Chapter 61: Neural Abomination (1)
Soft blue light filled Room 1308 quietly. The peaceful silence lasted only a few seconds.
Then....
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[DAY 4 HAS STARTED]~(￣▽￣)~
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Nobody’s eyes slowly opened.
He stared blankly at the ceiling. "...Five more minutes..."
The system instantly responded.
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[DENIED](●ˇ∀ˇ●)
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Nobody looked emotionally wounded. "...Cold....Very cold."
He slowly rolled across the bed dramatically while hugging the blanket. "Why does this tutorial not have weekends..."
Blossom Bunny suddenly hopped onto his chest. "Atta!"
"OOF.....!" Nobody grabbed the bunny weakly. "...Traitor."
Blossom Bunny simply stared innocently.
Nobody sighed deeply before finally sitting up on the bed. His hair looked completely messy. He genuinely looked like someone who had fought giant nightmare insects all night. Which technically he had.
Nobody stretched slowly.
CRACK.
"...Good morning system."
The floating screen appeared beside him immediately.
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[Good Morning User]( ◡‿◡)
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Nobody smiled slightly. Then looked toward Blossom Bunny. "...And good morning Blossom."
The bunny happily saluted. "Atta!"
"...Still the most emotionally stable person here..huh."
He slowly climbed out of bed while yawning loudly.
Nobody instantly looked traumatized again. "...I still smell burned worm."
The system responded immediately.
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[Residual Combat Smell Detected On User Clothing]
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"...You could’ve kept that information private."
After washing up and fixing his office attire again....Nobody left the room with Blossom Bunny sitting comfortably on his shoulder.
The metallic hallway remained peaceful as always. Blue lights glowed softly along the walls.
Nobody walked slowly while half asleep. "...If Stage Four has flying cockroaches...I’m deleting myself."
Blossom Bunny tilted its head. "Atta?"
"...Don’t ask."
Eventually the doors of the tutorial chamber opened automatically.
SSSHHHHH
Ren was already there. Lounging lazily across the couch like some rich villain watching entertainment. One leg crossed over the other. Top hat tilted slightly. Crimson eyes glowing faintly with amusement.
The moment he saw Nobody a smirk appeared instantly. "...You look like you barely had any sleep."
Nobody immediately pointed accusingly. "Don’t mention it." He walked closer dramatically. "Last night I kept having nightmares about the centipede monsters."
Ren burst into laughter immediately. "HAHAHAHA!...You serious?"
Nobody looked completely offended. "One of them was driving ME like a vehicle this time!"
Ren laughed even harder.
Blossom Bunny happily jumped onto the couch beside Ren. "Atta!"
"...Don’t encourage him." Nobody collapsed onto another chair tiredly. "...My brain is still recovering."
Ren leaned slightly forward while resting his chin against one hand. "...Wanna see how the Stage Four monster looks?"
Nobody instantly stood up in fear. "Nope." He sat back down immediately. "Nope nope absolutely not."
Ren raised one eyebrow. "...Not curious?"
Nobody shook his head aggressively. "I will witness them when I fight them. No need to make my confidence loose from the start."
Ren stared at him for a second.Then started laughing again quietly. "...Fair point."
Nobody crossed his arms proudly. "Exactly. If I see another horrifying creature before battle...my soul might log out permanently."
The system suddenly appeared beside him.
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[User Fear Levels Elevated] ↑
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Nobody pointed at the system dramatically. "STOP EXPOSING ME!"
Blossom Bunny rolled around happily laughing in tiny bunny noises. "Atta atta!"
Ren smirked while standing up from the couch slowly.
"Well then...Get ready."
Nobody immediately became serious again.
The playful atmosphere faded slightly.
Ren adjusted his gloves calmly. "Stage Four won’t be like the previous stages."
Nobody swallowed slightly. "...That sentence never leads to anything good."
Ren only smiled mysteriously. "...Exactly."
Nobody slowly stepped toward the center of the tutorial chamber. Blue transparent walls glowed softly around the area.
The atmosphere suddenly became heavier.
Blossom Bunny was sitting on the shoulder of Nobody. "Atta..."
Nobody cracked his neck slightly while holding his twin blade crowbars behind his back. "...Alright....Let’s get this over with."
Ren casually raised one hand. "Try not to die too horribly."
Nobody immediately looked offended. "Your motivational speeches suck."
Ren smirked. "They build character."
Nobody said,"Will you stop saying the same dialogue like a tape-recorder? People will think you’re AI."
The system suddenly appeared before Nobody.
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[Preparing Stage 4 Transfer]
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Blue particles slowly started surrounding Nobody’s body. Pixel-like lights flickered across his clothes and weapons.
Nobody sighed deeply one final time. "...Please don’t be another bug."
FWOOOOOOSH
His body instantly started pixelating. The chamber disappeared around him.
Ren, the blue walls, everything dissolved into light.
Then....
FLASH.
Nobody suddenly landed somewhere else entirely.
THUD.
"...Oof." He slowly stood up while looking around carefully.
The place resembled a gigantic underground stadium arena. Massive stone walls surrounded the battlefield. Ancient lanterns burned along the walls with eerie orange flames. Long shadows stretched across the ground. The entire place felt ancient.
Cold and strangely unsettling.
Nobody slowly narrowed his eyes.
"...Okay....This place already feels like something is watching me."
The system window appeared instantly.
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[STAGE FOUR READY]
Entity Type: Eater of Brains
Classification: Floating Neural Horror
Threat Level: EXTREME ⚠︎⚠︎⚠︎
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A low humming noise suddenly echoed through the arena.
BZZZZZZZZ
Nobody frowned. "...Huh?"
Then he saw it. Something gigantic floating in the darkness ahead. Slowly emerging into the lantern light.
Nobody’s eyes widened. "...The hell is that monster?"
A gigantic floating brain hovered silently above the arena floor. Its exposed flesh pulsated constantly. Thick veins wrapped around the massive folds of its brain tissue. Glowing neural patterns flickered beneath the wet-looking surface. Long nerve-like tendrils dangled beneath the creature while twitching unnaturally. Only raw, living, thinking flesh suspended in mid-air.
The presence alone felt oppressive. Like something was trying to press directly into his thoughts.
Nobody instinctively stepped back. "...Okay....That’s actually disgusting."
The giant floating brain drifted forward slowly without sound. Its tendrils shifted subtly, as if tasting the air itself.
Nobody tightened his grip on the crowbars. "...It does look scary...But it’s still just a brain with tentacles, right?"
The system immediately flashed.
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[Entity Skill Information]
???
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Nobody blinked. "...Why is the skill unknown?"
The system paused briefly.
Then another warning appeared.
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[Warning]
Insufficient Data Available
¯\_ (ᵕ—ᴗ—)_/¯
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Nobody’s expression tightened. "...Yeah. That’s worse."
The brain suddenly pulsed.
BZZZZZZZZZZ
A deep, distorted resonance spread across the arena.
Nobody suddenly grabbed his head. "...Ugh....!"
His vision flickered for a second. Like his thoughts were being slightly pulled apart.
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[WARNING]
Mental Interference Detected
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Nobody staggered back. "...Mental attack?!"
The floating brain drifted closer again. Like it didn’t need to rush at all. Because it was already inside the fight.
And this time there was nothing to dodge with speed alone.
Blossom Bunny was trembling on Nobody’s shoulder now. "Atta..." Even its usual confidence was gone. Its ears were lowered slightly, eyes wide as it stared at the floating horror ahead.
Nobody swallowed hard. "...Okay....This thing is actually weird."
The giant floating brain drifted closer. Just pulsating folds of living neural flesh and slow-moving tendrils that dragged through the air like searching fingers.
The pressure in the arena increased again like reality itself was getting heavier.
Blossom Bunny clutched onto Nobody’s collar. "Atta..."
Nobody clicked his tongue. "...Alright....Lets just use Zigzag again."
The system responded instantly.
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[Zigzag Teleportation Activated]
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FLASH!
Nobody vanished. He reappeared above the monster.
SHING!
Crowbars slashed downward.
But....
CLAAANG
A thick neural tentacle intercepted the attack perfectly.
Another teleport.
FLASH!
Side angle.
SHING!
Blocked again.
FLASH!
Behind.
SHING!
Blocked again.
Nobody’s eyes widened slightly. "...It’s reading my positions?"
FLASH!
He teleported again and again, attacks coming from every direction.
But every single strike was stopped midair by shifting, reactive tendrils. The brain didn’t move like a body. It reacted like a thought.
Nobody gritted his teeth. "...This is annoying."
Then his eyes sharpened. "...Fine....SYSTEM! ZAP TELEPORT!"
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[Zap Teleportation Activated]
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KRAAAAAAAASH!
Lightning exploded around him as he blinked through space. Each teleport left behind violent thunder strikes.
BOOOOM!
KRAAAAK!
BOOOOM!
Electricity crashed repeatedly into the floating brain.
But nothing changed. No burn marks, no reaction, not even a twitch of pain.
The system flashed immediately.
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[Notice]
Current Entity is unaffected by thunder-based attacks
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Nobody froze mid-teleport. "...What...!"
One tentacle suddenly snapped forward.
WHIP..!
"Gah....!"
It slammed directly into him and Blossom Bunny.
BOOOOOM!
Both were thrown across the arena floor. They rolled violently before crashing into broken stone.
"Haaah—!" Nobody coughed sharply.
Blossom Bunny squeaked weakly. "Atta..."
The system flashed again.
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[Minor Healing Available]
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Nobody didn’t hesitate. "Use it on Blossom."
A soft green glow covered the bunny immediately. Its trembling slowed, its breathing steadied.
"...Good." He gently placed Blossom Bunny back into the system storage. "Stay there for now."
Blossom gave a weak sound. "Atta..."
Then vanished into particles.
Nobody slowly stood up again. His breathing was heavier now. "...Alright." He tightened his grip on the crowbars. "...My turn again."
But before he could move the entire arena suddenly changed. The floating brain stopped moving. Its surface began to pulse violently. The air itself felt distorted.
Then....
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[NOTICE]
PHASE 2 OF ENTITY HAS STARTED
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Nobody’s expression instantly dropped. "...What?!"
The brain expanded slightly. Its neural folds split open subtly like unfolding layers of thought. The pressure in the arena tripled instantly.
The system window flickered red.
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[WARNING]
Mental Pressure Increase Detected
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Nobody took one step back without realizing it.
"Phase 2?!...You’ve got to be kidding me right now!"
