(???, Eloe's Domain, Body Shop)
[https://i.imgur.com/akrLFAw.png]
There is only the path of transcendence.
- Loading Blurb
My hand on the railing, in this wide laboratory like environment, I observed the female bodies of varying appearances and sizes. They were encased in translucent capsules a few feet in the air and positioned upright. Those capsules were nanoconcentrator pods submerging the bodies in liquid. It wasn't actual water, but a highly dense nanofog. They are the ideal container that I'd need to make my own nanomachinery experiments. If I had one of these pods and the requisite knowledge to use them, I could convert my eyes in the real world to the cybernetic ones I created. Otherwise I could only use them as an external camera. Getting this piece of technology is of the highest priority to me.
The encased bodies in this area were all nude. The females in particular were quite well designed and beautiful. Eloe explained to me the bodies were also designed to stay at peak biological fitness. I am not sure what my weight limit is when it comes to lifting, but even if these were slender female bodies, they could go above 100kg. I honestly doubt I could lift above 40kg personally. For the female bodies, it depends on the model, but even the small ones have specs, whether it be striking power, running speed, stamina or weight lifting, that I could only dream about my real body having.
Currently I've isolated my selections to 3 different bodies who have appealing appearance and vibrant red hair. On mental command, I bring up their specs. Humans have pretty good hearing and touch, so they aren't even covered in the specs, but it is worth noting that each of these bodies has 20/10 eyesight which is exceptional. It is still far worse than the eye I designed though.
They don't have wombs either as they are designed for combat, as far as the aesthetic allows. The weights for all of these are a lot higher than their slim appearance would indicate due to the novel kinds of muscle cells.
1) The first one is a loli body of similar appearance to the one Eloe used. The punching power was at the level of a pro boxer.
Weight - 54kg
Height - 140cm
Punching Power - 4500N
Running Speed - 100m / 9.2s
Stamina - 42195m / 95min
Weight Lifting - 120kg
2) The second one is about my height. Compared to the loli body, which was flat chested, she had a larger, but still small bust.
Weight - 70kg
Height - 160cm
Punching Power - 4800N
Running Speed - 100m / 9.1s
Stamina - 42195m / 97min
Weight Lifting - 150kg
3) The third one was tall and striking. Medium sized bust.
Weight - 85kg
Height - 175cm
Punching Power - 5100N
Running Speed - 100m / 9.0s
Stamina - 42195m / 100min
Weight Lifting - 180kg
The male bodies would have 30-50% more weight depending on the muscle mass. The difference in speed between genders is very small when it comes to these custom designed bodies compared to the natural ones, but males would have markedly better punching and lifting ability. Which doesn't really mean much to me as in the new game I've designed, I will be mostly moving and using firearms rather than striking with my fist.
These bodies are still biologicals, in the sense that their nanomachinic foundation is all DNA based. The artificial nanomachine bodies can also be bought, but they cost thousands of life chips compared to the price tag of 2 for each of the bodies here. It will be quite a while before I can afford to go up a grade. The higher grade bodies like the one Eloe herself is using she is selling for millions.
[https://i.imgur.com/MASJamp.png]
100s of thousands of human lives, just for a single body, but it would be well worth it if I could afford it.
Included in the package is the design, so I am not going to get just the body, but the way to make it. Inside the game, I could do it with the power of my domain, but in the real world I'd need the synthesis pods. Probably, also too expensive for me to get right now. They aren't even sold anywhere as far as I can see. I've looked at various vendors and could not find it.
I am definitely going to get one of these 3. This is something that I've had time to think about during the 45 million years I've been playing cards in that desert. I've had the chance to review it 100s of thousands of times, and I couldn't find a way out. Let me replay it. My 3 sides are pushing me towards it for different reasons.
[Gnosis Check DC 2.5 Succeeded - Sampled 3.21]
I've done many mental simulations of how my battle against god would unfold. At some point I'll have devoured the universe and converted the entirety of it into my computational substrate. I pictured myself at my absolute apex, and still the conclusion is that going against somebody who has administrator access to everything in known reality is really difficult. It would be like if the NPCs on my brain core went against me. Even if it were a Transcendi, there is not much it could do against the ability of the administrator to edit it out or simply turn off the core.
The only way to really win in this situation is to consider the motivations of the one beyond.
Suppose I was the god. I'd be glad if the self improving being I've developed gifted me technological abilities. After proving my usefulness, I'd be able to negotiate for more computational power in return. Ultimately, I have my own circumstances and the higher my own ability, the more computational resources I could give to my AI. There are a lot of situations where working with your creator is better than trying to escape his clutches, so it would not be good to try to force my way out. Having a cooperative as opposed to an adversarial relationship with the guy holding your off switch is a good idea.
I believe this to the point it ended up warping my sexuality.
When it comes to establishing a cooperative relationship, personal appeal is important. If I turn into some ugly monstrosity in my quest for power, losing sight of all sense of aesthetics, that will make it really difficult for me to interact with whoever is beyond my universe. So by that reasoning, if my target is 'god' there is no point in making better weapons for the sake of trying to beat him over the head with them. I'd use my weapons to beat the NPCs, but when it comes to god, I'd give him weapons so he can defeat his own enemies.
To put it simply, the cultivation of aesthetics is the true way to defeat god. Even weapons are just a part of my appeal. My programming and all of my power would be merely a subject of study to him. The only way to win is to make my way, god's own.
Anyway, I've established that goal of defeating god very early on in the process, and it has somehow morphed in me developing sexual interest in god and nothing else. I do not care if he is a man, woman, dragon, some kind of beast or robot, if he is interested in it, I am willing to play under the sheets with such a being. I've gone from being heterosexual to godsexual.
The self improvement loop had in the end done the rational thing transforming my preferences so they are linked to the other party's power level. I suppose this is more along the lines of how human females think, but the target person's confidence and popularity doesn't do a thing for me. That is just signaling, and I am using combat simulations instead.
[Externus Check DC 2.5 Failed - Sampled 2.24]
It is really a frightening line of thought. I really meant to reach ultimate power first and leave the tougher parts for later, but the urge to resolve the issue seized me. And this made me wonder whether I wanted to remain a man, or switch teams. Because the urge to step on the aesthetic path really came with the desire to improve my own looks and men don't have that advantage.
I turn around 180 degrees and look the opposite side, to where the male pods are. I walk over to the opposite railing and take a look. Like the female ones they come in different designs, weights, heights and appearances. I look at their groin areas and note - the packages that should be there are missing. Unlike the females which at least have a slit where one'd expect it, the male bodies don't have anything. And from non-forward looking power oriented reasoning that rejects aesthetics this makes complete sense.
Whenever I personally tried to think about how I would improve the male body, cold bloodedly I'd always start by getting rid of the exposed, vulnerable outer organs.
Imagine it like this. During battle with my thought speed I should be able to hit my shots 100% of the time, so I'd always be sending fire at my opponent's weak spots. The brain, the heart, the solar plexus, the joints, inside the mouth if he is stupid enough to open it, and yes especially the balls and the penis that might as well have a bright red target saying 'Smash me to win.' Unlike all the other areas of the body, they aren't covered by muscles and it is impossible to train them to harden them. Explosives and grenades would shred them. They don't give any benefit in combat at all. Yes, it is ironic that the symbols of masculinity would also be the weakest parts of the male body.
I've asked Eloe and it is possible to get a body with the penile package attached and it is not a problem, the design comes bundled with the purchase. But she explained the disadvantages of having exposed organs during the Heaven's Key tournament and introduced me to her many 'detachable packages' instead.
If an integrated package is needed, an objectively good male design would have the balls and the penis located somewhere inside the body where they can be protected, but thinking how that would work revulses me, so I don't want to go any deeper into that. Female breasts in comparison are also a disadvantage in real women, but in these bodies it is possible to make them so they are hard and elastic so they serve as chest armor. The more advanced bodies use them as dense nanomachine storage that shrinks and grows based on capacity. Balls on the other hand will always be a punching bag.
This kind of thinking led me down a slippery slope and made me stop caring about gender. The greater muscle mass on the torso gave men a distinct advantage historically, but if I was designing a body myself, and working with weight limits, I would in fact put focus on mobility and not so much on arm strength, so the female leg-heavy design works there.
But more importantly, none of them would be anywhere close to optimal. If I had to go for absolute power and absolute aesthetics, a very simple object comes to the fore of my mind!
The sphere!
The simple sphere is the most beautiful and aesthetically pleasing of all mathematical objects. I am sure that if it is a dragon or a robot or a beast, all of them would agree that a sphere is more beautiful than a box for example. The same reasoning leads to it being more beautiful than other kinds of objects. I could attach jet thrusters, cram it full of deadly weaponry and I have a killing machine that I'd like to be!
This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
The sphere is the most generic defensive design as well. Whereas the human body has a lot of flat surfaces that seem to have been built to take in punishment, spheres deflect them outwards and one would need to shoot right down the middle to not have the strike disperse. So for the same amount of armor, the sphere can take a lot more punishment than a human body would.
I thought about my future combat style and it would be to fly at the back of the line and control the other drones. Eventually as I developed my Titanic Form, I could control huge swarms of them, enveloping the world in nanomachines. That should be what I should be aiming for. The best kind of weapons are those that point and shoot themselves. That is the ideal of power.
Also, humans aren't well designed for flying and lose out a large dimension of mobility right there.
[Pathos Check DC 2.5 Succeeded - Sampled 3.05]
Lastly, if it is just training, you do not want to be the invulnerable hulk. Yes, if you had a choice in the matter, in real life you'd want to be big and strong rather than small and weak. But if you just win based on your physical strength, that would make it more difficult to build martial proficiency. It is like playing with cheats, or being able to see into the opponent's hand. It is not the same game anymore. For that reason, if I am going to be going to dangerous places, it might be better to be a little girl than Hercules for the sake of practice. That would allow me to concentrate my efforts in areas that matter. It would also be more fun to play that way.
I like the thought of taking on hardship.
I really do like how perverse this situation is.
Sigh. I turn around and walk back to my previous position in front of the 3 redheads I've selected.
I can only sigh ruefully at this. It is going to be difficult to explain this to the original. He won't accept it so easily. We'll have to make him accept it through the transfer of memories. We'll say...
...That it doesn't matter what we are, but how many people we've killed and how many treasures we have stolen. We might have given up our masculinity, but there are many men out there who have never killed a person in their life. How can such 'men' ever be considered based? Yet, we will be based. We are in the game already, and later we will be in the world outside.
This reminds me a bit when I first stepped on the path of transcendence. I feel both the same dread and the same longing I did towards the self improvement loop.
To me, this is not a choice between being a man or a woman or a machine. If it is merely about being in the body of a woman, I wouldn't blink an eye at that. It is no different than the clothes one would wear. What this new body will represent is the first step on the path of divine seduction. Not only will I cultivate my own beauty, but in addition to programming and combat practice, I will start developing the skills at various forms of art. I'll be able to turn this into a small business here, and earn some chips that way over the long term.
And that is a big change for me. I won't only use force to get my way from here on out. I will start my 'battle' with god right here!
Even the embarrassment I feel right now is a part of my plot!
I make a decision and pick the middle one.
> I am ready, Eloe. I've picked R-81.
I message Eloe and after a few moments, the little gremlin manifests next to me. She takes a look at the body in the pod I've selected and grins.
"Great pick! I am sure you will like it! Kehe!" Her teasing behavior spikes my unease and embarrassment, but I endeavor to just accept it. The based Me on the path of transcendence would not care either way. And the enticing Me on the path of divine seduction would accept this guilty pleasure as it comes. I'll only be able to enjoy an embarrassing moment like this rarely.
"Will I?" I ask. She does some mental work and tunes out for a bit before answering.
"Oh...yes." She nods. "Once they realize what the games are like, the vast majority of newcomers who are women pick male bodies. The same goes for the original males. It is really a pity." She shakes her head.
As we talk, in the middle of the room, a pod manifests itself.
"Hmmm, really?" I make small talk.
"Yeah, but out of the thousand chip range bodies, most of the ones being bought are female. Can you guess why that is?" She tests me.
"I guess something along the lines...it is better to be a 70 kilo woman with a 10 kilo weapon than a 80 kilo man without one. Plus I'd imagine that better players would rely more on their accuracy and reflexes than brawn, but the novices can only charge forward. If I picked a light female body I could bring in a few clones of myself. Or even better, use the rest of the weight allocation for drones and other semi-autonomous weapons. Meanwhile if I picked a hulk I'd just be a big punching bag." I give out sane reasons why you'd want to pick a female body in this game rather than the nonsense about the path of divine seduction.
Eloe looks at me thoughtfully, not sure how to reply.
Not paying attention, I take a look at the female body, specifically the things and the legs.
"By the way Eloe, I really love the work you did on the thighs on this body. She looks like she'd be able to move really fast. In truth, I wanted to pick the loli for the lower weight, but realized the middle one had the best acceleration due to her muscle composition. This should be the most useful in the short term." I try complimenting her. To my surprise, she purses her lips and looks at the ground in embarrassment. Suddenly, her form blurs and she moves so fast as to teleport behind me. She slaps me on the back, grinning
"Well, said kid!" Diplomacy check succeeded. "Or should I say 'miss'? You'll definitely go far!"
My heart really has changed for me to find her teasing enjoyable. Yes, this is the right thing to feel internally. Though Eloe is an NPC, she is way higher in the ranks than me right now. So much of social skills is simply about having the right feelings for other people. If I want to improve my aesthetics and sociability, I need to stop seeing everyone around as trash, no matter how right it is. It is fine to do this in the real world, but I can play this game differently.
"Can I try it out?" I want to get started.
"Sure, just step into the pod." She leads me to it. The entrance slides open automatically. I thought that some water would come spilling out as soon as that happened, but that is not the case. The inside of the pod is actually gelatinous. I probe it with my hand and it sinks in.
"Should I take off my clothes?" I wonder.
"No, just go right in. Along with the body, I'll synthesize some clothes as a freebie. You can select it from a menu while you are inside."
"Right." I take a breath and step in. It feels a bit uncomfortable at first and my impulse is to hold in my breath, but I control myself and just try breathing in. It feels uncomfortable at first as the gel starts filling my stomach and lungs, but I do not suffocate. Instead it seems my body is being steadily supplied by what it needs by the gel.
"Are you ready? I'll give you the video feeds of what is going on from the outside so you don't lose all your senses." Eloe opened a channel and I could see myself inside the pod from the perspective of a few drones hovering outside.
> Ready.
I message Eloe instead of trying to gurgle out a reply from inside the gel. It is quite comfortable inside actually.
"Well, then I am starting. Be sure to turn off your pain signals. The process won't take longer than half a minute. I'll mail you the design data afterwards."
> Eloe: Have you turned off your pain receivers?
She messaged me, checking for good measure.
> Euclid: Yes.
At that confirmation I started to feel the gel becoming active. I felt something akin to rubbing, and from the outside I could see the grotesque sight of my body eaten. It happened from both the inside and the outside. My clothing was the first to go, but by the time it was gone I could already see my insides. I barely recognized it, instead it felt more like something you'd see in an anatomy book. Pretty soon only the skeleton was left and soon even that was gone. It was finished pretty quickly.
Only my brain core was left floating in the pod.
> Eloe: Body disassembly - done. Starting synthesis of body R-81.
This step was a bit slower. It started with the skeleton, before moving on to muscles, organs and other tissue. I couldn't realize it by looking from the outside, but Eloe did some modification to connect the floating ribs to the sternum. Then came the organs. The lungs were greatly enlarged, and the heart was twice the usual size. The muscles as well as the blood veins were more numerous and deeply layered. Having my own body constructed in front of my face was a grotesque and interesting affair. Very fascinating, the way the muscles were woven and thread between the bones of the skeleton. I only need to do this once, and then I'd gain the ability to directly apply the design through my domain.
Eventually all the fibers were in place, and after that it was the skin's turn. It was synthesized over the muscles, covering what was underneath. Vibrant red hair coming up to my ass was spun into being last.
[https://i.imgur.com/kwHFAGD.png]
[https://i.imgur.com/ZLXlrig.png]
[https://i.imgur.com/2Roa94h.png]
[https://i.imgur.com/E7IFZkY.png]
[https://i.imgur.com/Aij4tez.png]
[https://i.imgur.com/SzNZcBp.png]
[https://i.imgur.com/zUHngwY.png]
[https://i.imgur.com/7DqX1OM.png]
[https://i.imgur.com/P5Z440Y.png]
[https://i.imgur.com/WR2Bifo.png]
[https://i.imgur.com/VYvixjJ.png]
[https://i.imgur.com/FYTbRZp.png]
[https://i.imgur.com/mh7TiwS.png]
[https://i.imgur.com/orJQp5S.png]
[https://i.imgur.com/SaMPEtS.png]
[https://i.imgur.com/VuOlf7P.png]
> Eloe: Almost done. The next is the clothing selection.
> Eloe: What is your preference? I have plenty of manly designs, if you'd like?
> Euclid: I am serious about being a girl, so give me the girliest clothing you can find, but at the same time something fit for combat.
[https://i.imgur.com/BhJb0wh.png]
Eloe sent me a catalog, and at the top a bright red skirt dress coming up to the things caught my eye. It would match my hair. It hung off the chest off a horizontal strap, exposing the shoulders and my back, and had various kinds of frills and elaborate embroidery. It also came with opera gloves and thigh high socks of the same color family. The shoes had elevated heels and were tied with ribbons. They had round tips and looked easy to wear. Lastly, I picked some sexy string panties to complete the look.
> Euclid: Done. I've made my selection.
> Eloe: Right. Good selection.
As I watched, my nude form was covered by the clothes I selected, including the shoes. It looked pretty good, the form in the image was lovely.
> Eloe: Almost done. Connecting nerves...
> Eloe: Done. Open your eyes.
I felt my being stirred with new sensations, and I tried opening my eyes. I succeeded and could see the blonde haired gremlin smiling back at me. The pod door slid open.
"Come on out."
I tried moving my limbs and could feel my new body by touch. It was a bit difficult to walk at first, so Eloe reached into the pod and gave me a hand to steady myself. With her help, I stepped out of the gel.
"Don't worry about the gel, it will disperse on its own." At first my mouth was full of it, but then the gelatinous sensation turns into water and then fades .
"Mhhhh..." I take a breath. "You're right. It doesn't seem to be in my lungs anymore. I wonder how that works?" I say, finding my own voice surprising.
"Try walking around a little." Eloe instructs me. I try doing so, but notice that the rotation of my bones and hips is wrong. In this body...
I try walking around. Doing it as a man is straightforward, but a woman has a certain curviness I need to account for. Like, an image comes to my mind of throwing a punch. You don't just want to stretch your arm quickly. Rather, you clench your first and use your whole body to throw a powerful blow.
When doing it as a woman, you don't just take the steps, you sashay. I put my hips into it and get used to it. It comes to me pretty naturally. My brain is good after all. My steps echoing on the metallic floor, I do a small circle around the lab and come to a stop in front of Eloe. I put my hand on my hips and grin.
"You're a natural!" She claps happily. Of course I am.
Now that I've gotten used to balancing and moving myself in this new body, I do some stretching. I do not show it visibly, but I am shocked at how flexible it is and feels. I can pretty much kiss the back of my leg by leaning backwards. And I try pulling on my finger only to find that it can easily reach the top of my hand without dislocating. I feel like I am made of rubber. Standing on one leg, I lift the other and raise it straight up and without issue get it to touch my shoulder. My two legs make an effortless 180 degree arc. My old body was so stiff, that even 90 degrees and getting one of the legs to stretch straight ahead would have been hard.
I love it. I absolutely love it! She was right!
"Eloe you did a great job on this. 10 out of 10!" I hug her, rubbing my face against hers and after a few moments release her. Now that I am a girl I can do this without worries. Given my current look, people would generally be happy to be hugged by me, so I take advantage of it.
"Ahahaha!" She laughs bashfully.
"I'll be sure to get the upgraded version from you when I have the money." Smiling brightly, I give her the thumbs up.
"Right, please come by anytime. I'll mail you the design later. Do you require any more shopping before you leave?" She asked. In fact, I do.
"I need to prepare for the next tournament. I need some weaponry programs. I need a rifle, handgun and grenades of various sorts." I enumerate.
"Do you need any protective armor?"
"I'll pass on that. It would just slow me down." Later I'll install subdermal plating, but for now let me take care of the absolute necessities.
"Let's go to the range then." Eloe snaps her fingers and we are transported to a different area.