I wake up to the sun beating down on my face and a pigeon scrounging for scraps.

  “What the hell happened last night?” I mutter to myself as I groan and try to stand up, hearing a whisper at the edge of my consciousness.

  “Huh wha-“ is all I manage to get out before what I imagine a cluster headache to be like rips through my head and leaves me breathless on the ground. Knowledge I never had before is planted into my memory as if I had always known it, my mind barely able to keep up with the sheer torrent of information being thrown at me.

  After what feels like hours, but is likely mere seconds, the headache goes away, and I’m left with memories I have no knowledge of creating but have no issue forgetting.

  ‘So, I’ve been chosen as a harbinger of knowledge? What the hell?’ I think as I gather myself together and get to my feet. I mentally review the knowledge implanted while making my way back to my apartment.

  The Akashic Development System was created by an unknown civilisation and was sent into the universe in order to find a host in a sub-Kardashev civilisation to raise their species to a universal powerhouse.

  The system runs on what it calls “Knowledge Points”, earnt by sentient non-compelled lifeforms using the technology or products made using the knowledge of the system or it’s host. Using the KP (Knowledge Points) the system allows for the host to redeem knowledge or personal enhancements including programming languages, quantum computing, megastructures, matter transmutation, gravity manipulation, and even consciousness elevation and genetic alterations.

  To have access to these technologies the host must elevate themselves to certain level and complete pre-requisite goals to unlock access. There is no need for a species below multiversal level to have access to false vacuum destabilisation weaponry or entropic reversal technology.

  The system starts with a pitiful 5000 KP to allow the host to have access to some basic technologies in order to start their journey. Points are earnt based on a formula determining the value of the technology, the impact it has to life, and how many people use it. This way, a simple smart phone app used globally will have similar earnings to a century ahead space craft for a single person, emphasising a species wide effort rather than a singular effort.

  Any knowledge given by the system will be extremely difficult to improve as most of the technologies are already at the pinnacle of what is possible with the platforms they are designed for.

  Major milestones such as reaching a new Kardashev scale, implementing a technology civilisation-wide, or self-inventing a technology will unlock further technologies. Personal research and learning is highly encouraged so that the host does not use the system as a crutch, as many technologies within the system can work together to be more than a sum of it’s parts.

  I decided to open the system using the simple word, “Status” and its interface opens up in my vision. Somehow, I’m able to perceive both the interface and whatever is behind it at the same time, implying that it isn’t a visual interface, instead it’s directly shown to my consciousness.

  The initial interface is simple but one section provides momentary confusion before the knowledge forcefully implanted in me gives me an answer. Development level is an approximation of the civilisation’s current level, akin to the Kardashev Scale initially theorised in 1964.

  Reviewing the knowledge given I find that the development level scale is as follows, with each level implying an ability to harness all energy found within a certain scale. It starts off with Planetary, then Solar meaning an entire solar system, then Galactic, Universal, Multiversal Cluster, True Multiversal, and finally a confusing ‘Existence/Void’ level.

  Mentally reeling from the implied confirmation that alternate realities and multiverses exist, I shake my head and think to myself, ‘That’s far in the future, no point thinking about it now’ while wondering what the ‘Existence/Void’ level is, only to be given a cold response from the System.

  Ignoring the Lovecraftian horror implied by the answer given, I move on. I mentally probe, [Review Purchases] only to be met with a mostly blank interface.

  I wonder to myself what the frontal love reconfiguration is all about. I don’t want some alien technology messing with my brain without my permission. As I mentally ask myself the question the system responds in its characteristic robotic voice.

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  “Huh, well that makes sense I guess.” I say aloud while wandering down the stairs to my apartment. Wondering if the system is sentient in any way I ask an open-ended question, “Hey system, where do you think I should start?”

  “Well, that’s not much help, but interesting nonetheless.” I say as I open the door to my apartment. I start to wonder where I can get started and decide to open the shop to see what type of technology I can redeem to start my journey.

  Ignoring software and hardware as they’re self explanatory, I get curious around a term I have never heard before. Conceptware.

  “Sounds like some unreal stuff. Who knew the soul was an actual thing? What the hell is memetics, I doubt I’ll find even find much information around this online at all.”

  Shifting to personal enhancements I find a surprising menu, allowing for all sorts of alterations, protections and enhancements to myself.

  Looking into memory and processing I find a staggering amount of options including eidetic memory, photographic memory, processing improvements, working memory expansion, and so on. Even the cheapest memory enhancement costs over a hundred thousand KP so I set aside the entire category and move on to software, as even the decent portable workstation laptop I have should be able to run some things I may find helpful.

  I mentally probe the system to set a filter on items I can run effectively using the available hardware I have and even then, I find a staggering amount of options from different forms of basic artificial intelligence to automated penetration testing software. I narrow this down further over the course of 30 minutes while laying down on my couch and find a few options to consider.

  Looking over my options, artificial intelligence while having a ‘cool factor’ won’t help me much in my current financial situation but will likely supply a significant amount of KP when shared online. The programming language K might see widespread adoption in a number of years so it isn’t immediately useful, and MarketMeter may help with my financial situation but has a downside that it’s accuracy is limited by the amount of information supplied, which at this point in time would simply be the market data available online.

  SoftMiner however, would allow me to get money from companies over the globe to solve my financial situation and with the money from that, would let me develop it into a separate piece of software which I can sell to earn KP from companies wanting to secure their systems.

  Locking in my choice I tell the system, “Purchase SoftMiner from the software category.”

  I pray to whoever may be listening that the headache from last time isn’t present and that it wouldn’t torture me. Laying down on the couch I prepare for the process.

  Over the course of 15 minutes with a throbbing headache I now possess the entirety of SoftMiner in my memory and how to implement it in any of the software languages I currently know including Python, C++, C#, Java and more.

  At the kitchen table I open my laptop, jump in to VSCode, and start a new project. Over the course of 6 hours the entirety of the software is written. I set the software to compile and put my faith into the knowledge provided by the system, assuming there will be no errors as I stand up, stretch, and head to the shower to get myself fresh and ready to start testing the software.

  Looking at the broken bathroom mirror I take a moment for introspection, wondering how my life ended up like this and wondering why something like the system has chosen me of all people in order to raise up the species.

  I stare at myself, a 5 foot 9 inches, olive skinned and somewhat attractive half Indian half American 20-year-old young man with a spattering of facial hair soon to be trimmed off and short hair and wonder, ‘Am I really special? Some sort of chosen one? Who the hell knows.’

  After my half an hour shower the compilation was successful. I sat down and went to start using the software when I heard a sudden message from the system.

  “Neat! Let’s get testing.”