Beep!

 

“I’m home!”

 

Stefan scanned his fingerprint, and opened the door. The moment he entered his apartment, he was greeted by his beloved cat girl who was now his girlfriend. Nyanko was wearing a maid outfit. Well, no matter what her outfit was, Stefan always found his girlfriend to be the most beautiful woman in this planet.

 

“Master, welcome home! How’s everything?” 

 

Nyanko spoke with a worried voice. Her tail couldn’t stop swaying. 

 

“Ah, Doc said everything is fine. I just probably need to rest more.”

 

“Doctor Ryoichi said so?” Nyanko heaved a sigh of relief. “I’m glad.”

 

“By the way, shouldn’t you stop calling me Master? I mean, we are now…” Stefan suddenly voiced this question.

 

“You don’t like it?” Nyanko tilted her head.

 

“Ah… Well…” Stefan stopped a for a while to think. 

 

Yes, it’s weird to have his girlfriend calling him Master, but the question was, what would Nyanko call him then, if not Master?

 

Honey? 

 

Babe?

 

Hell! Too cringey!

 

Therefore, Stefan reconsidered his idea.

 

“Let’s just… stay the same then.”

 

“Okay!”

 

Nyanko then helped Stefan take off his jacket, also got him a cup of ice cold water.

 

“By the way, what is that device you’re holding?” Nyanko asked as she saw Stefan take out the mini headset and look at it with sparkling eyes.

 

“Oh, this? It’s the newest Full Dive headset, Shoji just gave it to me.”

 

“Really?” Nyanko exclaimed and looked at the device more closely. “So small!”

 

“I know, right? It’s still a prototype though, but let’s see what this bad boy can do!”

 

“So you want to prepare for a gaming session right now, Master?”

 

“Yes please.”

 

And so, Stefan and Nyanko moved into their recreation room, and prepared to have a Full Dive session. 

 

---

 

Full Dive guides and regulation, created and recommended by Aura Tech

 

1 - Only Full Dive when you’re in a comfortable and safe environment. Indoor usage only.

2 - Do not Full Dive when having one of these symptoms: headache, nausea, hunger, insomnia or trouble focusing.

3 - Do not Full Dive under the influence of psychoactive drugs or alcohol.

4 - Do not Full Dive more than 5 hours a day.

5 - Always pay attention to your vital signs, which will be displayed at the corner of your vision. 

6 - Do not turn off or modify the device’s safety mechanism by any means. Doing so is illegal and can lead to a permanent ban on your account.

7 - Do not overclock any part of the device. Doing so is illegal and can lead to a permanent ban on your account.

8 - Do not visit illegal sites, or play illegal games. Doing so is illegal and can lead to a permanent ban on your account.

9 - Do not let another person use your account. Doing so is illegal and can lead to a permanent ban on your account.

10 - Do not connect the device to any other unauthorized sources. 

11 - A time stretching factor (TSF) of 2.0 or below is recommended for general use.

12 - A time stretching factor (TSF) of 3.0 or above requires special license provided by Aura Tech. Your vital signs and brain waves will be monitored by Aura’s servers in real time.

 

---

 

“Master, wait a second… Done!”

 

In just mere seconds, Nyanko had just finished reading all the user manual, policy, terms of use and guides related to this new Full Dive headset. They were sent to Stefan’s mailbox, from Doctor Takeshita. 

 

“Well, how’s everything?” sitting comfy on his luxurious gaming chair, Stefan asked.

 

“Nothing out of the ordinary. Still the same documents, same protocols, plus some minor changes but nothing serious.” Nyanko answered. 

 

“I see.”

 

Stefan then put on his blindfold, and closed his eyes.

 

“I’m ready.”

 

“By the way, what TSF setting are you going for? This one can go up to 8.0 max TSF.”

 

“What?” Stefan almost jumped out of his chair in surprise. ““Damn it, Shoji! This is fucking insane!”

 

The maximum time stretching factor or max TSF, basically speaking, determined how a person would perceive the flow of time while using the device. With a factor of 5.0, one minute could feel like five minutes. Most beginners could only tolerate a TSF below 2.0. Most multiplayer games had a TSF of 1.5 by default, while single player games could have a higher value. However, this max TSF right here, nearly doubled the current maximum TSF available on the market, which was only 3.7!

 

“Let’s do 4.0 then!”

 

“As you wish!”

 

Nyanko then walked towards a refrigerator which was placed inside the room. Why refrigerator? Well, because what was inside it needed to be preserved under low temperature.

 

Full Dive nutrition Intravenous  bags.

 

Normally, a brain only consumes 20 percent of the whole body’s total energy usage. However, this amount skyrockets under Full Dive conditions. As a person’s brain could turn into a nutrition hungry monster in Full Dive, a session with TSF setting above 3.0 required the usage of these IV bags. They contained the most concentrated brain food formula, also made by Aura. Glucose, electrolytes, neuro-transmitters, GABA blockers… without them, Full Dive at high TSF could be not only impossible, but also highly dangerous.

 

And so, Stefan held out his arm, and Nyanko inserted the needle into his vein. As the liquid started to flow, Stefan could instantly feel its stimulating effect. His heart rate rose and his breathing became rapid in a short moment. But then, the body quickly adjusted and returned to normal.

 

“Let’s begin.” Stefan signaled, and Nyanko turned on the device which was sitting on his temple. 

 

In an instant, Stefan’s consciousness drifted away. He was now in a whole new world. “So beautiful!” he gasped at the scene displayed in front of him. A snowy mountain top, starry sky, and northern lights.

 

And out of everything, there was this star, bigger than anything other star, brighter than anything else.

 

This was, indeed, the Aura Star, the famous representation of Aura Tech.