The next morning arrived with a calm quietness. Light filtered in through the blinds of the apartment, casting long lines across the floor. Silo was sitting comfortably on the couch, resting his arms on his thighs while staring ahead, deep in thought. His mind was still busy with the ideas and possibilities from the day before, especially now that he had the ability to make use of his newly acquired skills.
After a brief pause, he asked out loud, "So, System, how do I use the skills I got yesterday?"
The reply from the system came instantly, sounding in his mind with its usual upbeat tone.
!Just think of the skill you want to use!
The moment Silo heard the response, he immediately focused on the skill he had in mind. As soon as the thought formed clearly, something flickered in front of him. A purple holographic panel appeared out of thin air, floating steadily in front of him. It looked like a futuristic desktop setup, complete with a glowing keyboard and a transparent mouse sitting just below the panel. The interface was sleek, slightly tinted with violet hues, and gave off a soft hum that was oddly satisfying.
Silo stared at it for a moment, impressed by how responsive it was. He leaned forward slightly and rubbed his chin, thinking to himself. 'What kind of game should I make first? Should I go with an RPG? Or maybe an open world? Or even a hardcore-style game?' These were all solid options, but the more he considered them, the more he realized he didn't need to choose just one.
Then, the idea hit him. There was no reason he couldn't combine them all. He could create an open-world RPG where death had a real consequence. A game where if the player died, they had to start all over again. The kind of game that demanded true strategy and survival instincts. It would be punishing, but fair, and that's what made it so exciting.
With that spark of inspiration, Silo got to work immediately. He began writing down everything that came to mind about the project. He jotted down notes about what the game would be about, how players would progress through the story, how immersive the experience would be, and every small detail that could make it feel as real as possible. He wanted the players to forget they were playing a game at all. His goal was to make something that felt alive.
He then moved on to making a detailed list of features that he absolutely wanted in the game. He included things like ultra-realistic AI that responded dynamically to the player's decisions and behavior. He planned for over 20,000 unique pieces of equipment to ensure variety and depth. The game would also feature a painstakingly accurate recreation of New York City and its five boroughs, down to the smallest street and corner. Each borough would feel distinct and alive.
He also wanted there to be multiple factions players could join, each with its own missions, philosophies, and goals. Safe houses would be scattered across the city to provide refuge, but they would also be limited in number and protection. The game would have a living leaderboard to track player performance and accomplishments, pushing people to compete and stay sharp.
After putting all of that down and reviewing it with a nod of approval, he finally gave his project a name. He called it "Shadows of Empire." The title fit the tone he was going for perfectly. The game would place players in a world where they had to earn their place within one of five elite spy or special operations organizations. Each of these secret groups would be based in one of the five boroughs of New York City, with their own strengths, weaknesses, and ideologies. Recruitment into one of these organizations would not be easy, and surviving in the world they operated in would be even harder.
About thirty minutes later, Silo finally finished writing down everything he could think of for the game. His mind was buzzing with ideas and details, and the notepad in front of him was filled from top to bottom. After a brief moment of satisfaction, he leaned back and thought about using the "Thought Game Creation" skill. The second that idea formed clearly in his mind, something strange happened.
All at once, the entire list he had written began flowing back into his head as if being uploaded. It wasn't overwhelming, though—it felt natural, like his brain had become the scripting app itself. Every line, every mechanic, every design decision he had written was now perfectly organized and structured in his mind. He could feel the code, the systems, the logic forming on their own. And then, without him even needing to confirm it, he just knew. The game was done.
A few seconds after that realization, he activated his "Immersive Games" skill. As soon as he did, an unfamiliar rune materialized within his thoughts, glowing with a soft pulse as it drifted through his mental space. It didn't hurt or feel invasive, but Silo could sense that this rune was binding itself to the game's script. It attached itself to the framework of the game he had just created, integrating into it seamlessly and enhancing the immersive quality of what he had built.
With everything in place, he mentally clicked the [Make Game] button in his head. Immediately, the system responded with a notification.
!This game would have cost you: 250,000 EP. Free first game ticket being used. Game has been uploaded to all platforms!
A second message followed almost immediately after.
!A feature has been unlocked: Game God Mode!
Reading that last line, Silo raised an eyebrow with interest. He sat forward slightly and asked aloud, "Explain what that is, System."
The system replied with a bit more energy than usual, almost as if excited about the feature itself.
!Game God Mode (GGM): In the gaming world, you can do anything (except for add new content or update the game). For example, you can create a character and play as that character. You could make them rich and powerful, or turn them into a mafia boss or a background character. Whatever you want. As long as it doesn't involve changing the content of the game or giving out free updates, it's possible.!
Silo blinked once, processing the information. After a moment, he thought to himself, 'Well, that's pretty useful.'
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Far away from where Silo was, in an entirely different state, a young boy sat quietly in his bedroom. He wasn't the athletic type—his frame was round and chubby, and his hair was a mess of uneven brown strands that flopped lazily over his forehead. His green eyes, though tired and slightly bored, scanned the glowing screen of his phone with a mixture of frustration and disappointment. His name was Porter.
He leaned back against the headboard of his bed, one hand supporting his cheek while the other lazily scrolled through the app store. A faint frown tugged at the corners of his mouth as he spoke under his breath. "Man, there aren't any good games anymore. They're all just the same recycled ideas over and over. Some might look better or have a few unique features, but they're still just copies of each other."
His thumb continued sliding across the screen, one bland title after another catching his eye, only to be dismissed a second later. That was, until he suddenly stopped. His gaze focused on a game with a strange title and no reviews or ratings. Not a single download. He blinked and tapped on it.
The title appeared in bold text:
[SHADOWS OF EMPIRE]
Beneath the name, there was a genre and a few details:
[Genre: Open-World Hardcore Espionage RPG]
[Setting: New York City – the Five Boroughs]
[Platform: Full-Immersion PC / Mobile (Consciousness-Link Simulation)]
Porter squinted at the screen, raising an eyebrow in disbelief. "Consciousness-Link Simulation?" he said out loud, a mix of skepticism and curiosity lacing his voice.
He shook his head slightly and chuckled to himself. "These games are getting more outrageous by the day," he muttered. Despite his doubt, he was intrigued enough to keep reading. "I'll spend the five bucks to test this out though."
Before purchasing, he clicked on the description tab and read the text aloud, the more he read, the more his expression shifted from amused to slightly impressed.
"You don't just play the game you become your character. Your mind is transported into a simulated New York City where you must train, fight, and survive using your own reflexes and learning ability. There's no HUD. No tutorials. No handholding. You learn by doing—real combat, stealth, hacking, real pain, and survival. And once you die, it's all gone. Start over."
Porter exhaled slowly, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked at the price again. It was still five dollars.
Without saying anything else, he clicked on the purchase button and waited. The download bar filled in less than a second. He stared at the now-available Open button and, without hesitation, tapped it.
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Back in Silo's apartment, the atmosphere was quiet and uneventful. He sat at the small dining table, casually eating his food while scrolling through his phone. His eyes moved lazily across the screen, shifting between news articles and random posts. As he browsed through more and more headlines, one thing quickly became apparent to him. This world he was in was advancing far faster in terms of technology than the one he had come from.
It was the year 1990 according to the calendar here, yet they already had access to computers that rivaled early 2000s tech, functional long-distance telecommunication devices that didn't require landlines, and even a fully operational 4G network. It was bizarre to him, but also impressive. He leaned back slightly and kept reading, intrigued by how this world functioned on a completely different timeline.
His scrolling came to a halt when a specific article caught his attention. The headline was bold, and the story had clearly been a major event in this world. News about Howard Stark's assassination the previous year was still making waves. The comments and follow-up stories showed that the public was still obsessed with it. That piece of information was more than enough for Silo to confirm what he had been suspecting.
"So this really is the Marvel world," he muttered to himself, a bit of disbelief in his voice.
Just as he began thinking about the implications of that realization, a bright notification appeared in front of him. The system had popped up again, and its message was simple but direct.
!First download has been made and you have earned: 5 Entertainment Points (EP)!
Another notification followed right after the first one.
!Host, please enter the alias you want people to use!
Without thinking too long about it, he mentally typed in a name that had a certain ring to it—"SIN."
Once that was accepted, another prompt replaced the last one.
!Host, please make a name for your company.
Enter here: ________!
Silo leaned forward slightly, setting his phone down as he gave this some thought. It didn't seem like something he wanted to rush. After a short pause, he settled on a word that sounded sharp and modern in his mind. He mentally typed it in, watching the system respond.
!Your company is now named: PULSE Studios!
After confirming that, Silo took a moment to relax again, but then another thought came to mind. He glanced toward the system tab and spoke to it mentally.
'System, I have a question. Can I make a streaming app that lets players stream while they are in-game, and also allows people in both the real world and in-game to watch them?'
There was no long explanation this time. The system gave a direct response.
!Streaming app update cost: 5 EP!
It didn't elaborate further or offer any warnings. It just told him the cost. Silo gave it a second of consideration, then mentally selected yes. The moment he did, the system screen changed again.
!Please enter company name!
He typed the name in his mind without hesitation—"PULSE Streaming."
As soon as the input was confirmed, he felt the same sensation as before. The new update and the app's structure flowed into his mind like code being uploaded. It only lasted a moment, and then the app had been automatically added to the in-game world's app store and integrated with the game systems.
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When the game menu finally appeared on the screen, it presented a sleek interface with a few simple, yet clearly defined options. The visual design was sharp and modern, with a faint flickering effect around each selection. There were four main menu options available:
[PLAY]
[MECHANICS]
[PULSE Streaming]
[CREDITS]
Porter, still getting used to what this game was even supposed to be, decided to start with something basic. He didn't want to just dive right in without checking out a few details first, so the first option he clicked on was [CREDITS]. When the credits loaded up, there were only two things written on the screen in bold, digital lettering:
[Lead Admin: SIN]
[Company Name: PULSE Studios]
That was it. There was no list of developers, no long scroll of contributors or special thanks—just those two lines. It gave the game a strangely mysterious tone, but Porter just shrugged it off. He clicked back to return to the main menu, thinking maybe the next section would give more context on what this game actually involved.
He then tapped on [MECHANICS], curious to see what kind of structure the game followed. As soon as he clicked it, the screen shifted and the mechanics began loading line by line in a very clean, organized layout.
The first section read:
[1. FULL-CONSCIOUSNESS TRANSFER SYSTEM (FCTS)]
• You control your character with your full awareness.
• All physical skills—shooting, parkour, stealth—must be learned naturally.
• Reflexes and precision improve the more time you spend in-game.
• Faction training enhances this process, unlocking unique skill paths.
Porter blinked as he read each bullet point slowly, letting the meaning of each line sink in. The way the mechanics were worded, it really sounded like this game wasn't just about pressing buttons or grinding stats. Everything in it seemed to require real effort and immersion. It wasn't just a simulation. It seemed like it was going to demand real learning and skill, not just from the character, but from the player themselves.
He kept reading, eyes scanning downward to see what else the mechanics section had in store.