Endless Debt

Chapter 1276: Chapter 83: Restart

"Where are we?"

After a brief moment of panic, little Furya steadied her emotions and asked warily.

"Wasn’t this place supposed to be destroyed?"

She also recognized this as the main laboratory. It was here that the real Furya copied her own consciousness into the Ruins District, and it was also here that they were attacked by the Furyas.

"I’m not sure either," Bologue shook his head. He speculated, "We might be inside her cluster consciousness."

"Cluster consciousness?"

Little Furya froze for a moment, then recalled what had just happened: Bologue had charged up to that hazy light and thrown himself into the glowing mass.

It was a glowing mass composed of the consciousness of countless Furyas.

"A mental world composed of consciousness," Bologue went on, "and also the core of the Furyas."

The moment Bologue finished speaking, a series of rumbling sounds arose in the dim space, like some ancient piece of equipment rebooting. It let out a droning noise, then current surged, and one after another, cold white beams dropped from overhead, illuminating the place.

This time Bologue not only saw the Furya beneath the spire clearly, he also saw, beyond the spire, the countless Furyas encircling it, standing on the steps.

They hung their heads in silence, like towering statues. Bologue marveled at the grotesque sight, then raised his hand to signal to little Furya, telling her to stay close.

In the past, little Furya would most likely have been scared into trembling, rooted to the spot, too afraid to move, and crying without end. But during this period of acting together with Bologue, little Furya’s mind had been maturing rapidly... or more accurately, she had been learning.

Bologue could clearly sense that in just a few hours, little Furya’s mental stability had become much stronger than when he first met her; even her courage had grown firm and unshakable, as if these few hours had stretched into months for her, easily altering her very nature.

Bologue led little Furya up the steps, but as soon as they set foot on the first step, all the Furyas lifted their heads, and countless icy gazes fell upon Bologue.

Even Bologue could not help faltering for a moment under those eerie, chilling stares, but then he became even more resolute and stepped onto the second step.

Although little Furya had grown, asking her to endure all this in one breath was still a bit much. Fortunately, she had already found a way to cope.

She grabbed Bologue’s arm, kept her head down, and refused to look at anyone or meet any eyes.

"I need you to trust me absolutely, Furya," Bologue said. "This concerns your internship grade."

"Why are we even talking about internship grades right now?" Little Furya couldn’t help protesting. "I know I’m not some intern..."

Little Furya was just someone’s copy, the same as all the Furyas in this bizarre space. Upon learning she wasn’t unique, it was inevitable she’d feel a swirl of complicated emotions, not to mention that her once-solid sense of self had just shattered completely.

What a mess. To little Furya, these few hours felt longer than all the years she’d lived before.

"No, that’s up to you. If you think you’re an intern, then you are," Bologue stressed. "For example, in your eyes, am I still an Evil Spirit?"

Little Furya cautiously raised her head, only to see the tall, ferocious back of an Evil Spirit. She immediately lowered her head again. "Mm, still that Evil Spirit."

Bologue asked in return, "Then do you really think I’m an Evil Spirit?"

This time little Furya fell silent. If she truly believed Bologue was a terrifying Evil Spirit, then right now she should be yanking her hand away and screaming as she ran. But she didn’t do that. Faced with Bologue’s grotesque form, at most she just felt a bit of resistance; it never rose to the level of fear.

"See? It’s all just illusory appearances. Your cognition’s already been distorted. Why not lean even more into idealism?"

Bologue continued, "If you prefer the version of yourself who’s an intern, then treat yourself as an intern. We’ll join forces to resolve this crisis. I’ll file the paperwork and give you a perfect score on your internship evaluation. You’ll have a new position and a new life."

Little Furya’s gaze turned slightly dazed; she was drawn in by Bologue’s promises. Those were all things she had never come into contact with before.

Suddenly, little Furya stopped in her tracks and said, a bit tense, "Something’s off."

"What’s off?" Bologue asked.

"You... why are you so good at..." Little Furya’s vocabulary was limited; for a moment she didn’t know how to phrase it.

"Good at talking people through things?"

In little Furya’s eyes, the Evil Spirit turned his head, revealing a deeply creepy yet faintly kind smile.

"I once ran into a kid who was a hundred times worse than you. Wow, she was so much more trouble than you," Bologue sighed. "You at most just hide in a corner and cry your eyes out; she actually had the drive to put all her crazy ideas into action."

"Huh?"

"She even stabbed me a few times. Of course, she apologized to me later, but it still sounds weird, doesn’t it?"

"Huh?"

Little Furya didn’t really understand what Bologue was talking about, but she more or less grasped his point: he was very good at dealing with troublesome matters—even those involving problem children.

"Furya, the main event is up next. Are you ready?"