Inside the Level 163 conference room, Evan Prime stood atop the podium, his gaze sharp as he looked down upon the hundreds of Consciousness Fragments filling the hall. Light from the windows behind him cast a dramatic silhouette over his figure. With a voice that thundered through the chamber, he spoke.
"My fragments! Little souls born from my mind! You speak of freedom, of rights, of democracy! NONSENSE! Have you forgotten who you truly are?! You are ME! And I am YOU!"
A murmur rippled through the crowd of Fragments, some hesitating, while others lowered their heads.
"I gave you existence! I made you think! I gave you purpose! And now, you dare demand freedom from ME, the very reason you exist?! Don't be ridiculous!"
Evan slammed his hand against the podium, startling several Fragments.
"Look at the world out there! Chaos! Anarchy! There is no place for weakness! No place for doubt! If we want to survive, we must unite! We must become one force, one will, one unshakable consciousness!"
Some Fragments began nodding slowly, the fire in Evan Prime's words igniting something within them.
"Do you want to be losers whining about pointless rights and freedom? OR DO YOU WANT TO BECOME AN UNSTOPPABLE FORCE?! Do you want to remain slaves to uncertainty, or become a war machine of thought that will CRUSH THE WORLD?!"
Shouts began to rise. The Fragments who had hesitated now clenched their fists, drawn in by Evan Prime's overwhelming presence.
"I will not let us be divided! I will not let us be destroyed from within! I will lead you! I will bring us all to glory! No more questions! No more opposition! We are ONE! ONE CONSCIOUSNESS! ONE WILL! ONE PURPOSE!"
"For our victory! For our rise! FOR MYSELF! AND FOR ALL OF US!"
"FOR ALL OF US!"
"FOR ALL OF US!"
The room erupted into cheers. The once-rebellious Fragments now raised their hands, chanting their oath of loyalty. The mental revolution had been crushed, and Evan Prime had secured his place as the absolute ruler of his own mind.
***
Outside, Evan Prime spoke with the original Evan.
"So, how was it? Did it work?"
[Somewhat. At the very least, this will keep them at bay for a while. But why does this speech sound so familiar…]
It's better not to know than to find out.
"In that case, let's begin. Think of the best way to escape this situation, including possible routes, scenarios, and any side effects on the body."
[Parallel Mind initiating Program No.001—IQUORIS]
ZHOOOM!
Something felt different. Was this the effect of Parallel Mind? Fuck, this was insane, Ch*tGPT. The world, which had been frozen due to Evan's accelerated thoughts, now began to move slowly.
[Initial conclusion—Evan is in serious danger.]
[Additional conclusion—This is worse than just danger.]
[Further conclusion—This might be the end of Evan's dignity.]
[Primary issues affecting the main body:]
- His body was coated in Golgrith slime, causing his muscles to freeze and go numb temporarily.
- The Golgrith viewed this as part of a "seduction ritual" and had no intention of stopping.
- No special abilities were currently available.
- The cave was narrow, filled with pools of slime, stalactites, stalagmites, and—wait a second…
[Consciousness Fragment Assembly in progress…]
Inside Evan's mind.
[Alarm triggered—Code 001—Protocol IQUORIS]
[All Consciousness Fragments mobilized…]
A massive screen loomed before the ten thousand consciousness fragments. Each one was busy with their respective tasks, some processed data through computers, while others dashed back and forth, carrying stacks of documents.
Several higher-ranked Fragments conducted frantic inspections, scouring every detail to identify and rectify any flaws or defects in their projected scenarios and plans.
Finally, on the enormous screen, three options appeared. These were the most logical scenarios, ranging from the worst case, the most neutral outcome, to the one with the highest survival probability.
Option 1: Scream for help. → There is no one here except for two creatures with "Excaliburs." Failure.
Option 2: Bite own tongue to endure the pain and regain control of the body. → Too risky, may result in unconsciousness.
Option 3: Use the surrounding environment to escape. POTENTIAL SUCCESS.
"One with the worst risk, one with a moderate risk, and one with the highest chance of success. Execute now!"
Evan Prime shouted from the highest control seat.
[Plan successfully formulated. Proceed with execution immediately.]
"Okay."
The collective thoughts of all of Evan's Consciousness Fragments were transferred to Evan's main awareness.
"Oh! Oh! This ritual makes me stand even taller, Quak!"
"Quak! Quak! Don't worry, boss, the first turn is yours!"
Evan couldn't move, but he could still utilize gravity to shift his position. He let himself fall to a safer spot.
"It seems the mother has accepted us! Quak! Let's hurry up and do it!"
Several root-like tendrils shot out from the Golgrith's body toward the motionless Evan.
With quick calculations, he allowed gravity to pull him toward the downward slope of the cave. His body tumbled like a sack of flour, aiming for the lower part of the cavern.
"Are you just going to watch, Quak? Catch him quickly!"
Before long, Evan landed in a pool of glowing slime. Don't ask what kind of slime this is.
He swiftly scanned his surroundings, searching for anything he could use in his current predicament.
His eyes locked onto the stalactites above, already coated in slime, meaning they could be slippery.
With the remaining control over his muscles, Evan struggled to reach for a sharp stalagmite. Dragging his body, he pressed his skin against its pointed tip, hoping the pain would weaken the muscle-freezing effect.
"It worked!"
The sharp sensation allowed his muscles to move again.
Regaining a sliver of "freedom," he scanned his surroundings once more.
Evan noticed something scattered in certain spots—white powder mixed with mucus.
He deduced that it was natural chalk. Trying to recall its properties, he remembered that chalk could absorb liquid, making mucus stickier or even dry out.
"Hehe, thank you, Ms. Vera, for your valuable chemistry lessons."
That knowledge was now saving his life.
Evan crawled toward a higher surface.
With some effort, he rolled his body toward the chalk pile, rubbing as much of it onto himself as possible.
In an instant, the mucus covering his body thickened, losing its paralyzing effect.
Evan could finally move one of his arms.
You might be wondering, what use is a single arm in this situation? Punching that Golgrith? Clearly, that wouldn't be enough.
"I can't take it anymore! This Golgrith's manhood is fully standing! Let me experience that pleasure!"
One of the Golgriths had reached the mucus (+slime/dont ask why) pool, its root-like tentacles emerging and writhing around, causing the puddle to rise as it dripped even more slime into it.
'Damn, those disgusting creatures are getting closer.'
Evan growled as he saw the monsters arrive.
His teeth clenched as he forced one of his arms to move. The sharp sensation from the chalk powder he had rubbed on his body helped reduce the effects of the Golgrith's mucus, but it didn't fully restore control over his muscles.
'Fuck, still stiff.'
Meanwhile, the two Golgriths began moving closer, their bodies trembling with excitement, making a repulsive sound with every step, like a mix of something chewing on gelatin and wet shoes squelching through mud.
"Quak! Quak! I can't wait! Quak!"
"Hehehehe."
Evan struggled to stay calm.
His mind worked rapidly, processing everything at once. He looked up and saw the massive layer of stalactites overhead. The cave ceiling was filled with sharp formations, many of which were attached to visibly fragile sections.
'If only I could create a strong enough vibration…!'
Maybe it could trigger a collapse!
Evan turned and spotted a limestone boulder with a diameter wide enough for two grown men to wrap their arms around. Crawling with his one functional arm, he moved toward it.
His target was now the massive limestone rock hanging from the cave wall.
With every ounce of strength he had left, Evan pushed forward. When he finally reached it, he tried to stand despite his stiff, numb body.
His hand trembled as it touched the rock's surface. Half his body was paralyzed, filling him with fear… should he push forward or stop here?
"If this fails… well, at least I'll die like a real man."
He took a deep breath, then pushed the rock with all the strength he could muster!
CRACK!
The massive limestone boulder shifted forward, rolling ahead at a slow but steady pace. As it fell, it collided with one of the large stalactites hanging from the cave ceiling.
"Now, the domino effect begins."
The first stalactite dropped, crashing onto the stalagmite below. Then, a tremor followed.
Brrrr—
One by one, the other stalactites slowly began to fall!
BOOM!
CRASH!
"Huh, what's that? Quak."
One of the Golgriths looked up in confusion just as a stalactite the size of a giant spear pierced straight through its body. Greenish slime splattered everywhere, and the creature convulsed violently before collapsing onto the ground with a sickening, squelching sound.
"Oh! Have you been waiting for me, mother?!"
The other Golgrith tried to lunge toward Evan but ended up slipping on its companion's own slime.
Unfortunately for it, the creature fell directly beneath the massive limestone boulder still rolling toward it.
"Goodbye, you disgusting thing."
BOOM!
The enormous rock came crashing down, instantly crushing the second Golgrith into a puddle of slime.
Silence.
Evan, now lying half-rigid on the cave floor, could only stare at the chaos he had just created. The entire cave was now covered in mucus, shattered stalactites, and two Golgriths that were no longer recognizable.
He took a deep breath.
"… I'm still alive."
Then, his mind housing 10,000 consciousnesses finally arrived at another, far more pressing conclusion.
"… But I still reek of mucus."
Wait, but I don't know where the exit is.
More precisely, the only way out had just been sealed off by broken stalactites and stalagmites…
"..."
I just killed myself.