<531 – How to Clear the Graduation Chapter Alone>
The darkness of the Empire is far more insidious and brutal than something like Dark Mana.
The true enemy of the revolutionary who exploits all nations in the world to acquire grain for the Sacred Gacha is none other than the Emperor, but the Crown Prince’s darkness is no joke either.
“If seeing is a sin, I shall willingly sacrifice these two eyes for the future of His Highness the Crown Prince!!”
A high official burst the blood vessels connecting to his eyes with his will, summoning mana.
Taken aback by this unexpected action while holding a book, I awkwardly had to close the pages again…
“Force skip phase? Too much…!”
At the sight of the high official shedding tears of blood, Head Maid Katarina and Jiang reacted almost simultaneously.
“Your Highness the Princess, turn your head away!”
“Oknodie! Eyes!”
A misguided loyalty that hesitates even to live the rest of one’s life in darkness.
The high official’s magic unfolded in the [Book of Mental Suppression Copy 7].
The type of magic was [Form Restoration].
“Gah! So a copy can be made identical to the original!”
As the performance weakened during the process of cutting and editing a single copy, it began to rise rapidly in real-time.
[The high official’s restoration magic is starting to revert [Book of Mental Suppression Copy 7] to a complete copy.]
[The danger level of the copy rises in real-time.]
[Required Mental Power increases (15)]
[Required Curse Resistance increases (7)]
[Required Mana Control Skill increases (9)]
[Illusion Resistance added to Reason Judgment.]
[Paralysis Resistance added to Reason Judgment.]
[Suicidal Impulse Resistance added to Reason Judgment.]
Pages turned wildly, and the floating copy emitted ominous energy in all directions.
I thought that maybe if I closed my eyes, I could receive less damage, but that wave would engulf everyone in the Forbidden Research Institute.
Sacrificial Humans would meet instant death without being crushed in a compressor, and it would surely have negative effects on Jiang, Titosso, and the maids too.
‘Don’t you dare close your eyes here!’
[You have absorbed the mental domination wave from [Book of Mental Suppression Copy (Restoring)] entirely.]
[Composite function requirement for suicidal impulse resistance – 999]
(×0.1 correction list)
[Situation Understanding (199) function grants a momentary judgment bonus of 19.9%]
[Thinking Ability (194) function grants a combat intelligence bonus of 19.4%]
[Concentration (265) function grants a mental focus bonus of 26.5%]
(×0.2 correction list)
[Isolation (215) function grants a mental protection bonus of 43%]
[Mana Breathing (145) function grants a self-control bonus of 29%]
[Calmness (15) function grants a forced peace bonus of 3%]
[Total requirement reduction bonus of 140.8%]
[Power increase bonus due to user’s rampage -58%]
[Final adjustment value 82.8%]
[Required Mental Power function value 172]
[Mental Power function is above 172.]
[The wave of mental suppression did not manage to cause you to commit suicide.]
The ultimate attack of [Instant Death Pattern] that is said to be the scariest in the world is activated by the high official!
It’s a terrifying ability to face, but I couldn’t look away from the book or lose focus.
If I loosened my grip even slightly, the suicide wave would take down the maids, Head Maid Katarina, Jiang, and Titosso right here.
Even if it’s rotten, it’s better than nothing!
The false final boss, Crown Prince Pake Hiuqmag’s devoted follower displayed an astonishing rampage pattern, keeping me, a seasoned player, completely frozen.
“Oknodie, stop that right now.”
“Stop what? What are you talking about?”
“Don’t act like you don’t know? If you take all that onto yourself, the damage to your mind will be greater.”
“Why would I ask if I knew? Of course, I won’t let it go. Newbies are precious. This dangerous stuff is for seasoned players to deal with!”
Playing favorites with newbies, how commendable!
At the same time, I was grateful that Jiang, who came along, was my best friend.
If they were NPCs with no prior acquaintance and low favorability, I could have resorted to allocating the function judgment strength to everyone or focusing it on one person to reduce the intensity of the functional judgment.
In all honesty, I had done that a few times while collecting bad endings!
But I thought such wickedness wouldn’t suit the 11-year-old, 133cm Oknodie concept play.
So I wouldn’t do any of those malicious and nasty things.
“Uwaah! Book of Mental Suppression, I pour out my blood and flesh, so enhance the power of that curse!!”
[The power increase bonus from the sacrificial offering ritual has changed.]
[Total requirement reduction bonus of 140.8%]
[Power increase bonus due to user’s rampage -62%]
[Final adjustment value 77.8%]
[Required Mental Power function value 221]
[The mental power function is below 221. (221 > 200)]
[The wave of mental suppression causes you to commit suicide.]
Gah!
How dare you use such a cheap cheat? That’s just too much!
But I have my own cheat key as well.
[Using Mana Control Skill to concentrate mental power on a part of the body for activation.]
[The use of the right arm is made free.]
I pulled out the syringe that I had tucked inside the sleeve of my right arm and quickly stabbed it into my forearm.
[You have consumed the Mental Protection Potion.]
[Mental Power temporarily increases by 50.]
[Mental Power function is above 221.]
[The wave of mental suppression did not manage to cause you to commit suicide.]
Grappling tightly, using the fake death judgment technique to self-destruct the opponent’s body as a sacrificial offering!
The high official, having sacrificed blood and flesh that he couldn’t take back and swelling with regret, glared at me with blood streaming from his eyes.
Even though he couldn’t see anything visibly, he was glaring at the mana I possessed through [Mana Detection].
“Oknodie!”
“Don’t worry. I still have three more syringes!”
“That syringe is the problem! What did you inject?”
“It’s a secret!”
It’s a potion used by the seniors in the Production Department when they boost their mental power, so its effectiveness was quite substantial.
The materials were gathered little by little from the [Organization that Plays with Oknodie], the workers of [Dark Trading Company], the lousy pirates of [Jigoku Pirate Group], and the Imperial Palace warehouse.
A cheat key concocted two years ahead of the game, thanks to the synergy of numerous organizations!
“If it weren’t for four years, if it weren’t for four years, I… Uwaah! I cannot forgive you, Fourth Princess Oknodie. Dark Princess Oknodie. To bring about your ruin, I would now offer even my soul as a sacrifice!!”
[The power increase bonus from the sacrificial offering ritual has changed.]
The suicide impulse wave that I barely pushed away devoured the high official’s soul and unleashed an even more ferocious wave, driving all victims to their death.
Jiang tried to approach me, gritting his teeth, but he couldn’t stand the exponentially increasing mental pressure the closer he got and stepped back.
That’s alright.
I’m fully prepared!
[Total requirement reduction bonus of 140.8%]
[Power increase bonus due to user’s rampage -75%]
[Final adjustment value 65.8%]
[Required Mental Power function value 341]
[You have consumed the Mental Protection Potion.]
[Mental Power temporarily increases by 50.]
[You have consumed the Mental Protection Potion.]
[Mental Power temporarily increases by 50.]
[You have consumed the Mental Protection Potion.]
[Mental Power temporarily increases by 50.]
[Mental Power function is above 341. (400)]
[The wave of mental suppression did not manage to cause you to commit suicide.]
This way, even against troublesome cheat keys, the preparedness of a seasoned player prevails, and I can win with more than 50 spare points in mental power!
I made a victory sign, but then stopped, realizing something was amiss.
If I were a [Strength Min-Max Character], I could yell with [Lion’s Roar] to overwhelm the wave from the book and drop it to the ground.
But with the 133cm Oknodie body, no matter how I thought about it, it just didn’t add up.
“Heyaa!”
“Uwaaaah!”
“Shut up!”
No matter how hard I tried to shout, all I got back were fierce notifications saying my mental power was gradually declining as time went by after ingestion.
[Your current mental power value is excessively high compared to your original mental power. Mental power is rapidly decreasing.]
[Your mental power is being consumed at an excessively rapid rate due to harsh trials.]
[Your mental power is gradually overwhelmed by [Book of Mental Suppression Copy].]
Ugh. Is there no choice?
“Tito, Jiang!”
“Hiiing! Oknodieee…!”
“Are you alright?!”
Jiang and Titosso were shouting at the top of their lungs, looking incredibly sorrowful and desperate like they were witnessing a dying comrade.
“Sorry. It seems I can’t fight while taking care of you. I’m going to send you out a bit painfully!”
“Send us out? You can’t! If you do, I’ll never forgive you!”
Quick-witted Jiang gasped in horror and tried to gather strength, but I, who still had some mental power left, let out my mana first.
━━━
4th Step Wind Magic – Gust Wind
Activation Spell – [Wind][Trigger][Breakthrough][Smash]
━━━
“Don’t kid me. You really think I’ll be left behind…?!”
“Heheh! I’ve read all of Jiang’s escape paths. I cast it covering the entire space so you can’t run!”
“Oknodieeee!”
The door of the Forbidden Research Institute forcefully opened, sending Titosso, Jiang, and the maids out of the research institute.
Kbang!
I then used a locking spell on the closed door, making it impossible to enter, and finally felt a sense of relief.
“Aren’t you going out, Sister Katarina?”
“If you were to die here, I would likewise be killed by the Isajang.”
“Wow! I know that! Was it… a series of calamities?”
“It’s a series of lives. Even if you die in this world, just like blossoming together in paradise, it would be tragic to reference a disgraceful conflation where one steals another’s nest and forces their children upon others.”
“Ehh. I don’t want to get scolded even in such times?! I’m going to disperse the wave now; you’re confident you won’t die?”
“Until a moment ago, I was just working hard to protect the maids myself.”
Since she confidently said that, I guess I should trust her?
[Releasing the forced convergence of the suicide wave.]
[The difficulty of the function judgment decreases.]
[Your mental power successfully stabilizes against the resistance.]
[Head Maid Katarina easily disperses the suicidal wave.]
As expected of a competent person who infiltrated the Imperial Palace, she overcame the suicidal impulse with a formidable presence comparable to the maid I saw at the foundation.
Though she wasn’t as strong as Jiang, she possessed a mental fortitude that rivaled even the professors.
She must have had a lot of leeway when Jiang and Titosso entered!
She probably granted us permission to reunite because they were friends!
“Are you alright?”
“For now! But be prepared for Phase 2!”
“Phase 2…?”
Head Maid Katarina’s expression hardened.
The corpses of heroes who had just awakened forcefully from the capsules.
The faint will of the heroes trapped in their bodies couldn’t withstand the recently dispersed [Suicidal Impulse] and were killed, leading to the sound of their souls’ cries.
Now, those bodies are vessels without true owners.
With the nutrients injected from the capsules added to the empty vessels, a personality was forcefully formed.
The knowledge of producing [Artificial Souls], considered as dangerous as [Homunculus] or [Sacrifice Offering], combined to form a set of taboos.
“The Radiant Crown Prince shall communicate death.”
“The Crown Prince shall be granted death by the lesser endeavors.”
A tool intended for the Crown Prince’s exploitation, possessing hero-level strength but lacking the troublesome hero’s psyche, is born.
In Phase 2 of the Forbidden Research Institute, a powerful event befitting the graduation chapter of the Fourth Year emerges with 99 [Fake Heroes] instantaneously becoming enemies!
“Death shall be declared unto the false flesh.”
“I shall not permit the defilement of my body and soul.”
Noble spirits spirited with the strength of hero-level warriors chose to self-destruct their bodies before their souls could be destroyed, but even counting those vessels that could not do so, there were a total of 65 entities.
Each one was a hero with potential akin to teachers, emerging in groups.
Originally, this event required great favorability built through friendships made at the Academy, graduating, and then tackling it together!
But to a seasoned player, there’s a way to win even without that many companions.
“Then it’s my turn now!”
The high official burst his eyes and gained immunity, but the false personality settled within the hero’s body could not do the same.
The moment I reopened the Strategy Guide for Class 981 Year 2, all those fake heroes simultaneously halted their movements.
