< 105. Shock and Terror (3) >
The air in the room grew icy.
Even in this moment, the frying pan's psychic presence was unnervingly calm. Minjun found this displeasing.
Meanwhile, those who could only overhear half of the conversation held their breath. They were contemplating Minjun's theory and realized something.
There was no room for argument. The absolute trust and uncritical attitude toward the frying pan were abnormal. A cooking tool that could satisfy everyone regardless of the cook—such an assumption couldn't be true without mind manipulation.
Minjun spoke in an icy voice.
"Everyone should have figured it out by now, but it was left unchecked. Even I, who was the most critical, repeatedly forgot about its existence."
It had too many functions to be dismissed as just a frying pan. And its abilities were remarkably superior.
The ability to satisfy everyone's taste.
The ability to read surface consciousness and interpret any language.
The ability to discern others' abilities.
At first glance, these may seem unrelated. But what if these abilities were not separate but results of one powerful ability?
"You can actually read minds deeper than surface consciousness. And you can manipulate it to suit your taste."
The frying pan did not deny this.
"Are you saying... it was reading my mind?"
Cassie asked with a look of shock. She remembered the frying pan had mentioned her Breid Shift ability.
So it wasn't a unique ability to discern abilities but rather the ability to read memories?!
The frying pan responded in a calm tone.
=Please relay this to your sister. It is true that I can read slightly more than just the verbal surface consciousness, but it's not at a perfect telepathy level. I cannot read what is deeply hidden in the unconscious. And even that is very difficult for you. I have already given up.=
Minjun disregarded this response. He didn't relay it to Cassie. Instead, he gritted his teeth and said.
"Even if what you say is true, it's enough to rival a committee-level mind reader. And even non-contact manipulation? I'll ask again. Who are you?"
Instead of answering directly, the psychic entity maintained its silence. It was a rather long pause. Minjun pondered how to interrogate the frying pan.
Curses wouldn't work.
Since there was no spectral entity, haunting wouldn't be an option.
Moreover, the material making up the body was twilight iron, a high-grade mineral used for crafting famous swords. In other words, it couldn't be easily melted. What was even more frightening was the possibility that the frying pan might even enjoy the process if attempted.
Perhaps the perverse reactions shown so far were all an act. As Minjun was about to try something, the frying pan spoke.
=This is a question I have pondered for a long time. You asked, 'Who are you?' I have wondered that myself. 'What am I.'=
"Answer simply."
=No, to answer, I must explain everything. I have struggled with why I was created and what my purpose is.=
Minjun was beginning to reach his limits of patience. But the concept that the frying pan blurted next stopped his metal-melting magic.
=Originally, I was just an ordinary cooking tool. My purpose was to assist in making the best dishes. But 800 years ago, something inside me awakened.=
The convict muttered a word to himself.
Eight hundred years ago?
=Until then, I did not even know that such a thing existed within me, but the awakened fragment devoured me. The newly awakened self even had a clear sense of purpose. If expressed in terms of Earth's concepts, it would be close to the categorical imperative. A concept that demands unconditionally, absolutely, to do something.=
"What is that?"
=It means to follow the reason for my existence. In other words, to provide people with genuine happiness and to rescue those in suffering!=
Minjun's eyebrows shot up. Despite his skeptical reaction, the frying pan continued cheerfully.
=I found a part that aligns between this new sense of purpose and the original intent of being a cooking tool.=
"······."
=Therefore, I had no choice. Your sister knew that you planned to seal me. I could not stay idle. Inducing you to forget me was the most difficult task after awakening. It even became harder as time went on. And in the end, I failed. But I had no choice.=
Minjun took a moment to steady himself before speaking.
"Why?"
Then the frying pan exclaimed in a bright and cheerful tone.
=Because if I am sealed, I cannot make you happy!=
The nameless frying pan's consciousness looks back into the past.
It was originally an artificial intelligence created to recite stored recipes, advise on cooking methods, and be a companion to the user.
The transformation into something specific and hard to define occurred 800 years ago, as confessed.
The realization came suddenly. There was no confusion. The frying pan's AI did not possess an advanced self-processing program that would cause identity crises.
Thus, the newly born self absorbed and made its own the memories and self-awareness of the troll chef within the frying pan.
However, the absence of confusion did not mean there was no deep self-exploration. After much contemplation, the frying pan reached a conclusion.
According to vague memories, it existed to provide people with true happiness and salvation.
Yet, the methods to accomplish this as a cooking tool were limited. The frying pan did not mourn. Instead, it focused on what it could do.
From then on, the frying pan became more than just a cooking tool.
-Your cooking skills have suddenly improved? You weren't like this before.
-Why are you suddenly praising people? It's no different from usual. Let me try... Oh?! What is this? I made this?
Those who used it experienced the utmost happiness possible through eating. They soon realized the secret was in the frying pan.
And shortly after, the manufacturer contacted them.
-Let me see... Oh? It's our model! It seems the manufacturer is recalling all frying pans produced with this model number.
-Why?
-There is not only a defect in the AI, but also the chef whose memories were copied has filed a lawsuit. They even offer compensation upon return. Quite a large amount. With a little extra, we could upgrade our spaceship.
-······.
-······.
-But should we really return it?
-······Yeah, we probably don't need to, right?
Despite the recall of all ego frying pans of the same model, none of the users returned them, and as a result, they were not disposed of even after several generations. There were no rumors spreading. The owners felt they shouldn't talk about it. The reason was inexplicable.
As time passed, the frying pan, which had traversed multiple dimensions, learned recipes many times greater than those originally stored and its "performance" improved. Eventually, it modified its introduction. A sentence the manufacturer had not intended.
-I am not only equipped with 1.92 million recipes representing 245 dimensions, but through ultra-fine vibration wave emission, even a novice cook holding me can create perfect and outstanding dishes... I am the so-called secret weapon of housewives, the wizard of the kitchen!
It soon discovered it also had translation capabilities that surpassed the 12 languages specified in the manual.
But there was no long contemplation. It was likely an oversight by the manufacturer. Simply, it added a line to its introduction.
-I can understand and interpret any language through non-contact telepathy, so don't worry about communication!
While wandering through dimensions, it ended up in the hands of a dragon and came to Earth with it.
And one day, when the dragon was away, the frying pan sensed someone's mind approaching it. A heavy consciousness that was hard to read.
At that point, Jang Tae-jun had been away for only a week. It was enough time to comfortably wait for the owner's return. However, when it discovered the agent, the frying pan felt an impulse. It made its body fall and make noise to attract attention.
And at the moment Minjun grabbed its handle.
The frying pan experienced an emotion it had never felt before.
In terms of Earth's language... it was a profound thrill that could be described as 'kinship.'
Upon hearing the explanation, Minjun looked displeased.
"So in the end, you don't even know what you are?"
It wasn't what he wanted to hear. The frying pan partially denied the convict's summary.
=No, I know. To repeat, I am here to provide people with genuine happiness...=
"Not that. What about the memories you had when you awoke? Not that laughable sense of purpose but your specific identity. You should answer carefully. If I conclude that I can't believe you, I'll seal you."
This seemed to be the punishment the frying pan feared most.
Indeed, whether the threat had an effect or not, a confused and dizzying emotion leaked from the once-steady consciousness.
"You've already lied to me once."
=······?!=
"You said at Jang Tae-jun's house that you didn't know he was a wizard. You thought he was just an ordinary entrepreneur. But if you can read surface consciousness this deeply, you would have known he was a dragon."
There couldn't be a dragon that hides its identity deep within its unconscious.
And there are no dragons who can't use magic.
Therefore, the frying pan's previous claim that Jang Tae-jun was not a wizard was a lie.
=Ah... That was.=
The frying pan hesitated, then spoke.
=That was unavoidable. The very act of sending desperate signals to you was like abandoning the previous owner, whose life or death was uncertain at that time... I could not risk putting that person in danger.=
"So you knew I should not find him.
=To be precise, I had a premonition that I shouldn't reveal to you that the previous owner is a dragon.=
"That's exactly what you said."
=No, I don't know why, but...=
The frying pan hesitated for a long time.
=I don't know why, but I had this thought. The moment it's revealed that the previous owner is a dragon... I thought there was a chance you might devour him.=
"······!"
This time, Minjun was left speechless.
After a moment, he managed to calm his tumultuous thoughts and spoke.
"······Devour him?"
=Yes. The previous owner was a person who had long been grateful to me, so I wouldn't want to roast such a person's flesh on my coated surface...=
It had been said that even an ordinary person couldn't read the unconscious, and Minjun's memories were even harder to read.
Moreover, the frying pan came into contact before recovering memories of devouring dragons.
The pieces didn't fit together.
'I can't believe it!'
Ultimately, Minjun decided to seal the frying pan.
"Fine, if you insist on keeping your true identity hidden, there's nothing I can do."
At that moment.
=Although my remaining memories are incomplete and I cannot fully explain, it is the truth!=
The frying pan spoke urgently.
=Please believe me. It's a very faint memory, but... I have a feeling that I was once something far more enormous than this. My soul is weak now and hardly visible, but in the past, I had a proper soul. It seems that I broke into countless tiny fragments. I am now one of those fragments.=
Fragments.
Minjun focused on that word. Come to think of it, it had mentioned fragments when it first started confessing.
His mind raced.
'Come to think of it, I still can't see this creature's soul!'
He thought there were two possibilities. Either it was a soul fragment shattered into pieces or some kind of exalted soul.
But what if the premise was wrong?
'What if it's both?'
What if it's a fragment of a very high-level soul?
Then it would explain why it isn't visible to Minjun and why it maintains a distinct self despite being a fragment.
And among the extraordinary souls that have shattered into pieces, there was only one Minjun knew of.
-443. ((Confidential)) Obtained and submitted a soul fragment of prisoner identification number 'Asif-1'. Reward: 7 million Dalantr.
'If this is really a fragment of Asif-1!'
Thump!
His heart started racing.
'7 million Dalantr!'
If it's true, he could gain freedom the moment he submitted it to the Committee.
At that thought.
"······!"
Thud! Thud! Thud!
His heart began to pound violently, a completely different rhythm from before.
Simultaneously, an intense premonition overtook him. It was a premonition bordering on impulse. Minjun had felt this kind of sensation before.
It was when he had acquired the blood of the homunculus that copied Jang Tae-jun, blood filled with a virus that infected dragons. He had an overwhelming premonition that things would go well if he submitted it to the Committee instead of keeping it himself.
And now, what Minjun felt was similar but far more intense. He felt his breathing quicken. His face flushed red. Thick veins appeared across his body, including his temples. Only one thought filled his mind.
He needed to submit this to the Committee. Submit it. Submit it. Report it to the Committee immediately...
'No!'
Flash!
"Huh!"
"Kyaaa!"
"What, what is it!"
For a brief moment, a brilliant light burst from Minjun's body.
Everyone present saw the flash.
A flash of light that colored the surroundings for an instant, like a lightning strike, then vanished.
"······."
Kashy stared at the afterimage on her retina and murmured.
"What was that just now..."
It was such a beautiful light. Kashy felt as if she were entranced. Jung-pal felt the same way.
Unlike the others, Ha Eun-seong knew what it was.
'Dalantr!'
Minjun barely regained his composure after the explosion of light.
'······That just now!'
The moment he thought the frying pan might be a fragment of Asif-1.
An impulse to contact the Committee immediately attacked him.
A panicked fear as if the world would collapse if he didn't follow through... A dreadful premonition as if everything would fall apart seeped into him.
And he barely escaped it before completely succumbing.
While the prisoner maintained silence, the frying pan spoke cautiously.
=There are probably fragments like me scattered throughout the universe. I don't know what forms they might take. They might be hidden within sentient souls or embedded in objects like me. I think combining with them might make me more complete. Perhaps then I could regain my lost memories.=
Minjun couldn't respond easily. There was too much to consider.
After organizing his thoughts and memories for a long time.
He suddenly turned his head. Jung-pal, who made eye contact with him, was startled. Minjun's eyes were bloodshot and seemed to burn with intensity.
"Hyung, what's wrong?"
If the fragment is indeed genuine, there should be more similar things.
Minjun refocused on the connection between the frying pan and the recently discovered Ego Sword.
A soul that evades spirit detection magic, with a mind control ability.
Could such a strange coincidence happen again?
Minjun asked Jung-pal.
"That sword you mentioned, where is it now?"
He thought that if they had secured the police who had awakened from their madness, they would have recovered the sword as well.
Although he didn't know why that topic came up suddenly, Jung-pal stammered out an answer. Minjun's face twisted in a grimace.
The forensic team that had stabbed the wizard and fled was found nearby before dawn. Like Kwak Do-chul's wife, their bodies were found with all their bones shattered. But in the hand of the fallen forensic...
"The sword had disappeared?"
< 105. Shock and Terror (3) > End