CHAPTER 39: VIRTUAL SPACE

After deciding on the matter, Camilla quickly exchanged the contribution points for the virtual helmet access device.

As it was delivered to their room, the group became excited, eager to be the first to try it.

They had only heard of the virtual world from the internet, and the thought of accessing a wider world beyond Earth filled them with anticipation.

"Since Nash decided to exchange for this device, he’ll be the first to use it," Camilla decided.

"When’s it going to be our turn, Captain?"

"We’ll each have a day to access it. Tomorrow, it’ll be my turn. After that, you can decide amongst yourselves,"

Hearing this, the three quickly scrambled to be the next in line after their captain.

Meanwhile, Nash stared intently at the virtual helmet, thinking about how it worked.

"Don’t dawdle; use it already," Camilla urged with a smile.

"Hmm,"

Seeing the others still in the room, he refrained from taking out the microchip containing the Astral Void Art.

[Do you want to enter the virtual world?]

A voice echoed in his mind as he put on the helmet.

"Enter..."

As Nash’s consciousness was pulled into the virtual world, various prompts began flashing before him.

[New Soul Frequency Found, Initializing Identity Creation]

[Setting the coordinates...]

[Scanning the body...]

[Generating interface...]

[...]

[Please state your name...]

"Nash."

[Please specify the cosmic time system you wanted...]

"365 days, 24 hours, 60 minutes, 60 seconds, 9,192,631,770 atomic movements per second..." Nash specified, recalling the different time frames across civilizations.

Although the Chronos Galactic Empire had a universal time frame, Nash was still used to Earth’s system.

[Earth time frame identified, initializing time frame.]

After answering more questions and setting up his personal interface, Nash opened his eyes to find himself in a white room of infinite space.

[Welcome to your personal space!]

[Nash Navre

Age: 20

Void Saturation Rate: 9%

Origin: Earth Planet

Gene Level: 1st Generation Human

...]

"First Generation Human?"

Nash wasn’t too knowledgeable about the history of humanity, so he quickly glossed over it.

He then turned his attention to the white room and considered what to do next.

As he scrolled through the panel, he found options for customization, allowing him to decorate his blank space with furniture, training machines, and even change the scenery to mountains or seas.

Unfortunately, everything cost Nova Currency, which had a 1-to-1 exchange rate with void crystals.

To make an account, one would need to register at a galactic-level bank, such as Nova Bank on Earth.

"But how do I get out of this place?" Nash wondered, frowning.

Despite the virtual world being extremely realistic, with no noticeable discrepancies compared to reality, he was eager to see more than a projection of his own body.

After a few minutes of navigating the panel, he finally found access to the Nova Sector Virtual Server.

[Error!]

[The virtual device can’t connect to the void network. Please check your device for issues.]

"Damn!" Nash cursed, realizing the Earth Horizon Alliance had duped them.

He recalled that the Earth Horizon Alliance had planned to corner the Arleans on Earth.

Blocking access to the void network was likely part of their strategy to prevent the Arleans from calling for reinforcements.

Calming down, Nash turned his attention to his personal virtual space.

As long as he could access the Astral Void Art he looted five years ago, he would be content.

Thinking it over, Nash began exploring the virtual space’s functions, from inviting friends to simulated training, hologram guidance, pet systems, mental meters, pain receptors, etc.

Opening the runic panel, he tried to see if it could still work within the virtual world.

[Nash Navre

Saturation: 9.9024%

Runic Program: 1,276/2,322 (red)]

[Runic Module System:]

[Control Module: Muscles (650/650), Bone (206/206), Internal Organs (70/190), Heart (10/100), Brain (80/860)]

[Sensing Module: Sight (120/126), Touch (50/60), Hear (30/40), Smell (30/40), Taste (30/50)]

[Training Module: Physical Exercise, Basic Void Breathing Method]

[Autonomous module: Daily Chores, Basic Cooking, Basic Conversation, Basic Driving]

[Overloading Module: 10 Times]

[Overclocking Module: 10 Times]

[Memory Module: Daily Log, Personal information, Materials, Battle Log, Battle Responses, Void Knowledge, Academic Knowledge...]

[Combat Module: Auto Dodge, Auto Attack, Auto Aim]

"It works!" Nash heaved a sigh of relief.

Over the five years of studying the runic space, Nash made a runic panel to make it easy to keep track of what he learned.

Among them was his progress on the Runic Program; out of all the 2,322 that he identified, he learned 1,276.

This provided great advances in various runic module systems, making them stronger and more precise.

Confirming the runic space still functioned properly, Nash couldn’t help but be excited.

Without the risk of physical injury, he could now experiment more boldly with extreme module system configurations.

Initially, Nash was cautious with his module systems, always setting a safety limit to avoid overexertion.

But with a personal space that could restore his body to perfect condition at the push of a button, he became fearless.

After adjusting his pain receptors to zero, he began testing all sorts of extreme modules, suffering numerous simulated deaths and injuries.

---

A day later, Nash exited the virtual space.

"You’re finally out!" Camilla greeted him as he removed the helmet.

"We each have 24 hours to take turns, so I had to come out," Nash replied with a helpless smile.

If it were up to him, he would have stayed in the virtual world for weeks on end.

The ability to experiment with module systems without fear of physical limitations or injury was exhilarating.

It could also speed up his development and improvement of the module systems.

Not only that, but with extreme actions, it became easier to capture how various runic programs worked.

"Hehe, Brother Nash, you’ve had your fill. Now it’s the captain’s turn, and then it’s mine!" Amber said excitedly, eager for her turn.

"How was the virtual world, Nash? Is it as colorful as they say? Did you meet any aliens? Do they have three heads and six arms? Giant bodies? What about elemental creatures?" Hector asked, bombarding him with questions, clearly imagining exotic beauties.

"You’ll see for yourself..." Nash smiled helplessly.

Without access to the void network, they couldn’t connect to the main virtual server, so there wasn’t much to see.

If not for the simulation and training convenience, Nash would have thrown the device into the trash.

After Camilla took her turn, Nash stepped out of the base to get some fresh air.

As he was in a daze, his phone suddenly vibrated, signaling an incoming call.

"Hello, who is this?"

"Brother Nash!" a distressed voice answered from the other end.

"Charlotte?! What happened?" Nash asked, his frown deepening in concern.

"Please help us, brother. We were detained by the so-called Earth Horizon Alliance..."

"Where are you?" Nash asked, quickly piecing together the situation.

Charlotte and the others were part of the Earth Government Alliance talent program, so being detained wasn’t entirely unexpected.

"In Atral City’s Training Center... Please hurry, Brother Nash..."

"W-who are you calling, Charlotte?—"

The call abruptly ended as Nash recognized Elijah’s voice just before the line went dead.

Knowing that Charlotte and her brother were still safe, Nash calmed his nerves.

"Wait for me..."