Read the book: «Algoritm of oblivion», page 3

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“It’s too expensive for a prank. He was sent the very latest model.” Artem again broke free from Olga’s control and chimed into the conversation “It’s being advertised all over the city now. You don’t need glasses or a helmet, just a hoop and electrodes that fit to the temples and interact with the chips. I need the same VR, it’s damn convenient.”

“Artem! What did I tell you!” Olga unleashed all her anger on her son, who had again violated the ban on bad language. “Home now, you’re without the web for a week!”

“Oh, Mom!” Artem said with offense, but his mother was no longer listening to him.

She stood up and confidently dragged Artem towards the exit.

“I’ll write when we get there,” she told her sister without turning around and left the house, leading the weakly resisting Artem with her.

Daria, a fifteen-year-old girl with long, curly red hair, also put her cup of unfinished tea aside.

“Well, Max, thank you for the evening, it was very cordial,” she said with a barely noticeable mockery, “but I guess I’ll go too,” she said, “now we know that your father is sending you messages even from the afterlife, and mine, although he visits home once every six months, is always drunk and never remembers me. I guess I’ll post about this story for my blog, but already at home.”

“Come on, come on, out of your 15 subscribers, no one even watches you there,” Max snapped.

The girl stuck out her tongue at him and got up from the table.

“I already have fifteen thousand subscribers, if you didn’t know!” Daria hissed with feigned anger, pulling on her coat, “And there are even donations on the streams, can you imagine?”

Max snorted, but a surprise flashed in his eyes.

“It doesn’t matter that the guests are leaving,” Tatiana said when they were left alone, “it only means that we can talk in a closer family circle, doesn’t it?”

Max nodded, lowering his eyes.

They didn’t say another word to each other that evening.

It was already 3 a.m., and Max still couldn’t calm down and fall asleep.

“Who could have sent this VR anyway? Why did the ‘gift’ arrive exactly at six in the evening, exactly at the time when my father was supposed to arrive, even if it’s someone’s prank, who besides family members could know all the details?” Max pondered.

The question seemed to hang in the air.

He needed to double-check everything again and find out everything he could. First, he tracked the place of dispatch of the order by the number. The point of sending the parcel was a receiving point, one and a half kilometers from his father’s old house, the one from which he was supposed to arrive, 5 years ago. It’s hardly a coincidence. But how could the “prankster” who sent the device know this address? It was an amazing attention to detail. After all, his father’s address was not publicly available information, although he was quite a well-known person, as one of the leading developers of the company “Dream”, participated in presentations, and sometimes gave interviews before the release of updates, but personal information was always kept secret. The house in which he lived after his divorce from Tatiana was recently put up for sale again, and it had changed several owners before that. Over the past few years… it had gained a reputation as a “bad place,” if you believe the reviews on rental and real estate sales sites. It had an expensive “Smart Home” system installed, which turned on when it wanted to and scared the new owners to hell. It was possible to demolish it, but then the house would lose almost half its value, and each time the new owners did the same thing – they sold the house with a small discount. Now it cost ridiculous for a super-modern house: 1,800,000 cr. Similar houses in area cost at least 4,000,000 cr.

More information about the sender could not be found today.

Max didn’t know what to do. All of this could be someone’s stupid joke, a prank. All the data about his father’s death is on the web, and anyone could send this message. But if you believe Vladislav, his father’s avatar was online in the game for two minutes. The game’s functionality has long allowed you to send messages, make purchases in the DREAM Inc. online store, and much more. Even one minute is enough to buy VR for in-game gold and send it to someone along with an invitation to the game. In modern games, it is almost impossible to hack someone else’s account. In addition to the name and password, the location of the chips in the body must match, and so on, artificial intelligence analyzes, including physical parameters such as heart rate, breathing, appearance, and even the player’s behavior. All of this is impossible to fake. The chips are scattered through the bloodstream when taking the first identification pill and are fixed in the body chaotically, individually for each person. Their location is simply impossible to fake, it’s like a fingerprint. Who else could send him this device and know all the other indirect details?

Time passed… Max couldn’t fall asleep.

He tore open the packaging with the VR and pulled out the contents.

His loot consisted of a hermetically sealed silver plastic bag and an instruction manual, printed on paper, which in the eco-obsessed world was wasteful.

“Introducing Oneiro-Drive 3 – a virtual reality immersion device from “Dream”

Key Features and Benefits of Oneiro-Drive:

– Full Sensory Immersion: The user feels the virtual world with all their senses as if they were in the real world.

– Direct Thought Control: The user controls the virtual environment and interacts with objects simply by thinking about it.

– Realistic Dream Experiences: Oneiro-Drive allows the user to experience realistic and controllable dreams.

– Enhanced Cognitive Abilities: Oneiro-Drive can be used for training, exercising, and improving cognitive abilities such as memory, attention, and creativity.

– Therapeutic Applications: Oneiro-Drive can be used to treat mental disorders such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Important note:

The company “Dream” is not responsible in case the user makes changes and modifications not provided by the manufacturer…”

He immediately tossed the instructions aside. Who even reads them?

The torn plastic bag revealed a white hoop with a bunch of electrodes on the inside. A battery pack and a source of theta waves were hidden inside this high-tech device. The box also contained a bundle of wires in case there was no wireless charging station for electronic devices in the house. Max also set them aside. He turned on the VR and saw a notification about finding a new device on his computer.

Then he went to the game’s website. He scrolled through the splash screen with the flight into space over various worlds, fighting knights, dinosaurs, and spaceships… He poked the “Create New Account” button as soon as it appeared.

“Would you like to undergo a personality analysis procedure to create more high-quality content suitable for you?”*

– The game has a psychotherapeutic effect and, by analyzing your answers, selects adventures that will help you become a more harmonious personality, work through old psychological traumas, or simply gain more self-confidence…

A questionnaire with more than three hundred tabs appeared on the screen. “Oh no,” Max thought, “that’s too long:” “No”.

“Would you like to allow our algorithms to independently analyze your social networks and search history to create a personalized storyline and higher-quality content that is right for you?”*

*DREAM ltd guarantees the confidentiality of personal data.

*In the case of providing full access to social networks, artificial intelligence will independently analyze your interests, contacts, likes and, based on the history of correspondence and preferences in the selection of groups, music, news… will select the optimal storyline. In addition, the road of adventures can bring you together with people close and interesting to you, correspondence with which is in the chat, in order to strengthen family corporate, friendly, and other ties… the further description was quite long, but the main thing that followed from it was that the game allowed you to “close the gestalt”, relive the traumatic moments of life again and emerge victorious, at least in the virtual world, while learning effective methods of solving problems in reality.

Below were enthusiastic reviews from people who took advantage of this option when registering:

– “An amazing adventure that changed my attitude to life” – Victor, 18, student.

– “Incredible. Hundreds of hours of psychoanalysis gave me less than a month of playing online according to the proposed plot” – Alexander, 42, banker.

– “I overcame my fears and was able to communicate with women again.” – Oleg, 37, builder.

“OK,” Max decided, let’s see what kind of individual story it is.

“Grant access to social networks?”

Maybe “Yes”. He didn’t want to give up the possibility of getting a personalized storyline.

A message appeared on the screen that read:

Attention: the game device connects you to only one character, to create a new character, purchase a new device. If the device is lost, the connection to the character will be lost forever…

“What crafty game developers… – Max thought, – one device equals one character in the game, which means more sales of the VR devices themselves, plus constant service and repair of the already purchased equipment, in order to maintain connection with your embodiment in the game…” Max waited for the short download to finish, attached the electrodes right to his temples, and lay down on the bed.

Sleepiness immediately fell upon him.

IV. TEMPLE OF THE UNNAMED GOD

He came to in a meditative pose in a temple with gray stone columns. A colorful mosaic on the floor of the temple was woven into spiral patterns. The dome-shaped roof was divided by arched vaults into eight segments, each of which had its own color and was made of stained glass, the pattern of which was woven into a web. The round opening in the middle of the temple roof had no glazing. It was broken, and its shards lay on the floor of the temple. Eight doors and eight exits led from the temple to the outside, one door for each side of the world. Each of these massive wooden doors was decorated with intricate carvings and a mirror almost the size of a human.

In the center of the temple grew a green tree, surprisingly reminiscent of the bonsai that Max kept on the windowsill in his room. However, this tree was much larger – more than five meters high, its powerful branches spread out to the sides, almost reaching the walls and the round opening in the roof. The leaves shimmered with various shades of green, creating a contrast with the gray color inside the temple.

The light of the sunset, breaking through the opening in the dome, played on the foliage, as if emphasizing the magical nature of this tree. It looked like a symbol of life and hope in this abandoned place.

Max was surprised by the detail of the drawing of each element of the temple and the bright colors in the game, it was as if he was in a dream, but at the same time not losing awareness and control of movements. He raised his hands and was surprised to notice that even the lines on his palms were drawn in detail. It was an amazingly bright and beautiful world. Somewhere on the edge of the perception of consciousness, a light, heroic melody played, with an abundance of strings, promising adventures in a new world. His own body had hardly changed as far as he could tell, it was still the body of a 15-year-old teenager. He was dressed in a white cassock and pants made of the same simple material, on the middle finger of his left hand was a pewter signet ring with the image of a white dragon on a black background. There was no more equipment or clothing on him.

He remembered Artem’s offer to help in the beginning. And he wrote to him in the game chat:

“I’m in the game. I need help.”

The answer came almost immediately. Despite Olga’s threats to leave him without the internet for a week, he was online.

“Super, mark the location. I’ll take Daria and we’ll rush to the rescue. It’s usually difficult for newbies at first, but we’ll help you level up. Where are you?”

The control interface was simple, and Max easily figured out how to send his location to his interlocutor in the chat.

“Ouch. Straight to the cursed lands? This is a very difficult location to start. Okay, wait.”

Max got up from the floor and decided to look around while his friends found him. When he approached one of the gates of the temple, a system message appeared:

Quest received: “Choosing a Path”

Description: The system was unable to accurately determine the circle of your interests. They are too indifferent. You are directed to the Temple of the One to choose your game class and begin your adventure. You are free to choose a game path (go out into one of the gates of the temple to find your game class, unique skill, and patron deity). * and begin the adventure.

Type: Class-based.

Reward: Variable, depends on the chosen path.

Penalty for failure: Eternal languor in the Temple of the One.

*Do not rush to make your choice, time in the Temple of the One does not flow, you do not age and do not feel physiological needs.

“So much for the vaunted system of determining the plot by data from social networks and contacts. Too diverse interests… And the choice will have to be made by yourself,” Max thought, “Everything is usually the same in life. Well, don’t just sit here forever.”

Max got up and approached one of the exits. A warrior with a sword and shield was depicted in mosaic on the floor. The section of the stained-glass web of the roof above this exit was red.

In the mirror, he was reflected, but not in the cassock and canvas pants of a newbie, but as a knight in heavy steel armor, armed with a shield and sword. The heavy smell of iron and blood hit his nostrils. Inside the mirror, behind the knight, silhouettes of fighters clad in armor flickered, crushing enemies with powerful blows. A voice, rough and commanding, whispered: “Power is true freedom. Become invincible, and no one will be able to tell you what to do.”

If Max came out of this door of the temple, he would be on the path of a warrior.

At the exit to the left of the warrior was a healer depicted, the color of the stained glass above him was yellow.

He was reflected in the mirror dressed in a complex, multi-layered robe with patch pockets. A white cloak thrown over his shoulder was decorated with gold embroidery. In his hands he holds a thick manuscript devoted to medicine. This is his main tool and weapon. A small vial with some glowing substance inside and a bag for storing herbs hangs on his belt. The system added a neat beard and mustache, emphasizing his strong-willed chin. Expressive gray eyes look attentively and a little inquiringly.

The soft glow around him is filled with warmth and compassion. Inside the reflection, an atmosphere of peace and tranquility reigned. A voice, gentle and caring, offered: “Save the world from suffering, and you will find true happiness.”

To the right of the warrior was a commander in a chariot with a laurel wreath on his head and in snow-white clothes, raising his hand in a welcoming gesture, with a white stained-glass window above him.

Inside the mirror reflection, ideal lines of soldiers were built in the background, ready for battle. A voice, firm and authoritative, called: “Faithfully lead your soldiers into battle, and your name will remain in the centuries! True power is the ability to control others.”

Max went towards the commander, wanting to go around all the doors in a circle.

Next, on the blue mosaic floor was depicted a Musician with a lute in his hands.

Melodious sounds of music and ringing laughter. An atmosphere of fun and inspiration reigned inside the mirror portal. Magnificent dresses of court ladies flashed by, and wine flowed like a river. A voice, pleasant and artistic, belonging to a dandy in a blue camisole, invited: “Sing songs about heroes, create beauty. Live for one day, but remember that art is able to live forever.”

A merchant with a red beard.

The clink of coins and the rustle of silks. The spirit of luxury and prosperity reigned inside. A voice, businesslike and persuasive, offered: “Make a fortune, and you will rule the world. Gold is the key to any heart.”

An assassin hiding a wavy blade behind his back was depicted under a purple stained-glass window.

The whisper of shadows and the beating of adrenaline. Silhouettes of agile figures flickering in the darkness flickered inside the reflection, disappearing into the darkness. A voice, cunning and tempting, promised: “Own information, and you will control everything.”

Next, a necromancer in a black robe with a staff decorated with a human skull.

Icy cold and the smell of decay. Inside, the shadows of the dead stirred, ready to serve their master. A voice, ominous and authoritative, whispered: “Death is only the beginning. Become the lord of the dead, and you will find true freedom.”

A mage surrounded by whirlwinds of blue energy.

Smooth streams of energy, mesmerizing in their beauty. It smelled of ancient knowledge and limitless potential. A voice, flattering and seductive, beckoned: “Learn the secrets of the universe, and you will be able to change reality at will.”

Having stepped over the image of the healer under the yellow stained-glass window – Max returned to the point from which he began his journey.

Quest “Choosing a Path” updated:

Available classes:

Warrior – a strong and hardy character, a master of melee combat. Able to wear heavy armor and use heavy weapons. His task is to protect allies and inflict damage on enemies.

Class skill: “Unbreakable Shield”: The warrior can temporarily create an impenetrable energy shield around himself, absorbing damage from all sources, including magical attacks. The shield has a limited duration and charging takes some time. The effectiveness of the shield depends on the current level of the character.

Patron deity: Arumatan – God of War.

Healer – a support player whose unique abilities will help not only heal wounds, but also bring back to life a comrade who has fallen on the battlefield. Possesses high accuracy and speed of movement, prefers to keep at a distance from the enemy. The healer can also use light magic to exorcise the undead.

Class skill: “Great Healing”: All allied characters within a radius of 10 meters fully restore health. This skill has a long cooldown (1 day).

Patron deity: Luxur – God of Light, Accuracy, Speed, Medicine and Knowledge.

Warlord – a leader and strategist who can lead troops into battle. Warlords can enhance their allies and manage combat operations on the battlefield.

Class skill: “Tactical Pause”: The warlord can briefly slow down time for all enemies within a certain radius, allowing allies to inflict more damage and evade attacks. This skill consumes a significant amount of mana/energy.

Patron deity: Rodan (Creator) God of Creation, Intellect, Air.

Bard – a musician and storyteller who uses music and words to inspire allies and weaken enemies. Bards can create powerful spells through their melodies.

Class skill: “Echo of Melodies”: The bard can “record” the effects of his song (buffs/debuffs) and “reproduce” them at any moment within a short period of time, even if the bard himself is not singing. The number of recordings is limited.

Patron deity: Mirta – Goddess of Love and Water.

Merchant – a cunning character who can manipulate the economy and use his trading skills to gain advantages. The merchant can find rare items and make profitable deals.

Class skill: “Cunning Deal”: The merchant can offer the enemy a “deal”: a temporary truce or weakening of the attack in exchange for a valuable resource or information. The success of the deal depends on the merchant’s skills and the value of the offered goods/information.

Patron deity: Floki – God of Deception, Lies and Treachery, Winding Paths and Caves.

Assassin – a master of stealth and agility, specializing in fast and deadly attacks. Assassins can stealthily approach enemies and inflict critical strikes.

Class skill: “Shadow of Death”: The assassin can become almost invisible for a while, moving at incredible speed and inflicting critical strikes that ignore the opponent’s armor. After the skill is used, the assassin becomes vulnerable for a short time.

Patron deity: Valor (Smith) God of Fury, Blacksmithing, Fire.

Necromancer – a dark mage capable of resurrecting the dead and controlling them. Necromancers can use the power of death to damage enemies and subjugate their will.

Class skill: “Sacrificial Resurrection”: The necromancer can resurrect one ally, but sacrificing a significant amount of his own health. The resurrected ally will have a temporary buff that increases his strength.

Patron deity: Sator – God of Darkness, Death, the Underworld.

Mage – a master of magic capable of using spells to attack, defend, and support. Mages can control the elements, create illusions, and heal allies.

Class skill: “Magical Reflection Shield”: The mage creates a shield that not only absorbs damage but also reflects part of it back at attacking enemies. This shield has a limited number of charges.

Patron deity: Malena – Goddess of the Moon, Passion and Magic.

On the stained-glass roof of the temple, there were all the colors of the rainbow except for green plus black and white. For the necromancer and the commander, respectively.

There must have been some kind of catch here, these were not all the game classes, but only the most common ones. For example, as he knew from snippets of conversations between adults in his family, the son of Alexander First – the owner of the company “Dream”, who died in a plane crash, had the druid class when he played, and he is still the leader of the character level rating. Which means his class was strong enough. And rare. And it wasn’t on the selection list yet. That is, there should be at least one more exit from the temple, marked with the green color missing to complete the full rainbow palette. It was worth looking further. After all, is it possible that the rarer the class, the stronger it is? Max approached the tree in the center of the temple. Shards of broken glass crunched under his feet. Max looked up and once again noted that part of the stained-glass window above his head was broken, maybe this is also considered an exit?

Max: Should he climb the tree and try to get to the round opening in the center of the temple’s dome, where there was no glass? Max touched the bark of the tree in the center of the temple and heard some kind of call, it seemed to be the voices of all who had ever lived in this fictional world. They were calling him… the music at the edge of consciousness became more alarming. Max pulled back his hand and looked down at his feet. He was standing on a round hatch cover with a classic image of the tree of life adopted in Scandinavian mythology, whose branches were so skillfully intertwined with the drawings of the mosaic on the floor that it was almost impossible to notice it from afar. In addition, it was entangled in the roots of the tree. A new system message appeared:

Quest “Choosing a Path” updated:

New class available:

Druid (hidden class) – a keeper of nature, able to transform into animals and use the power of nature to heal and attack. Druids can control the elements and summon natural forces.

Class skill: “Animal Fury”: The druid temporarily transforms into an animal – the totem of the tribe, gaining increased physical strength and armor. In this state, his attacks deal increased physical damage.

Patron deity: Terra (Mother Goddess) Goddess of Life, Fertility, Mother of Gods.

So if you open the hatch in the floor you get the druid class… Curious.

But Max was already looking up at the round opening on the ceiling of the temple, located directly above the hatch in the floor. Looking closely, he realized that the broken stained glass on the ceiling of the temple was a kind of sundial, and the glazing with symbols that allowed to determine the time by them was now missing because it had once been broken by a stone core launched by a siege machine. The stone core lay here among the fragments on the floor. “What if you don’t choose any of the classes currently available? Freedom is not choosing a class from a given list, but creating your own path,” he decided. – Technically, the broken stained glass in the center is also an exit.

Max smiled at his mischievous idea, jumping he grabbed the lower branch of the tree, pulled himself up climbed higher,

At that moment, his doppelgangers stepped out of the mirror portals all at once. “Get him!” – rang out the order of the commander. The warrior waved his sword, the mage released a ball of energy, the healer tried to paralyze him, and the assassin threw a dagger, but Maxim was fast enough. He ducked higher, climbed onto the next branch, and was soon under the very dome of the temple. Branches of the tree began to entwine around his legs. His hands didn’t reach the opening in the roof by almost a meter. “Stay” – a voice sounded in his head. He saw a face appearing on the bark of the tree, surprisingly similar to his own, if it opened its eyes it would be too late, too late. If he had been even a little taller, he probably could have reached the edges of the opening in the roof in a jump. But now it was impossible, his height was too small. He tried to climb a little higher, tearing his legs out of the branches that were entwining him. From this movement, under his weight, the upper branches of the tree creaked dangerously and went sharply down first, then returned up like a spring, momentarily lifting Max slightly higher than he was initially. “If you fall down and break all your bones, is there still a point in choosing the warrior class?” – a strange thought flashed through his head. The Ent was slowly coming to life.

Max jerked with all his might.

He pushed off with his feet at the highest point of the branch’s oscillation, and through a brief moment of flight, it seemed to him that he would never reach the edge of the broken stained-glass window, he instinctively squeezed his eyes shut, but his hands were still reaching forward, in this moment of weightlessness before the fall, his fingers gripped a ledge. He pulled himself up, grabbed a metal spire, which apparently once served as a clock hand in the sundial of the temple, and found himself on the roof.

Quest “Choosing a Path” Completed.

Class assigned:

Time Keeper (hidden class) – a mage capable of manipulating gravity, time, and space. Keepers can slow down or speed up events, use fast movements, and foresee the future.

Your divine patron is the One – God of gravity, time, and space, balance, and higher justice.

Reward: Class skill – Teleportation. With the help of ancient magic, you tear the fabric of space, instantly moving to the chosen point. Disappear from the sight of enemies and instantly move a short distance.

Use this skill to avoid danger or take a favorable position for attack.

Experience for completing the quest: +25

Experience for obtaining a unique class: +100

*You are the only player on the server to receive the Time Keeper class.

You have reached new level 11.

Experience to the next level: 1125 (+125) \1200

The movement inside the temple stopped, his digital doubles disappeared, and the tree became an ordinary plant again.

Max recoiled from the failure of the broken stained-glass window, stood up, and surveyed the surroundings. The temple, majestically towering in the middle of the city, shrouded in a poisonous fog that spread over the ground like a living creature. Only the roofs of individual buildings occasionally peered out of this fog, through which the dim light of the sunset broke through, painting the horizon in a bloody haze. The city, once prosperous, now looked like a shadow of itself, plunged into darkness and despair.

Sinister dark figures, resembling zombies, wandered through the streets with a swaying, uneven gait. Their movements were slow and unnatural, as if they were puppets in the hands of an invisible puppeteer. Max felt a chill run down his spine as one of these figures raised its head, and he saw empty, lifeless eyes looking in his direction.

The background music, previously quiet and unobtrusive, became gloomy, with booming drum beats that sounded like a harbinger of trouble. Each beat echoed in his heart, urging him to action.

“Damn… Where am I? -Max thought, – and where to go next?”

The heavy fog and monsters did not cause any desire to go down and explore the area.

“Faster Darriel, take him down!” – someone’s rough voice pierced the fog.

Max’s body worked faster than his brain and he collapsed down, pressed against the roof. The string of the crossbow snapped and a dark figure at the end of the street fell down with an arrow in its head.

“It could have been a screamer… we won’t be able to withstand the second aggro. Be on the lookout woman!” – warned the voice.

“Don’t whine Red. We’ll rest when we get to the temple. According to the location that Max sent you, he should be somewhere here. Monsters can’t go to holy ground.” – another voice replied.

The speakers finally appeared in the area of visibility, which was severely limited by the gray fog. They were a broad-shouldered shorty, a little shorter even than Max himself in a horned helmet, with a mace in his hands and a huge shield – a typical fantasy dwarf, and a honed, flexible female figure with a crossbow dressed in dark, form-fitting leather armor. Pointed ears and light hair made her look like an elf, but eyes shining with red lights and ash-gray skin did not allow to understand exactly what fantasy race she belongs to. The girl squatted over the monster lying on the pavement and pulled her arrow out of it.