She Rules the Dungeon

With the squad of twenty-odd people in team FLS, Otta and Richard were able to progress three times as fast with their help. Developments have improved by leaps and bounces. The tech squad was amazing! Otta still couldn't believe that they would be able to replicate exactly what she had in mind using Roomscape. Richard once explained that it wasn't possible to replicate the senses of smell or taste in the dungeons. It was impossible to replicate an experience of something that a person has no knowledge of. As such, it was impossible for cripples to walk even if they entered dungeons. Science hasn't advanced that far to allow total manipulation of the physical senses in a virtual reality. Also, they were having difficulties with pushing forward the idea of time dilution in dungeons. However, Richard and the tech team were able to find a way to pull the sense of smell and taste into dungeons by using something that the user has previously experienced. It was actually Kalissa's idea to allow adventurers to enlist in the 4D experience by registering for premium membership. Items that they want to smell and taste in the dungeon will be shipped to them by FLS free of charge. All they had to do was enjoy the food. Together with PJP's help, Richard was able to add in smells and tastes for certain items. Otta's kitchen was finally put to good use and more people were buying private properties.

Kalissa was a crucial person when it came to translating the tech team's report to common language. Richard was no longer burdened with having to explain everything in 'baby language' to Otta. With her around, Richard was able to go full nerd and display his true abilities. Otta was extremely impressed with what Richard could do with his keyboard and computer. He single-handedly took down Valkyrie Wars and Angels vs Demons without anyone tracing it back to him. Neuf did a great job keeping the cyber police off them.

So far, Five Lives Saga has been topping every chart with no signs of slowing. The media's interest in what they have planned hasn't died and Otta was contemplating if she should bring up her new crazy ideas to Richard who was currently busy holding a group voice chat with the tech team.

Dr Whitestone would be visiting in an hour and Otta thought it would be best to look through her presentation again. Honestly, Five Lives Saga was great and all but once Otta had a taste of success, she didn't want to stop. If she poured out her savings, she would be able to savour an entire chicken but at this point, the thought of celebrating was still too early. Otta wanted undisputable success. It was always all or nothing. She wanted to do something that will make the government speechless and have her name carved into history books like Steve Jobs. She wanted to be the first person to change the way of lives for people just like the inventors of cell phones.

"Alright, I'm done!" Richard groaned. The chair creaked when he stretched and Otta looked up from her laptop, nervous.

"Spit it out. I know you're overthinking something crazy again."

The red-head bit her bottom lip. Sometimes she wondered how Richard knew her so well. It was scary at times but she was glad to have him as her partner. He was her anchor and Otta was grateful for that.

"It's a crazy idea..."

The programmer rolled his eyes and grinned. "That's what you say for every idea. Yet it worked out just fine. I'm not going to judge, don't worry. You called Dr Whitestone over for this too, didn't you? You might as well run it by me first."

"Promise? Because I remember the last time you said that you wouldn't judge, I ended up listening to your hour-long lecture about what's possible and what isn't."

Richard paused. Something about Otta's tone made him reconsider. Maybe it was a really insane idea this time. Was Otta going to try to replicate an adventure in space or something? Now he was afraid to know.

"You look scared," Otta pointed out when Richard was silent for too long.

"I'm not. I'm afraid of ignorance, not the unknown. But it can be slightly unnerving to think of what that brain of yours come up with every time you give me that look."

Otta sighed. Maybe this was a dumb plan after all. She should probably call it off.

"Don't. Don't do that," Richard frowned.

"Do what?"

"Don't give me that expression. I'll rather listen to your crazy ideas than see you shut yourself out again. Grace warned me about this. You need to know that we're partners. Partners don't judge each other. If it's not possible, I'll let you know. But if you want the impossible, then it's my duty to find a way to make it possible just like the taste and smell senses in dungeons. We can meet halfway, just don't shut me out before you try."

Otta swallowed. Richard was reading her like a book lately and it's frightening yet somehow reassuring.

"Alright. I won't. In any case, I'm not done with the idea of giving the blind a chance to see and the crippled a chance to walk in dungeons. And yes, before you say anything... I'm fully aware that we can't do that in Roomscape. However, what if we create a dungeon that isn't about fighting?"

Richard raised a brow. "You do know that even if it is a dungeon that isn't fighting, we'll still have to use Roomscape to design it. The only reason why FLS is so customisable is because I'm adding my mods onto the main system. I'm basically rewriting the codes in it to make my library work. It's not something everyone can do. Programming can only do so much for user experience. If the science behind it isn't supported, we can't do anything about it."

Otta understood this way too well. Dr Whitestone had explained the concept before. The brain is a very complex thing and many things could go wrong in a simulation. However, Otta believed that it would be possible to allow the disabled to experience things they've never experienced before just like how humans can experience flight in dungeons without the ability in real life.

"Richard, what do you think about memory sharing?"

The programmer wasn't sure where Otta was heading with that idea. "What do you mean?"

"In computers, data can be copied and pasted into a different directory easily. What if we could do the same for memories? Would that allow the disabled to experience something that they would normally not experience?"

Richard paused. Now he saw why Otta was hesitant to let him know her idea. It was a promising one but also a highly risky one. While copying data files was easy, human memories were slightly trickier. It is true that human brainwaves worked similar to radio waves. Both used frequency and by copying a certain frequency, memories can be replicated and transferred by using the syncing technology of the new dungeon. However, the inconsistencies and the unknown areas of such an idea were too many. While it was logically possible to create such a dungeon, there were many unknowns. Otta was once again breaking common sense and for the first time, Richard wasn't sure if PJP would support them on this. If it succeeds, there would be a huge medical breakthrough and many people can benefit from it. However, should it fail... FLS... no, even PJP will not escape unscathed. Now that they were in the media's limelight, such a huge project will attract all sorts of attention. Richard was both excited and terrified about Otta's newest idea.

Dr Whitestone arrived ten minutes later and Richard was silent while Otta explained her idea.

"Hold on," Dr Whitestone frowned and pinched the bridge of his nose. He had his fair share of listening to Otta's ideas from time to time but this idea took the cake as the craziest thing she's managed to come up with so far. Brilliant yet insane.

"You're saying that you want to create a dungeon that defies the logic of time and can copy memories to share with others. This is a dungeon that doesn't promote adventuring and fighting and is made for medical use?"

Otta nodded. Dr Whitestone didn't know how to react. Did Otta forget why dungeons existed? It was to facilitate science to understand the human brain better. Otta's dungeons have always benefited the study of the human brain and how it worked. PJP has collected a lot of valuable information and Otta has opened the doors to many previously unknown possibilities. However, Dr Whitestone wasn't sure if they were able to match Otta's pace of innovation with so many new territories opened at once. It was like opening a can of worms and while the idea of exploring uncharted waters was tempting, the consequences of not being prepared enough were terrifying.

PJP was shorthanded at the moment with so many new projects steered by the director. Adrian worked every scientist he had to the bone running tests and collecting information about how adventurers reacted to different worlds. Adventurers seem to undergo some sort of transformation after transcending from a world. The experiences they accumulated as seen by veterans, especially in Black Penguin, provided interesting results. Brian activity increased and many seem to develop some sort of sixth sense in dungeons unexplainable by scientists. This phenomenon was dubbed 'battlefield syndrome' and it was what kept PJP ahead of the other science guilds.

"Otta... this is a very interesting idea. However, I'm unable to make this decision to say if we should go ahead with this project officially. The implications are far too severe should things go south, let me inform Adrian about it before I get back to you."

Otta expected just as much. Although it was technically possible, nobody has done such a thing and the chances of failing were very high. However, Otta still wanted to give it a go. She knew that if such a dungeon was created, it would change the lives of many forever. Not just for the disabled, for schools and work too. Many things could happen. Richard and Otta have been created private dungeons to test out if it could be used as an office. Although it was difficult to get any work done in it, time dilution was a great gift. By setting an in-dungeon timer, Otta was able to physically rest but produce some work while in the dungeon. They were still adjusting the time dilution ratio to find the best formula that didn't mess with Otta's biological clock. So far 3:5 was a good ratio for unknown reasons. Of course, Dr Whitestone didn't know about Otta and Richard's private experiment. He would probably scold them for acting recklessly.

After the duo bid Dr Whitestone goodbye, they decided to head out for dinner. There was no point in overworking and risk breaking down when everything was progressing smoothly. They had a capable team after all.

"Are you going to use the cheating dungeon tonight?" Otta asked Richard. The programmer paused.

"Nah, I think I want to sleep for real tonight. My brain is exhausted. We just finished debugging a twenty thousand line code. I'm thinking of giving the tech team access to the cheat dungeon but I'm limiting them to using it for only two hours each night real time. What do you think?"

Otta shrugged. "Your call. Besides, that's about three and a half hours of extra work time? It's not much. I'm only afraid of Dr Whitestone finding out..."

Richard shuddered. For a scientist, he was extremely naggy. You'd think that a scientist was always about taking calculated risks and exploring the unknown. Dr Whitestone was more of a doctor than a scientist in Otta and Richards' opinion. He kept pestering them to sleep, rest, shower, clean and eat whenever he wasn't working. Whenever he came by, he would come with food. Whenever he wasn't in a rush to leave, he would help to clean Otta's apartment despite them having a cleaning crew come regularly. Dr Whitestone worried too much and it made them feel slightly guilty for keeping things from him. The old man was such a worrywart and as much as his concern was touching, it sometimes got irritating.

***

"I heard from Whitestone that you came up with something crazy again."

Otta and Richard sat upright in the presence of PJP's most fearsome man. Adrian wasn't smiling and it wasn't a good sign.

Otta swallowed and her voice came out squeakier than she liked when she explained to the director about what she had in mind. She didn't notice when Richard held her hand under the table to give her moral support but she reacted to his touch, regaining her confidence as she elaborated on the plan.

Adrian was silent throughout, hands clasped in front of his mouth and eyebrows forming a deep furrow as he listened. His expression never changed but Richard noticed how the man's eyes glistened.

After Otta finished her pitch, Adrian looked at the two youths seated before him. How many months has it been since he met them? Five Lives Saga proved to be quite the golden goose and he didn't want to disappoint the geniuses behind its success but he must say, this was quite the gamble. As a researcher, he was curious about its potential. He wanted her idea to succeed. However, as a director of a large company, he had the responsibility to protect the interest of their shareholders. If anything goes wrong with the project, many things could happen and PJP would not escape unscathed.

"Otta, Richard... the both of you are very valuable talents, geniuses in my books and irreplaceable. You have the power to shape the future with your revolutionary way of thinking but this time, I'm sorry to say that PJP will not be part of the new dungeon development. Don't misunderstand, it is a great idea. In fact, I want it to succeed as a researcher. It's going to pave the way for many and open new doors to unknown lands. Its potential is limitless and if it succeeds, we can progress as a society to another level higher. However, as the director of PJP I have the responsibility to protect the interest of my shareholders and answer to the public. As such, my hands are tied. Human experimentation and live testing are strictly prohibited. I regret that we are unable to be of any help to you for this project."

Otta balled her hands into fists under the table and her jaw stiffened. Richard was about to speak on her behalf when the red-head bowed.

"I understand. Thank you for listening to me."

Adrian shook his head. There was sadness in his eyes. "Please don't thank me. I couldn't do anything in the end. I'm very sorry."

Otta's eyes glistened with unshed tears but she smiled, holding her head high. "I expected as much when I first thought of it but thank you for hearing me out anyway. The fact that you think highly of us is enough. I really appreciate all the help you've given us. It must not be easy being the director of such a huge company..."

Adrian sighed. "Indeed. I only wish that I don't have to reject such brilliant ideas. Even though we have the technology, people are still old-fashioned and unwilling to move along with time."

Richard tightened his hold on Otta's hand. "We understand. Thank you so much, director."

Adrian stood up to show them out of his office and was surprised to see them holding hands but said nothing as the two youths left. He couldn't help but wonder if they've passed the stage of friendship and business partners. Shaking his head, he returned to his desk. It didn't matter if they were dating or not, he was just glad that they had each other to depend on.