| “ | I think, therefore I am. | ” |
Bio[]
A calm rationalist who thinks like a robot, always seeking logic and disregarding emotion, which leads others to see him as cold-blooded. He has a genius-level mind and is the only Food Soul among the researchers at the Academy. After a certain incident, he made the decision to leave the Academy and found Revelry, where he now observes what changes will be wrought in the world when he grants freedom and power to some lunatic Food Souls. He's always muttering to himself as if talking to someone, but what he says is often opaque and impenetrable, such as saying this world is just a game and things like that. Although he has an uncommon intellect, he is a fool about life; and if left to his own devices, he could very well spend his whole life cooped up in a lab.
Food Introduction[]
Italian pasta is a classic of Italian cuisine that everyone should be familiar with, and pesto pasta is Italian pasta with pesto sauce added. Typically made with basil, pine nuts, and olive oil, pesto pasta has a lively, rich flavor that is distinctly fresh and offers a wide variety of textures when paired with different ingredients.
Other Info[]
How to Acquire[]
Associated Events
Initial Stats[]
 Soul Power
|
3026 |
|---|---|
 Attack
|
30 |
 Defense
|
60 |
 HP
|
1399 |
 Crit Rate
|
816 |
 Crit Dmg
|
1074 |
 Atk Spd
|
913 |
Skills[]
| Butterfly Flock | Basic Skill | |
|---|---|---|
|
Pesto Pasta squats down and casts a protective magic field around himself, dealing 40% (80%) ATK as damage plus 110 (1430) extra damage to all enemies, while also giving himself a 140 (1820)-point shield, lasting 5 seconds. | |
| Butterfly Invasion | Energy Skill | |
|
Pesto Pasta casts the butterflies in his frame to attack the enemy, dealing 40% (80%) ATK as damage plus 212 (2756) extra damage to all enemies and boosting basic attack damage received by 50% (80%) for the nearest enemy, lasting 4 seconds. Also restores 450 (5850) HP to all allies and stuns himself for 2 seconds. | |
| Super Butterfly Invasion | Link Skill | |
|
Pesto Pasta casts the butterflies in his frame to attack the enemy, dealing 60% (120%) ATK as damage plus 288 (3744) extra damage to all enemies and boosting basic attack damage received by 50% (80%) for the nearest enemy, lasting 4 seconds. Also restores 600 (7800) HP to all allies and stuns himself for 2 seconds. | 
|
blue = lvl 1
red = max lvlVoice Lines[]
| JP | CN | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Contract | Attendant? So... did you choose me, or did I choose you? | ||
| Log In | Today is not a day for going out. If you wish to stay with me in the laboratory, then please keep quiet... Thank you. | ||
| Ice Arena | So this place isn't a lab specimen storage room after all... A pity. | ||
| Skills | You have no chance of winning. Give up. | ||
| Ascend | Now I'm one step closer to the ending. | ||
| Fatigue | Oh... It seems I've thought a little too deeply... | ||
| Recovering | If I can restrain myself from thinking deeply during rest hours, then I won't stay up all night and eat junk food either, right? | ||
| Team Formation | ...Honestly, I'd rather stay in a room all by myself. | ||
| Knockout | An unexpected result... | ||
| Notice | I am not good at lying, so to be honest, I cannot cook. This was bought from elsewhere. It should taste decent, though. Shall we eat it together? | ||
| Idle 1 | If the world is just a game, then can we just do whatever we want? No, even for a game, I will pour my everything... into thinking deeply about it. | ||
| Idle 2 | Rather than become the ocean wave that kicks off a tsunami, I prefer to be the butterfly that first flaps its wings. | ||
| Idle 3 | It may look messy, but every object in the lab is where it is for a reason. That's right, including the cup on the floor and the chair on the ceiling. If it's alright, just leave them be where they are... You don't need to straighten up in here. | ||
| Interaction 1 | ...Is this touch really from you, or... is it a hallucination produced in me by the gaming device? | ||
| Interaction 2 | Huh? What's wrong? No... I wasn't off in a daze. I was thinking. Are you telling me you don't think about things from time to time? | ||
| Interaction 3 | No one has absolute freedom. I'm trapped in this world. What about you? | ||
| Pledge | A contract? Yes, it has indeed been a long time since I've taken an interest in a living entity... Rest assured, I won't go performing experiments willy-nilly. And besides, an organism is only interesting when it's alive and kicking and not just a specimen, right? Going forward, just let me observe you closely, along with the changes you will bring about in me. | ||
| Intimacy 1 | If this world really is a game, then what character are you playing? Am I a partner linked by a shared fate with you? Or perhaps just a card that can be discarded at any time? | ||
| Intimacy 2 | That's strange. My pet theory is that all the world is an illusion, but right now I find myself hoping... that you are real. | ||
| Intimacy 3 | Unfortunately, my sense of touch is none too acute, but still... if possible, I'd rather you not touch me in this way. It feels... a little weird. | ||
| Victory | It seems there's one more butterfly now... | ||
| Defeat | Not bad. I can update the experiment database. | ||
| Feeding | Actually, I don't require food. If this is to fulfill the desire to eat, my preference tends toward what you all refer to as junk food. Although... food from you is an exception. Thank you. | ||
Notes
| Food Souls | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Main[]
Sprites[]
Sprite Animations[]
Normal[]
Other[]
Backgrounds[]
|
Contents of this page has been fan-translated by nenosuns and may not be completely accurate. Official translations will be added whenever it's available. |
I. Experiment
Can you hear me?
I know I must look like an idiot, saying that to wall alone in my room. But as long as there is a single chance amongst a thousand of finding the truth, then am I really foolish for doing this?
Tell me. This world—The world where I was born, where I was tormented, struggled, and exist to this day…
It’s actually just a game, right?
Except for a few inconspicuous black spots, the white walls surrounding me are hollow and dull.
My inquiry doesn’t seem to have any response.
But if my theory is correct, even if there isn’t an audience watching this game, there must be at least an organizer or referee. After all, they need to monitor my every move to determine whether I win or lose, if I should continue the game or be eliminated immediately.
It’s the only explanation. Survival, labor, wander, pleasure, struggles, reproduction… I don’t understand the meaning of people doing any of these things.
Although providing entertainment for these spectators is an idiotic, almost nauseating act…
Only by clearly knowing what kind of cage one is trapped in, can you find a means and a way to escape.
Isn’t it?
The white walls are still white walls, no human or alien appeared before me, and no voice answered my questions.
This is still just an empty room with nothing but a table and a chair.
Fortunately, I only voiced those questions in my heart, and not out loud. Otherwise, I would have looked like an idiot.
This experiment ended in a failure, but is my theory really wrong? Is this world actually real?
No, it’s too early to tell.
Thump, thump, thump—
“Professor! How did the clothes I’ve prepared for you get soaked in formalin?! The award ceremony is about to begin, you… You need to come out now!”
A familiar noise comes from outside the door, and although I want to ignore it, previous experiences tell me that it’ll only make the clangor louder and longer.
So I stand up and open the door.
“Professor! You—”
The researcher outside instantly pales, his expression changing as if he had just escaped from death. The garb he’s tightly holding in his arms exudes a fetid smell.
I can’t help but frown.
“Throw away these dead garments. I have no intention of leaving the Magic Academy’s gates today.”
“But… This is Tierra’s most prestigious magic award, bestowed by His Royal Highness the King of Midgar himself! There isn’t a single person who wouldn’t want to receive it, how can you…”
“This is the third time I’ve won the award. I’m already tired of seeing the king’s face.”
“But, but…”
“If someone wants to complain… Be it the king or the dean, let them come to me. Right now, I have more important things to do.”
I pass through the stunned researcher, put on my white coat, and make my way to the lab.
Because I despise the smell of strangers, my laboratory is only accessible to me, a specific assistant, and my “test subject”.
“Oh, you’re here. What kind of torture do you have planned for me today?”
When the “test subject” sees me walking through the door, he quickly gets up from his lying position to a cross-legged stance and greets me with a smile.
“It’s not torture, they’re experiments.”
“Same thing to me.”
The “test subject” seems to sway happily, and when his restraints hit the glass they make a tinkling sound, like an accompaniment.
His movements are limited to this glass case made of special materials, as if he’s trapped inside a huge transparent bottle.
But at least in front of me, he never, ever showed an unhappy expression, as if he was born with a permanent smile on his face.
“They are different things. You have no secrets from me, and torturing you would be meaningless except to satisfy some sadistic desire of mine, which—Well, I have no such thing as ‘desire’.”
“So this ain’t torture, but an experiment—It’s a pretty important thing.”
After reaching this conclusion, the “test subject” smacks his lips and lays back again as if he’s bored, his head just barely touching the glass wall of the encasing.
“Okay, okay. I won’t argue with a fuddy-duddy like you. In any case, to you torturing me must be like pinning a butterfly to a board, right? It means nothing.”
The “test subject”’s tone leaves no room for interpretation, casting his gaze on my white coat and scanning the butterfly wings teasingly with his bright yellow eyes.
He’s conducting an experiment of his own, testing the limits of my calm demeanor, and he’s determined to succeed.
That’s right, this Food Soul was my first creation.
In front of him, I also have no secrets.
II. Butterfly
Do you know what’s the fate of a butterfly?
Maybe quantum leaping across the oceans with a flap of their wings? Or dancing among the fragrant flowers?
No, it’s neither of them.
The fate of a butterfly is being nailed as a specimen and displayed in an exhibition window.
“Isn’t that the young master’s new Food Soul? Is there anything special about it?”
“Nothing, he didn’t request anything special at its summoning. That’s why the young master became tired of playing with it now, and it became useless.”
That’s right.
I was born only because my Master Attendant liked green and to eat farfalle pasta.
Just because a child wanted a green butterfly to play with, that’s all.
The newly installed showcase window was tightly sealed on all sides, firmly locking the acrid smell of chemicals inside.
The maids and butlers all lowered their heads as they quickly passed through it, only to turn around later and glance at me with curious eyes.
They seemed to be concerned about my feelings and didn’t want to embarrass me.
But that was completely unnecessary.
Nudity, cold, malodor, starvation, humiliation.
To me, they mean as much as the air, nothing.
“It serves as a nice piece of art, but… If an unknowing guest sees it, they might spread rumors that could be harmful to the family.”
Because no one wanted to face the naked art piece for a long time, the glass window soon became stained, making it impossible for me to see the person’s face, including the badge pinned on their chest.
All I remember is that the badge shined almost blindingly under the light.
It was truly dazzling.
“Doing this might not benefit me in any way, but you can rest assured that I won’t mistreat this family’s Food Soul… Then, is there a place you want to go, or something you want?”
“Something I want?”
“Ask away, there is nothing in this world I can’t provide.”
“Then, I want… To be free.”
If there was a sound on the other side, the moment that smile froze it became completely muted.
But after a moment of silence, the voice sounded again accompanied by the smile.
“If you want to be ‘free’ in the literal sense, then it’s a simple request.”
The glass windows were gradually removed, and the nails used to fix me in place were also pulled out, silently falling on the thick carpet.
That’s right, that child has hundreds, or even thousands of butterflies at his disposal, he won’t mind losing one of them.
“But to set you completely ‘free’ is impossible. Humans are one thing, but Food Souls are born bound to a contract.”
The voice came from behind the workers dismantling the show window and the servant who took me down. Before the crowd dispersed, he leisurely walked away, taking his time.
“Even if you leave this place, there’s still a chance that you’ll be trapped in another show window. Whether it’s for people to make use of or feast their eyes, ultimately, you’re just being displayed for their own amusement.”
Ah, he wanted to use this sentence to keep me imprisoned.
Even if I left that extremely luxurious and yet ugly mansion, even if I entered the Magic Academy using my own abilities, even if I stood on the stage side by side with the king, receiving the highest tribute for magic research in all of Tierra—
Those words continue to act like shackles that can’t be broken.
“Isn’t that right?”
The “test subject” stood up at some point, his forehead pressed against the glass while his bright and piercing eyes stare right at me.
“Because you were once imprisoned in a glass case like this, now you subject me to this torture as some sort of catharsis. You and I are the same, prisoners trapped in invisible walls.”
His tone is firm and his eyes are full of confidence.
But it’s a shame…
“As I already told you, it’s not torture, they’re ‘experiments’.”
“Is that what you’re concerned about? Ahh… You’re such a cold-blooded guy.”
“Cold-blooded?”
I sit down at the control desk and start preparing for today’s tests.
“Did you know that a laboratory that just recently became independent triggered a tsunami due to operational mistakes?”
“Wh—Can experiments like this cause a tsunami?”
“If you let a Food Soul with special abilities get out of control.”
“Then? Are you trying to tell me that those researchers who made operational mistakes and treated the lives of the Food Soul and the ordinary people affected by it as nothing are more cold-blooded than you?”
“No.”
The experiment continues, forcing the bright eyes of the “test subject” to close as he concentrates on holding his breath in the wake of the mephitic gas that instantly starts to fill the glass case.
“Before they proceeded with the experiment, they came seeking my guidance. I knew that, with their current abilities, the experiment was bound to fail or even trigger a disaster, affecting countless innocent people in the process. But they still refused to listen. That’s what I truly consider to be cold-bloodiness.”
The “test subject” lets out a trembling laughter, but it’s not because of pain. I didn’t give him pain sensors, so he can’t feel hurt.
After all, this is just an “experiment”.
Thump, thump, thump—
…There’s pounding on the door.
Impossible, no one would come knocking at the door of my lab, they all know I won’t open it, after all.
That…
BOOM—
The iron door that was believed to be indestructible is reduced to a pile of scrap metal and from the faint layer of dust a Food Soul with long light golden hair trudges in.
“Oops, thought this place was empty… Sorry for trespassing.”
He bows with a smile, but there’s no hint of apology on his face.
“I’ve heard a lot about you, Professor. My Master Attendant wishes to speak with you… You surely have time, huh?”
“…Hm.”
I can’t think of a reason to refuse.
“As long as you promise to fix the door, I have plenty of time.”
III. Cage
“My name is Zabaione, and my Master Attendant is called Sadoff. He’s waiting for you in the reception room. Speaking of it…”
The Food Soul named Zabaione twirls his cane while examining the decorations on the corridor walls.
“These should be the research facilities of the Magic Academy, so why are there so many butterfly specimens exposed? I almost thought I had inadvertently walked into a museum when I first came in.”
“Oh, they’re simply a reminder.”
“A reminder?”
“That I’m still and will always be trapped in a cage for the rest of my life.”
Zabaione glances at me and smiles softly.
“I see… Well, here we are.”
“…This is not a reception room.”
“I requested it so now it’s serving as a reception room.”
Zabaione pushes open the door to a laboratory and makes an “after you” gesture as if this were his own house.
Well, if you forget the technicalities, a place where guests are waiting can be considered a reception room, that’s actually not an unreasonable conclusion.
When I walk into the lab, an elderly man dressed in simple clothes greets me.
“You must be the famous Professor Pesto Pasta… I hope my Food Soul didn’t upset you in some way.”
“Nothing to be concerned about. So you are Sadoff?”
“Haha, that’s right.”
“I’ve been alive for many years now, but this is the first time I hear someone say they want to talk to me… What do you wish to discuss?”
With Zabaione’s help, the old man sits atop one of the workbenches—Although he hesitated at first, it is indeed the only place he can sit in this room.
“Professor, I was hoping we could establish a partnership.”
“…I don’t do anything for money, nor do I have any kind of desire, so what you call ‘partnership’ would be just considered ‘lending a hand’ on my part.”
“Haha, then please do lend me a hand.”
He doesn’t look angry, actually, his smile seems to come from the heart. It looks like it won’t be easy to make him give up on this.
“First let’s talk about what kind of work that would be.”
“I want you to make… No, I want you to help me build a cage specifically for Food Souls.”
I look between Sadoff and Zabaione, who’s standing next to him with a smile on his face.
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe there are two Food Souls present here, including myself.”
“Haha, you’re not mistaken, however… Aren’t cages for humans also built by human hands?”
“That is because the people who build them need money and the people who are imprisoned in them need punishment… But I needn’t any of those.”
“Indeed. What you need is freedom.”
I feel the need to re-examine Sadoff from head to toe. With his gray hair and wrinkled face, he looks no different from any other ordinary old man except for his bright eyes that shine like a child’s.
“I apologize, but I did my research on you before coming here, Professor.” Sadoff bobs his head slightly, there’s a hint of pity in his eyes, hidden by his old age. “Fifty years ago you became the first and only Food Soul researcher in the Magic Academy. Before the people could even recover from the shock of having you here, you proposed an even more confounding plan—An experimentation on the falling of Food Souls.
Despite the major opposition from the outside world, the Magic Academy still approved of your project, and because of you, many discoveries were made and theories confirmed about the relation between Food Souls and Fallen Angels. Even so, during your experiments, never once did a Food Soul go out of control or transform and attack humans… Therefore, I dare speculate that your purpose with these experiments isn’t to study Food Souls and Fallen Angels merely, nor it is to turn a Food Soul into a Fallen Angel… But to save them.”
Sadoff’s tone is resolute, but I only shrug my shoulders.
“I’m not that benevolent.”
“But you did so, nonetheless. Humankind is afraid of the unknown, and a deeper understanding of Food Souls and Fallen Angels can alleviate their fears to some extent, creating an environment where Food Souls can live with more freedom. This is already a much greater feat than those who raise the flag of charity while wearing hypocritical smiles could ever do.”
Apart from those award ceremonies, I have never received praise like that—Especially this kind of praise that is not towards my abilities only, but about my sense of awareness as a whole.
However…
“That’s still not enough of a reason for me to help you.”
“Professor, didn’t you just say that you feel like you’re trapped in a cage for life…? Since you’re constantly reminding yourself of that fact, that means you want to break free from this prison, right?”
Zabaione steps forward, interrupting the conversation between Sadoff and me.
“Can’t you build such a cage?”
Zabaione smiles sedulously, he’s trying to provoke me, I clearly realize.
But his statement does strike a chord. How can such a coincidence happen in this world? I just mentioned being trapped in a “cage” to him, and in the next moment, that same word came out of his Master Attendant’s mouth.
Is this some kind of game?
Game…
A game.
Yes, this is a game. It has to be.
It’s the organizer and referee that deliberately lay the groundwork layer by layer and guide the characters.
They need to convince me and make me agree to help them build this cage for the game to progress, so they’re making all these absurd coincidences happen.
What a ridiculous tactic, truly.
I’m the smartest being in this world, and I can create anything using the most ordinary tools in my laboratory.
I’m indomitable and fear nothing, but at the end of the day, I’m still trapped in a small transparent glass case for people to look at and play with.
They laid out these stupid screenings, eagerly waiting for me to get stuck in them, to step into these traps, to run into trouble.
They’ll use a few thrown-up opportunities to escape to give me a false sense of hope, for rebirth, for revenge, or self-destruction. And the cycle will repeat, over and over…
This is their plan.
And I…
I’m not afraid of biting the bait.
“Your plan isn’t as simple as merely building a cage, is it?”
“Indeed… The ‘Project Tartarus’ aims to prove to people that Food Souls who have lost their Master Attendants can still be imprisoned, so they won’t run rampage out there doing whatever they want. This will certainly alleviate their suspicions of Food Souls not bound by contracts.”
“There’s no need to explain it all to me… Besides building the cage, is there anything else you want me to do for you?”
“…Don’t share the cage plans with anyone, including the Magic Academy… No, especially the Magic Academy.”
Sadoff’s expression becomes exceptionally serious as if he’s signing a lifelong contract with me using only his words.
“Please only share those blueprints with me.”
I nod.
I want to see what other things they’re plotting.
I want to see this cage plan through, what they’re going to use it for.
If I want to escape from my cage, I have to build one first.
“That’s all I ask for.”
IV. Freedom
Well—
After working hard on my newly invented special material for nearly thirty minutes, the “test subject” finally gives up, casually throwing the iron rod aside with a clang when it hits the glass surface.
“Alright, it’s true, I can’t use my spiritual powers in this thing. But I feel like as long as you have enough strength, even a human can eventually bend it.”
“That’s the point exactly. This way humans can understand that, without their spiritual powers, even Food Souls are no match for ordinary humans with great physical strength, so we don’t pose a threat to them.”
“But what if Tartarus needs to imprison a particularly strong Food Soul?”
“Then it’ll depend on how powerful the warden is… Sadoff said he already has a candidate.”
“Looks like you trust this human named Sadoff quite a bit… But what about me?”
“You?”
“Aren’t you worried that I might be deliberately holding back my power just to trick you?”
“No. I’m the one who created you, I know everything there is to know about you, so I believe in your words.”
The “test subject” leans back on his hands and gives me a funny look, but soon tilts his head and laughs again.
“Hehe, should I call you ‘father’, then? In this case, my younger brother is… What’s the name of this iron rod thing again?”
“A special material designed especially for Tartarus… It doesn’t have a name yet.”
“Hmm—”
He purposefully elongates his tone, squints his eyes slightly, and smiles mischievously.
“I suppose that’s the smartest being in the world for you.”
“What are you talking about…?”
“Why, dear father, I don’t remember you giving me a name either. Didn’t you say you could do anything? Then why can’t you even come up with a name for me?”
“…I’ll think of one.”
“I’m waiting.”
“……”
Knock, knock, knock—
A knock on the door breaks the silence and I can’t help but sigh in relief.
“Tsk… It’s that Sadoff again… Just go already, father. But remember to come back soon.”
The “test subject” lays back on the ground, crosses his legs, and waves at me, then picks up the iron rod and twirls it around in his hands.
He looks quite bored.
“…I’ll tell you the name of the material when I come back.”
The “test subject” seems to pause for a second, then continues to shake his raised foot, as if saying “bye-bye” to me in a singing tone.
Every time Sadoff and Zabaione come to inquire about the progress of the material development, they always wait for me in the lab where we first met.
I have no idea where the people who originally worked there have gone, nor do I know why the Magic Academy won’t hold Zabaione accountable for his reckless use of their properties.
Perhaps Sadoff is someone of a bigger status than he lets on.
“Long time no see, Professor.”
It doesn’t feel like a long time has passed since we last met, but Sadoff indeed looks significantly older.
His hands are cold, almost as cold as the metal block I hold in my hands.
“Well, you two arrived just in time. The material we’re developing is almost done, so we can let Zabaione test it out if you want.”
When I try to hand the object to Zabaione, he takes a step back as if disgusted.
“Professor, this aesthetic… Leaves a lot to be desired.”
“That’s because it hasn’t been processed yet, this is the raw material.”
“I want my cane to have gemstones embedded in it.”
“……”
“Haha, please don’t mind him. He’s quite the jester.”
Sadoff smiles and discreetly taps Zabaione’s back with his cane, pulling him aside so he can reach out and take the new material from my hands.
“By the way, what’s the name of this material?”
“I’ll tell you the next time you come.”
“Ah… Oh… Sure.”
Sadoff turns his attention back to the small metal block and a long-lost light shines in his eyes.
“Now we just have to wait for it to be mass-produced… A world where Food Souls can live equally as free as humans is about to become reality.”
He looks at me again, his expression once more tinted with that inexplicable pity he showed me the first time we met.
“If you were my Food Soul, your journey wouldn’t have been so torturous.”
“Your…”
“I’m sorry, Professor. The truth is, when I was young, I was invited to a playmate’s birthday party.”
I suddenly understand where his compassion for me comes from.
“That playmate… Was the young master of the Clemens family, wasn’t it?”
“That’s right, it was your Master Attendant.”
So he must have seen me nailed to the wall, pinned behind a display window for everyone to see.
For a child, that wasn’t a picture that could be easily forgotten, he must still remember it clearly.
“The Clemens family holds the biggest amount of Food Souls summoned, and none of them holds special meaning for those people, so when you lose your worth, you’ll be used as a decorative item in their exhibition hall.”
“But for this world, you’re unique, a creator who bestowed upon us a great conception of freedom. Child…”
He gently places his hand on top of my head, and a hint of warmth slowly spreads through his fingers.
“You are no longer confined in those walls, you’re different from those Food Souls and from the humans who imprison them. You are free.”
V. Pesto Pasta
When a naked Food Soul covered in bruises knocked on the door of the Magic Academy, almost the entire institute fell into panic.
Was he a spirit seeking revenge? Was he a living bomb sent by some opposing faction? Whatever the case was, it couldn’t be safe to bring him in.
However, to everyone’s surprise, the Food Soul pointed a finger at the white coat the person who opened the door was using and asked if he could wear those same robes.
Against all precedents, that Food Soul wanted to become a researcher at the Magic Academy.
No one dared to accept him as a student, only the dean of the Academy, with a curious mind, allowed him to use the library as he seemed fit and borrow the materials he wanted so he could study on his own.
It only took him six months to pass the Magic Academy exam and become the first Food Soul researcher in history, just as he wished.
Soon enough, he received the title of lead researcher in the test team, then senior researcher, then assistant professor, and finally, he became Professor Pesto Pasta, a renowned professional in the field of magic research that the whole academic community acknowledged.
In the beginning, the Academy didn’t believe that a Food Soul could use their own brethren as test subjects for their studies, so they were dismissive of him. Later on, however, they became wary of him for proposing such brutal experiments on the falling of Food Souls, so they began to avoid him entirely.
The whole Magic Academy was afraid of that person, they all thought he was cold-blooded, ruthless, and borderline cruel.
In fact, he was just exploring the world, trying to find the truth behind things.
Pesto Pasta had absurd speculations about this world he lived in.
He believed that this world could be just part of a game.
That someone was manipulating him, guiding him to do one thing or another solely to entertain an invisible audience, just like when he was imprisoned behind a show window for people to admire.
In reality, this world was actually a giant glass case, a cage without boundaries. And freedom was but a fantasy.
Until the human named Sadoff appeared.
Sadoff said he was the key to world salvation, that he was different from everyone else, that he was free.
Pesto Pasta was acutely aware that the statement was most likely a stratagem carefully crafted by humans to consolidate their symbiotic relationship.
But he wasn’t afraid of playing into someone’s hands.
He had been surrounded by nothing but coldness and loneliness for far too long, so he wasn’t against basking in that warmth whenever it was possible.
However, games ultimately don’t have satisfactory endings for all parts involved.
He had just come up with a good name for that new material which was once deemed ugly when he learned from Zabaione that its plans were stolen and that, as a result, Sadoff had passed away.
The name for the material quickly lost all meaning, and all he could do was forget everything about it.
Pesto Pasta just handed over a gemstone to Zabaione, which he had meticulously crafted after countless days and nights researching materials, so he could inlay it in his cane. He also decided to return the white coat he used to the Magic Academy. After fighting to get it for so long, he became exhausted from wearing it.
“I’m leaving.”
He finally told his “test subject”.
“Leaving? Leaving what?”
“The Magic Academy.”
“…You’re not coming back?”
“I’m not.”
For the first time, the “test subject” who always greeted him with a smile showed an angry expression.
He slammed his fist on the glass walls and shouted at Pesto Pasta: how could he create him, imprison him, torture him, and abuse him so casually just to leave him behind when all was said and done?
“You’ve also been ignored, humiliated, and trapped like this before… That’s why you created me, wasn’t it? A Food Soul that went through the same things as you, so that you wouldn’t look like a miserable bastard alone!”
“No.”
Even though he was furious, as soon as the “test subject” heard Pesto Pasta deny his accusations, he quieted down and waited for an explanation.
Pesto Pasta looked into his bright eyes and couldn’t help but reminisce about his last day with the Clemens family.
The glass windows were slowly taken down in front of him, and the bloodied holes in his members made him lose body temperature, forcing him to sit naked on the thick carpet.
The dazzling badge still blinded him as its owner said that there would always be an invisible glass wall in his way, imprisoning him.
“True ‘freedom’ is impossible for you. Food Souls are born bound to a contract.”
“But I don’t want to be free.”
“Hm?”
The voice halted from deep into the corridor, their dark shadow infinitely stretching all the way to where Pesto Pasta was sitting.
“You said that there is nothing in this world you can’t provide… Though, I assume freedom isn’t among those things.”
He stood up and stepped on a sharp nail.
“If you can’t give me that, I’ll conquer it on my own.”
“It’s impossible to conquer ‘freedom’.”
“There is nothing in this world I can’t create.”
And so, he created his “test subject”.
Unlike ordinary Food Souls, his contract with this “test subject” wasn’t something intangible, that couldn’t even be seen.
“Your contract is physical, it’s right up here.”
The glass case gradually disappeared, and Pesto Pasta gently placed his hand on the head of his “test subject”.
“If you want to be free, as long as you’re willing to give up on this, you can leave this place, go wherever you want to go, do whatever you want to do.”
“Give up… My brain?”
“I know it sounds scary, but I didn’t even have such an opportunity, to give it up in exchange for autonomy.”
That’s right, he gave this “test subject” a choice he was never presented with, to personally break free from his constraints and fight for his own destiny. From the very beginning, he planned it to be that way.
“You just have to remember, the key to your ‘freedom’ has always been inside of you. Farewell, Cheddar Cheese.”
After relaying those words, Pesto Pasta left the Magic Academy.
They were manipulating him in that place, allowing him to create new materials, then stealing them and reaping the benefits for themselves.
He didn’t mind being exploited, after all, that world was just a game.
But he couldn’t accept being used by someone’s hands to control Zabaione’s and Sadoff’s fates.
It wasn’t like he couldn’t become the dean of the Magic Academy if he set his mind to it, but he knew that wasn’t the best he could do either.
It was time to build a place of his own.
A glass case where no one would be imprisoned or manipulated, that didn’t have boundaries.
Even if that was a game, the spectators shouldn’t be the only ones to enjoy it. He wanted to create an environment where both the audience and the players could have fun.
A place of pleasure and freedom.
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Togi Node I - Crit Rate | |
|---|---|
|
Skill casts have a 40% chance of boosting own ATK (5.2%, 6.9%, 8.8%, 10.6%, 12.6%, 14.8%, 17.5%, 20.9%, 24.9%, 30%), lasting 4s. |
|
Basic attacks have a 10% chance of boosting own ATK (5.2%, 6.9%, 8.8%, 10.6%, 12.6%, 14.8%, 17.5%, 20.9%, 24.9%, 30%), lasting 4s. |
|
Receiving healing has a 20% chance of boosting own ATK (5.2%, 6.9%, 8.8%, 10.6%, 12.6%, 14.8%, 17.5%, 20.9%, 24.9%, 30%), lasting 4s. |
| Togi Node II - HP | |
|---|---|
|
|
Max HP raised (3.5%, 4.6%, 5.8%, 7.1%, 8.4%, 9.9%, 11.7%, 13.9%, 16.6%, 20%). Dispels any debuffs from all allies every 8s. |
|
|
Max HP raised (3.5%, 4.6%, 5.8%, 7.1%, 8.4%, 9.9%, 11.7%, 13.9%, 16.6%, 20%). Dispels any buffs from all enemies every 8s. |
|
|
Max HP raised (3.5%, 4.6%, 5.8%, 7.1%, 8.4%, 9.9%, 11.7%, 13.9%, 16.6%, 20%). Every 8s, restores (5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 17, 20, 24, 30) pts of energy to two random allies. |
| Togi Node III - Attack | |
|---|---|
|
|
Boosts ATK (3.5%, 4.6%, 5.8%, 7.1%, 8.4%, 9.9%, 11.7%, 13.9%, 16.6%, 20%) for nearest ally. Nearest ally's basic attacks have a 40% chance of dealing (10%, 13%, 17%, 21%, 25%, 29%, 35%, 41%, 49%, 60%) ATK as dmg to all enemies. |
|
|
Boosts ATK (3.5%, 4.6%, 5.8%, 7.1%, 8.4%, 9.9%, 11.7%, 13.9%, 16.6%, 20%) for nearest ally. Nearest ally's basic attacks have a 40% chance of dealing (14%, 18%, 23%, 28%, 33%, 39%, 46%, 55%, 66%, 80%) ATK as dmg to the nearest three enemies. |
|
|
Boosts ATK (3.5%, 4.6%, 5.8%, 7.1%, 8.4%, 9.9%, 11.7%, 13.9%, 16.6%, 20%) for nearest ally. Nearest ally's basic attacks have a 40% chance of dealing (17%, 23%, 29%, 35%, 42%, 49%, 58%, 69%, 83%, 100%) ATK as dmg to the nearest enemy. |
| Togi Node IV - Crit Dmg | |
|---|---|
|
|
Every 6s, increases own Energy (10, 13, 17, 21, 25, 29, 35, 41, 49, 60) pts, and also deals (42%, 55%, 70%, 85%, 101%, 118%, 140%, 167%, 199%, 240%) ATK as dmg to the nearest enemy. |
|
|
Every 6s, lowers ATK (8%, 11%, 14%, 17%, 21%, 24%, 29%, 34%, 41%, 50%) for all enemies, lasting 6s. |
|
|
Every 6s, boosts all dmg (7%, 9.2%, 11.7%, 14.2%, 16.9%, 19.8%, 23.4%, 27.8%, 33.2%, 40%) for all allies, lasting 6s. |
| Togi Node V - Crit Rate | |
|---|---|
|
|
In battle, you're immune to stuns. After each basic attack made, you have a 30% chance of dispelling any buffs from the nearest enemy, and ATK is boosted (7%, 9.2%, 11.7%, 14.2%, 16.9%, 19.8%, 23.4%, 27.8%, 33.2%, 40%) for all allies, lasting 4s. |
|
|
In battle, you're immune to stuns. After each basic attack made, you have a 30% chance of dispelling any debuffs from the 3 nearest allies, and all allies recover (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10) pt of energy per second, lasting (2, 3, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4)s. |
|
|
In battle, you're immune to stuns. After each basic attack made, you have a 30% chance of dispelling buffs from all enemies, and you give (6, 8, 10, 14, 16, 18, 22, 26, 32, 40) pts of energy to highest-ATK ally. |