192. Does It Really Exist?
Soon, Vill-V reached school age. Although she received weekly counseling, she still believed in the existence of the being named 'Ling'.
However, her mother still sent her to a nearby elementary school.
Vill-V's learning ability was exceptional. While other children were diligently studying, she consistently achieved first place, even though she played all day long.
And the 'younger brother' in her mind seemed even more capable than her. Whenever Vill-V encountered something she didn't understand in another area, Ling could always provide the answer.
This caused some frustration for the genius Vill-V, and she began trying to surpass Ling in different areas.
Of course, the result was tragically unsuccessful.
In a bet that Vill-V almost cheated on, Ling successfully surpassed her with a record of 7 wins, 12 draws, and 0 losses.
Of course, this bet was not over yet. Currently, only the person who wins 9 out of 11 rounds can become the older sister/older brother, and this number may increase indefinitely.
However, because Vill-V rarely hid Ling's existence from outsiders, she became an outcast among the children. Many saw her as a monster, talking to someone who didn't exist.
This would enrage Vill-V, who would then attack the other child from every angle until they were utterly destroyed.
This included, but was not limited to, academics, sports, and talents.
Despite being an all-around genius, she couldn't escape being ostracized, and only Ling could comfort her when she was sad.
After finishing the monotonous elementary school years, Vill-V decisively ran away from home, taking the money she had earned over the years by taking on freelance programming jobs online, and ventured into the outside world.
In the outside world, she truly witnessed its vastness.
Vill-V arrived in a place called Dusk Street, where she learned many magic tricks and became a renowned magician!
Seeing the time was right, Vill-V unhesitatingly issued her challenge.
"Round 36, magic! Let's see who can figure out the performer's trick first!" Vill-V shouted excitedly.
[It's simple. There's a mirror under the box. Use the mirror's reflection to create the illusion that no one is there.] Ling said softly.
"Ugh!!! It hasn't even started yet! That doesn't count! Let's start from the next one!" Vill-V sternly accused Ling of "cheating" and established the rules.
It was a famous decapitation resurrection magic trick.
[This one's even simpler. The moment the blade falls, the place where he was lying collapses, making it look like his head has been severed. Then, put a realistic fake head in the box beforehand. After they remove the 'body,' put it back in the box, leaving only the head sticking out. That's decapitation resurrection.]
"Hmm! As expected of Ling, just like I thought. It's a tie!" Vill-V said confidently, hands on her hips.
[Okay, okay.] Ling could only helplessly coax her.
After spending about a year learning magic in Dusk Street, Vill-V went elsewhere.
Soon after, she became obsessed with the internet and began learning hacking. Because much of the internet was closed, Vill-V started bypassing firewalls to access more information.
After two more years, her hacking skills became unmatched; she was even confident she could defeat Ling.
This was because she discovered a very special ability: she could completely transform herself into 'another person.'
For example, a magician and now a hacker.
Both were exceptionally talented in their respective fields.
This often made Vill-V doubt herself, wondering if she had truly become someone else.
Perhaps her talent was merely acting, not her true ability.
Fortunately, Ling noticed her strange thoughts in time and guided her, preventing Vill-V from falling into self-doubt.
However, she became increasingly enthusiastic about playing different roles.
For example, the often goofy pharmacist, whom she affectionately called the 'Mystic Scholar.'
To satisfy her thirst for knowledge, she returned to school, but this time, she chose to become a lecturer! Teaching computer-related knowledge.
Her identity as a 'Hacker' was also incorporated into her 'Lecturer' role.
Although she was only a primary school graduate, the knowledge was no challenge for her; she could easily learn it with a little time.
And the characters she impersonated weren't those described in the outside world, but Ling!
Yes, all the characters she impersonated were different personalities created based on Ling.
This seemed to be a quirk of Ling's; she would become unconsciously absorbed when learning something, and Ling was the model for Vill-V.
This imitation seemed to be quite effective, at least allowing Vill-V to maximize her talents. Ling didn't know if this was a good thing or a bad thing.
After two years as a lecturer, Vill-V seemed to get bored and began to study other things.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck her; she wanted to be a student again.
So she forged an admission notice and used hacking techniques to send her information to a university.
Thus, she became a student in a major called "Mechanical Dynamics."
She met an exceptionally talented mentor, and under his tutelage, combined with her own innate talent, she became a top-tier mechanic in just a few months.
But it didn't end there. She continued her studies, spending approximately three years completing and refining her mastery of Advanced Mechanical Dynamics.
At this point, Vill-V was serious and reserved, taking everything with utmost dedication. She called herself 'Expert'.
By this point, Vill-V had many identities:
'Magician', 'Lecturer', 'Mystic Scholar, 'Expert', but she preferred to call herself 'The Conman'.
She could impersonate different people, showcasing different talents.
And perhaps, all of them were simply a part of the being named Ling within Vill-V's mind.
No, it should be said, only a glimpse of him.
Vill-V knew that even though her talent surpassed 99.99% of people, it still couldn't compare to Ling's.
Her initial reason for imitating Ling was simply to bring the existence of 'Ling' into the world.
Perhaps it was because she had been questioned since childhood that she placed such importance on Ling's existence; she wanted to prove to others that she wasn't insane! To make the world believe in 'Ling's' existence!
However, she never discussed any of this with Ling; even she felt shy.
Of course, perhaps she had doubts and even felt a little guilty about something.
That is... does Ling really exist?
...