Chapter 203
The acrid sll of gunpowder filled the training room once again today.
After finishing my ballistic trajectory training, I asked Ragnata various questions, steering the conversation toward temperant.
"Simply put, temperant refers to how the brain functions and processes information. It’s shaped by the brain’s structure and form, which areas are dominant even within the sa structure, the order of responses, the developnt of neurotransmitters and receptors… An endless web of interconnections determines one's temperant."
Ragnata spoke, spilling knowledge from who knows where.
"I know it’s a dumb question, but I’ll ask anyway. Is it impossible to change one's temperant?"
I wiped the sweat off my face as I spoke.
"The mind has a structure too. Just as the physical structure of the body makes certain actions impossible no matter how much you try, the sa goes for the mind—when you hit its structural limit, that’s it. The blueprint of the mind can't be physically unraveled, and even what little we do understand is ridiculously shallow. That’s why the ignorant believe the mind has no structure and infinite potential. But once the brain stops growing, its structure is set, and there’s ‘almost’ no way to change it. Just as we modify and reshape our bodies to push beyond our limits, the brain needs physical alterations for its structure and temperant to change."
Unlike the body, whose blueprint is fully mapped out and even replicable, the brain has no such blueprint. That’s why brain modification remains an uncertain, unexplored frontier. Even performing the exact sa brain surgery on mbers of the sa species often yielded completely different results.
"But sotis, people’s personalities change after experiencing major events."
"When an event impacts soone's personality, it ans their brain has endured enough pressure and shock to undergo structural changes. That’s an acquired transformation. But even then, the changes don’t stray too far from the original structure. Think of the mind as a building. While the brain is still developing, it can change flexibly through various experiences, taking shape according to its trajectory. At that stage, new forms and structures can be introduced if necessary. But once adulthood is reached and brain growth ceases, its form is set, making major changes difficult. If an event or ntal shock is strong enough to alter that structure, it doesn’t result in change—it leads to complete ntal collapse."
Ragnata spoke at length, then lifted her head to look at . She added,
"…You’re not trying to change your temperant, are you? Sothing’s bothering you."
Her sharp eyes pierced through . I pursed my lips but said nothing as I gathered my clothes.
"I thought I’d take this opportunity to change my temperant and beco an all-rounder. All I have to do is strengthen the cold, rational side of my disposition, right?"
Ragnata burst into laughter.
"If you’re going to lie, at least make it believable. People like you—those who pursue honor—take pride in their nature and temperant."
"Acting all high and mighty because of your independent research is just as obnoxious, Ragnata."
I spoke curtly before turning away and leaving the training room.
As I walked down the hallway, I checked my terminal. There was a ssage from Jafa.
'Boyan’s test results, huh. He probably wouldn’t want to see these…'
But as his guardian, I had to check. That was likely why Jafa sent them to .
I calmly scanned Boyan’s scores.
'All of his grades are in the lower ranks.'
Since he hadn't been in school for long, it was natural for his grades to be poor. The real problem was that Boyan had realized his learning ability was behind that of the other students.
I knew he had worked hard. He had clawed his way up from the bottom to seize this opportunity, putting in an almost desperate effort.
Jafa’s voice echoed in my mind, recalling the ssage she had left.
"Passive learning must have been unbearable torture for Boyan. On top of that, Crawler brains are particularly weak when it cos to rote morization. Their ability to recognize written symbols is also poor. Essentially, their entire species has a form of dyslexia, from our perspective."
I hadn't just sat idly by. I had read several books about Crawlers. Not that there were many written with a favorable view.
Crawlers were seen as a lazy and violent species. They were unnecessarily sturdy, incredibly strong, and a constant headache for Planet Novus.
The only reason a species so distant from scientific civilization had managed to reach space was through technological plundering. They attacked nearby advanced species, stole their technology and equipnt, and thus managed to expand into space.
'On the surface, Crawlers might seem dumb… but their intelligence itself isn’t lacking. Crawler warrior groups operate like special forces, moving with intelligence and employing structured tactics. They just use their brains solely for fighting and hunting.'
Because their intelligence was applied differently, they appeared to be dull-witted.
'A species that never should have made it into space in the first place.'
Most species that achieved space travel on their own had a natural affinity for technology and knowledge. But Crawlers, having stolen their way into space, had no such inclination.
Boyan was the anomaly.
A Crawler’s brain was highly advantageous when it ca to learning combat and hunting. They could grasp the overall flow of a situation while reacting swiftly to external stimuli. Since flexibility was crucial in battle and hunting, their focus constantly shifted, and their aggressive nature allowed them to respond to unexpected dangers with fearless composure.
‘But that’s a disadvantage when it cos to disciplines that require persistent focus.’
Instead, Crawlers possessed exceptional combat-adapted bodies. Even without any enhancents, they could withstand a barrage of bullets and go toe-to-toe with cybernetically augnted opponents in hand-to-hand combat. They were predators that could tear a human apart with nothing more than their natural claws.
"Mm, this is tricky."
Scratching my head, I walked down the hallway.
Tomorrow was the day Valek’s mory extraction would be complete. I should get so rest early.
* * *
Jafa and I visited the simulation room inside the corporate building.
A biohacker, responsible for the mory extraction, greeted us. His body was covered in intricate, glowing circuit tattoos, and a pair of goggle-like cybernetic eyes stood out. While he wasn’t fully cybernetic, a significant portion of his body appeared to be chanical, with multiple neural connectors embedded in his temples.
‘He looks exactly like a hacker from the underground world.’
I half-lidded my eyes, silently observing the biohacker. Conversation was Jafa’s job.
"Hee-hee, the extracted mories had to be processed through a simulation. If the subject were still alive, we could’ve converted them into a visual format, but since he’s already dead, it was a tricky job."
The biohacker explained.
"That will be more than sufficient. Thank you for your efforts, Hoyot."
"Oh, don’t ntion it. However, to maintain mory clarity, I had to set the minimum depth level quite high. Since Jafa is of a different species, it might be difficult for her to enter the simulation."
"Hoyoooo, you don’t need to worry about that. He’s the one who will be viewing it. A human male, and soone who’s done similar work to the extraction target—it should be easy for him to synchronize with the simulation."
In mory extraction simulations, the higher the similarity between the viewer and the extracted subject, the easier the synchronization and the clearer the details. Even when accessing the sa mory, the amount observed, its accuracy, and the level of detail varied depending on this compatibility.
The biohacker and Jafa exchanged a few more words in a friendly manner. Once the atmosphere had ward up, the biohacker cautiously brought up the next topic.
"You can settle the paynt after reviewing the results. You’re a long-ti custor, after all."
"There’s no need to check the contents. I trust your skills completely."
"Hee-hee, then as always, paynt through the usual thod…"
The biohacker was an outsider, not part of Jafa’s firm. That detail bothered .
'This is uncomfortable.'
Valek’s mories likely contained critical information. If that biohacker sold them elsewhere, things could turn ssy.
'I don’t know him, so I have no way of gauging how much I can trust him. I can only hope Jafa chose the right person.'
I sat down in the chair equipped with the virtual simulation device. Structurally, it wasn’t much different from the equipnt used in the Imperial Guard’s simulation training rooms.
Creak.
I pulled the simulation helt toward and steadied my breathing.
"Paynt has been sent."
Jafa removed her hand from her terminal as she spoke. The biohacker’s cybernetic goggle-eyes flickered as retinal display text scrolled across them.
"Heh, hee-hee, confird. Thank you as always, Jafa. Call again if you have more work in the future."
The biohacker stood by the door of the simulation room. The door opened, and… standing in front of it was an Equessian rcenary.
"Huh?"
The biohacker’s eyes widened.
Step. Thud.
The Equessian rcenary shoved the biohacker back into the room as he stepped inside. He grabbed the biohacker’s head and applied pressure.
Crack!
The biohacker’s neck snapped without resistance. The sickening sound echoed through the room. His death was instantaneous.
The Equessian rcenary caught the biohacker’s collapsing body and slung it over his shoulder.
"You knew him for a long ti, didn’t you? You seed pretty friendly."
I spoke calmly, right before entering the simulation. Jafa tapped her nails together and flicked her tongue.
"Not friendly enough to share important information. And he’s sold extracted mories from my requests to outsiders multiple tis. Since I kept hiring him, he must’ve thought I hadn’t noticed and took for a fool."
I frowned.
"And you still kept giving him work?"
"…Which is exactly why no one will find it strange if he suddenly disappears or turns up dead. He made a habit of doing things worth getting killed over."
Jafa fixed with her snake-like gaze.
'A warning for ?'
Jafa had chosen to dispose of the biohacker in front of . That act carried aning.
'Don’t betray . Don’t overstep your bounds.'
That was the ssage.
I had no way of knowing if the biohacker had actually sold Jafa’s extracted mory data to an outside party. Jafa might have just fabricated a convenient excuse.
Creak. Squeak.
I pushed the virtual simulation helt onto my head, my thoughts tangled in various possibilities. As I leaned back into the chair, the simulation system powered on.
A steady hum of white noise buzzed in my ears at regular intervals. The helt’s inner lenses flickered to life, sending a burst of light into my vision. A faint, unpleasant headache followed.
Wooooong.
Reality distorted as if I were being pulled away, my senses floating in suspension.
I rolled my tongue, placing the razor blade hidden in my mouth onto its surface. If needed, the sharp pain would serve as an ergency anchor, jolting back to reality.
‘Well, it’s not like I fully trust Jafa either. That’s why I ca prepared with a failsafe.’
My consciousness was being drawn into Valek’s mories. The signals composing his recollections tapped into my brain, reconstructing the past.
I adjusted my focus, scanning through different tifras within the mory—past, present, future—sorted by clarity. Aside from a few intensely vivid monts, I could only access roughly the last three years.
‘…His final mories before death.’
That was the first mory that surfaced.
‘He was ambushed by Ilay.’
Valek’s last monts played before —Ilay and his subordinates closing in to take his life. But sothing felt off.
Valek wasn’t an ordinary fighter. He had wielded the Firelight Twinblades, two formidable weapons.
‘Even if it was an ambush… Valek isn’t soone who would go down this easily.’
There had to be more to it. Feeling uneasy, I stopped the mory playback. Even in a virtual simulation, experiencing death—even indirectly—wasn’t good for my ntal state.
Kiieeng.
I rewound, shifting further into the past. The simulation world moved in reverse, distorting my sense of balance and making my stomach churn.
‘Stop.’
I was now seeing through Valek’s eyes.
Static. Crackle.
The mory sharpened, its scenery becoming clear.
"Valek, stay right there. This spot will do nicely. Just think of your eyes as a cara."
The mont I heard that voice, I nearly bit down on the razor blade.
Standing there, with the sa face and voice as ever, was him.
‘Kinuan.’
Kinuan was looking at through Valek’s perspective. Valek’s gaze naturally followed him.
Drip. Drip.
The background was the sa cave where Valek had been found dead.
"…I don’t even know where to begin. Ah, right. I’m really looking forward to seeing who’s watching this mory right now. At least five people co to mind off the top of my head."
Kinuan curled his fingers one by one, then smiled quietly.
Reviews
All reviews (0)