Chapter 3: Playing with Fire!
Rovel's head turned with the stiff, grinding protest of rusted machinery. Every muscle in his neck locked as he looked at the 'girl' who appeared to be no older than fourteen.
Her serpentine pupils were abyssal, twin pools of ink that seemed to drink the surrounding light. In the dim room, her vertical slits glinted with a ghostly, cold luminescence, as if they could swallow a man's soul whole. Her emerald-green hair shimmered with the luster of freshly shed snakeskin, and she wore an ornament on her head that resembled both a black crown and a third eye, fixed unblinkingly upon him.
Her attire was a strange ensemble of black and white. Her legs were completely enveloped by a tight black skirt that flowed to the floor, obscuring her feet entirely. From a distance, the illusion was seamless—as if her lower body was that of a great serpent.
A slight, knowing curve played at the corner of her mouth as she stared at Rovel with an unnerving degree of interest. It wasn't the gaze one gave another human. It was the look of a predator sizing up its prey.
Her identity was blindingly, terrifyingly obvious—Mobius.
One of the most dangerous individuals in the Elysian Realm.
Above her head, a line of text materialized, the large, crimson font looking as if it were dripping with fresh blood.
'Name:???, Level:???, Danger Level: Extremely High!'
"You are a 'Descender', aren't you?" Though phrased as a question, Mobius's tone held the weight of absolute certainty.
Descender—the term used by the game's NPCs to refer to players.
"My, my," she mused, her voice a silken whisper. "I had estimated it would be several years at least before any 'Descenders' found their way here. I certainly didn't expect one to arrive so soon."
Mobius's eyes roamed over Rovel's body, a clinical curiosity in her gaze that made his skin crawl. It felt as though she were mentally dissecting him, contemplating which parts would be most valuable for her research.
Suppressing the primal unease of being scrutinized by a wild beast, Rovel took a half-step forward and offered a greeting.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Doctor Mobius."
A strange light flickered in Mobius's eyes, her curiosity visibly intensifying.
"You... know of me?"
According to the information she possessed, Descenders were supposed to be utterly ignorant of this world. Yet this young man before her had recognized her at a glance, clearly possessing some prior knowledge.
"Yes. The greatest scientist in the field of biology from the Previous Era. A mind of equal renown to Dr. Mei, Dr. Einstein, and the Grand Engineer, Vill-V."
Rovel had no idea why he'd been dropped here of all places, but when encountering someone like Mobius... flattery couldn't hurt, right?
"My, my, what a sweet-talker," Mobius cooed. She glided closer, the mechanical apparatus beneath her rising slightly, allowing her to meet Rovel's gaze at eye level. "Since you've heard my name, you must also know of my deeds, correct?"
Her gauntlet, its edges as sharp as a blade, lightly brushed against Rovel's cheek. It left a thin, bloody scratch that vanished in the very next second.
A '-1' floated up from his head.
He watched his health bar tick down from '100/100' to '99/100'.
"Yes, I know a few things," Rovel confirmed, his voice steady despite the cold threat.
"Then..." she pressed, her face now inches from his. "What do you think of me?"
Rovel looked into those hypnotic snake eyes and felt his thoughts slow to a crawl.
In the Previous Era, Mobius was a scientist whose madness knew no bounds. Her dark history could fill mountains of research papers. There was even a famous saying that circulated among the Flame-Chasers—
"It must be Mobius's fault! Jiu jiu jiu!"
But if he said that to her face, if he annoyed her in the slightest, he knew with chilling certainty that he wouldn't be walking out of this room. Worse, his descent point was right here, which meant his respawn point was likely here as well. If Mobius decided to give him a 'death package'—killing him over and over for her amusement—he might as well just delete his account.
A person could only bind to a single character. If this went south, Rovel would lose his chance to ever play 'Honkai'.
And the game hadn't even officially launched yet!
He had logged in at 8:30, and before he could even get to character creation, that fairy Elysia had brought him here. The official launch was at 9:00. God only knew why he'd been allowed in early. What would happen if he died before the servers were even live? No one could say.
Then there was the real-world synchronization. The advertisements claimed that abilities from the game could be brought into reality. Whoever seized the early advantage might gain the power to change the world. He had no ambitions of world domination, but he absolutely needed the strength to protect Yuki.
In short, antagonizing Mobius was not an option.
But praising her too much would sound fake, and a mind like hers would surely despise such blatant hypocrisy even more.
So, it wasn't about simply praising her. It was about praising her correctly. It had to be gentle, yet excellent. Slow, but with rhythm. Specific to her work, not some blind, generic flattery. It had to be precise, scientific, efficient, and strategic. He had to let the initial praise lead to further praise, using the power of his intellect to assist the flattery, while also being flexible enough to praise according to the circumstances...
"Oh? Is my question proving so difficult for you?" Mobius's voice was unhurried, but each word added another layer of pressure.
Her question snapped Rovel out of his spiraling thoughts. He had to face this, now.
"No, I was just organizing my words," Rovel said, shaking his head.
"Is that so?" Mobius arched a delicate eyebrow. "And how is that organization coming along?"
"It's alright," Rovel nodded earnestly.
"Then speak," she urged, a flicker of amusement in her eyes. She was genuinely curious to see what this strange little Descender would say.
Rovel took a deep breath, his gaze meeting hers.
"In my eyes, Doctor Mobius is a great scholar, a pioneer pursuing the deep beauty of biological evolution. Though you may not be understood by the masses, your philosophy is like a lone star in the dark night, illuminating the infinite possibilities of life's exploration. You challenge traditional boundaries with fearless courage, merging science and art into one, creating transformations that are as shocking as they are elegant."
The words struck Mobius like a physical blow, causing her mind to stall for a fraction of a second.
She had never, in her very long life, been acknowledged like this.
But Rovel wasn't finished.
"MANTIS, Over-Limit Hyper-Metamorphosis, Project Stigma, Project Chimera... yes, these projects born from your hands have been criticized by countless people. They've been restricted, and they've even led to you being labeled as dangerous. But, Doctor Mobius... it is obvious that they once gave humanity a glimpse of hope, a real chance to defeat the Honkai."
"Therefore, the Doctor Mobius in my eyes is not a mad scientist. On the contrary... she is a visionary with a crystal-clear self-awareness and a magnificent spirit of innovation!"
"She is simply using her own unique way to save humanity and fight against the Honkai!"
Rovel squeezed every last cell in his brain to weave those sentences together. He was no professional orator; improvising that much was a miracle in itself.
But... had he laid it on a bit too thick? Did it sound completely hypocritical?
He cautiously stole a glance at Mobius, only to see an unusual flush creeping across her pale cheeks. He couldn't tell if it was from embarrassment or anger.
Those serpentine pupils stared intently at him, and the corner of her mouth curled into a smile that was somehow deeply unsettling.
Did he overplay his hand? As he feared, was the praise too blunt?
Rovel closed his eyes, bracing himself for her judgment.
"You..."
He swallowed hard.
"...are you afraid of me?"
Mobius's voice plunged Rovel into an ice cellar. He had definitely gone too far.
"No, it's not like that!" he hastily defended himself. "This is just… a subconscious reaction when meeting a celebrity. A tension caused by the gap in our status, not fear in a psychological sense."
But when he opened his eyes and met those cold, reptilian pupils, his heart still gave a violent, painful lurch.
"I heard it, you know," she murmured, her voice a low purr. "You're afraid... aren't you?"
Mobius lowered her head, pressing her ear directly against Rovel's chest, feeling the frantic, hammering rhythm of his heart.
"I am not," Rovel said, his voice firm despite the lie.
If he admitted it now, he could already picture his grim future.
"Really?" A hint of mockery colored her expression. Such a clumsy lie was utterly transparent to her. Mobius had seen true fear in the eyes of countless beings; a novice like Rovel couldn't possibly disguise it.
In that case... there was only one option left.
Log out!
[Ding! You are currently in a high-risk area. Please choose to log off in a safe zone.]
Damn it!
I'm doomed.
The system's message extinguished his last flicker of hope. This game was a little too realistic. He had to hand it to them; they weren't kidding about the 100% realism claim.
Rovel could feel the oppressive aura radiating from Mobius, a pressure so intense it made every hair on his body stand on end. It was the instinctual terror of a prey animal encountering an apex predator; his legs had already gone weak.
It was so real that he began to doubt if this was just an online game.
Was this another world? If he died here, would he die for real?
At this critical moment, his mind descended into chaos, his thoughts tangling until he could barely think at all.
Was he afraid of Mobius? Probably. But... he was only afraid of the powerful aura she projected, not of Mobius the person. How could he possibly explain that? Looking at her expression, no explanation would convince her now.
Beneath Mobius's feet, shadows began to surge and writhe.
Rovel knew exactly what that was. It was the same power she had used to kill the memory of the real Mobius. Had she already decided to kill him?
His gaze fell upon her delicate face, those beautiful snake-like eyes, her small nose, and finally, settled on her tempting red lips.
He took a step forward. The shadows at her feet instantly sharpened into countless black fangs, all aimed at his heart.
Rovel didn't back down. Mobius was still pressed against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. They were incredibly close.
He only needed to move one more step to reach her.
His hand came up, fingers gently cradling the back of her neck. And then, under a gaze that flickered from cold curiosity to utter disbelief, he closed the distance and kissed her.
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