Chapter 3: Job: Programmer
"Hey, isn't that the Chen family young master?"
A hushed voice broke the stillness, drawing Chen Mo's attention.
"I heard the Chen sect was wiped out overnight when he was away on a mission," another whispered conspiratorially.
"Shhh...stop speaking, he can hear you."
"What of it? It's not like there's anything he can do about it. Hahaha..."
A mocking laugh rang out, only to be swiftly shushed. "Fufufu...don't speak about him like that. After all, he's Sect Master Chen now."
"Hahaha...my bad, I forgot he became a sect master. Everyone else died, after all."
Chen Mo stirred from his prone position, the cruel words piercing the fog of his returning consciousness. 'Where is this place? What happened to me?' His mind raced as fragmented memories trickled back. 'I remember seeing a blue light and then...argh, I can't recall anything else.'
"Argh, what's going on?" he growled, clutching his head as searing pain lanced through his skull. He rolled back and forth, fingers digging deeper into his long black hair with each agonizing wave.
'It hurts so much; I feel like my head is being pierced by countless needles over and over again.'
'Now that I think about it, I'm overly aware of my surroundings. It's as if a restriction has been lifted from my body. I can feel it - what I've always longed for, the power of creation.'
'When creating games before, I could craft whatever I desired, yet I always felt it wasn't my true limit. Now, the freedom of creation flows through me unchecked.'
'I can perceive every particle that composes all creation down to the subatomic level. No! It's deeper than that...information? Yes, these are information particles coming together to make up everything.'
'My body automatically perceives these information particles, but my brain can't process them fast enough. At this rate, my head will explode from overheating.'
Struggling in vain to stand, Chen Mo ultimately settled into a lotus position, seeking to study the 'infonts' clouding his mind.
'I understand now. These are the particles that make up the universe and all of existence. I'm actively trying to perceive them, but I can't process the influx of information quickly enough, causing my brain to overheat. It's basically like a computer.'
'Now that I grasp the concept, all I need to do is end the running tasks and stop actively perceiving the infonts.'
Blue energy swirled around Chen Mo as he entered a deep meditative state, the maelstrom slowly calming before dispersing entirely. When he emerged, he had transformed into a tall, handsome young man with long black hair and brown eyes. Broad shoulders framed a well-toned physique, clad in a long white daoist robe cinched with a shining golden belt.
...
Two hours later, Chen Mo stood before the dilapidated sect building, leaning against a pillar that screeched ominously under his weight, as if on the verge of collapse. The courtyard lay in disrepair, clearly abandoned long ago.
'I've managed to stop the influx for now, but it's not a complete solution. I've also deepened my understanding of my power; I can freely perceive and manipulate the infonts at will. I'm basically a programmer, but instead of coding games within a computer, I manipulate the fundamental rules that shape existence itself.'
'Now that I have a basic grasp of my abilities, I'll try creating something. Since the infonts are difficult to control with my brain's limited processing power, I'll build an external processor. That way, I can process the information externally, then import it into my mind whenever needed. It can also help filter out malicious infonts, so it's a win-win.'
Settling back into the lotus position, Chen Mo entered a deep trance, acutely aware that even the slightest misstep could result in the infonts frying his brain instantly. Carefully considering the optimal approach, a thought sparked - if his mind functioned as a processor, then all he needed was to create an operating system to manage the infonts before and after processing. This would prevent him from simply absorbing any perceived information while conserving precious processing power.
'I've got to say, this feeling is incredible - nothing like programming on a computer. Now, I can manipulate infonts with just a thought.'
Two days later, Chen Mo opened his eyes. He had successfully compiled an operating system within his mind, alleviating the strain and leaving him with the capacity for further development. Other ancillary programs now allowed him to code complex constructs without the need for time-consuming meditation, during which he was left vulnerable.
Calling forth the system interface, he studied his stats:
Name: Chen Mo
Species: Human
Cultivation: None
Job: Programmer
Skills:
OpenSource - Can intuitively comprehend the intricate formulas and particles that compose all matter and energy. Able to reverse-engineer the underlying patterns of creation, dismantling any material or spell to understand its primal origins.
Existence - Keenly aware of all unconcealed knowledge across the physical and spiritual planes. Automatically indexes and absorbs information, lore, history, and secrets laid bare. An ever-growing well of uncontrolled insight.
Scripting - Masters the art of forging new particles and formulas through will and imagination. Can reshape spells, materials, minds, and souls by reconfiguring their fundamental patterns. Effortlessly optimizes, reinforces, and transforms existing metaphysical architectures.
Development - Visualizes and gives life to completely novel elemental particles, ethereal blueprints, and law formulas. Manifests wondrous objects, creatures, and phenomena by combining raw imagination with a deep intuitive understanding of the primordial mechanisms of the universe.
Memory - Perfectly recalls all experiences and knowledge without deterioration. An indestructible vessel containing immense amounts of readily accessible information. Cannot be tampered with or altered by any magic or entity without consent. Provides limitless insight into the ancient truths of existence.
Update - Can directly modify and enhance the user's own existence by instilling new data and skills using available infonts. Able to synthesize and channel infonts to overwrite the user's metaphysical blueprint with new capabilities, knowledge and attributes. This allows the rapid acquisition of skills, languages, muscle memory, etc without needing to undergo traditional training. The user's own existence can be augmented, edited and reprogrammed as if it were data.
'Not a bad starting point. While I lack cultivation, these cheat skills more than make up for it. All I need is to copy some cultivation data, and I'll be able to get started.' A sly smile played across his lips as he sensed the concealed presences. "Since you're already here, how about you show yourselves?"