The Id, Ego, and Superego

It was like a dream; even after waking up, I was still deeply moved.

"... A dream?"

The Dead Zero, did not quite understand the meaning behind Bai Zhi's words.

"That's right. In this Dungeon, or rather, in this Anomaly called Rose Manor, Anna constructed three dreams for herself."

While holding the other person's hand and walking forward, Bai Zhi spoke calmly.

"The psychoanalyst Freud proposed a theory called Psychodynamic Theory, in which he divided the human psyche into three parts: the id, the ego, and the superego..."

The warm sunshine bathed them, and the air was filled with the fragrance of grass and wildflowers, along with the cheerful laughter that echoed through the room.

"The id is innate and forms the foundation of personality structure. The ego and superego develop from the id. The id is located at the bottom of the personality structure and is an energy system composed of innate instincts, desires, and various physiological needs."

As he spoke, Bai Zhi glanced at the blonde little Girl who was happily chasing butterflies in the garden.

Although they were walking in the middle of the garden, the people seemed completely oblivious to them. They were immersed in their own world and refused to let anyone in. Everything before them was like a moving portrait, visible but untouchable.

"The ego, on the other hand, is a psychological component of personality, gradually differentiated from the id, and located in the middle layer of the personality structure. Its main function is to regulate the conflict between the id and the superego; it regulates the id on the one hand, and is also subject to the superego on the other."

Pausing slightly, watching the little Girl chasing the butterfly past him without looking away, Bai Zhi let out a soft breath and looked up at the Tian Kong.

"As for the superego, it is the regulator in the personality structure, governed by the Perfect principle, and belongs to the moral part of the personality structure. It is located at the highest level of the personality structure, and is the moralized self, which is internalized from social norms, ethics, and values. Its formation is a result of socialization... This is the so-called theory of the ego, id, and superego."

"The Dollmaker Anna in the castle at the beginning corresponds to the superego, the Princess Anna who was imprisoned in the castle before corresponds to the ego, and the Anna who is laughing happily now corresponds to the so-called id?"

Following Bai Zhi's lead, the Young Girl walked forward in the darkness, tilting her head slightly, looking thoughtful.

"In a sense, Dollmaker Anna, can indeed be considered..."

"Oh no, I was just making it up."

As he led the other person through the flower-lined path, Bai Zhi calmly interrupted their words.

Dead Zero: "???"

"After all, there are exactly three dreams here, so I just randomly picked one that might fit the theory. If there were four dreams, I would continue to develop other theories, so there's no need to delve too deeply into this matter... Oh, by the way, that Investigator is most likely dead, or rather, turned into Doll."

Bai Zhi reached out and moved a bunch of branches blocking his way, then spoke.

"This Dungeon is divided into three dream layers. In the first dream layer, Anna abides by the rules, alone in the castle with her Plush Cat. In the second dream layer, Anna is also bound by the rules, endlessly repeating the cycle of each day. Even if a Player alters the outcome of a particular day, everything starts afresh the next day, with no end in sight. In the Third Floor, Anna is the happiest, living a carefree life with loving parents and friends. She is completely immersed in the Perfect world she has created for herself, refusing to let anyone enter... As long as she's happy, who cares if it's just a dream?"

"But those beautiful things in Life are ultimately nothing but illusions."

After a moment of silence, the Dead Zero, spoke.

"Yes, no matter how wonderful those things are, they are just illusions created by imagination... But so what?"

With a slight smile, Bai Zhi reached out and pushed open the door in front of him, then walked inside.

"As long as one lives authentically, what does it matter if everything before one's eyes is illusory? Since she has been enduring endless torment in the first and second layers of the dream, can't she be allowed to live the life she desires in the Third Floor of the dream?"

"... That's not life, that's just Deception."

Who cares?

"..."

As Bai Zhi and Dead Zero entered the castle, Bai Zhi closed the door. With the door shut, all the laughter and chatter behind them were instantly shut out of the castle.

What appeared before Bai Zhi after that was an exceptionally simple, blank scene.

The scene was boundless and immeasurably large, stretching as far as the eye could see. Everything within it seemed to have been assimilated by pure, pale white. In the very center of this blank scene, there was a crystal coffin, and within it lay a small, indistinct figure.

"I didn't expect you guys to make it this far."

Just then, a voice suddenly rang out in the space.

When Bai Zhi turned his head, he saw a Young Man standing about 100 meters to his right, seemingly waiting for their arrival.

"What, was it difficult to get here?"

Watching the other person's figure, Bai Zhi tightened his grip on the Young Girl's hand beside him and narrowed his eyes slightly.

"You seem to know this place quite well... How come you've been here before? Or is this Dungeon itself based on some kind of Anomaly from your world?"

"It's still a bit difficult. After all, you have to survive that riot first, and then cross that void passage to get here. Those two things alone are enough to eliminate more than 99% of the people. What I'm most curious about is that you seem to be completely unharmed..."

With that faint smile still on her face, March-shi smiled and spoke.

"You've remained hidden all this time and still acted so relaxed... You must be one of the world's top combatants, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm really strong, so why don't you just surrender?"

Rolling his eyes, Bai Zhi's words carried a hint of speechlessness.

"At this point, isn't this kind of probing unnecessary?"

"Is that so... To be honest, I'm starting to have doubts about the effectiveness of this [Combat Power Detector] that I got from someone else."

With a slight sigh, March-shi casually tossed a one-way mirror-like object to the ground.

"Even though your combat power is the lowest, Level looks like it's only around level ten at most, you've managed to survive all the way to the end and get to where you are now..."

Haven't you heard that saying? That saying might answer your question.

Bai Zhi pursed his lips.

"Oh, what did you say?"

The March-shi seemed slightly curious.

Good people don't live long, but evil people live for a thousand years.

"..."