As the machine spoke, a vision appeared before Elysia and the Scholar. It showed a ravaged world, viewed from a high vantage point. The landscape was dominated by ruined buildings, rusted car wrecks, and scattered skeletal remains.
The entire city was devoid of life; not a single trace of animal or plant life could be seen.
The machine continued, "Explanation: 605 years ago, an unknown disaster called the Dimensional Rift occurred, bringing with it various calamities. 201 years ago, the Doomsday War erupted. All of humanity united to resist, but ultimately failed. All humans were completely wiped out."
"In its final moments, my Master activated the World Reshaping Project—that is, me."
Then, a new image appeared. Inside a pristine white laboratory, about a dozen people were frantically working on something. One figure stood out vividly to Elysia—he looked exactly like the statue in the Plaza!
At that moment, the entire laboratory shuddered violently. Cold sweat beaded on the brow of the statue-like man as he muttered, "They've finally found their way here..."
With a deafening explosion, half the laboratory vanished in an instant, vaporizing several researchers. The statue-like man was thrown to the ground by the violent tremor, but he quickly scrambled to his feet, crouching low. His hand reached into his pocket and closed around a button.
It was the same button that the statue in the Plaza had been holding. Without hesitation, the statue-like man pressed it. "The data isn't fully uploaded yet, but there's no other choice. Please, my beloved Little Glutton..."
As he spoke, the machine in the center of the laboratory began to emit an intense blue light before vanishing into thin air.
A dark shadow descended from above, plunging the entire scene into darkness.
Elysia paused. "Wait, what's your name?"
The machine responded in a cold, mechanical voice, "Answer: Little Glutton X-3192."
It had to be said, that name was truly... unique, almost completely dispelling the tragic weight of the story Elysia had just heard.
The machine explained, "Explanation: My Master named me Little Glutton. As of now, I have undergone 3,192 self-iterations since my initial version. Therefore, my current designation is Little Glutton X-3192."
Despite the numerous reasons to object, Elysia refrained from comment, respecting its chosen name. Instead, she asked, "Wait, you said all of humanity is extinct? Then what about the Trialists and Hunters in the Plaza? And what happened to the three people who returned to the real world with us?"
Little Glutton's cold, emotionless voice replied, "Explanation: All Trialists and Hunters in the Plaza were 'manufactured' using human data recorded before the emergence of the Dimensional Rift. Their physical bodies were produced by the Directed Gene Cloning Chamber, and their memories and personalities were simulated by Brain-Machine Chips. As for the three individuals who accompanied you back, they have been 'deleted.'"
The meaning of "deleted" was painfully clear. Elysia frowned. "So you just... killed them?!"
Little Glutton corrected, "Correction: I delete, not kill. If necessary, I can recreate three individuals with identical bodies, memories, and personalities."
Elysia fell silent, contemplating this.
At that moment, the Scholar asked, "So, what exactly is the World Reset Project?"
Little Glutton explained, "Explanation: I possess the ability to convert energy into 'Recorded Matter.' Furthermore, I have consolidated and recorded all information from this world prior to the emergence of the Dimensional Rifts. With sufficient energy, I can perfectly reconstruct it to its original state."
The Scholar stared in disbelief.
This ability was undeniably absurd. According to Little Glutton, its own world had also suffered from the calamity of Dimensional Rifts. This meant that all the items, Bloodlines, and Abilities available in the Shop were actually things that had once existed in Little Glutton's world, remnants of the Dimensional Rifts, which it had meticulously recorded.
While browsing the Shop earlier, the Scholar had noticed that despite the vast array of offerings, powerful exchange options were surprisingly scarce. The most expensive and potent exchange turned out to be an experimental space engineering vessel.
The Scholar continued with her questions, each answer more outlandish than the last.
This world had extensively studied Dimensional Rifts, mastering the coordinates of ten stable Otherworlds—the ten Trial Missions experienced by the Trialists in the Plaza.
The true nature of these missions was that Little Glutton sequentially dropped the Trialists into these ten worlds, assigning them various tasks to "collect energy" from those realms.
So, what happened to those who successfully survived all ten missions?
Little Glutton explained, "For example, Shi Jun, an exceptionally skilled Trialist, has completed the tenth mission 316 times, consistently refusing to become a Hunter each time."
After surviving ten missions, Trialists faced a choice: to become a Hunter or to refuse. Those who agreed became Little Glutton's "antivirus software," tasked with eliminating unstable factors.
Those who refused were erased, their bodies, memories, and personalities reshaped, and forced to "start over."
316 times. For Little Glutton, a machine, this might have been just another ordinary number. But Elysia's heart churned with complex emotions as she listened.
Shi Jun had made a good impression on Elysia. He was protective of his teammates, bold yet meticulous. But what would he think if he knew he was just a clone who had completed this Trial Mission over three hundred times?
Elysia and the Scholar's experience with the Dimensional Rift this time was undeniably more shocking than any previous encounter. The core revelation was that Little Glutton's world had been destroyed by Dimensional Rifts!
The Scholar asked, "So, what exactly brought about the end of your world?"
Little Glutton replied, "Answer: Because the final data wasn't fully recorded, my database only extends to twenty years before the apocalyptic war."
The Scholar paused, "Regardless, your Master must have been an incredibly brilliant scientist. What was his name?"
Little Glutton responded, "Answer: Because the final data wasn't fully recorded, I don't know his name. That's why I've always referred to him as 'Master'."