Chapter 369: Episode 26

Swallowed by a massive vortex.

The consciousness aggregate (network) created by one person fused together one after another through Psychological Synchronization, forming a massive vortex.

I suddenly thought. Can it really be said that my consciousness of something is truly equal to the collective will? It seems we have yet to grasp every corner of the infinitely vast consciousness. On the contrary, the "I" I know is only a small part of the Collection.

Without my knowledge, a major event was swelling under my guardianship. We were drawn to its center, broken, crushed, condensed, and disappeared somewhere.

The center of the vortex exists forever. Perhaps only those who have been there know. To arrive is the disappearance of existence as an individual. Only in this way can I become "myself." Become a member of the "whole" formless self.

This feeling may be due to the hallucinations becoming more severe day by day. At first, I had some absurd illusions, like dreams. It turned into a creepy monster, or into a truly trustworthy partner.

They certainly made me anxious, but what really scared me was the transcendence. Gradually, the hallucinations turned into a meaningless form. I could not understand it. If I had to express it in words, it would be a vortex. Individual hallucinations would converge to the center of the vortex, as if they were being stirred into a paste in a blender.

An "Psychological Synchronization" Obstacle caused by mental abnormality. This created an "error" beyond my understanding. Simply put, paranoia caused by drug side effects might reach this point. But there was definitely something inside me more terrifying than anything else.

I am not sure of myself. Or rather, it is a situation that has shaken the foundation of "Psychological Synchronization." The destruction of identity. The very idea of trying to get rid of the self that should have been naturally attributed implies the dispersion of collective consciousness.

One day, Quinn became two. Two Quinns met and exchanged a few words. At first, I thought it was a drug-induced hallucination, but it turned out to be real.

An individual detached from the aggregate appeared. "I" and "I" became "strangers." The communication between them was not conducted through "Psychological Synchronization," and their communication was not through the unification of thoughts, but through verbal communication between them.

This was not as disturbing as I had imagined. I felt it was inevitable. On the contrary, I felt that I had entered a natural state. The separated individuals could use "Psychological Synchronization" on their own eggs as before. A completely independent network.

After that, individuals began to separate from the collective consciousness, as if giving birth one after another. I could not stop the Flow. Eventually, most of the subjects became independent, leaving a portion behind.

As a result, it was no longer possible to manage the herd as smoothly as before. You cannot consider sacrificing one person. Everyone can claim their rights equally.

It is easy to imagine that various problems will arise. In a survival environment, if several people gather together, appropriate group behavior and an existence to command it are always needed. This is even more true when it comes to gathering thousands of people. A quarrel has the potential to escalate into a riot.

Equality does not necessarily mean happiness. Even if everyone has a satisfactory living environment, the island is in a dangerous situation with limited resources and many hostile forces. A shred of selfishness from one person will make many people feel uncomfortable.

There is also the question of who will command. No matter how much you consider it, power relations will inevitably emerge. Someone must play a harmful role in collective action. Even if there is a little dissatisfaction at the beginning, it will accumulate over time.

Seeing no hope of escaping this island and not knowing how long to spend here, how to resolve the accumulated anxiety and frustration? This seems to be an irreversible time bomb.

There is no bomb. Starting from the issue of command, the issue of combat coordination, the division of roles such as building fortresses and farming, and the rapid increase in the number of Quinns, we also have to determine the land use area. However, after repeated discussions, it is possible to propose satisfactory answers to these problems.

First of all, I only had a big bomb in my head. And what I came up with, others must have already figured out. No matter how much we talked, I didn't think it would be solved.

How will the drugs be distributed?

I have a severe drug addiction. Even with this consciousness, I cannot stop it. When I stopped taking it, I was attacked by unbearable withdrawal symptoms. The momentary excitement turned into hellish pain.

Tolerance increases when the dose of conventional drugs is exceeded, and the patient becomes dissatisfied without taking a larger dose. However, the drug has reverse tolerance. The more you use it, the less resistance there is, and the more you use it, the better the effect.

Most common drugs increase tolerance, and even drugs that are said to have reverse tolerance have not been properly proven. But the drug I use definitely has this property. The more I eat, the more delusions and hallucinations it produces, and the more dependent I become. Even subjects with high resistance to many toxic substances cannot resist the toxicity of this drug.

The real horror lies in psychological dependence. The state of focus brought about by the drug has a great impact on the practice of Mindfulness. Once you get used to that feeling, you can never go back. Ordinary senses will feel abnormal.

I know it is useless. Better yet, I have thought many times about throwing all the drug flowers into the sea. I actually threw them away. I threw them away many times.

But before I knew it, the medicine came back. It felt like a person had returned home, but in fact, he went to pick it up after throwing it away without knowing it. The body acts without knowing it.

It's like a Curse. Thinking about it, that feeling of not wanting to let go has been there for a while. For whatever reason, I kept this medicine in the Goo I carried with me. This feeling is probably the reason why I didn't provide this medicine to the research team. I have been looking for opportunities to give it to you, for various reasons, but I really don't want to let go.

Although I was not aware of it, it stayed somewhere in my heart like a compulsive thought and continued to erode my spirit. By starting to take drugs seriously, this compulsion has been irreversibly pushed forward. Once you start using this drug, you cannot throw it away yourself.

"Oh, uh... ah, ah..."

Quinn crawled clumsily on the beach. The chill accompanied the feeling of floating all over the body, the feeling of hands and feet disappeared as if they had been cut off, and the pain and numbness spread from the bottom of the abdomen to the head. In the sweltering heat wave, it reflected so strongly that it stung my eyes, and I rolled on the sparkling white sand. Not knowing the feeling of ups and downs, stirring the pure white world flowing smoothly. Only the feeling of gums crunching on the sand in the mouth was vividly transmitted to my bones, shaking my brain violently.

Where am I? Are you really here? If I could disappear and vanish under the embrace of this light, how much easier would it be? My body melts little by little. It turns into small particles and disappears into the sand.

Just then, a black shadow appeared in the bright field of vision. A strong light was Hidden behind it. No matter how strong the Sun is, it won't be strong enough to see nothing. I realized this was a hallucination I saw in hypersensitivity.

"I will not lose"

Someone grabbed Quinn's arm. From then on, the body's senses returned to normal. My invisible body was pulled up. I raised my head and saw Quinn staring at me. This is someone else's Quinn, not mine.

The black eyes crossed like mirrors. The silver-white long hair fluttered softly like a curtain covering the Sun.

"Um, um... it's okay..."

I held back the nausea and grabbed Quinn's hand. She picked me up, took me to a comfortable shaded rock outcrop, and took care of me.

I overcame it. The medicine was not discarded. But I swore never to use it again.

At first I thought it was impossible. In the past, if one of the subjects took the drug, other individuals could also obtain the same effect through "Psychological Synchronization." However, individuals detached from the collective consciousness cannot share the pleasure. You will have to separate them.

No matter how much reward, it seems to be constantly squeezing the potion, and I don't know when it will hit the bottom. Maybe the next drop won't come out again. It cannot be distributed among thousands of subjects. If you can see the end in the middle, you can't do anything after that.

Therefore, we decided that stopping drug use Together was inevitable. But at the same time, I thought it was impossible. Someday, someone will succumb to desire and reach out. If that happens, the brakes will no longer apply to others. The accumulated dissatisfaction erupts and gets out of control.

In search of limited drugs, it developed into killing each other. Such a tragedy is foreseeable. Surprisingly, it didn't.

We call out to each other. Pay attention to each other, don't let your desires drive you. This communication gradually changed from the purpose of monitoring others for Malice to the willingness to help each other and be like-minded.

This road is by no means easy. Even if you get rid of withdrawal symptoms, you will be pulled back into pain by sudden flashbacks. Danger always haunts my daily life, and there is no time to rest. In order to get rid of the pain, he tried to seek medical treatment again.

Another "we" desperately stopped a friend who had withdrawal symptoms again. If he didn't warn me with words, I would beat him. Sometimes it develops into bloody conflicts between each other. But the conflict did not become the worst situation I could imagine.

I know there is no hatred, even if the violence reaches the point of killing each other. Because the other party is the existence closest to oneself. He is a stranger who treats me more seriously than anyone else and treats me as his own person.

"Is it okay to give up in a place like this?"

"I have work to do"

"Let's leave this island and cross this sea"

I was able to take these words seriously. I know this is not a temporary, superficial lie. I don't need to feel any Malice, but I am able to believe that it is a sincere word from the heart.

This is really an ironic result. He abandoned the infinite rational decision-making method of conscious identification through "Psychological Synchronization" and placed his trust in an independent state of consciousness equal to others.

This is certainly not very effective. Opinions sometimes clash. However, the time spent coordinating differences was not wasted. I was able to notice that there are multiple ways to solve problems that were previously automatically independent or considered unknown.

Communication is an act of trying to understand others. You can respect others. If you make a mistake, you can notice it more clearly.

We had a heated conversation. I was not good at talking in the first place, so there must have been some awkward places. And since we all have the same knowledge, we never brought up any surprising topics, but it was still interesting.

"Psychological Synchronization" does not work, but the radio communication ability of the Chimera Ants can be used. However, I try not to use this ability unless necessary, such as in battle or in an emergency. Quinn's conversation is seen as a way of communication. Because it feels more "human."

Quinn practices Kumite and works hard. Playing against an opponent with the exact same ability as me is a great help in improving my technique. Sometimes Quinn really dies because it's too hot, but that doesn't make the relationship worse.

Up until now, Quinn, who has a balance of abilities, still has a gap in strength. Insignificant, although the ability gap of all Huns is not large, in some areas, there are still some who show slightly superior abilities. As Quinn teaches techniques to others, his Training becomes more advanced.

The Aura resonance technique that appeared due to the hallucinogenic effect of the drug has also been steadily acquired. Previously, she could only read the Qi waves in a hallucinatory state, but that feeling (data) was accumulated in Quinn's body. Once he can ride a bicycle, he will be able to reproduce the movement data of Quinn sleeping in his body, so that he will not easily forget that feeling. He has reached the level where he can say that he has fully mastered swimming in slime.

The battle to defend against the great tide of magnetic snails is nearing its end. The number of enemies decreases each time. This has made the island's defense much easier, but the enemies' attacks still possess immense power, so they have not neglected to build a Defense Wall. Its repair speed is faster than the speed at which it is destroyed, so now a high wall surrounds the island.

Conversely, the number of regenerative Fugura is increasing. Now I am focused on collecting bones. There are thousands of subjects and Quinn, and they all need a ship to Escape.

We are now irreplaceable partners. I never thought one person could also Escape. Everyone left the small island Together. With Quinn's swimming ability, plus a Fugura bone surfboard as a place for her body to rest on the sea surface, she can act for the time being.

The Fugura's bones should be mature and robust, so overfishing the Fugura did not immediately increase the number of Fugura. However, it won't be long before everyone is Together.

I cannot say that the means to safely navigate these waters have not been established. But we have hope. The presence of friends helps. When I was just "one" before, I could not overcome the despair.

Drugs led to self-destruction. I have not yet completely gotten rid of my addiction. I have a premonition that it will continue to torment me for years, or even decades.

But destruction is not entirely a bad thing. There is also salvation born from destruction. What is truly lacking is not the means of safe navigation. Forge ahead. The goal of crossing the ocean is not an unrealized dream. I saw a future that made me think so.

As the saying goes, one difficulty passes, another follows. To describe the environment of the Dark Continent, it might be a very appropriate expression. I have experienced it many times before.

Breeding Fugura are multiplying in large numbers in this area. No, rapid growth is lukewarm. This is an explosive growth.

It happened after I had finished the necessary Fugura bones and did not want him to appear again. The number of Fugura is increasing at an accelerated rate, almost filling the sea area near the island. I tried to let Quinn swim as far as possible, but it is not limited to the area near this island. This entire sea area has become the main habitat for regenerative Fugura.

Even if we work Together to eliminate it, it is already beyond what we can bear. When using the electromagnetic cannon "erosionbudbullet (systburst)", it is scalding Stone and water.

In any case, the increase is abnormal. It can perform parthenogenesis, Split, and reproduce like an amoeba. A new individual can be generated from one tentacle. Even so, it possesses Life Force and regenerative ability that will not die even if the head is crushed.

Its Life Force is so great that it can even resist the Almeiza Machine. It will immediately cut off the infected area and make it regenerate. Mature individuals with larger bodies have stronger regenerative abilities and require several Sith Bullets to be shot to kill them.

In the process of increasing the number of biological species, the qualification value for the number of individuals that can breed in each area is determined. When the number increases beyond this value, a reaction attempting to reduce its own species begins to appear. This is called the density effect.

Food shortages, water pollution—these causes cannot increase endlessly in one place. The pressure of frequent contact in a small space will reduce the number of eggs laid, increase the mortality rate of larvae, and have various density effects such as cannibalism.

These reactions are not seen in this regenerative Fugura. Even though they swim tightly, unable to even move, their reproductive behavior is like a qualification value.

The food in this area should not be more than Seaweed, but is such energy enough to maintain such a huge population? Various questions arose, but I cannot say anything because I cannot apply existing ecosystem knowledge to this sea area.

Considering the progress of the regenerative Fugura that began to increase as the power of the magnetic snail declined, that snail might be a predator of the Fugura. Or did they form a territory and block the Fugura? Although it is an opponent I must fight, I did not expect such a result after that victory.

If something is not done about this group of Fugura, it will be difficult to leave the island. No matter how many you can handle, it is not a weak enemy. The premise is that Quinn fights in a state where she can fully demonstrate her strength; charging into the countless violence within sight is reckless.

It is just an accident that happened around the Dark Sea frontier island that has left me trapped for so long; I am depressed, not knowing how many hardships I have to go through to reach the human continent.

But I am no longer pessimistic. If difficulties stand in your way, then transcend them. There is no retreat.

Then it is time for the final battle. A huge Shadow comes from the other side of the sea. Huge, massive, gigantic—such words cannot describe it. Its size is equivalent to an island.

The island is equipped with the largest safety measures. Although the system already has perfect defensive interception, it is still not optimistic. The scale is too different from previous enemies. It is the greatest enemy, except for the Snake in the wilderness where I was born as a Chimera Ant.

That is an island-sized Fugura. It is said that even a giant squid is 10 meters long. And since such a huge squid was found in a human habitat, it can be said that in the Dark Continent, a paradise for giant creatures, and its sea area, it is a relatively "normal" monster. There have always been giant squid and octopus monsters like the Kraken in folklore.

The Kraken is swimming toward this island. The battle will be inevitable. I want to repel it from a distance without approaching the island, but there is a problem with doing so.

A huge enemy attacks; it must be troublesome. But this is also a great opportunity. From the appearance, this Kraken also belongs to the same species as the regenerative Fugura. That is to say, there should be a Fugura bone inside that is proportional to its size.

The Fugura bone harvested from an island-sized Fugura is a single board suitable for being called a ship. When the sea becomes a bit stormy, there is no need to worry about capsizing. The greatest fear lies in crossing the sea of mucus. How to safely transport the carcass? Having a bone the size of a surfboard always carries the danger of being cocooned and suffocated.

I want to get it no matter what. It should also be intact. The railgun has the risk of damaging the bone. Or rather, this squid cannot be killed unless its power is enough to crush all the bones.

I don't think he is an opponent that can be easily won. The greater the regenerative ability of this kind of Fugura, the stronger its regenerative ability. Even a squid more than ten meters long has a regenerative ability as if a planarian had evolved into another dimension. I cannot imagine how tenacious it would be if it were a Kraken of this size.

The enemy is approaching quickly. In a few minutes, we will arrive at the island. It is a pity that I am lost. Decided to Shoot the railgun at an angle that damages the bone as little as possible.

"Three, two, one... Blossom (Fire)!"

The "Erosion Bud Bullet (systburst)" placed on the heights of the fortress spewed Fire. No, should I say it thundered? A ray of light flashed, and many Explosions sounded. The target was so large that it was hard to miss. Checked the impact on the enemy's body. The instantly boiling seawater produced Dense Fog.

Then, without a moment's delay, the Kraken appeared from the fog. No scars could be seen on his face. It swam toward the small island as if nothing had happened.

She could no longer worry about her bones. It fired "Erosion Bud Bullets" in rapid succession. However, the result did not change. Not only did it not cause damage, it could not even slow down the progress.

Moreover, because of the Dense Fog, it was difficult to see the surrounding enemies, but the appearance of the impact was strange. The Bullet should certainly have hit, but it looked like no destruction occurred there. If you are injured once and then regenerate at high speed, you would understand. On the contrary, the damage did not happen from the beginning.

The energy of the Bullet penetrated the enemy's body, blowing away and vaporizing the ocean. If the Kraken's body had no air holes, that would be strange. Besides the regenerative ability, do you have any other special abilities? It looks like he did not use his Nen Ability.

Without knowing the enemy's exact ability, he ended up letting them reach the island. The Kraken climbed onto the cactus Barrier surrounding the perimeter of the island.

This Barrier is the end of the regenerative Fugura. The abnormally appearing Fugura were washed up so much that they filled the beach, so it became difficult to handle, turning it into a cactus.

I don't know if it is because it is resistant to poison or because it has an abnormally strong regenerative ability, but the regenerative Fugura that caused the Almeiza Machine to erupt turned into a cactus, blossomed in large numbers, and continuously scattered cyst bullets. This period lasted for more than a month. It seems to be storing Life Energy that matches its overly strong Life Force.

The Fugura that received the cyst bullets further turned into cacti and scattered bullets; by repeating this, a large number of cacti were naturally surrounded around the island. Cyst bullets are continuously fired near the Barrier, which is an automatic Defense Wall that keeps the regenerative Fugura out.

However, this is not a trap that can be used against the Kraken. Its size, its speed—just arriving at the island is equivalent to a natural disaster. In front of the giant waves, the Barrier piled with many Fugura is like Seaweed trash.

A tsunami struck. I was able to prevent damage by building a sturdy and high Defense Wall, but I shuddered at the thought that this was not yet finished. The enemy's hand reached all the way to our heads.

The tentacles are so large that each one is like a Dragon stuck to the Barrier. Ten arms pulled the sluggish head out of the sea. The shape itself is no different from a Fugura you can find anywhere. This fact seems the strangest to me.