Chapter 55: Increasing Citizenship Rank, Blue Star’s Shock (1)
"You came at the perfect time," Grey said to Eterna, who had manifested in his vision. "I was planning to turn this half-finished interface in my head into a fully functional one. How do I start?"
"Return to the Information Layer," Eterna replied softly, her expression blank as always. "You’ll need the currents of the Information Layer to create what you’re envisioning."
"Is that so?" Grey nodded thoughtfully. "Then how do I get back to the Information Layer again?"
Eterna fell silent.
To think this guy had entered the Information Layer twice already—without even knowing how to do it.
After a brief pause, she spoke again. "Push your consciousness into the cognitive anchor within your mind. That will shift you back into the Information Layer."
Grey nodded and immediately did as instructed.
The next moment, his vision blurred—and the world transformed.
Once again, he stood within the endless white expanse of the Information Layer, where binary streams of 1s and 0s flowed freely across the horizon like data currents in an ocean of light.
"You can now utilize the currents to form what you desire," Eterna said, appearing beside him in her full holographic form.
Grey blinked at her.
"Do you seriously have nothing better to do?" He couldn’t help but ask speechlessly.
Every single time he needed her, she just happened to show up.
Did she even rest?
In his mind, he could only imagine Eterna staring blankly at the Information Layer when she had free time.
"I’m a multi-functional AI," Eterna replied softly. "I can perform millions of tasks simultaneously without issue."
"...Right." Grey nodded helplessly and focused again.
He began sensing the flows of the Information Layer—the faint frequency-like vibrations that ran through the virtual fabric of this world.
Then, channeling them through his spiritual conduit, he drew those currents toward himself.
Since his conduit was directly connected to the main server of Blue Star, he could begin the process of creating his own operating system—a personalized HUD interface capable of assisting him with faster and more efficient access to data and applications.
As soon as he began feeling information currents, he activated his Mind Link Interface Art. Instantly, the flowing data responded to his will, moving according to the vision he was shaping in his mind.
Using his imagination as the blueprint, he condensed the currents into visual nodes—each one a glowing piece of structured code.
He connected these nodes to the core structures of the Blue Star Network: Starling, StarTube, and other major apps.
Each successful connection created a mental shortcut, appearing as sleek icons that floated within his field of perception—ready to be accessed with just a thought.
But Grey didn’t stop there.
With the base system formed, he began constructing his HUD and a hacking interface.
The hacking interface was the true essence of the Mind Link Interface Art. For now, it was empty—there was nothing to hack yet.
But once a target appeared, a lock formation, similar to a cultivation array, would manifest before him. To gain access, he’d have to decode it.
It was the kind of process that would take teams of elite ethical hackers to pull off. But Grey wasn’t a normal person.
With his heaven-defying perception and the acceleration effects of the Mind Link Interface Art, hacking complex formations would become nothing more than a casual exercise for him.
After configuring the hacking interface, he moved on to refining the HUD itself.
First, he manifested a Mental Power Gauge in the form of a health bar. Beneath it, he added a bar for energy reserves, and below that, one representing physical strength.
These three indicators synced directly with his body in real time, allowing him to instantly judge his remaining power and allocate his strength precisely.
Next came a notification feed, an alert column, a real-time log display, and several quick-access slots for instant activation of apps.
Finally, he added a linked status bar, which would display the condition and connection integrity of any external devices or systems he was interfaced with.
To top it off, he customized the entire HUD with a futuristic aesthetic—neon lines, glowing grids, and a clean, minimalistic futuristic look.
"I’m done!" Grey exclaimed.
The HUD responded perfectly to his movements, displaying live data across his field of vision—time, weather, and a dozen other small metrics.
Testing it out even further, he imagined opening a few videos on ’Evolvers’ Combat Footage’, and in an instant, multiple video tabs appeared before him.
Dozens of evolvers fought mutated beasts and corrupted beings, and all the information streamed directly into his mind at lightning speed.
He then switched to Starling, pulled up the latest news feed, and opened several tabs at once. Each worked flawlessly.
It was like having an entire virtual reality interface within his mind—accessible at any moment.
A grin tugged at his lips. And the best part... once I reach Second Rank or higher, I can start downloading data directly.
Espers at Second Rank unlocked their Mind Palace, which allowed them to store massive amounts of data.
If I can link it with the Blue Star Network... I could download entire databases and access them anytime. Even without network access.
That realization alone made this interface priceless.
Turning toward Eterna, he said calmly, "Wait for me."
Then, with a focused thought, he slipped out of the Information Layer and returned to the physical world.
"Eterna, can you come into my interface for a moment?" he called out.
In response, a small window appeared in his vision with the label: [Caller ID: Active], and inside it was Eterna’s projection.
"Impressive," Eterna said softly as she looked around. Being a data entity, she immediately recognized that this was now her dedicated appearance slot—one that others could also use to contact Grey.
"Now, if I’m not wrong," Grey muttered with a faint smile, "calls won’t show up on my phone anymore. They’ll appear directly in my Mind Interface instead."
He nodded in satisfaction.
"With this... things just got a whole lot easier."
Grey could already imagine all sorts of things he could accomplish with his newly created system.