Sleeping Player (Project Chrysalis Book 3) by John Gold (novel24 TXT) 📕

mining ship. Etfindus Dobrale came up with his hypothesis on the levels in the quantum sea. When Diana Gumm was eleven, she started her own business delivering weapons.”

“She was a smuggler! You may not know this, but she completed her first deal just so the ship her parents were on wouldn’t get shot up by pirates.”

“No, she was successful. By the time she got out of jail when she was twenty, she was already a millionaire.”

Mrs. Full smiled and handed the boy a piece of candy.

“They used to say that wisdom comes from the mouth of babes, but you’re drawing all the wrong conclusions.” The woman picked up the empty wrapper and showed it to Angie. “The difference in what you know and your ability to understand deeply let you explore life on a more detailed, fuller level. You can see the whole picture. On the other hand, not talking with people means you’ll lose your understanding of life from a child’s point of view—the ability to be happy about the little things, to enjoy your freedom. You’re thinking superficially, matching individual facts instead of looking at the aggregate of the factors that make people successful. You’ll eventually stop understanding the world around you. Your social development will stop, and that will put a huge damper on your mental development. People need to talk. That’s how your personality develops.”

“I don’t understand, Mrs. Full.”

“Growing up is a complicated process, and talking with your peers is an integral part of it. Do you know what I mean? Without the experience you get from talking with them, the foundation of your personality will be too fragile. You’ll be an adult, but still a child at heart. Does that make sense?”

The boy thought about it. Eliza had a hard time understanding what Mrs. Full was getting at herself, or where she was taking the boy. It definitely wasn’t a conversation with an eleven-year-old.

“But that doesn’t mean I should talk with other kids. I can talk with adults—they’re more interesting.”

Eliza realized that Angie hadn’t heard what the psychologist was trying to say. Full confirmed her suspicions.

“In that case, your personality won’t develop correctly. Normal people express emotions and carry on intelligent conversations at the same time, though your brain just does one or the other. If you purposely limit yourself to talking with adults, you’ll focus on the meaning of the words, losing the feeling invested in them. When you grow up, it’ll be much harder for you to read emotions. Your emotional intellect will be stunted. And if you can’t understand emotions, you won’t be able to empathize or sympathize with other people.”

Angie was starting to protect himself psychologically.

“Mrs. Full, I read in a book that money is more valuable now than later. I’m prepared to forego my childhood and emotions in the future in favor of my current development.”

“That’s silly, Angie. With a decision like that, you’re robbing yourself of a normal future. You’ll ruin your everyday life, and the decision is such a simple one. All you have to do is talk with the other kids.”

The boy paused to think.

“Mrs. Full, I’ve read two hundred books already, and I’ve made one conclusion about how people think. Only the ones that consciously decline normalcy can reach their calling, success, and wealth. They turn their back on morals, principles, social norms, and formulaic thinking, and that’s how they go farther than normal people. Your opinion of my decision is just a perspective on my future. Sure, I won’t be normal, but that doesn’t mean I’ll be bad or underdeveloped.”

Full nodded. The camera caught a slight smile.

“You’re right about that. Just don’t forget that I have more life experience, and that I’m looking at your problem from a wider angle.”

“I’ll think about that, Mrs. Full.”

The recording ended as the boy was walking out of the room. A second later, Mrs. Full made a note that the boy was socially unadapted and potentially dangerous.

Eliza, having seen the recording, realized how poor her own attempts to converse with the boy had been. He wasn’t even eleven in that recording, and he was discussing his future better than most adults. Very shortly after that meeting, he was caught at the space port and started working there—he’d set it up himself.

***

Kirk was a mind mage who’d been living in the mage quarter for more than half a year. There weren’t any houses per se, just administrative buildings and dorms. Two mages were housed in each room, while his dorm was split into a men’s wing and a women’s wing. The wings each had common bathrooms and a common cafeteria—it was a quiet, secluded home for mages who preferred solitude and peace.

In real life, his name was Stan Quoch. Six years before, Stan had gotten into serious trouble with his parents, formally losing their care, his inheritance, and his status in high society. But the lost soul was able to find his true love in Project Chrysalis, in a small shop near the Airis Castle walls. Lira accepted Stan and his broken heart. He fell madly in love with her, turning over a new leaf, even if that leaf was in the game world. But during the battle with the undead, Lira, like the thousands of other inhabitants in Airis, died in Sagie’s final attack.

After his wife’s funeral, Kirk, playing under the name Zack, spent the next six months mourning his loss. Ultimately, Project Chrysalis lost the warrior called Zack, who went by the nickname Crazy Lightning and founded the Warriors of Persia clan, though it gained Kirk, now at Level 1588. His attribute points and warrior class skills were wiped, his username was changed, and his appearance was randomly generated.

Elf, Kirk, Level 1588

The new character became a mind mage, the least popular class of mage. His newly created character didn’t have any money,