Lord of the Time: I Can Reincarnate Infinitely

In the team quarters, Caleb was surrounded by his teammates at one of the consoles displaying the rules and structure of the Universe Ascendancy Games, all of them discussing the ranking system in great detail.

"So, uh, how in the hell do we work up these rankings?" Caleb asked, his eyes flicking to the screen. "Is it like you rack up points and move up or what?"

Mia, having read the instructions, answers, "It says that here the points are awarded to the team during each game in relation to each position placed. For instance, at the Iron Rank level, one is required to have 100 points to move to the next level."

Leo leaned in, pointing at the chart displayed on the console. "So, there are sub-tiers within each rank, huh? Gold Tier 1, Tier 2, and so on. The first one is the lowest, then it goes down as you go high up, like Tier 1 of that rank."
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Caleb nodded, "So, we gotta keep winning to climb from the bottom tier to the top, then jump to the next rank, huh?"

Sarah noticed, "The quickest way to get a promotion seems to be by winning in the higher-stake games, as they offer more points but you can lose more as well. There are also some tournaments that offer bonus points."

Alex, curious, asked, "Can someone go solo in this thing, or do we always play as a team?"

He found an answer by reading through an FAQ that was open on the console. "It says here that you can compete solo in some of the challenges, but the main path to ascendancy is through team formats. Solo wins contribute toward your personal score, but team performance is what really pushes the rank up."

"So, together with teamwork and kicking butt, is the idea," laughed Caleb. "Good, that's what I was thinking anyway."

...

It was time to move, and Caleb with his team was set on the other side by the Ufotan team. Everyone is set to get into their Simulation Cabins.

"So, we would be head-to-head with you guys in there?" Caleb asked the captain of Ufotan, insinuating some form of rivalry between them.

The Ufotan captain said indifferently, "Hard to say, Adam. With many teams, I guess the chance we have to meet face to face is slim. But alliances in games are very fluent. Today's ally may become tomorrow's opponent."

Nodding, Caleb cljsoned the Ufotan captain on the shoulder. "Well, then, may the best team win, huh? Let's kick some universal ass!"

An employee showed the way to the two teams toward the cabins. Caleb took a look at the employees: they looked crude and rugged compared to the glossy, well-finished technology around. "No offense, but why do you look. you know, less shiny than everything else here?"

The staff member—who very casually, I must add, and dismissively—stated: "We are designed for function, not style. Our creators wanted us functional in our processing and guidance capacities, not for form."

On reaching the cabins, the inside was astounding as compared to what it was on the outside. The interior of the cabin, on the other hand, was soft luminescent material panels, while the seat interiors contoured perfect to the form of any being.

"Cabins are, of course, planned by Ascendancy Architects—what could be expected from an alliance of the most ancients who always paid great attention to fair and universal competition," continued the staff member. "Adaptive bio-organic materials, in tune with users' biological and spiritual being, would provide for smooth adjustment into the environment of the game world."

Caleb whistled, impressed. "Fancy stuff. So, how do we start this party?"

He recommended that they sit back, as the cabin will take care of the rest. "Just relax and get mentally prepared. The transfer commences as soon as you are settled and will take your consciousness to the starting zone of the Ascendancy Gaming Realm."

As Caleb and his team settled into their seats, the cabin hummed to life, its walls pulsating with energy. "See you on the other side, people," echoed the voice of Caleb as everything around them started to dim.

Inside the Simulation Cabin, as the team prepared for the transition, Leo took the lead in choosing their game format.

"I think we'd better go with 'Cosmic Siege,'" said Leo, looking through them on the game's menu. "'Defend the causeway' is all right and everything, but 'Cosmic Siege' is a test of strategy, teamwork, adaptability—all at once. Very dynamic: the objectives and environments keep shifting. Should keep us on our toes."

Caleb raised an eyebrow, "You sure, Leo? We don't want to start off biting more than we can chew."

Leo nodded confidently. "I have read up about it. 'Cosmic Siege' speaks of capturing and holding strategic points in a simulated star system. It involves not only fighting but also comprises strategic moves and, of course, the possibility of controlling the battlefield."

"Interesting. that could definitely play to our strengths," Mia replied interestedly. "We've got great balance in the gray and muscle department here. Plus, we'll be able to scope other teams' tactics and adapt our strategies while it's still early."

The team agreed, and Leo set their choice into the system. "Cosmic Siege it is, then. Show 'em what you're made of."

As the process began inside the cabin, an unreal feeling washed over the team. It blurred from reality to blurred and back again, and for just a moment, they had a sense of disorientation. "Feels like I'm being stretched through a wormhole," Caleb muttered, his voice echoing strangely in the shifting space.

And suddenly, they were in the Ascendancy Gaming Realm. A sense of dislocation floated away to be replaced by one heightened by the clarity and awareness. "Damned weird, but kinda exhilarating," Caleb said, his head flipping up and around toward the vivid, detailed environment—all around to the star system, right down to planets, asteroids, and glowing nebulae.

The format they had placed "Cosmic Siege" in place them in command of a ship overlooking a tactical map of the star system. The basic idea was to plan and seize all the critical points with attacks from space combined with ground missions.

Leo went into the map and started talking, "The way how we probably win is by splitting up our forces and overrunning, capturing those resource points for upgrades, and key strategic area control. It's pretty much like a gigantic cosmic chess game."