4 Chapter 4

A month had passed since Aron had disappeared.

Seele rushed into Cocolia's office, slamming a paper onto her desk with anger in her eyes.

"Mother," Seele said, glaring at Cocolia, who remained emotionless.

"I see you found it," Cocolia said, looking at the paper.

"What does this mean? Is this why Big Brother disappeared?" Seele asked, tears welling up in her eyes.

Cocolia sighed, realizing there was no avoiding this conversation. She gestured for Seele to sit down and began to explain.

"Seele, what you found is information about the experiment your brother, Aron, was part of. It was a dangerous attempt to control Honkai energy, and it had unintended consequences."

Seele's tears continued to flow as she listened, her heart heavy with worry for her brother.

"I'm sorry, Seele," Cocolia continued. "Aron's body couldn't handle the Honkai energy, and he... he transformed into something else. We don't fully understand what he has become. He got into the sea of quanta before we could help him, leaving behind these pendants."

Cocolia showed Seele a pendant with an Xbox controller design, while the others were shaped like tears. "I guess he wanted you and Bronya to have these."

Seele's anger and sadness mixed as she processed this information. "What can I do to help him?"

Cocolia frowned, upon hearing Seele's question. She didn't want to risk more lives, especially since an individual with stigma didn't survive the Quantum energy.

Cocolia took a deep breath, her voice filled with regret. "Seele, I've made a decision. We can't risk more lives to control the Quantum energy. Aron's experimental results showed us how dangerous it is by continuing the experiment. I won't put you or Bronya in something that might harm you."

'This is also a part of my promise to him,' she thought silently, remembering Aron figure, as she greatly missed him, just like the girls.

"I understand, Mom," Seele said, lowering her gaze to the floor. "But."

Seele unbuttoned her blouse, revealing a stigma on her chest, which surprised Cocolia.

"A stigma!" Cocolia exclaimed, her calm demeanor shattered.

Before they could react further, Bronya suddenly appeared next to Seele, startling them both.

"No, I'm the one who will go and find Aron in the Quantum space," Bronya declared, her unexpected presence catching them off guard.

But what shocked the the most was she was holding a knife and pointing it into her neck.

"If you don't agree, I'm gonna end my life." Bronya said scaring Seele and Cocolia.

Cocolia gazed at the two with a troubled expression and finally agreed.

_ _ _

(MC's POV)

I lay in darkness, unable to see or hear anything. Panic started to well up inside me. I needed to call the nurse, but my body wouldn't respond.

Could this be the side effect of the experiment? My mind raced with fear.

"Don't tell me I was paralyzed because my nerves blew up?" I thought, my heart pounding in my chest.

Then, a subtle sensation caught my attention. Did I just move? Something strange lay below my abdomen, like grains of sand.

As I struggled to make sense of my situation, I realized there was more to it. There was no sense of sight, hearing, or smell. All that remained was the sense of touch.

But what about taste? The uncertainty gnawed at me in this strange, silent world.

Alright, let's try to taste it actually. But where the hell is my mouth.

As I focused on the strange sensation, I realized that the dead branch beneath me was melting! Was it being absorbed after melting?

My thoughts raced as I tried to make sense of what was happening. This didn't feel human anymore.

Eh?.. wait a moment...

I decided to calm down and confirm my appearance. The sensation I felt was unlike anything I'd ever experienced before. My body seemed to have a circular shape, and the strange process of dissolving and absorbing plants was unsettling.

Don't tell me I've become a slime!

By the way, where did the branch that I ate go?

[Answer: It was stored inside the unique skill "Predator Stomach."]

Someone actually answered my question!?

[Also, the current space used is less than one percent.]

Wait, isn't this the computer synthesis voice that I heard when I was being experimented on? But who is it?

[Answer: This is the unique skill "Great Sage" effects.]

[Because of the ability, it can answer you quickly.]

It's so cool! But what are skills?

[Answer: If one grows stronger, one should obtain skills.]

I see, something like video games or something similar from "The Gamer," the manhua that I read in the past.