—
After a year of ruminating in the sea of knowledge, Gustave was finally able to form a preliminary understanding of his abilities — and the reason why his Sequence was enhanced compared to the original.
In the original novel from which his powers originated, the Savant's [Knowledge] and [Recall] abilities could only perform basic mystical feats within the scope of their respective sequences.
In other words, because these two abilities belonged to the Paragon — or Artisan — Pathway, they could only function to the extent that an artisan or craftsman of that pathway was capable of, particularly in the case of the [Knowledge] ability.
For example, in the novel, [Knowledge] was limited to the domains of mysticism and mechanical engineering. This meant that a Savant could only "download" knowledge related to how mechanical technology worked and the fundamental science behind it.
In the context of the Lord of Mysteries world, a Beyonder with [Knowledge] would thus only comprehend things like mechanical bolts, gears, and the basic principles of steam physics.
It was nothing like what Gustave possessed. His version of [Knowledge] allowed him to acquire every kind of information, unrestricted by the boundaries of mechanical engineering.
A clear example of this was when he instinctively grasped common awareness knowledge about an adult-themed book to divert his mother's attention a year ago.
Moreover, the two foundational attributes of the [Knowledge] ability had evolved into something far more advanced. Unlike the original version, where [Knowledge] merely gathered information, his enhanced form could connect with and merge into the existing knowledge he already possessed.
This allowed him to easily comprehend new information — such as instantly realizing he had been reincarnated into the Witcher world — and granted him an additional advantage: the ability to draw inspiration from that understanding, enabling him to create innovations far beyond simply reinventing the wheel.
In a roundabout way, this was also why he could deduce and interpret mystical phenomena — the very reason his Savant [Knowledge] and [Recall] abilities had become enhanced in the first place. The cause, he surmised, lay in the very nature of the Witcher world — a realm not governed by fixed universal "aspects," but shaped by the ever-shifting influence of Chaos Magic.
And because there were no fixed universal aspects to restrict his Sequence, his abilities — as a beneficial side effect — were no longer limited to the scope of an artisan or craftsman. Instead, they encompassed a vast range of knowledge, far beyond what would ever be useful to any craftsman in the first place.
Likewise, his [Recall] ability, which originally could only retrieve every piece of knowledge and experience its user had ever seen, had also evolved. Enhanced by the permeating presence of Chaos Energy, his version could not only recall memories and experiences but also the exact stream of thoughts he had at that moment.
For example, when someone remembers a past event, they can usually recall only the sensory details and the general experience — not the entire thought process that led to it.
In simpler terms, his [Recall] could recreate the experience of reading a novel series for the first time — reliving it with completely fresh eyes, as though he had never encountered it before.
He wasn't sure what practical use this ability might have beyond convenience and the satisfaction of revisiting beloved stories, but he had an inkling that one day, it might become the key to solving a future problem.
Another aspect of the [Recall] ability that had been enhanced was the addition of an extra sense — one not part of the traditional five. It allowed him to perceive the permeating Chaos Energy that surrounded him.
Although he lacked the innate talent to become a sorcerer, as he possessed no Source, he was able to simulate the sensation of magic through his [Knowledge] ability, enabling him to understand and interpret this new sense.
The principle was similar to someone who had lived their whole life near the equator — never experiencing winter firsthand, yet still understanding what it was and being able to imagine its chill after seeing snowy fields in a video or documentary.
His [Knowledge] worked in much the same way when it came to sensing the Chaos Energy that saturated the Witcher world.
As for how he came to this realization, it was because he could [Recall] and compare his experiences between two worlds — his Earth, which was devoid of any form of mystical energy except in death, and this one, where magic flowed freely.
Ding… Ding… Ding… Ding…
Snapping out of his reverie at the tolling of the clock tower signaling midnight, Gustave toddled toward the dressing room, seeking a moment of solitary confinement.
"Little prince, where are you going? It's time for bed," his maid called out.
Knowing that medieval people had different sleeping habits — often sleeping in two shifts, with a wakeful period around midnight — Gustave had his own reason for staying awake: tonight was Friday.
Swatting away his maid's hand as she tried to pick him up, Gustave replied, "Want to stink stink. Leave alone."
With a helpless sigh, the maid could only watch as her oddly mature charge waddled away. She had long since learned to tolerate the peculiar behavior of this abnormal child.
Reaching the dressing room, Gustave used the convenient rope handle — a modification his mother had ordered to grant him more independence — to open the door. He slipped inside, closed it behind him, and grabbed a towel from a nearby basket.
Stuffing the towel between his gums, he pressed one tiny hand against his head and the other against the door, bracing himself as twisting shadows and raving murmurs crawled into the edges of his vision.
Snake-like hisses, ghostly whispers, and chilling giggles echoed in his ears, sending his emotions spiraling into chaos. Clenching the towel between his teeth, he fought desperately to keep his mind from unraveling.
Trying to [Recall] Lord of Mysteries, as he had the first time he faced such madness, did nothing now. Perhaps the same trick couldn't be used twice — or maybe it had always been a one-time method. He didn't know; all he could do was endure the delirium through sheer willpower alone.
Tears and snot streamed down his face as his tiny body trembled uncontrollably, his jaw locked tight in a futile effort to suppress the rising insanity.
At last, after fifteen long minutes past midnight, Gustave managed to draw a single, shaky breath — his first taste of relief after enduring yet another wave of raving madness.
Removing the towel from his mouth — this time without drawing blood from the strain of his clenched muscles — he nodded in satisfaction. His willpower had grown stronger once again, tempered each time he survived one of these delirious episodes.
These episodes came unfailingly: every Friday, every full moon, every eclipse — and, he suspected, during every Black Sun as well. In other words, whenever the veil of the world thinned and the time of nightmares, curses, and miserable omens began.
As for why his version of raving madness was so much worse than the original, Gustave attributed it to the Chaos Magic that permeated the entire Witcher universe.
The madness was so severe that even a low Sequence — which was usually safe from such insanity — now suffered as intensely as Fors Wall did when she endured Mr. Door's ravings, only magnified to the extreme and occurring far more frequently.
And since his abilities were intertwined with that very Chaos, whether he liked it or not, he too had to bear its consequences. Most beings who wielded Chaos Magic in this world were monsters, and thus, his connection to it inevitably linked him to the monstrosities that roamed this forsaken land.
"Well… there's no rose without a thorn," he muttered.
Accepting that every enhanced power came with its share of curses, Gustave first cleaned himself with a fresh towel, then proceeded to open the door once more and stepped into the study room as if nothing had happened.
—
Now, at three years old, after countless hours of silent rumination with nothing to do but eat, sleep, and read, Gustave had finally devised a quantifiable method to understand how his slightly altered Beyonder powers worked — and how he might combat the madness that accompanied ascending to higher Sequences, or in other words, leveling up.
Because he had to account for the influence of Chaos Energy tied to his enhanced abilities, Gustave's usual method of advancement was slightly different.
Unlike the standard Beyonder process of consuming potions — where the scope of madness stemmed solely from the potion itself — his Sequence required him to contend with the compounded insanity born from the very essence of Chaos that empowered him.
For that reason, the threshold of madness he had to withstand through sheer willpower increased exponentially — lest he succumb to the insanity that accompanied advancement to a higher Sequence.
This meant he first had to accumulate resistance up to the ceiling of madness corresponding to that Sequence before attempting to advance further — much like how, in a game, a player must gather enough experience before leveling up.
As for the matter of digesting his current power — particularly his 9th Sequence, Savant — he had already completed that long ago, exactly six months after his rebirth. After all, being perceived as a prodigious baby who could read and understand adult language was already sufficient "acting" for him to digest the power within.
However, because the threshold of madness in his enhanced Sequence was exponentially higher than in the original, Gustave refused to recklessly advance before confirming his readiness. That was why he devised this quantifiable method — a means to measure his mental fortitude and determine when he would be prepared to ascend further.
Setting down his pigment stick — a medieval version of a crayon — Gustave nodded in satisfaction at the coded notes hidden within his drawings, legible only to himself. He paid no attention to the four maids nearby, who nearly melted at the sight of his serious, unintentional display of adorable concentration.
—
[8th Madness Barrier: 5.7]
[Willpower: 2.4]
[Sequence: 9th — Savant]
[Abilities: Knowledge++ | Recall++]
[Knowledge] — Allows the user to acquire information from their surroundings' point of view and to defragment and organize all stored data efficiently.
[Recall] — Enables the user to recall every single piece of knowledge and experience they have ever encountered, including insights that have yet to be consciously realized within those memories.
—
As for the mechanism to increase his willpower, the method was deceptively simple: Gustave merely had to endure the waves of madness. Each time he managed to withstand them, his willpower grew stronger — progressing inch by inch toward the threshold required to advance to a higher Sequence.
If he wished to accelerate the process, he could consciously embrace the delirium — gambling on whether he could return from the brink of insanity once the episode passed.
However, because this method was extremely dangerous, risky, and prone to irreversible failure, Gustave regarded it only as a last resort — something to be attempted only when pushed to absolute desperation.
Otherwise, he preferred the safer, gradual approach: training his willpower like a muscle, strengthening it bit by bit through steady endurance. Thankfully, there was another way to speed up his advancement besides simply enduring madness through willpower.
By further digesting his Sequence's power beyond the standard acting digestion, the barrier to the next level became noticeably lower — in other words, by immersing himself more deeply in the "acting" of his particular Sequence, he could effectively reduce the experience threshold required for advancement.
However, because this approach was not methodical and often required a sudden epiphany to trigger, Gustave did not rely solely on it. Despite being the safest and most stable method, it was also the most unpredictable, as it required an insight that could come at any moment — or not at all.
"My sweet mama's boy… come, let's have dinner together. I want to tell you something."
Turning around to see his mother enter the room with her entourage, Gustave sighed inwardly, already dreading the overly affectionate hands of his mother — and of those "aunties" who followed her in, unable to contain their excitement whenever they saw him.
Slipping back into his role as the prodigy baby, he replied, "I walk can, Mama."
"Oh really? Already brave enough to deny your Queen's request, huh?"
Ignoring his mother's mock stern tone, Gustave walked with royal dignity out of the chamber — a display that only made his mother and the surrounding attendants melt at his unintentional cuteness.
"Hey! Don't ignore me, young man!"
Effortlessly scooped up from behind by his mother, Gustave lamented his tiny, powerless body that couldn't even put up a proper rebellion. Mourning the loss of his dignity, he had no choice but to let himself be doted on.
Giving his mother a pout of mock anger, he braced himself for the inevitable — her mischievous hands pinching at his chubby cheeks.
"Ahh, how unbelievably cute my little Gustave is! Feel these doughy cheeks — they're so adorable…"
And as if that weren't enough, the aunties who had accompanied his mother also decided to get their hands on what little dignity he had left, all while gossiping about every possible topic — most of which, of course, centered around him.
"How can someone be this smart and adorable at the same time…"
"Oh my, Your Highness! Little scholar here would be a perfect match for my daughter. So if, by any chance…"
"Shut it, Priscilla. Your daughter Nadia — or even your entire Esposito family — isn't worthy of the young prince's hand."
"Oh really? Last I heard, there's a rumor that your husband and your precious Bossard family are plotting a coup. What would your young son Gascon think if he ever found out about that?"
"What rubbish! Baseless rumors, as always — we Bossards would never…"
"Ahh! Young prince, how can you be so cute…"
"Hmm, he'd look good in Ofiri shoes. Let me buy a pair for him, Meve…"
"Oh dear, when he comes of age, let Odo train him. It's not good for him to just read books all day — don't let him turn into one of those stuck-up Ban Ard curse-spitters!"
During one of those endless chats, Gustave could've sworn he heard a familiar name — perhaps even a named character. But before he could dwell on it, they had already arrived at the banquet hall, and his attention shifted toward the person he assumed his mother wanted to introduce.
"Let Mother introduce you to our court wizard."
"It's about time you retained one, Meve."
A sharp, prickling sensation suddenly struck Gustave's forehead — followed by the loudest scream he had ever heard, a cry so raw and pitiful that it sent chills crawling down his spine.
"Hello, young prince. I'll be your— AHH, MY HEAD!!!"
The man clutched his skull and collapsed, convulsing violently on the floor as if seized by madness. Foam and blood spilled from his mouth as his skin began to writhe and twist, reshaping into something grotesque — something inhuman.
Frowning, already having an inkling of what was happening, Gustave watched the man in silence as panicked chatter and confusion rippled through the banquet hall.
The man's body twisted at angles no human should ever move, his face contorting into a grotesque monstrosity. Gustave then felt his mother, without hesitation, snatch a sword from one of the stunned guards nearby and, with a single decisive motion, cleanly decapitate the creature — all while still holding him securely in one arm.
Right on cue, Gustave did what any normal baby would do — he burst into tears, wailing in mock terror and confusion. Inwardly, however, he noted one tiny adjustment he needed to make to his quantifiable framework.
—
[Controlled Madness: 2.4]
—