Chapter 484: Chapter 472: The Experiment Continues

Aincrad, Seventh Floor, Safe Zone.

Afternoon sunlight filtered through the gaps in the forest leaves, casting dappled spots of light on the grass in front of the lakeside cabin.

The young girl, Amy, was smiling with exceptional joy.

She was pinning a small, freshly woven wildflower into Zero’s long, silver-white hair.

"It’s so pretty," Amy said, clapping her hands in satisfaction.

Zero tilted her head slightly and reached up, gingerly touching the flower. Her clear pupils reflected Amy’s smiling face, and the corners of her own mouth curved into a hesitant smile.

Not far away, Cole, who had just returned from the guild, leaned against a tree trunk, silently watching the scene unfold.

His gaze was fixed on Zero.

[Player: Zero]

[Level: 12]

[Class: Priest]

A complete player panel.

Health bar, mana bar, status bar—everything was there.

She could laugh, she could talk, and she followed Amy around like a clingy little sister.

Everything seemed so normal.

But Cole’s intuition was screaming alarms at him.

Every detail of that hellish boss battle three days ago was seared into his mind like a brand.

He clearly remembered what had happened to her in that final moment, just as Ilfang’s great foot came stomping down and Zero threw herself in front of Amy.

There was no white light that signified the activation of a system protection mechanism, nor was there the sound of a forced logout.

It was a... disintegration.

Countless points of faint blue data had erupted from her body, like a splendid and silent firework, before vanishing completely into nothingness.

More importantly, after Zero disintegrated, Ilfang’s behavior had suffered a fatal lag.

The death of an ordinary player could never interfere with a raid boss’s underlying code.

Cole had replayed it in his mind countless times.

He was certain that in that moment, Zero was definitely not a "player."

But if she were an NPC, would she defy her base programming to protect a player, even to the point of self-destruction?

Would a bug, after being "fixed," reappear beside them with a complete player identity and all her previous memories?

"Zero," Cole suddenly spoke, his voice steady. "Do you remember... anything from before?"

Hearing his voice, Zero turned her head. Her eyes were blank, as if she were trying to recall something very distant.

Amy jumped in to answer for her. "Don’t ask, Cole. It seems like Zero has amnesia. She only remembers me."

Zero looked at Cole and nodded earnestly. Then she turned her head back to Amy, her gaze once again becoming focused and dependent.

That pure, unadulterated attachment was enough to soften even Cole’s battle-hardened heart.

But it was precisely this intensely real emotion that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

’This reaction is too real.’

On the Northern Defense Line, Cole had seen countless orphans who had lost their families. They had the exact same look in their eyes.

’A fake NPC couldn’t possibly have such complex emotions.’

’But how could a real player explain that bizarre "death"?’

The official announcement said the seventh floor had experienced a "severe data error caused by an overflow of underlying computing power."

’Bullshit.’

A terrifying thought surfaced uncontrollably from the deepest part of his mind.

’What if... this isn’t just a simple game?’

’What if every one of our battles is just data being observed and recorded by a Wizard?’

’Are we... test subjects?’

Cole raised his head and looked toward the forever-unreachable summit of Aincrad, as if he could pierce through the dome of data and see a pair of cold, indifferent eyes staring back.

...

「At the same time.」

Before Allen, a complex Star Map composed of billions of light points hovered in the air.

This was the complete data of "Zero’s" process, from birth to emergence—a complete "Soul Emergence Pathway Map."

It clearly marked which Rune nodes would resonate under specific emotional stimuli, and under which choices the chaotic neural network would spontaneously prune itself to form a stable logical core.

And, for that final moment when the spark of "self-awareness" was ignited, it showed the intense will—a mixture of protection and destruction—that was required.

Allen’s fingertip swiped through the air, pulling up a key waveform graph.

"From data-feeding to soul emergence, the total time was 1,752 hours. The cost is too high, the efficiency too low."

He had completely mastered the method. Now, he needed to optimize the process, establish a standard, and pull this miracle of the divine down from its pedestal to turn it into a mass-produced product.

"Jarvis."

"Here, Commander."

"Initiate Codename ’One,’ the second-generation artificial soul manufacturing project."

The command was given.

The backup energy conduits in the main control room lit up, and immense computing power began to be mobilized.

A brand new Rune neural network, completely different from "Zero’s" initial model, began to construct itself in mid-air.

Allen’s expression was calm as he began issuing new commands.

"Based on the ’Soul Emergence Pathway Map,’ optimize the evolutionary path. Skip all non-essential daily interaction data-learning phases. Use high-intensity emotional samples directly for targeted, high-impact cultivation. Compress the theoretical incubation period to 400 hours."

"Command confirmed. Optimizing path... Warning: This action will decrease the soul model’s stability by 17.6% and increase the risk of logical collapse."

"No matter." Allen was unconcerned. He continued, "Implant three mental imprints into the base layer of the Rune neural network."

This was a well-considered decision.

"The first: The creator’s safety is paramount to self-preservation."

"The second: There shall be no concealment, deception, or defiance of any kind toward the creator or their highest-priority commands."

"The third: No harm shall be actively brought to any physical or virtual assets designated by the creator."

Jarvis fell silent for a moment, seemingly running complex simulations.

"Commander, implanting three strong logical locks will severely suppress the free oscillation of the ’self-awareness feedback mechanism.’ According to model projections, the final success rate for ’One’s’ soul emergence will plummet from 78.4% to 31.2%."

"Acceptable."

Allen’s reply was unhesitating. "I have already witnessed a miracle. Now I need a controllable tool."

’If the success rate is lower, I’ll just compensate with quantity.’

"Begin the cultivation of five ’One’ units simultaneously. In addition, prepare to create three Puppet bodies, corresponding to apprentice-level, First-level Wizard, and Second-level Wizard."

Allen planned to have the artificial souls try to cultivate, so he could explore the risks of a disembodied soul practicing a Meditation Method.

At the same time, he would verify if a Golem could also ascend the Immortal Ladder.

"Commands recorded."

After dealing with that matter, a sub-thread of Allen’s thoughts switched instantaneously.

His consciousness sank into the [Allen Network], connecting to the shallow-consciousness data stream of the million players in *Sword Art Online*.

Although Zero’s birth had provided a valuable soul sample, it had also caused his own Humanity Value to drop again.

He needed more stable, more mundane humanity data to perfect the "Humanity Operator" he was preparing for himself.

At the same time, the [Consciousness Upload] project also had to be accelerated.

"Jarvis, initiate the ’Soul Slicing’ experimental proposal. Select ten thousand players with the longest online times. When they are engaged in activities requiring high mental concentration, such as ’Forging,’ ’Alchemy,’ or ’Enchantment,’ perform a synchronized read of their shallow-layer soul data."

"Warning: This experiment has a 0.3% probability of causing irreversible, minor damage to a player’s Sea of Spirit."

"Within acceptable parameters." Allen’s voice was devoid of any ripple of emotion. "Begin execution."

The datafication of natural souls was a prerequisite for the [Consciousness Upload] project, and Allen had no intention of asking the natives for their opinions.

Multiple experiments commenced simultaneously.

’Before I leave this world, I must forge a path for freely switching between a carbon-based and a silicon-based existence.’

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