After dinner, Kamiyā Yuu buried himself in 'Modern Battlefield 4' once again, enthusiastically testing the strange new ability he had just discovered.
The sensation was like an instinctive perception of networks—or more precisely, of data. Even when the game itself displayed nothing, Kamiyā Yuu could forcefully perceive the flow of data within it through pure intuition.
For now, however, the sensation was extremely faint, like fumbling through a boundless sea of pitch-black fog where he couldn't even see his own hand.
The emergence of this feeling meant that he could observe changes in the digital world through fluctuations in his own mental power.
And if he could observe them...
Then he should also be able to alter them.
Although it was countless times weaker than the freedom he had enjoyed while traversing the internet in his previous world, perhaps, as time passed, he would eventually be able to digitize his consciousness and merge it into this world's network as well.
If that became possible, he might even be able to connect the networks of both worlds through the consciousness space, using his own mind as a "portable hard drive" to freely transfer data between them.
Games.
Anime.
Movies.
Even technologies far beyond the current era.
Just imagining that future made Kamiyā Yuu's blood race with excitement.
As he experimented with the changes in his mind, he couldn't help but admire the game's level of polish.
Its refined 3D graphics rivaled the best titles from the same era in his previous world, while its varied and engaging gameplay was even more enjoyable than the majority of FPS games developed around 2030 before his transmigration.
"Bang... bang... bang!"
Inside the game, every shot fired by Kamiyā Yuu's character effortlessly claimed another enemy.
Logging into 'Modern Battlefield 4' on his desktop computer, he found aiming with a mouse far smoother than using a controller earlier.
While effortlessly crushing random players, he sighed.
"As expected, FPS games are still better with a mouse. Controller aiming sensitivity really isn't something ordinary people can master..."
Before he could finish speaking, a red notification box suddenly appeared on the screen.
> Dear User, your account has been suspected of illegal activity. In accordance with our company's user agreement, this account will be suspended until August 27, 2028.
"As expected."
Kamiyā Yuu smiled helplessly and closed the game.
The PC and console versions of 'Modern Battlefield 4' shared the same account system.
Because consoles were protected by their operating systems, no matter how unbelievable someone's performance was, it generally wouldn't be considered cheating.
But on PC...
After his one-sided slaughter, the opposing players had naturally cursed him out and reported him for hacking.
Kamiyā Yuu wasn't surprised or angry.
If he had been an ordinary player facing an opponent like himself, he would have done the same.
After exiting the game, he continued researching information about the gaming industry in this world.
FPS games currently dominate the market, and consoles are the primary gaming platform.
By contrast, the RPG genre that Kamiyā Yuu loved was incredibly scarce.
Not a single outstanding RPG was released worldwide in an entire year.
Even when one did appear, it usually revolved around repetitive grinding.
There were no expansive worlds.
No open-ended game design.
No compelling stories.
The same held for Japanese-style pixel RPGs.
"So Blizzard doesn't exist in this world..."
Looking over the information on the webpage, Kamiyā Yuu folded his arms and pondered.
"...which explains why RTS games never really became popular. FPS games, on the other hand, have evolved in all sorts of directions."
It wasn't that this world's gaming industry was deformed.
It simply wasn't as diverse as the one he remembered.
Its development had become heavily skewed toward certain genres.
"I wonder when I'll finally get involved in the gaming industry myself. Speaking of which, the game adaptation of 'RWBY' has already been released, but the reception's pretty mediocre. Probably because they turned it into a fighting game? It would've worked much better as an action-adventure game like 'Devil May Cry.'"
Kamiyā Yuu sighed and pushed those thoughts aside.
At present, the [Mirror Flower Water Moon] Game Studio only possesses the technical expertise to develop collectible card games.
Creating a major single-player title would require at least another three years of technological development and restructuring.
He switched over to the writing software he used for 'Fate/Zero' and focused on the unfinished manuscript, searching for the strange sensation he had experienced while gaming.
"Hm... no wonder I've never noticed it while using ordinary software."
The feeling was extremely weak.
Dozens of times weaker than when he was playing games.
That suggested the peculiar intuition for digital data had probably existed for quite some time.
It was only while gaming that he had consciously recognized and grasped the ability.
"Let's test it."
"I need to know whether this is just my imagination... or whether my consciousness really possesses the ability to digitize itself."
Kamiyā Yuu slowly inhaled and exhaled several times, adjusting both his posture and mental state.
As his body relaxed completely, he felt as though he were sinking beneath the surface of water.
His chaotic thoughts and physical senses gradually drifted away.
After spending so much time within the consciousness space, techniques like this had long become second nature.
His consciousness slowly descended into a dark, oppressive abyss.
He could see nothing.
Feel nothing.
Everything was silent.
It felt as though he were floating through outer space, unable to determine direction, while an indescribable dizziness enveloped his mind.
Absolute silence.
Absolute emptiness.
It resembled entering the consciousness space.
The difference was that he was no longer an omnipotent "god."
Instead...
He felt only loneliness and fear as his mind drifted through the void, as though the next step would send him falling endlessly into an abyss.
In the study of his real-world office, Kamiyā Yuu lay motionless in his chair.
Cold sweat poured from his forehead.
His complexion was deathly pale, indistinguishable from that of a critically ill patient.
In the next instant...
That mysterious connection hidden somewhere beyond perception expanded infinitely.
Kamiyā Yuu's consciousness became astonishingly clear.
Like a drowning man grasping his final lifeline, his mind seized that strange sensation, on the verge of pulling it fully into awareness.
An instant...
Or perhaps an eternity...
"Ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding!"
A violent burst of sound from reality jolted his consciousness awake.
Kamiyā Yuu's eyes flew open as though startled from a nightmare.
Clutching his chest, he gasped desperately for air.
His entire body felt drained.
His limbs burned as though they had been thrust into fire.
He wiped his forehead.
His sleeve was instantly soaked with cold sweat.
"Huff... huff... what... happened..."
His body trembled uncontrollably.
He looked toward the computer that had made the loud noise.
Or rather...
The computer's sound had actually been completely ordinary.
It was only his perception that had magnified it countless times.
His writing software had produced an endless stream of pop-up windows.
They overlapped one another until the entire monitor was covered.
Every single window displayed the same message:
> Unknown error detected. Please restart your computer.
"It failed?"
"...No."
"I suppose it succeeded."
"At least it proves my consciousness really can alter a computer's data."
His trembling right hand gripped the mouse.
The computer had completely frozen.
Nothing responded, no matter what he clicked.
He pressed the physical power button on the computer case.
Still nothing.
Left with no alternative, he resorted to the ultimate solution—
Pulling the plug.
The moment he stood up, a suffocating pressure surged from his chest to his head.
The room spun violently.
He collapsed back into the chair.
The lingering sense of dread still hadn't faded.
Normally calm and composed, Kamiyā Yuu couldn't help cursing.
"Damn it..."
"The side effects of exhausting my mind are actually affecting my body directly. Looks like I won't be able to continue until I figure out what's happening inside the consciousness space."
After resting for a while, he stood up again.
He disconnected the computer's power and plugged it back in.
The operating system booted normally.
However, when he tried to launch his writing software, it refused to open no matter what he did.
The software's underlying code structure had most likely been corrupted.
Fortunately, every chapter of his novel had been backed up to cloud storage.
Otherwise...
He honestly wouldn't have known whether to laugh or cry.