The flow of time in this world differed from that of Kamiyā Yuu's own world.
Only a few months had passed in reality, but several years had gone by here.
The abandoned mining town that had once stood empty had already been completely rebuilt two years ago under the influence of the vast, invisible network of power controlled by Kamiyā Yuu.
Since then, Kamiyā Yuu had frequently traveled between this world and the consciousness space, using it to further explore the capabilities of the consciousness space.
Kamiyā Yuu had transmigrated.
He also possessed a cheat-like ability, such as the consciousness space.
He certainly wasn't foolish enough to use it only for learning drawing techniques and similar skills.
If other transmigrators ever found out, they would probably be furious enough to beat him to death.
Of course, that assumed there were any other transmigrators in his world.
Through years of moving back and forth between the consciousness space and reality, the greatest achievement Kamiyā Yuu had obtained was the four girls sleeping inside these hibernation pods.
The so-called Complete Vision technology had merely been an accidental byproduct.
Artificial Humans.
Unlike the concept of "test-tube babies," these four girls were true artificial humans personally created by Kamiyā Yuu.
At present, he still had no way of finding a medium through which the consciousness space could directly interact with reality.
However, the fact that the consciousness space was naturally connected to the previous world's network provided him with the perfect testing ground.
What would happen if the consciousness space could directly influence reality?
Not through indirect contact via networks, but through direct interaction with physical bodies?
Would he become an omnipotent creator, just as all-powerful as he was within the consciousness space itself?
This idea had existed ever since he first obtained the consciousness space.
As a result, he had continuously studied all kinds of advanced theories and knowledge.
One of the results was the creation of "Life Encoding."
Using the cutting-edge biological knowledge of his previous world, he utilized the consciousness space's connection to networks to infiltrate human bodies and rewrite genes.
Beginning from the most fundamental components of biology, he sought to understand the composition of life itself and manually drive the evolution of genetic structures.
To accomplish this, Kamiyā Yuu purchased large amounts of "experimental materials" from hospitals throughout the United States.
The number of experiments he conducted exceeded one million.
These four artificial girls were the crystallization of that million-experiment project.
Kamiyā Yuu was not particularly concerned about moral objections.
If those million experiments were defined as killing, then most men would be responsible for the destruction of over a hundred million lives every day.
However, these artificial humans were still only incomplete products.
Their bodies were so fragile that the moment they stepped out of their hibernation pods, they would immediately collapse.
They had lost life's most fundamental adaptability.
Or, more accurately, their ability to evolve passively.
Since ancient times, all life—whether human or otherwise—had evolved alongside changes in its environment, adapting in order to survive.
Such evolution required thousands upon thousands of years and the accumulation of genetic changes across countless individuals.
Kamiyā Yuu's use of Life Encoding had accelerated human evolution, but in doing so had also removed that latent evolutionary capability.
With the knowledge he currently possessed, creating artificial humans that ordinary people would consider superhuman was no longer difficult.
However, during his earliest experiments, he had made a fatal mistake.
At that time, he believed these immature artificial humans would serve only one purpose:
Containers.
Containers capable of granting Ruby, Blake, Weiss, and Yang true life.
And he had done exactly that.
He copied the personality data belonging to Ruby and the others from the consciousness space into these incomplete artificial bodies.
Kamiyā Yuu had truly created life and granted it thought and personality.
Thus, the four artificial girls were named Ruby, Blake, Weiss, and Yang.
At this point, he couldn't do anything that would deprive them of their lives.
If he did, he would truly become the murderer of those four girls.
He adjusted the genes within their bodies as slowly and carefully as possible.
Yet changing genetic structures after a body had already developed from embryo to maturity through Life Encoding was far more difficult than doing so at earlier stages.
Without years upon years of accumulation, it would be impossible.
The moment Kamiyā Yuu's consciousness descended into the computer network of this completely sealed laboratory, one of the black-haired girls sleeping within a hibernation pod slowly opened her vacant eyes.
After closing them again, she entered the consciousness network through the neural connection lines attached to her skin.
Kamiyā Yuu had granted them independent consciousness and the ability to think for themselves.
Yet they seemed not to have lost the abilities they possessed when they were once part of him.
Including entering Kamiyā Yuu's consciousness space.
Including understanding his thoughts.
And including an instinctive dependence upon him.
A world constructed from zeros and ones.
With a single thought from Kamiyā Yuu, the chaotic flood of data rapidly formed a boundless empty world.
It was not the consciousness space, yet it resembled it greatly.
Something similar to the fully sensory virtual world constructed from data in 'The Matrix'.
Or perhaps merely an advanced version of a three-dimensional environment.
Modern network technology was already highly advanced.
Games boasting completely realistic environments were everywhere.
Combined with game engines developed over decades that solved many physical simulation problems, they already appeared very close to reality.
The empty data world Kamiyā Yuu created served no special purpose.
It merely existed as a place where Ruby and the others could manifest their thoughts.
Before long, the space distorted.
A crack appeared.
Countless strings of zeros and ones gathered together, rapidly constructing a delicate figure identical to the girl sleeping within the hibernation pod.
"Yuu~ Long time no see."
The moment Ruby's form fully materialized, dressed in a black-and-red Gothic dress, she immediately rushed forward and threw herself into Kamiyā Yuu's arms.
Wrapping her arms around his neck, she happily swayed back and forth.
Her small, adorable face was filled with excitement at seeing him again.
She possessed Ruby's personality and behaved the same way.
The sensation of contact was strange.
Although he could recognize that they were touching, this data world could not perfectly simulate sensations the way the consciousness space could.
Kamiyā Yuu only knew that someone was making contact with him.
Weight, pressure, texture, and all other details were absent.
"Usually, it's around seven days before you start feeling bored. This time was pretty fast."
Kamiyā Yuu smiled and flicked her forehead.
Seven days represented the interval between his sleep cycles in reality.
Normally, he slept six hours a day.
An eighteen-hour interval in reality translated to roughly seven days in this world.
A pale hand suddenly grabbed Ruby by the collar from behind.
Despite appearing effortless, it easily lifted her away and set her aside.
"Ruby, if you don't have anything to do, stop clinging to Yuu all day. I'm already busy enough as it is!"
"Good morning, Yuu."
Dressed in a white formal gown, Weiss lifted both sides of her lace skirt and performed an elegant curtsey.
The current Weiss carried an aura very similar to the one she had in 'RWBY'.
Her long white hair was tied into a high ponytail reaching her waist.
Her icy blue eyes were so clear they could intoxicate anyone who looked into them.
The faint scar near her eye did not diminish her beauty.
Instead, it added a sense of strength and determination.
"These are the reports covering everything that happened while you were away. Please review them."
Opening her hand, Weiss generated a thin file and handed it over.
When Kamiyā Yuu was absent from this world, Weiss managed most of Matrix's affairs.
Business partnerships, research reports, corporate changes—everything passed through her hands.
The moment Kamiyā Yuu touched the file, its contents were converted into data and instantly understood.
Smiling, he reached out and rubbed her silver hair.
Although no physical sensation existed, the gesture represented his approval.
"You've worked hard. Everything has been handled very well."
A blush immediately appeared on Weiss's cheeks.
She proudly glanced toward Ruby as though announcing her special status.
"That's so unfair."
Ruby pouted.
At that moment, another black-haired girl slowly materialized while yawning.
She wore a fitted black uniform beneath a white research coat, giving her an intelligent and professional appearance.
The most eye-catching feature was the pair of furry black ears atop her head.
The slight twitching of those ears made it obvious they were real rather than decorative.
Blake maintained her usual quiet and reserved demeanor.
Her golden eyes were beautiful yet carried the coldness of a feline predator.
"Morning."
Blake managed most of Matrix's research teams.
Having inherited much of Kamiyā Yuu's biological knowledge, her primary task was reverse-engineering technologies based on their own existence.
Complete Vision was one of the advanced technologies born from that research.
She directly transmitted everything she had learned recently into Kamiyā Yuu's mind.
Afterward, she yawned again.
"Yuu, can I go back to sleep?"
"You can, but why do you look so tired? Is your body okay?"
Kamiyā Yuu asked with concern.
The bodies resting inside their hibernation pods were extremely fragile.
Even a common cold could become fatal.
Blake shook her head.
"It's nothing. I made some breakthroughs in neural connection technology and got carried away with the research."
"I think I accidentally went several days without resting."
"I really don't understand how you can enjoy such boring work."
Another girl emerged from the void.
Yang.
Dressed in a brown jacket, she waved cheerfully.
"It's already afternoon. Isn't using 'good morning' a little weird?"
She was the tallest of the four girls.
Her dazzling blonde hair naturally curled around her shoulders.
Combined with her carefree grin, she resembled a passionate and energetic American girl next door.
Walking directly up to Kamiyā Yuu, she wrapped her arms around his neck and greeted him with an affectionate kiss.
"Weiss's eyes widened.
"Yang!?"
"Aww... Big Sis beat me to it again."
Ruby sighed in disappointment.
Pulling back, Yang tried to sound casual despite the slight redness on her cheeks.
"Do you like that kind of greeting?"
Kamiyā Yuu remained completely calm.
"I do. Very much."
In a world made of data, such interactions carried little actual sensation.
Yang was responsible for Matrix's security systems.
All intelligent weapons fell under her control.
Unfortunately, she frequently abused that authority.
Whenever she became bored, she dragged Ruby into controlling various automated weapons and having them "fight."
She referred to it as "training."
The security personnel disagreed.
One particularly infamous incident involved sending the lowest-ranked security guard into a firing range while Yang remotely controlled an automated rifle to shoot a cherry tomato balanced on top of the man's head.
A cherry tomato was only about the size of part of a finger.
The rifle, on the other hand, possessed enough power to blow apart a human skull.
The psychological trauma suffered by that unfortunate guard could easily be imagined.
As for Ruby?
Her responsibility was gathering information from external networks.
In simpler terms...
Playing games.
"Yuu, let's go to your consciousness space. This place is boring."
Yang hugged his neck and continued acting spoiled.
For someone who usually behaved like a tomboy, she was surprisingly skilled at this.
The moment the words "consciousness space" were spoken, Blake's drooping ears perked up.
"Agreed."
Only within the consciousness space could they experience what it truly felt like to be alive.
"I want to go too!"
Ruby raised both hands enthusiastically.
Meanwhile, Weiss crossed her arms and frowned.
"Could you all stop creating extra work for Yuu? I still have plenty of matters that need his decisions."
"Oh? Then you can stay here and keep working while the three of us go."
Yang laughed mischievously.
Weiss's expression darkened further.
"Yang, that's not the point..."
"Alright. We can discuss everything inside the consciousness space."
As they spoke, Kamiyā Yuu's thoughts shifted.
The surroundings instantly transformed into pure white.
At the moment the environment changed, all four girls felt a fundamental transformation occur within themselves.
No longer were they merely controlling data within a network.
They now possessed real bodies.
They could feel handshakes.
Feel blood flowing through their veins.
Feel the steady beating of their hearts.
These sensations already existed within their memories.
The sense of physical existence filled them with happiness.
Yang's face flushed red with excitement.
She immediately threw herself at Kamiyā Yuu again.
This time, however, she was noticeably more nervous than before.
Her body softened as she leaned against him.
Nearby, Weiss covered her eyes with one hand.
Yet she still peeked through her fingers in surprise.
Her brows furrowed.
She bit her lip slightly.
Blake ignored them completely.
Closing her eyes, she quietly savored the long-lost feeling of having a real body.
Experiencing once more the entirely different rules governing physical existence compared to the world of data.