Ch.8181. The Rat and the Scientist

Amon accepted the proposal from the human and hamster he bumped into on the street.

The two headed toward the scientist’s house, which also served as his laboratory.

His home was a cramped studio apartment, similar to those of the average poor in Paris.

There, as Amon and Sonia sat waiting at the table, the scientist placed a steaming pot on the table.

“It’s not much, but I hope you enjoy it.”

The man with the hamster on his shoulder, Dant, said.

More precisely, it was Muarr speaking through his assistant Dant’s mouth.

The name of this bizarre scientist duo was Henri Muarr & Dant.

The hamster was Muarr, and the human was Dant.

Amon silently stared at the ratatouille that Dant had placed on the table.

The hamster spoke to Amon, who was staring.

“Perhaps you don’t eat eggplant?”

“No, that’s not it.”

Amon looked at the vegetable tomato stew—known as ratatouille.

It felt strange.

Amon swallowed his reservations and voiced the question he had been holding in his heart.

“Did you make this, Doctor?”

“Doctor? Did you just call me Doctor?”

“Yes. Is there anyone else here who deserves to be called Doctor?”

“Doctor! Haha! Doctor, he says!”

The hamster squeaked with joy, and the human expressed that joy in words.

Then, remembering that Amon had asked him a question, he regained his composure.

“Ah, I apologize. It’s been hundreds of years since someone called me Doctor upon first meeting. Everyone usually calls me Hammy or Teacher or something like that. Well! It’s not wrong since I don’t have a degree!”

“Doctor.”

“I know, Dant. You don’t need to remind me to be polite in front of guests. Anyway, to answer your question… I’m truly sorry. What was your question again?”

Amon, who had been mesmerized by the two voices coming from one mouth, smiled slightly and repeated his question.

“This ratatouille, did you make it, Doctor?”

“Unfortunately not. While I’m versatile, I don’t allocate brain capacity to inefficient activities like cooking! That’s my assistant Dant’s job! But I can guarantee the taste! This fellow’s home cooking is better than a star chef’s!”

Amon seemed strangely disappointed by the answer.

But after taking a bite of the food.

“This is delicious. I never imagined such flavor could be created with these ingredients.”

“Right? This fellow has hundreds of years of household chore experience! Ask him to make anything! He can even make scones from cardboard biscuits!”

“Isn’t that alchemy?”

“Well, cooking does apply alchemical principles!”

“I see. I’d like to learn sometime.”

“If you want, you can take the recipe book my assistant wrote.”

“Would that be alright, Doctor?”

“Of course! I’m happy to do so for a polite young man!”

Amon and the hamster got along like old friends.

Only Sonia seemed unable to keep up with the situation.

She made no attempt to hide her confusion as she whispered to Amon.

“Do you know him?”

“No?”

“Then how are you so…”

“I’m just naturally friendly.”

Amon smiled brightly.

Strictly speaking, he was just flattering with knowledge from his previous life.

The Doctor had been a popular character since Punk City 1.

It wasn’t difficult to say what such a character wanted to hear.

Just calling him “Doctor” at first meeting and treating the hamster with respect afterward was enough to maintain a good relationship.

Knowing this, Amon didn’t dismiss him as just a hamster.

And the hamster, vaguely sensing Amon’s attitude, felt drawn to him.

Amon concealed all this and smoothed things over with smiles and friendliness.

Since good looks were plausible, she accepted it and moved on.

With some lingering unease, she picked up her fork.

That unease disappeared after just one bite of ratatouille.

After finishing a satisfying meal and with full stomachs, they began to discuss the main topic.

“I’m sure you both know why I invited you here?”

“It’s about Divine Power, right?”

Amon didn’t bother hiding it.

Partly because his life had become comfortable enough to inform Sonia’s school,

And partly because he knew the Doctor wouldn’t use this information to harm them.

There was no point in psychological warfare against someone who had lived for nearly a thousand years anyway.

The Doctor nodded as if he had expected this.

“So about that…”

The Doctor took out an ampoule, placed it on the desk, and said,

“I’ve created a reagent that increases Divine Power density, and I needed clinical trials.”

Amon tilted his head at the term “Divine Power density.”

It was a term he had heard from Sonia’s friend before.

He understood only that higher was better, but nothing beyond that.

In contrast, Sonia, who was familiar with the term, had sparkling eyes.

“Really?! If this is true, it’s nothing short of revolutionary!”

Sonia showed a dramatic reaction like someone who had discovered a miraculous technique.

She seriously considered participating in the experiment.

But Amon calmed her down.

“You can think about it after hearing the side effects.”

Only then did she regain her composure.

Of course, she was still excited about the possibility of increasing density.

‘What’s this density thing that’s got her so worked up?’

Amon, not understanding its value, remained indifferent.

He turned his gaze from Sonia and looked at the Doctor with a somewhat sharp attitude.

“You weren’t planning to gloss over anything, were you?”

“Of course not! I have my pride as a doctor! Please don’t compare me to those quacks out there!”

The human shouted in a deep voice.

After representing the hamster’s words, the human returned to assistant mode and nodded in agreement with the Doctor.

Then, switching back to hamster interpreter mode, he continued:

“Don’t worry. I wasn’t going to start anything until I explained the side effects and made sure you fully understood them. I haven’t lived a thousand years for nothing!”

The hamster shrugged his shoulders (or so it seemed) and continued his explanation.

“To explain again, this drug increases Divine Power density with just an injection. However, as a side effect…”

Gulp.

Sonia swallowed dryly.

What could the side effect be?

Would it reduce magical power? Or cause muscle atrophy? There could also be immune system deterioration.

But if it could increase density…

“Divine Power gets converted into fat, especially belly fat.”

Said the Doctor.

It was a method of increasing density by storing Divine Power in physical fat.

After hearing the explanation, Sonia responded firmly.

“I’ll pass.”

For women, weight was a serious matter.

*

Following Sonia, Amon also flatly refused.

“If I used it, I’d have to roll around.”

It was unknown how much fat would be produced if Amon, who was abnormally overflowing with Divine Power, used it.

He might die from shock.

The Doctor dejectedly put the drug away.

Then, regaining his spirits, the Doctor turned to Amon and said,

“Then may I ask for one favor?”

“I’ll at least hear you out.”

“I’ve run out of sunflower seeds. Usually my assistant keeps them stocked, but he forgot today! The store will close soon, and I was hoping you two quick-footed people could take me there.”

“And the compensation?”

“Choose between money or one of my research papers.”

“I’ll take the research paper, please.”

“I’ve felt it from the beginning, but you really understand my value.”

Amon just smiled brightly.

The hamster jumped down from his assistant’s shoulder and approached Sonia.

She carefully picked up the hamster.

Sonia stroked the hamster once before putting him in her pocket.

Then she looked at Amon and said,

“Shall we go?”

At that moment, the assistant grabbed Amon.

“Didn’t you say you needed a recipe book? Wouldn’t it be more efficient if I showed you the secret sauce while Miss Sonia is out?”

Amon made eye contact with the assistant.

Then, nodding his head,

“Sonia. Go quickly with the Doctor. I’ll stay here and learn about sauces from the assistant.”

Sonia wasn’t a fool.

She had noticed the exchange of glances between Amon and the assistant.

But she was a woman who respected her lover’s independence.

‘We promised that day.’

The day Amon had created a dungeon alone and defeated the boss, he had promised her.

That if he needed to, he would rely on her.

In other words, if he was obviously sending her away, there must be a reason for it.

At least it wasn’t because he didn’t trust her.

She nodded willingly.

As always, like an innocent and naive girl.

As if she hadn’t noticed Amon’s thoughts.

“Okay. I’ll be back soon.”

She ran out with the plump hamster in her pocket.

After sending Sonia away, Amon smiled bitterly.

‘Thank you, as always.’

He was aware of her consideration too.

Amon vowed to repay her with affection enhanced by his sense of debt.

The assistant looked at Amon and spoke.

“You make a good pair.”

“Thank you.”

“Then, thanks to Miss Sonia’s consideration, I’ll get straight to the point.”

The assistant cleared his throat.

Entering Doctor mode, the assistant said,

“Young man. I’ve been thinking, there’s something strange about you.”

“What do you mean?”

“The young lady seems… well, I was going to say normal, but that might not be the right word for a Divine Power holder, but anyway, she seems normal. But you…”

“You can call me Amon.”

“Amon, you seem different from typical Divine Power holders.”

“What do you mean?”

The Doctor lowered his voice even more and said,

“Sadin. Stop pretending in front of me.”

As he said this, the Doctor’s eyes were sparkling with expectation.

*

Muarr & Dant are a hamster and a human.

At the same time, they are a human and a hamster.

What this means is that the two share the same consciousness and memories.

Clearly, the hamster was the Doctor, and the human was the assistant.

But they shared memories and consciousness.

And yet, if one fell, the other would die too, making them a kind of conjoined twins.

How they ended up this way was never revealed in the game.

But there was one strong theory in the community about this:

– <They were both in the same city as the protagonist during the final battle in Punk City 1, right? Maybe something happened when the final boss died and they were exposed to Divine Power?>

The Doctor had appeared since Punk City 1.

Back then, the hamster would just squeak, and the human would interpret, rather than directly representing the hamster’s consciousness as he did now.

– “The Doctor thinks so.”

It was roughly like that.

But in the setting of 2, hundreds of years after 1, the hamster’s consciousness seemed to have settled in the human, as it was now.

Therefore, the theory from the community explained both their lifespan and the state of the two beings very well.

Eventually, this theory gained a lot of support in the community and became a semi-established theory.

‘Yes, just like now.’

The assistant didn’t need to be next to the hamster.

No matter how far apart they were, even if they were on opposite sides of the earth, the two shared consciousness.

That’s why there was no problem communicating with Amon even though Sonia had taken the Doctor out.

Amon thought about this as he silently looked at Muarr & Dant.

The hamster Doctor, however he interpreted Amon’s silence, spoke with a pleading tone.

“Sadin! It’s you, isn’t it?! Tell me it is!”

Amon seemed to know who he was talking about.

It was the dialogue that appeared when you reached 100 affinity with the Doctor in 2 and 3.

The Doctor would suddenly say this to the protagonist.

And the protagonist would always respond like this:

– “Sorry. You’ve got the wrong person.”

– “Sorry. I don’t know who you’re talking about.”

And Amon was no different.

“I’m sorry. I’m not the person you’re looking for, Doctor.”

Hearing the answer, the Doctor visibly showed his disappointment.

Not just the Doctor, but the assistant as well.

The Doctor, with a dejected face, uttered the familiar line.

“I apologize. I thought so because of your Divine Power. You must be… a successor?”

Amon quietly nodded.

Successor.

The Doctor always defined the protagonist this way.

Being called by this title was the minimum condition for the true ending, so Amon knew this line well.

The Doctor spoke with a hint of bitterness.

“If you’re a successor, you probably don’t have parents? You were probably suddenly summoned to this world as a baby, right?”

Nod.

“You probably know about me.”

Nod.

“How does it feel to inherit someone else’s memories?”

Amon shrugged.

Even if he inherited memories, it was only through a monitor.

To be clear, Amon had received confirmation from the Goddess that he had no special secrets in his previous life, nor in the life before that.

Therefore, he was a completely different person from the ‘Sadin’ the Doctor was looking for.

The Doctor already knew this fact.

Eventually, the Doctor muttered quietly.

“Yes… that’s right.”

He twisted the corner of his mouth and asked Amon,

“Is the world about to undergo another upheaval?”

“I suppose it might be?”

“I see. I understand.”

The Doctor sighed and stood up.

“Yes. That’s right. Of course…”

Watching the middle-aged man mumbling to himself, Amon felt uncomfortable too.

The Doctor’s questioning ended there.

At least in the game.

But the Doctor’s next question made Amon realize that this was reality.

“You. What are you planning?”

“…?”

“Others might not know, but I can’t help but know. You’re planning to die soon, aren’t you?”

Amon was surprised too.

How did he know?

The Doctor smiled bitterly and said,

“I can’t help but know. I was reborn that way too.”

“… Please keep it a secret from Sonia.”

“There’s no reason to create unnecessary worry by telling her, since you’ll come back to life anyway.”

“Thank you.”

“Take this.”

The Doctor handed over a vial with purple liquid sloshing inside.

Amon knew what the vial contained.

“This is…”

“You’ll need it to be reborn, won’t you? Take it even if you already have some. The more extras, the better.”

Amon carefully put the vial in his inner pocket.

Then he bowed to the Doctor.

“Thank you.”

“No need. I should be grateful that you’d even speak to a remnant of this era like me.”

The Doctor waved his hand dismissively.

Eventually, the Doctor looked in the direction Sonia had gone.

“The young lady should be back in about 3 minutes. She’s incredibly fast.”

This was a statement possible only because he shared consciousness with the hamster.

The Doctor said he would pass consciousness to his assistant to impart information about the secret seasoning during those 3 minutes.

“At least we should pretend.”

At that moment, Amon spoke to the Doctor.

“Doctor. I am not Sadin.”

“I know.”

“But…”

Amon recalled.

Whenever he saw the Doctor like this in the game, there was something he always wanted to say.

Words that only someone who deeply understood the story and world-building enough to first propose the established theory about the Doctor’s condition could think of.

Words that were so famous that all users asked for them to be added as a dialogue option, which wasn’t in the game.

Words that were eventually added through mods.

Words he couldn’t say directly until now.

“Before ascending, Sadin surely wanted to tell you this.”

Amon cleared his throat and said,

“The warm memories you showed during the difficult journey were surely the ‘light’ you were looking for.”

“…!”

“So now, put down your guilt about having killed me, old friend.”

Tears welled up in the eyes of both the Doctor and the assistant.

Amon thought.

Why was the Doctor looking for ‘Sadin’ so desperately?

Why had the Doctor spent a thousand years making all sorts of strange potions to make the protagonist’s journey more spectacular?

Perhaps he blamed the side effects of his potions for the protagonist of the first game merging with the final boss.

During those long years, while denying the protagonist’s death, perhaps he hoped the protagonist would come back to him someday.

Even if not for comfort, perhaps he desperately wanted to be punished.

Amon couldn’t know for sure.

Only the Doctor himself could know.

But looking at the Doctor’s expression, he had a rough idea.

“Thank you, Sadin.”

“I am not Sadin, Doctor.”

“I know. Sadin is not a name but a title.”

“That’s news to me.”

“I suppose it would be. It’s a title I gave arbitrarily.”

Amon added this new knowledge.

Not long after, Sonia arrived.

With the hamster munching on sunflower seeds.

The hamster’s cheeks looked somewhat wet, but Amon pretended not to notice.

“You’re back, Sonia?”

Amon greeted her with a smile.

“The assistant taught me a lot. I’ll make it for you when we get home.”

Sonia also seemed to have noticed something, but she smiled anyway.

So everyone in the room smiled.

Though each smile was clearly meant to hide something, ironically, the smiles were genuine.