"It succeeded?!"
Ron stared at the text on the light screen, rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things.
He never expected the miracle trigger rate for the combination of "Quest for Truth" and "The Existence of 'You'" to be so high...
No, wait. "Quest for Truth" only adds a 10% chance, and "The Existence of 'You'" has a fixed initial rate of 1%. That's only 11% combined. A one-in-ten chance isn't high at all... Am I really that lucky?
Ron scratched his head as the text on the screen faded, replaced by a new image:
In the image, he was standing in a pure white, four-sided space. The space was empty in all directions—this was the cosmic block Herta had set up for him in the Simulated Universe.
Within this block, there should have been nothing but Ron. Herta hadn't even placed one of her little puppets inside. She only dared to observe from outside the simulation, precisely to avoid any bugs arising from external influences and to ensure it ran stably according to her predictions.
But now, this cosmic block was no longer empty.
A strange, deep-black web that seemed to appear from thin air had completely bound Ron. A greyish-white mist swirled around the threads of this web. If any intelligent life were to touch this mist, they would inevitably become entangled in calamities from the depths of fate, pulled into an abyss of misfortune by its strings.
And Ron, completely enveloped by this greyish-white mist, was bound to face unimaginable calamity and terror...
---o---
Standing in her office, Herta stared intently at the Simulated Universe's terminal screen. Watching Ron being shrouded by the mist, the doll's exquisite face furrowed in a very human-like manner.
"What... is this?"
For this attempt at creating an Aeon, she had specifically partitioned and configured this cosmic block. The only things Herta had added were the settings for the identity Ron was replacing and a specifically clipped time segment. There was nothing else. This deep-black web and grey mist made Herta suspect for a moment that someone had hacked into her Simulated Universe.
But in the next instant, after a quick check of the Simulated Universe with her Emanator's authority, Herta completely dismissed that possibility.
There were no signs of external intrusion. This strange web and mist were creations that had existed within this cosmic block from the beginning.
Yet she was certain this was absolutely not something that should be in the Simulated Universe.
Every inch of the Simulated Universe had been built, piece by piece, by Herta and the other three geniuses. It was safe to say she was intimately familiar with every part of it; she knew exactly what should and shouldn't be there.
Unless... this web and mist originated from the Simulated Universe's underlying modules, from its fundamental calculation formulas.
Only that could explain their existence.
Herta stared at the terminal screen, cupping her chin. After a moment of deep thought, she arrived at a rough conclusion.
"Since this web and mist come from the underlying calculation formulas, it means they are consistent with the current observable universe and also exist within it."
"Thinking of it that way, this web and mist are perhaps the universe's most fundamental 'fate.' What envelops Ron now is the inherent destiny of Zandar..."
Having figured this out, a trace of worry appeared on Herta's face. Her fingers were already touching the shutdown button on the terminal.
Since this was Zandar's inherent destiny, if Ron was enveloped by it, would he be transformed by fate into Zandar?
Even though Herta had made detailed settings for the simulation, ensuring that no matter what crisis the tester faced—even death—their real self would not be affected, what they were facing now was, after all, fate.
No one knew if this so-called fate could break through the limits of the simulation and affect reality, completely altering Ron's consciousness.
While Herta desperately wanted to create an Aeon and complete her research, it didn't mean she was willing to discard a perfect collaborator like Ron.
Zandar's destiny was to create Nous, The Erudition. Even if they succeeded in creating Nous in the simulation and learned the process, it couldn't be replicated in reality.
But Ron, as a collaborator who had figured out the essence of the Stellaron, might be able to offer better research options, to try creating an Aeon from a different direction... Herta could not casually abandon him.
However, just a moment before Herta was about to press the termination button, the screen before her was suddenly consumed by a brilliant white light.
She squinted, her eyes clearly seeing what had transpired in that split second...
Ron, who had been bound tightly by the deep-black web and completely shrouded by the greyish-white mist, kneeling on the ground, suddenly placed his hands on his chest.
A pure, blazing white light carrying a strange will took shape before his chest. He grasped this beam of holy light, drew it out, and swung. The straight longsword effortlessly sliced through the dark web that enveloped him.
The greyish-white mist scattered under the sword's slash but immediately reconverged, only to be held at bay by the flashing white light, repelled to a distance of three meters around him.
The mist clung to the light like a gangrenous sore, locked in a stalemate for several seconds before it suddenly fell to the ground and dissipated, vanishing as if it had never existed.
Within the Simulated Universe, all that remained was Ron, bathed in brilliant white light, his body covered in faint golden cracks, like a fragile porcelain sculpture, standing tall in this cosmic block...
---o---
The image on the light screen gradually faded, and new lines of text appeared:
[Just as you were about to terminate this attempt at creating an Aeon, due to your trait "The Existence of 'You'," you triggered the Miracle Event: "Breaking the Shackles of Fate."]
[The completion of the event "Truth is Hard to Find" has increased by 30%. The current completion is now—60%.]
[Relying on the power of the miracle, you used your core philosophy of "Salvation" to tear apart the shackles of fate. You have successfully turned the impossible into the possible, forging the Path of [Salvation] within the Simulated Universe.]
[In the endless Imaginary Void, you have successfully carved out a thin branch from the main trunk of the Tree of Existence. It has taken deep root in the Imaginary Void, drawing an endless supply of Imaginary energy through its spatiotemporal conduits.]
[Limitless power pours back from the Path of [Salvation], flooding into your vessel. Your body is cracking under the strain of this infinite, unrestrained power, on the verge of collapsing and turning into a giant firework of Imaginary energy within this cosmic block.]
[In the unseen, knowledge flows into your mind along with this endless stream of Imaginary energy, making one thing clear to you—]
[The Imaginary energy in the Imaginary Void is not a flock of docile sheep. This endless energy, constantly pouring into the Path through the conduits, is chaotic and violent. Only by restraining it can it be freely wielded, and only then can the Path of [Salvation] be stabilized.]
[To achieve this, one must use the Path's founding philosophy to establish the Path's Source Driving Force, which will completely lock down this chaotic energy and anchor it to a single existence—]
[And the existence that is anchored by the Path, locked by its Source Driving Force, will, because of the Path they have anchored and now command, ascend to become an "Aeon."]
The text on the light screen faded, and the rainbow-colored light converged, forming a new option box:
[Will you define your Path's Source Driving Force and, with this power, become the Aeon of [Salvation]?]
[1. Why not accept this infinite power?
The power of [Salvation] is pouring into your body. Your conviction in the philosophy of "Salvation" is absolute; this philosophy has never shone so brightly in your heart...
You think back on this sea of stars, on the countless beings wailing amidst disasters, on the sorrow and pain that constantly play out in dark ravines.
Why must all things suffer the fate of annihilation? The calamity of destruction and the final note of the end have painted this sea of stars with a dark background. Yet, against this dark backdrop, people have never given up the hope in their hearts. They struggle to survive, hoping their future can break free from a predetermined tragic fate, pass the dark crossroads, and step into a brilliant light.
All living beings suffer, and you shall wield the sword for their sake.
To judge all suffering, to eliminate all darkness... To erase the dark background of this sea of stars and paint it with the color of light.
Select this option, Ron, and you shall ascend to godhood.]
[2. But is any of this truly worth it?
You know that everything you have pursued is within reach. But before this infinite Imaginary energy poured into your body, the fate that bound you so tightly forced you to understand a reality...
How could that web and mist appear in Herta's Simulated Universe? You easily figured out that it must have come from the most fundamental, underlying settings of this universe. You understood that this inherent fate is the background color of this sea of stars.
So, if this fate is already a dense network manipulating all life from the bottom of this false sea of stars, how can one possibly resist it?
All the suffering, all the joy and sorrow, everything—this entire world is nothing more than a testing ground enveloped by the web of fate, a fixed future manipulated by destiny...
Under the tight grip of this fate, what difference is there between an Aeon and a mortal?
To ascend to the throne of an Aeon, you must swear the oath of [Salvation]. The Path's Source Driving Force will completely bind your actions, making you far less free than a mortal...
Select this option, Ron, and you will forsake godhood.]
---o---
Looking at the two options on the screen, Ron was slightly taken aback and fell into deep thought.
There was no dilemma in choosing. Creating an Aeon in the Simulated Universe was his goal. Now that he was on the verge of success, he would certainly become an Aeon in the simulation. This was a decision that would only require careful consideration outside the simulation.
However, the information revealed in the second option was something Ron needed to ponder right now...
The so-called "fate" was actually the most fundamental operating mechanism of this sea of stars. This was somewhat difficult for Ron to imagine.
He had originally thought "fate" was something ethereal and vague, but now it seemed to completely envelop the entire sea of stars, thoroughly binding every being within it.
Under the shroud of fate, apart from "miracles" that could leap beyond its constraints, there was no difference between an Aeon and a mortal...
If that was the case, the significance of the Stellaron Hunters increased dramatically. In the original game, the Stellaron Hunters followed Elio's script, constantly trying to twist fate and make it proceed in the direction they desired.
Although Kafka had said that fate was extremely difficult to change, "extremely difficult" didn't mean "impossible." The Stellaron Hunters had clearly succeeded in changing fate before...
Keep in mind, Ron had to rely on a blessing personally bestowed by Aha, The Elation, just to trigger a miracle. For the Stellaron Hunters to also succeed in changing fate, they probably had the blessing of an Aeon behind them as well.
Ron thought pensively, but none of this mattered to him right now. He didn't care about the Stellaron Hunters, as he'd had no contact with them. All he wanted now was to see what he would become in the Simulated Universe after choosing the first option...
With that thought, Ron clicked on the first option. The option box on the light screen faded, and a new scene emerged:
On the screen, endless Imaginary energy poured into Ron's body. Under the constraints of [Salvation], it built up his divine form, towering like a god holding up the sky.
A chant echoed from some distant, unknown place. The suffering of all living beings became a dirge, pulsing and resonating with the brilliant white light around Ron...
Hardship, sorrow, pain—all obscure and difficult calamities fell before him. The faint golden cracks on his body suddenly bloomed with a radiant golden glow. Holy gold and white intertwined, wrapping around the straight white longsword in Ron's hand.
He swung the sword through the air, and the infinite calamities were silenced by this single strike. From beneath the hardship, the hope in the hearts of the sufferers emerged, transforming into specks of white light that merged into Ron's body—
Pure white wings sprouted from his back. The holy wings unfurled to cover the sea of stars. Every single feather was the hope of a person, and the hopes of a sea of stars converged into the grand vow of [Salvation], becoming the wings of an Aeon, sheltering all under heaven.
Ron has now ascended to godhood.