Matthew Atkinson & Natalie Russell
Eighth Layer of the Supernatural Realm
While Matthew and Natalie waited for Aech's design feedback, they began researching at the Halliday Journals.
During their week-long research, Aech frequently gave them feedback, but Matthew had to reject the design each time.
Although Aech's improvements were noteworthy, they didn't even come close to meeting Matthew's desired SSS-level criteria. He managed to reach S level in some criteria but remained stuck at A level in others.
When Matthew asked him what the problem was, he said he had reached the limits of a vehicle intended for the racetrack.
After all, there were many restrictions for vehicles on the racetrack. They couldn't exceed a certain speed, couldn't use hover devices that lifted vehicles above a certain height, and so on.
Therefore, Matthew asked Aech to create a vehicle that would serve not only the racetrack but also everyday use. The vehicle would comply with the rules on the racetrack but would be free to roam outside it.
This made Aech's job a little easier, and after a few new designs, he managed to bring most of the criteria to the SS level. But they were stuck again there.
Aech said that if they aimed higher than this, he would need to obtain rare and unique parts. And acquiring these parts was both time-consuming and costly.
Apparently, those who wanted to obtain these parts many times had to buy the vehicle, device, or weapon that contained the part and then remove it from inside, since the parts weren't sold separately.
Aech said that since they didn't have readily available parts, it wasn't very likely they could reach a higher-level vehicle within a month.
But Aech's mention of devices, vehicles, and weapons containing high-level parts reminded Matthew of the items they obtained in the fourth layer.
Normally, when they returned from the fourth layer, supernaturals could only carry coins in their accounts to the eighth layer.
But with the reward Anorak the All-Knowing gave them, Natalie and Matthew were also able to carry the items to the eighth layer in their inventories.
Honestly, Matthew had no idea what this reward was for because they wouldn't be able to use these items on the racetrack.
Till now.
He now understood what they were for.
Matthew quickly compiled a list of all the items they had, along with Natalie, and sent it to Aech.
Among these items were many unique, high-tech ones like giant mechs, railguns, and defensive shields.
Matthew aimed to upgrade his own vehicles by using some of these items, either directly or in parts.
As expected, Aech was thrilled upon seeing the list and talked at length about the unique items on it. He even asked if he could take some of these items instead of coins as his payment.
Matthew postponed that talk until after the vehicles were completed, and Aech resumed his design work with the new materials.
In the next design, Aech broke through the SS level they had been stuck at earlier across many criteria, reaching the SSS level.
In fact, when Matthew loaded the design into his program to evaluate, he encountered something unexpected. Two of the criteria showed an SSS+ rating.
The program also included an additional note below the standard rating.
[Note: Vehicles with all criteria SSS+ level will be obtained as a Supernatural Item reward at the end of the eighth layer.]
Upon seeing this, Matthew's focus shifted, and he became even more intent on the issue.
He even went to Aech's workshop, and they brainstormed together.
The SSS+ level was not just performance-based. They also needed functionality.
Therefore, Matthew and Aech redesigned many features of the vehicle from scratch, focusing more on mecha-like functions than on the vehicle itself.
Because it didn't seem they could meet all the criteria at the desired level with a single vehicle. Versatility, Energy, and System criteria were the most challenging for them.
Even after receiving the list of items from Matthew, Aech couldn't surpass the SS level in these criteria.
Therefore, they began brainstorming about a Mecha vehicle.
The basic idea was a vehicle concept that could transform into different vehicles, like the Transformers.
And with nanotechnology combined with shrinking and enlarging technologies, achieving this wasn't too tricky.
The new mecha design could transform into motorcycles, cars, speedboats, yachts, hover cars, flying cars, fighter jets, private jets, and more. And thanks to its special scanning function, it could take on the appearance of other vehicles it scanned.
Of course, they could also transform into a mecha robot, like Transformers.
Matthew wanted it to transform into a vehicle for space travel, but Aech told him that integrating a spacecraft into a mecha in that way wasn't possible. So, there was nothing Matthew could do about it.
Even within OASIS's unrestricted structure, spacecraft held a special place. They couldn't be built as easily as a car.
Meanwhile, for Energy, they used completely safe mini-nuclear energy cores.
Matthew wanted to use the Starkium Arc Reactor, but Aech told him that arc reactors could only be obtained from the Iron Man suit, and unfortunately, Matthew didn't have an Iron Man suit among his items.
For the System criteria, they combined AI modules from several distinct components to create a multifunctional AI. It wasn't a JARVIS, but it could recognize voice commands and manage many functions on its own.
In the final design, after adding a feature that transforms the vehicle into a wristband for easy portability, they finally achieved their goal.
When Matthew added the vehicle's design to the program, all the criteria indicated the SSS+ level, and the note below stated that the vehicle would be added to his rewards as a Supernatural Item.
And it was the 5th day after they entered OASIS.
Aech said that, because the vehicle was so comprehensive, it might take 2 days to build, but he would try to get it ready for the race.
Meanwhile, Matthew and Natalie's Party Talk function had already been activated. Matthew explained to others how they could reach Aech and advised them to have their vehicle built there.
Even though they didn't have items from the fourth layer like Matthew and Natalie, and their coins weren't absurdly high, they could get a better vehicle from Aech than they could buy on the market.
While waiting for Aech to build their vehicle, Matthew and Natalie continued to spend time in the Halliday Journals.
Matthew knew where to look for the clue, but his goal wasn't just to find the clue leading to the first key.
He wanted to see what kind of life James Halliday lived. After all, the Ready Player One film and book offered limited insights into James Halliday's life.
After acquiring all of James Halliday's technical and educational knowledge as a reward, he felt he needed to see the life of the person who actually possessed that knowledge.
And finally, the 7th day of OASIS, and therefore the first race day, arrived.
Although it was a close call, Aech had managed to finish both of their vehicles.
Matthew and Natalie downloaded many vehicle appearances sold as vehicle skins from the OASIS database and uploaded them to their Transformers. This allowed their vehicles to take on many different appearances.
And yes, Matthew had generally named his vehicles Transformers.
His vehicle was named Optimus Prime, and Natalie's vehicle was named Bumblebee.
When Natalie asked why he gave them these names, he said they were characters from another story he had in mind.
After entering the eighth layer, Matthew noticed something important.
After learning that the supernatural beings could easily visit many areas of OASIS in the eighth layer, he wondered how they hadn't noticed so many Marvel, DC, and anime stories.
After all, many of them should be in the OASIS database.
But after entering the layer, Matthew realized none of these stories were in OASIS.
Even though Batman-related items like the Batmobile and Batpod were right in front of them, he couldn't find any information about Batman's story.
Matthew even tried to discuss this with other OASIS players, but they all acted as if they didn't understand what he was saying.
Matthew suspected this was the work of the Supernatural Realm. It was preventing easy access to stories about the powers it distributed.
Apparently, to gain in-depth knowledge of these stories, individuals had to traverse the layers one by one and obtain them firsthand.
Matthew and Natalie entered the racetrack five minutes before the race, positioning themselves at the very back of the line.
"Optimus, transform into the Batpod."
"Bumblebee, transform into the Kaneda Bike."
Following their instructions, the bracelets they were wearing fell to the ground, quickly transforming into the vehicles they desired.
It wouldn't matter what type of vehicle they used for the race. So, they both chose motorcycle-style vehicles that were easy to use.
Matthew had mentioned in his party speech that he had an idea and would tell them if it worked after they tried it.
Therefore, the other teams were not participating in the first race in their respective OASIS worlds.
Only Matthew and Natalie would be participating in the first race.
Matthew knew precisely how to win the race, and frankly, it wouldn't be a very exciting competition. Therefore, he wasn't particularly thrilled about the race.
After obtaining two SSS+ level vehicles thanks to Aech, Matthew assumed this layer was over for them.
What was on his mind now was what they would do in the remaining 22 days.
The eighth layer lasted 29 days, during which 4 races were held. The supernaturals would be ranked by their best score.
But Matthew and Natalie were already planning to win the first race. Therefore, they needed to find something to do with the rest of their time.
Matthew thought spending time on Vacation World would be a nice break. He and Natalie hadn't had any quality time together since they became an item.
The main reason was that Natalie spent most of her time training, and she couldn't leave campus.
So, in this world where training wasn't very beneficial, he thought he could convince Natalie to relax and take a vacation.
The announcement for the final minute jolted Matthew out of his thoughts, and he turned to Natalie and asked, "Are you ready, Nat?"
"Yes."
Then the countdown lights for the race started flashing, and as the green lights came on, the starting horn sounded.
Then all the participants sped off in their vehicles, except Matthew and Natalie.
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Next Chapters' Name:
Ch.154: Towards the Last Day
Ch.155: Witch's Bloodline
Ch.156: Buying Technological Knowledge