"This... is the Simulated Universe?"
Stella looked around, her eyes filled with wonder.
The scene before her was almost identical to the real Herta Space Station: the same metallic corridors, the same indicator lights, and even the faint, simulated ambient white noise in the distance was exactly the same.
If she hadn't known beforehand, she would have absolutely thought this was reality.
"I was startled the first time I came in too. It's exactly like the real thing; even the texture of the trash cans is no different."
Stelle nodded with the air of a "veteran player" while carrying her baseball bat, but a hint of admiration for Herta's technology still flickered in her eyes.
As Stella adjusted to this lifelike virtual environment, she habitually summoned the system panel in her mind that only she could see.
She had originally just wanted to check her status, but when her gaze swept over the [Team Setup] column, she suddenly froze.
Next to the original four team slots, an additional option glowing with a faint blue light and labeled [Support] had actually appeared!
"Support? A unique function in the Simulated Universe?"
Curious, Stella immediately clicked on it with her consciousness.
A line of concise text surfaced first: [This option only takes effect in virtual worlds (e.g., Simulated Universe); some restrictions have been lifted.]
The words dissipated like flowing light, and immediately after, the original [Character Gallery] expanded in a brand-new form—all the character portraits that had previously been greyed out and locked were now shining brilliantly, like stars being lit up!
What made Stella's heart race even more was that the levels marked under each character portrait were no longer a pitiful Lv.1, but had become dazzling [Lv.80/80] or [Lv.70/70] (corresponding to their limits)!
"Is this... a benefit of the Simulated Universe? Or a special permission of the system here?"
Both surprised and delighted, Stella's gaze swept across that ocean of starlit portraits.
Ultimately, her vision was drawn to a particularly eye-catching portrait at the very top and center of the gallery, its border swirling with golden light.
It was a male figure with a steady and determined temperament, holding a massive blade. The name next to the portrait was: Phainon.
The star rating was impressively five stars!
"Shall I try it?"
Driven by intense curiosity, Stella lightly touched the portrait with her intent.
Buzz—!
As if a slight resonance had sounded, the portrait of [March 7th], who was originally fourth in her team list, was instantly replaced, becoming [Phainon].
An indescribable, majestic, and warm sense of power seemed to be faintly transmitted to her consciousness through the virtual connection.
"Summon!"
Stella no longer hesitated, her mind moving with a single thought.
Light converged beside her, not a pale blue, but golden-red particles carrying a sense of heat and weight.
The light dissipated, and a man with a tall, straight posture appeared between her and Stelle. He held a primitive greatsword almost as tall as himself, and his brow bore the luster of one who had weathered many storms yet remained full of hope.
He looked around, his gaze finally landing on Stella, and he revealed a steady, reassuring smile:
"Do you need my help, partner?"
His voice was low and gentle, yet it contained a sense of power that could not be ignored.
"Stella, who... who is he?!"
Stelle, standing to the side, watched dumbfounded, the baseball bat in her hand almost slipping out.
She could clearly feel a sense of oppression radiating from this man named "Phainon" that far exceeded any enemy or even companion she had ever seen; it was a qualitative difference.
"His name is Phainon."
Stella also recovered from the shock of summoning such a "complete" character for the first time, answering based on the sole introduction displayed by the system.
"The Deliverer from... Amphoreus. As for the rest, I'm not too sure either."
She was telling the truth; that was all there was to the gallery introduction.
[Interesting... Stella, you've really given me a big surprise.]
Herta's voice suddenly inserted itself directly into their conscious communication. In that matter-of-fact tone, there was a rare, clear trace of a researcher's excitement.
[Real-time energy monitoring shows that this individual named 'Phainon' has a stable energy level that has touched the Emanator baseline, with fluctuation peaks even slightly overflowing. This isn't an effect that simple data simulation can achieve... Your ability seems to have undergone a wondrous 'resonance' or 'completion' within the Simulated Universe.]
"Emanator? What Emanator?"
Stelle was completely lost; she only cared about whether this guy was powerful and if he would affect her farming rewards.
[Tsk, to explain it simply and crudely, it's a super individual who has reached the pinnacle of a certain 'Path' and obtained the recognition (or bestowal of power) of an Aeon. As for their strength... they could dismantle a space station with ease.]
Herta described the most terrifying fact in the most common language.
[But don't worry, all output in the Simulated Universe is regulated by me; even if it's dismantled, it can be instantly rebuilt. Right now, what I'm more interested in is...]
[Let's not chat about this for now; testing takes priority. The virtual Anti-Matter Legion around you has refreshed, and the intensity has been dialed up by three levels. Resolve them, and then let's see which Aeon's 'Gaze' you can attract.]
After Herta finished speaking, she cut off the active communication, leaving only the faint sense of a background data monitoring link.
Almost at the same time her voice fell, the surrounding virtual space rippled and distorted. Dozens of "Elite-class" Void Rangers, Stompers, and Predators appeared out of thin air, their forms more solid, the red light in their eyes more intense, and even carrying special energy halos. They surged toward the three of them like a tide, aggressive and menacing.
"Shall we fight?"
The gentle smile on Phainon's face remained unchanged as he slightly adjusted the angle of the massive blade named "invading dawn." A flow of light, like the dawn, quietly surged across the blade's surface.
"In this regard, I'm still quite capable."
His tone was as relaxed as if he were saying he was about to go for a stroll.
"Yeah! Go for it, Phainon!"
Stella was also caught up in the atmosphere, waving her small hand forward with the air of a "commander."
"BOOM—!!!"
Before her voice could fade, a dull sonic boom exploded on the spot!
Where Phainon had originally stood, only a ring of spreading golden-red airwaves remained. He had already shot out like morning light tearing through space, his speed so fast that he left only an afterimage on Stelle's retina!
He was seen charging into the densest part of the enemy crowd. The massive "invading dawn" looked heavy, yet in his hands, it was as light as nothing. With just a simple, unadorned horizontal slash—
SWISH—!!!
The golden-red arc of sword light was like the first ray of morning sun dispersing the darkness, instantly expanding and sweeping through!
In the fan-shaped area ahead, more than ten Void Rangers and two Stompers couldn't even make an attack move before they were directly turned into drifting data fragments in that purifying sword light, like pencil marks being rubbed away by an eraser!
"So... so powerful!"
Stelle's jaw almost hit the floor.
The attack did not stop.
Almost as the sword light was swung, Phainon seemed to have predicted the attacks. With a push of his foot, his body rose high from the spot, easily avoiding the dense energy arrows fired by the Predators behind him and the charged shells blasted by another Stomper.
He made a graceful turn in the air, but his downward momentum suddenly accelerated, like a falling star!
"CLANG!"
A cold light flashed, and the massive metallic head of that Stomper, which was still adjusting its angle because the shell had missed, soared into the sky accompanied by a smooth cut. Its massive body stiffened for a moment before crashing to the ground and turning into a data stream.
Phainon landed steadily, one knee slightly bent to buffer the impact, his movements as fluid as a dance.
Facing the remaining Void Rangers surging in from all directions to take advantage of the moment, he firmly grasped the hilt of "invading dawn" with both hands.
In the next instant, his entire being seemed to turn into a golden whirlwind!
"Hah!"
With a low exhale, Phainon used himself as the axis and the greatsword as the edge, beginning a high-speed spinning slash!
The blade tore through the air with a low, terrifying howl, and the golden-red sword light splashed outward with the rotation, forming a destructive blade storm with no blind spots!
The Void Rangers tried to attack, but their energy blades shattered the moment they touched the sword light;
They tried to block, but both their shields and bodies were ground into fragments together;
They tried to retreat, but were caught by the sword qi expanding from the edge of the storm, following in their companions' footsteps.
CRACK! BOOM! SCREECH—!
The grating sound of data disintegrating rang out in a chorus, interspersed with the silent "wails" of the virtual monsters.
In just a few breaths, the last Reaver was also swept into the storm, turning into scattered pixel blocks.
The whirlwind stopped abruptly.
Phainon's figure became clear again. He exhaled a slight breath of turbid air, casually flourished "invading dawn," and thrust it into the floor beside him.
He brushed off non-existent dust from his shoulder and turned to look at Stella, his face still wearing that steady and reliable smile:
"Partner, it's settled. That was a decent warm-up."
The scene was dead silent.
Stella's mouth hung open as she looked at the rapidly dissipating data remains all over the ground, then at Phainon, who was calm and composed as if he had just swept the floor. Her mind was a bit slow to process.
This is... Emanator-level combat power? Clearing out mobs like sweeping fallen leaves with a broom? And it was just a warm-up!!
She stiffly raised her hand and silently gave Phainon a trembling thumbs-up.
Then, she turned her head to look at Stelle, who was completely petrified, her mouth open wide enough to fit a Pom-Pom, and the light gone from her eyes. Stella reached out and gently, with sympathy, helped close her dropped jaw.
"It's... it's a good thing he's a teammate..."
After her mouth was closed, Stelle murmured a sentence, her eyes full of lingering fear and relief, as well as a brand-new awe for Stella's unfathomable "transformation/summoning" ability.
------------------
(T/N): My goat phainon mentioned