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

The meeting concluded on a decisive note.

There was no lingering doubt, no further arguments. The conclusion had been clear—Ishmael's presence carried uncertainties, but for now, all that needed to be done was to keep her under watch.

And seeing how Viviane didn't really elaborate further, I could see that it might be related to how she deformed into some source of an abyssal being back then in the confined guest room.

Seeing that she still transformed, it meant that a mere observational Cognitive Engine won't be enough. As such, we began placing a Duolos vessel on numerous points of the Landship to ensure that there were no corners leaving a blind spot.

With that, my confidantes, Erika, and Primus all dispersed back to their duties.

And then—

Night fell.

The world beyond the Landship darkened, swallowed once again by the abyss of Carcosa's endless nocturnal phase. The starfish-shaped moon—a twisting, spiraling aberration in the far sky—blinked into existence, its limbs unfurling across the heavens like a celestial parasite sinking into the firmament.

The Ordeal of the Dusk had begun.

I stood at the highest vantage point of the Landship, a glass-reinforced balcony overlooking the deck.

This section of the Landship was just newly built an hour ago, with the surface reinforced by multiple sources. Not to mention, the layered psychic barriers and subterfuge from outside, cast by the collaborative effort of Kuzunoha and Viviane.

From here, I could see everything—the bastioneers moving into their designated positions, the Heavenly Maids standing at attention, the Duolos vessels adjusting the Landship's automated defenses. Not to mention, this space was connected to numerous part of the Landship like the epicenter of a hive. This means that it should also become the hotspot for numerous activities from now and onward.

Above us, a swarm of drones, hovering in synchronized patterns. Below them, the turrets, their targeting systems humming in preparation.

Everything was set.

And then—

It arrived.

The first special Calamity Object of the night manifested.

High above the ground, suspended in the vast void of the sky, floated an ethereal wraith.

Its form shimmered like a mirage of glass, translucent yet imposing, the ghostly outline of a humanoid figure with seven long, outstretched arms. It did not howl, did not wail—its presence alone seemed to warp the very light around it, making the air ripple in unnatural ways.

I took a moment to pry deeper—to discern its nature, to understand its gimmick before issuing commands—

But before I could even ask—

The world erupted into fire and fury.

A coordinated onslaught.

The turrets roared, their magneto-electric barrels spewing volleys of cascading projectiles. The drones let loose a calculated hailstorm of energy bursts, their formations shifting dynamically to optimize targeting efficiency. The bastioneers unleashed their Prismforges, their weapons igniting with radiant intensity, sending waves of cutting force toward the airborne entity.

And above all—

A single, piercing shot.

From the heavens themselves, a thin, crystalline beam lanced downward—Verina's orbital strike, fired from her musket, compressing all its potential energy into a searing, pinpoint laser of annihilation.

The wraith, in all its mystique and terror, never even had a chance to retaliate.

By the time the barrage ceased—

There was nothing left.

Not even an afterimage of its existence.

The first special Calamity Object of the night—utterly obliterated before I could even learn its name.

I let out a slow breath, taking a sip from my cup.

"… Well," I mused aloud, watching the smoke dissipate, "That was an anticlimactic start."

From the side, Charis let out a small chuckle. "Efficiency is a wonderful thing, isn't it, Father?"

I smirked. "That depends. I was hoping for a spectacle."

Kuzunoha, standing nearby, let out an amused hum. "Poor thing never even got to haunt a single soul~"

Lupina huffed, crossing her arms. "Not our fault it got out-damaged by the sheer amount of nonsense we have."

Viviane merely adjusted glances, watching the battlefield below with a neutral expression. "At the very least, it proves that our defensive efficiency has increased since the last Ordeal."

The night continued.

An hour passed.

The Calamity Objects did appear, though in far scarcer numbers than usual.

Some were passive anomalies, spawning through the battlefield and within the Landship like aimless spirits, capable of being easily suppressed through calculative effort. Others were hostile, launching themselves at the Landship's defenses—only to be cut down within seconds.

The bastioneers remained on full alert, but the expected intensity never arrived.

And that meant it was the perfect opportunity to test something new.

I arrived at the newly-constructed Neuromorphic Facility, deep within the Landship's core.

Inside, a single Duolos vessel stood stationed near the primary control interface, its neural processing synchronized with the massive Theotech amalgamation at the facility's center.

Around me, my confidantes were gathered—Charis, Kuzunoha, Verina, Lupina, and Viviane—each of them witnessing the maiden execution of a system that had been in development since the Landship's inception.

This—was the true evolution of the bastion's neuromorphic network.

"Didn't took too long to make as long we got the materials, huh."

A prediction model for the Ordeal.

The walls were lined with UI interfaces, each displaying streams of calculation processes, interwoven with data from the surrounding battlefield. Above us, a massive holographic display showcased a visual representation of the night's current intensity levels, updated in real time.

At the heart of it all—the Theotech core, pulsating with synchronized energy.

This facility had been impossible to complete in the past, solely due to a lack of materials. But now, with the salvaged Theotech from the Spire, the system was finally functional.

And tonight, it would analyze the Ordeal in its entirety.

The massive, suspended lattice of rotating geometric plates, each one layered with engraved symbology, shifting and interlocking in an ever-changing pattern. Thin, iridescent strands of Neuro Alloy extended from the core like living conduits, anchoring it to the vast interfaces surrounding the chamber.

This was not a mere machine, after all—it was an observatory of the intangible, a system designed to perceive reality itself, dissecting every anomaly, every pattern, every fluctuation of the Ordeal.

And now, it was time for its first execution.

As I observed, the air hummed with a deep, resonant thrum—the sound of a vast psychic resonance scan unfolding in real time.

The Neuromorphic Facility began its work.

On the far wall, a cluster of holographic displays ignited, each one showing different layers of analysis.

[PROCESSING REALITY STRUCTURE INTEGRITY...]

[OBSERVING LOCALIZED CALAMITY OBJECT MATERIALIZATION...]

[MAPPING PSYCHIC DISRUPTIONS...]

The system's first function was already in motion—reality tracking.

A massive three-dimensional map of the region surrounding the Landship flickered into existence, an intricate topographical projection of both physical and metaphysical landscapes. Every single distortion in the environment, every crack in the boundaries of reality that might give birth to Calamity Objects, was highlighted and rendered into mathematical data.

Then—a deeper layer unfolded.

A second set of screens erupted to life, detailing psychic resonance fluctuations. The colors of the display shifted in real time—deep purples and blues marked the baseline stability, while streaks of crimson and gold flared wherever psychic interference was detected.

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I watched as countless strands of ephemeral data wove together, forming a massive energy web that stretched across the battlefield. It was tracing every possible anomaly, tracking the emergence of hostile forces, registering the frequency of abnormal vibrations within the dimensional fabric of Carcosa itself.

The very breath of the night was being quantified.

Another pulse of energy surged through the chamber, and a third layer of the calculation unfolded.

This was the true purpose of the facility—predictive modeling.

Using the compiled data from the Ordeal's current state, the system began simulating potential pathways, calculating the intensity of the night and forecasting how it would evolve over time.

I turned toward the primary interface.

Hundreds of thousands of predictive paths unfolded within milliseconds.

Each one was a different future, a different variation of the night, measured against every known factor from previous Ordeals. The neuromorphic network processed them all simultaneously, evaluating probabilities, trimming impossible futures, refining the calculation until only the most likely outcome remained.

The first true assessment appeared on the screen.

"Current Ordeal Intensity: 40% (Relative to 100% Standard)."

A brief silence.

I hummed. "That low?"

Verina narrowed her eyes slightly. "It explains the low enemy count."

The holographic display updated dynamically, mapping out the expected fluctuations as the night progressed.

Projected Peak Intensity: 60%

Final Ordeal of the Midnight Intensity: 105%

I exhaled through my nose.

105%.

An abnormally low rating for the Ordeal of the Midnight. Normally, the Ordeal of the Midnight was three to ten times more intense than the Ordeal of the Dusk.

This was… unexpected.

Kuzunoha tapped her fingers against the railing, observing the data. "So, what this tells us is—tonight is a slow night."

"Slow, but not absent." Viviane adjusted her glasses. "We should still be prepared for fluctuations."

Charis nodded, her gaze sharp. "We'll have to monitor in real time. Even if the peak is predicted at 60%, anomalies might emerge."

It was not in its perfect form, but it should be reliable enough for us to use it as an absolute reference.