MGSFV?! Chapter 538: Theresa Decides to Go Big in Reality; Who Even Works Overtime in Their Dreams?
Do Honkai Beasts dream?
And if they do—what do they dream of?
Do they dream of evolving from a mere Assault-type grunt into an Emperor-class titan?
Or perhaps of flowers, trees, sky, wind... everyday surroundings?
With such curiosity in mind, they re-examined the dream Kevin had selected.
And sure enough, many began to notice some telling details.
Though at first glance, the Honkai Beast's dream presented on screen appeared indescribable—
A kind of abstract beauty born from an art designer's "drunken passion."
But in fact, Mei didn't drink at all. Her most consumed beverage was milk.
Lately, she'd even been especially fond of the "Rainbow Children's Milk" uniquely made by Sora.
Rainbow Children's Milk—made with all-natural colorings, infused with DHA and plant-based calcium—guaranteed to support your growth and development...
Hokuto still vividly remembered the day he overheard Sora passionately recommending it to Mei in the miHoYo lounge.
Ahem.
In short, Mei didn't drink. So the theory of "drunk inspiration" was invalid.
When Hokuto asked her to draw this CG, Mei had been perfectly sober.
So the image must have been carefully crafted after thoughtful consideration.
And if you look closely...
You can indeed spot traces of sky and land—though they're rendered as "indescribable" due to the harsh environment.
Soon, a few lines of narration appeared in the game, confirming their suspicions—
And delivering a surprising revelation.
The Honkai Beast's dream took place on a planet filled with sulfuric acid clouds.
There, a single day stretched as long as a year. Behind those clouds, the sun rose in the west and set in the east.
The work of "Finality" there had long since concluded. What remained was an eternal silence.
[Sounds like Venus, right?]
[If its work was "finished" there, does that mean Venus once had civilization—destroyed by Finality?]
[Not surprised if the Cocoon went to other worlds before Earth, but I didn't know Venus had lore in Honkai Impact 3rd.]
[Now I'm curious what kind of civilization existed on Venus and what tech tree they climbed.]
Build Gundams.
Aim for the stars and sea.
At least the "sea" part was real.
...
Unlike the players, Kevin watched this Honkai Beast dream and merely muttered:
"Oh. So this isn't a reawakened memory—but one of your dreams?"
Clearly, the idea of "civilization on Venus" didn't surprise him.
Just mildly unexpected that he, intending to observe human dreams, randomly ended up in a Honkai Beast's.
He then scattered the dream and turned to look again at the ocean of dreams flowing around him.
Next...
Kevin selected a normal human dream.
Or rather, a large shared dream—where many people were dreaming together within the same world.
[Wait, multiple people sharing a dream? Wouldn't that cause conflicts?]
After all, they were all dreaming of their ideal worlds.
And many dreams... are built on being better off than others, no?
[Let's see what happens next.]
They focused as Kevin observed the first person in this dream.
This person was speaking to someone else—
"It's okay, it's okay... Let's go home for now."
"But I... I could've scored higher... I..."
A gentle father was comforting a heartbroken daughter.
"I'm already very proud of you. You're my pride and joy."
"I... I..." The girl began to sob softly, unable to hold it in.
"Ah... Don't cry, it's okay. That school isn't all that great anyway..."
The father continued gently, trying to soothe her.
"Ugh..."
But her sadness wasn't so easily swept away.
Still, the father wracked his brain, doing everything he could to comfort his crying daughter.
It felt so real—almost too real for a dream.
But... was it truly real?
[Feels so real. Reminds me of when I bombed a test. I really feel for this.]
[But is this really realistic? Such conversations rarely happen in real life.]
[Reminder: dreams in the Stigma Plan represent idealized versions of reality.]
[So... if this is the daughter's dream, her wish must be to have a father who comforts her like this?]
That wish...
Isn't it a little... too ordinary?
Yes.
Given a large enough sample size, any kind of wish makes sense.
But honestly—if you had one wish, would you wish for something like that?
[She really only dreamed that far?]
[Don't say it like that... If she had just fought with her dad after flunking a test, then yeah—right in that moment, all she'd want is to feel understood. Hearing "You're my pride" might mean more than money or fame.]
[Hmm...]
Influenced by the chat, some players began to reflect.
If you put yourself in the girl's shoes—it wasn't so hard to understand this dream.
[Conversely, if this was the father's dream, maybe his daughter got hurt because he didn't comfort her in time.]
[Now I get how shared dreams form—similar longings create shared dreamscapes.]
...
"What we want... might not be as much as we imagined."
"That's what this means, right?"
"..."
No one answered. But she didn't mind.
She tapped the screen, letting the story move forward.
Someone wants to go to a concert but is worried about dorm checks—so a roommate covers for her.
A couple in love wants more time to laugh together.
Someone who's worked overtime for years wishes for a proper vacation to rest.
Now—what if someone likes working overtime?
Would they dream of working... even more?
Who works overtime in their dreams? ()
Ahem.
In short, these wishes seemed ordinary.
But if you were the one living them—each wish felt truly meaningful.
"That's good."
As an observer, Kevin quietly muttered in his heart.
For a man like him, perhaps this was a good beginning.
Everyone who knew him had wondered:
No matter how he removed Honkai from the Earth—what would Kevin do afterward?
Hmm...
If you include the players as "people who know Kevin," it wouldn't be out of place either.
They had all wondered about Kevin's ending.
Some thought the best ending was death—he was just too lonely.
Some imagined him finally letting go, going into hiding, sitting by his humble doorway at night with a bowl of ramen, remembering smiling faces.
(...)
(Who came up with this ending? Couldn't resist giving Kevin a bowl of noodles—still stuck on the slurp-noodle meme, huh?)
Others thought he could become a teacher in the new era.
The good ones were good. Even the "bad" ones... weren't entirely bleak.
At least, that's how it seemed to Kevin himself.
Maybe none of those imagined futures were totally unrealistic—
And maybe, long ago, some of them were his passing hopes.
But truthfully—
Ever since the Stigma Plan was set into motion, Kevin had never planned any kind of future for himself.
He had looked for a grave. But he had another reason.
The peaceful lives imagined by others—sure, they were peaceful.
But peace belongs to the one who ends everything.
Not the one who becomes the ending.
[Kevin never even imagined a future for himself.]
[What's going through his head? Does he think there's no point?]
[Ugh... makes me want to punch him. Mei wouldn't want him to be this fatalistic either.]
If Kevin had even some plan—
Even if it was death.
Even if it was bearing Finality forever...
They could understand that.
But now he didn't even think that far.
He acted like—his future didn't matter.
Only the mission did.
Strategically, maybe that's not a problem.
But emotionally...
It's hard to stay unmoved.
You want to punch him. Make him act like a person.
Be angry. Be sad. Just... react.
[We doubt Prometheus. We understand Prometheus. We want to be Prometheus. But we still can't actually punch Kevin.]
Even if the chat was full of fire—
They couldn't really punch him.
But...
[To prevent real-world Kevin from "going astray"... I've decided...]
[Hahahaha, yes, count me in.]
[Me too!! Sign me up!!]
Clearly, some folks believed real-world Kevin was Kevin.
Totally acceptable as a "substitute meal" (not canon).
Looks like the Golden Courtyard would be quite lively tonight.
...
But that's a story for later.
Back to the plot.
In-game.
After observing a dream like that—
Kevin turned away and left.
And just when players thought they'd continue watching Kevin visit more human dreams—
They noticed something had changed:
A small Theresa icon had appeared in the top right corner.
A system prompt even popped up:
"Tap the button on the right to switch to Theresa's perspective."
Huh?
As everyone knows—
When a game suddenly prompts you to try something new—
Most people... instinctively tap it.
In short:
Hand and brain briefly disconnected.
Brain: I think I'll finish Kevin's story first.
Hand: ...Too late. I already tapped it.
And so—
Many players, Elysia included, entered Theresa's story segment.
And this time, they had no one else to blame.
[...] N
Not long ago—
Theresa had decisively broken into the Stigma Plan.
However, her destination was different—
She didn't go to the planetary directory.
She went somewhere... deeper. And more chaotic.
Theresa walked through boundless void. Darkness swallowed her footsteps.
All around her, countless whispers murmured endlessly.
Faint lights flickered in and out of existence.
They were fragments of dreams—traces of human thought left in the Stigma Plan.
For the first time, Theresa realized:
Even light could feel heavy—like the pressure of the deep sea.
But she said nothing.
She simply kept walking forward.
Gradually, a ball of light rose ahead.
"Hmm?"
Theresa made a curious sound.
"Is this... the target?"
She reached into it.
And stepped inside.
Suddenly, her vision opened wide.
"This place..."
Looking around, Theresa recognized the architecture.
"It really is a school."
"So many children..." she muttered. "So this is how it works—dreams with similar traits attract and intertwine."
"These children may not know each other, but their shared desires brought them into the same dream."
[Theresa perfectly blending in ()]
That comment floated through the stream chat as in-game Theresa mumbled to herself.
As for what it meant—
Well, those who knew, knew.
Let's just say—
If the real-world Theresa saw that, it would only further fuel her desire to "grow" in every way imaginable.
What she'll pour those ambitions into—or which script she'll use...
We'll have to wait and see.
Hmm? You think she'll be satisfied with just that moment in the main story?
This is Theresa.
A driven, ambitious, responsible, full-fledged "adult"!
She's aiming long-term.
What Theresa decides to do—or how—
All we can say is:
Stay tuned.
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