The late sun streamed through dirty windows, a warm glow settling on the engineering block, until it reached the round table, where three students were seated, tension hanging heavily in the air.
Aaryan's gaze remained fixed on his notebook, his fingers tapping the edge nervously. Facing him, Gautam sat back in his chair, arms folded across his chest, his tone weighted with laid-back arrogance.
I don't think we need to complicate it, though," Gautam said. "The rubric only needs simple integration. No need to introduce adaptive logic or high-level mapping."
Aaryan was tempted to fight. "But if we integrate feedback loops, the system gets dynamic. It'll be something different."
"Or it'll crash on the demo," Gautam mocked. "Keep it simple. Plain.
Ishika looked between them, obviously attempting to keep the team intact. "Alright, let's nail down the essential structure today. We can refine later."
The meeting concluded with half-hearted promises and stiff nods. Aaryan gathered his things in silence, already thinking of solutions in his head. He had no time for chasing egos.
As he exited the seminar hall, a soft flicker danced on the periphery of his sight. The ethereal system panel glided silently into view.
> [Warning: Team Cohesion Suboptimal]
Project Efficiency Loss: -27%
Recommendation: Redistribute Task Load or Engage in Corrective Interaction.
Aaryan let out a sigh. "No time to babysit."
He headed to the innovation lab, a secluded corner of campus he'd informally claimed as his refuge. With Ishika maintaining rudimentary reporting in order and Gautam doing. whatever he pleased, Aaryan assumed the technical reins.
He opened his backpack, digging deep into its side pocket—his secret gateway to the System Inventory Space. From it, he drew important materials quietly and started prototyping.
Soldering equipment in hand, he began building a modular sensor foundation. His fingers danced with practiced ease, informed by more than instruction—his mind was sharper since yesterday's check-in. Thoughts linked more quickly. Memory? Close to perfect.
Yet the stress of the team dynamic hung over him.
Hours passed, with half-circuits laid out and coding environments in use, when the system chimed once more. A blue glow flash pulsed thin.
> [Project Milestone Reached: Diagnostic Integration Initiated]
Reward Earned: Advanced Debugger Chip x1 + Blueprint + Processing Guide
Item deposited in Inventory.
Aaryan's eyes grew narrow with interest as the digital blueprint spread before him.
The Debugger Chip was more than a patch tool—it was a micro-processing interface to track logical errors, heat fluctuations, and circuit bottlenecks in real-time. The blueprint specified exact fabrication specs, component ratios, and calibration routines.
> Note: Compatible with lab-grade 3D PCB printer. Processing time: 2.5 hours. Estimated efficiency improvement: +18%.
He smiled weakly. "Just what I need."
Without delay, he queued the chip design into the lab's high-end printer—his system integration granted him priority use. As the machine started its soft whir of layered construction, Aaryn went back to tweaking the feedback algorithms.
Later that night, Ishika entered unannounced, carrying a folder.
"Still here?" she asked gently.
He raised his head, mildly surprised. "Didn't hear you."
"You always work like this?" She looked around. His half of the lab was tidy, clinical—almost surgical. Everything was in its place. No mess. No clutter.
"Just prefer to concentrate."
She placed a copy of the draft of the preliminary report in his hand. "Gautam didn't deliver his contribution. Again."
Aaryan accepted it silently. Once she was gone, he recreated the lost parts himself. Quicker. Neatlier.
The evening concluded with the Debugger Chip printed and tested. It was flawless. A warm glow illuminated his prototype board as error logs flowed in and wiped themselves out immediately.
No drama. No complaints.
Just progress.