The persistent chirping of his phone alarm dragged Chris from a comfortable, hazy dream involving flying bicycles and talking squirrels. He slapped blindly at his nightstand, eventually silencing the noise. April 7th, 2025. His eighteenth birthday. Officially an adult.
He didn't feel particularly different. Maybe a little groggier than usual. Sunlight filtered weakly through his blinds, illuminating the familiar posters on his walls – a mix of indie bands, concept art from video games, and a slightly faded map of a fantasy world he'd once tried to map out himself. Chris was, by his own admission, an imaginative guy. His mind often wandered to worlds far removed from his decidedly average suburban life. He wasn't struggling, his parents provided comfortably, but Lamborghinis and sprawling mansions weren't exactly on the horizon either. He was firmly planted in the 'getting by' category, dreaming of 'getting ahead.'
He swung his legs out of bed, the floorboards cool beneath his feet. Eighteen. It felt like a milestone that should come with a trumpet fanfare or at least a sudden surge of wisdom. Instead, it just felt like Tuesday. Or was it Monday? He checked his phone again. Ah, Monday. Great.
As he stood up, stretching his arms towards the ceiling with a yawn, a faint blue shimmer flickered into existence directly in front of his face.
Chris blinked. Once. Twice. He rubbed his eyes, figuring it was just sleep residue or a weird trick of the light.
The shimmer solidified. It resolved into a sleek, minimalist, semi-transparent blue rectangle floating about two feet from his nose. White text began to type itself across the surface, accompanied by an almost inaudible hum.
[Reality Setting System Initializing...]
[Host Synchronization Commencing...]
[Host Identified: Christopher Reyes]
[Age Verification: 18 Years - Confirmed]
[System Activation Trigger: Biological Milestone Achieved]
Chris froze, mid-stretch, mouth slightly agape. This wasn't a dream. It felt too crisp, too real. The blue light cast faint reflections on his pupils. He slowly lowered his arms, heart starting to thump against his ribs like a trapped bird.
"What... the hell?" he whispered, his voice raspy.
The text continued, ignoring his confusion.
[Welcome, Host Christopher Reyes, to the Reality Setting System - Level 0]
[This System allows the designated Host to modify specific parameters of baseline reality]
[Modifications are implemented via Setting Interface]
An image appeared below the text – a simple horizontal slider bar, currently set all the way to the left at '0.0'. Above the slider, a label read: [Global Human Intelligence]. The maximum value on the right end of the slider was '+0.1'.
[System Level 0 Restriction: Only Global Human Intelligence parameter is accessible.]
[Available Adjustment Range: +0.0 to +0.1 IQ points for all individual humans.]
Chris stared, trying to process the words. Reality Setting System? Modify reality? Like... like settings in a game? It sounded like something ripped straight from one of his own daydreams, but the floating blue panel was undeniably there. He cautiously reached out a hand, half expecting it to pass right through. His fingers met a surface that felt like cool, smooth glass, though it looked entirely ethereal. It tingled slightly at his touch.
"Okay," he breathed, pulling his hand back. "Okay, Chris. Don't freak out. Maybe it's a... really advanced birthday prank? Augmented reality?" But who would do this? And how?
More text scrolled onto the screen.
[System Progression Objective: Enhance the positive development of Human Civilization.]
[Gaining System Experience (XP): Awarded when implemented settings result in tangible benefits (minor or major) for humanity.]
[Increased System Level unlocks access to more parameters and greater adjustment ranges.]
So, he could... make everyone on Earth slightly smarter? By 0.1 IQ points? That seemed absurdly small. What difference could that possibly make? Would anyone even notice? He thought about the sheer scale – billions of people, each getting a minuscule, almost immeasurable bump in cognitive ability.
How could that possibly generate 'tangible benefits' for humanity? It felt like trying to fill an ocean with an eyedropper.
But the panel remained. The slider beckoned. [Global Human Intelligence: +0.0].
Hesitantly, driven by a mixture of disbelief, intense curiosity, and the lingering feeling that this had to be some kind of elaborate joke, Chris reached out again. His finger hovered over the small indicator on the slider. If this was real... what harm could +0.1 IQ do? It wasn't like he was turning everyone into super-geniuses overnight. It was... subtle. Almost meaningless, perhaps.
He took a shallow breath and slowly, deliberately, pushed the slider indicator to the right. It clicked softly as it locked into place at the +0.1 mark.
[Setting Confirmed: Global Human Intelligence +0.1]
[Parameter Change Propagating...]
[Propagation Complete.]
[Current Setting: Global Human Intelligence +0.1]
[Monitor Reality for Benefit Events to gain System XP.]
The world didn't suddenly brighten. No chorus of angels sang. Chris didn't feel any different himself, no sudden rush of insight or clarity. Outside his window, a car drove past, someone walked their dog, birds chirped. Everything seemed exactly the same.
Anticlimax washed over him, mingled with profound weirdness.
The blue panel remained, a silent testament to the impossible event that had just occurred.
He, Chris Reyes, on his eighteenth birthday, had just potentially made every single human being on the planet 0.1 IQ points smarter.
And now? Now he had to wait and see if the most minuscule change imaginable could somehow benefit humanity, just so his bizarre new 'system' could level up.
He sank back onto his bed, staring at the silent blue screen. This was definitely not how he'd imagined turning eighteen.