Although Dan had already decided that he would eventually go to Kamar-Taj to seek out the Ancient One and obtain the power of the Time Stone—and other materials—he was not planning to go immediately.
Since he intended to negotiate, naturally he needed leverage. Dan planned to wait until he could create the Game Administrator Cartridge and unlock Kamen Rider Cronus in the Game Rider System before approaching the Ancient One. It would also give him time to prepare more thoroughly—something that would likely require a while.
In fact, the item he intended to give the Ancient One as an exchange offer was also part of Dan's long-term plan. Not only would it be valuable as a bargaining chip, but more importantly, it would allow him to open new game storyline content. It wasn't something he could just casually put together; it required careful preparation.
So until everything was ready, Dan would not personally visit the Sorcerer Supreme.
For now, what mattered most was maintaining the operation of the Bugster Virus game, making sure progress did not stall. The game had only just begun; if he wanted it to unfold according to his plan, maintaining and operating it properly was essential.
"Judging from the results of their first direct battle, Brave and Snipe have basically learned to control the power of Level 5 cartridges. Their performance was quite good.
Since that's the case, we can start adjusting the game difficulty upward. We can speed up our data collection and improve the game system."
Dan opened a suitcase and showed its contents to Izu—cartridges.
In the Game Rider System created by Dan, the cartridge levels were not identical to the original Ex-Aid series. He had modified them according to his own ideas.
Compared to the original Game Rider cartridges, Dan's version differed in the following ways:
The initial Level 1 chibi form was the same, but once upgraded, the structure changed—the first upgrade became Level 5.
In the original, using dual cartridges produced Level 3. Here, that tier became Level 10, meaning a single basic cartridge reached Level 5 strength.
After that, higher levels followed sequentially: 20, 50, 99, 100, and finally Level-less cartridges, including:
Cronus
Hyper Muteki
God Maximum Mighty X
And the reason for this design? Simply because Dan felt like it.
Yes, it was that casually willful. After all, with the Kamen Rider Chronicle system in his hands, as long as he possessed the proper materials (rules, authority, power), he could freely design and create Rider systems however he wished.
Izu accepted the suitcase and scanned the cartridges inside, blinking adorably.
"Master, are these to be given to Brave and Snipe?"
Dan smiled slightly and shook his head."They are prepared for them—but not to be given right now."
"They'll only be used when the Virus grow stronger and can no longer win so easily. Then we'll offer them these blank cartridges and allow them to gain higher-level power."
"After all, it's only when people face genuine crisis that they can truly awaken their potential," Dan said meaningfully.
"But Master," Azu said playfully, "pressure can indeed stimulate human potential, but many people collapse under pressure instead. There's no guarantee those two have what it takes to break through."
Dan chuckled and lightly tapped Azu on the back."You little brat, don't worry. The Hero and the Archer are individuals I carefully selected—they can handle at least this much."
"Besides, they're still only using basic cartridges. It's not a harsh requirement yet, so there shouldn't be a problem."
Azu let out a soft coquettish sound. "Of course, Master's judgment is never wrong. Azu spoke out of turn."
Izu shot Azu a small side glance; streams of digital data flickered across her eyes."There is an incoming transmission from Ark."
She waved a hand, and the computer screen on Dan's desk lit up—Ark-One's avatar appeared.
"Master, the mechanical cyborg soldiers are ready. They can be deployed at any time."
Dan nodded."Good. I'll notify you when it's time. I'll use the space wall transfer function to retrieve them."
"Yes," Ark replied calmly.
"What about the Gaia Memory production line? Any issues?"
"Based on the data provided by Master, the Museum Project is progressing smoothly.
Some high-level Gaia Memories still require time to complete; we're currently in prototype testing. But full production should be feasible soon. Mass-production models are already successfully rolling off the line.
Should we begin the sales phase now?"
Dan thought for a moment and shook his head.
"No need yet. Focus on completing the high-level memories. There's no need to rush."
"And right now is not the time to release them to the public. The Gaia Memory game side storyline has not yet reached the point where it should be activated. Continue monitoring Museum progress and report updates regularly."
"Understood," Ark responded, then paused. "Also…"
Suddenly, Evolto shoved his face into the screen, sounding extremely bored.
"Boss, I'm dying of boredom! Every day I'm either spacing out in the office, going to pointless human parties, or listening to meaningless meetings. Isn't there anything fun for me to do?"
"Participating in business events and listening to reports from subordinates are obligations of your identity as the current president of the Tree of Life Foundation," Ark stated coldly. "And please refrain from inserting your face into the feed when I'm reporting to Master."
"We're all working for the Boss—why care about these tiny details?" Evolto shrugged casually.
"You've done absolutely nothing since becoming Foundation President. All you do is wander around, eat, and wait for death. Strictly speaking, we're hardly 'working together,'" Ark said bluntly.
"That's harsh! We're partners!" Evolto laughed without shame.
Dan smiled helplessly."Evolto, the Tree of Life Foundation is an important piece in my long-term plan. That's why I assigned you as president—to smooth future operations."
"It's just not time yet, so things are quiet. Once the Museum Project is running, you'll have tasks."
"In fact, there will be more projects later where I'll need you."
"If you're bored, go find a hobby. Make coffee or something."
Evolto spread his hands."Alright, Boss has a plan. I'll just wait."
Dan turned back to Ark."Anything else?"
"Yes. About Shocker Organization. During data transmission of the cyborg modification technology, someone attempted to trace my physical location through the network. I shook them off."
Dan chuckled."As expected. I knew Hydra would never behave quietly."
"But since they're bold enough to probe us directly, they clearly want to test the mysterious 'Foundation X' that provided them these cyborg technologies."
"If they want to see our strength, we'll respond. For organizations like Hydra, nothing teaches better than fists."
"I was planning to give them a warning sooner or later—and since they've stuck their neck out, we'll give them the iron fist of the Consortium they're so curious about."
For Hydra, the sudden gift of cyborg technology from a mysterious faction calling itself Foundation X, with the ability to mass-produce super-soldiers equal to or stronger than Captain America, was cause for celebration.
But as an organization intent on world domination, they immediately became suspicious.
Hydra's network spanned the globe—politics, economics, military—all infiltrated extensively, even S.H.I.E.L.D. had been nearly devoured from within during World War II.
Yet they had never heard of Foundation X before.
Their leadership couldn't help but ask:
Who exactly are they?
What is their purpose?
Will they become a future enemy?
The technology gifted to Shocker was unbelievable—and gifts were never the highest-tier technology. Which implied Foundation X possessed even more unfathomable power.
And the more powerful they appeared, the more Hydra feared them.
Hydra, after all, would never permit another force capable of challenging their ambition to rule the world.
"Boss, let me go!" Evolto immediately volunteered with excitement upon hearing that Dan planned to smack Hydra.
(End of Chapter)