Important note from the author</u>


    1. Change in Jean''s initial attributes and the increase of two more levels.


    ?????? ??????


    Eh? Why?”


    [You must touch the surface where you want the rune to appear.]”


    [Don''t give it any more mana or it will be dangerous!]”


    “They must be ravenous.”


    “I would have killed them with considerably less stress with my weapons, but...!”


    [... it wouldn''t be as satisfactory.]”


    Come on! Don’t finish my sentences!”


    "I know! I need a lot more!"  "Do you think I''ll be able to take the bigger ones?"


    [Don''t even come close!]”


    "The corruption has subsided a lot since the spinning session with Narhad. If I can''t match them, what level are they? ... Wait a second! Are they more dangerous than Narhad?!"


    [No, but they usually move in large groups. If they attack all together, even she would have problems.]”


    Since we were interrupted at the waterfall I wanted to ask you, what else can I do with the souls?”


    [With 2 accessories of the Yusthor set in your possession, you can''t do much. If you had 3, and Linguist and Identify in Expert Rank, you could:


    ? Save the sleeping souls in your inventory.


    ? Interact with any soul.


    ? Attempt to dominate the most aggressive ones.


    ? …]”


    "I told you I''m not interested in dominating anyone! Could I... devour them?"


    “[...]”


    Hey, relax! It was just a doubt! They may think I''m a monster, but I''m not going to give them the pleasure of behaving like one! I just want to understand why everyone hates me. What is it that I can do that they are so afraid of? Besides devouring people of course.”


    [Do you swear you''ll never do it?]”


    "It''s obvious you''re hiding something! Spill it!"


    [There are rules, Jean.]”


    "You mentioned those rules earlier. What are they?"


    [Rule number 1. Important information is never given to a newbie player, they must discover it for themselves. That includes all the other rules.]”


    "Ok... At what level will I stop being a newbie?"


    [You haven''t answered yet.]”


    "I have no intention of doing so. I can''t promise what I don''t know if I will keep. If my life were in danger..."


    [Would you kill an innocent to survive?]”


    You should know that! There is no such thing as innocent! There are only the weak and the strong. The weak do what they can to survive, while the strong do what they want.”


    [It''s a bit of a drastic way of thinking, don''t you think?]”


    "I wasn''t done talking! Depending on the situation, you can feel strong or weak. Only when you feel strong it is really clear who you are. That''s when you show your true nature! Your greed, your selfishness..."  "Your determination!"


    [Even if it was given to you?]”


    "For example, a child is not innocent just because he is a child. The weak often behave like cowards, and therefore appear innocent, but you could not be more wrong. If a weakling becomes strong, you will soon see how little innocent he is. Give an ant or a snail to a child and you''ll see what he is like. You will see whether he crushes them, ignores them, or pushes them aside to protect them."


    [Interesting! I now understand why Nimireth chose you. You looked like a wimp, but you were just weak.]”


    [Who said those words to you? Joseph?]”


    [Joseph was your hero, but... Was he to your mother? ... No. To her he was just an idiot who paid her bills. You still remember how she reproached him for all the debts at his grave.]”


    What is this?”


    [A spirit!]”


    Like Nimireth?”


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    [Whispers don''t know when I simulate their voices, and apparently, neither do you!]”


    “Who are you and how long have you been doing this, motherfucker?”


    [All the time!]”


    "Why?!"


    “[Follow me!]”


    You''re delusional if you think I''m going to listen to you!”


    “[I have followed you! Besides… I have answers to all the questions I know you have. Don''t you want them?]”


    Fuck you! You''ve been deceiving me all this time! Do you really expect me to follow you?!”


    “[Deceiving you? Hmm… Interesting way to see all the help I''ve provided you with.]”


    Help? Bullshit! … It was your idea that I didn''t ascend to the surface. It was your idea that I went into that damn grotto all the way to the waterfall. It was you...”


    “[... who suggested an escape route which, thanks to the pendant, worked out well. Narhad detected it when you touched her waters and that''s why she only tried to throw you out of them. Otherwise, you would have died in an instant! I knew they were after you from the moment Red Eyes detected you!]”


    W-wait a second! Do you work with the tabaxi? That’s why they didn’t help me or let me pass?”


    [No! I just knew they would let you live as soon as they got to know you a little. Although, to be honest, I almost regretted helping you when you asked if you could devour souls.]”


    "You expect me to believe that you have good intentions? If you had, you would have been clear from the beginning. Tell me! What do you want from me?!"


    “[Do you think this is the first time I do this? Do you think I put so much effort into saving the children of Nimireth out of boredom or hatred? … Do you really think so? Of course not! You are not stupid! … I don''t want them to find out I''m helping you!]”


    “[Let me enlighten you about whispers so that you never get the wrong idea again! Whispers are part of you as a link that connects your player body with your human soul. It''s a necessary resource for us inferior races to be players.]”


    Inferior races? Are you a player too?”


    “[Do you think our human brain ever counted on us for anything back on Earth? All the time we lived there we were controlled like puppets. ... You don’t believe me?! Do you control or manage all the chemical processes in your body to make a simple digestion?]”


    That has nothing to do with this.”


    “[How could the use of your nutritional resources not be related? The management of your energy, your sleep, the creation of antibodies, the choice of the person you like, and a million other processes that you wouldn''t have the slightest idea if it weren''t for science and medicine.]”


    “[Our human brain did that for us because it never counted on our decisions. It only cared about the survival of the individual and the perpetuation of the human race. The whispers do something similar here. The players'' bodies are too complex for a human mind to manage. Don''t you remember?! You have to find a balance between desire, enthusiasm and control.]”


    "Then it''s true! The whispers are the intermediaries with the magic core. I’ve never contemplated that possibility.”


    "Very educational, but that doesn''t change the fact that you deceived me!"


    “[Whispers are not your partners in the game. That''s why I make the children of Nimireth believe so. To guide them, to bring out the best and the worst in them.]”


    What is your problem with the children of Nimireth?”


    “[I understand your indignation, but if you had known your predecessors, you would understand me. Nimireth''s taste in choosing her children is questionable to say the least.]”


    Why have you decided to reveal yourself now? Why not continue with the damn whisperer''s game? It didn’t amuse you anymore?”


    “[This is no game, Jean. This is very, very serious. Besides, I''ve already told you. I have no interest in you devouring any souls. If you do, they disappear forever. They would die without any chance of coming back.]”


    “You could have done that subtly, just as you have done so far. You have revealed yourself for more reasons. What are they?”


    “[Patience! It''s better if you see it with your own eyes and feel it in your flesh.]”


    That didn''t sound good at all! Are you going to stab me in the back too?”


    [Do you really think that with all the opportunities I''ve had to betray you? Please... I would appreciate it if you don''t insult all my efforts.]”


    “[Chameleon, quick!]”


    Who are they and what do they talk about with Narhad? Are they after me too?”


    What do you want me to see that''s more important than those four conspiring?"


    “[Keep going! These guys won''t attack you, but they won''t invite you to their birthday parties either! Don''t blame them! Your predecessors were real bastards!]”


    "Have I seriously been that close to a portal?"


    “[Don’t worry! You wasn''t prepared to cross it anyway.]”


    “Where have they headed?”


    “[To try to save the world in their own way... even though they won''t achieve anything!]”


    What do they need to save the world from?”


    “[Of beings like you, Jean. Monsters that only care about themselves and have the potential to become aberrations who destroy everything in their path.]”


    I understand that you were once human, so... Why have we been kidnapped from Earth to be players?”


    “[The quick answer would be the selfish whim of some gods. What once began as a way to test the potential of the races of the universe, rapidly spiraled out of control.]”


    What was then, some kind of arena? A forced PVP?”


    “[Hundreds of years ago I would say yes. Now it''s just a big express pot about to burst.]”


    Explain yourself!”


    “[You can now deactivate the invisibility. The crabs won''t attack you now.]”


    "Really?! I turned invisible just so the damn crabs won''t attack me? I thought..."


    “[Narhad is particularly fond of them. She has even given them names. If you touch one, she will kill you. That''s as true as no one trusts you but me.]”


    You''ve already made sure that I won''t devour souls?


    “[Go as far as you can and then come back! … Be careful!]”


    Why aren''t you coming?!”


    [I tend to limit communicating with you for a reason. I''m exhausted! Let me rest!]”


    [I think I''ve made it clear enough, but I will repeat it once more! Be very careful! The answer awaits near the end.]”