And, as usual, I have no clue if this thing's undercooked or burnt to a crisp straight from the author's kitchen
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(Kael Rukmono - October 12, 2011)
It's been exactly one week since my "breath of fresh air" led me straight into the path of a Magus who I'm convinced was possessed by the Outer God of Degeneracy.
Honestly, if "Chichigami" actually exists, I hope its memetic hazard stays far away from this timeline. I've had enough to know about the crazy plans hatched by MARIS-CHALDEA, which were left to run on an unsupervised prompt-writer after Marisbury "deleted" himself.
Heh.....
Talk about a cautionary tale for AI development.
I just hope the people back in my original world, the ones currently handing the keys of civilization over to AI just because it 'makes things easier' understand that they're basically inviting a disaster into their living rooms.
Absolute efficiency without a human soul isn't progress; it's a graveyard.
Still, despite the headache, last week's little venture wasn't a total loss.
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(About a week ago)
Waking up the morning after my "walk" felt... complicated.
Feeding false intelligence to a Church Executor is the kind of high-stakes gambling that usually ends with a Black Key through the throat.
But in the world of magecraft,information is the only currency that matters, and I hope it won't have too much of a negative effect.
Of course,I'll definitely search for it because who wouldn't be curious about random magi who can make weapons that only exist in sci-fi and also learn magic that comes from space after some Stargazing star?
If I wanted to survive the inevitable follow-up, I had to play my cards right.
and Oh.....
There is a new notification from my Omni Phone
it seems Starbearer has given me another gacha ticket
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Starbearer ✦
Subject: Achievements and Rewards Tickets
The following Feats have been logged:
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[ Feat #1:Pest Control of the Absurd & Disgusting, made by perverted Magi]
You purged a deviant Magus and his grotesque creation with overwhelming firepower, ensuring the safety of the local populace
[Reward: 1x Silver Ability Gacha Ticket.]
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[ Feat #2:Feet First to Supernatural side]
encountering the supernatural side of this world for the first time
[1x Silver Trait Gacha Ticket]
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[Total Rewards Granted]
1x Silver Ability Gacha Ticket
1x Silver Trait Gacha Ticket
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Note: This message was generated automatically. "Starbearer" is currently busy dealing with "another"
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"Busy with another, huh?" I muttered.
"Alright, Gacha," I breathed, opening the interface.
I could feel TB and GLaDOS leaning in metaphorically, their digital presence heavy with anticipation.
"Okay, let's start with Silver Ability first."
then I hovered my finger over the [Roll] button.
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[False Data]
|Uncommon Ability|
You are able to falsify your statistics and abilities to show scrying and analysing abilities what you want them to see instead of what you actually have.
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I stared at the screen, a slow, relieved exhale escaping my lungs.
"Well... I guess the Gacha decided I wasn't quite ready to be dissected by the Clock Tower yet."
"Oh, Shikikan! That's an amazing Ability!" TB's avatar chirped, appearing on the corner of my vision. "If an enemy scans you to assess your threat level, you can feed them whatever data suits the situation. I believe we can even spoof Clairvoyance!"
"Clairvoyance..." I whispered. The thought of GOETIA, or even the future CHALDEA scanning the globe sent a shiver down my spine. With this, I wasn't just hiding; I was editing my presence in their history books.
"Adequate," GLaDOS's voice cut in, though her chibi-Caroline avatar had a rare, smug smirk as she leaned against the edge of a digital window. "Finally, RNG provides a tool that matches my own penchant for... creative honesty. You've been stomping around this timeline like a giant with bells on your shoes, Kael. This ability is essentially a 'Heisenberg Compensator' for your social existence."
She leaned forward, her digital eyes glowing a calculating orange. "Think of the possibilities. When the Mages' Association eventually comes knocking with their 'Sealing Designations' and their scanners, we can feed them data that suggests your magical potential is that of a particularly dull potato. They'll look right at you and conclude it's just... very elaborate stage magic."
"One down, one to go," I muttered, shaking off the chill of GLaDOS's 'dull potato' comment. "Let's see if the Trait ticket can maintain the momentum."
I hit the [Roll] button for the Silver Trait.
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[Hacker]
|Uncommon Trait|
You are great at interfacing with technology and leveraging your skills to get into networks. (A/N: Reroll if you are in a medieval world)
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"Wait... seriously?" I blinked at the screen
The [Library Mind] trait already had my brain functioning like a high-end server, but [Hacker] was the interface I'd been missing. It wasn't just about typing fast; I could feel a new, intuitive understanding of data streams and encryption layers beginning to knit into my subconscious.
"Oh! Shikikan, this is perfect synergy!" TB comment "With your [Unknown Dictator] creating the hardware and my processing power, this Trait acts as the ultimate bridge! I can now grant you direct neural-link access to local networks."
"This is... acceptable. It saves me the trouble of having to explain basic binary to you every time I want to hijack a satellite." GLaDOS's voice drawled, her chibi-Caroline avatar crossing her arms
"Really, GLaDOS? You're going to do that?"
"Heh... if you can forgive Tamogachi for hacking into the entire British government server and possibly the entire internet, and also give you extra funding from some pocket money from various accounts belonging to mafia from various countries, I think why not."
"Are you really bringing that up now?!" TB pouted.
"Why Tamogachi, did I say wrong?"
"Come on, it's early. I don't want to see you two fighting already," I groaned, watching the 'banter' between the Aperture Science AI and the Azur Lane AI.
(Present day)
I gained one ability that essentially gives false information to the enemy and the [Hacker] Trait ability. Basically, if I were in the Extra Timeline, I might have been a contender for the Holy Grail. Mooncell is pretty good, and thanks to GLaDOS and TB's help, I've learned the basics of Rentas pretty well.
Also, based on GLaDOS's estimation, my first Homocolus has now reached its adult phase and only needs about another week of incubation to see what she looks like.
I should probably start thinking of a name.
Unfortunately, that was the only good news this week.
Despite my new "cloaking" abilities, a cold sensation had been crawling up the back of my neck ever since that night in the greenhouse. Every time I stepped outside the mansion, I felt the weight of a gaze not from a window or a hidden camera, but something far more fundamental.
At first, I ignored it.
But the feeling only grew stronger.
So, in the end, I did something undeniably stupid.
I confronted it.
It could've been one of GOETIA's pillars or even CHALDEA itself.
Late that afternoon, I headed into a quiet suburban side street. I slipped my mask on and stopped dead in my tracks.
"Are you sure about this, Shikikan?" TB asked nervously.
"Better than letting paranoia eat me alive." I stood in the silence of the empty street and turned my head slightly. "I know you're there."
"Oh my... and here I thought I could watch you a little longer."
She wore the modest, dark habit of a sister, indistinguishable from any nun you'd see at Sunday service. It was the same nun, the same Executor I had met exactly one week ago.
"Sister, I'm sure we've both said enough to keep our distance," I said, "And I'm sure your deduction of me is a little off."
The Executor smiled thinly. "Honestly, I'm just tired of dealing with reports about 'unregistered practitioners' running around Boston, K."
"Well, sorry for the lack of transparency," I replied flatly. "But we both know information is the only thing of value in this world. And as an Executor who carries Black Keys even on her day off, you know that better than anyone, don't you?"
"Transparency is a luxury for the dead," she remarked, her voice smooth but carrying the weight of the Inquisition. "You claim to be from the Pit, K. Yet, my contacts in Atlas haven't heard of a 'K' specializing in... what did the forensics call it? 'Ionized Plasma Disintegration'?"
She tilted her head, "It's a very noisy way to keep a secret."
I exhaled slowly.
I exhaled slowly. This was where the [False Data] ability had to earn its keep. I relaxed my posture, but my hand was close to where I could quickly manifest a weapon via [Unknown Dictator] if things went south.
"I think the real problem," I said, "is that I let your imagination run wild... and I simply stopped correcting you.The part where I claim be part of ATLAS is false. You could say I've known about this "side" for quite a while "
"How long?" she pressed.
"Long enough to be considered the first generation of a new family of magi," I lied smoothly.
She stared at me for a long beat, her eyes scanning me. Thanks to my new ability, her internal "Threat Assessment" was likely pinging me as a mid-tier independent magus with a weird hobby for high-tech gadgets
"I see," she finally said, her tension easing just a fraction. "I suppose I can put this under 'local hermit magus managed to take out the target before I arrived' in my report."
She turned to leave, but stopped, looking back over her shoulder."Try to keep the Masquerade intact. I'd hate for my next target to be a Magus I actually find... tolerable."
"I'll take it under advisement, Sister….."
"Alma"The Executor easily gave his name.
"Very well, Sister Alma, May God bless you."
Sister Alma heard it and seemed a little surprised because I'm sure most magi just go straight back and reply. "And you as well." she said before finally began to walk away from me.
After making sure she was far enough away I finally let out the breath I'd been holding.
"TB," I whispered. "Is she gone?"
"Scanning... signature is fading. She's heading toward the local parish," TB reported. "Shikikan... that was a 98% probability of combat. You're getting better at this."
"I'm getting better at lying," I corrected, looking down at my hands. "There's a difference but yeah, I prefer to resolve things through talking rather than violence."
And so my interaction with the supernatural side of Fate seems to be going quite well.
I really hope nothing crazy happens in the future.