E.G.O.

Biodata

Power Progression

The following records track Shen Yu’s development of individual E.G.O. sets and his personal E.G.O., rather than changes to all equipment of the same name.

Classification

An E.G.O.’s grade generally matches the danger level of its source Abnormality 3.

Nature and Operation

Mental Shell and Wielder Compatibility

E.G.O. functions as a shell of the mind. Ordinary users borrow only a fraction of the source Abnormality’s potential; manifestation brings out its true form 11 12.

• Physical enhancement: Even TETH-grade Lonesome greatly increases Shen Yu’s strength, speed, and reflexes 3.
• Instinctive handling: Users understand how to operate their equipment upon contact. Shen Yu gains revolver-handling knowledge despite having no firearm experience 3 12.
• Growth through the wielder: Its power strengthens with the user’s “heart” or sense of self, as demonstrated by Crimson Scar’s damage increase after Shen Yu’s ascension 12 39.
• Self-preservation: E.G.O. ordinarily cannot harm its own wielder because of the survival instinct. Jonah’s attempt to shoot himself with Lonesome instead restores mental energy from 60 to 62 11.
• Multiple sets: Binah identifies Shen Yu as only the second person she has seen equip multiple E.G.O. types, after Gebura 44.

Resonance and Attunement

The Godtuner detects resonance from E.G.O. and records attunement to the source Abnormality 4 5.

• Attunement makes equipment easier to wield and unlocks customization and deeper powers 8 11.
• Resonance can occur in both Godhome and the corporation’s facility 4 6 26.
• Shen Yu notices that Frost Shard’s facility resonances follow his use of Hornet’s combat techniques, though he does not establish a definitive explanation 26.
• Emotional compatibility can produce rapid gains: Hornet’s contact with Frost Shard raises its attunement to 60% 33.
• Resonance is not necessarily safe. Frost Shard’s cold injures Shen Yu during the Sweeper encounter before its armor later moderates the freezing effect 7 26.

Customization, Manifestation, and Release

The corporation’s equipment system cannot identify several of Shen Yu’s advanced E.G.O. effects, displaying errors for Lonesome and Red Eyes 15.

Abilities & Skills

Lonesome

Old Lady’s E.G.O. deals mental damage and supports immobilization, area attacks, healing, and imprisonment 3 8 10.

• Lonesome Dust: Consumes 30% mental energy, immobilizes the target for thirty seconds, and deals 4–6 mental damage every six seconds. The first daily use is free of punishment; each later use costs three months of psychological loneliness 8.
• Story: Tells stories outside the listeners’ world that melt their brains. Shen Yu uses it against a spider swarm, but the rescued employees also suffer about 25 mental damage 8 11 12.
• Sleepless Night: Consumes X% sanity to restore (X − 10)% health, with an X-minute cooldown and X hours of insomnia. The wielder chooses X 10 37.
• Memory: When sanity exceeds a chosen Y% threshold, consumes 1% sanity every six seconds to restore an equal amount of health. It can briefly leave the user dazed 10.
• Empty Nest Cabin: Consumes X% mental energy to imprison a target for X/10 minutes, dealing 12–18 mental damage per second. Its cost is X years of psychological solitude 8 38.
• Super EX Spotlight: A cannon-template light source with low base damage but additional mental damage against beings dwelling in darkness. Shen Yu uses it to torment Mother Spider 12.

Story manifestation changes Shen Yu into an aged, stooped figure with empty eye sockets and a yellowed book. Ending it reverses the aging but leaves him blind until his customized healing restores his eyes 11 12.

Resistance values are damage multipliers; lower values provide better protection 3.

Frost Shard

Snow Queen’s HE-grade E.G.O. deals white or mental damage and controls enemies through cold 15 26 34.

• Weapon slowing: Its spear form slows targets for three seconds. The pistol form deals 4–5 damage and reduces movement speed by 30% for 1.5 seconds 31.
• Ice Spear: Consumes 15 mental points to throw a freezing spear. Charging exposes the wielder to cold damage 34.
• Frost: Creates snowfall within X meters, with X equal to mental points, slowing designated enemies by 30%. The wielder mentally experiences the pain of being pierced by shards 34.
• Cold moderation: During the Amber Trial, its armor reduces the weapon’s extreme cold to a level the human body can barely withstand 26.
• Mental recovery: Shen Yu uses Frost Shard against himself to restore mental energy during the Oro and Mato battle 38.

Red Eyes

Spider Nest’s E.G.O. deals physical damage. Shen Yu’s version takes the form of gloves that release controllable silk 13 15.

• Red Eyes: Projects fear through the wielder’s eyes. Its intensity depends on the user’s level of existence and degree of abnormality; the cost is extreme sensitivity to light 13.
• Young Spiders / Spiderlings: Summons four young spiders to assist in combat at the cost of an equivalent amount of flesh and blood 13 36.
• Silk control: Retrieves weapons and supports the Thread Dance and Needle Throw techniques Shen Yu gains alongside the gloves 13 26 27.
• Pain Toxin: Accumulates one toxin dose every five attacks, storing up to eight. Injection causes unbearable pain without damage and subjects the wielder to extreme fear 27.

Thread Dance and Needle Throw are combat techniques used with the equipment, distinct from Red Eyes’ listed manifestation effects 13 26 27.

Crimson Scar

Little Red Riding Hooded Mercenary’s WAW-grade E.G.O. centers on hunting, bleeding, and near-death retaliation 28 36 37.

• Scar — Meat Cleaver: Raises attack to 9–12. Each slash adds one bleeding stack; throwing it deals 7–13 physical damage and adds three stacks 36.
• Scar — Flintlock: Raises attack to 15–18, adds damage equal to bleeding stacks × 5, then clears those stacks 36.
• Scar’s cost: Places the wielder in a belligerent state while tripling attack speed 36.
• Revenge: Activates near death, triples movement and attack speed again, and increases the weapon’s additional damage below 50% health from 50% to 200% 37.
• Manifested appearance: Revenge ignites flowing blood into bloodflames and forms a hood, yellow eyes with crimson pupils, and a fanged mask 37.
• Limit: Revenge does not heal injuries. Shen Yu survives its activation by combining it with Lonesome’s Sleepless Night 37.

Frost’s mental suppression partially counteracts Crimson Scar’s belligerence, allowing Shen Yu to plan during the battle against Oro and Mato 38.

Nightmare Flame Interaction

Nightmare Flame provides an alternate way to release E.G.O.’s potential, separate from the documented attunement unlocks 39 40.

• Grimm demonstrates awakening by burning away part of Frost Shard’s reality shell, leaving cracks that need time to mend 40.
• The flame can cut material from mind-shaped armor. Shen Yu uses it to separate part of Crimson Scar while the remaining armor regenerates 41.
• The separated material becomes Little Knight’s red cloak, disguising the nearly emotionless Void being from Abnormality worlds that would otherwise reject him 41.
• Little Knight’s ancient power can destroy the disguise, prompting Shen Yu to restrict him to Nail combat rather than spells 41.

Equipment Forms and Other Examples

Notable Users and Interactions

• Shen Yu — Customizes and manifests several sets, combines their effects, and awakens a personal E.G.O. through Godhome ascension 10 36 38.
• Little Knight — Uses the Dream Nail to turn E.G.O. into light and restore it; later wears a cloak made from Crimson Scar 2 3 41.
• Gebura / Red Mist — Employees remember Red Mist as someone who truly unleashed E.G.O.’s potential; Binah names Gebura as the other multi-type user she has observed 12 44.
• Hornet — Detects impressions of Snow Queen’s story through Frost Shard and causes a major attunement increase by holding it 33.
• Godseeker — Hears E.G.O.’s resonance and requires Shen Yu to bring new equipment for further Godhome challenges 5 6 39.
• Grimm — Demonstrates Nightmare Flame awakening and teaches Shen Yu to fashion an Abnormality-shell disguise 40 41.
• Ron — Uses ALEPH-grade CENSORED and Adoration 15.
• Jonah — Uses ordinary Lonesome but cannot reproduce Shen Yu’s manifestation; his failed suicide attempt demonstrates its self-preservation property 11 12.

Costs and Limitations

• Psychological debt: Lonesome’s loneliness penalties are settled at midnight rather than immediately 8.
• Lasting consequences: Empty Nest Cabin’s fifty-year penalty leaves profound solitude in Shen Yu even after he forgets the experience. He believes his Master-level life and meditation prevented collapse or permanent personality changes 42.
• Collateral damage: Story harms nearby employees as well as the targeted spiders 11 12.
• Equipment grade is not mastery: High-level employees can use lower-grade E.G.O., while Shen Yu receives HE equipment at employee level I. Ordinary possession does not grant manifestation 15 17 20.
• Layering is not automatically protective: Shen Yu abandons wearing Lonesome and Frost Shard armor together because both are weak to red damage 15.
• Power does not guarantee endurance: Lonesome’s enhancements cannot prevent Shen Yu from exhausting himself against Hornet 5.
• Divine pressure: The Nightmare’s Heart terrifies every E.G.O. Shen Yu carries, including the otherwise aggressive Crimson Scar 39.