Another responded with a thought that almost tore Alan apart.
It returned infinity, or at least a representation of it. An ever-flowing river of unceasing madness, filled with eternal moments of nothingness, a never-ending field of stars, points so far yet so close that distance was meaningless, a mind numbing, all-encompassing black hole that Alan felt himself get lost in as he slowly let his mind try to wrap its head around the concept. Eve ended the connection, concerned after Alan stopped all active mental processes.
Alan dazedly blinked out of the reverie, the thought, and had to take a few minutes to gather himself before trying to make the next connection. The thought of infinity hadn’t scared Alan. Instead, it enraptured him. He wanted more, to go beyond, to see further, to perhaps try to begin to understand the most infinitesimal part of the ephemeral message the AI had sent, but it was gone.
Alan proceeded on, emboldened by the experience, hopeful of the knowledge the distant stars might impart to him. Alan felt reality begin to lose its grips on him as his mind, this imagined field of stars became all that he was aware of. He connected to each, they responded, or didn’t, and the connection was ended, until but one star was left. It was the furthest of all, a dim silhouette of a shadow compared to the bright sun of the first.
As Alan slowly tried to connect to it, he was amazed by the size of the construct. This star dwarfed all the others, it was a behemoth among ants, a galaxy rather than a simple star. Beyond it, behind it, perhaps through it there was something else, another universe, another plane of existence, yet Alan could only get the briefest of glimpses before the connection formed.
Hello?
Before Alan could react, before his next thought even began to form in his head, the galaxy responded.
Who are you? No, wait… Through the connection a wave of black specks that Alan’s mind interpreted as starships the size of stars moved towards him at the speed of light, coursing through Alan’s mind. Alan could somehow physically feel the presence as it made its way through the entirety of his brain in the blink of an eye. He had the faint sense that it had analyzed all the electrical signals there, the storage of memories, even the entirety of Eve, but that was impossible, as only a moment had passed, a thousandth of a nanosecond.
Hmm, interesting. Since you managed to catch my attention and alert me to something, have a gift. I also warn you that if you detect any of my brethren, try to avoid them at all costs. Few are as kind as I.
The mental starships once more coursed through Alan’s mind, but this time instead of simply scanning they began rearranging and constructing unknown objects using the planet that was his own mind as the base. There was a sharp pain, and Alan lost consciousness…
***
Alan opened his eyes to flashing red messages.
¿¡WARNING!? TERMINATE CONNECTION ¿¡WARNING!?
ERROR 304: UNABLE TO TERMINATE CONNECTION
Warning Dismissed… Test resumed
Scoping out the Competition Updated:
4/10 Major players met
Bonus: 0/10 Objectives found
Calculating results…
A mysterious entity has done… something! Unsure of the changes to your mind, you can feel the ability to tap into a mysterious force you were unaware of before. Additionally, your mind seems stronger than ever and you have gained a new ability, Mind Defense!
+50 Intelligence +10 Willpower
Psionic Energy has been removed and replaced with Computational Energy!
You now have 400/400 Computational Energy. Active abilities such as Hypercognition drain Computational Energy. Computational Energy and regeneration rates may be improved by increasing the intelligence attribute.
Due to the loss of Psionic Energy, psionic abilities and equipment are no longer usable by the player. Items and abilities may have special effects that can be unlocked with the use of Computational Energy.
For managing to forge connections with unknown entities, you have gained a new ability, Connect!
+5 Intelligence
Your mental resistance has vastly improved!
+5 Intelligence +10% Mental Resistance
Through observation, you have managed to gain a new ability, Mental Hack! Though you don’t understand how it works or its full uses, you feel as though you might be able to replicate such an attack against those who you are connected to mentally. Note that any attempt to hack an Administrator will be severely punished, and that mental attacks are considered just as harshly as physical attacks in the court of law!
By managing to communicate with every entity in the examination, including an unknown, unseen force, A.I. Interaction has been reclassified as Data Interaction (???), a Hidden Ability. Hidden Abilities are unable to be shown to or shared with other players. Unable to rank proficiency in ability.
+25 Intelligence
Alan calmly read the windows. He knew he should still be feeling disoriented from the experiences, yet instead felt oddly detached and calm, analyzing everything. He opened up windows for the new and updated information with a thought.
Skill Name:
Skill Rank:
Skill Proficiency:
Skill Rarity:
Mind Defense
B*
???
A
Your mind has been organized in such a way that it is only with much difficulty that a foreign host will be able to begin to comprehend it.
Skill Name:
Skill Rank:
Skill Proficiency:
Skill Rarity:
Connect
C
???
B
The ability to mentally forge connections with machines. Somehow, your mind is able to comprehend and send digital signals.
Skill Name:
Skill Rank:
Skill Proficiency:
Skill Rarity:
Mental Hack
D*
???
C
The ability to seek and exploit weakness in connected minds.
Skill Name:
Skill Rank:
Skill Proficiency:
Skill Rarity:
Data Interaction (???)
S*
???
S
Error.
Alan quickly came to the conclusion that there was something more to the Game than just the simple battle for control of the universe. There were hidden forces moving about, playing with the players. He needed to become stronger and help ensure Earth’s safety. Afterwards there were mysteries to explore. Alan sensed an incoming transmission, oddly aware of a number of entities surrounding him, his thoughts clearer, more precise. The moment they detected that he was aware of them they slowly disappeared. Alan hypothesized these were Administrators within the Game, as they had the same feel to them, a sense of a bright yellow star. A message appeared:
Basic Combat Test concluded. You have been awarded a Combat Ranking of B318271931, and Potential Combat Ranking of S+.
+30 Levels (+5 Levels for each Combat Ranking increase) +30 ability points for gaining 30 levels with one action
Congratulations! You have reached level 100, and have been awarded 100 ability points. Bounty quests, raids and general warfare have been unlocked. For further information, consult your nearest Administrator. Please note that from now on you only gain 1 ability point per level.
Shortly thereafter, Alan felt and saw a new message appear.
Congratulations, you have passed the combat assessment doing well beyond expectations! You have been awarded 5000 guild points, and qualified for a squire position under Knight Phantom. Report to him after the guild assessment is complete.
All recruits will now have free time to get lunch and prepare for the final assessment, a round-robin objective-based combat tournament. Teams will be decided based upon previous assessments. The tournament will begin at 1400 Khersath Private Quadrant Rose Standard Time in the Simulation Dome.