Chat Group Crossover: My System Simulates Infinite Anime Worlds — Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Current Propulsion and a Rooftop Promise

[Just as the crystal condensed, your consciousness was suddenly pulled to a vast sea, an endless ocean stretching to every horizon. You could feel that this was your spiritual world.]

[This was not your first time entering this inner sea; you had been here many times before and were intimately familiar with its currents. This time, however, something was different.]

[You looked straight ahead, where a mass of roiling black energy was coalescing, twisting itself into a perfect, shadowy replica of your own image.]

[It stared at you, its gaze dripping with a ravenous greed, as if it wished to devour you whole. With a flick of its wrist, a tidal wave of pure negative emotion—despair, rage, fear—surged toward you.]

[You merely waved a hand, casually swatting the torrent of negativity aside as if it were a bothersome fly. A sneer tugged at the corner of your lips. ‘Negative emotions? Is that all you’re worth?’]

[If the sheer volume of negativity you generated in every simulated world had any lasting effect, you would have been consumed by it long ago.]

[You strode forward, closed the distance in an instant, and slammed the shadowy figure to the ground. Pinning it within the fabric of your consciousness, you began to beat it relentlessly.]

[Under your powerful, systematic dismantling and taming, the entity finally chose to reason with you. It surrendered, converting its dark spiritual energy into a pure contribution toward your path to power.]

[You felt a deep sense of satisfaction, nodding in approval. It was, you mused, a teachable creature.]

[A thought crossed your mind: if you could encounter such beneficial opportunities a few more times, your spiritual energy would leap several levels. Even now, you could feel it had grown strong enough to be projected outward from your body.]

[It could probably be called a divine sense now. The world around you, within a certain radius, appeared in your mind’s eye with perfect clarity.]

[You scanned the surrounding area for fluctuations in Honkai Energy but found no signs of a large-scale Honkai disaster. This was a temporary reprieve at best.]

[You knew you couldn’t linger here. After a swift departure, you found a hotel in a nearby town and began to carefully research the new abilities you had acquired.]

[Your research revealed several things. You could influence plants through Honkai Energy, forcing them into explosive growth. More than that, you could modify their very genes, coaxing vines to secrete a variety of potent toxins.]

[Then there was the power of lightning—or more specifically, the precise control over electromagnetic forces. The power you could currently condense wasn’t immense; you could summon a small patch of thunderclouds in the sky or manipulate metal objects within a hundred-meter radius.]

[Testing further, you discovered an influence over various fluids within a set range. You could even affect the motion of molecules, causing a spot to instantly ignite with flames or become coated in frost, though the effective area was still quite small.]

[You felt a pang of regret. The spatial manipulation and materialization powers you had truly hoped for remained elusive.]

[, your tests confirmed that you had not reached the level of a true Herrscher as described in the data you’d seen. You also lacked the innate ability to command Honkai Beasts.]

[You also discovered that the Herrscher Core inside your body didn’t seem fully formed; it was still in the process of developing, of completing itself.]

[You decided to name your current state: Pseudo-Herrscher. An incomplete, fledgling Herrscher.]

[As you reached this conclusion, a flicker of genuine happiness sparked within you. Because if another Herrscher were to be born within you…]

[Would that nourishing feast of negative emotions appear in your body again? If you could beat it down repeatedly, refining it into pure spiritual energy, wouldn’t your own mental fortitude soar to new heights?]

[For now, however, this was merely a pleasant expectation. You looked down at your hand.]

[To be precise, you looked at the small metal coin now spinning silently in your palm, held aloft by an invisible force.]

[A flash of inspiration struck. You recalled fragmented memories of a comic book from a past life, one that described experts in a power called Magnetic Field Rotation. It was a long shot, a piece of fiction.]

[But with your ‘Diligence Pays Off’ trait, your own formidable intellect, and your current body’s incredible regenerative abilities—which allowed you to recover from almost any injury as long as Honkai Energy was present—could you not replicate it? Could you bring the power of Magnetic Field Rotation into this world?]

[If you could replicate this power, the benefits would be immeasurable. It would allow you to hammer the volatile core inside you into a source of strength that was completely and utterly your own.]

[Not to mention, the path of Magnetic Field Rotation was known to develop both the body and the mind, granting its user a super-computer brain and a body of unmatched health and resilience.]

[You set a small goal for yourself.]

[Achieve the first level, ‘Current Propulsion,’ before the next Great Honkai Eruption arrives.]

[After returning to school, you began to study. You devoured every textbook, every paper, every piece of knowledge you could find on magnetic fields, currents, and bio-electricity. You became obsessed.]

[Mei, noticing your single-minded fervor, grew deeply curious and finally asked what you were doing.]

[You told her your idea. You explained the concept of Current Propulsion.]

[After hearing your theory, she frowned, her brow furrowed in deep concentration. For a long while, she was silent, seemingly running complex calculations in her mind, weighing the feasibility of your outlandish idea.]

[She concluded that your proposed method was incredibly difficult, bordering on impossible. The main obstacle, she pointed out, was whether a human body could even withstand the sheer force of the magnetic fields you described. She even cited several real-world examples of electromagnetic catastrophes to illustrate her point.]

[You listened quietly, absorbing every word Mei said.]

[You felt she made perfect sense. Combining her sharp, logical analysis with your own burgeoning knowledge, you felt an explosion of inspiration, new pathways opening in your mind.]

[During this time, you began experimenting on yourself. Though you often found yourself coughing up blood after each session, a grim smile would always grace your lips.]

[You were happy.]

[Because after every agonizing experiment, you could feel your progress inching forward. You were getting closer.]

[Everything is difficult at the beginning. Once the first successful Current Propulsion was achieved, you knew the subsequent levels could be mastered through continuous practice.]

[In the midst of your research into Current Propulsion, you also made a breakthrough.]

[You had completed a Breathing Technique that allowed ordinary people to circulate Honkai Energy within their bodies.]

[This Breathing Technique was simple, easy to understand, and suitable for the vast majority of the population. It allowed an ordinary person to consciously absorb the ambient Honkai Energy that saturated the world.]

[Bit by bit, it would modify the user’s body, increasing their resistance and adaptability to the Honkai. After all, everyone in this world was constantly breathing in Honkai Energy anyway; it was in their food, their water, their very cells. Their bodies were already gradually adapting. This technique just accelerated the process.]

[To achieve full adaptation would still take a very long time, perhaps seventy to a hundred years. But the initial benefits could be felt almost immediately, allowing most people to at least survive the initial shock of a Honkai disaster. Of course, this was merely surviving, nothing more.]

[While researching Current Propulsion, you also developed a method to enhance one’s spiritual power.]

[You created a Meditation Technique, primarily to strengthen your own mind. It was a precaution, in case another Herrscher Core condensed in your body and gave birth to a hostile will.]

[According to the data you had, a newly awakened Herrscher would attack everything and everyone indiscriminately. Combined with your own recent experience, you theorized that this was because their consciousness was eroded by that newborn negative will.]

[If your own spiritual power was strong enough, you could tame your own Herrscher will the very moment it was born. You could, through a powerful and decisive beating, turn the opponent completely into a part of yourself. Then, this Honkai Energy would cease to be a disaster and would instead become a treasure.]

[One day, you were on the school rooftop with Mei. You decided to broach the subject, briefly explaining the concept of Honkai Energy to her—without, of course, using the word ‘Honkai’.]

[You told her that while practicing a certain Breathing Technique, you discovered a unique type of energy drifting in the air, an energy you had named ‘Spirit Energy’. You explained that by guiding it with the technique, this power could be converted into one’s own strength.]

[Mei looked at you very strangely, as if she thought you had a fever. Her slender, pale hand gently touched your forehead, her fingers cool against your skin. She seemed relieved when she found it wasn’t hot.]

[You knew how it sounded. Like you were delusional, or perhaps mentally ill. So, you decided a demonstration was in order. You focused on a nearby iron pipe leaning against the wall, and with a clench of your fist, crushed it into a solid iron ball.]

[You made the iron ball float in mid-air, where it began to glow with a faint red light from internal heat. A moment later, it was completely encased in a layer of shimmering ice and snow.]

[Then, just as quickly, the ice and snow melted into water, dripping onto the rooftop tiles.]

[Mei stared at the scene, her eyes wide. She immediately picked up the still-cool iron ball, observing it with the intensity of a scientist. If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, she would have dismissed it as a magic trick. But she had felt the wave of intense cold and the subsequent warmth. It was no illusion; it was real.]

[You watched her shocked little expression, and the corners of your mouth lifted slightly. You extended an invitation.]

[You asked her if she wanted to learn. It could strengthen the body, you explained. Even a brilliant scientist needed a healthy body to support their research.]

[Hearing this, Mei was clearly moved. A faint blush colored her cheeks, and she seemed a bit embarrassed, as if feeling you were being too good to her. She looked at you, a hint of suspicion in her eyes, and wondered aloud if you had some ulterior motive.]

[Without thinking, you subconsciously replied, “If I had any ulterior motives, they could only be toward you.”]

[The words hung in the air. The bustling sounds of the city below seemed to fade away, and the rooftop fell into a sudden, heavy silence.]

[You immediately felt you had said the wrong thing again. It seemed the memory of your childhood sweetheart from your previous life was still influencing you, likely because the experience was still so fresh.]

[‘What was her name again?’ you wondered, a wave of regret washing over you. You couldn’t remember. You only knew she had a magnificent figure, and the thought made you feel like a complete lecher.]

[You pretended nothing had happened, mentally turning the page on the awkward moment. You began to explain the meridian pathways and breathing methods to her in a calm, even voice.]

[Mei, too, seemed to decide to ignore it, and began to earnestly commit your words to memory.]

[After the explanation, you asked Mei to sit cross-legged so you could guide her into the special state required.]

[Mei didn’t hesitate. She closed her eyes and settled into the posture.]

[Your hands came to rest on her back. You felt her body tremble slightly at your touch, then consciously relax.]

[You whispered, your voice low and steady, “Don’t think too much. Focus on what I told you, and breathe according to the frequency I taught you. I will guide the flow of energy in your body…”]

[Before long, Mei quickly entered a meditative state.]

[The Breathing Technique you taught her wasn’t the mass-produced version, but a personalized one you had modified just for her. With your direct guidance, she entered the state with remarkable speed.]

[You had done this because you discovered that your genius deskmate had a dangerously low resistance to Honkai Energy. You wanted to improve it, even slightly.]

[With your guidance, you could help her rapidly adapt to the Honkai Energy in her system.]

[From time to time, you would take a small, high-calorie energy bar from your pocket and gently stuff a piece into her mouth.]

[Mei would open her mouth unconsciously, chewing and swallowing the food. It entered her body, where it was rapidly decomposed and converted into biological energy, fueling the process of taming the Honkai Energy that was now flowing into her.]

[Her very cells began to undergo a preliminary change, starting to adapt to this new power.]

[Time passed, minute by minute. In the blink of an eye, the sun began to set, painting the sky in hues of orange and purple.]

[You didn’t wake Mei. You continued to guide the energy within her, carefully modifying her body’s resistance and adaptability.]

[The sky darkened completely, and the city lights began to twinkle below. You remained there, focused, until late into the night, when the doors to the rooftop were thrown open and Mei’s father, his face a mask of fury, stormed onto the scene.]