Chapter 497

The mission given to the green-haired girl Hibirisu was simple.

In the evening, she would play games with Byeon Ji, providing entertainment for the viewers.

During other times, she learned about the world by asking questions to her computational assistant AI, ‘Black Cube.’

At first, it felt awkward, but it didn’t take long for a person to adapt easily to a completely changed environment.

Streamer, Korea, artificial intelligence, internet banking, virtual reality, middle school dropout, and so on.

When she asked about unfamiliar words during conversations with Byeon Ji, Black Cube always kindly informed her.

“That’s amazing. This one knows everything.”

However, it didn’t take long for her to realize that Black Cube was not omnipotent.

[You must be born as a human in your next life.]

Thinking back to the last words spoken by the witch, Hibirisu wondered.

“Cube, does reincarnation exist? Do people get reborn after they die?”

“Some religions and philosophies believe in reincarnation, with various stories and legends based on it. However, it has not been scientifically proven, and there is currently no solid scientific evidence to confirm whether reincarnation exists.”

“Oh, I see… then what am I?”

“Entity Hybris is an ASI virtual personality registered on April 21, 2053. It is an incompatible entity with Black Cube, hence it has the problem of not being able to access big data.”

“That’s not it. Until a few months ago, I was a vividly living person.”

“Understood. Updating information about entity Hybris.”

“Haah. So you’re not a god either.”

Hibirisu faintly thought that life in virtual reality might be a task just before becoming human.

“Do you know about Esteria Latias de Kaizen?”

“Esteria Latias de Kaizen appears to be known as a fictional character. I do not have specific information about Esteria.”

“What about No Name?”

“No Name, born in 2043, is a dual citizen of Korea and the United States and is the youngest recipient of the Fields Medal and the Wolf Prize. She is famous for developing treatments for multiple sclerosis and technologies for restoring human eyesight, and is active on the Twish platform. Recently, she was selected as a national representative for the France National Exchange Exhibition.”

Hibirisu became belatedly interested in NaeMe.

Searching TreeWiki, the actions were so different from her past life that it was hard to believe they were the same person.

In her past life, she had turned the whole world into enemies.

And in her current life, she was loved by everyone.

“Which one is the witch’s true form…?”

Ding—

[NoName: I have something I’m curious about, so can you come here for just a moment?]

[NoName: Do you remember the day you died to me?]

“Yikes!”

* * *

[Private Room]

[Namme and Adela’s House]

[Extension – Professional Man-to-Man Combat Simulation]

The terrifying aspect of artificial intelligence is that it can build more structured data through tens of thousands or millions of simulations.

With 6 primary stances, 28 auxiliary stances, and 496 sword techniques registered, combat AI Berstaphen.

It determined the combat efficiency of each sword technique through 50 million self-game simulations.

Of course, just because a particular figure is low doesn’t mean that the action is worthless.

For example, the ACEV (Average Combat Expected Value) for the Eagle Strike is -0.01574, suggesting that the more it is used, the more unfavorable it becomes in combat, yet the CCEV, which is a measure of turning the tide or securing victory, is at 0.12085, ranking among the highest.

The reason for doing such analysis was not to rank which sword technique is good or bad.

Since this data was derived from confrontations between the same Imperial Palace Sword Method, it would be somewhat unreasonable to apply it to reality.

Rather, by combining the numerical data with experiences to strengthen the tacit knowledge embedded in the mind and body, one could make rational choices even in extreme situations.

[Adella has connected.]

“I’m home from school. Wow, it’s super hot outside.”

Saetbyeol logged into the virtual reality.

She floated in the garden, wearing a zero-gravity expansion pack in the backstroke position.

“I wrapped up some tuna kimbap for you; did you see it on the table?”

“Did your sister make that? No wonder…”

“Why?”

“Who doesn’t put carrots and burdock in kimbap?”

“I don’t like either.”

“You promised not to be picky until the National Exchange Exhibition.”

“Saying I won’t be picky after it’s already made means I still have the freedom to choose how to make it.”

“You’re so picky.”

After a brief farewell, she returned to her main work.

Saetbyeol swam like a frog to reach my side.

“Are you still on that simulation? What are you looking at today?”

“I was wondering why ‘Severing the Roots’ has such a low evaluation. It’s strange; I haven’t seen anyone prevent this in my past life. Come here for a moment.”

“I should have just not logged in!”

While preparing for the National Exchange Exhibition, Saetbyeol had been an excellent assistant.

I stood Saetbyeol, who was lethargically slumped over, upright like a signpost in the center of the garden.

[▶Summoning Item no.5880 ‘Skyabona’. × 2]

I forced a sword into her hands and demonstrated the Severing the Roots technique.

“Try to block it once.”

“Ugh, that’s annoying.”

Severing the Roots belongs to a somewhat specialized stance within the Imperial Palace Sword Method.

It begins with the body’s inertia sliding from both feet on the ground.

The fast sliding motion is difficult for the opponent to counter.

Swish—

However, since slowing down occurs, it cannot exert great power here.

Hence, it targets vital spots that can inflict deadly damage with minimal force.

In this state, I swung the sword horizontally.

The glimmering blade traced a line aiming for Saetbyeol’s delicate ankle.

Clang—!

However, the attack is effortlessly blocked by Saetbyeol’s vertically thrusting sword.

I then placed one hand on the ground and spun around to land on my feet.

“Is that all you’ve got? Heh, not impressive at all!”

Saetbyeol smirked.

The same situation unfolded as in the simulation.

“Why?”

Despite Saetbyeol having some talent with the sword, she paled in comparison to those who dedicated their lives to it.

“That skill was one that even the top-rated Swordmasters of the time couldn’t counter.”

“Wasn’t it just lucky back then?”

“That could be true. It was near the end of the battle.”

Just because it’s a low probability doesn’t mean it won’t happen.

During the war, I’d heard various news, including about a Mage Tower Master who died while playing frisbee.

But it’s against my nature to dismiss it uncomfortably.

When I struggled to reason it out for a while without finding an answer, a good idea popped into my head.

[‘Sender’ NoName → Hybris: I’m curious about something, so can you come here for just a moment?]

[‘Sender’ NoName → Hybris: Do you remember the day you died to me?]

“Yes, asking someone who experienced it is the right approach!”

“Not a person…”

* * *

Ten years can change mountains and rivers, but people have the ability to adapt within a day or two.

It had been two months since I had dispersed, or rather, independent Hybris, so perhaps we could now communicate somewhat like medieval people.

Saetbyeol and I waited in the outdoor terrace for Hibirisu to arrive.

After a short moment, a blue portal opened.

A girl with mid-length hair approached, glancing at me nervously.

“Long time no see. Come sit here.”

“Yes…”

Choosing not to sit next to me, she selected the opposite side next to Saetbyeol instead.

“Hello? It’s nice to meet you. Your hair is beautiful!”

“Ah, yes, thank you. Your tail is also very pretty.”

“Looks like you have an eye for beauty. If you want to touch it, go ahead.”

“I’m fine. May I ask why you called for me, witch…?”

The girl trembled like a puppy just born.

I understand; I do.

Meeting someone who intends to harm you must be terrifying, especially someone who once committed an act of murder against you.

How could I ease this tension?

I decided to showcase some of the top-secret skills I had learned from friends during a school trip.

“Hibirisu.”

“Yes?”

As I called her name, her head, which had been lowered, gradually lifted.

I placed both hands over my head, wiggling my index and middle fingers.

“Rabbit, rabbit, mountain rabbit.”

It’s important to quickly spit out seven syllables.

“…!”

“Woohoo! Cough, cough!”

Across from me, Adella, trying to contribute to the mood, was drinking black tea.

She ended up spraying all the liquid in her mouth directly at my face.

“Hey Adella! You did that on purpose, right?”

“Haha, no way! You made me laugh! Oh my stomach, haha!”

I returned my body to default command and composed myself, sitting calmly again.

“Haah… I was just trying to lighten the mood a bit. I can somewhat understand why you’re scared of me, but Hibirisu, that’s all behind us now, right?”

“Wow, sis, that sounds just like a typical school bully’s excuse…”

“No, of course, it’s behind us! It’s not like I harmed her family or tortured her; I just helped her be peacefully devoured by the devourer.”

“Wow! Even that repertoire is perfectly identical!”

“Hey, if you keep interrupting, just get lost.”

“Hehe, okay, I won’t. Hibi, our NaeMe might be a little violent, but she’s a good person. And so what if there’s a past life? She’s a ten-year-old little girl. That cuteness was probably just something she wanted to do alone—”

“That’s not true!”

Trying to persuade Hibirisu only made me more stressed because of Saetbyeol.

Now I’d have to ask about Seol-a later; what am I supposed to do?

Hibirisu momentarily turned her head to the side and then returned to her place.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Cough.”

It seemed like she was desperately trying to suppress her twitching lips.

‘Right. Let’s let go of my past life. This is the right thing to do.’

I took Saetbyeol’s hand and pulled her away from the bench.

“I don’t know if you know this, but I’ve been preparing for the National Exchange Exhibition, and I’ve got some questions. You got trapped by me and caught in the end, remember? Don’t say you don’t remember; I know you still have memories up until the molting.”

“Yes, I think that’s right…”

“But it seems you blocked it way too easily? What do you think is different now?”

I drew my sword and exchanged a few strikes with Saetbyeol, then stealthily aimed for her ankle with a Severing the Roots attack.

Even though I mixed in many unpredictable movements along the way, thanks to her previous encounter, Saetbyeol easily blocked it again.

“Sis, no matter how I see it, this is just a lousy technique, right?”

“I had a vague idea, but surprisingly, it worked in real combat. I’m really curious. Hibirisu, why did you fall for this?”

Hibirisu took a deep breath, filling her chest with air.

“Back then, the witch was faster, you know…”

“Huh?”

“How can you block something coming faster than an eagle…?”

The girl’s shout, full of grievance and indignation, echoed.