Damn it!!!
Night's pupils contracted as a sense of foreboding rose within him.
'This thing better not explode suddenly.'
If it exploded within his soul, even in death, he would be utterly annihilated.
Suppressing his urge to curse...
He hesitated for a few seconds but decided to focus on regaining his strength.
Night resumed eating voraciously—!!
Perhaps because such a bizarre event as transmigration had occurred, or maybe due to the long journey in the desert battling the harsh environment, his mind had matured...
His mental state was terrifyingly stable for someone who had struggled on the brink of death several times,
At this moment, nothing moved him more than the pain of enduring hunger.
Finally—
After the last bite,
His mind became incredibly clear, and he felt his strength returning.
Taking advantage of the slave owner's absence, it seemed time to investigate what was inside him.
Honestly, though he felt that thing was within his soul, it was just a feeling...
After all, the existence of the soul was still debatable.
But remarkably—
Night could now sense an invisible, intangible mental force.
This strong mental power allowed him to clearly perceive the core, which was more vast than a planet.
The faint glow emanating from it brought a sense of comfort to his soul, making it feel as if it were constantly growing stronger.
If he could continue to strengthen it, perhaps one day, his soul could grow to be as vast as a planet or the universe.
To the extent that it could contain this thing?
However—rather than natural growth,
Night was more worried that it might suddenly crack and explode at any moment.
It felt highly unstable, even somewhat violent, yet it was firmly confined within his soul.
A very strange feeling...
Perhaps it could provide him with the power to escape.
Then Night continued his research...in the pitch-dark dungeon, where time had become worthless.
Finally, after countless attempts, his mental body broke through his soul's introspection and entered the star core.
Well, let's call it the star core for now.
Then...?!
Then there was nothing.
Boom~!!
A violent shock suddenly assaulted his spirit.
As soon as he entered the star core, before seeing anything, it seemed as though countless golden-red particles, like grains of sand, surged forth like a torrent, like a tsunami, sweeping across like a cosmic devourer.
Then his consciousness crashed...
.
.
.
After an unknown amount of time, a tender, pleasant voice suddenly sounded in his ears,
???:
"Look what I found...
A reckless soul daring to challenge the concept river of the multiverse with such a flimsy, pitiful mental body.
Thank me for pulling your mental body back at the critical moment.
Though it's just a conceptual universe, not the real world, in the vast number of worlds, a human soul is like an ant lost in the sea, likely to be swallowed in an instant."
When Night opened his eyes and looked toward the voice, he saw a familiar cute girl.
The first thing that caught his eye was the black-and-white Gothic pleated skirt and her slender, white legs, as delicate as a baby's skin.
Above that was a flawless, doll-like face, like a perfect creation of God,
At this moment, the owner of that face was looking down disdainfully with a pair of stunning, almost talkative, violet eyes.
That expressionless, beautiful face seemed overly familiar—
Night: "?!! Herta?!"
The girl's image gradually overlapped with the appearance of a doll created by a genius player in a popular game (Honkai) before his transmigration.
In fact, he had once been one of the many players who wanted a Herta doll(Puppet/toy)
And now, the girl who looked exactly like the Herta from his memories suddenly showed a strange smile on her emotionless face, as if she had thought of something.
She extended a smooth, white, silk-like leg.
....
Herta: "Do you want to lick it?
You seem to be very fond of this doll's appearance.
Though it feels disgusting,
If it's your request (liking), I won't refuse."
.....
Night: "..."
No matter how much he liked it, expressing it in such a perverted way right off the bat, was it really okay?
He felt his dignity was insulted.
Who would lick their 2D waifu's feet just because they liked them?
Certainly not him—no "sharp eye" thoughts here.
...
Herta: "You hesitated just now in your mind, didn't you... I can feel it—
Why resist your inner desires?
Strange person..."
...
Night: "…Who are you? And where is this place?"
In a situation this unclear, who had the time to think about such things?
Night began to quietly observe his surroundings only to realise that he was in a dreamy space like that of an aurora backdrop.
In front of him was a circular light ring just like the entrance to a "Simulated Universe" experiment from his memories,
And Herta stood beside it.
The scene was strikingly similar to one from the game.
It almost made him wonder if he had transmigrated again.
But he could sense that he was a spirit, and his physical body was still in the dungeon outside.
Clearly, this wasn't another transmigration...
Facing Night's question, Herta's response was simple: "I don't know."
Night: "? You don't know?"
Herta: "If you're asking about my identity and name,
Indeed, I don't know..."
"Since the moment I became conscious, I've been here.
To be precise, I was just recently born as well.
My existence is more like an artificial AI created by the [Stellar Core] to help you learn how to control your power.
The name 'Stellar Core' is based on your impression of it; what this thing actually is, I don't know...
Why it fused with you, I also don't know.
But one thing is certain,
Although it's unclear why your soul can bear such a terrifying entity,
If your physical body dies,
Your soul will also perish without a vessel.
At that point, what will happen to the [Stellar Core], formed from the conceptual rivers of this endless world, and what consequences it might cause...
I don't think you want to find out."
"All you need to know is that you two are already bound together for life.
To prevent you, as the vessel, from being too weak and dying,
The originally unconscious [Stellar Core] instinctively created me—!
As for my current appearance and this space,
It's constructed to help you understand how to use the [Stellar Core] in a way you're familiar with.
Here, you don't have to worry about being overwhelmed by countless universal concepts.
Instead, you'll learn how to slowly control those concepts,
And eventually grow into a vessel that can fully integrate the [Stellar Core]."
Night: "..."
...
(The Ai Black Tower looks like Herta so I may use both.. just don't get confused... )