Monolith World 27 Food For Though

As I made my way inside via the back door, I didn't have very many positive thoughts about lunch. I was getting pretty hungry, so my mood wasn't positive. After my poor culinary performance this morning, I wasn't very determined to take another stab at cooking.

*It wasn't really morning, though, was it? Time is screwed in this place.*

Saying I was traumatized was a bit of a stretch, but it wasn't too far off, either. Unfortunately, I had to prepare my own meals for the time being.

*I'm still alone. Do I have to remind myself...*

Shaking my head, I pondered what I was going to make for lunch.

*Lunch is supposed to be a midday meal, but the sun is setting. This is so strange...*

I had a feeling that it would take me quite a while to get used to the rapid day and night cycle of this world. That is, if I ever overcame it at all.

*Referring to the time on my phone will be the simplest method for now.*

I wasn't going to bend the rules of my entire life's experience simply because I had been transported to a new fantasy world. There was no reason for my to adhere to another's standards when my own were more than adequate.

*Although, a certain someone would definitely disagree on my standards. I wonder where he's at now?*

That guy. It would be quite convenient if I could meet up with him sometime soon.

*I can't a.s.sume anything, though. I have no idea if he's even here.*

Indeed, I couldn't say for certain if he had also been transported to this otherworldly place simply because he'd been washed up in the white light like I had.

*If he has, though, I'm sure he's already figured out how to make it for himself...*

Even though it had merely been a couple of hours since we were brought here, I didn't have a shred of doubt regarding the capability of my comrade.

*Which reminds me, why did he think of me as a friend, anyway?*

This was a question I would ask myself time and again. A guy who is successful at life befriends a total loser. Truth was stranger than fiction at some times, and this seemed like a good time to use this expression.

*... Regardless of the reason, I'm thankful that I had someone like him. I would be pretty lonely, otherwise.*

In the midst of the thinking, I had arrived at the kitchen. I stared for a while before apprehensively approaching the cursed area.

*This place gives me chills. One wrong step and the whole thing could burn down.*

I preferred leaving this kind of thing to the pros, but at this point, I had no choice but to take matters into my own hands.

*Or else I'll starve to death. Even roasted rabbit sounds really good around now. That's how hungry I am.*

I was even willing to fill my stomach with a clearly abnormal being. A being that could obviously be infected with some unknown pestilence. It was obvious that I wasn't going to actually starve to death. That would take a few weeks. But the lengths that humans could go to in order to survive...

*It's a fascinating topic... Just don't sign me up as the test subject.*

Suddenly, I had a bizarre thought.

*What if... This is An's pet project..? But for now, I'll have to put this thought on hold. I'm seriously starving.*

Like earlier, I still didn't know how to cook. It appeared that instant noodles were the only way to go at the moment. At least they were impossible to burn.

I filled a small pot with water and placed it on the electric stove, turning the heat to max. I then s.n.a.t.c.hed a cup of the good stuff from the pantry and waited for the water to boil.

As I watched the pot boil, my mind couldn't help but wander a bit more.

*Apparently, if I can't *really* die, then this would be an ideal situation for a strange experiment.*

What would said experiment be? An experiment to test the limits of one's humanity!

An undying test subject would be ideal for these types of cruel experiments as long as the experimenter kept it on the down low. If the thing got exposed, there would most likely be h.e.l.lish consequences to pay. As long as my physical body was kept alive and intact, n.o.body would be able to prove I had underwent many experiences teetering on the edge of life and death.

*If this is really true... If I'm a part of some inhumane experiment... An, I'll surely get you for this!*

A bubbling sound awoke me from my daze.

*Looks like the water has boiled.*

I unsealed the cup of noodles and poured the scalding water into it.

*Careful, now. Can't have me burning myself during a simple task such as this when there's so much more to be done.*

My physical control was not optimal when it came to tasks like these. Was it a miracle that I was able to successfully procure a meal without a single mishap? Or just pure skill?

*No point thinking about it. What's done is done. Time to eat... And think about my future.*

I began to slowly slurp the cheese flavored noodles as I pondered my situation.

*Anyway, if I can't die, then it's also likely for this world to be a simulation, right? ... I really wish I had some methods to test this theory.*

There in fact was such a method in my original world of Earth.

Irrational numbers!

The fact that irrational numbers existed was proof that we did not exist within a simulated s.p.a.ce. Basically, irrational numbers have no end. Because they have no end, they theoretically take up infinite s.p.a.ce in memory. It's impossible for a system to have infinite memory. Therefore, we weren't simulated.

However, there was a major flaw in this thinking. If a civilization was able to emulate a reality to such a frightening degree, how powerful were their systems? Our feeble computers keep calculating pi as accurately as possible, yet we've only reached the tens of trillions. On the surface, this magnitude seems very large. But if you take into account the sheer number of objects in the universe, tens of trillions is merely a drop in the bucket.

If Earth and its respective universe was simulated, the amount of total data would exceed yottabytes. The total amount of data this supposed civilization regularly deals with is greater than the combination of everything we have. If you multiplied that number by a factor of an unfathomable constant.

So...

*In the end, we can't prove whether or not we are simulated.*

Because there is also hypothesis in favor of a simulated world.

Why are some energy levels quantized?

For example, orbital patterns of electrons. Electrons in an atom can only exist at certain energy levels with nothing in between.
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Some more examples include - the Planck length. The speed of light and the permeability of free s.p.a.ce.

Of course, it's entirely possible that the Planck length isn't even the smallest thing there is. Thousands of years ago, philosophers believed that the "elements" were the building blocks of reality. Then atoms were discovered. Who knows if we'll discover something smaller in the future?

*Like your d.i.c.k. Haha.*

I nearly choked on soup at my own joke.

*Drowning in sipped soup would be the worst way to go right now...*

Imagine what I would have to tell people...

"I lived in a very scary place. There were monsters that could kill you without sparing a thought. The very environment was against you. Day and night cycles were fubar'd. And I drowned myself as I was telling a d.i.c.k joke..."

*And then they would ask...*

"Then how are you still alive?

"I came back to life..."

*... No one would believe any part of that story.*

No matter what culture I happen to encounter in the future, I would most likely be exiled immediately if I spoke any semblance of truth regarding the matters that transpired here today.

Fortunately, I was done with my soup. I tossed the thing away as quickly as possible. I would forever be traumatized by kitchens and cups of noodles.

*No environmental problems here, I a.s.sume. Everything must be just fine due to the lack of people.*

I had no qualms about tras.h.i.+ng a Styrofoam cup here. This place was already bad enough. It couldn't possibly get worse.

With a sigh, I strode towards the backyard once more to venture outside.

As I approached the door, I noticed it had gotten quite dark. Contrary to the clock on my phone, which read 14:07, it appeared to be the dead of the night.

*Looks like this begins a new chapter of my journey.*

I had been outside many times in the past few hours. I had survived multiple days (with a... minor caveat) in the past few hours, as strange as it seemed. But never once had I experienced nighttime in this world. I had always, be it knowingly or not, spent each night inside the safety of my own home. It was time to break this habit. Breaking a habit starts with a single step.

With a deep breath, I once again opened the door to explore the expanse. This time, in utter darkness.