บท 203: Ch 203. Railgun
In the 99th level of the deep dream world, Hoshimi was ready to go deeper, but both the guardian of the 99th level and the guardian of the 2nd level, 'Martial Artist,' who had been guiding him, tried to dissuade him.
The guardian of the 99th level was a mature version of Hoshimi, wearing a lab coat typically seen on researchers. Her white hair, long enough to reach her hips, was messy and unkempt, and she had heavy dark circles under her eyes. Her skin was a bit dull, and she couldn't stop yawning.
Just one look at her, and you could tell she was a disheveled and obsessive scientist, deeply immersed in her research.
"Yawn~~" The 99th-level guardian, standing in front of Hoshimi, rubbed her eyes as she yawned and said weakly, "Master, it's best not to go any deeper. If you do, there's a 90.3% chance it will destabilize the deep dream world."
"Oh? What's going on?" Hoshimi crossed his arms, intrigued, as he sized up this female version of himself.
Honestly, she was quite attractive and charming.
Even though she looked overly exhausted, her lethargic demeanor and the intellectual beauty born from her vast knowledge gave her a unique allure. Add to that her curvaceous figure, barely concealed by the loose lab coat, and she exuded an unusual kind of charm.
But no matter how attractive or beautiful she was, it didn't matter to him—he had absolutely no interest in 'self-romance.'
"Yawn~~" The 99th-level guardian lazily continued her explanation, "Master, your deep dive into the dream will accelerate the chaotic expansion of the deep dream world, while also speeding up the creation of dream guardians by the subconscious. The deeper you go, the greater the acceleration between the two."
"In the first 99 levels, the acceleration rate of both remains roughly balanced."
"But once you enter the 100th level, there's a critical shift in the expansion of the dream world's chaos, while the creation of dream guardians by the subconscious doesn't keep up. At that point, the expansion speed will outpace the guardians' ability to suppress it, causing your dream world to become unstable."
"You already know the consequences of instability, right?" The 99th-level guardian lazily pointed at Martial Artist, who stood beside them.
"He explained it already, so I won't repeat it. Anyway, I've finished explaining; how you choose to proceed is up to you, Master."
"Oh, by the way, don't ask why there's a critical shift at the 100th level. I have no idea. Maybe it's because 'nine is the ultimate number'?"
"Who knows? I can't figure it out either." The 99th-level guardian scratched her head in frustration.
"I see..." Hoshimi said thoughtfully, then asked, "So does that mean I can never go beyond the 100th level?"
The 99th-level guardian responded weakly, "Not exactly. As long as you grow stronger—if your neural processing speed or thought acceleration increases—you'll be able to delve deeper without destabilizing the dream world."
"..." Hoshimi raised an eyebrow. "It comes down to getting stronger again, huh?"
It seemed that to unlock the mysteries of his dream world, becoming stronger was inevitable. Once Kotoko handed over the training method, he would start practicing to become stronger.
This train of thought suddenly sparked Hoshimi's interest in the extraordinary powers of the dream guardians. Since the guardians suppressed the deep dream world with their various supernatural abilities, could he perhaps learn or borrow their methods?
Suddenly curious, Hoshimi asked, "Martial Artist, Doctor, what are your extraordinary powers? And can I train to use your methods?"
"Doctor?" The 99th-level guardian raised an eyebrow. "Is that my code name?"
"Yes," Hoshimi replied nonchalantly with a nod.
"..." The 99th-level guardian rubbed her head but said nothing more, proceeding to answer Hoshimi's question. "The power I currently use is electromagnetic force, like this."
She opened her hand, and a black metallic object was pulled from the ground. "This is a piece of metal that I condensed using electromagnetic force from the earth."
"I can use it to launch a 'railgun,'" she said, waving her hand as the black metal block transformed into an orange energy beam, flying far into the distance.
As the beam passed, arcs of electricity danced around, leaving a large hole in anything that stood in its path.
"I can also do this." The 99th-level guardian pointed to the sky.
"Boom!!"
A bolt of lightning struck first, followed by a thunderous roar.
"The abilities I'm using now are just small-scale applications of electromagnetic force," she said nonchalantly.
"..." Hoshimi was speechless.
A railgun! Summoning lightning! And she called that a 'small-scale' ability?! What would she consider a grand display of power, then?
Seemingly aware of Hoshimi's thoughts, the 99th-level guardian calmly explained, "I'm currently researching vectors. Once I can control vectors, then I'll consider it a decent ability."
Vector manipulation?
Hoshimi's pupils shrank. Anyone who studied modern physics knew how broad the concept of vectors was—speed, acceleration, force, momentum, magnetic moment, and many more all fell under the category of vectors.
If someone could control vectors, wouldn't they literally be able to transcend the skies?
Truly, in every sense of the word!
Previously indifferent toward growing stronger, Hoshimi's eyes now burned with enthusiasm.
Just thinking about vector manipulation brought countless interesting ideas to his mind! And if he could combine it with electromagnetic force manipulation and other abilities...
He was already plotting who he would test his newfound powers on first—Yukino, Kotoko, or Kasumigaoka? Or perhaps on a stronger female monster?
Seeing Hoshimi's eyes alight with excitement, the 99th-level guardian, 'Doctor,' casually threw some cold water on his enthusiasm.
"Master, it's nearly impossible for you to use our abilities."
"Uh..." Hoshimi was taken aback.
The Doctor opened her lab coat, revealing an energy core glowing faintly blue at her chest. "See this, Master? Our abilities rely on our modified bodies. I have an energy core and various internal components, as well as a chip implanted in my brain."
"These three components allow me to use my abilities normally."
She gestured toward Martial Artist. "He's the same. His body also has structural modifications that are different from an ordinary human's."
Martial Artist nodded and said calmly, "My body has virtual meridians and acupoints, which are the foundation of my strength."
"..." Hoshimi was speechless.
Just when his blood was pumping with excitement, he learned he couldn't use any of it. Still, could he at least borrow their methods? Maybe he could adapt the dream guardians' strengthening techniques for his own body.
"Master, if you truly wish to use our powers, you can train to become stronger and simulate the modifications within your own body. That way, you might be able to replicate our abilities in reality."
"But the difficulty is quite high. You might need to train for a long time to achieve it."
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