Etranger

Appendix 3> Biyeon’s Record: The Creator, Awakeners, and Acceleration

“Then, who is the Creator?” Biyeon asked Miri.

“A human,” Miri answered as she nodded her head. She smiled brightly as if Biyeon had finally asked the most critical question.

On the other hand, San and Biyeon had expressions filled with shock.

“You’re saying the Creator… the existence who created this entire universe… is just like us?”

“Based on our analysis, we conclude that the Creator is a being from our Episode 285,” Namjoon said, jumping into their conversation.

“Then, tell us more about Episode 285. What eventually happened and unfolded in Episode 285? Why were we summoned here?” San asked.

“Well…” Lee Kang muttered before taking a swig of his alcoholic drink. Lee looked at the other three Outsiders. Biyeon looked carefully at the Outsider’s expressions. She could see that their expressions were stiff.

“Hey! Can I really tell them?” Lee Kang shouted with a smile on his face. He was asking the other three members for their approval. However, the other three members remained quiet. The uncomfortable silence ensued for quite a while. Lee Kang eventually partially closed his eyes as he took a longer swig of his drink.

“Is there an issue?” San asked with narrowed eyes.

“Then, make it short,” Namjoon said to Lee Kang. Lee Kang licked his lips. He soon swiped his lips with his hand, causing the smell of alcohol to spread throughout his vicinity. 

“Try and understand. It’s not a memory that we like to look back on… anyway, since I was the last Outsider member to join, I’ll just fill you in on the conclusion. That’s what you're most interested in, right?” Lee Kang stated.

“Conclusion? You mean, extinction?” Biyeon asked with narrowed eyes. The entire atmosphere became cool.

“You’ve watched too many movies. It doesn’t end in the typical Hollywood manner. Humans choose their fate and realize it,” Lee Kang stated as he gently shook his head.

“Then what do you mean by the conclusion?” San asked again.

“Humans became gods.”

“Gods?”

“Yeah. The human race essentially became the devil,” Miri explained, joining their conversation.

“Devil?”

“Yeah, the real devil…” Namjoon said as he chuckled.

“It’s possible that the Creator was born after this point,” Ogi said as he too also laughed. His laugh seemed to be less of amusement and more of resignation.

“As time went by… the god and devil were both kicked out of the Episode, and the world ended… that’s the end. The end!” Lee Kang said before he started clapping his hands to emphasize the end. The other three Outsiders started whistling as if celebrating the end.

“Ah! God damn it! Seriously! You guys are making me curse. Stop playing jokes and just tell us what happened. Can you guys do that?” San shouted out in disgust.

“I’ll say it again, I really don’t want to talk about it. Each of us Outsiders hasn’t brought this up to each other even though we’ve spent such a long time together,” Lee Kang said with a smile as if he understood San’s frustration.

“If you guys don’t want to speak about it, then forget it. I feel like we’re talking to a bunch of kids rather than people who’ve lived for centuries… anyway, let’s just end the conversation here,” San said while getting up from his seat. Lee Kang quickly waved his hand.

“Ah… calm down. It’s just that you’ve hit upon a sore spot from long ago… what do they call it? Right! Like an ex-lover. We’ve also forgotten a lot of things. Of course, we need to tell you. We understand what predicament you two are in.”

“Are you drunk?” San asked Lee Kang.

“Yeah, I am. It’s not easy to speak with a clear head. You’re curious right? Ah! Before I speak, don’t expect too much from me. I’m only going to relay what I saw directly with my own two eyes.”

San looked over at Biyeon. Biyeon moved her finger to her lips. During this brief period of time, the two exchanged numerous non-verbal messages. Biyeon was the first to throw out a question to Lee Kang. Biyeon asked the question in a very professional, dry manner.

“What do you mean that humans became gods?”

“Let me recall… Do you remember 3D movies? They were all the rage for a time. Everyone was investing and consuming 3D media. Do you know what happened ten years later?” Lee Kang stated.

“…”

“An average of 10D media became the norm for media content. The new medium and format were media products that displayed more than 10D.”

“10D?”

“Humans had reached a point where all senses could be numerically calculated and measured. This meant that certain senses could also be recreated at will. Thus, there was no difference between reality and virtual reality.”

“Virtual reality?”

“I know it’s hard to believe, but 40% of the human population couldn’t differentiate reality and the virtual world once 6D format took over. Moreover, once specific machines were created to gather human sensory data, an algorithm slowly took shape. This algorithm was a boon for commercial success since it was killer content. Machines that could recreate feelings of happiness and sadness; all the emotional responses that humans have could be recreated. People often said that a ‘concept that one can drink like alcohol’ had been created. There were also others who said that society had created a ‘mental drug,’ Lee Kang carefully explained.

“The hardware is developed enough to achieve those feats?” San asked.

“A specialized processor had been created to specifically measure sensory input and recreate experiences. It was based on accessing and gauging through one’s nervous system. Using one’s nerves. It was an analog system.”

“Analog?”

“Reaction time, energy, evolution speed… It was easier to gauge these through an analog approach than through a digital medium. Moreover, the human nervous system is in itself analog-based. Thus, it was inevitable that computing also became much more of an analog type of system. Digital became a thing of the past.”

“That’s ironic. The rise of analog… renaissance…”

“Digital was useful when doing micro calculations. In larger constructs where there are more variables and randomness, digital returns too many errors in calculation. Digital also couldn’t learn fast enough.”

“That sounds about right. Even the laptop I used always filled up with errors and bugs after a bit of use. I thought digital was the best technology we had, but it was just a mirage,” San stated in agreement.

“Around the same time that digital lost ground, web 3.0 began to take root. The basis of web 3.0 was a 3D+ virtual space on mobile platforms. The computer took on a mobile platform and was soon implemented in clothes that people wore. It became commonplace to wear clothes with computers built-in, and many supplemented those computers with extra chips and lines through accessories, such as gloves and shoes. Chips became so commonplace that people could purchase them in any convenience store. The virtual reality business using MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) engines took off and became the dominant type of gaming. Furthermore, with web 3.0, 8 billion people worldwide stored not only their ID and password online, but also all the data that they were uploading onto the web. Thus, the mobile platform became one’s identification,” Lee Kang continued.

“So, one’s mobile phone became one’s ID?” San asked.

“Similar. It was a much more sophisticated platform than a mobile phone, though.”

“Damn!” San exclaimed.

Miri then spoke, taking the conversation over from Lee Kang, “This was how individuals became connected to each other. It was all done through a network. Gathering sensory information and knowledge, the network itself started evolving. On the other hand, humans were starting to become like gods, as they could receive any power or knowledge through the network. The people of that time referred to that period as ‘A generation run by magic’. Whenever one needed something, one could magically obtain it. Of course, the technological evolution of this magnitude always had its detractors, or the ‘21st century Luddites’, those who would terrorize the system and network. Of course, those terrorists had no way of succeeding.”

“At the same time, there was a revolutionary development of custom systems and virtual spaces. Every person could create their own virtual reality space and implement 10D related content into their private space. Everything from movies, music, art, and business could be sold in these virtual spaces and storefronts. Many people of that time referred to this period as the ‘Age of Alchemy.’ Money was no longer distinguishable from the information. Of course, there were many who voiced their concerns about a ‘Big Brother’. These people stated that Big Brother was pushing this new medium to take control over popular media and make online exchanges the dominant mode of exchange, especially within game portals.”

“…”

“Due to the relatively stronger and cheaper prices of hardware, genetic programming became the norm. People started purchasing specific amino acids and enjoyed implementing them into themselves. Thus, there was an evolution and mutation of human protein structures and the human species at large. As this became mainstream, there was a burst of new pet variations, and the advent of monsters. The mainstream movement was so popular that governments had no way of controlling the movement. This was why that period was commonly referred to as the ‘Time of gods’.”

“…”

“Moreover, once knowledge was accrued and properly organized in a meta-data fashion, science and technology were further revolutionized. Quantum computing, nanomachines, the separation and re-creation of physical particles, discovery of small particle catalysts, and other things became commonplace. Furthermore, humans started creating small black holes and started creating n-dimensional particles in space. A small number of people referred to this period as the ‘age of creation.’ These few people who knew what was going on started planning to recreate the universe based on their plans,” Miri concluded.

Ogi then spoke, “All this happened within fifty years. Six billion people were connected to a central computer network. The amount of time that progressed to make each individual human a type of cell within the larger construct of the network was about…”

Gulp.

Biyeon audibly gulped. San stared helplessly at the Outsiders. Biyeon soon asked, “What about… the devil?”

“Ugh…” Namjoon muttered as he recalled the past. Namjoon now continued, “It wasn’t just individuals who connected to the network.”

“Corporations and other entities?”

“Yeah. Corporations, nations, organizations, NGOs, and even other computer systems became part of the network. Actually, those entities became the rulers over the network.”

“…”

“Those entities were the ones who set the agenda, took over the network hub, and controlled the flow of information. This allowed those who already knew how to utilize and control the network to funnel, hoard, and obtain the essential materials needed to maintain and shape the network. Furthermore, through their control over the network, they were able to make further tools that they could utilize. In the end, they took things too far and touched certain parts that should not have been touched.”

“What was that?”

“Do you really want to know?”

“Extremely.”

“Humans,” Namjoon curtly replied.

“Humans?”

“To be more precise… Awakeners…”

“Awakeners!!!” San’s eyes instantly grew wide.

“If one wants to create content above 10D, one needs to be able to completely fool human sensory perception. All types of measuring devices and programs were already present in most mobile devices and other foundational technology that allowed the network to exist. X-rays, gamma rays, brain waves, genetic coding… even biological phenomena like mitosis and meiosis… all of this was being collected as data. This went beyond a simple surveillance state monitored by CCTVs. The people with the means started collecting everything in an organized fashion.”

“Ugh…” San sighed aloud.

“Back then, unofficially, based on documentation that was left behind, each individual had his or her body gauged and checked over three billion times in one day. There was a detailed profile that was created for each individual. This level of information goes far beyond your generations’ fingerprint and face recognition technology.”

“So, then what happened?”

“At a certain point, while researching human senses, they found something unique. They found that there were levels to human senses and that there were thresholds that needed to be crossed to get to the next level. This applied to all humans. However, only a few people were privy to this fact.”

“Those people were you guys?” Biyeon asked. Lee Kang nodded his head.

“We were mesmerized. We couldn’t have come up with a better structure even if we planned it ourselves. Once we discovered this secret regarding human beings, everything changed. We saw a glimpse of a true Creator. And the power he or she possessed.”

“Were you the ones who created the Original Beings?”

“If we did, we’d be happy about it. Let’s stop talking about this. I really don’t want to talk about the next part. We’ve already told you that there was a conclusion.”

“Then, you guys are…” Biyeon said before she closed her mouth. It wouldn’t really help to verify information that she already knew…

“That’s why we don’t trust the gods. Knowing the existence of gods and believing in them are two completely different things. The existence of the Creator is already verified, seeing that we’ve been summoned to this planet. That goes for you two as well.”

“Then what are the gods in this world? Are they the same as those that were present in Episode 285?”

Lee Kang nodded his head in confirmation.

“The gods here are probably remnant processes that were leftovers from Episode 285. I’m not sure which psychotic human created them, but he or she gave gods their own ego, control over the flow of bytes. I think you can compare them to Word or Excel programs that are running in a 10D+ simulation. They’re incomplete existences that constantly need to be fed user data. With that data, they’re able to output useful conclusions, so they’re not totally worthless. This is also how they find meaning in their existences as well. That’s why we call them information organisms.”