"…You can't control me,"
he whispered.
Then he stepped forward.
One step.
Slow.
Steady.
The pressure from the black cocoon hanging in midair grew heavier with every second.
But this time—
it no longer pierced straight into his mind like before.
The stone was protecting him.
He knew it.
Just one more step.
Just one—
and he could reach the cocoon.
Save the one inside.
He gritted his teeth.
Stepped forward.
—
At that exact moment—
his heart skipped.
The sound rang loud in his ears, as if the entire world had fallen silent just to make way for that single beat.
Something felt… off.
Vague.
Formless.
But—
wrong.
His instincts screamed.
He stopped.
Something… wasn't right.
He didn't know where it came from.
Was it a side effect from overusing the Everlasting Dream Wishing Stone?
A thought flashed—
like lightning tearing through stagnant darkness.
I don't have information on this boss.
It wasn't the type to charge in like a mindless brute.
Not raw power.
It stayed still.
Yet it controlled an entire swarm of clones from afar—
like a commander behind a curtain,
never revealing itself…
yet controlling the entire battlefield.
And from the very beginning—
it had never attacked relentlessly.
It always left gaps.
Among thousands of clones.
Gaps that were… too perfect.
Another heartbeat echoed.
He froze.
From the very start—
every step he took…
had been guided.
Lured.
Marked.
Forced to believe he was in danger—
and had to close in as fast as possible.
…That seal—
was bait.
He looked down.
The crimson mark beneath his feet flickered,
as if it were about to fade.
And in his mind—
there were no more strange sounds.
Everything… went silent.
The space around him—
and within him—
fell into a terrifying stillness.
Only one thing remained—
his heartbeat.
And the cocoon…
right in front of him.
The effect of the Everlasting Dream Wishing Stone was fading.
He was close.
Too close.
"Damn it…"
A conclusion he didn't want to accept—
rose up.
"It's a psychic-type boss."
"The worst kind."
He stepped back.
"I… walked into its range."
Another step.
"Remote domain control."
"Pulling the target closer."
One more step back.
"Once you're close enough—"
He turned.
Golden light began to wrap around him.
"…Game over."
He had to retreat.
Now.
But—
the heartbeat returned.
Faster.
Urgent.
Not from him.
From behind.
From… the cocoon.
Those beats sounded almost… excited.
He slowly turned his head.
The cocoon—
moved.
Not shaking.
But—
"opening its eyes."
Something spilled out.
Colorless.
Formless.
But—
it was looking at him.
He froze.
"…What the—"
Before he could finish—
Thousands of crimson eyes burst open in the void.
They spread—
like a peacock's tail.
Like the eye of the heavens.
All of them stared at him.
At once.
Their gaze didn't stay still—
it surged forward.
Crashing.
Pressing.
A psychic wave exploded.
Not a normal attack.
Not pressure.
But—
invasion.
It flooded into his mind like a broken dam.
No resistance.
No thought.
Only one will remained—
assimilation.
"No…!"
He roared.
Activated the Everlasting Dream Wishing Stone again.
The stone in his hand burned.
Vibrated violently.
But—
not enough.
The sound in his head shattered.
His memories stretched.
His identity… began to blur.
"I am—"
The words were cut off.
Another voice forced its way in.
Not his.
Yet it echoed… from within.
You are part of me.
You always have been.
"Shut up…!"
He struggled to hold on.
To remember.
To cling.
But everything…
was slipping away.
Like sand.
Like smoke.
His body stood there.
Motionless.
His eyes—
slowly emptying.
—
Before the golden light could fully envelop him—
inside,
darkness had already devoured everything.
No boundaries.
No direction.
Only a dense black void,
crushing everything within it.
Then—
crack.
Dry.
Sharp.
As if something inside him… broke.
At that instant—
the entire world collapsed.
Light vanished.
Sound vanished.
Only one thing remained—
an abyss.
Bottomless.
"You are part of me.
You always have been."
That voice…
still echoed.
Endless.
He fell.
No gravity.
No end.
No sense of time.
His body—
felt nothing.
His identity—
ceased to exist.
Only a faint thought remained—
it's over.
"Professor? Professor?"
The voice tore through the void.
"Why are you just standing there? Can you hear me?"
His eyes snapped open.
He jolted—
like a drowning man breaking the surface.
Air flooded into his lungs.
Fast.
Burning.
He inhaled like he had never breathed before.
His back was soaked.
Cold sweat slid down his spine—
thin, crawling, like snakes.
His heart pounded wildly.
Each beat—
like it might burst through his chest.
"…I'm alive?"
His vision blurred.
Like he was still trapped in a dream.
He gasped—
dragging in air, greedy for it.
The AI's voice came again—
clearer this time.
"Professor? What's wrong? Are you okay?"
The world slowly came back into focus.
His breathing was still heavy.
No longer broken—
but still fast.
He raised a hand to his head.
Thud.
Hard.
A sharp pain flared.
Like something—
a rifle butt, or a metal object—
had struck him directly.
He winced.
The pain… was real.
Too real.
He shook his head.
Looked around.
Once.
Then again.
"…No way."
His hands were still trembling.
But—
no abyss.
No sense of his mind being torn apart.
No voice—
the one that had crushed his soul
until nothing of "him" remained.
In front of him—
the battlefield was still there.
The black cocoon still hovered.
Pulsing faintly—
like a massive heart.
Dark veins spread outward.
Slow.
Unstoppable.
He…
was standing exactly where he started.
At the moment—
he had just raised his hand to activate the Everlasting Dream Wishing Stone.
His pupils shrank.
Then expanded.
As if trying to confirm something impossible.
"…This is real?"
A chill ran down his spine.
Not fear—
realization.
He had never left this place.
Everything that just happened—
failure.
collapse.
being devoured—
—had all happened within a single instant.
His throat tightened.
Nausea surged.
"…Not a normal illusion."
He tightened his grip on the stone.
Its surface was ice-cold.
But deep inside—
something like pink mist drifted slowly.
Faint.
Weightless.
Suddenly—
A surge of electricity shot through his body.
"AAAA—! Stop! Someone save me!"
His entire body convulsed violently.
He'd lost count how many times today
this "AI Pikachu" had shocked him.
But this time—
he laughed.
Soft.
Hoarse.
But real.
He could feel it.
He was back.
No—
he was alive.
What just happened…
couldn't be dismissed as a simple illusion.
He lay there.
Staring at the space around him.
Something… was off.
Subtle.
Like a thin layer
overlaying reality.
Lam Huy Trường shot upright.
Turned his head.
Looked around.
To the left—
another "him" stood there.
Also him.
Same body.
But—
faint.
Like it was made of cotton candy.
Its eyes… just a little emptier.
To the right—
another one.
Then another.
The "him"s—
layered.
Stacked.
Out of sync—
by a single breath.
One had already taken half a step forward.
One still hesitated.
One—
had already turned to run.
All of them… were him.
All of them…
walking different paths.
He held his breath.
"…What is this?"
The voice came again—
from the watch on his left wrist.
"Professor? Can you hear me clearly?"
He looked down.
His gaze fixed on the watch.
"Mrs. AI… I…"
"You're still not okay? All your body metrics show you just went through something extremely severe."
"…Severe?"
The word came out slowly.
As if he was testing it in his own mind.
Those images—
rose again.
Clear.
Vivid.
Real enough…
that they couldn't be denied.
He looked up.
At the moving versions of himself.
A thought formed—
slow.
But firm.
"…Not an illusion."
He murmured.
"They're like… intersections of possibilities."
"Huh? Professor? What are you talking about?"
He didn't answer.
His eyes remained locked on the alternate selves.
"What I just experienced…"
He swallowed.
"…wasn't a normal illusion."
Each word fell—
heavy.
"…It was more like…"
He paused.
Searching for the right term.
"…a near-death forecast."
The words came out dry.
"Like in movies."
A brief silence.
"…A future."
Where he stepped forward.
Where he failed.
Where he was crushed.
Invaded.
Assimilated—
until he was no longer himself.
His throat burned.
"Could it be…"
He spoke softly.
"…that I just… actually died?"
"Professor?!"
The AI's voice spiked—
clearly alarmed.
But he didn't react.
His gaze slowly shifted back to the cocoon.
It was still there.
Still pulsing.
Slow.
Steady.
But this time—
he could feel it.
Something… off.
A tiny misalignment.
A subtle ripple—
one he hadn't noticed before.
"…It's hesitating?"
He frowned.
"…Because I didn't follow the sequence it 'predicted'?"
No answer.
Only silence.
Around him—
the "him"s kept moving.
Each choosing a different path.
Each heading in a different direction.
None stopped.
None turned back.
He clenched his fist.
A flicker of hesitation passed through him.
He had never heard of the Everlasting Dream Wishing Stone showing the future.
Did he miss something?
…
…
…
But one thing—
was clear.
Once he moved—
there would be no second attempt.
A low, heavy sound echoed.
He flinched.
A dark crimson glow flickered from the cocoon.
At the same time—
a blood-red interface appeared before his eyes.
New lines of text formed:
[Evolution Progress: 70%].
His heart tightened.
Not much time left.
Not enough to hesitate.
He tightened his grip on the Magnum V and the Everlasting Dream Wishing Stone.
The "him"s around him began to fade.
As if—
this world wouldn't allow him to stand still for long.
Every second—
a possibility vanished.
A path closed.
He had to choose.
But what?
If he rushed in—
and fell into that trap again—
he would die.
For sure.
He slowly stood up.
His body swayed slightly.
But his eyes—
steadied.
"…I held back… to avoid alerting it."
His voice was hoarse.
"…so I didn't use it."
He exhaled.
A long breath dissolved into the layered reality around him.
"Ha…"
A faint chuckle.
"…Now there's nothing left to hold back."
"Professor? Do you want me to find an escape route—"
"No."
He cut her off.
Fast.
Decisive.
"Help me take out…"
He slowed.
Each word firm.
"White Stone."
A brief pause.
He stared straight ahead.
"Phew…"
A breath escaped.
"If it's already game over—"
"…then I'll load the save."
""…and clear this stage."
"…by my rules."
He stepped forward.
One step.
And this time—
he was nothing like any of the others.