1 The Sol World

On the day of one's 23rd birthday, you gain access to the Sol World.

Two weeks ago, I had my medical examination. The Doc had to check and ensure the neurons and synapses in my brain, as well as the logic system within them, also known as my neural network, was fully developed.

The brain itself is so central to what it is to be Human, but it is one of the last things in the Human body to mature fully. The law is very strict that one cannot be integrated until full maturation.

Three days ago, my doctor got back the nanobots designed for my body's integration. After having the local specialist help me check their code, the doctor gave me the injection.

Today, the basis Sol system has been fully integrated, I can finally enter Sol!

I was given two months off work for my adaptation phase, and I plan to use it as much as I possibly can.

Entering the Sol world, I will smash through everything in my path. Make it to the top of the Junior Rankings, and ascending faster than anyone else!

My heart beating like a drum, I look up at the Sun, my eyes begin to dim. I feel an odd comforting impulse inside my head, the sun calling out for me. I let it take me away.

...

I found myself in what appeared to be an infinite white space.

It reminded me of the waiting rooms in the Emulated Reality arcades I used to frequent, I still keep a spare ER suit in my closet for whenever I go out to one. Though, I suppose both technologies were developed by the same person, so it makes sense..

The space around me began to warp as people and objects appeared around me.

Around me now was a group of 26 people, seated in the courthouse-styled furnishings.

Twelve to each side, like a jury watching impartially, waiting to determine my future, and two to my front who gave off a dignified aura, like judges waiting to dictate their sentence upon me. The atmosphere was very oppressive, and all eyes had fallen upon me.

I knew each one of these people were leaders of some mid-sized Clans and Guilds of at least the first layer.

I breathed in deeply and walked forward, stepping onto a small podium in front of me.

"Hello everyone. Thank you for coming here today to be witnesses to my initial ascension and being my council today."

The man in the front smiled, "Your welcome, Muneer. Now, let's move forward here, we've all looked through your information beforehand."

The woman next to him who was frowning the start, spoke out, "You've had decent scores in your basic education classes, your ahead of most of your peers, but have never been top of your class. What made you choose this route?"

I nodded, I knew this would come up, didn't think they would be that to the point.

"I've always admired the warriors who fight for our race. Mecha Soldiers are the bulk of our fighting force, but are generally thought of as the lower class, a group made up only of those with low potential.

I know the road would be more difficult, but my aspiration has always been to follow the example of the first Cultivator. The fastest and easiest road is not always the best road. I want to find my own way, and this route is the best for me to take!"

"In other words, he is average, untalented, and doesn't have the money to do anything else.."

"Shh, how can you say that at a kid's ascension ceremony. The kid could still change methods later, don't be an asshole."

The man at the front of the ceremony room raised his hand and slowly waved it in the air. The person who said those words flew out as though he were backhanded by an invisible giant, disappearing from the White Space completely. The lady who had been standing next to him had her face turn pale.

"Completely disrespectful. Listen to me, young man. For those willing to work hard, they can go much further than people like that.

Such things as Talent don't exist in this world.

The youths like yourself are precisely what this program exists for.

Let's go ahead and move forward with this ceremony. Recite the Sol World's tenets."

The young man bowed,

"Thank you Sir."

I slowly formed my right hand into a loose fist, my knuckles tapped lightly against my heart.

"I am Human."

"The defining of this word is both Strict, and Loose."

"Ultimately, I am human based on who I am."

"Who I am, is defined by what I do."

"What I do, is driven by my will to survive."

"Survival, means to do as I need to live"

"To live, means to experience vicissitudes with my fellow humans."

"To enjoy the vicissitudes of Humanity, means Humanities' culture must thrive in it's many forms."

"For Culture to thrive, those who compose it must live long and bountiful lives."

"To this purpose, I strive to make every life more bountiful, to build our overall strength."

"To fight against the dying of the light, for every single life."

"To this alone, I pledge my life."

'A nicety at best, a brainwashing method at worst. Or a simple way to keep others from brainwashing others, if you care to look at it that way.'

"Good. Your temperament, I mean. Not many are able enough to say the tenets under scrutiny with such determination."

"Well, a good temperament does not necessarily equate to a good person though. More often, those who put on airs well are successful precisely because they are bad people. Stepping over others to achieve their success."

"I have confidence in this young man's character. And a good man needs an even sterner temperament to live by his own way. Young man, my Mechanic Guild would happily accept you any time. If your in the area of Artoia, of the first layer, look for Makolov."

"These undisciplined fellows, always being like this.. sigh~"

"Well, it is just a small ceremony anyways, where would you want to set your spawning point then young man?"

"Cough, the Floating Rivers Region please.. Senior."

"No need to be so tense kid, I'm not even an Ascended, only 153 years on me. Good luck on your journeys!"

White light covered my vision in an instant, and in another instant it dispersed.

Around me now was lush greenery, I could easily tell I had entered a Starter's island.

[Notification: Welcome to Sol World, the Oldest Star-Based Computing System and Artificial Realm, Humanity's second home. This Realm is a perfect replication of the currently known laws of Reality.

It acts as a tool to ready your brain and body to expand on your senses and comprehension ability beyond the natural range, while retaining your Humanity. Simultaneously, it replicates a disproportionate amount of valuable resources which can allow you to emulate different potential routes of advancement for yourself safely.]

[Your Selected Class Initialization is: Exobody Specialist - Mechanic Type]

[Starter Package: Fabrication Picobot Production Glands, Mental Energy Boost, Basic Mental Energy Interface - Picobot Coding System]

Okay, now, I have a month where I can stay on this Starter Island. To compete with others for resources here... I have next to no chance, because my skills are production-based. Still, I have to try.

Because I am a Mental-Energy type, I have at least some innate extra-sensory abilities.

I closed my eyes, imagining an energy radiating out from my body. What I imagined became an instant reality as I opened my eyes to see a blue wave of energy passed through my surroundings, gradually settling about 10 meters out from me.

This most basic form of extrasensory, it depends on one's subconscious mind. It acts to replicate how one would normally react to irregular movements and objects using opaque sights and low sounds. The only difference one could tell is that the sight or sound would be 'strange' or have 'something' that calls it to their attention instinctually.

When spawning, my Glands were already filled with Fabrication Bots, all I had to do was issue the Production Commands Mentally.

I snapped a long branch off a nearby tree.

'This could make a suitable spear.'

'Create Physical Structure Analysis Node'

'Create Adaptive Ambient Energy Extraction Node'

'Create Crystalline Structure Re-alignment Node'

'Create Mental Energy Node Combinator'

A pulse of Energy flowed off of my body yet again, and that energy gathered together carrying the small picobots produced by my body through the air to form four small, nearly invisible metallic beads. Which came to settle over my right hand.

The Node Combinator reacted to my will and caused the other three nodes to orbit around it.

Using my mental energy I input Mental Energy Protocols into the Nodes to set the appropriate API protocols between them in order to generate the appropriate Weave.

When the weave was completed, the Nodes collapsed into one another.

The weave formed a flat circular pattern, it's design fluctuated in a beautiful but logical manner.

Flat, planar, circular shapes are optimal for weaves meant for analysis, since they can act as sensors to most any kind of wave. So long as the norm of the weave's plane faced towards the target, the weave would be able to quickly analyze its information and adapt itself accordingly.

This initial phase of the weave focused on utilizing the Physical Structure Analysis Node's functionality.

The second phase used that analysis to adapt the Ambient Energy and Crystalline Structure appropriately.

The third phase took the form of an energy wave rushing out from that planar circle at the target, the 'wooden spear' rough-shoddingly made.

The energy began to seep into every fiber of the wood composing the sharpened branch.

Then, the internal molecular structures began to be encroached upon by this energy all at once. The branch began to straighten itself out perfectly in an unnatural manner.

Pieces of wood began to shed seemingly naturally off of the crudely sharpened point, like a snake shedding it's skin, leaving a perfectly smooth surface and a well rounded tip.

An instant after it settled in that shape, another change came about. The fibers composing the wooden spear began to shrink, the hints of bark that were on the surface began to meld with the fibrous internals of the wood.

The volume of the spear overall decreased as it narrowed down by almost a third.

The resulting spear was a light brown, but it looked nothing like the original wood it was created from. The rounded tip had become a perfect point. It had truly become a different material altogether.

Furthermore, in the eye of Muneer, the spear still gave off a hint of the bluish mental energy. A clear sign that a number of the picobots had remained and entangled themselves into the molecular structure of the spear. This would allow the Spear to be strengthened further by Mental Energy and spells later on.

'It worked even better than I'd imagined it would!'

Lifting up my new spear, I stabbed towards a nearby tree, channeling energy into it.

"Gah!!"

..The spear bounced right off. Leaving my arm feeling a bit jarred. Don't know what I was expecting.

Actually, looking again, it definitely made a mark, it is just that mark was nothing significant. Even if the spear is made magically sharp and sturdy, that doesn't mean that it will pierce through anything without any force behind it.

A normal person can't simply pierce through an old and sturdy tree after all, even if he gets a magic.

Suddenly, I felt a presence behind me.

"Woah! Looks like a nice Spear! Where'd you get it?"

Another Rookie? But how long has he been here before me..? How strong is he?

"So? How'd you get the Spear? I'll warn you beforehand, I'm of Dragonoid bloodline. My abilities were a cut above the other Rookies from the very beginning."

The typical pattern when a Mechanic starts out is. First, they are suppressed by their peers. Second, they are forced to make stuff for them. And third, they are only able to get the scraps from any given group they are in.

I refuse to be in that situation even if I end up dying over and over to go against it. Each death will only make me stronger. Furthermore, I wouldn't give this asshole information even if I had gotten this through normal means.

"None of your business, f*** off!"