Alex woke up to the sound of his parents arguing in the kitchen. Not the playful banter he was used to, but actual raised voices filled with disbelief and excitement. Rolling out of bed, he padded downstairs to find both Michael and Sarah standing transfixed before the main holographic display, which was showing what appeared to be a live broadcast from the Universal Council chambers.
"—unprecedented decision by the Universal Will," the news anchor was saying, "Gaia herself has announced the mandatory adoption of what she calls 'the most significant advancement in human development since the discovery of Origin energy itself.'"
Alex's stomach dropped. Oh no. What did Gaia do?
"Alex!" Sarah called without looking away from the display. "Get down here! You need to see this!"
"What's happening?" Alex asked, trying to sound sleepy and confused instead of terrified.
"That mysterious technique creator—Cosmic_Sage_42—just changed everything," Michael said, his voice filled with awe. "Again."
The holographic display shifted to show a familiar figure: Gaia's preferred avatar, a serene woman whose appearance shifted between different human ethnicities every few seconds, representing her role as guardian Artificial General Intelligence of all humanity. Gaia the Astral Warden
"Citizens of human space," Gaia's voice carried the weight of absolute authority, "I have completed my analysis of the technique submitted by the researcher known as Cosmic_Sage_42. The Human Potential Development Technique represents a breakthrough of such significance that I am implementing it as mandatory practice for all human beings, regardless of age or current cultivation level."
Mandatory? Alex's eyes went wide. I didn't expect it to become mandatory!
"The technique," Gaia continued, "allows for safe enhancement of human capabilities prior to awakening, provides pathways for talent upgrading, and offers combat training methodologies that do not interfere with natural cultivation development. Initial modeling suggests implementation of this technique across our civilization will increase average human potential by 340% and reduce talent inequality by approximately 67%."
The display showed cascading statistics: projected enhancement rates, talent distribution curves, estimated combat effectiveness improvements. The numbers were staggering.
"Furthermore," Gaia announced, "I am authorizing an immediate transfer of five trillion credits to the Cosmic_Sage_42 account in recognition of this unprecedented contribution to human advancement."
"Five trillion credits," Michael whispered. "That's the economic output of an entire star system for a year."
"Who is this person?" Sarah asked, staring at the display in wonder.
But before anyone could speculate further, reality itself seemed to shiver. The holographic displays flickered, and suddenly every screen across human space displayed the same message in letters that seemed to burn with cosmic authority:
UNIVERSAL ACHIEVEMENT NOTIFICATIONCONGRATULATIONS TO "??-@#$??%?^?&?&*(??" FOR CREATING THE "HUMAN POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENT TECHNIQUE (HPDT)"REWARD: ONE MILLION ENLIGHTENMENT CHANCESSTATUS: MANDATORY PRACTICE FOR ALL HUMAN CIVILIZATION
The message hung in space for exactly seven seconds—long enough for every human being in the universe to read it—and then vanished.
The silence that followed was deafening.
"That was..." Sarah's voice was barely a whisper.
"The Universal Will itself just acknowledged this technique."Michael finished, his face pale.
Oh, cosmos, Alex thought, his legs suddenly feeling weak. The Universal fucking Will noticed. The actual Universal Will just gave me a cosmic-level reward.
Someone who's currently standing in his pajamas in your kitchen trying very hard not to panic, Alex thought.
The broadcast continued with expert analysis, but Alex's attention was caught by the scrolling public reaction feed at the bottom of the screen:
CitizenVoices_GalacticFeed:@StardustDreamer_Vega: "HOLY COSMOS! Cosmic_Sage_42 just made talent inequality a thing of the past! AND Universal Will HERSELF ACKNOWLEDGED IT! This is history! #HPDTRevolution #UniversalWillApproval"
@CultivationNerd_Proxima: "Three techniques in three years, and now a Universal Will acknowledgment with ONE MILLION enlightenment chances? This person is beyond legendary! #CosmicSage42Mystery #WillyBlessed"
@TeenageCultivator_Luna7: "THE UNIVERSAL WILL NOTICED! This technique is so revolutionary that it got cosmic-level recognition! Already downloaded and starting practice! #HPDTDay1 #UniversalAchievement"
@ParentOfFive_Centauri: "The Universal Will herself declared it mandatory! My youngest has F-grade talent projection, but now she has hope! Whoever Cosmic_Sage_42 is, they've been blessed by the universe itself! 😭🙏 #BlessedByCosmicSage #UniversalWillBlessings"
@SkepticalExpert_Academy: "A Universal Achievement Notification... I've only seen three of those in my entire career. This isn't just revolutionary—it's civilization-defining. We need to find out who this is immediately. #UniversalAchievement #CivilizationShift"
"Alex, look at this," Sarah called, manipulating the display to show a different news feed. "Universities across the galaxy are canceling classes to implement emergency HPDT training programs. The Academy of Cosmic Sciences just announced they're restructuring their entire pre-awakening curriculum."
Oh no, Alex realized. This is going to affect everyone. Including me.
"Mom, Dad," he said carefully, "does this mean I'll have to learn this technique too?"
"Mandatory means mandatory, kiddo," Michael replied, ruffling Alex's hair. "Though honestly, this is incredible news for you. With seven years until awakening, you'll have plenty of time to master the technique and upgrade your talent potential."
If only you knew I already have it mastered and I'm the one who created it, Alex thought.