POV: Dokaversals — Observation Tier Delta-11
The Observation Gallery of Dokaversal Cluster Delta-11 rippled with irritation.
Zaruun Null floated across the shimmering lattice of spacetime, a mug of imploding gravity in one hand and an expression of bureaucratic exhaustion smeared across his non-face.
"Someone tell me what this interface is," he said flatly, gesturing at the enormous projection hovering in the middle of the chamber.
The projection showed Elian Rho's personal interface: a dark, minimalist UI with no tabs, no tier progress bar, no reward notifications, and a suspicious lack of context menus. He was currently scrolling through his tech stack like a man trying to solve a maze made by drunk math spirits.
Threxylion Vulp leaned in, one eye fractal twitching. "I believe that's the user system."
"That's not a system," Zaruun growled. "That's a series of nested developer placeholders duct-taped to a theory injection protocol."
Another Dokaversal — Vr'N'gul-42, a sentient philosophical paradox rendered in negative mass — grunted. "He's managing it well enough."
"He's guessing!" Zaruun bellowed. "He doesn't even know he has points. He's been manually typing data into Muse's local memory. Like a mortal."
A pause.
Vr'N'gul rotated lazily in four dimensions. "I see. You're saying this is a flaw in the Catalyst Protocol."
"I'm saying," Zaruun said through clenched probability, "that we gave him a Type-20-tier neural theory upload tool… with the interface of a broken fridge."
Boop, the floating cluster of affectionate algorithms, made a soft chiming noise. "Um… isn't this kind of the Author's fault?"
Zaruun stopped. The entire room stilled.
Then slowly, every eye — physical, conceptual, quantum, and metaphorical — turned.
In the corner of the chamber, lounging on a beanbag made of unresolved narrative tension, sat the Author.
They waved weakly. "Hi."
Zaruun's jaw flexed. "You didn't finish the system interface."
"I… had a lot going on."
"You gave him theory injections with no tier progression bar."
"It was minimalist!" the Author protested. "You know, clean. Elegant. Very 'mysterious mentor from beyond time' vibes."
"He has fourteen unspent tokens!" Boop squeaked. "He could've unlocked half the Type I tree by now!"
"You didn't even include a tech tree menu," Vr'N'gul added. "He's unlocking abilities from a list he can't even scroll."
The Author held up both hands. "Okay, okay. Let's just breathe. Or simulate breathing, since most of us don't have lungs."
Zaruun flared. "We are the architects of eleven-dimensional causality! We do not make mistakes!"
The Author muttered under their breath. "You do when I write you that way."
Vr'N'gul froze. "What?"
"Nothing."
Boop leaned forward. "So… are we fixing it?"
A long, heavy silence passed through the room.
The Author sighed. "Fine. You're right. The UI sucks. Patch it."
Zaruun blinked. "Did… you just admit a mistake?"
"Write it down. It'll never happen again."
With that, the Author snapped their fingers.
Reality bent sideways for precisely one thousandth of a second.
INTERNAL SYSTEM PATCH: DEPLOYED
VERSION 1.1.0 – "Clean UI, Happy Researcher"
[USER PROFILE UPDATED]
Welcome, Dr. Elian Rho
System Rank: Tier I
System Points Available: 14
Upgrade Tokens: 1
Current Progress to Tier II: 30%
[TECH TREE – TIER I]
🔋 Energy & Propulsion
— Nuclear Fusion Power (clean, unlimited energy)
— Ion Propulsion Engines (efficient in-space thrust)
— Compact Quantum Chips (quantum-level processors)
🌍 Planetary Engineering & Mining
— Asteroid Mining (resource harvesting from space)
— Terraforming Prototypes (early-stage geoengineering)
— Ocean & Climate Control Systems (weather stabilization)
🤖 Manufacturing & Health
— Atomic 3D Printer (molecular-precision fabricator)
— Nanobot Swarms (for repair and medical delivery)
— All-Disease Cure Toolkit (broad-spectrum treatment suite)
— Extended-Lifespan Therapies (longevity science)
🚀 Space & Defense
— Interplanetary Space Flight (crewed Mars/farther missions)
— Planetary Defense Grid (asteroid interception systems)
🧠 Cognitive & Psionic
— BCI Signal Translator (already installed)
— Psionic Interfaces (experimental cognitive broadcasting)
(Scroll to View More…)
[POINTS MENU ENABLED]
Spend system points to unlock advanced blueprints and technologies.
Remaining Points: 14
Unlock Token (1): Required for major tier shifts or top-tier tech.
[REWARDS LOG]
— Superconductor Stack Invention: +3 Points
— Muse Integration: +2 Points
— BCI Completion: +3 Points
— Type I Theory Upload: +6 Points
— Chapter 20 Romantic Milestone: (Unofficial) Heart XP +∞
Back in the gallery, the Dokaversals stared at the updated interface as it shimmered to life within Elian's subconscious.
Zaruun exhaled. "That's better."
"He's going to open it tomorrow and assume he unlocked a menu by accident," Boop chirped.
The Author grinned. "Exactly."
Vr'N'gul tilted toward the screen. "Should we tell him?"
"No," Zaruun said firmly. "We let him believe."
Another pause.
Then, softly:
"Also… add dark mode."