The ceiling fan wheezed its familiar rhythm as I dragged myself back to consciousness, the weight of another sleepless night pressing down on my shoulders like a physical thing. The LED bulb cast its sickly yellow glow across my cramped room, and for a moment I couldn't tell if I was looking at morning light or just another layer of artificial illumination bleeding through the thin curtains.
6:41 AM. The numbers on my phone's cracked screen confirmed what my body already knew—I'd gotten maybe three hours of actual sleep, the rest spent in the strange liminal space between Genesis and reality where my mind processed the night's events while my body lay motionless on the threadbare mattress.
I remained still for several minutes, staring at the familiar pattern of water stains on the ceiling. They'd grown larger since the last heavy rain, spreading like digital artifacts across the concrete surface. Everything in my world seemed to be slowly degrading, entropy made visible in the gradual decay of my surroundings.
But inside Genesis, I was growing stronger.
The contradiction wasn't lost on me. As Arzane, I was trapped in a cycle of poverty and dependence, living on my brother's charity and the false promise of a university education that felt increasingly irrelevant. As Z3RO, I was becoming something more—a tactical genius, a master of technology, a force to be reckoned with in ways that the real world had never allowed.
"I got taken down like a beginner," I muttered to the ceiling, the words carrying the bitter taste of wounded pride.
The boss fight replayed in my mind with uncomfortable clarity. I could see every moment where I'd fallen short, every instance where panic had overridden tactical thinking. Hakaijin's calm confidence as he engaged the enemy in close combat while I cowered behind my drones, launching attacks from what I told myself was a strategic distance but which felt more like cowardice in the harsh light of morning.
I sat up slowly, my spine protesting against the thin mattress. The room was small enough that I could touch both walls with my arms outstretched, a concrete box that contained my dreams and ambitions like a prison cell. But it was also my command center, the place where I transformed from nobody into somebody who mattered.
The ORIAS interface had recognized my potential during the final moments of the fight, offering me the chance to evolve from Artificer to Technomancer. The upgrade had felt significant at the time—a validation of my growing expertise and tactical acumen. But now, sitting in the oppressive humidity of early morning Cotonou, I wondered if it was just another carrot dangled in front of me to keep me playing, keep me paying, keep me hoping.
I pulled out my crumpled notebook and began to sketch out a new strategy. The handwriting was cramped and urgent, the desperate calculations of someone who understood that his future depended on virtual achievements rather than real-world accomplishments.
**Progression Strategy (GENESIS – Objective: Farm & Sell)**
The header said it all. I wasn't playing Genesis for fun or social connection—I was treating it like a business, a way to convert time and skill into digital assets that could be sold for real money. The premium equipment market was growing rapidly, and players like me who could access high-level content were positioned to profit from the demand.
**Primary Objective: Reach rare loot areas (South of Metacore)**
This was the key to everything. The corrupted zones south of the main city were dangerous, filled with high-level enemies and environmental hazards that kept most players away. But they were also treasure troves of rare materials and unique items that could be sold for substantial sums to wealthier players who preferred to buy their way to power rather than earn it through skill and perseverance.
**Secondary Objective: Craft high-value hybrid weapons**
My evolution to Technomancer had opened up new crafting possibilities, particularly in the realm of hybrid weapons that combined traditional damage types with technological enhancements. These items were highly sought after by players who wanted to experiment with unconventional builds, and I was uniquely positioned to create them.
**Priority Resources: Synchronous Batteries / Core Capsules / Code Fragments**
The technical specifications read like a shopping list for someone planning to break Genesis's economy. Each resource was rare, dangerous to obtain, and essential for the kind of high-end crafting that commanded premium prices in the player marketplace.
**Method: Clean solo of higher-level areas (calculate