Scott laughed at the man then smiled. He was mostly joking about being the Dark Lord of Alterra, though the title did have a nice sound. Still, what kind of Lord of Darkness was named Scott?

Jameson laughed then said, “Keep up that attitude. It’s what we like to see. We want people to enjoy being part of the world and help to influence its future.”

“So, do monsters and demi-humans still have a hierarchy? You know; kings and queens?”

“If a monster is labeled a king or queen now, they have powerful support from other demi-humans of their race and may command monsters. They also own territory and rule it. Your dragon, Scarlet, would probably be labeled as a demi-human queen, but due to her being returned to level one she might no longer have many subordinates. I honestly don’t know more about that than you do, currently.”

“She’ll hate being downgraded like that if it’s true...” Scott thought of the prideful dragon and her constant outcry of ‘Call me queen.’

“No, she won’t. Changes like that are universal and retroactive. The World Masters personally made the change. She won’t remember the way things were prior because the nature of reality itself was rewritten.”

He remembered something. “When I went to do the farm quest, and gained Mina... What happened to Scarlet? She said that she would go look after her turtles.”

“Have you asked her what she was doing?”

“Well, no...”

“I suggest asking her, though it’s possible she won’t know what you are talking about. The change-over did not occur in your immediate vicinity due to your corruption. Things outside your immediate area had changed, but she probably did not know that her turtles might no longer recognize her. When you go back, she will probably have an entirely new memory of what happened during that time, with or without dragon-turtles.”

Scott felt mildly nauseated upon hearing that. The beings that had created Alterra had casually rewritten existence and the people would not even know anything had changed! “That’s... disturbing.”

“It fixed a lot of issues. As I’ve said before, the World Masters aren’t very creative despite their ability to generate a new existence with a thought. We’ve worked with them and the Beta-testers to streamline Alterra. They are quite eager to see the world become a thriving and properly vetted system.”

“Maybe, but the idea that people are toyed with in that way does not sit right with me.”

Jameson shrugged. “If it makes you feel better, the world is a much improved place now. You’ll have to see it yourself to realize it.”

“Yes, I suppose I will. What else can I do really?”

The mid-level manager smiled. “I don’t think you will be disappointed. Besides, this is the last major change that the World Masters intend to make. They are largely done with what they intend for the structure and rules of the world. You can say that Alterra is finally nearing its completion as a true existence. The beta testing, update, and tutorial period are coming to an end.”

Scott remained silent. What was there to say, really? He could not stop them from doing what they wanted. All he could do was choose to continue or to give up on Alterra altogether.

A thought occurred to him. “You said that the beta test would be ending soon? I had been under the impression that it would take a much longer period of time before it ended.”

“Yes, in a few months. The changes have fixed a lot of issues, and we are able to move the release schedule up. It’s also good that you get your class now. You went through a lot of trouble, but in the end you’ll be the one of first beta testers with an advanced class.”

“Live? You’re seriously going to announce the existence of an alternate reality to the world?” Scott was not sure what to even think about that! He did like the idea that he would be the first to get an elite class, however. Maybe that would count for something, finally.

Jameson laughed loudly then shook his head. “Yes, the world is entirely ready for such a revelation... Actually, we intend to market Alterra as a virtual reality based massively multiplayer online game.”

“How would you manage that?”

The recruiter called up another message screen then fiddled with it for a moment before turning it around to face Scott. “We’re going to reveal our hot new virtual reality technology. The helmet that you see on the screen will act as a neurological pseudo-link. This early iteration will allow people to experience virtual reality while sitting at home. They will still be semi-conscious of the supposed real world around them while they play in Alterra.”

“I see... I think.”

The image on the screen shifted to a more dynamic looking device. “Two years later we intend to market a specialized augmented reality cradle. This innovation will allow people to completely shut out the real world and experience Alterra with the same depth that you do now. Though, they will still be a different existence than their character.”

“Why not just start with that?”

“Realism and acceptance; the next step after the AGR cradle is to admit that the world of Alterra was real all along. People will be allowed to venture there in the same way that you do. At that point people will be so used to existing in Alterra that they will slowly accept the truth, hopefully. If not, we’ll just grant that level of access to those who do.”

“Given the size of the world and the leveling speed, you could take decades to get to that point and they still would not have seen everything.”

Jameson smiled. “That’s the plan. Consider this world. How many people in their late eighties can say that they have seen everything that Earth has to offer?”

“None of them, I guess.”

“Exactly.”

“You seem like you are planning to set up some sort of step-by-step immigration policy? Was that the real point of all of this?” asked Scott.

Jameson took a deep breath then shut down all of the open windows. “Humanity needs to spread out and grow. This planet is largely tamed. In large sections of Earth, people live their lives in a mental fog. One day inevitably leads into the next. Alterra will revitalize the spirit of the people of Earth.”

“What about the Alterrans? This revitalizes the people here, but what about them?”

“The Alterrans get to have a world where limitations only exist as obstacles to overcome. Injuries can be cured with the wave of a hand, and even the rule of death can be broken by resurrection and reincarnation. Their personalities and pasts were altered on occasion, but every single soul on that planet agreed to that beforehand.”

“They did?” Scott found that hard to believe.

“Certainly, most of those souls were lost and abandoned in their old lives. Some were aborted infants, some were suicides, others were wicked or disturbed beings cast down into whatever passed for hell in their original worlds. They had no prospects, no hope.

Remember that when you look at the people you care about there. No matter what the World Masters did or might do to change the timeline, those souls are far better off than they would have been if they had not agreed to go to Alterra.”

Scott lowered his eyes then bit his lip. It seemed that Alterra was a place where everyone had a second chance to live a different life.

One thing still bothered him. He considered the bracer that he had worn for weeks. He thought about the skill book that he had purchased from the Alterra auction. He spent a brief moment considering his physical appearance. “Am I living in a simulation right now?”

“What do you mean?” asked Jameson.

The brooding man frowned at the recruiter. “I think I asked about this once before and I was given an answer but the answer that I was given escapes me at the moment. Some of my memories don’t feel quite right. I accept that I look like this because of the transfer protocol and the reality of the situation. What I want to know is the reason why I can bring items here from Alterra. What are the limits?”

“Ah, that. In order to understand that, you will need to understand a simple truth. You are no longer the same person who you once were.”

“What do you mean?” Scott leveled a dangerous looking stare at the man. What had these people done to him?

Jameson smiled pleasantly. “You, and all Beta testers, are a new existence. You are people who have been upgraded. Your reality and this reality are separate things.”

“Can you please stop dragging this out?” asked Scott.

“Yes, of course. Your nature allows you to exist in two worlds. Despite what you might have seen in science fiction or fantasy stories, a creature cannot be two things. You cannot simply be Scott Hunter, the Earthling, and Scott Hunter the master of monster girls. You are both.”

Scott sighed. Was this man being deliberately slow in explaining this? He was beginning to wonder if this company was one giant troll operation.

“I can see that my answers are frustrating you. I will be more specific. You are essentially a god-like existence. Your true powers are allowed in full when you are on Alterra. However, you are under the effect of an extremely restrictive curse while on Earth.”

“I’m cursed?”

“Yes, the curse does nothing more than restrict your powers and cause other people in this world to see you in your original form. Even so, it is not perfect. You can buy things from Alterra, like from the auction. You can bring things here. In time you might even be able to bring people. However, your innate abilities will have to overcome the status afflictions and power restrictions.”

The man considered that for a moment. It was ridiculous, but at the same time it made sense. If you accepted the premise that he could live in a world that operated like a videogame fantasy world, this explanation became much easier to accept.

“Wait, people see me as my original form?”

Jameson nodded. “Of course, how else would people who chose bizarre appearances continue to exist in this reality? Have you heard of any lizard people or werewolves running around?”

“Well, no...”

“Precisely, you are granted the illusion of appearing no different than you did before. Your powers are as some might term it, nerfed. At some point you will overpower the curse and some of your abilities will exist here. That is fine, don’t make a scene and there will be no issues.”

The tamer tilted his head to the side and stared at the man. “Define scene?”

“If you use your abilities to defend yourself, or better your life without public notice, it can be overlooked. However, if your actions can be linked back to this project in any way, we will ban you from Alterra and forcefully return you to your original status.”

“I see. That seems fair. What about items, though? I would imagine people have tried to sell healing potions from Alterra, in this world.”

“It has occurred. Those people were dealt with accordingly.”

“Hmm, wait... if I can use my abilities here, then wouldn’t that mean I can train here?”

The recruiter smiled. “There is nothing wrong with doing that as long as it does not make a scene. In fact, some of the more successful Beta Testers train their basic skills here. There is much less chance of being attacked in the wilderness and they can learn their skills quite quickly.”

Scott had a sudden insight into his plans for the future. He needed to train his skills, but the curse blocked his abilities at the moment. When he was strong enough, however, things would be different. “Jameson, what about after Alterra is revealed to be real. Will the restriction against making a scene still be in place?”

The man grinned at him in a feral way. “Once that day comes, expect this world to become a very different place. The cat will be out of the bag, so to speak. It will become more dangerous and more innovative at the same time.”

“Interesting, very interesting.” said Scott. The future held a lot of promises.