"The aura of a Pillar of the World."
Perradat stared at the glowing strand of hair with a complex gaze. "The ideal symbiotic species of our race—I can never mistake it. All Floating Cocoons instinctively seek out this scent."
She stared at the strand of hair sadly for a while.
"But how would Lord Nol know this? His original form is just a human." A few minutes later, Perradat came to her senses.
Teest clenched the strand of hair, looking towards the mutating, deformed flesh mass.
The Pillar of the World. Kando had mentioned this species, and according to him, it was a being that Perradat "wouldn't dare to confront even in death". It seemed, this so-called "Pillar of the World" was far stronger than both Star Stealer Sol and the Floating Cocoon.
"He must have a fragment of the Pillar of the World on him. Possibly it's influencing him."
Teest recalled the white scale on the chest of the Gods Corpses. "The premise is, you're sure that Nol's spirit belongs to a human."
"Absolutely." Perradat shook her head emphatically. "The Pillar of the World is indeed very powerful, but their most distinct characteristic is 'lack of emotion'. You can imagine them as precise biological machines."
"Only species that need social interactions—like the two of you, like me—require rich emotions. Lord Nol's emotions are abundant. He definitely isn't a Pillar of the World."
That's not right. Teest bit his lower lip hard. Nol wouldn't have specifically called Perradat to show him a piece of the corpse of a Pillar of the World.
"What characteristics does that species have?" Teest patiently continued, "I've been 'fused' with a succubus, successfully acquiring the succubus' skills. Since the Pillar of the World is so powerful, maybe Nol gained some special abilities."
…Even a portion of their power.
When it came to species she was familiar with, Perradat's head excitedly spun twice. "You've asked the right person. Our race knows the myth of the Pillar of the World from birth…"
"Get to the point." Teest ruthlessly interrupted.
"The power of the Pillar of the World is 'recording' and 'immortality'."
Perradat summarized obediently.
"The Pillar of the World can naturally remember countless pieces of information. They are keen on cultivating, analyzing, and researching, strengthening themselves based on research results. Simply put, they are the most brilliant researchers."
That's not it, Teest thought.
Nol indeed had an excellent memory, but his interest in research was limited on ordinary days. Compared to a calm "researcher", his Nol was more like a "creator" full of love. There was a subtle difference between the two.
"As for 'immortality'. As long as they don't encounter disease or injury, the lifespan of the Pillar of the World is infinite."
"Once they die, their corpses don't rot but shatter into countless fragments. New Pillars of the World are born from the gathered fragments of their kin, starting their journey of research anew."
Perradat's voice got softer and softer towards the end, gradually tinged with disbelief.
"You don't mean to say…"
"There are also a bunch of fragments here, in a similar state," Teest said softly.
"It's just similar. They are a mess of fragments from various sources, not the Pillar of the World." Perradat shouted, "Even if that piece of the Pillar of the World's corpse contains power, it wouldn't obey Lord Nol's will!"
"I know what you're thinking. This isn't something on the same level as a Supplement Demon. With so much interference, it's hard enough for Lord Nol to maintain rationality. Star Stealer Sol simply brutishly assembled divine corpses. That guy couldn't manipulate powers—"
In the dark room, the newly born flesh mass was still trembling. The eyes that were revealed opened and closed, and the eyeballs turned chaotically under the flesh membrane. At that moment, Nol was probably dreaming.
He resisted the madness and darkness, forcibly constructing a busy life full of sunlight.
The black and red threads belonging to Star Stealer Sol were embedded in his flesh, gathering into a bundle at the end, disappearing into the air. Nol's power flowed out along them, towards an unknown space.
Like the umbilical cord absorbing nutrients.
On the other end, presumably, was the planet where Tahe was nurtured. They witnessed the creation of a god, the truth far more unbearable than Teest imagined.
"Honey, I suddenly realized, you and I are actually quite similar."
Teest, enduring the mad pressure, approached that terrifying god-like creature. He placed a hand on the mass of the monster. It was extremely cold, reminding him of Lich Nol when they first got together.
So you were also imprisoned and tormented by that guy for so long, buried in the abyss of despair.
I once took you to visit my past. Now it's your turn to show your true self. We were forced to become monsters, doomed to death. If you are like me—
"I guess this is just the beginning. You've tried to escape, haven't you?"
Teest leaned forward. Under Perradat's shocked gaze, he gently kissed the formless monster.
"Go on. I'm looking forward to it, honey."
Like responding to the kiss, the flesh mass quickly began to wriggle.
The enormous monster seemed to suddenly notice Teest's presence, its surface sprouting countless tentacles, wrapping around Teest's limbs, pulling him back to its side.
The flesh membrane trembled and split open, revealing an eyeball the size of a head in front of Teest. That eye overflowed with madness, yet it contained a hint of gentleness.
Those tentacles gently patted Teest's body, running down his spine.
The next moment, memories suddenly accelerated, with day and night wildly alternating outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.
...
After moving into the house, Xu Yue's new life could be described as perfect, except for one flaw—he had nightmares every night.
In the dreams were countless claws and tentacles of various shapes, constricting his limbs and neck, tearing and pulling in different directions, trying to rip him to pieces. He heard indistinct moans and screams, roars and whispers. Each time he woke up, Xu Yue was drenched in cold sweat.
Initially, these dreams would fade gradually after waking up. But as time passed, they became increasingly vivid. The tearing in the dreams left bruises, and the pulling was accompanied by dislocations and severe pain. After waking from the dreams, he still remembered the rot and wrinkles on those monstrous hands.
This is terrible. Xu Yue sighed as he walked past the crawling flesh on the ground.
It was all because of these dreams, his mind was filled with inexplicable voices and images, incessantly noisy day and night. It was okay when he was working, but the moment he stopped to rest, those voices made it impossible for him to think.
"You're too noisy." One day, he couldn't help but say to them. "I'll create a group for you guys first and check the messages after work."
Saying that, he picked up his phone, and inserted the data cable into the gap in his spine. As his skin split open, the voices in his head eerily quieted for a moment, then the volume lowered, turning from chaotic screams to whispering.
Xu Yue satisfactorily closed this new work group.
Night fell again. Before going to sleep, Xu Yue picked up his blood-stained phone and scrolled through the messages.
They were in pain. They couldn't rest. They didn't want to stay together.
They said the dreams were real. They said he was being deceived. They suggested he end it sooner.
No. Xu Yue firmly replied to them. I don't want to die.
In that night's nightmare, one of the tentacles was particularly furious. It crushed his limbs, repeatedly slamming him in the darkness. It really hurts. Xu Yue listened to the buzzing in his head. It's too painful.
But his life had just begun. His work wasn't yet finished, and he had designed a very beautiful dragon. This was just a fucking nightmare. He could deal with it.
So, Xu Yue bit down hard on that mad tentacle, tearing and swallowing with all his might. His thought was simple—without hands or feet, he couldn't open it. So as long as he ate it, it wouldn't come back to torment him again.
Slippery, rotten—it was as if he was swallowing strong acid mouthful by mouthful. The pain boiled his brain, burning his internal organs. But it was okay, the tentacle was gradually diminishing. The nightmare would always end. He was sure he could finish eating it.
At sunrise, everything would return to normal. He would make a cup of coffee, water the flowers, and go to work as usual.
Daytime life was always beautiful, and the game production was going smoothly. Only the messages in that work group were becoming crazier and crazier, and more and more monsters came to torment him in the nightmare.
They hoped he would break down sooner. They hoped he could lead them to die together.
No matter how Xu Yue fought them off, they would come back again and again. Only by swallowing them could his mind get some peace.
Maybe he was crazy. When swallowing those chunks of flesh, Xu Yue thought so. How could dreams hurt so much? Why were there more and more miscellaneous items in his place? Perhaps there was a little problem with his life.
He had tried going to the hospital for an examination or asking colleagues. But the feedback he always got was "everything is normal".
Then he had to investigate by himself.
[Let's talk. What do you really want?]
Nol rarely opened the work group, deciding to slack off for a while. He extended his two hands and tapped on the keyboard, throwing out questions into the dark screen.
Those beings were fierce when they tore at him, but communicating with them was difficult, as if their thoughts weren't clear. Many of the members could only express simple "yes" or "no" answers and were often spaced out or disconnected.
Day after day passed, and Xu Yue finally pieced together the answer.
[According to you, I'm being used to create a world.]
Xu Yue typed rapidly. [You are the remnants of gods, forced to merge with me, so that I could have tremendous power. But in this process, we must all endure pain—you wish for rest, and I wish to live.]
Perhaps it was his calm attitude, but those voices just gave a uniform "affirmative" response.
[And according to you, I am doomed to die. Even if I consume your spirits, your bodies will still decay, weakening me as well.]
[This is a bit troublesome. I still don't want to die.]
There was silence in the work group.
[Don't you resent this?] After a while, a relatively clear voice posed the question.
[You want to die, I want to live. Everyone is striving for their own goals. There's nothing to be angry about.] Xu Yue said, [I am indeed angry at the one who stitched us together, but it won't easily harm me before the world is completed. During this time, we can think of a solution together.]
[…A way to let you all rest and let me live.]
Having said that, Xu Yue smiled at the black hole-like screen. His body was oozing with decaying juice, the pain spreading from night to day, and the situation was worsening. Sometimes while watering the flowers, his wrist would break off limply.
What should he do?
Xu Yue poured a cup of coffee, contemplating as he looked at the snowflakes outside. The snowflakes fell, and his body was slowly disintegrating, the noise in his head becoming more chaotic.
Fortunately, he still had time, and his mind could catch a breath—
Whether it was a world or a game, he wanted to complete it. He was really happy when making it. Even if he had actually gone mad or was truly caught in some god's prank.
The world he created with his own hands was still beautiful.
Finally, as the game's production was nearing its end, Xu Yue noticed something unusual. Different from those noisy wills wishing for death, there was a will inside him that was always silent. It was like an observer, standing at the edge of his nightmare. It wouldn't tear his body apart, nor would it spam the work group.
It just coldly observed, and Xu Yue wasn't even sure if it was conscious. But Xu Yue could be sure of one thing—those randomly scrambling limbs specifically avoided it, as if in fear.
During this time, to find a way to survive, he specifically learned about those noisy monsters inside him. Unfortunately, it was like trying his luck at a second-hand book stall with his eyes closed. The knowledge he gained was mostly useless, only making his thoughts more chaotic.
But it wasn't time to give up yet.
One night, Xu Yue dragged his broken body and organs, crawling towards that silver light in the darkness.
[What are you?] He ignored the limbs tearing at his organs, barely protecting his head.
[A fragment of the Pillar of the World.]
Xu Yue didn't know what "a fragment of the Pillar of the World" was, but it sounded powerful enough.
[You don't want to die?] he asked in pain.
[I have no preference,] it said. Its expression was surprisingly clear, but it lacked the emotions a living being should have. [I await completeness, await to record.]
[I don't understand…]
The fragment didn't answer again. Just as Nol was about to continue, a memory suddenly pierced his mind. It was information about "the Pillar of the World", very detailed explanations.
The thing in front of him was more like a set of programs set in advance, just waiting for the system to operate.
Immortal power, corpse rebirth… his own unsolvable body that was collapsing…
Xu Yue reached out his blood-soaked hand towards that fragment, only to be blocked by a silver-white light screen in the blink of an eye.
[Invalid invitation,] it said.
The next second, Xu Yue was grabbed into a pulp by the surging limbs behind him. He suddenly opened his eyes and saw the familiar ceiling of his bedroom—the thick blood vessels throbbing, the mattress beneath him rising and falling.
Xu Yue decisively picked up his phone, swiftly took a day off, and went back to sleep immediately.
It seemed he had found a breakthrough.
The world quickly fell into darkness, and the pain of being torn apart struck again. Xu Yue, accustomed to ignoring his shattered body, made a beeline for that fragment.
[I have a proposal. I can let you collect brand-new information.] He said, [I am creating a special world that carries civilizations, and my body is covered with countless fragments of corpses. Obey me, and you can obtain a unique sample of records.]
The fragment didn't respond immediately. It seemed to be considering.
Amidst the splattering of flesh and blood, Xu Yue's tone was calm and confident. [Under such similar yet different conditions, what will I become? The environment is filled with madness and the unknown, how should I escape it. By missing this deal, you will lose this special case forever.]
[Obey me, repair me, record me.]
After a long silence, the fragment finally gave an answer.
[Prove your value,] it said.
The author has a message:
Well, Star Stealer Sol might have lost because he wasn't crazy enough (.