Huh? What is going on? Universal Apparatus?

Although he couldn’t move and didn’t understand what the laptop was doing, Sigmarus knew something interesting was happening. However, his expectations were too low. The laptop blew them out of the water when it started morphing and shifting in a similar manner to his meld suit. But, melding tech didn’t exist until twenty years ago!

Astounded, Sigmarus watched with wide eyes as the screen shut by itself atop his hands and split in two, covering both hands with a silver substance that combined the essence of both gas and liquid. It flowed atop his skin as though alive. Then, he felt a prickling sensation stabbing into his skin as though thousands of ants were crawling on and biting him. The prickling gradually crawled up the outside of his forearm.

When the substance reached his elbows, he could finally see his hands. He couldn’t believe his eyes since a silver line formed the shape of a simplified maple leaf tattoo, though it didn’t end there. As the gaseous substance which used to be the laptop continued crawling up his arms to his shoulders, it revealed more and more of two silver lines per arm which were about two or three millimeters in width. When the watery substance reached his shoulder, it split again, carving one line across his chest and down toward his abdomen while the other cut across his back and around his shoulder blades. Once the lines connected below his navel and near the top of his spine, all of the strange watery gas finished imbuing itself into his skin, forming a simple yet elegant tattoo. The moment the tattoo connected, the power cord disintegrated into a cloud of gray smoke which quickly dissipated, causing Sigmarus yet another surprise.

After the cord disintegrated, he finally regained control of his body. Although he could still feel a prickling sensation within his torso, he immediately hopped out of his cot and stumbled into the bathroom so that he could see the whole thing in the mirror. In his reflection, he could see that the silver lines on his chest formed the image of a simple sword blade, or at least it looked like one to his eyes. Then, he turned around and looked over his shoulder to see what the lines formed on his back. His eyebrows rose when he saw a shape similar to angelic wings, though much more simplified than any he had seen in art back when he lived in the Middle Sectors.

“Cool.”

That was the only word that came to mind. Everything that just happened bewildered him. How could a laptop suddenly turn into a tattoo? Such technology was basically magic, and he had found it in a place which had been abandoned for more than fifty years!

While his mind was processing this strange occurrence, a translucent silver screen similar to the one he had seen on the laptop screen materialized right before his eyes.

[Transference completed. Establishing connection to the Cosmos… Connection established. Initiating contact with the designer.]

Still blinking out of astonishment because some sort of holo-screen had just appeared in front of him without a holo-device, Sigmarus muttered, “What? Designer?”

His question was answered when his new tattoo glowed with a silver light, shone outward, and formed the shape of a person. A very small person, that is.

Standing in the air with arms folded in front of himself, a silver hologram of a man with elegantly maintained long hair and beard glanced down at Sigmarus with an expression of pleasant surprise. His head was raised in a haughty manner as though he could look down on all of humanity as ants. Before Sigmarus could even react, the man spoke with a voice heavy as a mountain yet gentle as a flowing river.

“I did not expect the lost piece to get picked up after so long. Good. Very good. What’s your name, boy?”

“Uh, Sigmarus. What exactly was that laptop, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Oh, looks like you’re wise enough not to insult me immediately like the last two. Good. Very Good.”

Sigmarus raised a brow at the man’s answer and wondered, Last two? Were there others who used this laptop?

“That laptop was just a vessel for the Universal Apparatus I designed. It’s a tool to aid someone in becoming an Immortal through the use of mechanics similar to some games I enjoyed in your mortal world.”

Games? Mortal world? If this is real… Oh my god.

Sigmarus couldn’t help the warmth of excitement cracking the hardened exterior of his cold heart.

Suddenly, the man’s eyes flashed with interest after scanning over Sigmarus’ body. His lips curled upward into a satisfied grin as he mentioned, “It seems your spirit root is Attributeless Freeform. That’s quite rare.”

“Spirit root?”

“Spirit root is a root, just like a plant’s. It determines what path is best for you to grow into in terms of power. However, your Attributeless Freeform root is rather despised by most Immortals since cultivating it is incredibly difficult. It doesn’t have a determined path like most others. I’m sure you have some questions. Ask away.”

I think I get it. Sounds like magic, but does magic actually exist, or is this guy just messing with me?

Thinking such, Sigmarus asked, “It’s hard to believe something magical exists. Can I have an example?”

“Magical? It isn’t magic. Across the vast number of universes and dimensions, countless energies exist. Your world is called a mortal one since it lacks the energies needed to become an Immortal. If I were to use an example from your world, it would be like trying to charge a battery by plugging it into a rock.”

“That makes sense, but can I use magic now or something?”

“Normally, nobody in your world would be able to cultivate anything beyond weak party tricks, but the Universal Apparatus you picked up is something I left there after visiting out of curiosity. It can connect you to the vast resources throughout the cosmos and make you stronger.”

“You said I’m not the first one to have this, right?”

“Correct, but the other two from your world are dead. They became too arrogant and offended people they shouldn’t have. Fools who wasted my creation is all they became.”

The man’s brows furrowed with obvious displeasure as he spit on the ground, though the spit disappeared from the hologram shortly after flying out of his mouth.

Well, damn, Sigmarus thought. He made a mental note to be careful in his future interactions if this whole thing was real. Moving on from that, he asked, “If you’re not in this world, can I travel to other worlds, too?”

“Yes, but it will cost you Origin Energy, which is labeled as ability points for you.”

Sigmarus’ gray eyes brightened at the thought of escaping the life of a muskrat.

“How much?”

“Hmm… at least a thousand, depending on the distance and difference in tier from your own. There are some other methods as well, but you won’t have access to them for a while. Any other questions before I explain the basics of this tool you picked up?”

“Just curious, but did you leave these laptops in random places?”

“No. I gave them to a few people who I met while playing one of those MMORPG’s down there and told them to find others who could use it. I left after that since I had already experienced everything your world had to offer.”

“Then are there any others out there using this apparatus?”

“No. Originally, there were ten, but the other nine who used it have all died and the one you found had been lost for several decades. In fact, I had given up on my goals since the materials to make another are nearly impossible to find.”

“Goals?”

The man sighed and answered, “If you get strong enough with my tool, I’ll tell you. Otherwise, it doesn’t matter. No need to get my hopes up. Now, listen closely. I will now explain how to use the Universal Apparatus.”

He didn’t let me ask any more questions…

“The tool is something akin to what your world calls Artificial Intelligence. You’ll need to improve its functions over time with your ability points, but for now, you can access a status screen which can easily tell you about your current state. It can activate just by reading your desires.”

As soon as the man explained it, a tall screen materialized in front of Sigmarus’ face. His eyes widened to the point that he thought they might pop out of his skull. Before he could read much of it, the man stole his attention again.

“Those screens will be invisible to others, but don’t get too caught up in them. You also have one which will display skills and items you can buy from a shop I’ve set up.”

Upon hearing about the shop, the Universal Apparatus displayed another screen. The skill list on his status screen only contained one skill, which was the apparatus itself. The shop, however, was massive. Since the old man was still explaining stuff, he decided to figure it out later.

“Aside from those, there is also an inventory. For now, it is only a small three meter by three meter space, but that can also be upgraded with ability points.”

Again, a screen popped into existence alongside the others. There were five empty boxes, but also an indication of the inventory size at the top.

“Did you understand all of that?”

Sigmarus nodded.

“Alright. Good. Very good. You have played some games before, haven’t you?”

“A few. I mostly read, though.”

“As long as you comprehend the mechanics, it doesn’t matter. Now, onto your level. You can obtain Origin Energy, or experience points in the apparatus, from killing both the living and the dead, absorbing it from artifacts, or by practicing a cultivation technique. That is all the basics, so now I will gift you one cultivation technique. Close your other windows and open the shop.”

As the man requested, Sigmarus mentally willed the status and inventory windows to close. Immediately afterward, a pop-up ad appeared on the shop screen, causing his eyes to narrow due to ingrained annoyance by such ads within games he had played before.

Noticing Sigmarus’ irritation, the man’s lips turned up into an amused smile.

“What is a game without pop-up ads, right?” The man joked with a short chuckle. “Anyway, go ahead and press it.”

Raising a brow since he had expected the apparatus to follow another mental command, Sigmarus raised his index finger and poked the ‘Special Newbie Offer’ button. Surprisingly, the screen felt solid to the touch despite looking like a hologram. From there, a smaller screen similar to the main shop screen appeared.

The screen displayed a list of the so-called cultivation techniques with images of books accompanied by their titles. Many of the book covers radiated an aura fanciness, almost as though they were alive. One cover looked like a dominating fire and was called Emperor Flame Scripture. One looked like a glacier and was called Tundra Monarch’s Breath. One looked like wood covered with vibrant leaves and was called Sutra of the Ever-Living Tree. Out of the fifty or so books on the list, all of them called out to be chosen with grandiose names.

Except one.

One which spoke deeply to his heart.

A simple book with an old sheepskin cover.

Freedom Technique.

Unbeknownst to Sigmarus, the old man smiled when he noticed where his attention was focused. When Sigmarus pressed on the book’s icon, the man forcefully erased his own smile and queried, “Are you sure you want that one?”

Raising his eyes to the hologram of the old man, Sigmarus breathed in deeply through his nose and then confidently answered, “It might not be as cool as the other techniques, but it’s what I want.”

“Even if it might not be as grandiose or as powerful as the others?”

Sigmarus smiled lightly at the question. Indeed, the book did not look or sound as fancy as the others, but if there was one thing he wanted in life, it was to live totally free from the things which shackled him to the ground. As such, he answered.

“Even if it turns out to be weak, I won’t regret it.”

“The others can give you freedom through absolute power at the end. Do you still choose it?”

Scratching his cheek, Sigmarus smiled again and said, “I never wanted power. I just want to be free. I want to see what I haven’t been allowed to see.”

The old man held back a smile as he said, “Alright then. Take it.”

With that, Sigmarus instantly pressed the ‘Yes’ option which popped up after choosing the book. The selection screen trembled, and then shattered into countless glimmering particles which then refigured themselves into the exact book he had chosen. The words ‘Freedom Technique’ were stitched into the wrinkled animal skin cover. After the book appeared, it floated in the air until he grabbed it. A tingling sensation coursed through his arm the moment he touched it.

[Do you wish to learn ‘Freedom Technique’?]

[Yes/No]

“Yes.”

…

Nothing happened.

The man in the hologram laughed while holding his stomach.

“You have to press the button, you nimwit! There aren’t any voice commands at level 1! Bwahahaha!”

“Oh…”

Moments later, the entire book had been magically absorbed into his body just like the laptop and the hologram of the man disappeared. Aside from the tattoo, it was as though nothing had ever happened here.