Dungeon Core Online

Chapter 58

"What exactly is going on?" James sat back, drink in hand, watching the developer before him. The man's eyes were filled with amusement, and James had a sickening feeling that Xander considered life itself, and the lives of everyone around him, as merely part of a larger game. Was he one of the ones who believed reality was merely a simulation?

"We live in an exciting time James." Xander waved a hand to fill up his drink, before taking a long sip. "Technology is the most advanced it has ever been, and mankind is constantly moving forward."

James sat quietly and took a drink, waiting for Xander to continue. He was sure the developer was the type that enjoyed long, monolog-

"-However, technology can only do so much, and mankind has discovered a few truths that they cannot fight against. First, you cannot cure mortality. Second, there is no magic in the world."

Xander took another sip, letting the words hang in the air. One would think what Xander had just told James was common sense, but James knew many people still clung to religious beliefs, even when science disproved such things at every turn. People would do whatever they could to lessen the harshness of reality. Hell, that was part of why immersion technology was as popular as it was.

"Now, what if I told you both of those truths, those laws, could be broken?" Xander said the words slowly, his eyes watching James expectantly.

"That's not-"

"Possible? You are correct, in a sense. The human body is finite, from the moment of conception, our time is limited. But what if there were a way to advance further, a way to free ourselves from the shackles of our flesh?"

"Then, we could live forever?"

"Exactly." The developer had a large grin on his face as he took a drink. Where was he going with this? What did James's parents have to do with all of this? What did Rue have to do with all of this?

"Now, obviously mankind has been seeking for a way to free itself from the cruel fate of time since our evolution. However, now, we are the brink of a breakthrough."

"What does this have to do with DCO?" James really wasn't sure what Xander was rambling on about. These were not matters a 17 year old really cared about. James really just wanted his life to go back to being simple, where all he had to worry about was whether Dwight was going to beat him up when he showed up at school, and how he would repay the bully in DCO. Simple things.

"Well, DCO as a whole, is a part of an experiment to see about the possibility of allowing humans to live forever, within a game." Xander smirked. "It would be ironic, no? We already exist within a simulation, so why not create a simulation within the simulation to exist within?"

If Xander wanted James to respond, he had no idea how to. The concept just seemed to farfetched. And what did DCO have to do with that anyways?

"I see you're not quite catching on." He sighed. "DCO is an experiment, to see if we can create a completely new, self-governing society within a video game, and fully engage players within it. We are talking about a never-ending existence, and as such, one where there needs to constantly be a way to engage the players within the game and keep pushing them forward."

"Which is why you have the Dungeon Core's as players?"

"Exactly. There is no finite level of existence within DCO. And with a player as a core, the world can constantly be evolving, expanding, and changing. However, if players were to realize the controlling functions of the world were a human, just like them, obviously we would run into some problems."

"Such as?"

"Well, bribery, lamenting, anger, worship. You know, all the problems society ran into with religion back in the day. If players simply see the dungeon as a constantly growing and changing thing, regulated by perhaps an advanced AI, they are fine to accept it. Interestingly enough though, the perception of being at the whim of another human always brings along its own emotional baggage. Which I would like to avoid."

"Alright. So what? Players are just going to stay within DCO forever? We still need to exit our immersion pods, we still need to eat, and sleep." There were reasons the government regulated the hours of immersion. James knew all too well about the mass number of humans who had died refusing to leave immersion.

"Yes, because you are trapped in your bodies."

"Yeah, well if history has taught us anything, we can't transfer our consciousness from out bodies." James remembered someone attempted that once, a man named Elon Musk. All it had done, was create a widespread virus, that still caused the occasional issue. It seemed he had tried to upload himself to the internet, but in the process, his body had failed, and the 'data' that had been transferred had burst apart immediately.

"I'm sure you are referring to my dear friend Elon, yes?" The developer had a grin on his face. "He was on the right path, the technology was just too young at the time. You see, he was trying to copy consciousness. I am talking about full on transfer, one way, into a digital avatar. Essentially, a permanent immersion."

James shook his head at the thought. He knew a lot of people would gladly leave the real world if they could exist in immersion forever. James even fantasized about that idea as well. But even at 17, he knew there was no way that would work. There were too many factors.

"Let's say I accept that DCO is some sort of weird experiment for you, in a search for immortality." James sighed and glanced from the developer to Rue. "What exactly do my parents, and Rue, have to do with it?"