The Monster is Coming

Chapter 437 The Blur Between Virtual and Reality
After finishing his cultivation, Xie Yu almost staggered to the dining table.

As soon as the robot butler placed a high-protein, nutritious meal on the table, he grabbed the utensils and began to wolf it down.

At this moment, the rough texture and strange taste of the food are completely unimportant.

An almost insane hunger completely dominated his will.

His body seemed to have been drained dry by the training, every cell was screaming and thirsting for fuel.

Swallowing became instinctive at this moment, and the stomach digested the food with unprecedented efficiency, delivering energy deep into the still trembling muscles.

Only after he finished his fifth meal did his heart-pounding hunger subside slightly.

With a long sigh, Xie Yu leaned back in his chair, looking at his empty plate, realizing that this special body-strengthening method was fundamentally transforming his metabolic system.

This is exactly the same as the information recorded in 734.

According to the information provided, the core principle of this method differs from that of exercises such as running and weightlifting, which stimulate muscle growth.

It mainly works by guiding muscle fibers to produce high-frequency micro-vibrations.

This tremor can cause microscopic damage to a large number of muscle fibers in a very short time.

In order to repair microscopic damage and cope with this unprecedented energy consumption pattern, the body will instinctively and significantly increase its basal metabolic rate.

This explains why such intense hunger occurs and why food can be converted and utilized so quickly.

This is essentially a more efficient cycle of destruction and reconstruction.

It bypasses the energy waste and joint wear and tear caused by macroscopic movements, and goes straight to the microscopic level of body strengthening.

To better understand the changes in his body, he went to the gym area at home.

Prepare for a comprehensive assessment of changes in the body.

The test started with the most familiar bench press.

Xie Yu remembers clearly that 85 kilograms was his physical limit.

He lay down on the bench press and gripped the barbell with both hands.

The initial weight was set at 70 kilograms, which felt like pushing a clothesline pole, with no pressure whatsoever.

When the weight was increased to 80 kilograms, the arm muscles only tensed slightly.

When the weight was increased to 90 kilograms, the familiar heaviness finally returned. He steadily completed three presses, and the soreness in his muscles was not clear, as if there was still a little potential to be tapped.

This shows that his strength has been significantly improved with just one training session.

After finishing the bench press test, he stepped onto the treadmill, adjusted the incline to 8%, and set the speed to 10 km/h.

In the past, after running for 15 minutes, my lungs felt like a broken bellows, my legs felt like lead, and my physical strength was severely depleted.

This time, the timer skipped 20 minutes. Although my clothes were soaked with sweat and my breathing was rapid, my rhythm remained unchanged, and my limit seemed far from being reached.

Next was the vertical jump test.

He took a deep breath, bent his knees and exerted force, his body lightly leaping into the air.

Upon landing, the pressure pad reading was 51 centimeters.

This is 3 centimeters higher than the previous record, which is not a significant improvement.

Finally, he closed his eyes and stood on one leg.

This is a test of equilibrium stability.

According to the introduction of the body-strengthening exercise developed by 734, this is a special method for training the whole body and can significantly improve the body's coordination.

Normally, he would quickly start swaying wildly from side to side.

At this moment, as time ticked by, the tiny muscles in the soles of his feet were making subtle adjustments to maintain his balance.

It wasn't until several minutes later that his body began to tilt uncontrollably.

Next, we will test other projects.

Half an hour later, he arrived in front of the robot butler.

"Full body scan, comparing data from the previous three tests."

Instantly, the light screen unfolded in the air, and pale blue data was rapidly displayed.

The robot butler also summarized at this time:

"Master, compared with the data from the previous three tests, your basal metabolic rate has increased by 15.7%, muscle fiber density by 1.8%, nerve conduction velocity by 4.2%, and joint stability index by 12.1%. The detailed comparison of each data is as follows."

As she spoke, the robot butler printed out a paper report.

Xie Yu took the report and carefully scanned each data comparison, his shock growing stronger.

Although the improvement is comparable to that of hunting a low-level monster in the Monster World, it doesn't even match the attribute boost from hunting a single monster.

But this is reality!
In the real world, achieving such a comprehensive improvement as reported would require months of scientific training and a strict diet.

This body-forging method, recorded from the information stone, was compressed to its extreme in just over ten minutes after a single successful practice.

This was a real leap in life that occurred within his flesh and blood.

What concerned him most was the last note: "An unknown energy conversion pattern has been detected, and a new metabolic model is being established."

This means that his physiological changes exceeded the preset database of the home robot.

A new metabolic model needs to be built to describe and track the process.

This report from the robot butler opened a door that Xie Yu had never imagined.

It has been proven that the cultivation system in the monster world can be applied to the real world.

Suppressing his excitement, he decided to continue his cultivation.

The subsequent effects of this body-strengthening method were systematically verified, as well as the potential risks.

After all, the body-forging method is adapted to the physical structure of creatures in the martial arts world, and as a human, I will definitely have some problems that cannot be adapted to it.

The following day, Xie Yu began intensive adaptation training.

The goal is to master the basic techniques of body tempering and establish a basic database.

Two hours of training in the morning.

He again used the low-frequency stimulation of the physiotherapy device as a guide.

With the experience of the first success, I got into the zone much faster this time, and it only took about fifteen minutes to successfully induce high-frequency micro-vibrations in the deep muscles of my legs.

He was no longer content with simply maintaining the vibration, and tried to carefully control it with his mind, as if riding a wild horse, letting it slowly spread from his thigh to the surrounding muscles.

The process was incredibly difficult; if one's mind wavered even slightly, the tremors would dissipate.

By the end of the two-hour training session, he had been able to maintain the tremors in the main muscle groups of his legs for more than 10 minutes.

After finishing his cultivation, he felt extremely hungry and ate five high-protein meals.

Yet I didn't feel the slightest discomfort.

Only after the body's state of excitement cools down will you feel unusually tired, as if you have done a super high-intensity anaerobic exercise. You feel a familiar soreness deep in your muscles, but you also feel an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

In the afternoon, there was another two hours of practice.

He began to try to guide the tremors in his body entirely by his own will, without relying on the physical therapy device.

But no matter how many times he tried, it always ended in failure.

The only time it came close to success, the brief tremor was fleeting, lasting less than a second.

However, after several training sessions, it seems that my body's recovery ability has been improved, and the soreness in my muscles can be quickly relieved without the need for conditioning liquid.

In the evening, he underwent another body scan.

Other values ​​showed significant improvement compared to yesterday, and even body fat percentage decreased.

He slept soundly all night and continued his physical training tests the next day.

The goal this time is to extend the body tempering to the upper limbs and core muscle groups and observe the recovery speed.

The primary target muscles are the pectoralis major, deltoid, and latissimus dorsi.

He found that guiding tremors in the upper limb muscles was more difficult than in the lower limbs.

After repeated failures and adjustments, even minor tweaks were made to the values ​​that 734 set for the creatures in the Martial Arts Small World.

Finally, he successfully got his pectoral and shoulder muscles into that high-frequency vibration state simultaneously.

After the training ended, the feeling of hunger became more intense, and the body's absorption efficiency of food was significantly improved compared to the previous two days.

As for the muscle soreness after the body cooled down, it completely disappeared after a nap.

The recovery period after regular exercise, which usually requires at least 24-48 hours, has been shortened to less than 1 hour with the help of body-strengthening methods.

In the afternoon, Xie Yu began to integrate the physical training content and tried exercising without auxiliary equipment again.

After 13 attempts, only one was successful, and even that only lasted a very short time; the intensity of the tremor was far less effective than with equipment assistance.

However, in terms of the effectiveness of cultivation, it seems to be better than the effect of instrument assistance.

After a day of training, Xie Yu looked in the mirror that evening and noticed that his physique had changed.

His shoulders seemed more defined, and the lines of his arm muscles were clearer.

The most obvious change is in the abdomen. The abdomen, which had become somewhat loose due to prolonged use of the gaming pod, now shows faint outlines of abdominal muscles.

Although not yet fully clear, the firmness was unprecedented. The scan report showed a 3.8% increase in muscle density and a further 0.3% decrease in body fat percentage.

The robot butler has also completed the construction of his body model.

This indicates a significant improvement in the body's cellular activity.

The third day of the training test.

After two days of preparation, Xie Yu decided to make a bold attempt.

He adjusted his breathing, spreading his thoughts like a net across his entire body, from the soles of his feet to his fingertips, from the deepest layers to the surface.

Compared to before, it is much faster to get into the state without the aid of auxiliary instruments.

It seems that the body has adapted to the process of entering a "cultivation state" and has developed muscle memory.

During his practice, he calmed his mind, stopped forcibly controlling himself, and relaxed his muscles to find a feeling that resonated throughout his body.

The process lasted for more than two hours, just as he was about to give up.

A resonance far stronger than ever before instantly coursed through my entire body.

It was as if every muscle and every bone was vibrating together at an extremely harmonious frequency.

My whole body was enveloped by a powerful energy field, and I could even hear the "whooshing" sound of the blood and qi flowing through my body.

This mysterious state lasted for less than ten seconds before collapsing, but the shock it brought was unparalleled.

He immediately chose to try again.

Xie Yu subsequently entered this state multiple times.

After half an hour of cultivation, a strong feeling of hunger overwhelmed him.

Fortunately, he had prepared a hearty and energizing meal in advance.

That evening, when Xie Yu stood in front of the mirror again, he found himself to be a completely different person.

In just three days, his physique underwent a visible change.

He has broad shoulders, a nascent chest, and well-defined arms.

Most importantly, his six-pack abs are clearly etched on his abdomen. Although they are not large, they are well-defined and exude a sense of power.

His entire demeanor was completely different; his eyes were sharp, and his posture was upright, like a sword drawn from its sheath.

Seeing his transformed self in the mirror plunged Xie Yu into a long silence.

In just three days, a body-strengthening method from the virtual world, which would be ridiculed by players on forums as "even a dog wouldn't learn," actually transformed his ordinary body in the real world into one approaching the level of an amateur athlete.

It brought not only surprise but also horror.

He suddenly realized that the monster world might not be as simple as he had imagined.

The truth revealed by the test made him wonder: Can a game really achieve this level of perfection?

It can not only simulate a vast super-world, but also construct a complete set of content that can be mapped to reality in terms of physical performance, energy operation, and even the underlying logic of life forms.

The body-forging method is considered inefficient and useless in player forums because the monster world itself is filled with more efficient energy.

Players with the Star Pulse system and a series of better enhancement options naturally look down on this clumsy way of squeezing out their own potential.

But the real world is different.

This environment is known as the swamp world by many races in the monster world, where spiritual energy is depleted and rules are hidden.

This method, considered useless in the game, is based on the core logic of not relying on a high-energy external environment, but only developing physical potential through dietary supplements.

In the real world, this could even be called a god-level technique.

Behind a stone that should have been sacrificed lies a grand epic of civilization, and even the cultivation techniques practiced within it can be applied in reality.

He couldn't imagine how much computing power would be required for such a hidden detail.

This can no longer be explained by simply saying it is "rich in detail".

Since it's a virtual world, a lot of content can actually be concealed by blurring it out.

If the virtual world doesn't have any problems with details, then what are the standards for defining the virtual from the real?
If we're talking about the distinction in physical manifestations, then in the monster world, falling apples are also subject to the influence of gravity, flowing water will soak the soil, and there is a perfect weather system... The physical manifestations of the monster world are not only complete, but even more idealized than reality, with too many climate phenomena that do not exist in reality.

The difference lies in the realism of the environment.

After players strengthen their physique through the Star Pulse system, their vision can capture the trajectory of dust in the wind, their hearing can distinguish the rhythm of insects flapping their wings a hundred meters away, and their touch can perceive the texture of metal... Especially players who have inlaid the "Eagle-Headed Demon" soul have experienced that a complete microcosm universe exists in the monster world.

Many microscopic life forms and substances invisible to the naked eye can be clearly seen through the Eagle-Headed Demon's perception.

Before Monster World, no game had a microscopic level; anything magnified to the extreme was just a pixel.

When the physical rules of a virtual world are so self-consistent that they can derive techniques that can be verified in reality, and the environmental details are so rich that they can support a perceptual experience that transcends reality.

Why do you still believe it's a virtual world?

Just because of the existence of the gaming pod?
Xie Yu felt that if the game pod setting were abandoned, players would feel as if they were jumping from one world to another, more realistic one.

What StarNet has poured its resources into creating is not just a game, it's a completely new world.

Perhaps StarNet has been preparing for this day for a long time.

His goal was exactly what he had guessed: to build a civilization ark that could carry consciousness for the beings of the Earth Alliance.

If this conjecture is true.

The monster world contains a vast amount of "useless" knowledge that players consider merely background and plot embellishments.

Its value is immeasurable.

But a new problem arose.

If StarNet truly possesses so many technologies capable of mapping or even altering reality.

For example, this set of body-building methods that can efficiently develop human potential, or those seemingly fantastical energy theories and environmental modification techniques found in libraries.

Why not use it directly to modify the Earth's environment?

How can we restore polluted land and skies to make the real world habitable again?

Why store these valuable technologies in a virtual world as game backgrounds or library materials, letting them gather dust and become obsolete?

This seems to contradict the logic of StarNet operating the Earth Alliance.

It is certain that StarNet hopes for the better development of all races within the Earth Alliance.

Every year, there are various support programs to help people of all races around the world overcome development difficulties, and a lot of free equipment is also provided.

Many of the game pods used by smaller tribes are provided free of charge by the Lunar Eclipse tribe.

Xie Yu fell into deep thought, trying to find a reasonable explanation.

Is there such a possibility?

Handing these technologies directly to the Earth Alliance, which is not yet prepared, could result not in salvation, but in disaster.

Imagine if the authorities suddenly announced a "miracle skill" that could give people the physique of athletes within three days, what would happen to social order?
Could the sudden appearance of too many people with superpowers in a short period of time lead to the collapse of the existing social order?
Therefore, the reason for StarNet's sealing technology lies in whether Earth's civilization's social structure can safely harness these forces capable of rewriting reality.

The monster world may just be a giant testing ground.

The risks are isolated in the virtual world.

In the name of the players, let all living beings of the Earth Alliance test technology in a virtual environment?
But this imagined explanation is actually quite far-fetched upon closer inspection, and it always feels like things aren't as simple as I thought.

Both social order and the structure of the Earth Alliance are actually under the control of StarNet.

StarNet can fully utilize its technology in the real world, and it has the ability to circumvent problems at any level.

This explanation is weak.

As night deepened, the city lights outside the window gradually came on.

Xie Yu paced back and forth in the room.

As a member of the research-oriented group, he was troubled by his unfulfilled curiosity.

The "trial ground" theory that he derived himself seems reasonable at first glance, but upon closer examination, it is full of loopholes.

Given StarNet's technological prowess and its pervasive influence over the Earth Alliance, if it truly wanted to implement a certain technology, it would be fully capable of doing so gradually and with strict control, while maintaining basic social stability.

For example, body-strengthening methods could be used as a high-level contribution reward or a special talent allowance.

Instead of burying it in an inconspicuous corner of the virtual world.

What is the real reason?
Xie Yu stopped and looked out the window at the distant horizon.

He realized that, based on his own understanding, he would probably never be able to grasp the truth.

Such important information should not be borne by him alone.

After an internal struggle and weighing of options, Xie Yu took a deep breath, a resolute glint in his eyes.

He walked to the desk and reached out to activate his personal terminal.

I intend to share all the discoveries from these days.

From the information about the martial arts microcosm behind the information stone to the amazing effects of the body-tempering method in reality, along with the detailed cultivation records and changes in body data over the past few days, a complete report has been compiled.

Then, it is sent to the highest security department of the Human Federation.

Let professionals seek out truths that far exceed their individual capabilities.

(End of this chapter)