Chapter 5: Mobius's Comprehender
"How did you get here?" Mobius's voice was sharp and analytical, cutting straight to the most crucial question.
"It was like this," Rovel began, choosing his words carefully. "While I was creating my character, I happened to see Fairy Elysia. I called out to her, and the next thing I knew, she teleported me here."
"Hmm? What was that you said?" Mobius's brow furrowed slightly, her emerald eyes narrowing.
"I said, I saw her, called out, and then I was suddenly here." Rovel, thinking perhaps his voice had been too soft, repeated himself a little louder, enunciating each word.
Mobius turned her head, her gaze silently questioning Klein. Did you hear that?
Klein gave a subtle, almost imperceptible shake of her head.
"This is likely a correction from the Descender's world system. No matter... Second question." Mobius shifted subjects, her focus unwavering. "Do all of you Descenders possess such detailed knowledge about us?"
"I don't think so," Rovel speculated, his mind racing. "The fact that I do is probably the specific reason I was brought here."
It was the only explanation that made sense. Why else would simply calling out Elysia's name trigger such a bizarre, one-of-a-kind quest?
"Then how do you know everything about me?" Mobius's stare was piercing, laced with a deep, unsettling suspicion.
"Uh..." Rovel feigned a moment of thought. "I'm not sure myself. It's as if the memories were just... inserted into my mind. The feeling was like waking up from a long nap and suddenly having a vast amount of information about this world."
He tried to recall the disorienting sensation from just a short while ago, a flood of data that felt both foreign and intimately familiar.
Mobius glanced at Klein once more. Again, the assistant shook her head.
"It seems the restrictions of this world's rules prevent me from getting any more answers from you," Mobius sighed, a flicker of scientific frustration in her eyes. She then leaned forward, a sharp, playful glint replacing her curiosity. "In that case, let's move directly to the experiment. You did say you would listen to me, didn't you?"
"Yes," Rovel confirmed with a firm nod.
"Good." A thin, predatory smile touched her lips. "Then come and inject this. Let me see the effects."
From a hidden compartment on her desk, Mobius produced a syringe. It was filled with an unknown, vibrant green liquid that seemed to pulse with a faint light of its own.
Rovel accepted the syringe, and a system notification immediately chimed in his mind.
[Obtained Item: Potion of Unknown Effect]
[Potion of Unknown Effect: A potion crafted by Mobius. Its effects are unknown. It might even turn you into a girl. (Lol)]
"What's wrong? Weren't you the one who just promised to listen to me?" Mobius's voice was a silken, unhurried reminder as she watched Rovel hesitate, his eyes fixed on the strange system message.
"I was just... thinking about where to inject it so it won't hurt," Rovel said, blinking innocently. Besides, turning into a girl... that can't actually happen, right? Right?
"..." Mobius was momentarily rendered speechless by his excuse.
With a flick of her wrist, she snatched the syringe from his hand. In one fluid, practiced motion, she plunged the needle into his left arm. Her technique was flawless; Rovel barely felt a prick.
"Push it yourself," she commanded, her fingers releasing the plunger.
"Okay." Casting aside his remaining doubts, Rovel pressed down, injecting the entirety of the green liquid into his bloodstream.
[Used Potion of Unknown Effect. Honkai Energy Resistance increased to 1000 HW.]
A strange, electrifying sensation coursed through him, making him shiver involuntarily. For a fleeting moment, his entire body felt impossibly light, as if he could float away.
"That feels... pretty good," Rovel murmured, a genuine sense of wonder in his voice.
His Honkai Energy Resistance had skyrocketed to 1000 HW—a staggering increase of 700 points in an instant. He knew that environments with a Honkai concentration exceeding 1000 HW were typically found only at the epicenter of a Herrscher's birth. Did this mean he could now walk freely through some of the most dangerous places in the world?
"Are there more of these wonderful things?" Rovel looked at Mobius, his eyes wide with hopeful expectation.
"Of course there are." Mobius casually produced another potion and handed it to him, a curious glint in her eye.
This time, Rovel didn't hesitate. He took the syringe himself, disregarding any potential pain, and swiftly administered the injection.
[Used Potion of Unknown Effect. Gained negative buff: Dizziness. Duration: 10 minutes.]
The world instantly tilted on its axis. The pristine laboratory floor seemed to rush up to meet him as he lost his footing, stumbling and collapsing in a heap.
"This... this isn't right," he groaned, squeezing his eyes shut against the violent vertigo brought on by the substance.
"Well, the effects are unknown, after all," Mobius commented, her tone dripping with unconcealed amusement. "I had no idea if it contained poison either."
"Then give me another one," Rovel declared from the floor, his voice muffled. "Let's see if I can gamble my way to an antidote."
As the old saying went, a gambler who bets until the very end will eventually have it all!
[Used Potion of Unknown Effect. Gained negative buff: Confusion. Duration: 10 minutes.]
Rip.
Rovel gave up. He lay motionless on the ground with his eyes closed, resigning himself to quietly waiting for the negative effects to wear off.
A few minutes later, a new notification appeared.
[Used Special Antidote Potion. Negative statuses cleared.]
Rovel pushed himself up, pressing a hand to his forehead. A dull throb remained, but the worst of it was gone. He checked the time; only five minutes had passed. Clearly, Mobius had taken pity on him and administered the cure.
"Aren't you afraid I'll slip some real poison in there?" Mobius asked, her voice laced with a dangerous curiosity. "Oh, that's right, you Descenders can resurrect, can't you? Then... what if I made you permanently blind? Or turned you into a Death Soldier... would you be able to change back?"
The question hung in the air, a genuine scientific inquiry wrapped in a chilling threat. If temporary debuffs like Dizziness and Confusion worked, then a permanent one should theoretically be just as effective.
"I trust Snake," Rovel said, the words slipping out before he could stop them, his mind still foggy from the potions. "Even if you really did turn me into a monster, I know you'd be able to save me..."
Mobius's expression froze. Snake. The name echoed in the sterile lab. She could scarcely imagine someone daring to call her that, let alone with such unthinking familiarity.
For the third time, she looked toward Klein.
And for the third time, Klein shook her head.
"Doctor," the assistant said, her voice calm and even. "He is not lying."
"Eh?"
Hearing this, Rovel looked at Klein, his confusion mounting. Was that what this was all about? Had everything he'd said been subjected to some kind of lie-detection test?
His gaze shifted back to Mobius, his eyes now holding a touch of wounded innocence. So he was never trusted from the start? He paused. Wait... Mobius never said she trusted me in the first place, so I guess it's fine.
Perhaps feeling a bit unsettled under Rovel's guileless stare, Mobius cleared her throat.
"Ahem. From this day forward, you are a member of my laboratory. Your responsibility will be to assist me in collecting blood and materials from the Honkai Beasts of this era. It would be even better if you could acquire Herrscher blood. Of course," she added, "your benefits will not be lacking."
The moment her words fell, a cascade of notifications flooded Rovel's vision.
[Obtained Title (Unique) (Legendary): Mobius's Comprehender.]
A title? What was this for?
Confused, Rovel opened the title's description.
[Mobius's Comprehender]
[Condition: Mobius's trust in you has reached 99%.]
[Effect: Gain Mobius's protection and unconditional support.]
[Description: When you're outside, you can now shout: 'I, Rovel, am covered by Mobius. Got it?']
'Why does this feel like I've become some kind of kept man?' Rovel thought, a bead of sweat trickling down his temple. Had he successfully evolved from a lab rat into a pretty boy living off a rich benefactor?
[SSS-Rank Hidden Main Quest (Unique): Elysian Realm - Quest Objective Updated]
[Objective: Collect Honkai Beast blood and materials, or Herrscher blood, for Mobius.]
[Reward:???]
"Alright, don't just stand there looking like an idiot. Drink this."
Mobius, seeing the dazed look on Rovel's face, tossed him another potion vial.
[Obtained Item: Basic Modification Potion.]
[Basic Modification Potion: Increases all attributes by 50 and Honkai Energy Resistance by 300. Effective only on first use.]
Rovel decisively uncorked the vial and downed it in one go. He licked his lower lip, a hint of satisfaction on his face.
"It's strawberry flavored."
But even with his body significantly strengthened...
"Me, fight a Herrscher? For real?" Rovel scratched his head, a wave of uncertainty washing over him.
"Don't you Descenders have your own special methods of growth?" Mobius countered, raising a skeptical eyebrow.
"While I have some understanding of this world, I've only just descended. I'm not entirely sure how to improve my strength yet," Rovel admitted. "Also... how exactly am I supposed to collect these Honkai Beast materials and blood?"
"You kill them, then you harvest them," she stated plainly, as if it were the simplest thing in the world. "Use this."
She produced a sleek, wicked-looking scalpel and handed it to him.
[Mobius's Scalpel (Epic): Time required for biological sample collection -99%; Extra harvest from collection +25%.]
"Then how do I contact you once I'm outside, Dr. Mobius?"
In response, Mobius handed him a small, metallic device.
[Special Communicator: A unique communicator capable of establishing a connection with Mobius.]
"Use this to contact me. If you find suitable materials, tell me directly. Someone on the outside will be dispatched to meet you. If you have any questions, you can ask me through this; I'll answer when I see them."
She paused, then added a final, critical instruction. "By the way, don't bother bringing back any trash from below Emperor-class Honkai Beasts. I don't have the space for it here."
With a dismissive wave of her hand, Mobius set the bar for his future missions.
"Okay," Rovel nodded, absorbing the information.
"Klein, see him out." Mobius waved again, already turning back to her humming machinery, her attention once more consumed by her experiments.
...
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