"…Who?"
Facing the voice suddenly ringing out within her mind, Ophis wasn't particularly panicked.
Or rather, in this Dimensional Gap without even air, if a sound suddenly appeared that she could actually hear with her ears—that would've been genuinely terrifying.
She froze only briefly, then quickly replied within her mind.
[Hmm? Ah, me…? If I use terms you can understand, something like a 'golden finger' perhaps?]
"…Golden finger?"
This term caused Ophis to furrow her nonexistent… probably nonexistent eyebrows.
So… something like a system, huh?
Quickly sorting through the knowledge in her mind, Ophis rapidly considered it.
According to that knowledge, these so-called cheats could roughly be categorized as—
The straightforward kind dropping random benefits from heaven.
The suspicious kind involving conspiracy.
And those with hidden big shots behind them, missions from past lives, impressive former achievements, or mysteriously deep backgrounds, and so forth.
Anyway, aside from the first kind, all others were troublesome.
Unfortunately, the first kind was usually the least probable.
If Ophis were just an ordinary newbie, perhaps she'd have no choice but to accept such a thing.
But—
Ouroboros. That was Ophis's species. And this species, standing atop the pinnacle of Phantasmal Beasts—pureblood dragons—held connotations and concepts like immortality, infinity, reincarnation, and perfection. Shadows of the ouroboros appeared in countless mythologies; a particularly famous example being Jörmungandr, the World Serpent.
In short, as a bona fide pureblood dragon, this sort of cheat was completely unnecessary for her.
After all, even the original her could already manage to be ranked second strongest in the world. Even if the current her couldn't do better, she wouldn't be worse either.
In such circumstances, there was no good reason to take on some inexplicable thing.
Troublesome was that once something like this arrived, it wasn't easy to shake off—one wrong step and she'd inexplicably wind up dead.
Also…
Ophis keenly noticed one particular detail.
"'Words I can understand'… In other words, you who said that—know me quite well?"
Ophis wasn't human, but a rare pureblood dragon—among a species where encountering another could take millions of years. Their commonality in values, accumulated knowledge, and synchronized thought processes was infinitely lower than even humans.
Considering that humans, despite being social creatures constantly influencing each other, could still evolve so many varied ways of thinking and sets of values—the thought differences between dragons must be astronomical.
Thus, to understand the freshly-born Ophis from a human viewpoint was impossible, and even from a draconic standpoint, there wasn't a clear angle of entry.
Yet under such conditions, for this voice to still say something like "words I could understand," meant the other party had undoubtedly researched her in some manner.
And considering the origin of this term "golden finger"…
"Golden Finger-oneesan, you understand that 'it'?"
Ophis came to a judgment.
Or rather, she hoped that was the case.
Because otherwise—
['It'? Such an interesting way of putting it… "Golden Finger-oneesan" is quite an amusing nickname too.]
The voice in her mind seemed intrigued.
[Well… I wouldn't say I understand, exactly. But I can roughly infer what kind of knowledge 'it' has… Relax, I can't peer directly into your heart—mind-related powers aren't really my specialty.]
"…"
In her current situation, Ophis could do nothing even if she didn't believe this.
"Then… about that 'it,' just what exactly—"
Attempting to gather more information, Ophis began asking again.
If she'd really transformed from 'it' in some way…
That theoretically wasn't exactly a comforting situation—after all, the memories had been forcibly erased.
Moreover, this entity residing in her mind was probably the mastermind behind it all.
Though she thought this way, Ophis couldn't muster much anger about the matter.
Right now, she was a dragon. As for whatever human 'it' used to be, she honestly didn't care much.
She was mostly curious.
And cautious about someone who could easily alter the memories of another existence.
But before she could finish, the voice in her mind cut her off.
[No comment~~ or rather, that's honestly not a question worth your time. Even if you knew, wouldn't you just classify it as irrelevant and toss it aside?]
Before Ophis could reply, the voice continued on its own.
[All you really need to know is—you're not 'it,' and you're not that Moe Dragon from 'its' memories either. You're simply you—the current Ophis. Oh, and yes, your memory issues? My handiwork. All those extra memories were meaningless clutter. But relax—I only tampered with memories from your time as 'it.' Your memories as Ophis, I couldn't possibly touch. We're on completely different levels.]
By all rights, Ophis thought she should be furious about having her memories altered. Yet, just like before, the emotion refused to surface. And right now, something else felt more urgent.
"Golden Finger-oneesan, are you really unable to peek into my heart?"
At last, Ophis asked directly.
[Hmm… It's only natural you'd suspect, but I haven't told a single lie.]
The voice sounded faintly amused.
[Even with your memories erased, 'its' personality has already merged deeply into your soul. And besides, your own personality's a little too simple…]
Many assumed personality was carried by memory alone. In truth, the soul itself held enormous weight.
For example—Naruto-kun. No matter how badly Konoha treated him, he still loved it deeply.
If Sasuke were swapped in, Konoha would have been burned down a dozen times over.
Anyway…
"As expected… Golden Finger-oneesan, you really do understand that 'it.'"
The moment Ophis voiced that thought, she felt a distinct shift—a flicker of emotion sinking deep within the other party.
[That's not entirely correct… but you're free to think of it that way if you want.]
Unlike its earlier playful tone, this answer carried a faint gravity.
Acting on instinct, Ophis didn't press.
"You still haven't said… what abilities do you actually have, Golden Finger-oneesan?"
She abruptly changed the subject, asking straight out.
Inside, a vague sense stirred—something like this entity might actually be trustworthy…
Of course, she wouldn't trust it outright. But her resistance was weaker than before.
Abilities were one thing; whether she'd use them was another.
[Ohh! Finally to the main question!? My abilities, huh… Careful, don't get scared~]
"…"
Ophis stayed silent.
In her mind, these "golden finger" types were usually limited at best.
Maybe they handed out legendary swords at bargain prices, summoned Yakumo-obaa-san on a whim, tested your luck, switched your race, or gave instant mastery over the origins of space and time…
[I can basically guess what you're thinking, but let's clear this up now…]
The voice cut in again.
[All those powers you're imagining—I probably don't have a single one~~!]
There was a half-beat of quiet—then a peal of raucous laughter.
[Hahahahaha! So, how's that feel? Wanna punch me? Holding back a huge "fuck you" you can't say aloud? Feel like tossing me out entirely? I just want to watch you itching to bite me but unable to reach me~ After all, I never said I was anything like a system! Hahahahaha!]
Ophis tilted her massive serpent head slightly.
…Honestly, she'd had no expectations of this thing from the start. So naturally, there was no disappointment.
Still, its behavior struck her as distinctly unhinged.
And since the other party had already listed out every possible reaction she might have, what was left for her to do?
No—if it were anyone else, they'd probably just blurt it out—
Stupid fuck.
Finally…
So all these talks about a "Golden Finger" were just the author padding the word count?
Ophis continued thinking silently.