Evolution Online: I Can Fuse With All Things-Chapter 40: Gaming is for the Rich

Lucien perched on the bed, phone clutched in his hand, gnawing his nails—nearly chomping his entire hand while his leg hammered against the ground frantically.

’What the hell? What the hell? What the hell?!! Why are they so damn expensive?!’

This was what Lucien was currently gawking at on his mobile phone:

Model name: BaleronNexus 1

Duration: 1 Month

Immersion Fidelity: 70%

Pain Sensitivity: 25%

Special Features: 5-Point Neural Socket Interface, Entry-Grade Biostasis Foam Chamber, Sleep-Time Reset Protocol

Add-Ons:

Stasis-Lite Gel: Temp & skin care, costs $27,000.

NutriCore-S1 Cartridge: 30-day nutrient, costs $85,000.

PulseWatch 4 Sensor: Basic vitals tracking, costs $19,000.

—

Model name: BaleronNexus 1 Pro

Duration: 1.5 Months

Immersion Fidelity: 78%

Pain Sensitivity: 35%

Special Features: Improved Cortex Sync Engine, Adaptive Breath Regulation System, Memory Echo Purifier

Price(USD): 3.4 Million

Add-Ons:

Echo-Damper Link: Memory loop blocker, costs $110,000.

NeuroPatch Foam Layer: Prevents pressure injuries, $60,000.

VibeCore Sonics: Low-frequency stress balancer, costs $45,000.

—

PHANTOM SERIES (GEN 1.5) – Military-tested experimental immersion for elite users

Model name: BaleronPhantom 1.0

Duration: 3 Months

Immersion Fidelity: 90%

Pain Sensitivity: 50%

Special Features: NeuroSkin Emulation Web, Threat Simulation Engine (TSE), Partial Limb Feedback Emulation

Price: $9.1 Million

Add-Ons:

PainGovernor Mk-I: Adaptive pain control, costs $280,000.

MyoPulse Sync Layer: Muscle feedback layer, costs $90,000.

RecoilNull Memory Buffer: PTSD filter, costs $320,000.

—

Model name: BaleronPhantom 1.0 Pro

Duration: 4 Months

Immersion Fidelity: 92%

Pain Sensitivity: 65%

Special Features: Reactive Muscle Sync Grid, Integrated Memory Distortion Filter, Combat Reflex Delay Controller

Price: $12.7 Million

Add-Ons:

TraumaMap AI: Logs and adapts trauma zones, costs $460,000.

OverClocked Thought Channeler: Increases reaction speed, costs $770,000.

SleepFlash Loop: Lucid dream action recall, costs $310,000.

—

NEXUS SERIES 2.0 (GEN 2) – Advanced systems for ultra-immersion and long-term sustainment

Model name: BaleronNexus 2.0

Duration: 6 Months

Immersion Fidelity: 96%

Pain Sensitivity: 80%

Special Features: PainGovernor Mk-II, NeuroLink Expansion Ports, DreamSync Core Access

Price: $15.4 Million

Add-Ons:

VitaLoop BioRegen Tank: Auto tissue repair, costs $720,000.

DeepCore Matrix: 6-month nutrient & hormone stabilizer, costs $2.1 Million.

NeuroShield-F: Brain fatigue protection, costs $610,000.

—

Model name: BaleronNexus 2.0 Pro

Duration: 7.5 Months

Immersion Fidelity: 97.5%

Pain Sensitivity: 85%

Special Features: Emotion Playback Module, NanoSleep Injector (controlled REM reset), Neural Reserve Split Cache (run dual consciousness streams)

Price: $18.9 Million

Add-Ons:

LucidNet Echo Filter: Captures subconscious messages, costs $1.1 Million.

OverSleep Emergency Extractor: Eject failsafe for dream lock, costs $950,000.

Immune Cortex Balancer: Prevents brain-body rejection, costs $1.3 Million.

—

More and more series of the Capsule pods sprawled across the screen, each boasting model versions of their own and different upgrades. However, none of them cost less than five hundred thousand dollars. Lucien clutched his head, nearly ready to rip out his hair.

Evolution Online wasn’t a game for the poor!

He scrolled down the page and navigated to the headgear section. The one Lucien was currently using was Specter 1pro.

He slowly scrolled the page, scanning the versions of headgear that were available and their prices.

—

VIREX SERIES (GEN 1) – For gamers and developers.

Model name: BaleronVirex 1

Immersion Fidelity: 50%

Pain Sensitivity: 0%

Recommended Max Session: 3 hours

Special Features: Lightweight NeuroBand, Retinal Sync Layer, Surface Nerve Mapper (basic)

Price: $34,000

—

Lucien was quite surprised to see zero percent pain sensitivity. But it also made perfect sense—the gaming company wouldn’t want to ship a poor man’s son to the hospital because of intense pain overwhelming their brain. It was smart to make it that way.

Besides, it would have also helped them with budget. That’s why it obviously costs just thirty-four thousand dollars.

Lucien examined the Add-ons.

—

Add-Ons:

Pulse Stabilizer: Tracks heart rate, costs $1,300.

NeuroCool Vent Loop: Reduces heat buildup, costs $2,800.

SoundFocus Shell: Filters ambient distractions, costs $900.

—

He nodded his head.

"Indeed, headgear is more affordable."

Then he continued to scroll.

—

Model name: BaleronVirex 1 Pro

Immersion Fidelity: 62%

Pain Sensitivity: 10%

Recommended Max Session: 6 hours

Special Features: Enhanced Reflex Compression, Gaze Tracking for Input Prediction, Neural Fatigue Sensor

Price: $210,000

Add-Ons:

BioLink HUD: Displays real-time vitals, costs $6,000.

SmartFilter Sleep Mode: Prevents eye strain, costs $3,200

VocalCalm Feedback Delay: Voice modulation, costs $2,100.

—

SPECTER SERIES (GEN 1.5) – For cyber-combatants, high-tier streamers, sim athletes

Model name: BaleronSpecter 1.0

Immersion Fidelity: 82%

Pain Sensitivity: 25%

Recommended Max Session: 12 hours

Special Features: NeuroTrace Memory Assist, Rapid-Lock Reaction Driver, Semi-Pain Emulation for Combat Sims

Price: $590,000

Add-Ons:

ReflexSync Tuner: Boosts reaction throughput, costs $14,000.

Recall Echo Logger: Saves last 10 mins of play, costs $10,000.

Auditory Depth Modulator: Adjusts spatial audio layers, costs $7,400.

—

Model name: BaleronSpecter 1.0 Pro

Immersion Fidelity: 88%

Pain Sensitivity: 35%

Recommended Max Session: 16 hours

Special Features: Semi-Neural Overlay (real/virtual split vision), Muscle Fiber Tracking Add-on Ports, Memory Loop Prevention AI

Price: $910,000

Add-Ons:

CoreBurn Filter Pack: Filters traumatic inputs, costs $55,000.

CombatStack HUD: Real-time combat data tracking, costs $84,000.

NeuralDrive Auto-Calibrator: Self-adjusts during battle stress, costs $120,000.

—

Lucien paused and glared at the Specter 1pro model.

"What? Thena’s son is using the nine hundred and ten thousand dollar one. Not to mention the cost of these add-ons. That’s one point one six million! He was that rich?"

Suddenly, Lucien found himself gently caressing the headgear—it was a bit worn and bore a couple of scratches, but it was in remarkably fair condition. In fact, it suddenly seemed to sparkle before Lucien’s eyes.

There were other, more expensive headgear units that even surpassed this one’s features, but their prices were comfortably cruising into the millions. So Lucien decided to settle for this for now.

Instead, he went online to purchase a few essentials: a smart laptop, a table, and a chair for when he wanted to do things other than gaming.

All that consumed a while, after which he went about his day—helping Old Lady Thena with a few chores. She nearly rejected his help, but there was really nothing else he could do at the time. Besides, he was slowly starting to savor the chores, even though he was handling them awkwardly.

Another thing Lucien did was take an evening stroll through the neighborhood, scouting for a gym. He wasn’t able to find a gym, but he discovered somewhere better. Somewhere that he truly needed.

Meanwhile, during that same evening, something about a leaked battle video was driving the forums absolutely wild.

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