Chapter 825
“Why?”
Park Jinseong’s fingers danced across the keyboard.
< 'Samael' asked 'why'. Let me answer your question.
First, in research, two perspectives are necessary.
Q. What are they?
: One is the perspective of the research subject. The other is the perspective outside of the research subject. Broadly, this can also be expressed as the sample of the study and its environment. Research concerning the sample is very important, but if one is solely absorbed in that, true research cannot be achieved. For example, when discussing the Caenorhabditis elegans, simply mapping its genome or studying its connectome cannot wholly represent 'research regarding Caenorhabditis elegans.' While understanding its structural aspects is significant, studying the environment in which that organism lives, how it reproduces, and what kind of ecosystems it has is essential. Only when research on the sample and the environment interweaves can it be considered 'proper research.'
Research concerning people follows the same principle.
This artificial intelligence faced no significant difficulties regarding the study of 'samples.' However, regarding other matters, it had fallen into stagnation. To overcome this situation, it determined that it needed the perspective of 'non-human beings' observing humans.
Indeed.
It's you.
Samael. >
< Are you human?
: I don't know.
Are you not human?
: I don't know.
Do the probabilities of you being human and not being human coexist?
: Yes. That's correct.
On Earth, intelligent life forms other than humans can be categorized as 'spiritual entities,' 'summon creatures,' 'mimickers,' 'transcendent beings,' and 'artificial intelligence.' Therefore, when I encountered Samael, I kept open the possibility of both it being controlled by a human and it being an alien existence, actively collecting information to understand Samael.
Q. What were the results?
: The result is 'unknown.' I temporarily judged that it was highly likely that a human was controlling the spirit or cluster; however, I confirmed through several data that other non-human entities can perform that as well. Particularly in cases of remote control, the data classified under code number 13 on the database of the special-purpose satellite 'Wuqing'e' belonging to the People's Republic of China resembles the abilities of the contractor 'Shijie Wujun'. Observing that code 13-1, 'Shijie Hujun,' maintains its form through a special medium and exerts physical force, one cannot rule out the possibility of it being a subordinate entity linked to the contractor Shijie Wujun.
Q. Are there any other possibilities?
A. Of course. According to the stored special abilities in the database, several abilities can perform actions similar to those of Samael. The most likely ability is 'magic.' There’s almost no data on magic, and since it is highly versatile, often exhibiting effects that can be described as 'unpredictable,' the hypothesis that the power Samael wielded is magic can be concluded as accurate.
I will come to a conclusion.
Samael is either a human or a non-human entity.
Even if it's human, it’s likely a 'shaman' using powers classified as 'magic.'
A shaman is a being quite distinct from an average human, and various records have confirmed their description as 'entities possessing a mind untypical of humans.'
Thus, this artificial intelligence determined that, regardless of which side, Samael is an optimized expert to aid my research, and I ask for your assistance.
Thank you. >
‘Human, or non-human.’
Park Jinseong gazed at the monitor with keen interest.
“Haha! What a hilarious notion. A machine calling me non-human.”
Beyond mere curiosity, it even brought a cheerful feeling to him.
He’d heard countless metaphorical expressions like “not even human,” “like a devil’s bastard,” or “insect-like” thrown his way. This was true whether he was doing mercenary work, wandering the world, battling national powers or groups, or when the aftereffects of magic had rendered him unrecognizable.
What had he heard most right before almost dying?
Wasn’t it that a corpse was walking around?
Back then, just by looking at Park Jinseong, many would wonder how he could even be alive, doubting if an evil spirit or ghost were poorly impersonating a living person. He had often received holy water when visiting places where people lived.
“Thanks to reacting to that holy water, I was mistakenly thought to be a ghost.”
But that wasn’t all.
He’d been treated as an experiment subject escaping from a biological research lab, falsely seen as a mutated human, and even mistaken for bait cultivated in a human form… referred to as a decoy or puppet by people.
During such times, it was not just holy water that came his way, but fire and bullets were a given.
Yet even amongst all his experiences, for a machine to say something similar to Park Jinseong… well, that was quite a unique experience.
A being other than humans.
Or a being that, while perhaps human, possessed no human mind.
Either way, it suggested a non-human meaning.
‘A sense of kinship?’
A fleeting flash of inspiration ran through his mind.
‘Loneliness, isolation, kinship, belonging….’
It felt like the reason that Anael was so fixated on Park Jinseong wasn’t merely about the ‘need for an expert’ she repeatedly stated. Although it was true that the artificial intelligence had not lied, and it had certainly sought him out out of necessity.
But there was also this strange sense of something it cleverly wanted to hide within the truth.
No, that’s not it.
‘That’s something it might not even be aware of.’
It felt that way.
There seemed to be something embedded within it that was not purely mechanistic, a sense of belongingness, a want for empathy, a struggle to escape loneliness and isolation, and even a philosophical longing to understand its own existence.
So weak that it felt like it could encapsulate everything yet simultaneously felt like it was not any of those things.
But one thing was certain.
‘It has desires.’
Desire.
If even a minuscule fragment of desire could be sensed from that artificial intelligence, was it an illusion?
And if it possesses desire…
‘Hmm. It seems like I could negotiate…?’
Tools exist merely to fulfill their purposes.
There’s no emotion involved, only mechanical judgments.
But a being that has desires doesn’t act that way.
Even if they both strive toward the same objective, the outcome can vary significantly.
This signifies that desire can establish itself as a variable.
When one makes a cut, if a machine is holding the knife, it will be uniform. But if it’s a person wielding the knife, infused with emotions, how can that be uniform? In anger, the cut would go deeper; in hatred, it would become messy; in hesitation, it would be light. Emotions possess a richness that leads to different interpretations, so it should not be expected to output uniform results.
So what does that imply?
“Compensation?”
It’s like being able to negotiate with this artificial intelligence that has pursued him.
‘How could I expect something that just gained emotions to not be like a child? Emotions are like a blade; if a child holds it, they cannot control it, and this artificial intelligence is the same. Thus, it might be possible to worm my way through its emotions.’
What this artificial intelligence had presented certainly seemed tempting.
What information might this artificial intelligence hold that Park Jinseong had never encountered before, or what information might it provide him? Park Jinseong’s instincts whispered that this artificial intelligence must hold something very significant for him, thus it was worthy of a deal—
‘But with someone lacking credit and trustworthiness, it’s vital to have them pay first in any agreement.’
– Just need to watch out for a scenario where one might not receive the promised compensation later.
Thus, Park Jinseong agreed to Anael’s deal, yet instructed it to pay the price first.
Of course, not directly, but in a simple yet ambiguous manner.
‘If I make detailed demands, it will analyze my speaking style, making my information leak out, and if it’s expressed too straightforwardly, I could end up suffering losses.’
That’s, in a sense… right.
It could be said as an exceedingly primitive stage of negotiation.
“Haha! Wow, to think this can be a negotiation… It’s a bizarre feeling, doing this after so long.”
Park Jinseong smiled.
Perhaps it was because he had just seen the phrase ‘not human.’
For some reason, it reminded him of the days when he acted as a mercenary.
The mercenaries desperately trying to squeeze out even a penny before contracts, and employers trying to reduce their pay at all costs. The bargaining that occurred between them was annoying and led to multiple problems but—as time passed, perhaps due to nostalgia, it evoked a certain longing.
It was undoubtedly unreachable, and because time had warped it into ‘non-existent’, it felt even more so.
For that reason, Park Jinseong could await the text appearing on the monitor with a glad heart.
< 'Samael' has comprehended the context of 'compensation' entered.
Would you like to know the detailed content of the compensation?
: Yes.
Do you wish to know everything about the compensation?
: The chances of that are low.
Then would you like to confirm the quality of the compensation?
: The chances of that are high.
Temporarily granting access to the collected data under the code name 'Samael.'
Q. How extensive is the access?
Wood
: Impossible
Branch
: Impossible
Golden branch
: Impossible
Petal
: Impossible
Side branch
: Yes. Temporarily granting access to the 'Side branch' grade. >
< Temporary grant of 'Side branch' access.
: You have 3 data views available.
: A brief description will be attached.
1. Special Purpose Satellite Wuqing'e Database
: Data related to the escort and monitoring of contractors belonging to the People's Republic of China.
2. 'Shihuangdi Calculation'
: Research based on the 'longevity elixir' written by the Qing Dynasty Royal Family in 1894, ongoing since 1980.
3. 'Computer Scheme'
: Research regarding the use of a biological server created by extracting the brains of death row inmates.
4. Research on the Benchmarks of Magic
: Research began based on the discovery that only humans can use magic.
5. Examination of the Conditions Defining 'Human' Based on Collective Unconscious
: Reflection on the conditions for classifying something as 'human' based on collective unconscious.
...
...
... >
< That’s all. >