Mythos Of Narcissus: Reborn As An NPC In A Horror VRMMO

The feast had transformed the Landship's grand hall into a stage of liveliness, where tables stretched endlessly, heavy with platters of meticulously prepared dishes.

The glow of artificial lights, set to mimic the warmth of a sun long lost to Carcosa's skies, illuminated the gathered bastioneers, Heavenly Maids, and Duolos, their voices rising in a symphony of conversation, laughter, and the occasional challenge thrown across the tables.

For all the time spent enduring Carcosa's unrelenting dangers, this was the well-earned break they needed.

In one section of the hall, a few bastioneers had organized an impromptu competition over who could devour the most grilled meat skewers in under five minutes—though it quickly devolved into a battle of endurance rather than speed, as several of them realized just how overwhelmingly rich and spice-laden the dish was.

The Heavenly Maids, naturally competitive, had thrown themselves into their own trials of dexterity, flicking pieces of food at each other with precise, calculated movements that turned into a strangely elegant spectacle of combat training disguised as a game.

Even the Duolos, despite their usual unity, had begun engaging in some sort of structured contest amongst themselves—though whatever rules dictated their game remained inscrutable to anyone outside of their hive mind.

At the far end of the hall, Charis was hanging out comfortably within Carlotta's surrounding, her small hands clutching a warm pastry while Carlotta, still rooted in her massive pot, was being carried around by one of the Duolos with surprising ease. Carlotta had requested to be part of the festivities despite her immobility, and the Duolos had, in their efficiency, decided that simply lifting and transporting her wherever she desired was the best solution.

They were enjoying their time.

Lupina, however, was not enjoying herself nearly as much.

"No, seriously, leave me alone!"

Verina, seated beside her, leaned in just slightly. "But Lupina, you just look so miserable. It's hard not to find entertainment in that."

"Exactly," Kuzunoha chimed in, grinning like a fox that had just cornered its prey. "Besides, it's educational. You're learning firsthand the pain of watching others get something you can't have."

"I'm learning that you're both even more of a sadist, that's what I'm learning!"

"Oh, but we've always been like this," Kuzunoha said, feigning innocence. "You're just now realizing?"

Lupina let out a long, exaggerated whimpering.

On the quieter side of the hall, I sat across from Viviane, who had just finished her meal, her plate spotless—even the broth had been completely consumed. Yet, despite her thorough enjoyment, her posture remained composed, every movement as graceful as ever.

I raised a brow. "You licked the plate clean."

"I did not," she replied, setting down her spoon with deliberate care.

"You did," I countered, amused. "It's so clean I could see my reflection on it."

Viviane didn't rise to the bait, merely tilting her head slightly as if considering something. "This dish," she said, "Is my favorite one so far."

A rare, direct compliment. I smirked. "Glad to hear it. I had to improvise a bit since some of the required ingredients don't exist in our usual stock."

Viviane nodded, stirring her tea gently, the faint ripples forming delicate patterns on the surface. "Is the idea behind this dish is something you found through that conceptual sea of interconnected information you mentioned before?"

I blinked before realizing what she meant. "You mean Sir Aethernet?"

Viviane gave a slow nod.

"Yeah, you could say that," I admitted. "Though it's not as simple as just plucking the exact recipe from it. I had to piece together different fragments of knowledge, cross-referencing them with what I had available. There's a process to it, like tracing the shape of something that doesn't fully exist in the way you need it to.

"I'm not as smart and perfect as I expected, after all."

"And how long is this entire process in real time?"

"Half a second at best."

"You're selling yourself too short. I thought you're narcissistic, as your name suggests."

"I'm narcissistic, but I'm reasonable."

"That doesn't sound narcissistic."

"I'm reasonable because I thrive in the grounded reality that every bit of my existence is a unique form of higher creation, that not a single individual has ever come close to."

"Nevermind, you have reached another layer of narcissism."

"And what is that?"

"Absurdism," Viviane sipped her tea, absorbing my words. "That sentence is not sentencing."

"My brain is on low-energy usage, don't blame my eeppy and overworking self."

"You barely overwork ever since this bastion made its foundation."

"Heh, I got caught."

Viviane sighed before she sipped her tea once again. "Going back to our initial topic. Does interacting with this informational sea ever overwhelm you?"

I tilted my head slightly. "What, accessing Sir Aethernet?"

"Yes," she replied. "If it holds more knowledge than any mortal could ever hope to retain, then sorting through it must be a burden. Especially since you mentioned that not everything within it is correct."

"It's not overwhelming," I assured her. "It's like asking a librarian for books on a topic you're interested in. You don't have to read every book in the library—just the ones that matter."

Viviane's expression remained unreadable, but I could tell she was slightly awed by the concept. "It sounds like an entire Theotech."

I let out a short laugh, reminiscing about my time in the psychic control nexus of the Theotech Spire. "You're not wrong. There was a divine Theotech figure I met in that sea of flowers when I took control of the psychic nexus. At this point, it's all but confirmed that my past is tied to Theotech in some way."

Viviane set down her cup, regarding me thoughtfully. "Then I wonder… has this Sir Aethernet been with you since the moment you awoke? If it's something only you can access, could it be some form of psychic implementation? Maybe even… fae magic? You know, instead of searching for a probability in Theotech, which we will never understand at this point."

I blinked, smiling sarcastically. "I forgot I even had fae lineage."

Viviane exhaled through her nose, unimpressed. "Narcissus, you're a demigod now. Don't fool me. Still, if we follow my logic…

"Sir Aethernet may very well be your fae magic."

I leaned back slightly. "You're not just making a prediction, right? How sure are you?"

Viviane merely raised an eyebrow. "As sure as one can be when it comes to fae magic."

"And that is based on?"

"Fae magic is unconventionally chaotic, no matter how Kuzunoha explained to you as if it's some sort of a miracle-bringing nonsense that we can cast whenever we likes.

"It is unorthodox, often absurd, and defies easy classification. For example, my own magic revolves around water because I'm a water nymph, but my actual fae magic is none other than reality rifting—neither of which should naturally align, yet they do.

"The idea that yours manifests as access to an infinite sea of knowledge… is not unthinkable. If not more plausible since you're one of the most curious instance of gremlin that I had ever met in this life."

"I take that as a compliment then," I smiled.

I considered her words, turning the thought over in my mind.

If that were true, then Sir Aethernet wasn't just a link to something external—it was something inherently owned by Narcissus before I got into her body.

Before I could voice my thoughts further, a loud crash echoed from across the hall.

We both turned toward the source of the commotion.

In the background, several bastioneers had gotten far too into their competitive games, their enthusiasm spilling over into a full-blown contest of strength, skill, and sheer stubbornness.

Some had stacked trays in precarious formations to see who could balance the most, while others had started a form of relay race with more food involved.

I let out a sigh. "Do you think this level of competitiveness is a good thing? This time, it might be food…"

Viviane observed the chaos with the detached air of someone watching children exhaust themselves. "As long as it remains beneficial," she said, "It has its place. As long as we can control it so that none of them feel the need to backstab each other just to come as number one."

I nodded. "Then I guess we just let them enjoy it."

"You already know this, why ask?"

"I just found your reassurance… reassuring."

"Well, that's what reassurance does."

"Thank you."

"You have my welcome."

And enjoy it, they did.

For two full hours, the festivity continued, laughter and good-natured rivalry filling the Landship's halls, a rare, precious moment of peace within Carcosa's unrelenting cycle of hardship.

But all things had to end.

Not to mention, some of the crowds had begun to get much rowdier than usual with the ever spiraling competition that they made up among themselves. It has indeed reached a point where it needs to be interrupted.

They have tasted the ambrosia of competition and achievements, after all.

As the last of the dishes were cleared away, the tables wiped down, and the celebrations died to a low murmur, the inevitable return to duty loomed overhead.

With the grand feast behind them, the Landship's crew swiftly transitioned back into their duties. The remnants of celebration faded as plates were cleared, tables wiped down, and the great hall returned to its usual pristine state. Laughter and chatter softened into the structured rhythm of preparation, the air shifting from festivity to focused determination.

Across the bastion, preparations for the expedition into the underground levels of the Theotech Site were already well underway.

Viviane, Kuzunoha, Verina, Lupina, and Charis had gathered in the command chamber, poring over detailed maps and structural readings of the subterranean network.

The neuromorphic network had already processed what little data had been gathered from external scans, but the underground's compressed, labyrinthine layout made it difficult to chart with certainty.

Without the Warpiece Drones or full drone support due to the cramped structure, the expedition would require careful coordination as expected.

The Duolos, scattered throughout the Landship and beyond, had already begun moving. Their hive-mind precision made them the fastest to mobilize, with squads already deployed near the Theotech Site's entrance. Some had begun transporting Assault Drones amongst themselves, sending them ahead for minor scouting operations before the actual expedition, collecting as much preliminary data to the neuromorphic network as possible before the main force entered.

Meanwhile, the Heavenly Maids were working on logistics, prepping supply caches and ensuring the maintenance and recalibration of the remaining drones that would accompany the mission.

Helping Naosi, the Heavenly Maids got the Prismforges inspected, armor reinforced, and many other things secured for long-term viability.

The bastioneers, too, were fully engaged. They worked in tandem with the command team, finalizing assignments and discussing contingencies for unknown threats that might emerge from the depths.

The underground levels remained an enigma, their mysteries and dangers still veiled beneath the Theotech ruins.

Other than that, some of the Duolos had already begun deconstructing some of the Theotech facilities on the spire, and many more Theotech mechanisms that we could implant inside and outside our landship.

I had already detached many of them so that they were ready to be disassembled beforehand.

And I can't wait to do nothing for an entire day time and get the result I wanted.