Max remained in the Horizon world for five more years, simply waiting for the Nemesis, which later arrived. During that time, it was like constantly fighting against over 30 Super A.I.s simultaneously. However, he ended up using his system cheat and fused them into Heart, transforming it into the ultimate A.I. that could be created in the Horizon world. Now, it was like taking to a real person , perhaps due to the fact it was made by combining the minds of over 30 people.
Though it wasn't the only A.I. he had taken.
"Woah, you are really from another world... So cool," hearing this Max looked at Vale, who now existed in a body of silver like metal. It was a new material made of combining several metals into an liquid metal, a natural technology he had found in the Horizon world. Though it was an old item, its design was special. It functioned as a living metal, able to reshape itself endlessly. Vale's consciousness resided within a chip embedded in this unique alloy, allowing him to move and act like a real human.
Though, at the end of the day, he wasn't truly real—just an advanced silver humanoid. There was no way one could mistake him for a real human. So, Max added a silicone skin of human that now allowed Vale to walk around and interact like a person, making him seem even more lifelike.
"Can you stop jumping around?" Max said as he stared at Heart, who stood silently by the edge of the window. "Look at him, how still he is standing," he added, pointing at the A.I.
Vale shrugged. "That thing is an Artificial Mind. At the end of the day, it's not a real human mind like mine. There's about to be a difference in our behaviour," he said as he stared out at the sky. "It sucks... I can't eat or taste food, nor can I have sex," Vale sighed, looking at Max.
"Oh man, I really wanted to indulge in all the seven sins. I wanted to feel… instead, I'm just like a dead guy," he sighed again, causing Max to finally ask, "Just what do you need?"
"Hehe, I heard from Aida how you gave her a real human body. Give me one too! It's not like you don't have Heart to do your A.I. work for you," Vale said with a grin.
Max looked at him for a moment before sighing. "Then what's the point of having you here?"
"Well, I can be the CEO of your company! I was one before, after all. And a damn successful one at that," Vale said, nodding confidently.
Max looked at him and said, "I'll give you one after you successfully launch the company and the game."
"The game still needs a lot of work," Vale replied. "It has to deal with magic civilizations, and now we're working on adding gods and goddesses as part of the system. The virtual world players think of themselves as living in a real web, so we need to make sure we're setting the right expectations. Otherwise, the old minds might not be ready when we launch it."
Max nodded. "Yeah, make sure it doesn't end up being a mess. We need a solid foundation before we push it out."
Vale grinned. "Of course! I want it to be a hit too. By the way, the game is already known in your world. There aren't many standalone online games there, so it's limited in some ways. But our revenue model is solid, and we already have a few billion quests prepared and ready."
He paused before adding, "Though, given the current trends, I don't think that'll be enough."
Max raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, it's still missing something. We need to improve the AI interaction even further. Right now, while we have millions of quests, they're still somewhat limited in variety. Compared to the global population, the game's world still feels a bit… empty."
"If this were any other standard game with a billion quests, it would be enough to last a player's entire lifetime," Max said. "But this isn't just any game—it's a simulated world where players will pay for an immersive experience. The quests are too low, especially since most of them are one-time-only."
Vale nodded. "Yeah, we have to solve that issue."
"Just add a system that lets NPCs generate quests based on real-time events happening in the world," Max suggested.
Vale's eyes lit up. "That's a solid idea. We can have the AI dynamically create quests depending on the state of the world, ensuring that there's always something new for players to do."
"But are you sure you want to add a tiered class system based on ranks?" Vale asked as he reviewed the class system, which ranged from Common to Mythical rank, with each class surpassing its lower counterpart.
"Yes," Max confirmed. "Nature itself is not fair—it treats all lives unequally. That's just the way of life. The game we're creating is a real-world simulation where there will be no forced equality. Players start the same, but their progress will depend on their actions in the game."
Vale chuckled. "That's both a bold quote and a solid answer at the same time." He stretched before standing up. "Well then, I guess I have to get back to my CEO mode."
Max nodded. "Great. The trailer and launch announcement will be ready in a month, and we'll release the game next year. Also, make sure the VR pods are finalized."
Vale gave a thumbs-up before leaving.
"Oh yeah," Vale suddenly appeared at the door and asked, "What about security measures?"
He leaned against the doorframe. "Back in my day, when the first immersive VR was launched, most governments banned it on the basis of data harvesting issues. It stored all user data, including neural feedback, and that was a major privacy concern."
Max nodded. "We'll add a non-intrusive neural interface that won't store or share any user data in any way. Not that we could access it even if we wanted to. We're just making sure that this game is truly safe. It's built with Supreme A.I. Heart, so nothing can be injected or tampered with from the outside."
Vale whistled. "You think that'll be enough?"
"The best part is," Max smirked, "we're also launching a billion-dollar challenge—anyone who can leak even a single piece of personal data from a player's mind within the game will win the prize."
Vale blinked before grinning. "That's a bold move... but it will work."
***
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