(Beginning of the End of the World)
Shortly before night, when the cold and warm sunset wind blows, and the last golden notes of the sun shine. A mature man with a thick beard watches a young man hard at work.
In that small workshop not far from the sea, the young man gives the last details of his work before presenting it to his teacher. The thick-bearded man strictly corrects every detail, but in his serious voice there is a hidden tone of pride, as if more than a teacher he was a proud father.
Every detail is corrected in detail, every explanation full of experiences and ideas; And although the work was redone countless times, neither the young man nor the man seem tired, even when the night was ending…
The work was finally finished when the sunlight was already shining, and people were walking swiftly with their chores. The small metal plate gleamed from the patterns drawn on it, turning the simple material into something ethereal.
With the culmination of his efforts, the young man smiles like a fool.
Man: - You did a good brat - he said in a snort; but the abundant pride was no longer hidden in his voice.
...
The dream was short, but at the same time very long, in the explanations of the bearded man you could feel the countless failures and mistakes made to perfect his art, and the dedication to explain each of the details and ideas he had to his disciple. In the hands of the disciple he felt what it was like to carve each pattern, the sensation of magic flowing through his body, and, above all the usefulness of that art, what it meant to Robert.
That first night was mostly quiet, with faint, distant screams. The night was dark and cold, as it had always been before being banished by men ...
Robert woke up late at night, it was the first time he slept for so long, it was the first time he felt so satisfied. He woke up with a crooked smile on his lips, completely different from his planned and trained emotionless smiles, for the first time his telltale eyes shared the same emotion as his gesture.
Robert opened the user interface that gave off a bluish glow, and the previously ignored messages passed one by one:
[Terminal installed successfully.
See manual for more information]
[Unique identifier of verified user.
Store access, granted.
Enter for more details]
[User scan completed.
Status parameters (updated).
Bonus Status Parameters (+10)]
[Obtained: Skill Orb x1.]
[Hint: You can use the skill orb to select any skill you want]
When he finished reading the messages, his smile became more unpleasant, teaching gums with his deformed gesture, but eyes were shining. That day he found something he wanted; but it still lacked more information ...
After all the messages were closed, only the user interface remained. It was divided into a left side menu and a work area on the right side. Aside from being holographic and semi-transparent, it was no different from any modern computer system.
The first option, selected by default, was "Status". It contained a silhouette of a man, much like Robert, but it didn't show any other additional information, it was just a simple silhouette. In the lower right corner were the classic player stats:
[Vitality :: 12] [Strength :: 16] [Dexterity :: 17]
[Stamina :: 22] [Intelligence :: 17] [Initiative :: 25]
Other than that data, the screen was clean, with no symbols or numbers to represent something. The only exception was the help button (?) That was flashing in the lower left corner of the side menu…
[Welcome.]
[The instruction manual will guide you through the basics of this terminal.]
While you were demonstrating, the screen was darkened with the exception of the relevant mechanism at the time.
[Status page: Shows relevant user information]
[General status]
[The graph (silhouette) represents the user's real-time status, showing indicators (colors) according to their situation.]
[Red: Damage / Black : Lost (disconnected) / Green: Poisoning…]
[Tip: You can check and / or change the indicators according to your standards.]
[Warning: The contrast data is specifically for the human species; if you change your species, you must either obtain the new data or manually record the unknown data.
If you do not heed this warning, the accuracy of the data will not be reliable.]
… For a moment he thought, but said nothing.
[Status Parameters]
[Numerical simplification of different aspects of the user; organized according to the best understanding for the user.]
[Different indicators can be added to the status page to monitor their growth. Example: Experience Bar.]
[Tip: The status page can be minimized into a graphic (silhouette) that allows you to monitor your current status in real time on an icon.]
[Tip: The icons can be arranged to your liking, so as not to obstruct her field of vision.]
…
The demonstration turned to the next page.
[Information Page: Shows the details of the missions, transactions (trade) and the codex (information of objects and monsters)]
The screen showed a search form with several filters and three main options (Quests / Transactions / Codex).
[Missions]
[You can check the specifications, remaining time, reward, result and other additions, of all the missions that the user accepts.]
…
[Transactions]
[Records the transactions made by the user.]
[The transactions are not reversible. The data shown is informational only.]
…
[Codex]
[Shows the data of the various items that the user obtained]
[Registering unknown data will award a reward]
[You can perform a simple analysis for free every month]
… It
was quite easy to understand the usefulness of that information, but Robert's attention was taken by the data already recorded:
[Missions]
[Transcend]
[Time Remaining: Indefinite (Final Judgment)]
[Objective: Reach level 100]
[Description: Own power It is the only thing that will decide your destiny; before the end, you must be the strongest of all worlds]
[Reward: Information (Truth of the World)] It
was a simple mission, something common in several video games, the beginning of the adventure, but in reality it involved several things that did not they can be ignored.
Although it wasn't that important, there was also a registry entry in the codex:
[Codex]
[Skill Orb]
[Description: Grants any skill listed in the main system]
[Use 1: Think or name (full or partial) desired skill (a precise imagination of what is desired makes the search easier)]
[Use 2: With high concentration, realistic experimentation of skills can be accessed]
…
As Robert pondered what "The Truth of the World, "the demonstration continued to the next page.
[Shop]
[Commerce (buying and selling) managed by the main system]
[You can buy the items offered by the main system or other users]
[You cannot sell (You need: Official Commerce Permit)]
…
[Configuration] You have
reached the last page.
[You can manually optimize the different sections of the user interface; but it is recommended to use the automatic help that is generated for each situation]
[Other settings allow to determine the behavior of the terminal and certain important variables (You must be careful)]
[Inventory options (Organization, elimination)]
[Help: The inventory opens with a mental command]
[Cloak (Change)]
[Modify Active Icons]
[Third Party Observation Obstruction (On)]
[Update Status]
[Specify Attachment Point]
[Equipment (Auto, equip, unequip, transfer)]
[ Connection with main system (connect, disconnect)]
[Help: the system can be updated automatically when you buy upgrades in the store.
You can also upgrade manuals at your own risk.]
[End of Demo]
At the end of the tutorial, what a passionate character would do is go fight the creatures and bravely level up; But Robert only wanted one thing: to perfect the art he has just learned, but where, in what place could he practice without having his guts ripped open.
After reviewing the options on the configuration page, he came to the "layer" option.
[current layer: Surface]
[The current reality of the world. (The most important events will take place in this layer)]
…
[Options]
[Virtual Layer: Past]
[Virtual layer of the world, before restart.
Functional copy of the world in its previous state, it works according to the previous rules, but its operation is dependent on the main system. (Sleep)
It can be accessed for half the time (in days) that the user transits in the other layers.
Currently inaccessible for the first seven days.]
…
[Elemental layer: Earth]
[Elemental layer abundant in the earth element. Great volcanic and seismic activity…]
…
[Elemental layer: Wind]
[Elemental layer abundant in the wind element. Constant storms…]
…
[Elemental cloak: Fire]
[Elemental cloak abundant in the fire element. Internal and external temperature of the planet elevated to different scales…]
…
[Elemental layer: Water]
[Abundant elemental layer in the water element. Different states of Water, temperature decreased at different scales…]
…
[Elemental layer: Lightning]
[Elemental layer abundant in the lightning element. Great electrical concentration…]
…
[Elemental layer: Light]
[Elemental layer abundant in the light element…]
…
[Elemental layer: Dark]
[Elemental layer abundant in the dark element…]
…
[Elemental layer: Eighth Element]
[…]
[Currently inaccessible. (Survival chance: 0%)]
…
[Help: you can change layers at any time, but only in safe areas or tie points]
After reviewing the rest of the options without any results, it only remained to test the layers.
[Change to the earth elemental layer]
[Yes || No]
In the blink of an eye the visible world changed completely. All buildings, no, all trace of human civilization disappeared without leaving a single speck of dust.
SFX: Many explosions.
It was inside a wide cave, from where you could see the outside, with no vegetation in sight, with rocky mountains and many volcanoes spewing lava. Inside the cave was a path that led down, lit orange by a small river of lava, which descended along with the path until it was lost.
[Current Layer: Earth]
[Warning: Area restrictions have been disabled (Movement area restrictions by level)]
[Warning: The attachment point cannot be designated by the user. (Fixed)]
endpoints[Help: if the current endpoint is destroyed or becomes inaccessible, you can find another one by following the distribution patterns of each layer.]
Rober: -… Doesn't matter, this is at least ten times safer than that building, where monsters or people can interrupt me ... Besides, I'm in a cave right at a link point, I could flee to another layer if I'm in danger - he convinced himself as he spoke to the walls. -… Well, how can I use this ability? -
[You want to acquire the skill: Magical Circuits Inscription]
[Yes || No]
[Skill Acquired]
[Obtained: Magic Energy Absorption Circuit Design]
[Obtained: Magic Energy Emission Circuit Design]
[Obtained: Magic Energy Transformation Circuit Design]
Immediately after the messages, it opened a new screen with the skill tree. It showed a picture of a large tree with many branches. On the trunk was the name of the skill tree: "Craftsman." On a branch: "Enchanting", and on a sub-branch: "Inscription of magic circuits". Everything else was colored gray, without any other information.
When he looked at the only active skill, he showed an information box:
[Magic Circuit Enrollment]
[Auto Execution: Activated]
[Proficiency: 0%]
After reading that information, he closed all the windows completely ignoring the other tree of skills. He did a few light stretches while cracking his neck; and true to the demeanor of an apathetic person, he began to practice, even with erupting volcanoes, slight tremors, and in the distance, what was possibly a small meteorite falling. He took the "meh" attitude that everyone knows, and kicked off two years of madness he had never experienced.