Part-time Boss
Chapter 27 - 27 27 Electronic Ghost

27: Chapter 27 Electronic Ghost 27: Chapter 27 Electronic Ghost Mo Fei felt a surge of excitement upon seeing this, the feeling sounded quite similar to his own.

No, rather, it should be said it was even more severe than his own.

At least he wasn’t influenced by the black dragon when he was awake, only in dreams and in the game would he start to lose grip on reality.

Mo Fei: “What happened later?”

Shadowfang: “I was afraid that eating raw meat would make me sick, so I went to the hospital.

After some checks, it was incredible to find that I had digested all that raw meat without any issues, and the doctor even told me after the medical check-up that I was in exceptionally good health, devoid of the usual work-related ailments most office workers suffer from.

He even asked if I exercised regularly, like running or something.

Yet in reality, I’m quite a homebody; other than going to work, I lie in bed playing games.”

Mo Fei: “What did you feel at that time?”

Shadowfang: “Fearful, yet excited.

I felt like I was undergoing some sort of evolution, thinking that if I continued, I might even gain superpowers.

But at the same time, I worried whether my sanity would be affected by the game, and whether I would end up turning into some kind of beast.

Because I definitely felt a change in my mentality.

I started to become more aggressive, sometimes while taking the elevator to work, I would stare at the person standing in front of me, imagining how it would feel to pounce and take a bite out of their neck.

I went to a psychologist, but it was of no use.

I tried to maintain human living habits, but still could not control being influenced by the game.

To be honest, I got frightened, to the point where for some time, I dared not log into the game.”

Mo Fei: “How are you now?

Do you still feel the same?”

Shadowfang: “Not anymore, I’ve recovered now.”

Mo Fei: “Ah, how did you recover?”

Shadowfang: “Because my character died.

You know the person called Hemet Nesingwary, right?”

Mo Fei: “The legendary dwarf hunter?”

Shadowfang: “That’s right, the bastard.

He heard that a powerful black panther had appeared somewhere, so he ran into my territory and initiated a quest called ‘Hunt for Shadowfang’.

I could have survived by laying low, but then many adventurers took on the hunt and helped the dwarf search for me.

They looked for me for three consecutive days, and I freaked out and logged off.

I thought I would be safe after just lying low for another three or five days, but the moment I logged back in, I was caught red-handed.

Damn it, that bastard didn’t even use any pet-taming skill, just shot me straight in the head with a single bullet.

I was a Level 50 rare elite, about to evolve into a boss, and then it was all gone, just like that.”

Mo Fei: “And after your character died, you recovered?”

Shadowfang: “Pretty much.

That night was the last time I dreamed about ‘Shadowfang’.

In the dream, I saw it standing on the edge of a jungle, looking towards the pitch-black forest in the distance.

Right then, I knew it might be the last time I’d see it.

I thought it would say goodbye, rub up against me, or exchange a meaningful gaze with me or something, but it didn’t.

It just stood there, not even showing me its face, staring into the distant forest.

When I couldn’t help but call out to it, it suddenly ran into the jungle without looking back and disappeared.

The ungrateful bastard…

After that, I never dreamed of it again.

For a long time afterwards, I felt an emptiness inside me, it was uncomfortable, but gradually I came to terms with it.

If I hadn’t died back then, I don’t know what I might have turned into now.”

Mo Fei keenly caught a subtle implication in the other’s words.

“So you think ‘Shadowfang’ was an independent entity, not an avatar of yourself?”

Shadowfang: “Yes, as strange as it may sound, I hadn’t thought about it before, but it was not until that moment that I suddenly realized it was not one with me.

Maybe it was at the beginning, but as time passed, the real me and Shadowfang had grown more and more different, gradually becoming two beings, or a person and a beast, if you prefer.

Although usually, we overlapped, that night, I saw its true form.”

Mo Fei: “Then what do you think it really is?

Your subconscious?”

Shadowfang: “No, definitely not.

At first, I thought I might have gotten too deep into character, you know, the actor who played the Joker, what was his name again.”

Mo Fei: “Phoenix?”

Shadowfang: “No, I’m talking about the Joker in The Dark Knight.”

Mo Fei: “Heath Ledger?”

Shadowfang: “Yeah, exactly, him.

It’s said that he committed suicide because he got too into the role and couldn’t get out.

I started to feel that maybe I was also getting too into the role, really thinking of myself as a black panther.

But then I realized that wasn’t the case.

I’m very clear that I’m a human, not a black panther.

I can clearly differentiate between the two.

When I act like a black panther, it’s more like being possessed by some kind of program, or maybe a spectre.

This spectre controls me to do those things.

In reality, I become a bystander, just that I can sync up with the black panther’s emotions and the feedback from reality, so I can’t clearly distinguish the difference between the two.”

The more Mo Fei listened, the more alarmed he became; this description was almost exactly like his own experience.

Mo Fei: “Are you still playing the game?”

Shadowfang: “I am still playing.

I can’t help it, the game is too much fun and I just can’t put it down.

However, I’ve started a new account, a thief leader.

I’ve found that as long as I don’t consciously role-play, I won’t be affected.

I’m already over level thirty and I haven’t dreamed about this new character even once.

So I’m guessing that this phenomenon might be related to role-playing.

We consciously play a virtual character in the game, and after playing for a long time, that virtual character becomes real.”

Mo Fei nodded to himself.

This theory could barely explain the conditions for the birth of ‘virtual life.’ Indeed, he had always been playing the Black Dragon Lord Morphis.

Its habits, speech, and demeanor were completely different from his real self, seemingly bestowed by him during his live streaming.

However, that still didn’t explain what the black dragon truly was.

Mo Fei: “What do you think these things are?”

Shadowfang: “Who knows?

I’ve made many speculations and guesses.

It might be some sort of intelligent AI that the computer program simulated based on our previous behavior patterns, like a program that loads into our brains, affecting our thoughts and changing our behavior patterns.

It could also be some kind of supernatural Electronic Ghost…

Or maybe it’s the awakening of a second personality within oneself…

But none of these guesses explain why the body also changes along.

If we’re talking nonsense, it could also be some kind of system.

If Shadowfang hadn’t died, maybe I’d have awakened superpowers right now…

This game is too eerie.

It’s likely that it will never be confirmed in the future, and I don’t intend to delve deeper into it.

I’ve actually let this go.

The main reason I’ve told you so much is that keeping it inside has been really bothering me.

Talking about it with someone who has had similar experiences is somewhat like making peace with my past self.

But as for you, your situation is much more serious than mine.

You’d better be careful.”

Mo Fei: “I’m not as bad as you.

At least up to now, I haven’t been affected in reality.”

Shadowfang: “That’s what you say, but what was troubling me was just a beast, a rare elite.

What’s troubling you is a black dragon, a world boss.

Although there are no dragons in reality, according to the game’s official monster descriptions, shouldn’t dragons be very cunning, extremely violent, and good at disguising themselves?

Maybe they also possess some kind of supernatural power.

You mentioned it has been communicating with you in your dreams and trying to get information from you.

Maybe it has been able to control you for a while now, just hiding itself.

Therefore, I think it’s best for you to be cautious.

My experience can serve as a reference, but you better not take it too seriously.

Whether it’s good or bad, I feel that everything happening to you is going to be much more serious than my case.”