Chapter 1345: Designed Transcendence (23)
Clack, clack.
The Diamond Bulletin Board of the Deepweb, where the central network had stabilized and the server was open.
In the Cybernetic Space, a chaotic mess of countless posts and comments, a new post was being written.
Clack, clack.
A post automatically written and uploaded by simply flowing will-thought into the Cybernetic Space, without a keyboard or computer.
[Title: Name the advantages of humanity.] +3
A short post with no other content written within it.
Naturally, no one paid any attention to the post.
└What is this? └Does a Diamond-tier member upload trash like this? └Aggro these days is so boring.
The post, after three comments, was buried and disappeared under the deluge of information, yielding no results.
The anomaly occurred next.
The titles of all posts on the Diamond Bulletin Board changed to match it.
[Title: Name the advantages of humanity.] +2355
[Title: Name the advantages of humanity.] +12995
[Title: Name the advantages of humanity.] +339
[Title: Name the advantages of humanity.] +8802
[Title: Name the advantages of humanity.] +544
[Title: Name the advantages of humanity.] +3
…
Posts that had been discussing power rankings, Vulcan’s politics, or cryptocurrencies with profit potential were all hacked.
It was only then that users, realizing the identity of the culprit, enthusiastically responded.
└Aaaagh, damn it.
└I thought it was some bullshit post, but it was that bastard fox_lover. I knew it.
└Wasn’t that fox enthusiast bastard dead?
└No wonder it’s been so quiet lately.
└What’s your problem now?;
fox_lover.
One of the notorious names on the Deepweb, a famous heavy uploader known for their one-sided attitude of never communicating with most other users.
They were well-known for uploading various strange data and posts from unknown sources, but users who had been on the bulletin board for a long time knew that this uploader was no ordinary lunatic.
Not content with just loving foxes, they created and distributed fox emojis themselves, and would often spontaneously spam the entire site with their fox-themed emojis, a mad attention-seeker.
Even more regrettable was the uploader’s unbelievably superb hacking skills, leaving all Deepweb users helpless and exposed to this aggro every time.
Even famous hackers known for their skill on the Deepweb, Mirror Divers specializing in Cybernetic Space manipulation, and administrators running communities, couldn’t match their information processing speed.
Hadn’t even users who doubted their skills confirmed the performance of the search engine that fox_lover had made for fun, and fallen silent?
After most Deepweb users started using their search engine, their activity had significantly decreased, perhaps satisfied without needing to seek attention.
But today, they had suddenly turned the Diamond Bulletin Board into a mess and started uploading strange posts to the site.
Users, realizing the situation, finally flocked to find the buried post and began to comment.
└But this crazy bastard posting something like this is new. Is something going on?
└Did they take the wrong medicine? They almost never communicate like this.
└Looking at their usual behavior, they seem to need help.
There were countless notorious attention-seekers on the Deepweb, but fox_lover was particularly famous for their unusually bizarre tendencies.
Though they occasionally spammed fox emojis as if they hadn’t taken their meds, apart from that, they rarely acted maliciously.
They didn’t intentionally cause offense like other aggros, and rarely fought or argued with anyone on the Deepweb.
Sometimes they would DDoS or lock accounts that cursed foxes, but ordinarily, they didn’t particularly reveal their ego.
It was the first time they had even posted something that expressed their own opinion, even partially, in this manner.
Users, curious about this unprecedented event on the Deepweb, slowly began to gather.
└Hey, if you’re going to answer, do it. I heard you’re not human, is that true?
└Can’t you tell from how they upload fox images and emojis all day? They’re clearly a Beastkin of that kind.
└Most Beastkin don’t like being associated with their originating animal. It’s because their identity as demi-humans clashes with animal instincts.
└Enough with the professional talk. I just want to know if this lunatic can communicate normally.
└Don’t you know that all sorts of hacker groups, including Mirror Divers, are desperate to contact this person? Even a simple connection would be incredibly helpful.
└Hello, fox_lover. If you could contact me at Cybernetic Space coordinates WSE342D8F3D2SS44, I believe we could have a very constructive conversation–
└If you’re looking for a community, leave a message. The Deepweb has an organization for hackers with abilities like yours, who are antisocial–
While some users were genuinely interested in the uploader, many others immediately sent contact information or coordinates, as if they had been waiting.
Despite the many strange rumors, the other party was one of the hackers with unparalleled abilities in the Cybernetic Space.
Everyone knew that if those abilities could be exploited in any way, it could lead to money.
Below the comments, other reactions condemning such individuals began to pour in.
└These bastards always try to make friends at the first opportunity.
└If you’re going to hang out among yourselves, get off my Deepweb.
└Where are the rules about making friends on the Deepweb, you bastards?
└I’m going to openly make friends, so just avoid me.
└It’s a big problem these days, everyone’s using nicknames too much.
└Seriously, when I went to work, there were so many people making friends, lol.
└They were talking and using nicknames at the company, lol. It was really disgusting, lol.
└You guys should do it, though, lolol.
Even as they argued among themselves in the comments, the overall flow followed the title of the post.
└What advantages of humanity? Why is an animal enthusiast looking for that kind of thing?
└Isn’t it because they’re an animal enthusiast and looking for reasons to despise humans?
└Then they would have looked for disadvantages, you idiot.
└What advantages do humans even have? Being stupid, selfish, and greedy, so they move in groups?
└Is that an advantage?
└Turns out I’m a human with a surprising number of advantages, huh?;
The topic in the comments quickly shifted from advantages to disadvantages.
└It takes a long time to finish growing, and our physical strength is weaker than other animals.
└Among mammals, we have good endurance, but it’s not comparable to Beastkin or Long-lived Beings.
└Compared to Vampires, our energy efficiency is terrible. Our efficiency is so bad we have to eat seven meals a day.
└First of all, you don’t sound human.
└Seven meals, seriously? That’s not even pig-level;
└Elephants are on the community these days, too.
Without rest, they slandered and attacked each other, yet still transitioned to another topic.
└At least for Self-Transformation, we’re better than other races. Many high-level superhumans are of human origin.
└Usually, Beastkin lack talent for spellcraft, and Vampires have fixed areas of talent. Long-lived Beings are…
└Long-lived Being elders, please step out.
└Why are hairy uncles interfering in a Short-lived Being playground? Let the kids play.
└Ah~ I wish I could live super long and become strong easily like others~.
└Don’t say it so loud, you idiot.
Users chuckled among themselves, exchanging conversations about Long-lived Beings.
[Hmm…]
The spirit who posted the message gazed down at them silently from far across the Cybernetic Space.
As if a god, every thought and movement of theirs was visible at a glance within this Cybernetic Space.
The moment they began typing a comment, what they would write was visible even before they pressed the register button.
Occasionally, there were considerations regarding the spirit’s question, but most were just lighthearted comments to be laughed off.
The spirit, slowly tapping its tail, murmured.
[Just as I expected. I wasn’t really hoping for much, but…]
After the conversation that day at the District 49 VIP Exchange.
The spirit, having heard a request from the blond wizard, had been deeply troubled for a long time.
A consideration it had long tried not to think about itself. Or an emotion it had hesitated to delve into.
But the spirit’s master wouldn’t like avoiding or ignoring problems in such a way.
It had posed the question on the Deepweb just in case, but as expected, it was difficult to get meaningful results.
The information flowing through this vast Cybernetic Space was indeed overwhelming, but most of it was closer to meaningless dummy data.
To find the desired information or data, one needed to filter the questions well – to pay exquisite attention to filtering, so to speak.
If you ask a vague question, you get a vague answer.
At least, in the eyes of Deepweb users until now, the spirit’s question was merely that.
[Should I occupy the entire network space and randomly lock accounts…? Only releasing the organisms that give good answers.]
While the spirit pondered such an absurd solution, as it always did, meaningful information thankfully began to appear in the comments.
Many of the current Deepweb users were flocking to this post, which in turn was yielding more significant answers.
└The reason there are many high-level superhumans of human origin isn’t just because their population is overwhelmingly large.
└Among sentient races, humans are relatively more often mentally stable.
└Beastkin, Vampires, and other demi-humans are often strongly bound by instinct or bloodline.
└As a practitioner accumulates higher tiers, they become very mentally unstable, so it’s hard to say that racial characteristics have no influence.
As it was rare for those using the Deepweb not to be superhumans, the topic of tiers always attracted great interest.
Discussions continued about the efficiency of human Self-Transformation and the prevalence of human-origin high-level superhumans.
Among them, comments from notable experts and relevant individuals also continued.
└Infrastructure differences are also important. Even Transcendent beings wouldn’t have lived on just grass from birth.
└Completing Self-Transformation ultimately means realizing one’s Root Mindscape, right? The importance of experience in this process can’t be ignored.
└The concept of ‘tiers’ was ultimately created for humans. It’s a story passed down since Ars Nova was intact.
└There was also a saying that ‘seeking’ was a twisted pilgrimage for humans to become gods, to gain divinity.
[…A concept created for humans?]
That the seven stages of Self-Transformation were powers created for humans.
Even the spirit, which had been causing trouble on the Deepweb for a long time, heard this for the first time.
The reactions in the comments were not very positive either.
└I’ve heard that story too, but isn’t that just a rumor fueled by human pride?
└Considering that it sometimes circulates, other demi-humans also reach high tiers just fine.
└Even one of the Ascendants was literally born a snake.
└Who even created the concept of Self-Transformation in the first place? I can’t believe it without an accurate source.
└The power created for humans, especially for those who rise higher, often drives them insane and makes them lunatics, lolol.
[…]
Though the atmosphere quickly turned into laughter and chatter, the spirit realized it couldn’t just dismiss this story.
A strange sensation, as if it had found a faint clue regarding its own growth or enlightenment that had been blocked until now.
The feeling of having found some small gain from a question asked without much expectation.
Amidst the overflowing information, this part seemed to hold some meaning.
Should it investigate Self-Transformation more specifically next time?
As the spirit quietly fell into thought, laments continued in the comments.
└It’s strange that after overcoming the seven stages of Self-Transformation, one would go crazy instead.
└Shouldn’t one become normal or complete as the tiers get higher?
└Seriously, that’s why I purposely stopped at Level 5.
└It’s the opposite. Maybe high-level Transcendent beings are normal, and we’re abnormal.
└Maybe high-level beings are actually seeing the world correctly, and we just don’t know it, so we seem fine.
└Damn, were we one-eyed all along?
└You have opened your eyes.
└Come to the Cult…
└Damn it, you guys are blind! lolol.
In an instant, the comments section buzzed with chatter about the Cult.
Given the enormous influence of the Cult in this world, discussions about it in such communities were always a sensitive topic.
Just as there were many who rejected the Cult, there were also many who followed it, so it was common for things to get chaotic whenever it came up.
After a long session of rooting out Cult followers hidden on the Deepweb, the topic finally returned.
└Still, isn’t humanity’s peak pretty good? Just look at Vulcan, there’s Adamant Thunder.
└You have to exclude such exceptions from the discussion. Mixing outliers makes averaging meaningless.
└It’s like how the average annual salary of a Rebatenon Magic University assistant professor exceeds 800 million cells because of Evan Vylun.
└Adamant Thunder hasn’t even become an Ascendant yet. Can you call that humanity’s peak?
└Are you an idiot? He’s humanity’s peak precisely because he’s that strong without being an Ascendant.
└Are you saying Ascendants aren’t human now? I’ve reported you.
└Think simply. Is there anyone more talented than Adamant Thunder in this city?
└It’s rare even historically, let alone across the continent.
└In the first place, such geniuses rarely live long enough to reach high levels. Most of them trusted their talent, acted recklessly, and died early.
└Hmm… Didn’t those who died early just lack talent?
└If talent can’t solve it, let’s consider if it’s a lack of talent.
└Now that I think about it, we could just say Adamant Thunder is humanity’s advantage.
└Seriously, isn’t the existence of a case like Adamant Thunder itself an advantage for humans?
└How can humanity’s advantage be a blood-crazed wizard, lolol.
└Adamant Thunder, lolol.
└Nether King, lolol.
└Franjet, lolol.
└Crimson Silence Grand General, lolol.
└Odin, lolol.
└Damn, look at those names, lolol.
└Elders are getting excited again; calm down a bit.
└What’s the average age here anyway?
[…Should I stop here?]
It was interesting to keep watching, but it seemed difficult to gain any more meaningful information.
Collecting information itself wasn’t meaningless, but to get better answers, the question would need to be more specific.
In the comments section, where discussions about humanity had continued for a long time, other topics were slowly beginning to emerge.
└Ah, enough. Just give the bulletin board back now. I want to cause trouble with the power ranking balance quickly.
└We need to have the 8247th Adamant Thunder vs. Cheonbeon balance discussion, what is this now?
└The Cheonbeon and Black Meteor ranking discussion isn’t even over yet, why are you bringing in Adamant Thunder?
└Are you saying it wasn’t Cheonbeon but Black Meteor who brought down the Four Archangel Demonic Mirrors? Why is Black Meteor suddenly involved?
└Has Adamant Thunder ever cleared a Demonic Realm, then?
In an instant, the conversation topic shifted to Cheonbeon and Black Meteor, and the comments section caught fire.
Immediately after the collapse of the Four Archangel Demonic Mirrors, the central network had been paralyzed, even causing the Deepweb to stop functioning.
Even without that, Vulcan’s greatest难题, which had reignited after Cheonbeon’s Demonic Realm conquest, was now burning once more.
[…]
But the spirit no longer watched the fiercely ignited discussion on the Deepweb, slowly withdrawing its consciousness.
As it always had, these topics were always much more enjoyable when watched sitting with its master.
In the first place, when discussions like this caught fire, constructive debates or opinions only emerged after a long period of meaningless emotional arguments and slandering.
It could just compile a summary later, picking out only the core points.
Just as the spirit, thinking this, was about to disconnect from the Cybernetic Space and return to reality.
Crackle, cr-crackle–
Suddenly, an enormous amount of traffic began to surge, not from the Deepweb’s bulletin board, but from its news section.
└Did you hear the news? Vulcan’s in chaos.
└They say three Transcendent beings who visited Vulcan were killed by Adamant Thunder’s hand. Is this true?
└The Central Council has issued a statement. This is not the time to talk about power rankings.
└An Ascendant has moved. Look at the sky.
└The Adamant Thunder vs. Cheonbeon debate will have to happen after this. What timing, lolol.
Comments poured into the news section, instantly spewing out a flood of disparate information.
A sheer volume of information so intense that even the spirit, which oversaw all data flow of the central network, couldn’t comprehend it.
An explosive reaction, as if millions of terminals were simultaneously attempting to connect to the central network.
└Why? What happened?
└The network must not be stable yet. It’s already lagging.
└If you’re going to talk nonsense, explain it first, you jerks.
A sudden anomaly, so abrupt that even users who had been on the bulletin board were confused, unable to grasp the situation.
Some left to check real-world news, while others returned with newly acquired information to post comments.
In an instant, the center of the Diamond-tier bulletin board, now several times more active than before.
Transcendent beings killed by Adamant Thunder, the stir caused by Ascendant Dadam, the Central Council’s statement, and the reactions across Vulcan.
Only after dissecting the incoming data could the spirit confirm the nature of the anomaly that pierced through all these flows.
└They say Adamant Thunder is preparing for an Ascension Ritual in Vulcan.
└Dadam has publicly declared cooperation, and the Central Council has officially recognized it. It’s practically confirmed.
└With the Ascendant’s visit, the crescent moon in the sky is moving. The entire Ideological Domain is…
└An Ascendant might be born in this city for the first time ever…?
└They’ve lost their minds. To become an Ascendant in front of tens of millions of people?
It didn’t take long for Davi’s tail, which had been swaying curiously, to straighten rigidly.