The Infinite Fortress - Prometheus

"Ding!" A crisp sound that seemed to originate from his soul echoed in Xiao Ran's mind, jolting him awake from an endless darkness.

Slowly opening his eyes, what greeted him was a vast, empty, and impeccably clean space with an inexplicable sci-fi ambiance. It was about thirty meters high and wide. In this deserted expanse, only Xiao Ran and the holographic projection before him were conspicuous. On the white walls flanking the immense space, made of some unknown material, hung several display-like objects, showcasing images of an infinitely vast starry sky.

Xiao Ran's eyes widened like lanterns, his face a mask of confusion and bewilderment. Anyone waking up to find themselves not in their own bed would surely have the same expression and thoughts: "Where... where is this? How did I get here?"

Before Xiao Ran could even fully regain his senses, a voice that seemed to resonate in his ears yet reach the very depths of his soul spoke:

"Ding, welcome to the cosmic fortress, Prometheus."

"Your designation is 678."

"You are currently in the Real Zone, where you can undertake missions related to real-type mecha and receive your mission rewards."

"In thirty minutes, you will enter a mission world to execute your first task. This mission is a group beginner mission, with no veteran pilots participating."

"You have thirty minutes to familiarize yourself with this fortress within the scope of your current permissions."

"Your current attributes are: Accuracy 2 (2) - Affects shooting ability and precision Agility 1 (1) - Affects close combat ability and strength Reaction 6 (6) - Affects reaction speed and agility Spirit 8 (8) - Affects skill energy consumption and perception Constitution 3 (3) - Affects physical fitness and stamina (Values in parentheses represent normal values; values outside parentheses represent current physical values.)

Skills: None. Overall Evaluation: No rating."

Xiao Ran, who had been in a state of daze, suddenly froze. His eyes, previously vacant, slowly widened in astonishment. A wide grin involuntarily spread across his face, his mouth agape. Especially with him wearing his blue Doraemon pajamas and standing barefoot, he looked utterly adorable and bewildered.

Several minutes passed, and as the thirty minutes ticked by, Xiao Ran suddenly slapped himself across the face. The crisp sound and the stinging pain made him realize that everything before him was not a dream, but a bewildering reality.

"Holy crap, is this the Main God Space?" Xiao Ran shouted, looking up at the smooth ceiling, his tone a mixture of amusement and disbelief.

A dispassionate voice echoed in Xiao Ran's ears: "This is Prometheus Fortress, Real Zone, located at a nexus point of cosmic planes. It exists in a different dimension from your original world. This is a place created by the true Sovereign of the universe, and I am the main system managing all related matters."

Xiao Ran hadn't expected the voice to respond, but the answer confirmed that this was no dream but a harsh reality. Xiao Ran, who naturally lacked a strong sense of nervousness, now felt a twinge of anxiety. Being pulled from another dimension to this place was something only a god or an alien with incredibly advanced technology could achieve. Regardless of who it was, he certainly couldn't resist or offend them.

He placed a hand on his rapidly beating heart, feeling a sense of dread and fear towards the unknown, along with a flicker of excitement from an unknown source. Xiao Ran asked, "How did I get here?"

"A program circulating in a certain star system of the universe. It acts as a key to Prometheus Fortress. Once you download and open it on your terminal, you will arrive at this place."

"Program? Terminal?" Xiao Ran's expression suddenly turned peculiar. He recalled his habit of playing on his phone before sleeping. He had downloaded a game from a certain platform that had no description, only illustrations resembling robot battles, featuring mecha like Gundam, Zaku, and even SRX and Getter Robo.

Having loved such things since childhood, Xiao Ran had downloaded the game immediately. More importantly, Xiao Ran clearly remembered that the download count for the program was a conspicuous '0'. After opening the game, he had inexplicably fallen asleep while watching the constantly rotating loading screen, and then he had arrived here.

Xiao Ran let out a few wry laughs. It seemed he had found the reason for his arrival. He couldn't blame anyone but himself for his own foolishness, for not sleeping properly at night and instead fiddling with his phone before finally dozing off.

Although he felt a bit displeased, especially with the unsettling emptiness in his heart, he looked at the remaining fifteen minutes and forced himself to focus: "Are there others in this fortress? Why am I the only one here?"

"Prometheus Fortress gathers everyone who has used the key from various locations across a certain star system. After you complete your beginner mission, you can visit other areas within the Real Zone to interact with others."

Xiao Ran's eyebrows shot up. This time, he keenly noticed a phrase – "various locations across a certain star system." This meant that Prometheus had other people, perhaps quite a few, but they were all from different planets within the same star system. Xiao Ran didn't know what aliens looked like, but if they could be called people, their differences from humans were likely not significant.

However, where there are people, there are bound to be factions. In these factions, there are strong and weak. Xiao Ran held this adage, learned from games, as a guiding principle. Upon seeing the attributes displayed in the holographic projection before him, he asked, "What is my standing in this place, in terms of newcomers?"

"You belong to the Real Zone's primary technological planet, Earth. Your planet's technological development and physical development are far inferior to other planets that have received the key. It is normal for your attributes to be low and for you to have no skills."

Xiao Ran felt a cold sweat trickle down his back. The mysterious voice's answer seemed to evade his question, yet it thoroughly explained his current situation.

"What is the average attribute level of others, and are there any other Earthlings?" Xiao Ran asked consecutively, "You mentioned mecha missions earlier. Are pilot attributes related to this? You've mentioned the Real Zone several times. Besides the Real Zone, are there other areas?"

"Within Prometheus Fortress, the average attribute level for newcomers in the Real Zone is between 15-20. It is not impossible for newcomers with higher attributes to appear. Most people will unlock one to two skills." The mysterious voice, initially devoid of emotion, now seemed to carry a hint of confusion: "Logically speaking, it is almost impossible for someone like you to open the key to this place. Therefore, you are the only exception in the entire Prometheus Fortress."

Having drawn a one-in-sixty-billion chance, Xiao Ran felt on the verge of collapse. In his local dialect, he would say he was screwed.

"A pilot is a driver who controls a mecha. A pilot's attributes are equivalent to your personal attributes. The higher your attributes, the stronger the power you can unleash when piloting a mecha. Even when not piloting a mecha, you can exert powerful personal combat strength. You can strengthen your attributes by using Merit Points obtained after completing missions, or you can improve your attributes through your own training. You can also use Merit Points to purchase other items, skills, maintain your equipment, and replenish supplies."

Pilot, mecha, Merit Points, attributes, skills, equipment – Xiao Ran firmly committed these words to memory. These were all terms related to survival, especially the words pilot and mecha. For Xiao Ran, who had loved such anime and games since childhood, these terms filled him with excitement. Being able to pilot a giant mecha was the ultimate steel romance for men! For such a romance, danger could perhaps be pushed aside slightly.

"Prometheus Fortress is divided into the Real Zone, Super Zone, and Fantasy Zone. Different zones cannot currently communicate with each other. The mission worlds they travel to and the tasks they undertake are also different, as are the rewards obtained."

This series of conversations had given Xiao Ran a clear understanding of some aspects of this world. The entire Prometheus Fortress seemed to be a place centered around mecha, requiring travel to various different worlds to complete tasks in order to become stronger and obtain more.

Xiao Ran felt a sense of relief, thinking, "Real Zone, Super Zone, Fantasy Zone – they should correspond to the types of mission worlds undertaken: real-type robot series, super-type robot series, and fantasy-type robot series. Although I don't know the exact distinction between super-type and fantasy-type, I'm fortunate to be in the safest and most controllable Real Zone. If I were to encounter a super-type robot world, I'd probably die without even knowing how."

"Can I return to my original world?" Xiao Ran asked the question that concerned him most.

"Your current permissions do not allow for an answer. Your current permission level is: Private."

Xiao Ran raised an eyebrow: "How can I increase my permission level."

"Complete the missions issued by the Sovereign. Once your total Merit Points reach a certain upper limit, your permission level can be increased."

Although he didn't get a definitive answer, the voice didn't explicitly deny the possibility of Xiao Ran returning. Thinking of his family, a glimmer of hope suddenly appeared in Xiao Ran's heart. He took a deep breath and asked indifferently, "Information on the mission I am to undertake."

"The mission you are to undertake is a group beginner mission, and it cannot be chosen. Information for this beginner mission will be displayed on the projection before you."

The holographic virtual projection before Xiao Ran suddenly changed. Upon looking at it, Xiao Ran felt his heart skip a beat, his breathing quicken. With a trembling voice, he suddenly asked, "You said just now that I'm the only Earthling here. Before executing the mission, will anyone know about the situation in the mission world?"

"What you are referring to is basically impossible. Every time a mission is completed and you return to the fortress, without special items, the Sovereign automatically clears your memory of the mission world's trends and tasks during the mission period, leaving only basic information. Your memory will only be returned when you revisit the same world."

Xiao Ran's eyes lit up: "What about outside of the mission period?"

The inexplicable voice replied, "There are no memories that can be cleared outside of mission periods."

"Hahaha..." Xiao Ran clutched his stomach and burst into laughter, unable to stop. He laughed so hard that tears streamed down his face. "I don't know what kind of place this is, and everyone here is an alien. I'm not as powerful as them, but I have an advantage that lets me defy the heavens!"

At this moment, the images appearing on the virtual display represented various anime, movies, and games related to realistic mecha from Earth. Although they were just pictures that didn't explain anything, Xiao Ran immediately recognized everything displayed. The most numerous among them were the most famous mecha series on Earth: Gundam.

The image representing the current, unselectable beginner mission world showed a scene of Earth facing off against numerous hourglass-shaped giant satellite colonies.

"Group Beginner Mission World, Gundam SEED, initiating countdown... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Entering now..."