Underground fights were legendary in Eclipse City! During her free time, Selene could always hear her classmates talking about someone who had attended one of these events or found a live stream of it.
It was a place where the best fighters went to test their strength against others! Fight robots? If your fists and legs could take it, you could fight! Fight monsters captured from outside? Do it if you have the guts! Face another human? That was the main event!
However, those hormonal young people could only talk about what they supposedly saw, even though they never had access to this special event.
There was a certain mysticism surrounding the underground fights because, although it had not been officially stated, it seemed to be supervised by the city government. However, this was kept hidden, and only certain people could access it.
Just because they're called "underground" doesn't mean they're illegal. Selene knew this clearly, but the rumors surrounding their existence gave them a certain clandestine character, as if people fought to the death at these events.
"Well, you know, I've been keeping track of the underground fights. I've even found official documents published by the organizers in Vetrorum, specifying the rules of their events and the fighters. But there's nothing concise," Morgana began to explain to her best friend as she went back to painting the gun, putting a lot of care into it.
"Yes, but I thought you had given up after trying to contact those people and not getting a response," Selene commented as she put the silver box in her pocket. She would devote more time to studying the gold coin later. Right now, her attention was on what Morgana was telling her.
"Of course I did! Those jerks programmed an automatic response bot. No human read my messages," the brunette growled sarcastically, clearly upset about the matter.
"How did your boredom lead you to find the underground fights?" Selene asked, somewhat nervously, out of curiosity. This caused Morgana to raise an eyebrow as she replied.
"That's what I'm getting at! While resting in my hospital bed after returning to the city, I posted the video I recorded of my fight with the Armored Lion.
I don't usually post things, but I was bored and itchy from my wounds, so I watched the video before uploading it to my Vetrorum profile," Morgana continued. Selene took her communicator and accessed Morgana's profile, where she found the video. She downloaded it to watch later.
She also took the opportunity to upload her own video of a violin recital, which she used to do every time. This attracted a certain audience interested in how she played music.
"Then I got a message from that hidden account I mentioned. They gave me two special tickets, one for me and one for a guest," the brunette said casually, as if it weren't a big deal. However, just by looking at her, you could tell how excited she was.
"Two tickets? They're letting you go? They're letting you fight!?" Selene moved very close to Morgana, invading her personal space. However, Morgana simply continued painting, putting the finishing touches on the paint she was applying to the weapon.
"Yes, yes, and yes. They said they were interested in my video and wanted to see me compete against others. They said that if I wanted to test my strength, I should give it a try.
They also said that if I knew anyone who thought they were capable, I should invite them. That's why there's a second ticket." Morgana replied, just before adding the final brushstroke to complete the Glyphwork design.
When she turned around, she came face-to-face with Selene, only a few inches separating them. Selene stared intently into her eyes, causing her to smile subtly.
"Don't worry. I'll invite you. I'll give you the ticket code, and you can download the official event app too. Knowing what her friend wanted to say, the brunette spoke up, causing the purple-haired girl to hug her gently because of her injury.
"THANK YOU! Just for that, I'll charge you half price for the next time I maintain your sword. It must have suffered some damage during your fight if you were so affected," Selene said, her words full of emotion, causing Morgana to roll her eyes.
"Just for maintenance? I demand three times that amount, no less!" the brunette haggled, making Selene laugh before she let go of her friend.
"Fine, whatever you say." Hearing the purple-haired girl's response, Morgana wished she had asked for more, but she had missed her chance. Reluctantly, she stepped aside to let Selene access her weapon while she took her communicator crystal to keep her word.
Thus, the purple-haired girl saw the final result of her gun. It was painted black with a few small touches of silver to highlight the enchantment lines and LED lights when the weapon was activated.
Not only that, but Morgana had also made small, gold representations of Selene, adding a cartoonish touch and giving the Glyphwork a very personal style that Selene deeply loved.
She couldn't touch the gun because the paint was still drying. Just admiring it from a distance was enough for her to appreciate the final product, and she recognized that she couldn't have done a better job than her friend.
"Isn't it perfect?" Imagine shooting someone in the head, and the last thing they see is a cartoon of you on the gun that blew their brains out," Morgana said, smiling broadly. Selene shook her head, saying nothing about her friend's strange sense of humor. Trying to discuss it would only be a waste of time.
"Are you planning to participate in the underground fights?" Selene asked knowingly, but she wanted to confirm it.
"Obviously yes! I guess you are too. But it would be best to observe and understand how it really works. Going by documents or rumors is unreliable," Morgana replied quickly before banging her fists together loudly.
"Fighting monsters is fun, but facing humans is better because you can learn new things," the brunette commented. Against all odds, she manifested her Noeia around her body.
A gray mist emerged from her head and covered her body like a cloak, then transformed into something that mimicked an electric current. If someone saw her for the first time, they would think she was covered in crackling, colorless lightning bolts.
"Wounded or not, my body is trembling with excitement! I want to feel my nerves on edge and my hair stand on end. Just thinking about it... I want to fight!" Due to her excitement about participating in underground fights, Morgana's thirst for battle grew.
Selene felt as if she were in an environment filled with static. She could feel her skin tingling. However, all of this was merely a psychological effect produced by the electrifying desire to fight.
"Calm down a little. You know, using the Noeia during recovery is strenuous for your body," she warned. This caused the brunette to calm down, but she still had a big smile on her face due to the euphoria she was experiencing.
"I know, but I just can't help myself. You know how it is. I've always been like this," Morgana replied, taking a couple of deep breaths to calm down.
"You're a wild one, but I understand," Selene shrugged before showing her hand. She channeled her Noeia, turning it into hundreds of thin threads that fluttered gently in the air as if searching for something.
"By the way, is the use of Noeia allowed? You know, we Noetarchs have certain advantages that create a gap between us and normal people.
It's not only our permanent or temporary enhancements; this power has an added effect. Just by using it, certain qualities become slightly superior to the standard," said the purple-haired girl. She then used her Noeia threads to create a five-pointed star and several small animals.
It was a control exercise she had learned as a child when she began training in this power. Although her deployment speed had fallen behind due to a lack of practice, she always took time to practice manipulating her power. This created the strange situation she found herself in.
She improved more slowly than other Noetarchs, but she could use Glyphwork to temporarily enhance her body, thus solving her lack of speed when channeling energy.
"Ah, that thing about how even if a normal person could control the amount of muscle they use when doing something, they would end up performing worse than if a Noetarch did the same thing?
The famous 'Extraordinary Gap,' which even makes my skin capable of resisting some lower-caliber bullets," Morgana said mockingly, pointing to her almost completely bandaged body.
"The fact that Noeia subtly enhances the body's abilities is irreplaceable, which is why there are divisions: Noetarchs against Noetarchs, and normal people against normal people.
Even without permanent or temporary enhancements, a Noetarch's fist will always be much more powerful than that of an ordinary person with the same characteristics just by using the Noeia." Up to this point, Morgana's tone was controlled. Selene, who was playing with her Noeia, nodded in agreement.
This was truly an insurmountable gap. The Noeia lacks incredible abilities, yet its mere application can make a Noetarca reach a level of danger similar to that of some monsters.
It really was an extraordinary gap! Fortunately, technology has bridged this gap, enabling human weapons to harm both the mutant beasts outside and the people living safely in the city. This is why order has been maintained in Eclipse City.
No Noetarch could stand up to the army's numbers! Under a continuous barrage of gunfire, cannons, and other special equipment, many arrogant Noetarchs who had learned to use Noeia were defeated, ensuring respect for the law.
Those who disobeyed last stained the streets with blood for days. Robots weren't allowed to clean up, and the city's climate left a perpetual reminder.
Hyperion told his daughter this when teaching her how to practice Noeia, especially since he participated in reprisals against Noetarchs who thought they could impose their will on 'weak' humans after training.
She still remembers her father's serious words that day: 'You were born with the talent to be a Noetarch, but first and foremost, you are a citizen of the city, and the laws are above everyone.'
This didn't apply outside of Eclipse City, but what about inside? Selene acted like a respectable citizen. However, underground fights could help her unleash her full power within the safety of the protective shield. Therefore, she was determined to participate as a fighter once she had a better understanding of these events and the situation surrounding them.
"Our fight will be with others like us, Selene. Also, we'll fight the monsters from outside and robots. I even think there's a group of normal people using mechanical suits against Noetarchs, which certainly adds a little spice to the matter.
A well-equipped exoskeleton can solve differences in power, leaving only technique. Sometimes, isn't technique what matters most in a fight against another person?" Morgana's joyful words interrupted Selene's thoughts. The latter knew her best friend had fallen into a frenzy again. But wasn't Selene excited too?
Although she may not have been as wild as Morgana, she was excited to participate in the fights. She could imagine herself doing whatever it took to win a desperate fight with cunning.
A desperate fight and a triumphant return were always part of the fantasies of every fight lover throughout their lives. How could she not be eager to experience something like that?
"Girls, come upstairs to eat!" Tea's voice suddenly echoed through the basement communicator, causing the two energetic girls to look at each other before running upstairs.
Fantasizing about fighting could wait; dinner was much more important.
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[If you're reading this, you're probably quite interested in how promising it is to use our product to customize your own dreams, or perhaps you're already eager to fulfill those personal fantasies that can't be realized in real life?]
[In the dream world, there's no rejection, laws of physics, or legal restrictions!]
[That's what this manual is for: teaching you how to calibrate and use this uncensored, unlimited version of the Dream Interface Core! First, follow these steps...]
Under the soft glow of the purple lights in her room, Selene lay in bed reading the paper she had found in the box with the gold coin. It turned out to be technology from the era before the cataclysm.
"Why is there so much emphasis on there being no censorship? Oh..." Selene murmured, her eyes opening as a fleeting thought served as an answer.
"If the name of this thing really means it has to do with dreams, then I suppose that kind of special dream would be involved, too." Selene's face warmed at the thought, but her mind was unwilling to pursue it, at least not now.
She wanted to understand how to use the gold coin! She planned to call it that because the original name was too long and tedious. She soon read and processed the contents of the brochure.
The instructions for use and the capabilities were clearly explained. What interested Selene most, though, was that it seemed to be a special, uncensored version. This particular piece of technology had been designed for the Noetarchs of that era!
Versions for civilians, the military, and scientists were mentioned. The one she held was designed for Noetarchs. Due to their training and use of Noeia, they possessed a much stronger consciousness than the average person.
"It's too bad that I can only use it while I'm sleeping. I don't understand how that could be beneficial. How would having wet dreams about Noelle or Morgana help me? I can have sex with them directly!" Due to the brochure's constant insistence on these special uses of the gold coin, Selene configured the device with a somewhat playful mindset.
[Genetic recognition complete.]
[Mental pattern recognition complete.]
[Noeia recognition complete.]
[Connecting to network...]
[Failure! Calibrating! Analyzing networks in the environment.]
[WARNING! A SIGNAL AND NETWORK ARCHITECTURE NOT AUTHORIZED BY THE FEDERATION HAS BEEN DETECTED! THESE NETWORKS ARE NOT SAFE. DO YOU STILL WISH TO CONNECT?]
Guided by the brochure, Selene had managed to connect her communication crystal to the gold coin. This did not surprise her, given the clear technological heritage. After all, many things had been taken directly from the remains of the past.
Even if the form changed, certain remnants allowed for this compatibility. Perhaps it was possible because human technology itself is flexible. Who's to say there weren't special communicators in the past? A simple communication crystal couldn't stop the technology that was once great before the cataclysm!
Selene saw this information projected in front of her, her face bearing a strange expression. She even pursed her lips. Perhaps the old network was the first to fall in the past.
"It's surprising enough that technology from the past connects to current technology, but maybe I should write a special firewall. I don't want to leave any traces," she said. Selene did not accept immediately, but used her programming knowledge to make the coin undetectable on the network and prevent it from revealing anything about her.
As a Glyphworker, she dealt with both enchantments and technology. While she wasn't an expert capable of hacking everything, writing a program was within her capabilities. She even had her own mini-games on her communicator crystal.
Eager to prepare a dream-related device, she stayed up late programming. In the end, however, she managed to create the desired program and install it in the gold coin.
Now, she had much firmer control over the Dream Interface Core, and her connection to her communicator was deeper. However, Selene knew she had to work harder.
Even though it was already hers due to her DNA, mental patterns, and Noeia, she wanted to be more than just a user of this equipment.
She wanted to understand, modify, and adapt it, and even turn it into something more than just a piece of technology! Selene already had plans to turn it into a Glyphwork. The program she created in the early morning hours was only a small step.
She sensed that this process would be arduous, but if the green mist that only she could see and that the coin constantly emitted was truly beneficial, she was going to take advantage of it to its fullest capabilities!
"Now, let's see if this really works, although..." Selene saw the faint glow of the sun through her window. It was six in the morning, the start of a new day. Her tired eyes still sparkled with desire for exploration.
"Never mind. Don't think about the impending dawn!" Selene exclaimed before placing the coin on her glabella, where it seemed to stick firmly to her skin.
She had already authorized the device to connect to the network, though this connection wasn't necessary for its main capacity. It was only a way to obtain new 'resources.' Unfortunately, the current network was far from the one destroyed so many years ago.
[Activating the Dream Interface Core...]
[Sweet dreams]
Those were the last words Selene read before closing her eyes and falling asleep. The machine did not have that capability, so this was not prompted by it. However, as Selene had stayed up late, she was sleep-deprived and simply exploded the moment her eyelids closed.
As her body fell into a deep sleep, her still-active consciousness was drawn by something until it appeared in a completely dark environment with no form except her own.
"Oh? My mental passage. Is this where dreams are constructed? It makes sense," Selene commented, not surprised. She was already accustomed to this place from her meditation practice. All Noetarchs inevitably arrived here.
This was the space of her consciousness! It was known as the Mental Passage, a place every human being possessed but which Noetarchs explored more often. However, except for a few curious things related to each person, nothing was interesting about this metaphysical place.
Selene snapped her fingers, dispelling the darkness and revealing a floor made entirely of gray lines. She looked at her body, which was made of threads and gave her the appearance of a gray figure, as if she were a yarn doll.
"According to the brochure, to construct a dream, I have to manipulate it as I would in my own Mental Passage. Here, everything is more solid, and there is feedback in the real world, albeit with limits," she murmured. She stepped on the floor, and it was covered with grass and flowers of various colors.
She breathed in, smelling the aroma and the slight irritation caused by the large amount of pollen. She bent down and touched the grass, feeling its softness on her palm.
When she pulled her hand up, she could see a little sap escaping from the grass, which began to smell like freshly cut grass. A perfect replica! Selene then looked at her vast mental space and saw that it was empty.
She knew these changes wouldn't last and would only be present during this particular dream. Still, she decided to fill it with what she wanted. After all, she wanted to more deeply understand the functionality of this technology that directly affected human dreams.
Selene's thread-like body rose slowly. With a gesture, a huge ball of incandescent light materialized above her head, dispelling all the darkness. She had created a sun in her dream!
Since she was dreaming, however, she was in control of everything that happened in her dream and was not affected by it, except for feeling a little heat. She placed the star in the sky, making it illuminate each area equally.
"Can I really be a superior being like the Second Sun in this dream? Let no one know that I said this," she thought, looking at the sun she had materialized. She had a serious expression because even though it was all fake, some might take her actions as blasphemy.
After all, although it wasn't problematic in Eclipse, the cult of the Second Sun could be dangerous outside of it. Even though her father respected the Second Sun for its actions, he would still be considered "ungodly" by religious fanatics.
Why shouldn't anyone know that she had created a sun through technology that greatly enhances lucid dreams? One of that being's feats was to create a second sun! That's why humans named it that way.
She had no desire to tell anyone about the Dream Interface Core, except for certain trusted individuals. However, her words could be taken as blasphemy by a small number of people in Eclipse City, or even an entire city-state, if they were to become known.
"Since I'm here, though, let's add some color to my Noeia. There are no annoying energy costs here." Leaving the previous topic behind, Selene remembered an interesting, though rarely used, feature of the Noeia: it could change color!
Almost no one did that because it distracted from things that contributed to their well-being. Not to mention the subtle wear and tear on your mental stamina, which could prove problematic in an important situation.
For many Noetarchs who had to choose between improving themselves or using Glyphwork, doing so was just a way to hasten their death, and no one wanted to die for something so silly.
Selene, however, didn't think much about such things. She kept her Noeia gray most of the time, but sometimes she would dye it neon purple because it was good at dispersing attention. She even used it as an exercise in control.
However, this did not change the fact that it consumed mental stamina. For every task she did at the same time, this expenditure worsened. Therefore, she simply kept the original form of this power.
After all, her multitasking ability was extremely useful but costly, and changing the color of this energy would only create more problems. Here, in her mind and in her dreams, however, she could make those changes freely because nothing had to be expended.
That's why her mental form began to resemble a child scratching their arms with a pen. Made of purple threads, she began to manipulate the dream, creating mountains, rivers, and forests.
She then understood why this device could have been sold in the past, even though it was the first time she had heard of it. A lucid dream lets you do many things, but you're always aware that, ultimately, everything is unreal, a mere product of your imagination while you sleep.
Was it a dream assisted by the Dream Interface Core? It was total control and complete sensory feedback! It far surpassed the virtual environments that could be experienced in a few rare simulators.
After all, it took place in your dream. Selene could feel the coldness of the water as she stepped into the bath. As she submerged, she could feel herself losing air. She knew that without the double safety of the machine and her brain, she could die here, experiencing something close to death.
"But apart from doing these things, where does the benefit come from?" Selene wondered, picking up a giant apple with both arms and beginning to eat it.
It wasn't unreal; it came from her memories of the apples she could buy at the market or find in the outside world. She had tasted the apples from the tree at Bar O'Connor's, too.
Everything, the taste, the juice, the texture when she bit into it, the weight, and the aroma, was so real that she could convince her body she was digesting something that didn't exist in the material world.
"Does the benefit come from exploring dreams more deeply? From delving deeper into my knowledge and control of my own mental processes? Will I be able to do all this without dreaming?
Imagine being able to create something like this in my mind and feed it back to my real self without having to sleep! I could take it from there, couldn't I? The interpretation is ultimately in my hands.
Even if the original benefit was just to let me have realistic sexual fantasies or sleep better, I can transform it into something that interests me. It will be a slow process," Selene muttered before waving her hand and changing the environment to resemble her bedroom.
The naked bodies of Noelle and Morgana lay on the bed, perfectly represented by her because she knew them so well. They gestured invitingly, and she couldn't refuse.
While exploring, why not indulge in a little personal pleasure? After all, she was just doing what the Dream Interface Core brochure recommended!