Joe stood in stunned silence, words refusing to form. To his shame, he realized what he had been denying for too long—he no longer had the same hold over his son.
They stepped out into the corridor. Joe drew a long breath, as though the air itself might steady him, but still he said nothing.
The hum of servos filled the hallway as Carmen's AI unit rolled up beside Jayar.
"Jayar," the synthetic voice announced, "you have an outstanding tax debt."
Jayar stiffened. "No. I was told it was a system glitch—something to do with the updates. Adrian confirmed it."
His voice wavered, then hardened. "Carmen… will Kiwooin really be released?"
The machine's eyes glowed faintly. "Yes. He is classified as a victim of circumstance, not the architect of the incident."
Jayar clenched his jaw. "But—"
Carmen ignored him and glided toward Kiwooin's chamber. The frustration in Jayar boiled over; he stormed after her.
"You're going to explain this to me," he snapped, his voice low but cutting. "And until you do, I swear you won't have food or water delivered here."
"Conflict resolved," Carmen replied serenely. "Probability of further escalation: six percent."
Jayar blinked in disbelief.
A quiet laugh came from within. Kiwooin, sitting cross-legged on the floor, raised his eyes with a lazy grin. "So. What is it you want to know?"
"Everything," Jayar shot back.
Kiwooin smirked wider, as though the demand amused him. "Then let us start at the beginning. I was born on the thirteenth—"
"No, no, no!" Jayar cut him off with a wave of his hand. "Not that kind of everything!"
Carmen's voice interjected, clinical and unyielding: "Data confirmation: Kiwooin was born on the thirteenth day."
Jayar turned, startled. "The Dome doesn't even record details like that…"
His voice dropped, sharp again. "What I want to know is how you raise your FB."
Kiwooin tilted his head, eyes gleaming with amusement. "Ah, that. I'm afraid I'll disappoint you. I don't raise it at all. I simply find those whose FB is already high." He paused, letting the silence stretch before adding, "But…"
...
Game
Jayar stood at the cliff's edge, the wind tugging at his hair as he gazed down into the void. Every now and then his eyes flicked across the landscape, searching for something only he could see. Behind him Alex approached, the Nexus at his side pulsing a steady red; the hood drawn over his head only deepened the air of mystery around him.
"Tell me, Jayar," Alex said, falling into step beside him, "what's your reason for hunting this bug?"
Jayar turned, and the eagerness in his eyes was plain to see. "I think this bug can get me somewhere different—somewhere bigger. I want to be part of something new, something amazing."
Alex cut in, skeptical. "A bug can be nothing more than a glitch."
Jayar bristled. "No. This one will be the kind of glitch that lets me achieve everything in this game."
Alex raised an eyebrow. "Do you have a concrete reason to want to be 'part of something bigger,' or is this just talk?" he teased.
Jayar smiled, a tight, confident curl of his lips. "I want to be the one who beats K.L."
"You couldn't find anyone easier?" Alex replied dryly.
"Do you know anyone as significant as K.L.?" Jayar shot back. Alex spread his hands, conceding the point, and Jayar's enthusiasm proved contagious.
They clasped hands, the gesture sharp and unshaken, as though sealing something far greater than a promise. For a moment the world around them—the cliff, the void, the crimson glow of Alex's Nexus—faded into silence.
Two players, bound by a shared obsession. Two rivals of fate choosing to stand side by side.
"We'll do it together," Jayar said, his voice low but burning with conviction.
Alex's hood shadowed his expression, but the faintest curve of a smile tugged at his lips. "Together. We will defeat K. L. together."
It felt dramatic, reckless, and impossibly cool—the kind of pact that could either make legends of them both… or destroy them utterly.
[Daily task]
He woke up from a dream, Jayar woke up to a strange notification. It was clearly not his phone.
Ding~
[Daily Assignment: Preparation for Improving the FB level]
[Deadline: one month]
(Not Completed) | Push-ups: 0/100
(Not Completed) | Abs: 0/100
(Not Completed) | Squats: 0/100
(Not Completed) | Run: 0/10 km
[Note: It is a body workout to prepare the body for future changes. You can adjust the tasks to suit your needs]
Jayar thinks to himself what a "secretive man" he is with a smile
...
Felix stared at the glowing text before him, the words Daily Assignment pulsing with quiet insistence. Beside him, Kayav idly tossed a ball against the wall, catching it with practiced rhythm.
"Can you explain to me," Kayav said, not bothering to hide his irritation, "how this is supposed to raise our FB? I run six kilometers every day. My FB never moves. There's a catch in this somewhere."
Felix squinted at the interface. "It says here the deadline is a month… but it also says 'Daily Assignment.' That doesn't even make sense."
Jayar leaned over, scanning the text. "Here—look. It says the tasks are meant to prepare the body."
Both Felix and Kayav turned to him in unison. "Prepare it for what?"
Jayar shrugged, his eyes sparking with determination. "I don't know. But whatever it is, I'll finish every one of these tasks in a single day. Let's see what happens."
His conviction was contagious. Felix and Kayav, exchanging reluctant glances, followed his lead. By the time the sun dipped low, the three of them had driven themselves through every exercise, every drill, every seemingly pointless routine. Muscles ached, sweat stung their eyes, but the list was finally complete.
They gathered in silence, breathing hard.
Felix wiped his brow. "So… what now?"
...
Ding~
[Daily Assignment: Preparation for Improving the FB level]
[Deadline: Twenty-nine days]
(Not Completed) | BB16 Meat Breakfast: 0/10
(Not Completed) | Lunch is a Mechaspider: 0/8
(Not Completed) | Dinner smoked Yolt: 0/10
(Not Completed) | Water from Lake Fii: 0/10
[Note: It is a body workout to prepare the body for future changes. You can adjust the tasks to suit your needs]
Jayar's shout shattered the uneasy quiet. "WHAT?!"
Kayav shifted uncomfortably, glancing from the screen to the object in Jayar's hands. "I… I don't know. Do you really have to eat that? What happens if you don't finish the assignment?"
Jayar's eyes narrowed, suspicion heavy in his voice. "This is a setup. Has to be. What the hell is going on here?" He caught movement out of the corner of his eye. "Hey—wait! Where are you going?"
Kayav was already heading for the door, his tone calm but urgent. "To find Felix. Maybe he can make sense of this."