Chapter 912: Deep Web (1)
A forgotten ritual to challenge ascension as a warrior.
Lennok, who never expected to hear such words in a place like this, fell silent for a moment with a cigarette in his mouth.
Next to Lennok, who was burning through his smoke while staring at the engine room ceiling, the Guardian Spirit Beast, which had been rolling around wildly, made a disgruntled sound.
[Gyao~]
“…”
It seemed it really disliked the smell of Lennok’s cigarette.
With a bitter smile, Lennok extinguished the cigarette he was smoking and spoke.
“I’ve received a far more candid answer than I expected.”
“…”
“Is that your conclusion about the Pilgrimage Path, Felix?”
Felix’s words were shocking, but Lennok didn’t miss the subtle nuance in his answer.
A ritual to challenge ascension as a warrior.
Because it sounded like a conclusion Felix had reached, not a publicly known fact.
“That’s right. Opinions on the Pilgrimage Path are still divided. Some even say that only those who walk the path can know the answer.”
Felix nodded.
“But I had a vague inkling even before my journey ended. It was only after Lord Asylus left and Antares failed that I became certain. It was…”
As if hesitating on the answer he had settled on in his heart, Felix spoke.
“It was a massive ritual in itself. A ceremony so grand that even those who embarked on the journey had difficulty realizing it.”
“…”
“It was so ancient and worn that its origins are unknown, now passed down with only its essence remaining. The entire thing was a process of reorganizing our own Miniature Universe into a single path.”
“A path…”
“Unlike a Domain, which unfolds one’s Root Mindscape into their surroundings, a Miniature Universe is closer to the power to alter one’s own body according to their mindscape.”
Felix said.
“We must make our bodies into an answer, a possibility, only then are we granted permission for the great challenge.”
“…”
“The Pilgrimage Path must have been a ritual passed down by recasting that very process into the form of a journey.”
Felix muttered with a somewhat pained expression.
“A very long, painful, and terribly harsh ritual, I tell you.”
“…”
“It was only after we reached the end of the journey that we realized the true nature of the Pilgrimage Path.”
Felix said, as if recalling a distant memory.
“It’s because he was exceptional. Antares already understood the essence of the Pilgrimage Path and knew what could be achieved through the ritual.”
“…”
“And for that very reason, he gave up in the end.”
Felix’s voice, answering his own question, was so quiet and low it sounded as if it could be sucked into an endless darkness at any moment.
“I know. The reason Antares failed and had to force his own end. The reason Lord Asylus abandoned the pilgrimage. I know that those two reasons are not different at all.”
“…”
“We were not beings who could change the outcome. No, perhaps we were beings who didn’t want to change it.”
Felix closed his eyes again.
“Either way, it was clear we weren’t qualified, so I thought both I and Antares had forgotten it all, but…”
At the moment Antares mentioned the promise of the Pilgrimage Path, had Felix also ended up recalling the memories of that time?
Lennok, who had crushed out the cigarette and incinerated it completely, nodded.
“An impressive answer.”
He had thought the Pilgrimage Path, sometimes mentioned among exceptional warriors, would be an unusual concept. But to think it actually meant a ritual to gain the qualification to challenge ascension as a warrior.
“Thank you for being honest. Spellcasters like myself are closer to fending for ourselves, so I had no idea such a ritual existed.”
Lennok nodded and raised his hand.
“It must stem from the difference in how one awakens their Root Mindscape through magic, right? The difference between a Domain and a Miniature Universe leads to an alteration of the process itself. A very interesting topic.”
The Domain, which changes reality with the Root Mindscape, and the power of the Miniature Universe, which changes oneself.
Both are points of completion that can only be reached after perfecting the seven hierarchies of self-alteration. However, it’s also true that no one has yet properly defined their differences and principles.
This was because the landscape, abilities, and activation principles drawn by an individual’s mindscape were so vastly different that finding rules or tendencies was virtually meaningless.
Nevertheless, the very existence of a ritual like the Pilgrimage Path was surely proof of a greater will, one unfathomable by common human sense.
‘The reason Antares failed and Croken gave up…’
Even the reason behind Felix’s passing mutter became understandable if the Pilgrimage Path was truly a type of ascension ritual.
Clearly, neither of them had failed due to a lack of ability or qualification. Rather, it was self-evident that they had reasons not to be bound by such a ritual.
Having reached that conclusion, Lennok finally gathered his remaining tools and stood up.
“It seems I’ve heard far more valuable information than I expected. I don’t want to just let this pass. Is there anything you desire?”
“…”
Felix opened his mouth as if to refuse flatly, but then hesitated as if something had come to mind.
Having watched Lennok all this time, Felix would know that such words rarely came from him.
Lennok chuckled at the sight.
“I can grant most requests, so speak freely.”
The truth about the Pilgrimage Path was a truly unexpected gain for Lennok.
Moreover, this answer itself was a truth Felix had personally learned while traversing the Pilgrimage Path.
Of course, it would be impossible for Lennok, who wasn’t a warrior, to challenge the Pilgrimage Path right away, but just knowing this fact would allow him to understand the motivations of other monsters in greater detail.
“If you want, I’ll go catch hundreds of tuna from the sea near Vulcan.”
“Gasp…!!”
Felix’s beak gaped open as if he’d completely lost his senses, but with a desperate effort, he managed to restrain himself.
It seemed he had something he truly wanted to ask Lennok in all seriousness.
Lennok confirmed his sincerity and, instead of throwing any more jokes, waited for a moment.
Hesitantly, Felix asked.
“This is shameless of me, but… could you perhaps help me handle the magic of Dorye…?”
“…Dorye’s magic?”
Dorye, who rose to the rank of Ascendant as a berserker.
Is he trying to meddle with Dorye’s magic again now, the very magic I warned him was dangerous before?
Just as Lennok’s expression hardened slightly at those words, Felix immediately continued.
“It’s not because I have any lingering attachment to the power of a berserker. I just want to find a way to become stronger by studying Dorye’s power.”
“Find a way to become stronger?”
“A monster who reached the rank of an Ascendant as a physical ability user. It’s truly rare for such magic to remain in the present world.”
Felix said with a serious expression.
“I’m confident that if I can just properly master the method of learning through handling it, my skills will improve greatly.”
He remembered that Felix, while wielding the hammer imbued with Dorye’s magic, had once managed to hold his own against Croken to some extent.
However, Lennok knew the actual circumstances of how Dorye had obtained the qualification for ascension, and as whose body he had served before being entombed in Yorta’s Mugan.
Even if Felix were to study Dorye’s magic and power now, it was impossible to be certain that the results he obtained would truly be of help to him.
“To complete the hierarchies and advance beyond, it’s clear one must overcome the limits of one’s species.”
Staring at Lennok with an intense gaze, Felix said.
“I intend to study the magic left behind by the berserker and find a way to surpass my limits without going mad.”
“So you’re saying you’ll use Dorye’s magic itself as a thorough cautionary tale.”
“I’m not asking for your help. It would be rather shameless of me to seek your counsel on matters of martial arts in the first place. But if there’s even the slightest hope, won’t you allow me to at least seize the opportunity?”
It wasn’t that he couldn’t understand why Felix wanted to become stronger.
At the very least, he wasn’t the kind of man to irresponsibly let go of everything he held just because destruction was imminent.
Far from giving up, he was the type of person who would seek out what he could do until the very end and strive to do his best.
That was why Lennok had trusted Felix and entrusted him with many of the Tower’s important affairs.
“…Alright.”
Lennok nodded and reached into his coat.
An old wooden nameplate, wrapped in dark, distorted magic.
Lennok took out the small wooden plaque, small enough to fit in one hand, and tossed it in front of Felix.
Kiiing!
The wooden plaque stopped in mid-air with a strange sound of tearing space.
Felix’s eyes widened at the sight of the familiar magic wrapped around the nameplate.
“This is…”
“A nameplate contaminated with Dorye’s magic.”
Lennok said with his arms crossed.
“It’s an object originally made to contain a curse and mark its target.”
“…”
“I trust you can guess why I’m giving this to you.”
Watching the silent Felix, Lennok tilted his head back.
A cursed nameplate he had taken from Yorta’s Mugan whenever he had the chance.
Lennok, having chosen a plaque with an especially strong remnant of Dorye’s magic from his spare stock, spoke to Felix.
“Don’t ask anything, and don’t tell anyone. You’ll have to keep this a secret from Antares as well.”
“…”
“I will only permit your training and research when I am personally present to supervise. If you agree to and accept these three conditions, you may take the nameplate.”
“…Even though this has nothing to do with you, you’re going this far to help me?”
Felix said in a slightly subdued voice, slowly rising to his feet.
Grasping the nameplate with his thick hand, he thumped his fist against his chest.
“Ask nothing, say nothing… I understand.”
Felix’s large, piercing eyes shone with an indescribably resolute will.
“I will do my best to repay your faith in me.”
“There are a few more things I need to take care of before the Tower is normalized.”
Lennok said, turning away.
“We’ll start on a week when I have time.”
He could feel Felix bowing his head behind him, but Lennok didn’t bother to make a show of it.
Strictly speaking, helping Felix study Dorye’s magic was for Lennok’s own sake as well.
The Incarnation Body Lennok possessed was a power modeled after a martial artist of the Old World.
Studying the magic of Dorye, who had existed as the Pontiff’s body, might provide meaningful clues for handling the Incarnation Body.
If a physical ability user of Felix’s caliber were to pursue growth by experimenting on his own body, it would be mutually beneficial for Lennok to supervise and provide a safety net.
With that thought, Lennok immediately left the Tower’s engine room and took out his phone.
Messages from Jenny and Chen regarding the redevelopment of the Hexagonal Fortress’s sanctuary and the Magic Tower’s outer district.
A belated call from Pandemonium’s intermediary, Hylaea.
A letter from Gapseon Dreyfus, a Watcher belonging to the Eyes of Blue, asking to meet separately.
A message from Claris Richellen, a high-ranking wizard from the Sinclair Magic Tower.
Even an official notice from the man himself, Krod Azlan, regarding a meeting.
“…”
Setting all that aside, there was one thing worth trying first.
A summons of sorts that the administrators of the Deep Web had sent to Lennok. An interference from the cybernetic network that had never once intervened in reality until now.
But Lennok had an assistant who was freer than anyone in the cybernetic space.
“Davi.”
[Yaaay~]
Kiiiiing!!
In an instant, Davi transformed into a giant fox and soared upwards.
Pointing at the giant golden spiral floating on the ceiling of the underground cavern, Lennok drew up his magic.
“I’m going to borrow the power of the Ouroboros magic system to temporarily overlay your Domain across this entire space. Get ready.”
The underground cavern where the Guardian Spirit Beast usually resided was not just an empty space without a purpose.
It was a hidden sanctuary within the Tower’s domain that held the most concentrated form of Lennok’s power, a space with a magical density so high it could replace Lennok’s own existence in a pinch.
And in this Magic Tower, built through the Ouroboros magic system, it was the place that best projected the power of Lennok’s creation magic.
A golden spiral descended like an angel’s halo and shimmered above the head of the giant fox, which now towered over Lennok.
The Cybernetic Spirit’s six tails spread out in different directions, emitting a brilliant light.
[Hooo….]
Even for Davi, constructing such a highly advanced will-thought seemed to take a considerable toll, as a breath escaped unconsciously.
The power to unfold the scenery of the mind onto the world, something incalculable even with the processing power of Davi, who was born a Cybernetic Spirit.
A miracle that only a spirit born in this world in step with Lennok could obtain.
Fwaaaaat!!!
The moment the colorless wave extending from Davi was absorbed into the golden spiral above its head.
Domain Deployment: Spirit Resonance
Cybernetic Hierarchy Mindscape Manifestation
[Dream-Thought Virtualscape]
Fwaaaaaat!!!
The particles emitting a blue light from all over the vast underground cavern connected into countless fine threads, transforming into something like a blue net.
Each particle became a living relay station, constructing a network in physical reality and transforming it into a cybernetic space.
Davi, having instantly overlaid the entire underground cavern with its domain, promptly flopped onto the ground.
[I-I did it….]
“Well done.”
The Domain Davi had just deployed on its own was not unfolded through Lennok’s intervention or help.
Although it happened within Lennok’s domain, Davi had succeeded in deploying a Domain by itself without even having reached Level 7 yet.
[Since I was deploying it layered over the defined space of the underground cavern, it was much easier than before.]
The giant Davi said, scratching its cheek with a forepaw.
Davi itself knew that this Domain deployment wasn’t possible purely through its own ability.
[Honestly, if I wasn’t deploying it within Master’s domain, I don’t think I could have even attempted it….]
“Everything has a beginning. The important thing is to get a feel for it first.”
[You know, that’s what you always say when you teach magic to organics, Master. How about changing up your repertoire when you give praise?]
Leaving the pouting, less-than-honest Davi, Lennok looked around the materialized realm of the Dream-Thought Virtualscape.
A bizarre scene where countless particles and networks were materialized and floating all around.
As Lennok silently gazed at the scenery of the domain, Davi rubbed its head against his chest and asked.
[So, should I just connect to the Deep Web like this?]
“Using the normal connection route would be no different from how we’ve been accessing the community until now.”
Lennok said, gesturing with his hand.
“Can you try bypassing the connection system and poking the central network’s firewall?”
[Aha, so they’ll intentionally notice us, right?]
Immediately understanding Lennok’s words, Davi began to manipulate the cybernetic space by twisting the scenery of the Dream-Thought Virtualscape.
Fwabat!!
Amidst the complex network scenery that was rapidly changing before his eyes, it instantly found an unauthorized route to the Deep Web and connected.
At that moment, dozens of blazing red warning messages began to appear in succession before Lennok’s eyes.
[Warning: Overlay network is infected. Immediate action is required. Please follow the instructions to fix the magic-embedded bouncer.]
[Warning: Overlay network is infected. Immediate action is required. Please follow the instructions to fix the magic-embedded bouncer.]
The form of the warning messages filled a corner of the Dream-Thought Virtualscape, flashing as if they would encroach upon the cybernetic space at any moment.
But Lennok, knowing this, simply stared at the warnings without taking any particular action.
Just as Davi watched Lennok’s expression and let the explosively multiplying warnings be,
The text of the relentlessly appearing warnings began to be displayed slightly differently before his eyes.
[Warning: Overlay network is infected. Immediate action is required. Follow the instructions to fix the magic-embedded (So you’ve really come for us)]
[Warning: Overlay network is infected. Immediate action is required. (Did the broker contact you) Please fix the bouncer.]
[Warning: Overlay network is infected. Immediate action is required. (Who told you this contact method?) to fix the magic-embedded bouncer.]
“I don’t have much time, so let’s get straight to the point. I understand you contacted me regarding the ability I possess.”
As Lennok gestured with his arms crossed, Davi converted his words into electrical signals and began to overlay them on the warning messages.
“I have information I’m looking for. If it’s confirmed that you can look into it, I will agree to a deal.”
Silence.
It was a while before the text of the consecutively appearing warnings began to change again.
[Warning: Overlay network (We might be able to check if it’s data accumulated in the network)]
[Warning: Overlay (Tell us what information you’re looking for.) Follow the instructions to fix the magic-embedded bouncer.]
“Everything about the Director of Pandemonium and the Pontiff of the Guido Cult.”
[…]
“Or any information directly related to their identities is fine.”
The reason Lennok was trying to contact and deal with the Deep Web administrators ahead of his many schedules.
It was because he was certain that one of those two Transcendent beings had once stayed in this city.
Regarding Lapis’s affair, Lennok desperately felt the need to delve deeper into the qualifications for ascension.
If, within the sea of that abandoned network, presumed to be a byproduct of the project, even a fragment of that information still remained.
Chhhk, chhh-chhhk-
The strange, grating noise slowly faded.
The warning messages that had densely covered Lennok’s vision disappeared at a similar speed to how they had appeared.
A clean answer appeared on the screen.
[We have it.]
“…!!”
Lennok’s expression changed slightly, not expecting such a straightforward answer.
The moment Davi glanced at Lennok with an uneasy look.
[But it’s not data we can access with our authority.]
[We need your help. Can you connect directly to the Deep Web?]
“You want me to enter the cybernetic space directly?”
[We’ll send you an address. Connect there.]
“An address?”
[There’s a community within the Deep Web discussing the things you’ve done. The traffic is so intense, it’ll be a suitable place to hide a massive backflow of information like you.]
The text that appeared after all the warnings had vanished contained some rather interesting content.
“Intense traffic?”
[Because your decisive battle with Cheonbeon ended ambiguously, a very fierce debate is going on about the winner and loser.]
The warning message replied, as if surprised.
[It seems you didn’t know. Quite surprising. To possess such a delicate cyber-interference ability and have no interest in the reactions within the Deep Web?]
“…”
He had heard stories about a huge gamble on his duel with Cheonbeon, but he hadn’t expected the public opinion to have not died down even now.
[Well, fine. If even that arrogance is as the rumors say, it’s not a bad thing for us.]
Simultaneously with those words, the scenery of the Dream-Thought Virtualscape where Lennok stood began to change.
[Shall we start by telling you how your achievements are being evaluated on the Deep Web?]