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

Kuzunoha was already waiting when I stepped onto the deck of the Landship. Her crimson eyes locked onto mine immediately, their sharpness cutting through the faint hum of activity around us. A faint smirk tugging at her lips.

"You've been hiding something precious from me," she said, the words leaving her mouth with casual ease. "Oh, how it wounds me when I realized that you no longer ask for my aid, even though you have been deeming me as your reliable secretary all the time~!"

Ah yes, a reliable secretary who started slacking after my daughter took her position.

There was no point in denying it. Kuzunoha knew me too well to fall for any deflection, and besides, I wasn't planning to keep this a secret any longer. I returned her gaze with a casual expression, folding my arms loosely.

"It wasn't intentional," I replied. "I simply hadn't found the right moment to reveal it. But now seemed like the perfect opportunity."

She raised an eyebrow, the flick of her tail pausing mid-motion. "And what, exactly, is this precious secret you've been sitting on? You wouldn't mind educating all of us here with the fruit of this secret project of yours, no/"

"The Duolos Theotype," I said, allowing the name to hang in the air for a moment, giving it weight.

Kuzunoha straightened slightly, her eyes narrowing as she mulled over the unfamiliar term. "Theotype, you say?"

"It wasn't related to Theotech in any way, but it is certainly something that is inspired by it."

Before I could elaborate, Viviane's soft yet ever-penetrating voice broke in from behind me. She had drifted closer during our exchange, her luminous orange eyes filled with both curiosity and wariness. "I assume this has something to do with what we saw earlier—the transformation of Evaris into… whatever he became. The first of your Duolos, I take it?"

I didn't expect Viviane to rightfully assume that the product of the Duolos Theotype was denominated as Duolos, but it was a welcomed one.

"Exactly," I said with a small nod. "The Duolos Theotype is something I've been working on in secret for quite some time. To put it simply, it's an imaginary genotype that is contained within my mind in the form of knowledge, which then can be injected into a subject, rewriting their entire physical, mental, and existential structure.

"While it doesn't completely erase their memories and alter their souls, it still turns them into something predetermined—a new existence altogether."

Kuzunoha's smirk widened into a grin, but her eyes carried a glint of danger, as though she were ready to pounce on a half-truth if I offered it. "And what's the catch?" Your next chapter awaits on empire

I tilted my head slightly, appreciating her perceptiveness. "The transformation is only possible under specific conditions. The subject must be in a heightened emotional state—desperation, reverence, or something similarly intense. It ensures that their mind and soul are malleable enough to accept the changes without resistance."

Viviane crossed her arms, her expression hardening. "And the blood? We saw it—how the Duolos can use their blood to transform others. That's a hazard, Narcissus. If even a drop of that gets loose in the wrong place, you could end up creating an outbreak you can't control."

I smiled faintly, raising a hand to forestall her concerns. "The Duolos' ability to transform others is not something that occurs automatically. They have full control over it. Even if their blood comes into contact with someone, no transformation will occur unless they consciously choose to allow it—or are ordered to by me."

Viviane didn't seem entirely convinced, but she didn't press further. Kuzunoha, on the other hand, looked more intrigued than ever.

"So, you've essentially created a race of loyal soldiers who not only obey your every command but can also expand their numbers at will. Clever. Dangerous, but clever," she said, leaning back against the railing with a low chuckle. "I can imagine why you want to hide this one from me.

"After all, it is also something that I wanted to achieve in the past."

Within her mansion, Kuzunoha would often tell me a tale about her past adventures and her relationship with each Theotech that she stole—I mean, claim to be part of her collection.

One of those stories involves her wanting to create a subservient hive mind that acts as her servant, capable of reproduction on their own, and possesses complete autonomy with little to no further guidance after they were put into existence.

She experimented with a lot of Theotech, and many exotic test subjects in her time of this project.

But before she was able to get a result, Carcosa imprinted its new rules and limitations to every living inhabitant within its space.

Not having access to her pirate interdimensional stash, Kuzunoha soon gave up on that idea, and told me that having reliable and individualistic allies was one of the better sides in contrast to mindless subserviency.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

And then here I am, making a subservient hive mind for my own cause

"The current version is more restricted than you might think," I said. "They're designed to follow orders, not act on whims. This makes them precise tools, not unpredictable weapons."

"Still a brilliant piece of work," Kuzunoha remarked. "You've really outdone yourself this time. And I'm saying this as none other than the Collector, not Kuzunoha, not your precious and adorable assistant~"

"Since when you're adorable?" Verina jabbed with her words.

Turning away from these two who were about to clash with one another, I addressed Charis, who had been standing quietly by my side, observing the conversation with her usual intensity. "Charis, inform all bastioneers through the Cognitive Engines that the expedition will soon begin. Tell them to prepare for both the Vault and the raid on the Vandasisimo. Make it clear that any childlike figures with blue hair are our allies."

Charis nodded without hesitation, her pale hair swaying as she moved toward the nearest console to carry out my instructions.

"Kuzunoha," I continued, turning back to her. "I'll need you to relay the same message to the Heavenly Maids via telepathy. Since they don't have personal Cognitive Engines, they'll need to be briefed directly."

Kuzunoha gave me a mock salute, her smirk never faltering. "Consider it done."

Meanwhile, the Duolos were already making significant progress within the Vault. Their hive-mind coordination allowed them to cover enormous ground, sweeping through labyrinthine corridors and alien chambers with an efficiency that was both unsettling and alien, even to my standard.

They adapted quite seamlessly to every challenge the Vault presented, their shared knowledge, processing power, and muscle memory allowing them to carefully dismantle traps, fight through the defensive mechanisms, and neutralize guardian constructs with little to no problem.

As in, a giant roadblock in their ways that prevented them from ever progressing.

They still struggle there and there, but it wasn't anything that warrant my attention or support.

Their most remarkable trait, however, was their ability to absorb the skills and knowledge of those they transformed.

Each Vandasisimo converted into a Duolos brought with them their unique expertise—combat techniques, navigational strategies, and, most importantly, ohrtending.

The Vandasisimos in particular, appeared to be brimming with quite a lot of ohrtenders in their ranks.

Just like what I established earlier, those that have been transformed into Duolos would have their knowledge and skill claimed.

When these ohrtenders were transformed into Duolos, their abilities didn't vanish. Instead, they became part of the shared hivemind, accessible to every other Duolos as if they had been practicing the art themselves for years.

This meant that the Duolos could now wield ohrtending spells of various origins, seamlessly integrating them into their already formidable bio-arsenal, and high psychic sensitivity.

The equipment and weapons of the converted Vandasisimos were similarly repurposed. The Duolos scavenged, repaired, and distributed the gear among their ranks, managing it with a level of efficiency that no human force could hope to match.

Even the Vandasisimo's prized battle puppets were not spared. The Duolos, with their newfound technical knowledge, were able to access and control the massive constructs, adding them to their growing arsenal.

As the Duolos continued their careful advance, the Vault itself seemed to falter in its resistance. The traps and guardians that had once decimated the Vandasisimo were now being dismantled, slowly and surely, their once-imposing presence reduced to mere obstacles in the face of the Duolos' collective might.

Not to mention, they possessed a high regenerative and self-maintaining trait. Even if they were having a hard time, they would regroup and recover, then find another way to solve their problem.

At this point, I could just leave the Theotech Expedition to them, but I doubt that they would be able to conquer the Theotech Vault within a week, considering the massive size of the site, and the amount of defensive measures within intp.

Before we knew it, an hour had passed.

The preparations were complete, and the bastioneers and Heavenly Maids stood ready for the dual objectives of the expedition.

To delve into the depths of the Vault and to raid the Vandasisimo camp stationed nearby.

The roster of the two groups that I had already determined didn't change much. The only thing that changed was the fact that they now have more than one objective to accomplish.

I stood at the forefront of the observation deck, gazing out over the sprawling landscape. The faint hum of the Landship's systems filled the air as my thoughts settled on the task ahead.

"It's time," I said finally, my voice cutting through the silence. "The expedition begins now."

With that, the Landship's defensive, or in this case, offensive measures—roared to life, and the combined forces of the bastioneers, Heavenly Maids, drones, and the ever-expanding Duolos set forth, ready to claim the Vault—and everything within it.