No, Bro? Who's the Group Owner Anyway?

[Salted Fish Fun Person: What kind of group is this? @V, send some lewd pics so we can see your strength.]

[I am the famous_: (What a horny beast.jpg)]

[I am the famous_: The big shot is unexpectedly approachable.]

[I am the famous_: Welcome to the Multiverse Chat Group. The relevant details should have been automatically conveyed by the chat group the instant you joined.]

[I am the famous_: Simply put, this is a chat group that can span worlds.]

[I am the famous_: Let me introduce myself first. I'm V, from the world of Cyberpunk 2077. I used to be a transmigrator, and I've just been fired by a corporation.]

[I am the famous_: Because different worlds can be projected into one another, events from our respective worlds may end up becoming all sorts of artistic works in other worlds. So, if we're lucky, we might learn from fellow group members about stories that will happen in our own world's future.]

[I am the famous_: But as a Beyond-the-Standard-level big shot, you probably don't need that sort of thing.]

[Upright Person: Transmigrator +1. Though I transmigrated into Steve from "My World."]

[I Want to Eat Hamburger Steak: Mm, the Captain and I aren't transmigrators. I'm Kaneki Ken from "Tokyo Ghoul."]

[Captain: Hahaha, I'm Steve too, but I'm the Steve from "Avengers."]

[I am the famous_: Old Geezer Captain, you still alive?]

[Captain: I can do this all day.]

[I am the famous_: Give it up. With your condition, it wouldn't be strange if you suddenly dropped dead the next second.]

Chu Ke raised a brow. Game worlds, movies, anime—this group covered quite a broad range.

There were a few things he was curious about, though, so he typed out a question.

[Salted Fish Fun Person: I more or less understand the situation. I'm a transmigrator too, but what did the group owner mean earlier by Beyond the Standard? Also, you said I'm from the world of "Dragon Raja"?]

He had no idea whether this chat group used China Mobile or China Unicom data, but even across several worlds, there wasn't the slightest delay. The reply came almost instantly.

[I am the famous_: Wok, so the big shot is a fellow countryman too!]

[I am the famous_: Mm, Beyond the Standard refers to the ranking system assigned to us by the chat group. It's roughly based on "the maximum damage a single attack can cause."]

[I am the famous_: Take me, for example. The main way to increase strength in my world is "Technological Ascension"—installing cyberware on yourself.]

[I am the famous_: For various reasons, I currently only have ocular cyberware and a life-sign monitoring implant left behind by the original owner of this body. Neither has much offensive power, so my rating is Lv. 1: Ordinary Human.]

[I am the famous_: Above that are 2: Brick Buster–Wall Buster; 3: Building Buster; 4: Street Buster; 5: City Destroyer; 6: Country Destroyer; 7: Continent Destroyer; 8: Surface Destroyer; 9: Planet–Superplanet; 10: Star–Superstar. There are higher levels too, but they're meaningless to us for now.]

[I am the famous_: Outside those ranks is a separate category: Beyond the Standard, which is yours, big shot. I'm not too sure what it's based on, but it should mean you're very strong.]

[I am the famous_: Both your level and the world you come from can be seen in the suffix after your name in the group chat.]

Looking at the chat group's ranking system, Chu Ke couldn't help laughing. "What kind of system written by some Wang Bar bro is this?"

He checked the group. V was Level 1, while Kaneki Ken was a little higher at Level 2. As for the Captain, his level flickered between 1 and 2 as if it were stuck.

The most unusual was Block Person Steve. His level was Lv. 2 (Lv. 14), which probably corresponded to Survival and Creative modes.

After comparing it to what he understood from his previous life, Chu Ke roughly got it. However, his Beyond the Standard rating probably wasn't the kind of Beyond the Standard from Wang Bar discussions, stacked through mathematical conceptual layers. It was more likely some other category caused by the difficulty of ranking him.

The reason was simple: Chu Ke believed it had to be caused by his Fundamental Forces.

A growth method like doubling every day was certainly absurd, but it was fairly common in an infinite universe. It couldn't be the reason he had been ranked Beyond the Standard.

That meant the only reason was the special nature of his Fundamental Forces.

So far, Chu Ke had discovered two uses for the Fundamental Forces: manipulation and appraisal. Both were extraordinary.

First was manipulation. For example, Chu Ke could currently manipulate up to 64 kilograms of matter, and the process was completely instantaneous and consumed nothing.

Suppose he manipulated a one-kilogram cube of iron. He could instantly flatten it or knead it into a ball. The force required completely exceeded what should have been possible based on the mass he could manipulate. And this "instant" was a true instant. Chu Ke had once marked a molecule with the Fundamental Forces while deforming an object. After the deformation, the time it took to traverse its displacement was equal to zero, giving it infinite speed. Yet the deformation process produced no effects whatsoever—not the sonic boom that should occur beyond the speed of sound, nor the relativistic effects of light speed.

And after obtaining the chat group, Chu Ke was surprised to discover that he seemed able to manipulate even this kind of nonmaterial existence.

Then there was appraisal. Whenever Chu Ke used the Fundamental Forces to manipulate an object, some of that object's information naturally surfaced.

Still using that piece of iron as an example, there was simple information such as "1 kg of iron," "contains various impurities," and "can be sold to the old man collecting scrap downstairs for 4 yuan," as well as strange information like "an experimental prop used by protagonist Chu Ke in 'After Becoming Invincible, I Started Having Fun Across the Heavens'" and "first appeared in the 33rd paragraph of Chapter 2 of 'Invincible. Fun.'"

That was only the most basic application of the Fundamental Forces. Chu Ke could feel that the greatest potential of this cheat had yet to be unearthed.

But what did that have to do with a salted fish like him?

Chu Ke's assessment was, "It's not as important as the tofu sold as a side business by the old man collecting scrap downstairs."

Thinking about tofu made Chu Ke crave it again. That tofu really was exceptional—tender and silky, melting in the mouth, rich with the fragrance of soybeans. Made into tofu pudding, it tasted incredible with either white sugar or chili and scallions! No, once he finished opening the shop, he would go buy a block to make as an after-dinner dessert.

Coming back to his senses, Chu Ke gave a polite reply in the group.

[Salted Fish Fun Person: OK, I completely understand. (Stick-figure thumbs-up.jpg)]

[Salted Fish Fun Person: Just give a shout if you need anything. I'll help if I can.]

[I am the famous_: It's fine, big shot. Once you're in the group, we're fucking bros. No need to be so polite.]

[I am the famous_: Though even if something does come up, we might really not be able to help, since the chat group doesn't seem to have a function for traveling between worlds yet.]

"Hm?" Chu Ke froze. With his Fundamental Forces, he had already taken this chat group apart down to its underwear. It clearly showed that there was a world-transfer function between group members, didn't it?

[Salted Fish Fun Person: The permission probably just hasn't been unlocked yet. I unpacked it just now, and it looks like it can be done.]

[Salted Fish Fun Person: Hang on, I'll see if I can modify the config file.]

[Group Butler: @All Members, inter-member teleportation has been enabled. Both parties must grant permission simultaneously. Teleportation has a 30-second casting time. If either party is injured during that time, teleportation will fail. Please use it only after ensuring the surrounding environment is safe.]

[I am the famous_: Huh?]

[I am the famous_: No, bro?]

[Upright Person: No, bro?]

[I Want to Eat Hamburger Steak: No, bro?]

[Captain: No, bro?]

[I am the famous_: No, who the hell is the group owner here?]

[Captain: What goes around comes around.]

[Upright Person: Still the command big shot.]

New author, new book—please support it in every way, onegai!