Grey frowned. "Cognitive anchor?"
"Yes. Think of it as a personal root-access key. Your consciousness must forge a stable node inside the information layer—a sort of ntal server that will host your interface. Once that node is stable, every piece of information you ’tag’ from your phone or your surroundings will be mirrored into it. After that, you can call those things up at will, like summoning a mory."
"So I’d basically... build a ntal operating system?"
"In a way," Eterna said. "But since you can already step into the information layer, there is a bolder option. Instead of only mirroring your device, you can make a direct link to Blue Star’s planetary network—the vast web of data streams and hidden archives that underlies this world. You would not connect as a human connects to a browser; you would weave a ntal conduit—a thread of intent fused with your ntal signature—and pull information straight from the source. The information layer would translate the raw flow into sothing your mind can understand, which makes it far faster and deeper than any device."
"But doing that will be extrely hard, your consciousness alone can’t achieve it as you are not a full data entity, but cognitive anchoring is possible..."
Just then, his cheat ability was activated.
[Your comprehension defies the heavens! From your understanding of the information layer, you’ve grasped the technique ’Mind Link Interface Art.’]
"This is..." Grey’s eyes changed.
Never in his wildest dreams would he have thought that he could comprehend a technique like this.
Mind Link Interface Art.
By forming a cognitive anchor in the mind and weaving a spiritual conduit, the practitioner can link directly to nearby technology or networks. Data, devices, and transmissions can be accessed and controlled through thought.
In short, he had just gained a technique to do exactly what Eterna said would be difficult for him to achieve as he was not a full data entity.
Without hesitation, Grey got to work. He didn’t even care if Eterna was watching—she would find out the instant he placed his cognitive anchor anyway.
"..." Eterna watched silently from the side, seeing Grey acting unusual. Then, her eyes widened sharply the next second.
Grey closed his eyes and let his mind perception spread out once more. He imdiately activated the Mind Link Interface Art. The instant he did, he felt currents passing through him—none other than the currents of the information layer brushing past his consciousness.
"You—" Eterna froze mid-sentence, her crystalline eyes flickering as if data streams within them had glitched. For a brief instant, her flawless composure cracked, but she quickly forced herself back into silence, continuing to observe Grey intently.
She stopped whatever she was about to say and continued observing Grey.
He focused on the currents of the information layer and imdiately sent out Psionic energy towards them. The currents and his strong, powerful Nexus Psionic energy collided, and the area ahead of Grey started distorting heavily. A purple-black light erged out of the void.
With his eyes still closed, Grey began to see glitches appearing in his vision. Raw data and binary numbers started flashing within his mind.
"!" Eterna’s expression visibly changed with each passing mont, from silence to wide-eyed shock. She stared at the purple-black energy that erged in front of Grey, her face unreadable.
There was no doubt about it.
It was a cognitive anchor and a spiritual conduit.
The sa glow appeared in the center of his mind. The two glows—the anchors—sent out signals, and instantly, he picked up several signals coming from the information layer.
Seeing this, Eterna snapped her fingers, and the information layer distorted slightly. "I’ve filtered out the multiple signals for you and left only the main network of Blue Star. You can connect to it now."
Hearing Eterna’s voice, Grey no longer hesitated. He focused on the single signal that was left, and the cognitive anchor imdiately grabbed onto it.
Buzz!
His vision flickered, and instantly a basic interface appeared. A loading screen flashed into existence, followed by a login screen.
He was extrely familiar with this login screen.
It was the login page for his personal terminal, the one that contained everything about him.
Grey swiftly typed in his own credentials, and imdiately the interface he was familiar with appeared.
The technique was still in its basic form. He had only connected to the main network. If he wanted to do more, he would have to create a proper user interface or system that would allow him to operate it exactly like a PC or phone.
But he could still manage with the technique. He altered the signal slightly, and a new view popped up—the top search engine of Blue Star, Starling.
He quickly opened the video-sharing platform StarTube, and imdiately several videos floated around his vision. There was no need for the internet—his mind, linked to the information layer where the servers of Starling resided, was completely rged with it. He could freely browse StarTubeor Starling anyti he wished.
"I should use so unique operating system as the interface for the Mind Link." Grey nodded to himself. "That way, changing signals would be easier and accessing things more efficient... and, cough, hacking."
After all, his technique was essentially made to hack directly into things.
Of course, he wasn’t going to reveal that to Eterna.
"Just what are you..." Eterna asked in her usual emotionless tone. "I’ve never seen anything like this before."
"Well, now you did," Grey replied with a smile. "You’ve been observing for a while now, yet you still know nothing about . What you know is rely surface-level, and I don’t plan on revealing the rest either."
It was a word of caution for Eterna. By his words, he was indirectly telling her he had many cards up his sleeve and she shouldn’t pry as she had before. He didn’t appreciate her stalking him one bit.
Then, Grey noticed a notification flash at the side. He realized that Citizen Credits had been transferred to his account.
And the amount was precisely 200 points.
"This is..." Grey opened the interface and looked below. There was an upgrade button directly under his citizen rank.
"This is the paynt for uploading the evolutionary path," Eterna said gently. "You may now upgrade to a second-rank citizen and enjoy the higher benefits that only third-rank evolvers who have contributed greatly to the military can enjoy."
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