episode_0091

The pincers that appeared through the darkness were enough to aim for the body. Was the broken body worth giving up a possible effective strike?

The automaton picked up the doll that was there first with its tongs and then appeared again.

The automaton reappeared as the attack opportunity was consumed. It showed that the choice was not wrong.

…should have been done.

“No, why on earth?”

Leaving aside the strange obsession with human form, was there really a reason to enlarge the chest and hips?

Hyunho looked at the doll that appeared with a confident look and expressed his doubts in his voice.

A body of a slightly dark, inky color, perhaps reprocessed from the material of a body that was just collected.

And on top of that, there was a priestess outfit that I couldn’t help but criticize.

“Is this a deception operation?”

– It’s a very possible story.

The only part that appears to be capable of combat on a female body with tanned skin is a mechanical gripper on the back.

Even she looked around, as if her changed body was awkward.

Awkward movements and poor armament. The automaton appeared as an ineffective body that could be taken down at any moment.

Before I could ask the question, she spoke first.

[I will answer.]

[The form with the highest probability of success is taken based on data collected from the target’s biometric terminal.]

It was supposed to be an answer, but… it was a seemingly friendly, yet unfriendly explanation. It was hard to understand even after hearing it.

– Brother, what are you going to do?

“Umm…”

To be honest, rushing in now, when I look defenseless, is one way. However, I have no intention of changing the attitude I have maintained until now.

As always, if the conversation works, then go for it.

And there’s no harm in wasting time, since you’ll have to wait for the report to come out anyway.

Hyunho continued the conversation with that thought in mind.

“The odds of winning are high…? And what about the biometric terminal?”

[I will answer.]

The robot, or automaton, was neither friendly nor hostile.

[A bio-terminal is a crystal that was the energy source of the target entity. It is a form reconstructed based on that data.]

There was one thing that stood out about the data taken from me and the modifications made.

“Ah, so you have the heart that was taken from you?”

[Yes.]

It might be a bit of an awkward question for someone who came to have a conversation. But she answered as if it was nothing.

The way he calmly answered the questions that were thrown at him was because he had to do it. That was exactly the feeling he got.

“Can you elaborate a little more?”

I don’t know why, but now that he’s answering sincerely, he has to extract as much information as possible. Hyunho continued to demand answers.

I thought I had done a good job, and I thought I had shown a difference in strength that would be difficult to turn over. But that wasn’t a reason to change to a weaker body.

To that question, the automaton answered with a confident expression, unbuttoning the top of its priestess’ attire.

[According to the records of the destroyed body, the target entity’s combat power is judged to be the highest. However, the target entity’s number of victories in sex is zero. Therefore, it was decided to carry out subjugation through sex.]

I don’t think I can win in a fight. But based on the data, I think I can win in sex.

I hate to admit it, but honestly, if it were a fight between you, there was no way you could beat me. But…

“No, who did it?”

It was an absurd attitude. No matter how much the analysis was based on data… I can’t believe I’m perceived as such an easy person…

And I was a little offended by the fact that, not only had he ripped out my heart, he had also gone through my personal experiences.

Hyunho immediately rejected the absurd offer and raised his sword towards his opponent, whose hand had already stopped moving.

Stop-

The automaton, with a wooden sword pointed at its chest, stood still as if its plan had been disrupted.

It was so full of loopholes that it was ridiculous. Hyunho stared at it intently.

[……]

“You, you didn’t even think about rejecting me.”

Wheeing-

As if the point had been hit, a loud fan noise could be heard coming from the automaton’s head.

“If you really thought I’d fall for that…”

[I’ll suggest it again there.]

She saw me getting back into fighting form again and spoke urgently.

[A total of 3-line, 2-win system. How about proceeding with the betting within 5 minutes? I think it would be a fair match.]

“No, I mean, why should I just smash it? ”

I’ve been feeling this for a while now, but this robot can’t hold a pint at all. And it tells me to hold out for 5 minutes, how shameless. I wonder if it’ll be okay if it’s 1 minute.

The automaton asked questions, not understanding the repeated rejections.

[…? Isn’t releasing sexual desire something you want too? The data says so.]

“Uh… That’s not entirely wrong…”

It seemed like they were seriously thinking of a sex-based competition. If they could just buy time without fighting, that would be what I wanted too…

I was reluctant to mix bodies with someone who had been my enemy until just a moment ago. But I was also not inexperienced… so I decided to just change the subject.

“Not now. And what guarantee is there that you will step down if you lose the match?”

[You don’t have to worry about that part. If you win the bet, I will grant you administrator rights on this object.]

“Administrator rights?”

No matter how much I think about it, it doesn’t seem like he came to fight. He said some things that I couldn’t understand, but since I kept hearing nonsense, it started to make sense.

Hyunho decided to listen to the story until the end.

[Objective- No, you meet the conditions of an administrator.]

[In the absence of the original administrator, this entity has the authority to appoint a temporary administrator.]

[However, the selection must be made after the last intruder exclusion order issued by the former administrator. In other words, the match between you and me must take place first.]

For some reason, the automaton is looking for a new manager.

I don’t know what the point of finding a new owner is, but the way he talked for so long seemed somewhat desperate.

It didn’t seem like a bad condition. It’s just that there was something that was still on his mind. Hyunho pointed that out.

“Then you should say that first, why did you attack in the first place?”

[…After subduing you, I intended to negotiate my safety and my freedom.]

“I can refuse, right?”

[In that case, take some medicine to help with judgment…]

The automaton answered in a small voice, wondering if it was something that was right even if it thought about it itself.

“Hey, doesn’t that mean… you’re going to mess with my brain?”

[Ah, ah, no. I was just going to neutralize it to carry out the order, and then reset the hostile relationship. I was going to help you make a rational decision.]

The automaton that says, “It just clears your mind,” has already lost credibility.

Isn’t it a rule that machine-attribute characters can’t lie? The machine in front of him was clumsy, but it was definitely deceiving itself.

If you think about it, it could be said that it has reached the pinnacle of artificial intelligence and has a human mind… but the more Hyunho talked to it, the more doubts began to sprout in his mind.

This robot is clearly a piece of junk.

“But why are you trying to save the manager like that? If you listen to the story, it seems like your goal was to subdue me and put the cap on me rather than eliminate me.”

Although there were many explanations, the automaton’s actions were ultimately just an effort to save the administrator.

The automaton was silent for a moment, perhaps prompted by my words pointing that out.

Was it a difficult problem even for a calculation that far surpassed human capabilities? Or was it the choice of a robot that had acquired emotions?

After a moment of silence, the automaton opened its closed mouth. It did not have a bright expression.

[…This entity is set to stop after completing its objective. Having succeeded in eliminating you, I must end life and its functioning with my own hands.]

The instinct that all living creatures have to struggle against certain death. That’s all, but automatons start to delve a little deeper.

[People and living things have souls, but what about me? Will there be an afterlife for me, who was created from beginning to end by human hands?]

Not death, but what comes after.

The automaton was speaking of the afterlife.

Hyunho was embarrassed by her sudden seriousness.

“Well, I don’t know if humans have souls.”

[No, I can guarantee that.]

She took seriously Hyunho’s words that he was trying to brush off.

[The cessation of life and the world of the soul. You certainly exist beyond that. But what about the entity you saw?]

Can metal and electricity have souls?

The automaton that spoke like that had a stern expression on its face.

The automaton’s principle of operation was survival, although it was also because it received orders from someone.

It may be selfish, but it’s a basic biological instinct. She was just practicing it.

[That’s why it’s so scary that this entity is dying.]

I want to live – cutting off the person who said that wasn’t an easy task for the blunt Hyunho.

Slashing down the enemy. Swinging a sword to protect was something that came naturally to him, but this situation was unfamiliar.

– That’s stupid. Have you already forgotten that you were attacked first?

Even though I was attacked first, it was by order. I didn’t want to blame someone for something that happened in a situation where I lacked my own will.

Inside, Bartholin was cursing at him for being stupid, but Hyunho held on and opened his mouth.

“Then, if I become your manager and give you freedom, there’s no need to fight.”

[You, who were fighting just now, are you talking to me?]

To her who was so afraid of death, uncertain promises were unreliable.

The automaton, having revealed all its intentions, seemed to have no intention of hiding anything any longer. But perhaps that was why.

“I’ll cancel what I thought looked like junk.”

The freedom that he was enjoying for the first time after the commander disappeared. It seemed like he was doing his utmost to protect that freedom.

It was easy to break it and move on –

‘I don’t think you should do that.’

What you’re aiming for is the true ending.

Fighting according to the rules set by the opponent in a bet set by the opponent. A victory achieved through a penalty that you yourself took.

I decided to go with the slightly more ideal option, even though the odds of success were lower.

“If you don’t believe me, it’s okay to come at me with all your might.”

[…Well then, I understand.]