette that kept repeating the same words like a broken recorder. My voice echoed much louder than I thought.
It was a question spat out without much expectation, but unexpectedly, an answer returned.
This time, a transparent window floated before my eyes appearing visually rather than audibly.
[Chrome Butcher:
The “Chrome Monster”, Rodrick Grant Smith, was defeated.]
It was the unforgettable interface. It looked exactly like the unique design of the Original Game.
…This was a hallucination?
Of all times, this hallucination appeared right after defeating the Chrome Monster. Could this be dismissed as a coincidence?
As I stood blankly, the tiresome announcement voice was heard once again.
[Congratulations! You have completed an achievement. Will you accept the reward?]
Was there such an achievement in the Original Game?
Right. There was. There was no way there wouldn’t be a fitting achievement for defeating a named boss like the Chrome Monster.
However, I couldn’t remember exactly if the title was the same. “Chrome Butcher”. Somehow… wasn’t it an achievement name that suited me far too well?
[Congratulations! You have completed an achievement. Will you accept the reward?]
“…Reward?”
It seemed like there was… a reward in the original.
But seeing as my memory was blurry, it didn’t seem to be that great a reward. At most, it was probably just skill points.
[Congratulations! You have completed an achievement. Will you accept the reward?]
However, unlike when it kindly gave an answer when I asked what the achievement was, this time it didn’t tell me what the reward was.
Was it saying it would only tell me if I approved and first said I would accept it?
[Congratulations! You have completed an achievement. Will you accept the reward?]
Damn it, I really wanted to stop hearing it now.
Irritation surged up, and I shouted in a half-resigned manner.
Still, it was a reward, so surely nothing bad would happen if I accepted it.
“I accept!”
Simultaneously with that shout, the silhouette suddenly turned its back and directed its facial features, which I couldn’t see properly no matter how hard I glared, toward me.
In the blink of an eye, the assailant that had been far away stood right in front of my nose as if using teleportation, facing me.
At the same time, the world that had been like white drawing paper began to be dyed in a pitch-black, ominous color.
Bizarre scenery that seemed like it would appear in a nightmare.
[
The reward is an upgrade, and it has already been given. Only acceptance remains. You must do what needed to be done, Jo Aaron.]
The voice itself was the same as before.
However, the tone was completely different. Unlike before, when it lacked emotion and ego, the presence of something behind it was clearly felt.
Flustered, I reached out toward the unidentified silhouette, but I couldn’t reach it.
It was definitely right in front of me, but at the same time, it was much farther away than it appeared. I merely flailed my limbs helplessly as if submerged in water.
Thud!
The floor collapsed. I shouted amidst the dizzying sensation of falling down.
“Who are you!”
Extreme dizziness rushed in once again, and my consciousness blurred. The last voice was heard in my fading consciousness.
You do not know me.
But you already know where to find me.
* * *
When I came to my senses, I was back in the Lounge that had turned into ruins.
What the hell was that? The cold sweat flowing down the back of my neck and my trembling fingertips proved the bizarre phenomenon I had experienced was no illusion.
With goosebumps all over my body, I gripped the Kokuyoto with a strength I didn’t know where it came from and shouted.
“Where are you! I know you’re there!”
A cold silence flowed. Over at the edge of the pit, Ms. Kali, who had collapsed, was holding her head and looking at me with a pathetic gaze.
A look that seemed to say, “What the hell is that bastard doing, beggar?”
Shame washed over me, as if I had been caught talking to myself by someone else, saying things like 'Who’s there!' alone in a dark house.
Even the In-Head Artificial Intelligence, which had been quiet all along, reacted.
[…Test Subject, are you alright? The Test Subject’s mental health is of great concern. I propose requesting a precise analysis from the Research Institute.]
'Research Institute my ass. Hey, didn’t you see it?'
[See what?]
I was speechless at the System Assistant’s voice, which seemed not to genuinely understand.
How should I explain it?
If even the System Assistant parasitizing the Underground microchip embedded in my frontal lobe couldn’t perceive what I saw, what the hell was it?
Was it really just a hallucination? But what kind of hallucination was that vivid?
“Come to think of it, it said the reward had already been given… what does that mean?”
I briefly checked my physical condition, but nothing had changed.
Far from an upgrade, it seemed my physical functions had rapidly declined as the effects of the drugs wore off and accumulated fatigue and muscle pain rushed in.
If there had been a change in the Underground microchip, the System Assistant would have noticed, so it didn’t seem to be that either.
Did I really see an illusion? Should I seriously consider if something had gone wrong with my mental state?
Just as I was doubting myself, a cold voice was suddenly heard from behind.
“How did you know?”
Startled, I turned my head to see a Ninja standing behind me, on top of the Chrome Monster’s halved corpse.
Holding an invisible, transparent katana, he stood in a stance where he could easily stab me at any time if he just made up his mind and reached out his hand.
The Ninja’s figure wavered as if veiled, making it impossible to look at him clearly.
“…Communist High-ranking Ninja!”
He stared at me intently, having completely seized my Power over life and death.
Only then did I realize what I had been missing.
I had caught the Chrome Monster. That was an undeniable fact.
However, the monster lurking here in the Mirror Castle was not just one. The High-ranking Ninja had survived the Chrome Monster and had been looking for an opportunity all along!
The only opponent he would have been reluctant to face would have been someone like the Chrome Monster, Rodrick Grant Smith, who possessed stronger force than he, but I had taken care of him instead.
For the communist High-ranking Ninja, it must have been pure dumb luck.
My vision went pitch-black and my lips dried up.
They say there’s a way to survive even if you’re carried off by a tiger, but what the hell was I supposed to do in this situation?
I had barely managed to defeat the Chrome Monster, only for a powerhouse comparable to him to be aiming for my life once again; how was I supposed to get past this critical moment?
Damn it, it felt as if all the bad luck in the world had converged on me.
“I asked how you knew, sir.”
The Ninja’s voice coldly pierced my ears once again.
How did I know? What was he asking about?
Suddenly, the words I had spat out came to mind.
'Where are you! I know you’re there!'
And the answer to that as well.
“How did you know?”
I hadn’t noticed in the slightest that the High-ranking Ninja was hiding nearby.
I had merely shouted like a crazy person having a seizure for a completely different reason.
However, the hiding High-ranking Ninja thought his Stealth had been completely seen through by my words and revealed himself!
I wondered why he hadn’t killed me while hiding behind, and there was such a reason.
Since I had already noticed his presence, he naturally must have thought a Surprise Attack wouldn’t work.
What an unbelievable coincidence. It was pure dumb luck.
I slowly and carefully turned my body to face the High-ranking Ninja.
He was pressing for an answer, so I had to say something, but what should I say?
I couldn’t honestly answer, “Actually, I didn’t know,' could I?
Ah, I don’t know. Whatever happens, happens.
Since it was a ruined situation anyway, I gritted my teeth and took a gamble.
He seemed to be firmly under a misunderstanding, and if I used that well, a way to survive might open up.
“I’ll ask you the opposite. How could I not know?”
I wanted to bluff with the most confident voice possible, but unfortunately, it didn’t go well. Due to exhaustion, only a cracked and powerless voice came out.
I thought I was fucked.
It felt like that bloodless and tearless communist High-ranking Ninja would realize my true nature as nothing but an empty shell and immediately thrust his sword at me.
However, the High-ranking Ninja unexpectedly nodded his head.
“Right, it was a foolish question. I suppose so.”
“…”
“When my disciple made a stir about a third karate master appearing, I thought it was idiotic nonsense, and even when I saw that Master in person with my own eyes, my thoughts still didn’t change… but thanks to you, my eyes have been opened. As expected, a Peerless Master is different.”
…What?
What Master?