Chapter 2: The Chat Room
—2 days before the release—
Akio held the massive cartridge in his hand, investigating it and realizing that the forums had been right. The game is basically a hard drive that gets attached onto the hardware, containing 17 to 20 terabytes of information. Along with the cartridge, his father gave him all the equipment necessary to dive into the game—a large cube with a hole on one side to fit the neck. The inside was cushioned and meant to fit multiple head sizes. It was constructed to be used while lying down on a bed. He had tested it out, finding that it provided the best support for his neck and had many adjustments to suit different head shapes.
"Comfort is no issue," he muttered to himself, alone in his room. He turned to his computer screen and logged into a chat room, a private one that's difficult to access, requiring the necessary skill-set to hack into and provide valuable information within a topic. Recently, the chat room had hopped on the hype of the game, seeking to learn all they could.
17:32
HiroHiro()_() //: Have you guys seen the latest news on Three Realms?
Omega$$%<-> //: Yeah, it was crazy!
_U_ //: No.
HiroHiro()_() //: The interview with the developers! They released info on the game, but stuff we all already know, unfortunately :(
HiroHiro()_() attached a photo…
(ICU)# //: How boring. I wish they'd just spill the whole info. I mean… they're keeping a bigger secret within the game. Secrets that we haven't managed to discover…
Taku7 //: I think I recognize one of them…
lumi lumi=\ //: I watched the whole thing… yeah, it's pretty lame since we already know much of that.
17:40
G_G HN //: Say whatever… I'm not lining up outside to score a hard copy. At least till after the craziness has gone down.
_U_ //: Yeah heard someone got into a fight over the lines, got bloody.
"No way..." Akio muttered. He skillfully moved his eyes through the computer screen.
"Let's see if I can find it."
Akio's username was "*(n0)*."
*(n0)* //: just stole the camera footage… check it out
*(n0)* attached a video…
17:58
lumi lumi=\ //: This game is not worth getting your face punched in …
(ICU)# //: He got hit with that left hook!
Taku7 //: There... this guy I knew I recognized him…
Taku7 attached a photo…
"That's my dad… yeah, he's a developer, but so what" Aiko muttered confused.
Taku7 attached a photo…
Taku7 //: Here, take a look. His name isn't listed as any of the lead developers list.
HiroHiro()_() //: Probably just a regular employee…? How do you know? Know his name or something?
Taku7 //: Oh yeah, Nakamura Akihiro, big-time physics and computer science guy— maybe 20 years ago… here, watch this.
Taku7 attached a video…
"He was famous before I was born? But how? I mean, he doesn't really ever talk about himself, usually mostly over his stupid game. Even mom had nearly pulled his hair off from how many times he's talked about it." Akio clicked on the video and hit play as his curiosity overcame him.
*mouse click*
"Hello and welcome to the Saitama talk-show. I am your host, Haruto, and today we welcome the famous physicist and software engineer, Nakamura Akihiro. So tell us, could you explain your advancements in AI and more notably, your most recent discovery?"
"Most certainly," Akihiro replied.
"Great!"
"So I'll start with Mind Time Travel…"
"Mind time travel?! It sounds out of this world!"
"It sounds better than it actually is, but in theory… let's just say it's complicated."
"Well, we are eager to know! Please, do tell."
"Well… in theory, we can change the way you view time. For example, have you ever slept and had a dream that felt like it took longer than it actually lasted?"
"Yes, of course! Haven't we all?"
"Well, if most of you didn't know, dreams can only last anywhere between seconds to a maximum of an hour or two in extreme cases. And the reason your dreams are longer is due to brain activity being slower during REM sleep."
"Woah! Take some notes, people!"
"The problem with a dream is you aren't 100% in control, and most information gained is forgotten. But what if you could sleep and be fully conscious during a dream, let's say."
"That would be out of this world! And how does this all equal mind-time-travel?"
"When you dream, time moves slower. So if you sleep and are fully conscious, let's say you dream about… rehearsing or studying, then wake up, technically your body will feel refreshed, yet your mind studied for hours to even days and retained the information kept. Therefore, I'd like to say it's like time traveling into the future since your mind has aged."
"And how long until this becomes a reality?"
"Well, hehe, there's the problem. The problem is solved, but it's only a matter of actually building a device to keep you conscious… so there's still work to do."
"That sounds great and very thrilling. Now let's talk about…"
*mouse click*
Akio hit pause on the video and returned to the chat room curious about what anyone in the chat room would say about this revelation. His father's history had somehow become something of his greatest interest.
18:09
lumi lumi =\ //: … sounds cool, but what does that have to do with anything?
G_G HN //: Wait a second… there's no way! If this guy is one of the lead developers of the game, then that could only mean one thing!
_U_ //: No way impossible…
(ICU)# //: That's a stretch, don't you think? :3
0=3 //: What?
HiroHiro()_() //: Yeah, kinda lost here also…
Taku7 //: This could mean that the VR game is that mind time traveling machine he was talking about!
_U_ //: Dreams < VR game, oh yeah baby let's go!
lumi lumi =\ //: That explains the hard leveling system… it would take far too long for anyone to even try to think of reaching level 5.
Omega$$%<-> //: Alright, boys… I'm in.
Taku7 //: Wait, you're in?
Omega$$%<-> //: Oh yeah… these old heads really need to update the crap out of their software. That was easier than I thought.
Omega$$%<-> uploaded a picture…
Omega$$%<-> //: Is everyone seeing this?
0=3 //: The source code for the AI… yeah there's no way!!!!
Omega$$%<-> //: I got found out… I was kicked from their servers :p Worth a try…
*(n0)* //: There's no way… the game has this complex level of AI?!
(ICU)# //: Damnit, now I have to score a copy :0
Akio looked away from his computer screen and looked over to his family's portrait. He didn't know how to feel at the revelation that his father wasn't joking over the AI.
"Just what type of game did you make, Dad?" Akio muttered softly while looking at his father.
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