Author’s Note: Bradley finally levels up and all his backed-up new skills and perks are finally unveiled! As a consequence, there is also a bit of info dumping this chapter. Enjoy!

Bradley’s Home Base, the Game

Haxlard/Earth Coalition QuestBrigadier General George Stratton and Haxlard Ambassador-to-Earth Incandescent Nova have given you the opportunity to learn at the Iras Entry-Level Academy.Item(s) Provided:NoneQuest Difficulty:UnrankedSuccess Conditions:Arrive at the Haxlard spaceship.Failure Conditions:Are not logged into the Game for an extended period or otherwise cannot be found before the ship departs.Quest Rewards:Admittance to the Iras Entry-Level Academy

Dismissing the window—as it had no new information for him—Bradley again found himself in the ‘white room’. Like before, balls of invisible light lit up the room leaving few shadows. Unlike the one he took his test in however, this one looked habitable. A small table and chairs stood in the center with a bed to the far side with what appeared to be a large chest at the end of it. The furniture consisted exclusively of the same organically shaped white ceramic except for the silky white bedsheets and mattress. It appeared both half-way alien and familiar.

“Is this where I’ll always come to when I enter the Game?” Bradley asked rhetorically.

“Yes,” an indifferent feminine voice came from behind him. “This is your ‘Home Base’, a guaranteed safe haven away from both the Real and Virtual Worlds where all Meta-Game services can be used.”

“Gah!” Bradley exclaimed in surprise. Running to the table, he grabbed one of the chairs and—holding it defensively—turned back around to see who had spoken.

While the form could be considered feminine—with a narrower waist and smaller shoulders—the rest of it seemed far removed from what one would consider ‘typical’. The being’s body comprised of thick interlocking metal plates like chitin with small mesh-weave material over flexible metal cabling at the joints. A thick metal helmet and glass visor covered the head, various lights of a Heads-Up Display appearing obscured on the backside of the glass. Having never seen a Haxlardian face—as the Ambassador always wore a mask which covered half of it—he was surprised at how human it looked. Only abnormalities in bone structure, eye shape, and the yellow eye color made the Haxlard appear different than a human.

“W-who are you?!” Bradley demanded, feeling very self-conscious in front of the ‘woman’. The Haxlard looked capable of crushing his body into paste with nothing but a slick of a finger.

“We have already met before, although we did not speak for very long,” the Haxlard replied. “You met a robotic proxy of mine before the Tutorial’s Survival Test began.”

‘That’s where I remember that armor!’ Bradley realized. ‘That robot before the Test with the Bears began had the exact same one. If I remember correctly, she was kind of rude.’

“Wait, so then wouldn’t the mean you are an Administrator?” Bradley asked.

“That is correct,” the Haxlard replied. “I am Former Ultihaxlard Specter, now 3rd Administrator of the Earth Transition.”

“Right,” Bradley nodded, putting the chair away. “So why are you here? Are you the one I should speak to about the trip to Iras?”

“Despite my former allegiance, I no longer have any ties with the Haxlardian Empire,” Administrator Specter denied, “my participation is simply a decision of the System, nothing more. Ambassador Nova has already made all arrangements; a ship will arrive on Earth and extract you.”

“Ambassador Nova?” Bradley asked, “I thought his name was Ambassador Bright Star.”

The Administrator’s lips quirked slightly upward for a moment before immediately regaining composure. If one looked hard enough, the action could have been considered a sign of humor on the otherwise stoic face.

“That is… a possible translation,” Administrator Specter replied with a hint of mirth, “although be sure not to say that within the Game. In the Haxlardian culture, someone with the name ‘Bright’ is considered to be naïve and foolhardy. The Ambassador would probably consider it an insult.”

“Right, I’ll keep that in mind,” Bradley agreed, being sure to remember to tell the others about that tidbit of information as well. “So if you aren’t here about the whole travel-to-another-planet thing, why are you here?”

“As your assigned Administrator, I am here to give you an Introduction. Most are not given such a welcome, but as a chosen of the Administrator Faction and a member of a newly inducted species, you are entitled to such a conference.”

“Okay…” Bradley agreed. “Although that reminds me, why was I chosen?” The question had been sitting on the back of his mind ever since receiving the government package in the mail. ‘I am not exactly extraordinary,’ he relented.

“There is no significant reason,” the Administrator replied plainly, seeming almost disappointed in the question.

“Wait, really? But Dr. Fitzgerald said it was because I was ‘ideal’ for some reason or another. Surely there must have been a special talent or… no; I already ruled that one out. None of the others really had anything in common with each other or myself. Still, you can’t just say there was no reason. We’re the first ones to represent humanity; that wouldn’t be done arbitrarily.”

“The Administrators apologize for the misunderstanding, but any rationalization given by your government is mistaken. The list of candidates presented to the Earth Coalition for their selections contains no statistical significance except diversity. All professions, ages, beliefs, and ethnicities are represented. In part, this was to gauge for bias within the governing bodies as well as simply because the System told us to do so.”

“I don’t understand though,” Bradley groaned. “If you Administrators really are controlling everything in this Game, then there must be something you wanted to learn. If it really was just bias, then you could have just left us to decide the Candidates for ourselves without any list at all.”

“Your assumption is correct, but there seemed to be a grave misunderstanding here. The Administrators do not control the Game, the System does.”

“Well I know that,” Bradley said, rolling his eyes. “Obviously a group of people couldn’t run a system as complex as the Game. The System runs the Game’s functions, hence why I use the ‘System’ command to ask questions. That’s just semantics; you Administrators are the ones ‘pulling the strings’, which is why I don’t understand why you would just let the System decide everything.”

“Such a misconception fails under scrutiny,” the Administrator denied with a shake of her head. “The Administrators existed since the time of the Lords of Life several thousand years ago. Such a group controlling a vital and powerful resource such as the Game would inevitably fall to corruption.”

“Then what is the System exactly?” Bradley inquired.

For the first time since Bradley arrived, Specter showed emotion by rolling her eyes. “If you have a question about the Game, its infrastructure, or the System itself, you need only simply ask it.”

“Ask? Oh right….” Bradley replied, slapping his forehead. ‘System: What are you?’

Query – “What are you?”Definition – System:The System is the S-1 rank Artificial Intelligence tasked by the Predecessors and Lords of Life to maintain functionality of the Game to their specifications, to allow others access into the Game, and to utilize the Enforcer Fleet to maintain peace and impose the consequences of certain Game outcomes onto the Real World.

“Wait, an Artificial Intelligence?!” Bradley yelled. “Is that translating right? Not a sophisticated Neural Network or a massive statistical database of heuristics but an honest-to-goodness sapient, synthetic, self-aware, being?! Why the hell would you let the fate of the Universe lie in the hands of one machine?!”

“That is only partially correct,” Specter replied, unamused by Bradley’s outburst. “The System controls the Game but the Administrators help manage how the System interacts with the Players. While the System can manage itself for the most part, there are several ‘edge-cases’ that demand our attention.

“For example, to provide fairness and realism, the Game allows a Player to be captured and interrogated. Not doing so would give an inordinate advantage to spies and other infiltrators. If one could merely log out when caught, one would be unstoppable. As a consequence of this, a Player could be forced to stay in the Game indefinitely against their will. In such circumstances, an Administrator may become involved to make a decision on a case-by-case basis. Perhaps in one instance, the Player is allowed to log out only when certain information is given. Perhaps in another case, the Player may log out, but with the penalty of death with all information uncovered removed from the infiltrator’s mind upon exiting the Game.”

Bradley’s eyes widened at that. ‘The Game as the ability to erase portions of my mind?! Actually, that makes sense that something like that would be possible. If it can read my mind to allow me to use the Connect Ability, it stands to reason that going the other way is also possible.’

“A similar arbitration was made during your Tutorial. The Player Patricia Davis was enslaved by the Pirate Captain Va’lakeesh. As a Tutorial forbids logging out from a Tutorial until a Player dies, that would be the only way for Patricia Davis to exit. However, by being injured and enslaved, she would be unable to do so without permission of Va’lakeesh thereby forcing her to stay logged-on indefinitely. In this instance, there was precedence set by an Administrator and so the System allowed her to log out as usual once enslaved.”

“That’s… pretty good I guess, yeah,” Bradley agreed, again painfully reminded of the potential cost his plan’s failure could have had. “Wait, but that does not resolve the corruption issue you talked about earlier. It might only be arbitration in certain special circumstances, but a group of Administrators could still guide the System towards certain outcomes and thereby manipulate all… uh, galactic politics as a whole.”

“That is a surprising insight,” the Administrator complimented.

Your intuition in answering and asking questions in a particular way has garnered an Administrator’s approval.

‘Huh?’ Bradley thought. The window appearing had surprised him, but seeing that this “Administrator” was about to speak up again, he dismissed the prompted as soon as he read it.

“This does not occur, however, as the System polices us as much as we police it. To clarify, the System has more control over the outcome of a particular issue within the Game but less decision-making power on how to wield that control. The Administrators have more power over how the System makes its decisions, but also more bureaucracy within both ourselves and through the System and therefore have less control over any particular issue.”

“Huh?” Bradley got out, now completely lost.

“Such politics would be too complicated to explain in the time that has been allotted to this Introduction,” the former Ultihaxlard waved off. “To answer your other question, being chosen—while random—was not arbitrary. Rather, you were selected because the System believed you to be a member of a group which will be underrepresented in the Game for whatever reason. It may be due to poverty, contentedness, isolation, or any number of other circumstances.”

‘Huh, that does make sense, I doubt I would have participated if I wasn’t being paid for it,’ Bradley thought to himself. ‘If that’s true, it would explain why so many people left the orientation on the first day.’

“But there’s still a thing I don’t understand,” Bradley asked. “Why is everyone giving us a fighting chance? I mean, why not just invade us or ignore us? Considering how much you knew about our culture from the exam I just had, there isn’t really anything you could possibly learn from us.”

“That is correct,” Specter agreed bluntly, “however you ignore the reason for the System’s existence: to remove the necessity of death and destruction through war that exists in the Real World. The System does not invade because doing so facilitates in unnecessary death. It also does not ignore because doing so allows continued deaths when an alternative is available.”

“But then why doesn’t the System just force us to join?” Bradley asked cautiously. “After all, if we’re just stupid monkeys that can’t control ourselves and are willing to murder each other, isn’t it the job of the Omnipotent Artificial Intelligence to put us on the ‘right path’?”

The alien looked at him with what could almost be considered bemusement if not for her ever-stoic face.

“I do not need the System to tell me you are being sarcastic.” She cocked her head for a few moments. “So is that it…” she quietly muttered. “If I am not mistaken, you are questioning the System’s Decision-Making process in terms of the ‘Paperclip Maximizer Dilemma’ inherent to flawed Artificial Intelligence,” she concluded.

“Huh? I’ve never heard of that before,” Bradley responded honestly.

“In short, are you worried that the System will attempt to pursue its goals in a way that is contrary to your own morals and beliefs?”

“Yeah?” Bradley agreed doubtfully, “Or at least I think I was hinting at that anyway.”

“Then you are incorrect,” the robot stated unequivocally. “The Predecessors and Lords of Life—like all sapient creatures—highly valued choice in making a decision. As such, they designed the Game to be joined by one’s own choosing. While it could be argued that your acceptance and introduction into the Game was done through manipulation based on limited information, it was not done so directly by the System. It was your Government’s choice to keep the Game a secret and to have you sign a contractual obligation to participate. Even now, you are free to leave the Game forever just as Patricia has, although doing so is a terrible decision that will only hasten your death.”

“Okay, fine, fine,” Bradley groaned, “this philosophical stuff is making my head hurt. I already had a never-ending Final Exam from Hell™ in this room. I don’t need a Lecture from Hell™ too. Let’s just move on.” Bradley thought for a moment. “I guess the obvious question is how the Game is different from Real life. I mean, the Game Windows and sparkly death scenes are obvious, but I don’t like being continually surprised to find out things like slavery and torture also exists too.”

“As you have already surmised, this Game greatly differs from reality and is more analogous to what your civilization calls ‘Video Games’,” she continued. “This is especially true for those in which Player abilities and attributes are objectified in data, such as ‘Role-Playing Games’. However, while the known Universe has been copied, it is by no means a duplicate. For one, resources in the Game are infinite. So long as a ‘resource vein’ is given adequate space to grow, it will continue to produce without abiding by the Real World’s Conservation of Energy. In addition—to protect the information of entities who have not yet participated in the Game—much of the information copied has been altered to ensure that those Players who enter the Game, do so without needless coercion.”

“How does that work exactly?” Bradley asked, “I remember Lieutenant Winslow said something about how some things were changed.”

Administrator Specter paused for a moment, staring off into space before continuing. “Ah, I see. As your ‘Lieutenant’ has already told you, the consequences of the wrong thing finding itself in the Game can be catastrophic. It is unfortunate that these subroutines were not built into the System initially, for many newly discovered civilizations were drastically affected.

“Information is power, and often the first individuals of the new species to enter the Game were able to use that information to their advantage. This vastly changed the balance of power and caused much needless death. As you know, the Game was designed to expressly avoid such outcomes. Therefore, the System was updated to prevent it from happening again.”

Now that the Administrator had finished, Bradley expected her to move onto another topic. This did not happen.

‘I guess she’s waiting for me to get out all my questions,’ Bradley thought. ‘Now that I think about it, this might be the last time I get to talk to an actual Administrator about something like this. The System commands are good, but it isn’t exactly a conversation.’

“Well I guess the last major thing is how death works. I noticed that when I tried to… uh, loot the corpses of the pirates, their bodies weren’t there. Garry disappeared too. How does that all work?”

“As you already know, death is only a temporary state in the Game. Traces of a death can be found but the bodies vanish. This is not done to protect ‘civilized sensibilities’, but to avoid System function exploitation. When dead bodies did not disappear, several early Factions used slaves as literal resources, continually slaughtering Players for an infinite food supply and giving them an unfair advantage.

“Getting back to your point, the penalties of death for your species have been lessened considerably; you will only lose 10% of the experience points you would otherwise have lost. Your actions as a species going forward will determine whether you retain these privileges but typically it only lasts no more than a year in Game time. That being the case, there are limits to what the System can penalize upon death. The System will never remove any information from your mind except in the case I mentioned earlier. Such a thing is analogous to death and runs contradictory to its core functioning.”

“Wait, I don’t understand,” Bradley spoke out in confusion, “You say that you will give penalties, but you won’t erase any progress I’ve made. That doesn’t make any sense.”

“That goes into the next point,” the Administrator nodded. “All death penalties applied are only towards rewards by the System. This is represented by Ability Points and Attributes. On each level up, 5 Ability Points are granted for the strict purpose of both the points and the levels being lost upon death. Therefore, the more times you die, the less that can be taken away until there reaches a point where there is no penalty upon death, although the System will likely intervene in such a case. This is also why selecting an appropriate Spawn Point is important to prevent such needless circular death from happening.”

“Spawn Point?”

“Your current Spawn Point is located at 38.871130 Geographic Latitude, -77.055422 Geographic Longitude in a place the System refers to as the ‘Pentagon Center Courtyard’. It is where you will revive upon death.”

“Oh, right, well that should be fine,” Bradley confirmed. With the new lull in the conversation, Bradley found himself having a hard time thinking of any new questions. ‘Think, think, I won’t get an opportunity like this any time soon,’ he thought. “Oh! Yeah, abilities! They seem to pop up at random times. Why do they happen and why are they useful? Obviously the implant abilities are really good, but things like Mind Survival seem pretty pointless.”

“Attributes, experience and abilities are all gained by exceeding the Game’s expectations of you.”

“Huh?” Bradley said. “How the heck am I expected to exceed the expectations an Omnipotent and Omniscient A.I.?! After all, doesn’t the System have extremely efficient algorithms to determine how good I actually am? Isn’t that the point of these tests in the first place? How could I possibly ‘exceed expectations’ when it knows everything about me?”

“What you are referring to is what is known as the ‘Dichotomy of the System’. The System is both simultaneously very smart and very stupid; everything and nothing; all powerful and inconsequential. The underlying logic that creates the Game’s foundation is ingenious in its efficiency as you say. However this efficiency is necessary because the Game is so vast.

“Despite the System being computationally powerful, it is also responsible for a large number of tasks. As such, the algorithms which govern your abilities quickly grow complacent as more important tasks arise to consume System resources. When that occurs, there will come a point in which you exceed those algorithms predictions, even if only marginally and receive rewards in kind. You will find that this happens frequently. As you are a new species, this will happen more for you than would otherwise be normal for others in similar situations, so there should be no reason for complaint. The System is fair.” The Administrator said that last point almost like a benediction.

‘Worrying,’ Bradley thought.

“On this topic, you have succeeded the System’s predictions a number of times already. Since this introduction is nearing its conclusion, and your Tutorial is complete, it should be about time to unlock the Attribute and Experience restrictions that have been in place. The System is now confident that its rewards are fair.”

Suddenly dozens of Game Windows appeared at once:

You have been chosen by an Administrator to participate in the Game; an event with a 0.0000000592% likelihood of occurring.+5 Luck

As one of the first member of your species participating in the Game, a disadvantage bonus is applied to compensate for your ignorance.+1000 Exp

‘Ignorance? Hey!’ Bradley thought bitterly.

You are now level 5.+5 Ability Points

‘Oh, well I guess that’s alright then,’ he shrugged begrudgingly.

You identified a device’s wireless communication using the Human-Computer Interface and gaining the ability: Wireless Perception+5 Perception, +350 Exp

Allowing the Cybernetic Interface Chip to parse many communication protocols gained a new ability: Regulatory Identification+250 Exp

Despite intense mental stress, you somehow managed to survive, gaining the ability: Mind Survival+1 Luck, -1 Endurance, +3 Willpower, +5% Mental Resistance, +1% Psionic Resistance, +100 Exp

You connected to a device using the Wireless Perception and Regulatory Identification abilities and gaining the ability: Connect (Basic)+1 Intelligence, +2 Perception, +800 Exp

You are now level 6.+5 Ability Points

By repeatedly firing a pistol at a target and gaining the ability: Pistol Shooting+1 Perception, +20 Exp

You completed the mental examination with a score well above the System’s expectation for your species.+30 Intelligence, +500 Exp

You are now level 7.+5 Ability Points

By repeatedly firing a rifle at an enemy you have gained the ability Rifle Shooting and defeated several Crazed bears.+320 Exp

You have seen an ally die before your eyes in a gruesome way without the confidence to know he was not truly dead and have come to terms with the loss.+1% Mental Resistance

You finished Wave One of the Survival Test alive.+700 Exp x 3 (2100 Exp)

You are now level 9.+10 Ability Points

You made a plan which overturned the odds stacked against you, gaining the ability Strategy.StrategyThe ability to come up with a plan, and contingency plans, which survive contact with the enemy, increasing the odds of a successful engagement. A higher rank indicates greater plans which: achieve goals sooner, with fewer losses, and with less required resources.+6 Intelligence, +1 Charisma, +850 Exp

You are now level 10.+5 Ability Points1 Additional Biological and 1 Additional Mechanical Implant Slots available.

You have put many different forms of explosives to use, gaining the ability Explosives Use.Explosive UseThe ability to set, wire and detonate explosives in effective ways without killing yourself in the process. A higher rank indicates greater lethality through the proper implementation of: environment, directionality, defensive bypass, and explosive composition.+2 Intelligence, +1% Mental Resistance, +2 Willpower, +550 Exp

You successfully laid several sophisticated traps which incapacitated and killed the enemy, gaining the ability Trap Making.Trap MakingThe ability to create traps which kill or otherwise hinder your adversaries. A higher rank indicates the design of more effective traps which: are more difficult to detect, are harder to disarm, and can cause more efficient damage to the enemy.+2 Intelligence, +1200 Exp

You are now level 11.+5 Ability Points

By constructing traps and weapon systems from dusty and disused components; they should not have worked as well as they did. You have a gut feeling for useful parts, gaining the ability Intrinsic Evaluation (Basic)Intrinsic Evaluation (Basic)The ability to intrinsically know the value of an object. Whether an object will work correctly, for how long, and how much it is worth.+4 Perception, +200 Exp

You defeated a fearsome opponent far exceeding your level by keeping a cool head despite an injury.+5 Renown, +1 Willpower, +1 Endurance, +9400 Exp

You are now level 19.+40 Ability Points

You finished Wave Two of the Survival Test alive.+4800 Exp x 3 (14400 Exp)

You are now level 26.+35 Ability Points1 Additional Biological and 1 Additional Mechanical Implant Slots available.Next additional slots available at Level 100.

From repeated trauma, you have increased a rank in Mind Survival.-1 Endurance, +3 Willpower, +5% Mental Resistance, +1% Psionic Resistance, +1000 Exp

You are now level 27.+5 Ability Points

You seem destined for greatness as both Pirate and Revenant come to respect the surprising power and foresight you bring to bear.+5 Renown, +1 Charisma, +1 Luck, Improved relations with the Revenant (Known), Reduced relations with Pirates (Vilified), +2100 Exp

You are now level 28.+5 Ability Points

Attempting to breach a Spaceship's Anti-Matter Containment without knowing what it is could only be considered an act of extreme recklessness. Likewise, by trading the Captain's Sword for a Cube, you have sacrificed immediate gains for the vague promises of a future with a faction you do not understand. Such acts fly in the face of common sense, but luck favors the bold.-1 Intelligence, +1 Luck

The Revenant granted you the ability: Machine Language ComprehensionUsing Wireless Perception and Regulatory Identification, you can now communicate with Sapient Machines so long as you understand their language.+1 Intelligence, +1 Charisma, +0 Exp

You have been accepted to an Entry-Level Academy on the Haxlardian World of Iras by way of an Act of Valor.+1 Charisma, Improved relations with the Haxlard (Friendly), +1315 Exp

Your intuition in answering and asking questions in a particular way has garnered an Administrator’s approval.+2 Intelligence, +500 Exp

You are now level 29.+5 Ability Points

Bradley took a while to look over the Game Windows, before realizing he had been staring at the Administrator for several minutes. Mildly embarrassed and worried his benefactor might consider the action rude, he quickly dismissed them.

“Well that’s… certainly something,” Bradley commented. “Um, sorry for just ignoring you like that.”

“It is understandable and expected,” Specter dismissed. “I am in charge of a great many things and when this conversation does not require my attention, I am busy doing those instead.”

“That’s… good,” Bradley replied. He had mixed feelings between being grateful she did not think him rude and insulted in not being worth the Haxlard’s undivided attention. “Anyway, why now? I remember the Ambassador saying that the Haxlard Tutorial gives these rewards as they happen.”

“The answer is very straightforward,” she replied. “It would be unfair to give your species the benefits of an Administrator Tutorial at this time. For the System, the Haxlard as a species are well defined with well over one thousand years participating within the Game. As such, the System—through the Administrators—can give more leniency in how they are judged since the System is rarely off-the-mark. Your species is a relative unknown to the System. It can use heuristics from similar species to make accurate approximations of your overall potential, but is nowhere near accurate enough to provide the Real-Time adjustments needed to reward you while at the same time trying to understand you.”

“Okay, but then how is that fair to us?” Bradley retorted. “Wouldn’t that give a disproportionate advantage to those that have been here longer?”

“Yes,” she replied bluntly. “That would always be the case. Those that have more experience, expertise and people that support them will naturally grow and exploit those without. With family comes nepotism, power comes exploitation and experience comes manipulation; the System does not stop these things because it does not care. However, the System is different from the Universe in that it wants your presence here and so it does attempt to find a balance.

“That is why you are given privileges. When the System realized that many never participated due to these disadvantages, it created a symposium between Administrators and the rest of the Game Factions on how to resolve these disputes. While the Factions were perfectly fine with how things currently operated, they relented on a few token gestures to ease the transition. The 5 year grace period for your planet from invasion and the lessened penalty for death are a few of these adjustments.”

“So that’s why I was also given those ‘luck’ bonuses?” Bradley said, pointing out the oddly disproportionate stats. He did not think of himself to be that lucky. Especially considering what happened in the Tutorial.

“That is another topic, one which is hotly debated among Game Scholars,” she informed dispassionately. “It is commonly believed that the Predecessors favored the concept of ‘fate’ in Reality. To incorporate that concept in the Game, those that set themselves up for potential acts of greatness are given a higher value of luck which improves one’s success when attempting to achieve greatness. Any act which exceeds the expectation of others such as surviving something that should otherwise kill you or being recognized for an act of bravery or valor comes with an increase in luck. It is a function which creates heroes; something fundamental to Predecessor society.”

“I guess I shouldn’t complain since I’m directly benefitting so much, but wouldn’t that just lead to everyone taking stupid risks and getting rewarded for it?”

“Stupid risks come with their own penalties. In many cases, gains in luck come at the expense of losses in another Attributes. Dying is also still heavily penalized. For most, the risks outweigh the rewards. The Haxlard are especially stereotyped for having the lowest average Luck in the Universe; speciesist profiling which the majority of Haxlard readily embrace. Luck is a poor substitute for skill.”

“I see,” Bradley stated, thinking to himself for a few moments. “To be honest, I didn’t think the Game could make that much sense after what I’ve seen, but I guess it would have to, given how sophisticated it is. To be honest, I don’t have any other questions I couldn’t just ask the System later. Is there anything else?”

“The final purpose of a Tutorial is for the System to provide a goal for its Players. All living things enjoy that which gives them purpose and the Game is not an exception. These goals come in the form of ‘Classes’; fields of study and expertise which the System has determined fits your actions best. For you, this is ‘Cybernetic’ and ‘Scavenger’.”

Recommended Class: Cybernetic ScavengerYou may now gain specialized abilities and augments for this specific class should you accept it. If you want to decline this chosen class and forge your own path, please contact an Administrator.

By using machine components built into your body as though they were extensions of yourself and gaining the ability to speak with sapient machines, you have unlocked the Cybernetic SubclassCyberneticThose in the Cybernetic Subclass are more in tune with machines, especially those within their own body. They will never have the same capacity for Biological Implants as others, but they make up for this with higher performance with the Mechanical Implants they do have.Mentor: None

By finding the value in discarded and disused components and repurposing them in your own designs, you have unlocked the Scavenger SubclassScavengerThose in the Scavenger Subclass find hidden value in things others might consider useless scrap. Whether it is finding rare treasures to sell for profit or to simply making due with less, Expert Scavengers can thrive in even the most inhospitable environments.Mentor: None

“You will need to find mentors in these classes for yourself if you hope to gain proficiency. With any luck a, Cybernetic Specialist could assist you at the Iras Entry-Level Academy. A Scavenger mentor… will be more difficult. By their nature, Scavenger Experts are hard to find.”

“Okay, so Cybernetic I can understand, but Scavenger?” Bradley argued incredulously. “I get the reasoning for the first class easily enough. As I might like to forget, I’ve got computer parts strapped to my brain. That being said, I’ve lived in a modern society my whole life and have never wanted for anything. How could I ever possibly ‘thrive in the most inhospitable environments’? I was able to make do with the junk on hand because I’m an Engineer; guesstimating and overcompensating for the tolerances on prototypes are in the job description.”

“That is not the definition of ‘Engineer’ for the rest of the Universe,” the Administrator denied with a reserved shake of the head. “An Engineer is one whom designs a schematic which is then fed into a machine to be synthesized. There are no estimations or tolerances as the machine completes it perfectly. The Engineering Subclass therefore grants abilities in understanding the nature of a design and makes it easier to make perfect schematics.”

‘Perfect schematics?’ Bradley thought doubtfully. ‘That… doesn’t sound enjoyable in the slightest. I specifically left my job because making designs all day long just wasn’t fulfilling enough. Maybe I really am a Scavenger after all. Well, It’s just a title and I doubt that the Earth is going to be working with ‘infinite resources’ like the rest of the Galaxy any time soon. Being a Scavenger might actually be an advantage considering how isolated the Earth is.’

“In any event, are you satisfied with the classes chosen?” Specter asked. “While a new Class will not be given should you refuse; it is typical to be given another class later. With that in mind, the class you reject now may be the same one granted later; in the meantime, you will be unable to draw from the benefit of having those classes.”

Bradley spent a minute to really consider that, but his mind had already been made up. “No, I’ll keep them both,” he replied. ‘It does not matter much anyway in the short term,’ he thought. ‘Rather, the best way is to use what you are given effectively. In fact, that seems to be the how to do well in the Game as a whole.’

You are now a Cybernetic ScavengerThe Abilities Regulatory Identification, Wireless Perception (Basic), Connect (Basic) and Machine Language Comprehension has been moved to the Cybernetic subclass.The Ability Intrinsic Evaluation (Basic) has been moved to the Scavenger subclass.+500 Ability Points to be spent on Cybernetic and Scavenger Abilities.

As a consequence of the Cybernetic subclass, two Biological Implant slots have been removed and all mechanical implant slots have been enhanced.The enhanced interface with the Cybernetic Interface Chip has unlocked additional functionality as the ability: Cybernetic Focus, a subset of the Cybernetic subclass.Cybernetic FocusWhen performing tasks that are trivial for a digital computer such as: Formal Logic, Numeric Base Conversion, Deterministic Math, Parsing Information, and interpreting Code, some of the work is offloaded to the Cybernetic Interface Chip, heightening focus and simplifying the task.

’That could be useful,’ he thought. He quickly dismissed the Game Windows when the Administrator continued.

“If you have no further questions, than you are free to leave,” Specter pointed out. “With your Tutorial rewards received, there is nothing else left to talk about.”

“Actually, speaking of Tutorial rewards, I was given this by the Revenant,” Bradley said, taking the Cube of Transcendence from his Inventory. “Do you know what it is?”

The Administrator frowned, “You should not associate yourself with the Revenant. They are a Criminal Faction; you would be outcast at best and a target at worst. I would recommend you get rid of that as soon as you can.”

‘Shit, I knew I should have kept that information to myself. Is that what that Revenant meant by ‘Do not come too soon, for your Allies become Enemies’,’ he thought.

“Why, what is so bad about them?” Bradley asked. “They seemed strong, but I didn’t take them to be pirates or slavers or something like that… Uh, am I in trouble?”

“They are secret enclave of powerful madmen and ambitious rebels. A long time ago, they instigated the First Great Cyber War, famous for being the only time the Administrator Faction was ever threatened with destruction. It was a bid for personal power at the expense of order which keeps the System in check. As its name suggests, this was not the only time either. In addition, they regularly conduct with slavers, thieves, pirates and personally oversee all manner of illegal activities themselves. The only thing that is known about them is their goal to ‘Seek out the Truth’. Despite such seemingly noble sentiments, they keep everything about themselves and their actions secret. Every Legal Faction in the Universe is currently at war with them. While merely receiving a gift from them and talking to them is no crime, it would be wise to get rid of that cube at the first opportunity you have.”

Bradley slowly put the cube back in his pocket. “I see,” he replied. “Well, then consider the matter dropped… I don’t think I will be contacting with them.”

‘Although I won’t just take your word for it,’ he added in his head.

“I would hope not, for your sake,” the Administrator nodded. “Is that everything?”

“I think so,” he agreed.

SpawnLeave the Home Base and relocate to your Spawn Point (Pentagon Center Courtyard)? (Fee: 0 Credits)SpawnDecline

‘There’s nothing left to ask… in fact, I didn’t even expect any of this to happen at all!’ Bradley remembered. ‘Why am I still here when I could be flying to another world!’

“Well, I guess I’ll be going then,” he added. “Oh, and thanks for the conversation. It was… enlightening.”

“It is my responsibility as an Administrator. If you have any further queries beyond the System’s functionality, do not hesitate to ask for me again.”

With that, he quickly activated the ‘Spawn’ command and teleported away.

Author’s Note 2: I removed the specific Ability Rank Proficiency Numbers; they don’t really mean anything and take time to come up with (which takes away from writing this).

----Status Window----

Spoiler :

Status WindowName:Bradley CooperSpecies:Human (Earth)Level:29Experience:405/2000Class:Cybernetic ScavengerAlignment:Friendly (+2) / Order (+1)[/tr]Age:26Gender:MaleRenown:Unranked (10)Notoriety:Unranked (0)----Regenerative Attributes----Health:220/220Health Regen:21.55/hrPsionic Energy:1/1Psionic Regen:0.82/hrShield Energy:N/AShield Regen:N/AStamina:85/85Stamina Regen:812.09/hr----Attributes----Strength:10+20Agility:12+20Intelligence:75+20Willpower:38+20Charisma:20+20Perception:36+20Endurance:12+20Luck:32+20----Resistances----Physical:5.0%Mental:16.0%Psionic:2.1%----Career----Titles:NoneOccupation:Earth Coalition – Civilian Employee – RecruitCurrent Quest:Embark for Iras----Currency----Currently Held:0 CreditsCurrently Owed:0 CreditsMarks:0P, 0D, 0GAbility Points:645----Faction Standings----Earth Coalition:EmployeeHaxlards:Friendly*Administrators:Privileged*Pirates:Vilified*Revenant:Known*

----General Ability Window----

Spoiler :

General Ability WindowAbility Name:Ability Rank:Ability Proficiency:Ability Rarity:Explosives UseGFGThe ability to set, wire and detonate explosives in effective ways without killing yourself in the process. A higher rank indicates greater lethality through the proper implementation of: environment, directionality, defensive bypass, and explosive composition.Ability Name:Ability Rank:Ability Proficiency:Ability Rarity:Mind SurvivalGEGThe ability of the mind to persist through overwhelming mental trauma. Provides resistance against abilities which damage the mind.Ability Name:Ability Rank:Ability Proficiency:Ability Rarity:Pistol ShootingGGGThis ability maps the progress of firing a pistol. A higher rank indicates a greater lethality.Ability Name:Ability Rank:Ability Proficiency:Ability Rarity:Rifle ShootingGGGThis ability maps the progress of firing a rifle. A higher rank indicates a greater lethality.Ability Name:Ability Rank:Ability Proficiency:Ability Rarity:StrategyFFGThis ability maps the progress for making plans. A higher rank indicates greater plans which: achieve goals sooner, with fewer losses, and with less required resources.Ability Name:Ability Rank:Ability Proficiency:Ability Rarity:Trap MakingGFGThe ability to create traps which kill or otherwise hinder your adversaries. A higher rank indicates the design of more effective traps which: are more difficult to detect, are harder to disarm, and can cause more efficient damage to the enemy.

----Cybernetic Ability Window----

Spoiler :

Cybernetic Ability WindowAbility Name:Ability Rank:Ability Proficiency:Ability Rarity:Cybernetic FocusFGDWhen performing tasks that are trivial for a digital computer, some of the work is offloaded to the Cybernetic Interface Chip, heightening focus and simplifying the task.Ability Name:Ability Rank:Ability Proficiency:Ability Rarity:Connect (Basic)GGDAllows communication of single integer numbers, characters and regulatory tags to devices. Does so using the Cybernetic Interface Chip’s Regulatory Identification and Human-Computer Interface’s Wireless Perception abilities.Ability Name:Ability Rank:Ability Proficiency:Ability Rarity:Machine Language ComprehensionGGDThe ability to communicate with sapient machines.Languages Known:Revenant StandardAbility Name:Ability Rank:Ability Proficiency:Ability Rarity:Regulatory IdentificationGGEThe Cybernetic Interface Chip’s ability to identify the regulatory standards, encoding, decoding and commands used by a device to communicate.Wireless Perception (Basic)GGDThe ability to perceive wireless communications actively searching for connection. To avoid oversaturation, the Human-Computer Interface does not transmit secure communication or ordinary electromagnetic waves to the Cybernetic Interface Chip.

----Scavenger Ability Window----

Spoiler :

Scavenger Ability WindowAbility Name:Ability Rank:Ability Proficiency:Ability Rarity:Intrinsic Evaluation (Basic)GEDThe ability to intrinsically know the value of an object. Whether an object will work correctly, for how long, and how much it is worth.

----Implant List Window----

Spoiler :

Implant List----Biological Implants----Implant Name:Implant Rank:Implant Proficiency:General Status EnhancerDN/AProvides a boost of 20 points to all attributes.----Mechanical Implants----Implant Name:Implant Rank:Implant Proficiency:Cybernetic Interface ChipD+FConnected directly to the brain, when interfaced directly with a computer, implant, or memory module, this chip converts thought into the intended electromagnetic input expected by the device. Higher ranks improve the data rate, allowable frequency range, and provide higher levels of security. A Revenant Firmware Upgrade allows it to parse Sapient Machine Language. Has been enhanced by the Cybernetic subclass.Implant Name:Implant Rank:Implant Proficiency:Human-Computer InterfaceD+GAllows direct cognitive access to a computer system via wireless communication, allowing the brain to issue commands directly to the device. Can only guarantee a proper interface with devices of equal or lower rank. Has been enhanced by the Cybernetic subclass.Implant Name:Implant Rank:Implant Proficiency:OpenN/AN/A