Age of Space

[Ironglades, District 101]

In a luxurious room, filled with guests and hard beating music, sat a bulky man with blond hair. There were politicians here, businessmen of renown, and scientists of high standing. Any casual glance would confirm that this man fit right in. Though a bit bulky, he was dressed in fashionable clothing and had none of the bionic features associated with the criminal world.

To the more discerning eye however, he was anything but normal. Small scars all over his body spoke of numerous medical procedures. The placement of those scars spoke of one purpose and one purpose alone: lethality.

Scars along his bones hinted at numerous operations, done in order to enhance his skeletal frame. Under his hair, the scars along his skull implied the implantation of neural enhancers, increasing his reaction speed. Along his neck, faint scars remained from an old endocrine enhancement operation, done to artificially change his body's chemical balance so as to create a state of hyper awareness when needed.

The two women on his lap giggled as he moved his hands along their bodies. He would have them tonight, he knew that. He preferred not to pay, even if he was expected to. Status came with all sorts of benefits, including not paying.

A lustful grin appeared on his face as he thought about how the two girls would react when he would refuse the payment.

The anger, the indignation, then finally, the resignation as they realized... He had the power.

When they realized that, he could do whatever he wanted with them and all they could do in response was just to give in and accept their fate.

In a good mood, he reached for the dope pipe for another puff of fantasia dust.

“Argus!” One of his men called, interrupting his musings.

“What is it…” Argus complained, putting down the pipe. They wouldn’t interrupt him like this if it wasn’t important.

“You know that kid, Ronin… He’s out.”

A hologram of a boy with two lightning shaped facial scars appeared on his mixing table, displaying information on anything from the boy's past, his achievements, to even his facial tics.

“Apparently he’s important to some people.” The man continued, pointing towards the relevant section along the hologram.

Argus scratched his chin. “After getting him out of Exodon, they even sacrificed Wing Commander Julius for him…” He mumbled, glancing over the report.

“Where is he now? Anyone still willing to take the bounty?”

“No one that matters, apparently he’s working for a respectable company now too.” The man said. Swiping up another hologram displaying the Maximus Solutions spaceship factory.

Specter will not be happy about this…Argus inwardly grumbled.

“Triple the bounty, that should at least bring in some of the big players,” he said, his face twisting into a look of annoyance.

This kid was turning out to be more of a cockroach than he’d thought. Even paying off the planetary guard hadn’t helped!

“I think you forgot something,” one of the women said seductively, attempting to hand him the dope pipe.

He pushed her off him and she crashed onto the ground. “Damn harlot, learn to read the room,” he grumbled.

As the other girl quickly scurried away. He gave his subordinate a hard look. “Send our guest's home. I have a call to make.”

“As you can see, the fluid is very viscous.” The liaison said as the gaming capsule was being filled.

“And this liquid actually has all the nutrients the body needs? I won’t even have to eat while I'm in this?” Ronin questioned back. Despite having read about this on the “Real-world-gaming” website earlier, he still found it hard to believe.

“Indeed, your body will passively absorb almost everything it needs through skin contact. Though cough, certain nutrients will need a bit more of an active approach.”

“Like what?”

“Well, the nanites in the fluid, does more than facilitate the man-machine connection. In addition to letting you interface with the game world, they also help transfer some of the nutrients properly into your body.”

“So those small machines will have to travel into my body as well?!”

Ronin was not liking where this was going!

“Where do they go? Do they travel into my brain as well? Is that why the neural resonance affinity of this chamber is so high?”

“No no, I assure you, they only travel into the areas in your body responsible for absorbing and processing critical nutrients. They do not travel into the brain,” the liaison hastily defended. “The reason this product gives such an immersive experience within the game world is how closely the chamber simulates what's happening to you within the game.”

The company liaison pointed towards the gravitic generator. “For instance, the action of jumping, falling and crashing is well simulated by this device here. The difficulty you’d feel breathing while running in the game is simulated with the cardio breather, which is also the thing that makes it possible for you to breathe when fully submerged in the chamber. Now, if you would just sign these papers, confirming you’ve received and confirmed the product-”

“Alright, alright, I'll sign it,” Ronin said, pinging his implant, then sending over his unique signature.

The way he saw it, he didn’t have much of a choice when it came to this machine.

He was desperate. The alien energy kept on building up inside his body, not only altering his own subconsciousness, but also causing anything from his blood pressure to his cell division rate to increase. The only way he’d found to decrease the buildup of that energy was to fight, where the more dangerous the fight was, the better.

If he could use modern technology to essentially create himself a shortcut, where he'd only have to play games in order to reduce that energy? He’d take it in a heartbeat.

He thought back on what Dr. Leyana Firnesse had said…

“Who knows what might happen if these values continue to increase! You could even suddenly explode! Imagine that! BOOM!“

…Yeah… I’d take nanites in my brain anytime over something like that.

“...”

As the fluid fully filled the tank, the liaison helped him through the instruction manual: “After setting up your account, you only have to put on the cardio breather then jump into the chamber.”

“I understand, but why does the machine only allow you to experience 50% of the pain you’d feel in real life?” Ronin questioned.

“That’s of course due to the danger it poses to the user. Imagine dying in the game. The overwhelming pain you’d feel would not only severely corrode your psyche, but it can also damage the brain as well. Besides, who in their right mind would want to feel 100% of the pain they’d feel in real life anyways?”

“Is there any way to change that and set the maximum degree of pain felt to 100%?”

The liaison was stunned. “Don-, don’t tell me you really would want something like that!?” He stammered.

“Just tell me. Is it possible or not?”

Ronin had to know. The only reason he’d bought this thing was to deal with the alien energy. If 50% of the pain he'd feel in reality was not enough, he needed the option of turning the pain settings all the way up to 100%, regardless of the danger. The alien energy had already indirectly ended him up in prison and led to his apartment blowing up, and that was only the beginning of what might happen if he continued on as before.

“I mean, it’s illegal to do so but there is a safety filter we’re required to install on all of our machines. The technology base these VR-capsules are built on, naturally has the user feel 100% of all sensations. We install devices deliberately to mute this aspect due to the danger-”

“Where’s the safety filter for this chamber?” Ronin cut him off.

Initially a little hesitant, the liaison eventually began instructing him on where the filter was and how to remove it.

“You understand that you could die if you do this, right?"

“Yeah, yeah, I get it," Ronin said, nodding his head, fully focused on the filter removal process.

The real-world-gaming liaison furrowed his brows, then shook his head. It was none of his concern anyways.

“...”

After the liaison left, Ronin stood in front of the VR-chamber, just looking at it. He wasn’t the type of person to feel nervous over what he could control. Be it jumping from tall heights, balancing along beams or climbing steep walls. If he slipped and ended up injured, it was all on him. Giving himself completely over to technology like this, however, was different.

Enough! He steeled himself, put on the cardio breather and took the plunge.

As he began sinking into the liquid, nanites began swimming up to, into, then under his hair, finally settling along the top of his head.

Soon, his whole head was covered, and he heard a voice seemingly coming from everywhere and nowhere at once:

[Initializing integration… 3…2…1]

His surroundings began changing as the liquid around him turned into a carpeted stone floor, akin to something from the pre-interstellar era. Walls and corridors of stone rose up, then windows appeared, showing a flowing green meadow outside. Finally, a red velvet chair emerged from the floor, right next to a lit fireplace.

He walked over to the chair, feeling the cozy increase in temperature from the fire as he approached.

He sat down and a dark blue screen appeared in front of him.

“Mmm, so this is how it works…”

[Welcome new user. Please set new username:]

He thought it over. “Inevitability,” he said. It fit. Both in terms of what was happening to him, as well as what he hoped for his confidence in spite of it to be.

[Congratulations user! Name has been set. Access to shop granted.]

A range of games began appearing. From games with dragons and magic, games with starships and laser-fire, to games with outdated projectile weapons, set to a backdrop of dark gothic corridors.

He chose none of those.

[Purchase “Glory in the Arena” for 500 000 credits? Yes/no]

“Yes”

This was a pure combat game. You could either pick battles involving weapons and shields or pure bare-knuckle fights where your only weapon was your own body. It had one of the highest ratings for accurately simulating the real world and should work perfectly for what he had in mind.

He entered the game and picked the bare-knuckles mode.

“...”

Around him, the castle disappeared, the red velvet chair sank into the ground as the stone tiled floor turned to sand. Around him, large monoliths began rising up. In between them, a stadium began rising, as a new darker voice began announcing:

[Player now in queue, ranked matchmaking now in progress… Match found! Enter match now?]

“Yes,” he answered in nervous anticipation. The smell of sweat and blood tickled his nostrils as he felt the heat from the mid-sky sun. He looked down at his hands and wrists, now bound tightly in place with hand wrap, as another person began spawning into the arena.

The other man waved at him as the voice that seemed to come from everywhere at once counted down:

[4. 3. 2. 1… Combatants fight!]

As the timer reached zero, they both ran towards the other.

I guess I’m moving at what the game deems normal human speed now, Ronin thought as he noticed the slow speed of his virtual body.

His reaction speed, however, was still as fast as in the real world. He easily dodged the wild haymaker the other man threw, letting it easily slide past him as he threw a counter straight into the man's chin.

As the man wobbled, Ronin seized the initiative, pummeling the man two more times before his guard went up and a knee strike forced him away.

As Ronin moved in again, the slower speed of his virtual body started becoming a problem. His mind moved before his body did and one of his strikes missed.

As he was grabbed, thrown to the ground then pinned in a leg lock, Ronin could see everything as if it was happening in slow motion. Nevertheless, he was powerless to stop it as the man held his leg tight, squeezing it back harder and harder. At this rate, my knee will snap!

“I yield, I yield!” Ronin shouted, and the match was over.

[Defeat!]

“...”

Back in the lobby, he immediately rejoined the matchmaking queue. The next match ended just the same. He had a clear advantage in the beginning, but eventually lost later due to a grappling move.

This time he was beaten by an arm, locked around his neck, choking him until he eventually passed out.

Ronin continued queuing up, but despite getting accustomed to the slower virtual body, he kept losing. Out of a total of 11 matches, he’d only won twice.

What is going on…?

He was used to being faster, stronger, better, and his fighting style reflected that, but here… his physique was just like anyone else’s.

Still, that shouldn't be enough for him to be losing so badly…

Sitting down, he began thinking. My faster reaction speed should make this a walk in the park, furthermore, I have superhuman instincts compared to baseline humans…

Then realization struck him! My own instincts are working against me!

You didn’t react to a grapple like you did a punch. It didn’t operate on instincts like a punch did, it was counterintuitive. Any animal could dodge a fast-moving projectile, but the holds, leverage, endurance and positioning of grappling was more akin to a chess match than a traditional fight.

His instincts, even alien enhanced as they were, were not adapted to this style of fighting. He was essentially competing in a metaphorical chess match, all the while knowing nothing about the actual chess pieces.

Be it his maladapted instincts or his lack of knowledge, the only way to fix this was by gaining experience.

It was time to huddle up, buckle down and begin the grind.

“...”

He continued queuing up, not to win anymore, but to learn.

He no longer tried avoiding takedowns and grapples, he sought them instead.

From losing after at most a couple minutes of fighting, he now lost in only a few seconds, but he was learning.

Every move his opponents made, he memorized, every mistake he made while trying to defend himself, as well as every success, he took note of. Everything was stored and organized in his mind palace.

As he began to adapt, each new opponent had a new way to deal with him. But… there was only so many moves out there…

Slowly but surely, he was making progress. By the time he was on his 100th match, the few seconds it took to make him tap out, had turned into half a minute.

By the 200th match, he sometimes held out for as long as a minute and after 300 matches, he even won every now and again.

“...”

Leaning back with his legs over the opponent's torso and an outstretched arm firmly gripped in his hands, he laughed in triumph as the opponent tapped out.

This feeling was incredible, he was finally starting to get it!

By the time he finished his 500th match, he’d stacked up 70 victories, of which, 68 were won purely through grappling. Being at the bottom of the rankings, the only players he matched with were the worst of the worst.

That is to say, it didn’t matter how they wanted to fight, since Ronin was better at striking and had faster reflexes, if he wanted to grapple, they had to grapple as well.

If they didn’t take the initiative, he knocked them down to the ground, then lunged down into the sand after them.

“...”

After another victory, he checked the time: I’ve already spent 7 hours in this place?! No wonder virtual reality is seen as so addictive.

Logging out, he slowly opened his eyes as he emerged back in reality. The thick viscous liquid was all around him as he felt the cardio breather around his face. He floated slowly up to the surface then crawled out of the chamber. His entire body felt beat up.

As the viscous liquid dripped off his body, then recirculated back into the chamber through the newly installed grates below him, he closed his eyes and felt for a reduction in the alien energy within his body.

There's been almost no change at all! Out of the amount I've built up these past few weeks, at most, about 2% of it is gone… If it has decreased at all, it's by so little that I might as well not do this at all! He thought.

Besides fighting, every single thing he’d tried before simply slowed the energy increase. This might decrease the amount of alien energy within him, but 2% was not enough. At this rate he’d have to spend most of his time gaming instead of working. There's no way he’d become a spaceship designer like this.

Fuck it

His body felt beat up, but what of it!? He hadn’t bought this machine to have fun, he’d bought it to survive! Between giving up on his dream and dying by having his own body explode, he chose neither.

He found the place described by the ‘real-world-gaming’ liaison and removed the pain limiter from the VR-chamber.

Steeling himself, he dragged himself back into the chamber.

“...”

[Player now in queue, ranked matchmaking now in progress… Match found! Enter match now?]

The implications behind the question, now, held a very different meaning.

He could really die now…

“Yes,” he answered shakily, failing to keep his nervousness at bay.

As he spawned into the arena, the smell, the hot wind and his sight, now felt so real, it was almost impossible to distinguish from reality.

As the opponent spawned in as well, the countdown began.

[4. 3. 2. 1… Combatants fight!]

As they closed in on each other, the man threw a punch, but to Ronin's surprise, the punch slowed down.

The near-death sight!

It hadn’t worked before, but now with nothing limiting his senses, the technique from the Potentia Panorama had activated!

Leaning on one foot, Ronin let the punch slip by and with calculated precision advanced forward. Quickly grabbing the man's head, he then kicked a knee deeply into his stomach.

As the man tried to distance himself, Ronin swept the man off his feet with a low kick, before mounting him. It was time for the ground and pound. This guy never stood a chance.

His earlier 7 hours of nonstop practice were showing their worth and considering the fact that Ronin was no longer focusing on grappling as much, let’s just say it was time to put some victories under his belt.

“...”

Time passed and hours later, Ronin finally dragged himself back out of the VR-chamber. His body felt like someone had taken a sledgehammer to it. Every part of it was sore and he barely had the strength to walk. His head felt soar as well, which was a little more worrying, considering the danger of removing the pain limiter from the gaming capsule.

The first time he died in the game, he’d been terrified. It had felt so real… But he woke up again. Alive. The second time had been a little easier and by the third, most of his initial fear was gone. As he continued dying however, his head had begun hurting. It only became worse the more he died and eventually it had gotten so bad he had to disconnect from the game.

Nevertheless, Ronin knew he healed fast, and the results spoke for themselves. He’d only spent 3 hours in the game this time and all of the residual energy built up inside his body was now gone.

He felt as if a great weight had just been lifted off his shoulders.

It worked, it really worked…

He'd been worrying and despairing over the buildup of that damn alien energy for almost two months now and just like that… he was free!

To top it off, his near-death-sight was improving with every fight as well.

Hmm, in the beginning, my perceived time sped up by about 2 times that of real time when fighting… now though? 3 times? No, maybe more. Time moves so slowly when fighting now that it might actually work…

To access his mind palace mid-fight and find the optimal response to every move his opponent made had been all but a pipedream before, now though, he might actually be able to do it!

He sat down beside the VR-chamber and closed his eyes.

While letting his body rest and heal, he began repairing his mental palace.

What is this?

His battle soul technique had changed. The vague images outside the palace now had new additions. They were even less clear than the other images, but he could faintly make out images of figures grappling.

He shook at the implication!

The battle soul, in a way, represented his mind and now he could change it. He could literally do anything in VR. What if he could transform the battle soul technique, and by extension, the Potentia Panorama to serve him, instead of the will of the one who made it? This might very well be his first step in changing the legacy!