The feeling of glory.
The sense of accomplishment.
The arrogance of an ego.
There are countless reasons die-hard gamers can't seem to put down the controls, and despite how many can share those reasons, there will always be a defining factor in their reasoning that separates them from others.
Even if it's the most obscure and insignificant difference, that subtle variable is no doubt what makes every gamer's experience completely different to another. The number of buttons pushed and the number of steps one takes are only two of countless other factors.
However, as different as every player's own playthrough is, there are moments where we will eventually gather. Times during the game when we all have to make a choice, a moment when we all gather to ponder before eventually moving forward on our own paths.
Of course, choices are even more numerous than there are games, thus not everyone will or will ever face the same crossroads... that is, except for that one singular choice, one that is the most important choice of all.
A choice that doesn't appear at a specific time or place, it appears at a specific point entirely unique to the player. A choice made at the end, an end that can only arrive in response to the player themselves.
To start over.
To move on.
To stop playing.
Three common choices, but only three of potentially infinite choices. But whether a player decides to put down the controls or not, the game never truly ends. It lives in the memories they made, in the community they were and always will be a part of, and the identity they forged during their time.
The game never truly ends, former gamer or not, it continues within the player themselves and within all others. So, when you have to make that important choice at the end of your playthrough, remember this.
At every crossroad you stand, there are others who have, are, or will stand with you.
When you make a choice, others make one too.
A game is not a journey towards an ending...
"...But towards a new beginning."
The soft voice of a young male could be heard muttering those words, a hint of exhaustion in his tone, yet they were still spoken firmly. At present, the male in question can be seen in an unusual location.
A vast futuristic circular structure suspended within a luminous void, one that seemed to be composed entirely of blue digital code, evident by the strings of 0s and 1s that were so numerous that they pretty much covered the entire void, top to bottom.
Despite the void, the structure that hovered within wasn't shadowed in any way, instead shining brightly like a beautiful city in the night.
The aesthetic was that of typical preconceived ideas of what futuristic architecture is like, curved, sleek, white buildings and thin blue neon light strips along the edges of the ground that served as this world's light sources.
There weren't many buildings, four large ones made up pretty much the entire structure and were located directly in the four cardinal directions from the central point. Although similar in architecture, each had its own distinct design.
Speaking of the central point, what stood out was the tall, colossal tower that rose high into the digital skies. It looked like a highly advanced observation tower, with a disk-shaped top offering a 360-degree windowed view.
Aside from these four prominent features, there also appeared to be a number of bridges composed entirely of solidified data that stretched to various smaller platforms, all of which contained their own attractions, for lack of a better word.
However, despite all of this, what truly gave this place life were the numerous large holographic screens suspended in the air at angles and positions that people standing on the ground could easily view.
All of the screens only displayed 'Welcome To The Playverse', nothing else seemed to be showing at the moment.
Although there weren't many, there also seemed to be robotic entities stationed in certain areas. Many of them were simply idle, while others were wandering around. They came in all shapes and sizes, from humanoid to the truly unique.
"This place is really starting to take shape." A pleased voice, the same voice from before, spoke up as the speaker was revealed to be standing atop the observation tower, looking down. "I gotta say, for someone who by no means is an architect, this ain't bad."
The young man was revealed to be someone who didn't look any older than twenty, with a lean physique and a fair complexion. With a head of smooth silver hair and a pair of sharp, striking blue eyes. Looking closely, you could see something that really set them apart.
Within his shining blue pupils were what looked to be a number of connected gears, the exact same kind you're probably thinking of, the ones used in machines. What made them stranger was that the gears were turning constantly, perfectly smooth rotations with one another.
As for clothing, it was relatively simple in comparison.
Consisting of a simple black t-shirt underneath an open, hooded, short-sleeved white vest, with his lower body covered by a set of dark-blue cargo pants that were sleek enough that they still showed off his slender, long legs, and ending off with a pair of simple white sports shoes.
Appearance aside, from within the observation tower, this young man could be seen manipulating several holographic screens, each displaying a wealth of information. Most were static, while others had mind-numbing amounts of information.
One in particular was a screen that generated code at an unbelievable rate, yet the man didn't seem at all overwhelmed. Every passing second, potential hundreds of lines of code appeared. Yet his eyes scanned rapidly, seemingly able to read the information without issue.
"Alright, aside from needing to finish off Gravistar Smackdown, this place should be ready for launch day. " Orion, the name of our protagonist, smiled to himself as he closed down the menus. "I'm tired, better get off for now..."
Opening another singular menu, Orion tapped it a few times before his entire body, from bottom to top, began to disappear and turn into digital blocks of code, which faded away soon after appearing.
Not too long after, Orion had completely disappeared from his previous position.
O-O-O
In a rather simple, modern-looking apartment building, a familiar set of digital blocks suddenly appeared, gathering into a miniature twister before condensing and piling up from the ground up, almost as if building something.
It didn't take long before the familiar form of Orion appeared, standing casually, one hand on his hip while the other rubbed the side of his neck. Blinking a few times, Orion glanced around at the vastly different scenery compared to a few moments ago.
"Even after all this time, this thing still amazes me." Looking down at the white and black mechanical bracelet around his left wrist, Orion couldn't help but mutter to himself. "Complete digitilization of physical matter, crazy work..."
Ever since having reincarnated into this world a month ago, Orion had been exposed to truly incredible things, especially here in Planarcadia.
From the incredibly advanced tech to the imagenae, yet none of it could truly compare to the simple-looking bracelet around his wrist, provided by the System. He had researched the level of technological advancement this world had, or more specifically, this universe.
Technological advancement was indeed very high, but based on the information he'd gained from surfing the net, he'd more so call this universe space fantasy instead of sci-fi. From those beings called Aeons, and people's faith and beliefs towards them definitely made it feel more space fantasy.
In any case, back to the previous point, despite this universe's level of tech, they didn't seem to possess the ability to truly digitize physical matter. Syncing one's nerves and consciousness to a simulated experience was possible, but not true digitization.
"What's the current progress at..."
With a swipe of his hand, Orion opened the system menu.
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[Game Hub System]
◈ Character
◈ Game Hub
◈ Gacha
◈ Mission
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This was the system provided to him upon arriving in this world, and its use was very straightforward, it allowed him to enter and develop a virtual world, a world composed entirely of information and ideas.
More specifically, this one leaned towards a virtual gaming space more than any other.
With a tap of his finger, Orion selected the 'Mission' option, prompting a separate screen to appear next to the original menu screen.
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[Mission]
◈ Objective: We all have to start somewhere. Build up your reputation through the net and establish your first gathering of future players! Let's fill in those pre-registration slots! (Progress: 262/300)
Rewards:
◈ 50 Points
◈ 250 Hub EXP
◈ 10 Character EXP
◈ Dataform Diver (Amount: 300)
.
The objective behind this mission was very straightforward, it could be summarised as 'Advertise and get some players'. This was a simple mission that Orion had been letting run its course while he worked on the Playverse.
By setting up basic online advertising, people would eventually come across it one way or another on the platforms he's advertised on. It had only been a week since he started the process, and he had already nearly gathered the needed 300 to complete the mission.
It may not sound like a lot, which it wasn't, but there wasn't much he could do.
Honesty was all he did in the advertisements, but with that, the expected doubt and disdain were inevitable. Who would believe an advertisement from an unknown source that promised a kind of technology and experience unseen before?
Only the truly curious or stupid would agree to risk it.
Naturally, he hadn't just made it free. He had to make a living somehow.
After all, even that one group he ended up reading some information about while looking into this world's technology hadn't produced any true digitizing tech. From what he read, they were apparently a small group of the universe's most recognized and intelligent people.
A very select group of individuals who are said to have been invited to the group by the Aeon Nous themselves, and despite the group having existed for numerous amber eras, only a total of 84 members have been invited since its inception.
In other words, the gathering of the cosmos's greatest nerds.
"Then again, maybe putting the price for a Dataform Diver at a million credits wasn't exactly the best idea." Orion pondered for a moment as he said this. "Oh well, seems to be working anyway. The question is, do I call them idiots for actually risking buying it? Or extremely lucky retards?"
After all, once people learn what revolutionary technology the Dataform Diver is, the price won't be just a million credits. Even a single unit may reach higher prices than those damn starnoughts sold on the market.
Yes, starnoughts were being sold on the market.
He couldn't believe it either.
He didn't want to buy one... nope... not at all... definitely not...
One was totally not in his saved cart, you have no proof.
Anyway, the point was that these lucky fellows who were gonna get to be the first three hundred in the entire cosmos to experience true digitization, as far as he was aware. They have no idea just how much of a discount they've gotten.
Those lucky fucks.
The God of Luck must've touched them in more ways than one.
The only bad thing really was that each device becomes bound to the first person who uses it, stealing it was useless. Unless you were smart enough to actually understand the ridiculous technology it ran on, stealing a bound device held no value.
If you haven't figured it out yet, the Dataform Diver was the same bracelet he was wearing. A device capable of converting a person's body and mind into information, allowing them to enter a space composed of data, otherwise called the Playverse in Orion's situation.
It was also important to note that the device could convert up to a certain number of OBs, 2 to be more specific. Based on other pieces of information, he had determined this approximate amount to be the general maximum a living being was worth.
Which, according to his own analysis, meant that it was more than enough to digitize a person. What OBs were specifically? From what Orion understood, the system used this measuring unit to track the 'size' of the information.
Think about how we use measuring units for data, such as megabytes and gigabytes.
Even the Playverse had a limit on what it could apparently hold, namely 500 OBs. Here is the information screen for Playverse from the system:
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[Game Hub]
◈ Name: The Playverse
◈ Hub Level: 1 - (EXP: 0/1,000)
◈ Virtual Space Capacity: 18.4/500 OB
◈ Locations (1/2): [The Nexus]
◈ Main Games (0/1): [None]
◈ Mini Games (1/3): [Persona Roulette]
◈ WIP Games: [Gravistar Smackdown]
◈ WIP Locations: [Community Plaza]
.
Based on the maximum OBs of the Dataform Diver, as well as on the space he'd noticed being taken up from the Playverse's capacity from the NPCs alone, that seemingly large 500 OBs may not be so big once players start swarming in.
Every person's information, measured in OBs, differed, even by the smallest amount. So, assuming the average person was 1.2 OBs, if all 300 players entered the space, it'd leave around 120 OBs of free space.
It was a lot, but still a bit concerning.
Not to mention that information, especially when it came to living beings, was constantly changing and fluctuating. Whether their overall OBs decrease or increase as time goes on, who's to say someone won't exceed the estimated 2 OBs limit that he calculated for the Dataform Divers?
There might be people out there already exceeding that limit.
As for whether he could upgrade the Dataform Divers to be capable of translating a higher capacity, it was indeed possible. However, doing so would require far too many resources for it to be done right now, even if only for himself.
"Based on that, it seems that living beings, or at least sentient lifeforms, take up much more space compared to anything else," Orion muttered as he dropped down onto the couch. "Makes sense. The mind is a complicated thing. Emotions, memory, consciousness, all of that are probably the main space hoarders..."
Taking off the Dataform Diver, Orion casually inspected it from different angles.
If it had been before he received the System, even trying to comprehend the mechanics behind this device would've been impossible for him. He was by no means stupid, but he certainly wasn't nearly smart enough to comprehend a device of this nature.
In fact, the only reason he could even be considering it was the singular ability he received upon getting the system. Although it did not provide him with combat prowess, in terms of intellect, it was very powerful.
.
[Character]
◈ Name: Orion Vale
◈ Character Level: 1 - (EXP: 0/100)
◈ Points: 0
◈ Abilities (1/2): [Mekhane's Blessing]
.
◈ Mekhane's Blessing - [Description: Grants immense processing, comprehensive, and overall mental power. This ability also generates a localised area of dimensional stability, granting both the power to control and analyze mechanical or metallurgical technologies or products through direct contact. By absorbing electricity or metallic materials, you can recover rapidly from fatal wounds]
.
Mekhane, for those who are unfamiliar, is a very powerful entity from the SCP fandom.
Through the analytical power alone granted by this ability, he could understand the device's workings almost instantly. The process, logic, and more about the analyzed item are all rushed into his mind like a river.
It was essentially the ultimate cheat code for mechanical engineering, all the knowledge and experience of the profession could be easily obtained by analyzing a technological device. With how advanced the Dataform Diver was, I'm sure you can guess he had gained a lot from it.
If it were true that this universe had not yet reached true digitization, it could mean he was the only person in this universe with the knowledge and understanding to create such technology. All he lacked were resources.
That one group referred to before, the one made up of the universe's smartest individuals.
The Genius Clubhouse or whatever the fuck.
Orion didn't really bother to remember the name, that, or he simply didn't care enough to search through his memories for the name of an organization that he'd have no connection with whatsoever.
Even if it'd take him less than a second to remember.
Anyway, from what had been made public about their achievements, the one closest to achieving something similar was a member named Sserkal.
Having created something called a metafield, a virtual network that acted like a dream that could be accessed by any living creature through neural signal connection. From what he read, it was apparently shut down by the creator before they died.
While the metafield and the Playverse were similar on the surface, they were fundamentally very different.
"Wait, if the Dataform Diver can translate reality into information, and then vice versa..." Orion blinked before quickly sitting up on the couch. "What if newly introduced data that had yet to be realized is translated the other way around first?"
Hopping off the couch, Orion ran to his desk before taking out a book as well as a pen. He then began drawing a series of diagrams and dotting down extensive notes with swift yet precise strokes that produced very neat words despite the speed.
'That would be translating new information into reality, producing mass that didn't originally exist. If this works, then that'd completely overturn the law of conservation of matter. It's no different from creating something from nothing.'
Countless thoughts and possibilities seemed to flow through his mind, plausible and also non-plausible conclusions, all of which were being considered.
"But it can't be truly limitless, right? If reality is the physical expression of informational structure, then what limits determine what information can be translated into a stable physical existence? Can an object with a nature that defies the physical laws of this reality exist, or will it simply disappear?"
Reality may come from information, but that doesn't mean all information can become reality. Assuming the world really is built on information, a blueprint of sorts, then what were the limitations of altering that blueprint before the output, that is reality, is brought forth?
Can information that contradicts or defies another be realized?
Will incomplete information produce a stable existence?
Does information exist independently of realized physical matter?
"Then what if...ah, what am I doing?!"
Shaking his head, Orion slammed one hand onto the desk as he dropped the pen onto the ground. Looking at the over ten sheets of writing that he had produced in this short timeframe, he could only sigh.
"Why am I even thinking of this? As much as I love the brain power this ability gives me, the overthinking is a pain in the ass..." Orion chuckled at himself. 'I'm gonna get something to eat, to clear my head a bit.'
Taking a deep breath, Orion headed for the door, though he paused for a moment as he glanced back over his shoulder to the sheets of paper that were still lying on the desk in a messy pile.
"If I can turn new data into physical matter, I could make food or even money from nothing. To accomplish that... shit, I'm doing it again!"
Slapping both his cheeks, Orion resolutely stepped out of the apartment.
.
.
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This opening chapter was quite an info dump. I hope you didn't mind too much. I'll try to avoid doing so in the future.
I only did so as in the past, when I used to write fanfics, some would complain about not knowing certain things or wanted them explained directly instead of putting the pieces together themselves.
Therefore, this chapter was more of a very basic rundown of everything to help shape the story from here on. Even if it was a massive information overload, I hope you'll stick around for a bit.
Finally, if you looked at the tags, then you should know this story is indeed a harem. Not a big one though, only three members. As for who they are, just look at the cover or read the bottom of the synopsis again.