MGSFV?! Chapter 541: "Otto": Refuses to Share Kevin's Fate; miHoYo's Most Childlike Staff Members
If this really happened, Kevin would probably just summon Su and have him run a mind probe—
Force this person, who'd just said something outrageous, to spill all the secrets hidden in their heart.
You're acting suspicious. Let me take a peek into your thoughts.
But of course, the story can't progress like that.
That kind of development would be too fantastical, not fitting the tone of the current main story.
Like Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf suddenly turning into Sacred Goat IX vs. Emperor Wolf battling across the cosmic void.
So, in this part of the story, the progression remained grounded.
After a brief pause in thought, the philosopher beckoned to Kevin.
And asked, "Young man... have you ever seen a hero?"
Kevin: "..."
"I have seen many," he replied with certainty.
"No, not the kind you're thinking of."
The philosopher shook his head. The next words were one of the main points he wanted to make.
"Perhaps you recall what I once said: there is only one ideal in the world—to trample the ideals of others."
"Any ideal must be achieved by stepping over the ideals of others. Only then can it come true."
[...?]
[Huh? What does that mean?]
Why would he say that?
That was many viewers' immediate reaction upon hearing the philosopher's words.
Because the statement is just so... sharp?
So sharp that your first instinct is to push back.
[Is that true?]
[Maybe. Seems like success always comes with someone else's failure. There's no such thing as true win-win.]
But once you try to understand—"give it a bit more thought," so to speak—you start to realize... the argument might actually hold?
[It sounds logical, but is it too extreme to say "every" ideal? Like if my ideal is just to eat well, sleep well, watch anime and dramas—surely that doesn't impact anyone else?]
Then, the philosopher's next line arrived:
"If you disagree, it's only because you haven't realized it yet."
[...?]
[That eating-sleeping-anime ideal... who's paying for your lifestyle? Even if you're self-sufficient, don't your parents hope you'd do something more?]
[Looks like even that kind of "slacker ideal" fits the "trampling others" logic?]
...
The longer they discussed it, the more viewers transitioned from initial resistance to reluctant agreement: the philosopher's words were sharp, but hard to refute.
At the very least, no one could immediately think of a counterexample.
Kevin, however, showed a look of disbelief after his momentary confusion.
Which was perhaps only natural.
A very real problem.
How long had he lived? And how long had this philosopher lived?
That sense of superiority bred by time—an almost instinctual arrogance—made Kevin's first assumption that this man hadn't seen enough, and thus understood nothing.
"..."
"Don't rush, young man. I haven't finished."
The philosopher could read the expression on Kevin's face. He had seen it countless times in his life.
That look people always made before attempting to disprove his words.
So then...
What about a man who had lived long but barely pondered such philosophies, versus one who lived only a human's lifespan but spent it deeply contemplating life?
"Everyone dreams of becoming a hero—but we also know, if everyone were a hero, what a terrible world it would be."
"And so... a different kind of hero emerged."
The philosopher paused, then said in a deeper voice:
"Their ideals are the complete opposite: they hope for their ideals to be trampled. In truth, it is they who uphold the rules that make the world run."
Kevin: "..."
The game camera suddenly cut away from Kevin of millennia past and returned to the present Kevin watching his own memories unfold.
The premise was: If everyone were a hero, the world would be a mess...
And this very premise seemed to be validated right at this moment.
If realizing one's ideals makes you a "hero," then the entire human race had already achieved their dreams.
Meaning the entire species had become...?
Yet even in Kevin's own eyes, the world now was far from anything he would call beautiful.
Hmm...
So if the philosopher's premise is valid, then does the "second kind of hero" truly exist?
The players thought about this.
And soon, they all looked toward Kevin.
Reevaluating the definition of that second type of hero, they realized—Kevin really seemed to fit...
They reached an answer. An affirmation.
But—
Kevin, after some reflection, slowly shook his head.
"Still, I find it hard to accept... that such a person could be called a hero."
He, too, reached an answer—one that stood in complete opposition to everyone else's.
In a way, it was a strangely profound moment.
The person most people believed could be counted as a "second kind of hero"—
Was the one who least believed that kind of hero should even be called one.
...
[Why?]
That question surfaced in many players' minds.
Was Kevin... refusing to acknowledge himself? Or was there another reason?
Carrying this doubt, their attention on Kevin only intensified.
Perhaps through his inner monologue, they would understand why he thought that way?
"..."
But—
Kevin's thoughts were soon interrupted by a slight disturbance in the Stigmata Project's internal dreamscape.
He withdrew his gaze from his past self and turned his head in a new direction.
There...
He vaguely saw a small figure charging into a dream.
"Another visitor like me, who has also entered the 'Mental Adam.'"
"..."
"A warrior bearing Vishnu's power..."
[There goes Aunt Flo.]
[Kevin's about to run into Theresa. Should I be telling Theresa to run for her life?]
Even players with utmost faith in Theresa found it hard to believe she could last more than a few exchanges against Kevin.
If Kevin caught her—her life or death might well depend entirely on his mood.
However...
Maybe Theresa was lucky.
Or maybe Kevin was intentionally walking slower...
Or maybe Kevin simply didn't care what Theresa was doing—confident that nothing she did could shake the Stigmata Project.
Which of those was the truth—or if it was something else entirely—was unclear.
But the Kevin who arrived at the academy full of children just after Theresa's visit—
Indeed didn't cross paths with her.
"..."
Of course, Kevin didn't bump into Theresa.
But that didn't mean he saw nothing strange.
In fact, what Kevin saw next was so bizarre, even players watching froze for a moment.
What... is this thing?!
Stunned silence.jpg
As for what Kevin saw...
...
In a pristine school campus, many cheerful, energetic children were running about.
Wow—at first glance, with the kids so happy, this truly seemed like a lovely dream.
Hmm... let's just say, that's exactly what it was.
Even though the children had somehow scrounged up a bunch of unknown materials and stacked them in a completely nonsensical way to build a fairy tale-style "rocket" that clearly couldn't function—
Even though they were working together in ways that shouldn't be possible in a dream, building something that shouldn't appear there, and acting like they were going to launch it into space—
(It was clearly impossible.)
But seeing them so happy—in some sense, it was a beautiful dream.
[Are they building with toy blocks or what?]
[What is that supposed to be? A rocket? The shape is way too abstract. Can't recognize it at all. But maybe that's what makes it feel like something kids definitely made.]
[To be fair, yeah.]
[Actually, I'm impressed miHoYo managed to model that "abstract rocket" this well. Who thought of this and decided to put it in the game?]
Well, that would be...
Ask a few coworkers with the most childlike hearts for ideas, of course.
Stuff like, "Hey, have you dreamed of anything fun recently? Can you describe it?" or "If we went back to childhood, what would we want to do?"
Hokuto silently pondered the stream chat's comments—
But kept his mouth shut on stream.
Naturally.
If he said what he was thinking out loud...
Wouldn't he get the same treatment as Kevin after the stream?
Is he the kind of guy who'd make trouble for himself?
Definitely not.
So who exactly he interviewed or got inspiration from—
He had no plans to reveal that.
Anyway, when it comes to people with childlike minds, you can probably guess who they are...
...
Back to the story.
Kevin stood before this "abstract rocket," and looked quite calm—worthy of the Ancestor himself.
When you've lived that long, you've seen everything—nothing fazes you.
He stood before the rocket, pondering.
"A convergence of dreams... has it become unstable?"
"It's been a while since Theresa left this place. Is someone here trying to 'create' on their own?"
As Kevin was lost in thought—
Some children nearby spotted him. Coincidentally, they were the same ones who had met Theresa earlier.
Because of their friendly interaction with her, they were no longer wary of strange adults.
That's how kids are—one good adult makes them think all adults are good.
Which... is definitely not okay!
Fortunately, the one they ran into was Kevin.
"Whoa... a new uncle we haven't seen before!"
[Calling him 'uncle' right away—how sweet.]
[Am I the only one who noticed Kevin got called "uncle" again? Does he really look that old...?]
[For a 7–8-year-old, calling someone in their 20s "uncle" is pretty normal.]
[That's true. But kids might judge people more by their energy than their appearance. Kevin looks young, but actually...]
[Theresa is more honest inside and out LOL]
"Yay! Another person to help us!"
"Wait... he doesn't look like a good guy..."
"It's fine! Shorty Teacher didn't look like a good guy at first either!" That was the kid Theresa roasted for bad drawings. Clearly holding a grudge. Probably safe to ignore him.
"I don't think that's the issue..." Another child clearly hesitated to speak.
Kevin: "..."
He finally turned and looked down at them.
"What are you doing?"
He just softened his voice slightly.
"Gentle" isn't something that comes easily to him these days.
So this... was the best he could do.
"Heh heh, you'll be shocked when we tell you!"
"We're building a huge spaceship! It'll fly to the top and end of the sky—and to the farthest reaches of the ocean!"
"We're flying somewhere no one has ever been, in a ship no one's ever imagined!"
Kevin: "..."
"So? Wanna help? I can even carve your name onto it!"
[That's assuming this "abstract rocket" can even fly.]
[If that rocket flies, I'll eat noodles upside down. Impossible. Absolutely impossible.]
[Hold up—this is a dream. What if...]
Normally, even within the dream of the Stigmata Project, such an abstract rocket wouldn't be able to fly.
But Kevin changed the equation.
He really could make something like that fly—defying basic physics.
So what if, with just a few words from the kids, he really did raise a hand and send that "abstract rocket" into the sky?
After all, Kevin could be surprisingly agreeable—
As long as it didn't touch on matters of principle.
Ask him to organize team-building events—he'd stiffly host a dozen noodle-eating gatherings in the meeting hall.
Ask him to film a mini movie—he'd start writing cold jokes on cue cards.
Ask him to...
Basically, all the things you thought he'd never do?
He'd do them—with a blank face, no less.
But here—Kevin didn't move.
He looked at the kids, sensing the traces of Theresa's presence in their behavior.
Then, with a flash of realization in his heart—
He turned and walked away.
You must do it yourselves. Otherwise, none of it means anything.
That applies to them—
And to all humanity.
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