Kaijin Fighter: So I Have to Make Monsters, So What?

'Wait...I know exactly what would confirm if this Voyager probe is the one I know,' Zhen Liu realized as he began to rub his hands all over the ancient machine. 'But where the hell is it?'

[Value] and [Meaning].

Once again, Zhen Liu was reminded that there were things in this world that were never black or white, simply shades of gray.

The bars of [Malevolent Gold] that flowed out of this terrible mine were rich in [Value], but had a [Meaning] so terrible that it made Zhen Liu sick.

That skull totem that Maggie was guarding with her life, was richer in [Meaning] than anything he had handled but had less [Value] than a handful of silver coins.

The Voyager probe, though, had equal richness in terms of both [Value] and [Meaning].

The materials used to construct this probe was relatively mundane in comparison to the metals found on Valresta, but the technologies that empowered it were greater than anything that this world had ever conceived, hence its rich [Value].

Then again, Zhen Liu was comparing aether cultivation to material science, both of which relied on incredibly different rules of reality, so it was a rather unfair comparison.

On the flip side, the [Meaning] behind this probe was a million times greater than Maggie's totem.

The Voyager probes were designed and launched into space for the sole purpose of finding life amongst the stars.

A goal as lofty as finding life in the stars was a thing of dreams and miracles.

Zhen Liu knew that millions on that tiny blue star of his had watched it launch into space with great anticipation, and then the millions and billions of people that came after that initial generation came to regard the Voyager probes as a part of humanity.

As something that filled them with as much [Hope] as seeing a hero in action.

And like every good hero, the Voyager probes had a symbol embedded on to them that conveyed everything someone needed to know about them.

That is...if they knew how to deciper this aforementioned symbol.

'If it's not here, then it should be on this side...'Zhen Liu said to himself as he walked around the perimeter of the Voyager probe.

This symbol from Zhen Liu's old world, came in the form of a gold-plated record that instructed how one could play this record, how one could determine how long it had been floating in space and the precise star map coordinates of the origin planet.

As for the record itself, it supposedly contained a collection of images that showcased life on Earth and several audio recordings to help bring them to life.

Alongside these sounds of nature, though, was a diverse collection of cultural songs and greetings to help explain Earth's varied and rich history.

'Come on, it should be right...yes!'

Eventually, as Zhen Liu walked around the probe, he eventually found what he was looking for.

'I...I can't believe it's real.'

On the side opposite of where Dante was standing, obscured from his vision, Zhen Liu found the golden record embedded into the side of the Voyager probe, just like how it was depicted in the pictures.

And a lot more energetic to boot.

'This feeling...'

Without even needing to touch or open this vaunted case, Zhen Liu could tell that behind this gold-plated cover was an immensely powerful [Desire].

A [Desire] that had been condensed from billions of people, reinforced by the wonders of the universe, and then refined by the passage of time.

In other words, Zhen Liu was certain that if he devoured a [Core] created from this desire, he would be skipping enough cultivation levels to challenge the armies of at least five different nations without any Kaijin.

Alternatively, if Zhen Liu created a Kaijin with this [Core], he was certain that the resulting warrior would be easily several times stronger than even his strongest Kaijin.

Hell, it might even be stronger than when Tortallion turned into a giant turtle.

As these thoughts danced in his mind, Zhen Liu reached towards the golden record.

'I wonder if—'

°Not yet.°

'Oh, what the fuck?'

Moments before Zhen Liu made contact with the disc, a voice as quiet as a mouse suddenly popped into his head.

°Its not time yet. Wait.°

'Wait? Wait for what?'

Zhen Liu was more than used to having voices pop into his head and give him directions at this point in time. However, he wasn't expecting to hear the voice of what sounded like an ethereal young boy whispering in his ear.

°Wait. The time isn't right yet.°

This voice didn't do anything extra to enforce this order.

Zhen Liu didn't feel any powerful pressure coming down on him.

He didn't feel anything trying to hold him back.

He just felt...that this was a simple request.

The simple request of a child, asking for help.

'Not yet, huh?'

°Not yet.°

'But is the time going to be right soon?'

°Yes.°

'And that time is...'

°Full moon.°

'...very well.'

Despite knowing that there was a massive wellspring of potential power for him to tap into from this probe, power that could easily turn this place into his personal stomping ground faster than the blink of an eye, Zhen Liu did as the voice requested.

He wasn't entirely sure why, but the thought of a rose popped into his head as he needed the voice.

In other words, he got the feeling that whatever prize he could harvest from this probe was still waiting to bloom.

Or something like that.

Either way, it was also smarter to not accidentally expose this treasure in front of...certain parties.

'Hmmm. I'm fairly certain that disc hasn't melted because it hadn't been found yet...so let's keep it that way.'

Once Zhen Liu had finished his round, he re-entered Dante's field of view.

The fake lord had a smug, expectant smile on his face that was just begging to be punched in. However, Zhen Liu wasn't as annoyed as he was before when he stared at this face.

Instead, he felt...oddly amused.

[Unfortunately, what you found is not the inheritance of any previous Kaijin Lord,] Zhen Liu said in order to dash Dante's initial hopes.

^Seriously?!^

[However...it's something that any Kaijin Lord, past or present, would definitely kill to acquire for their own,] Zhen Liu followed up.

^Oh?^

Sometimes in life, getting denied exactly what you want can lead one to hop on to whatever opportunity is tangentially related.

People who can't become famous musicians, become music teachers.

People who can't prospect for gold, do something stupid involving digital currency.

And in the case of Dante, being denied an expedient route to becoming the true Kajin Lord, gave Zhen Liu an opportunity to feed him a massive amount of bullshit.

^Wait, if it's not an inheritance but what they would want...what is it?^Dante asked.

[What you have here is something that can be processed by the archive itself into a powerful kaijin,] Zhen Liu explained. [Or at least, that's one possibility.]

^One possibility?^ Dante repeated, the intrigue obvious in his voice. ^Then what are others?^

Zhen Liu smiled at this question, with a grin that was more at home on a Cheshire cat than a human.

[Well, you had already touched on one possibility. Using it instead to create more refined materials for stronger and stronger kaijin. What you have done is impressive but crude. In the right hands, those of your current generation would be a hundred times stronger at least,] Zhen Liu continued, enjoying the shocked look he was eliciting. [Alternatively, we could transform this...sculpture into a powerful treasure that channels the power of Chaos rather than aether. Did you know that Chaos could be used in this manner.]

^Uh...to an extent, yes,^ Dante nodded. ^My [Astra] has been able to channel [Chaos] but everything else seems to just crumble into dust.^

[That's because you've been using the wrong materials to channel it. Chaos is...finicky,] Zhen Liu explained to the man, while keeping in mind that this dude's definition of [Chaos] was most definitely different than his own.

[Of course, that could just be a sign that the way you channel Chaos is different from previous Lords.]

^There are differences?!^

[More than you can possibly imagine. But alas, I can't tell you everything.]

^Because I'm not the current Kaijin Lord?^ Dante's asked, hazarding a guess that Zhen Liu was leading him towards.

[Precisely,] Zhen Liu nodded before going on a monologue that ensnared Dante's mind.

[I am still in service to another, the true Kaijin Lord as it were. But that title is a mantle, something that can be claimed or stolen. If you truly want to become the Kaijin Lord, someone who can wield Chaos in all of its forms both great and terrible...well, I don't have to explain any further, do I?]

^No...you don't.^

Dante proceeded to turn and walk out of the smelting room, a new fire burning in his eyes.

Once he reached the threshold, he gave an order that would irreversibly change his fate.

ALL KAIJIN, HEED MY CALL! WE ARE GOING ON A HUNT!