Chapter 293:

「...Even more grotesque now that it’s fully matured.」

The Mother of the Sky recoiled at the sight of the monstrous, three-meter-tall worm with Jason’s human face.

Though she’d seen such creatures multiple times in games, facing this grotesque bug in reality was clearly unsettling.

‘Shall we begin, then?’

Using my mimicry organ, I projected a human voice to address Jason.

“How far did you progress in the quest?”

“I completed up to stage 10 and was working on stage 11.”

The Cult operates with a unique system called ‘quests’, which has a total of 12 stages, each offering rewards upon completion.

The armor and weaponry Jason brought to fight me were rewards from clearing the 10th stage, known as the ‘Dragonslayer Set’, I had suspected he’d reached around that level—and I was correct.

‘Stage 11 does take considerable time to clear.’

In any case, with ten stages completed, he was fairly close to the endgame. It was likely he had similar experiences to mine.

“Did you ever experience visions of your human past while clearing quests?”

“Yes, I saw them each time I cleared a stage.”

“Events from your past?”

“Yes.”

Just as I expected. He, too, had experienced those memories of the past, just as I had.

“When you saw those visions, did anything seem strange? Were they only unpleasant memories or perhaps distorted?”

At my question, he paused. Jason’s face twisted, an unsettling expression suggesting he was recalling something unpleasant.

The monstrous insect, which had been answering compliantly until now, hesitated briefly before responding.

“There was no distortion in the visions. They showed everything exactly as it happened.”

“Then it must have been a miserable past.”

“Yes. My father, drunk, would always call me a faggot. Neither my mother nor I could ever stand up to him. We were just beaten by him every day.”

Jason’s face was tightly scrunched up, yet his tone was coldly detached. The Mother of the Sky, listening nearby, frowned. It was apparent Jason’s life hadn’t been an easy one.

“Besides that, I saw memories of failing to fit in at school, of having to return home after failing to find a job.”

All these memories were from his human life.

‘So, he’s a lot like me.’

“And was that the end of the visions? Only memories of abuse and failure?”

“No. When I cleared stage 10, I saw a different vision.”

“A different vision?”

Jason’s face, which had been twisted in anger, gradually softened.

“When the vision began, I found myself standing in front of my room. I was there in my current body, the body I possess in this world.”

It was exactly the same as when I had encountered the real ‘me’ in this world.

“I opened the door and found my real self inside.”

“What did you do to him?”

“I killed him.”

He spoke with calm ease, as if murdering his real self was a matter of course. His expression was as serene as his voice.

“Killed him?”

“My real self led a life of failure. But here, I am different. I have a perfect appearance, immense strength, authority that commands respect, women who live for me alone. All of these are far more valuable than anything ‘Jason Turningham’ could ever hope to be!”

There was an intensity in his voice as he indulged in his delusions, utterly entranced. It was the first time I had seen him so riled up since he became this monstrous creature.

‘He does have a remarkably strong ego.’

This was an unexpected discovery. Until his death, he had clung to his arrogance. I had assumed he would be the same in the real world, but I didn’t expect him to harbor such deep self-loathing.

‘Maybe it’s a reaction to his miserable reality.’

In the Empire, the Stag Antlers Cult is a noble faction of the highest status. Jason himself held a core position of power as a high priest, allowing him to admit Muriel to the sacred grounds—places restricted to a select few.

‘A life completely opposite to his wretched reality.’

And so, he chose to kill his human self.

In that regard, Jason and I share a common trait: a disdain for our real selves.

I had nearly killed ‘myself’ in the vision. Only something intervening allowed me to stop; otherwise, I would have undoubtedly devoured that version of me.

‘Even the Mother of the Sky isn’t particularly fond of her past.’

If she ever ascends further in her deification, she might experience something similar to what we have.

‘Is the purpose of these visions to make us stay in this world?’

It makes me wonder if the visions deliberately emphasize the negative aspects of reality, preventing us from wanting to return.

‘Could it be that Jason and the other factions experienced different visions than ours?’

When I met Cynthia at the space fortress, she mentioned her goal was to reach the end and return to her reality.

“One last question. Do you know where any members of the Return and Coexistence factions are?”

Jason took a moment to gather his thoughts before answering.

“I know of three—two in the Return faction and one in the Coexistence faction.”

“Tell me.”

“The 4th-ranked Outsider player, the 7th-ranked Cult player Beom-ho, and the 22nd-ranked Coldblood player. The first two are with the Return faction, and Coldblood is with the Coexistence faction.”

“The 4th and 7th-ranked? They’re with the Return faction?”

“Yes.”

I know both of them well.

‘Of course, it had to be some of the toughest ones left.’

The 4th-ranked player, the top Outsider player, is an expert at controlling massive quantities of resources and has knowledge comparable to my own.

‘And the 7th-ranked...’

Jason mentioned him by name. ‘Beom-ho’ doesn’t suit the Cult, so that must be his real name. He’s the only Korean in the Cult’s ranking as far as I know.

‘The most troublesome of the Cult ranks.’

The highest-ranked Cult player is 2nd, and it’s easy to assume someone lower-ranked lacks skill, but that’s far from true.

‘The 2nd-ranked is straightforwardly brutal, which actually makes him easier to deal with.’

In contrast, Beom-ho, ranked 7th, was the most strategically savvy and perceptive among the Cult players I knew. His battle instincts and tactical sense were even sharper than mine, making any encounter with him here a life-or-death situation.

‘It’s going to be tough to take on the two Return Faction members right now.’

Both of them are sharp enough to have likely noticed my presence. In particular, the 4th-ranked Outsider probably knows that his traits are part of the Amorph’s evolution criteria.

As long as I exist in this world, he’s bound to be fully prepared for the day I come after his life.

‘Which leaves...’

The Coldblood player from the Coexistence Faction.

“Where’s the 22nd rank?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“I missed the 22nd rank and only captured one of his allies. All I know is that he’s hiding somewhere within the Empire.”

The Cult Empire’s territory is even broader than that of the Megacorps. With countless star systems under its rule, “somewhere in the Empire” is as good as “I have no idea”.

“With Beom-ho’s whereabouts unknown, I can only provide the location of the 4th rank.”

‘...This just got complicated.’

Facing the 4th rank without knowing the 7th rank’s location would be extremely risky. Since they’re in the same faction, there’s a chance they might be together.

If they both came after me to take me down?

‘That would be the end.’

Even if I brought all the Gallagons and armed them with gigacrackers, I’d stand no chance.

As I was deep in thought, the Mother of the Sky rose to her feet.

「I have something to say.」

“Yes?”

「...There’s a way to find the 22nd rank.」

“What?”

「But I need you to promise me one thing.」

Her amber eyes glowed softly, like lanterns, as she looked at me.

「When you meet him, don’t attack right away. Start with a conversation.」

“He might attack first.”

「He’s a coward, so he probably won’t. And if you can’t trust that, I’ll try convincing him first.」

Judging by her tone, she seemed to know the 22nd rank well—perhaps more than just acquaintances.

‘But I don’t know if things are still the same.’

The Mother of the Sky had spent a long time secluded in the Cult’s holy land, away from other players. It seemed her encounter with the 22nd rank was even further back. Could they still maintain the same relationship after all this time?

After thinking it over, I decided to accept her request, though only halfway.

“I’ll start with a conversation. But if I sense any danger, I’ll attack immediately. I have a lot of people to protect, so I can’t afford to leave any threats unchecked.”

「...Alright.」

“If I judge it to be safe, I’ll subdue him without killing him.”

「Thank you.」

She seemed to understand my intention and thanked me. If I subdue him without killing him, I could use the parasitic spores to heal him, just as I’d done when we first met.

‘Looks like the next destination is set.’

After visiting the Gallagon nest where Adhai’s pack resides, our next stop is the Cult Empire, where the 22nd rank is hiding.